Liverpool Life 6:04 November 22 2017

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NEWS FROM THE HEART OF THE CITY

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Liverpool Life

POLICE CHIEF’S MESSAGE COSTUME DRAMA: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

PIXEY POWER AN ARTIST TO WATCH

ISSUE FOUR NOV 22 - DEC 5

Liverpool Life

contents Vol 6 Issue 4. NOVEMBER 22 - DECEMBER 5 2017

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Your guide to What’s On in Liverpool 14-15

NEWS

Councillors support move to help teenagers get the chance to vote

Christmas tree winter rebranding 5

8 - 30

Coat tails as old as time 13

FEATURES The City of Liverpool hidden gems

Grad Watch - Sophie goes from soap to CBBC 30

31 - 35

SPORT

© Abby Nicholson

Formby boxer wins again after four rounds

LL Production: Ed Baldwin, Jade Culver, Jo Cunliffe, Matty Davies, James Farrington, Amy Harding, Jessica Hughes, Jasper Hunt, Steph Kettle, Jordan Reais, Suzy Sankey, Daisy Scott, Tom Swift, Alex Amadeo, Jack Butler, Megg Dodds, Marcello Dotolo, Shaun Driscoll, Oli Fell, Olivia Friett, Evan Fyfe, Gemma Jones, Ross Hilton-Inkpin, Emily Kinsella, Abby Nicholson, Sam O’Hara, Michael Stokes, Danielle Thomas, Hannah Wilkinson.

Front cover picture © Lauren Keir

NEWS

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Time to reduce fear and work together for a safer society

By SUZY SANKEY The Chief Constable of Merseyside has reassured residents that violence in Liverpool is not as bad as people believe, during a lecture at Liverpool John Moores University.

Andy Cooke, who took over the role in June, titled his talk ‘War Against Rebellion is Messy: Like Eating Soup with a Knife’, explaining the problems the city faces and Merseyside Police’s plan to tackle them.

The annual lecture - the first one that Chief Constable Cooke has delivered - came shortly after Sam Cook was fatally stabbed on his 21st birthday whilst celebrating in a club in town and a 19-year-old student from LJMU was stabbed walking home from the library.

The Chief Constable told LL: “I think the cause of violence is societal. It’s difficult to pinpoint one individual reason why it happens.

“I think the challenge for the Police and the challenge for the wider partnerships who work together to promote public safety is to give the education from an early stage to make people understand the impact of some of the serious injuries that occur as

a result of gun and knife violence, and to try to get society working together to address the key problems.”

Tackling the issue of youths being involved in the crime, sometimes used as ‘drug mules’ who later get caught up in violence, the Chief Constable explained that 16,000 children are absent from school across Merseyside every single day.

He asked the audience: “Are these children criminal slaves, or criminal offenders?”

Merseyside Police are working to not only tackle the problem of the criminals themselves, but to also tackle the problem of fear, as the crimes are fast becoming accepted and normal in many communities.

“The necessity is to reduce the threat, risk and overall levels of harm caused by serious and organised crime. Secondly, to build stronger communities to prevent serious and organised crime from becoming the community norm. “It’s understandable that communities blighted by this problem are living in fear but it doesn’t have to be this way. When there is strength in numbers, it can overcome criminals,” he told a packed lecture theatre.

Reassurance: Chief Constable Andy Cooke

© Suzy Sankey

Comic fans angry after convention axed in Liverpool

By JADE CULVER Comic book fans are up in arms over the fact that a major convention planned for Liverpool next year has been cancelled.

Liverpool MCM Comic-Con first arrived in 2016 at Liverpool Exhibition Centre and the whole weekend was an instant sell out, with this year’s convention being similarly positive in terms of ticket sales.

Now the convention which had been planned for March 2018 has been scrapped.

The news came as a complete shock for many fans, especially as the event only came to Liverpool two years ago. Some took to Facebook to express their disbelief.

Chanice Hird said: “This is a bad message they are sending, showing fans they don’t care about them. I understand it’s a business, but no doubt those “improvements” to other conventions will come with an increase in the

Liverpool MCM Comic Con ©Jade Culver

price of tickets and not much will actually change.”

Alice Outten said: “What a joke, it’s not even been here long. Not impressed.”

Other disgruntled fans took to Twitter, where user @hollypryce said: “I can’t believe they are

discontinuing MCM Comic Con Liverpool! It was a sell out!”

User @alanrenza added: “In my eyes, conventions everywhere including Liverpool and Belfast were growing. Liverpool was amazing and had so many great people there.

“To cancel it, I believe, is a big mistake on MCM’s part and makes it less accessible to people further out from the big citites. #notgood” Organisers MCM said: “In order to deliver bigger and better events, brands, guests and entertainment for our fans we have made the difficult decision to discontinue the MCM Comic Cons in Telford (Midlands), Liverpool and Northern Ireland.”

The announcement comes with new ownership of the company.

MCM is an international company that organises comic conventions across the globe. The events will often have special guests from the latest movie releases, or comic book artists as well as several stores offering a variety of ‘geeky’ wares.

A petition has been created on change.org to keep the convention

by Team TMTM.

04 LL NEWS

Councillors support move to help teenagers get the chance to vote

By JO CUNLIFFE Cheshire West and Chester council are backing a campaign to lower the voting age to 16.

At a recent council meeting, Cheshire West councillors made the decision to support 16 and 17 year olds casting a vote.

Councillor Samantha Dixon, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester council, said at the meeting: “Currently 1.5 million 16 and

17 year olds are denied the role in public elections in the UK. “The campaign to lower the voting age is supported by thousands of young people across the country and was listed as the most important issue to young people in our borough.”

The UK Youth Parliament launched their Make Your Mark campaign back in 2016 and members are invited to the House of Commons to debate issues chosen

by young people around the UK, such as the right to vote in elections for those aged 16 and 17.

Mun Wu, Member of Youth Parliament for Liverpool, told Liverpool Life: “I feel that it’s time to give 16 and 17-year-olds the vote due to the increasing amount of young people becoming interested in politics.

“Young people want the right to vote so they feel they are being listened to by MPs, as at the moment

they are either being forgotten or disregarded because they do not have the same electoral impact as those who are eligible to vote have.

“It’s hugely important that we secure the vote for 16 and 17-yearolds so they’re able to hold their MPs to account and pressure them to create more policies important to them.”

The debate will continue on December 1st in the House of Commons.

Girl’s time to get techy

By JASPER HUNT A busy night at the market

Growing success for market

By TOM SUTTON

The Baltic Market is taking another step to becoming Liverpool’s best and only street food market.

After opening its doors in June, the Baltic Market has proved to be a thriving success, offering a large range of food and drinks, all in support of the local small places that make Liverpool what it is.

Now they’re expanding into the future with the introduction of their new mezzanine, a second floor area within the building with which they hope will add more incredible views of the city and an area that can change with the theme and feeling of the season.

Co-Founder of Independent Liverpool as well as The Baltic Market, David Williams told Liverpool Life: “We opened our doors four months ago and just before we opened we couldn’t envisage ever filling it but it’s been very apparent we’ve needed more space since the first day we opened. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good problem to

have.”

More seating will cater for more people and obviously winter warmer lamps to help through the colder months ahead, creating in their words the “Best adult grotto ever”.

Locals will know David and other Co-Founder Oliver Press from their successful blog ‘Independent Liverpool’ where they began and first realised how much they could accomplish in the city they call home.

“I can’t actually put into words what that feels like. It feels like yesterday and a life time ago that we were sitting down playing a game of Call of Duty discussing how good this blog would be. To

think we’d one day be sitting in our own street food market watching all these local businesses do well.”

The Baltic market is trying to put as many local businesses they can out there into the spotlight, with new traders coming in frequently like new arrivals BlackBib and Skaus. They hope to make their future as bright as they have seen their own “The future of Baltic Market is hopefully bright. The idea is for the space to constantly evolve but for it to always be about great food and drink and great people.”

Artist’s impression of the new area, below

Liverpool Girl Geeks - an initiative to encourage young girls to pursue careers in technology - is to be rolled out nationwide.

InnovateHer is a new nation-wide initiative run by Liverpool Girl Geeks (LGG) co-founders Jo Morfee and Chelsea Slater.

Last year saw LGG raise more than £100,000 in private and public funding, growing a thriving community of individuals and engaging with more than 15,000 people across the North West. The InnovateHer academies will look to tackle the tech skills gap which is estimated to cost the UK economy £63bn in potential GDP. Jo Morfee said: “All children have the potential to be innovators, to create, change and improve their lives and the lives of their peers. By encouraging young people to think differently, we’re investing in the innovators and entrepreneurs of tomorrow.”

InnovateHer officially launches in January 2018.

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NEWS

Aiming for top of the tree

By SHELBY HAMILTON Liverpool is aiming to be one of the top three premier Christmas destinations in the UK by 2019.

Now in the third year of its fiveyear marketing plan, Liverpool has three Christmases to make its aim a reality.

Most of the city’s Christmas events are part of ‘One Magical City’, which is what Liverpool is marketed as during the winter season.

Chris Brown, Director of Marketing at Marketing Liverpool, told LL: “It’s about collecting and compiling a lot of different experiences. Anybody who comes to the city, irrespective of their age, has a brilliant experience to enjoy over the Christmas period.”

Some of the events involved in ‘One Magical City’ are the Liverpool One Christmas light switch on, the Ice Festival, the events at the Albert Dock, the light show between Bold Street and Castle Street and the Christmas market that will be on at St. George’s Plateau.

Liverpool is a popular shop-

ping destination that gets busy at Christmas. ‘One Magical City’ wants to give people more reasons to come to Liverpool between now and the end of December for Christmas.

Chris said: “We want to create a very exciting time for the city, not just for the residents but for visitors too. We want them to come and enjoy it and we want to make Christmas special for them.”

Each part of the team helping to make Liverpool a fun place to be throughout the festive season, gets given the opportunity to put on an event that they consider to be ‘magical’. They, and their event, are then marketed by Marketing Liverpool as part of ‘One Magical City’.

The group aims to improve every year. Hoping to link more events and businesses in and produce better and more ambitus products to promote a Liverpool Christmas.

The marketing team are pleased with how year three is turning out and believe that the following years will continue to improve.

They have already been successful with their summer campaigns, attracting a lot of visitors and

By TOM SWIFT

media to the city. Now they have their sights set on winter.

“I think years four and five will be even better. It has certainly provided the catalyst that we wanted. By year five, we want to be recognised as one of the premier destinations in the UK for this time of year.

“We want to be one of the top three UK destinations to go to at Christmas time. That’s our ambition.”

Events set to boost AIDS cause

By SHAUN KEENAN

Two events across Liverpool over two days are aiming to bring the city together to help increase support for Sahir house, Liverpool’s integral HIV Charity.

The first event will kick-off on November 30th when Brian Kennedy, Irish sing/songwriter, supported by country newcomer Daisy Gill, will perform at the Philharmonic Hall.

Kennedy will perform an exclusive, intimate gig that will allow his fans to get close to the popular singer.

Thomas Lang, event organiser, said: “Both events are a wonderful way of remembering everything worth living for, and a reminder to take the necessary steps to ensure that we can keep on living.

“HIV is still around, and something that we cannot ignore. It’s estimated that over 100,000 in the UK are living with it, but crucially 13% of those are unaware that they

have HIV. People must be aware that it is really important to know your HIV status.”

On Friday December 1st, World Aids Day will be celebrated at the Baltic Triangle courtesy of Sonic Yootha.

Both nights aim to help increase understanding and integral support for HIV and raise awareness that still surrounds the Illness.

John Aggy, co-founder of Sonic Yootha, said: “At Sonic Yootha, we’re staunch advocates of breaking stigmas and providing a safe space to do so – this is why we jumped at the chance to support Sahir House.

“From the get go we have always wanted a night that allows people to be empowered and feel comfortable enough to talk about vital issues.

Through collaborating with Sahir House, we’d really like to encourage people to talk about HIV, how you can prevent it and how it can be treated.

“We welcome anybody as long as you’re respectful. Let’s dance, celebrate life and honour those souls we have lost.”

Gerry Potter, Liverpool-born poet, director, actor, and author will once again host the evening, which is expected to another crucial night for a vital cause.

Tommy McIlravey, CEO, Sahir House said: “There’s a real buzz already about this year’s Celebration of Life event.

Anyone who has been to the last few events will know that Celebration of Life is a unique mix of great music, performance and humour.

“This time we have Brian Kennedy headlining which is generating attention from much wider afield than ever before.

“He’s a talent with real star quality and we know he has a particularly special place in the heart of many people in Liverpool. We can’t wait!”

The waterfront became a winter wonderland as the ice festival returned to Liverpool.

The pier head saw a return of Bavarian-lodge style stalls, fairground rides and icy attractions for all the family.

Alongside the fair and stalls, visitors had the opportunity to ride in a horseback carriage around the docks.

Caroline Fallow, 41, is a mother of two, who spoke to Liverpool Life of her delight of the festival, saying: “It’s a great event because there’s something everyone can enjoy.

The ice rink and the ice slide were popular with my kids and my husband has already been to the ice bar with his mates!

“Everything you need for the build up to Christmas is here.

My kids are too old for Santa’s grotto now but it’s a great set up for those children who do want to visit him.”

Amongst the fairground rides includes the Bobsleigh Ice jet ride, which can reach heights of 80 miles per hour.

For the ice related attractions, tickets will have to be bought in advance, these can be bought online or at a ticket stall in the festival.

Festival Now comes back

By JO CUNLIFFE The Now Young People’s Arts Festival, celebrating creativity and diversity of young people across Merseyside, is returning to the Epstein Theatre.

The festival aims to engage young people in creative discussions around the topic of mental health.

Local children and young people will showcase live performances and films devised around the theme of ‘My Education, My Mental Health’.

With at least one in every 10 young people said to be suffering with poor mental health, and the pressures facing education, the festival is a chance for young people to share their thoughts on these issues and be heard.

Previous Now Festival themes have included Mental Health and Technology and Mental Health and Children’s Rights, with those involved creating a piece of dance.

NEWS

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Maghull residents’ anger over rail work

By SHANIECE THOMPSON Maghull Residents are up in arms about construction work on a new Northern line train station.

The station will be located just off School lane, between the existing Maghull and Town Green stations on the Ormskirk branch of the Northern Line.

Maghull resident Phil Berrington told Liverpool Life: “Firstly, how do you expect them to get any work done if there are trains on the line, while engineers need to be on the tracks for trackside maintenance and station construction. Secondly, I’m fairly sure that Maghull North was announced well over a year ago, people have had plenty of time to enquire through the appropriate channels but are only doing so now?”

The new station, which will be operated by Merseyrail, is expected to be open to the public in May 2018. However, the construction work that is required for this new station has left residents furious.

Neighbours have complained about constant noise from the site, bright beaming lights at all hours and the ruined aesthetics of their gardens.

Ged Oates added: “Work’s already started. I feel for the residents but this was announced over three years ago and nothing and nobody can stop it now. I was never in favour of a station being built in such close proximity to the existing one. Waste of time, but it’s here now.”

Councillor Matthew Gannon and Deputy Leader of the Independents Group on Sefton said: “The station is a key piece of infrastructure in the Sefton Local Plan, supporting demand

Parks to battle for top award

By SHANIECE THOMPSON

Construction: Workers at the new Maghull station from an adjacent new housing development, which will include 370 homes, with more homes planned for the area in the near future. It will also offer relief for the existing station in the town.”

This has left the Maghull community split, as there are those urging the new development will help the small town to be more advance and, in with the times.

The £13m scheme is being funded through the Government’s Local Growth Fund (LGF), Merseytravel and the Homes and Communities Association, which previously owned the land on which the station will be built.

Merseytravel said in a statement: “As you would expect with any significant construction work, there will be some disruption, but Merseytravel and all those involved (including Network Rail and Merseyrail), will endeavor to keep residents fully informed. In addition, the Contractor will have to comply with

Train: Arriving at Maghull planning requirements (hours, noise, dust, etc.) for working near to residential areas. Access to the site will be from the new access road and the railway.”

Caroline Wright, whose garden backs onto the train station work, told Liverpool Life: “ This is what I had to put up with. It started on Friday and finished this morning.

This has been happening off and on for a while now. Plus, the light shines into my son’s bedroom who had school today.”

Councillor backs Bold Street plan

By ED BALDWIN

Bold Street could soon be fully pedestrianised after council plans to remove traffic from the street won strong support from locals.

There have long been calls for the famous street to be fully pedestrianised.

Liverpool Council is considering experimenting with changes to traffic rules in the Ropewalks area. Although half of Bold Street

Sefton park sign © Shaniece Thompson

is currently pedestrianised during office hours, the rest is open to traffic.

Councillor Steve Munby, Liverpool council’s cabinet member for highways, says the idea of pedestrianising Bold Street has proved popular among local people.

He said: “In the short term, there are several pieces of work going on around the area of the Hanover Street and Ropewalks.

“One thing we are looking at

fairly soon is the pedestrianisation of Bold Street.

“That’s the first piece of work and that will be relatively uncontroversial.

“There’s strong support from businesses and residents for that.”

Councillor Munby said plans were “relatively advanced” and added: “So far, the response has been pretty overwhelmingly positive, it’s in the pipeline.”

A number of Merseyside Parks have been nominated for public votes to win the award for best UK park or green space.

A total of 360 parks have been nominated across the UK and will now compete to be declared the nation’s best.

The award is open for a public vote to select the nation’s favourite local park.

Fourteen cherished green spaces in Merseyside are featured in the nominations, each a muchloved part its local community.

Wirral has five nominations: Arrowe Park; Birkenhead Park; Harrison Park; Thurstaston Common and Vale Park and there are eight Liverpool parks: Calderstones, Croxteth, Derby, Everton, Rimrose Valley, Sefton, Walton Hall and Wavertree Playground. Southport’s Botanical Gardens was also nominated.

Fields in Trust is a national charity that operates throughout the UK to safeguard recreational spaces and campaign for protection for all kinds of outdoor sites.

Research from Fields in Trust show that there is an established link between the use of parks and an improvement in physical health, life satisfaction, sense of worth, and anxiety levels.

Fields in Trust Chief Executive Helen Griffiths, said: “Despite their clear health benefits, parks and green spaces are facing an uncertain future - across the UK outdoor spaces are under threat.

“Recognising the UK’s Best Park is a way of revaluing our green spaces; not viewing them just as a drain on resources for maintenance and upkeep - but seeing what benefits they bring; access to good quality recreational space can contribute to the physical and mental health of their local population and provide places for people to get together for community events.”

NEWS

Children’s creative hospital gift is just blooming lovely

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By ABBY NICHOLSON Children have sidestepped a fresh flower ban for an elderly church carer in Arrowe Park Hospital.

The long-standing volunteer of Christ Church, Moreton, was admitted to Arrowe Park Hospital for a serious operation.

The children who usually work with her at the church on Upton Road made a tissue basket of flowers to show their support.

Lynda Jones, 40, who is a volunteer treasurer for Christ Church said: “You can’t have fresh flowers in hospitals so we came up with this idea of the tissue flowers.

“Each child made their own flower which were all put together and delivered to her in Arrowe Park.”

There has been an increasing number of hospitals introducing the rule of no flowers because of concerns about spreading germs, aggravating allergies and creating extra work for nurses.

The elderly woman is now out of her operation and recovering in hospital with her flowers.

Thoughtful: Children at Christ Church in Moreton © Jane Fisher Mrs Jones said: “She absolutely loved the flowers, she was very touched by them. The kids really enjoyed making them too.”

The church does the traditional 9am service on a Sunday but also more informal family services and groups throughout the week for both adults and children.

Events include TLC, tea, listening, company, a needle craft group and a Craft Club.

The after school club comes together every Tuesday between 3.30pm and 5pm in the Parish Centre next door to the church and the afternoon involves refreshments and a short service.

Mrs Jones said: “We do a short service with the children explaining core Christian messages and bible parabales, we then have a craft session relating to the service.

“We also let the kids blow off some steam by playing football or drawing when they first come in.”

Healthy bakes cook up a tasty award

By TIM SPENCER TANFIELD An award-winning Merseyside café, which specialises in healthy cakes, is proving a hit with healthy eaters.

Situated on St John’s Road, in Waterloo, Caz’s Kitchen has gained in popularity after the store opened in 2014 and was awarded the very first Special Judges Award at the recent Merseyside Independent Business Awards.

Now, during World Vegan month, the home-baked ‘free from’ cakes have been a hit with regulars.

Speaking to Liverpool Life, owner Caroline Hill said: “When we first started doing the healthy

cake range, I don’t think people really understood it. Now, three years on, it is a lot more accessible and people have grown a lot more aware. With this, lots of our customers recently have tried out the healthy range and absolutely loved them and added it to their list.

“We have a raw-vegan range, where we have products which are basically made to resemble a cake, with nuts and nut butters.

It resembles a cake, however it is basically the same as having a handful of fruits and nuts.”

Not all the products on offer are vegan, however healthier cakes remain a key focus for Caroline: “We focus a lot on gluten free,

dairy free and refined sugar bakes as well and we have also launched our Wise Woman Cake, designed to help balance hormones.”

With a degree in food science and nutrition, Caroline said: “I saw that there was an opportunity in the market to produce healthy cakes. Everything that I do I put a lot of thought into it, and this seemed like a good idea.”

The increase in popularity for the healthy cake range has coincided with winning the business award last month, an award which the Liverpool local wanted to share with the community: “We were very gobsmacked, and although we are aware of our support locally, to get recognised

was very prestigious.”

The café was also nominated for the Retailer of the Year award as well as the Community Impact award, of which Caroline said: “It’s a business that is rather about love not money. I want it to be a place that brings people together, our success has been down to our customers.”

Winning: Caz’s Kitchen

08 LL FOCUS

Science goes social DAISY SCOTT speaks to Merseyside scientists to find out how they are bringing science to the people

If you are looking for a more in-depth conversation, and possibility reaching into more intense lectures SciBar is the place for you.

A regular monthly event organized and delivered by the Liverpool Branch of the British Science Association, the SciBar aims to reach out to differing aspects on the Science spectrum with talks on the sciences, engineering and medicine.

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Our audiences love to listen, think, question and debate

If you are interested in gaining some scientific knowledge, more information can be found here: http://www.cafescientifique.org/index.php?option=com_contentbuilder&title=uk-liverpool-scibar&controller=details&id=1&record_ id=266&Itemid=478&limitstart=40&filter_order=

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It can help to encourage people from under-represented groups to follow a career in science

opportunity to break down the barriers and share information is great.

It can also help to encourage people from underrepresented groups to follow a career in science. Science is for everyone!”

Dr Allen added: “The scientists benefit too because they are often asked questions form a totally different perspective than they are used to, which can generate whole new research questions.”

he SciBar sets out to provide more complex information and lectures.

Dr Katherine Allen, Researcher of Eco-Biology and Conservation at the University of Liverpool, said: “SciBar and Café Scientifique are a great opportunity for members of the public to chat with scientists and find out what they really do.

“Most people don’t know how science research works, so any

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cience may not be everyone’s idea of a good time out, however, that may be about to change with the introduction of Café Scientifique and LivSciBar in the city.

Aiming to attract audiences from around Liverpool and the North and open up topics that may not have been obvious before, Café Scientifique and SciBar are new events that will help people to learn something new and maybe consider the world a little differently.

Liverpool SciBar meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm at The Ship and Mitre pub in Dale Street, and has an age limit of 18, while Café Scientifique is focused around educating children and their families and getting curiosity back into family life. The café is aimed at people of all ages and education backgrounds.

Paul Warsaw, Chairman of the Liverpool Branch of the British Science Association, said: “Liverpool has a very rich history of scientific excellence and endeavour through its universities and through the several large and successful research and development laboratories in the region.

“Our audiences love to listen, think, question and debate.”

Lecturers at the Café, which is held at the Hope Street Hotel, instigate conversations that might not be led in children’s classrooms, allowing for a more interesting cdiscussions and the impact of the events allows children to become more inquisitive about science and the world.

LivSci Bar © Liverpool School of Tropical The Ship and Mitre in Dale Street © Ship and Mitre

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Pyjama Party Liverpool aiming to spread some festive cheer

By JASPER HUNT A poster launched by Shelter, the charity that raises awareness of homelessness, saying 80,000 children would be homeless in Britain at Christmas, inspired three Liverpool friends to do their bit to help and their idea is still going strong four years later.

Karen Downing and her friends Susan Jackson and Rebecca Chrystall wanted to make a difference and help local children and Karen came up with the idea of getting other friends and family involved by donating pyjamas to the local hostels in Liverpool.

Pyjama Party Liverpool launched in 2013, the first campaign got lots of attention and they were able to get 500 pyjamas for five local shelters.

Now Pyjama Party Liverpool is preparing for another busy winter.

This year there will be over 125,000 homeless children living in Britain and with the rise in homelessness and poverty, there are increasing strains on all of these services over the Christmas period.

Ashleigh Downing, who now helps his mum Karen run Pyjama Party, told Liverpool Life: “Last year was our biggest collection to date. We received over 3,000 pairs of cosy, new pyjamas.

“This enabled us to cover not only hostels, refuges and residential homes but community services working with children and young people in need too.

The amount of pyjamas received meant we could donate to other areas too.”

Pyjama party has expanded beyond the original five hostels and it is now able to cover the whole of Liverpool, Wirral, Knowsley,

Staff from Tesco in Kew, Southport with their donations

Halton, Sefton, St Helens and West Lancashire.

Ashleigh told Liverpool Life: “I would love to see Pyjama Party spread across the country to give a little extra comfort and kindness to those who need it.

“We know we cannot solve the homeless crisis in the country but we are proud that the Pyjama Party Liverpool community is making a difference.

“We want the children and young people who receive the pyjamas to know that they are thought of and that people out there really do care.”

Pyjama Party has received a high number of requests in the last week from community services working with children and young people in need.

Even with the increase this year they are hoping to get enough donations this year to help supply all the services that have contacted them.

Ashleigh said: “Pyjama Party Liverpool is a real community appeal, it’s thanks to those that donate the new pyjamas that we are able to make a difference.

“Every single donation means one more child can fall asleep on Christmas Eve in new pyjamas.

“It is those who offer to be collection points, volunteer drivers and, of course, those who donate that ensures the appeal has been a success each year.

“We rely heavily on family and friends to help pick the pyjamas up, sort through them and get them out to services.”

Influential business personnel rewarded

By AMY HARDING

Liverpool Awards rewarded some of the most influential business men and women in the city.

Over 400 business leaders attended the fifteenth annual awards show at the Crowne Plaza Hotel last week.

Frank McKenna, the CEO of

Downtown in Business, said: “It was another special evening, made possible by the continuing support of Liverpool’s fantastic business community.

“It has sold out every year, and has become a business party for a city that knows how to work hard and play hard.”

The winners who were announced on the night included Suzanne Grant, Merseyrail (Communications Personality of the Year), Paul Askew, The Art School Restaurant (Business Personality of the Year), and Matt Farrell, Graffiti Spirits (Young Entrepreneur of the Year).

Want to donate?

All of the collection points are accepting donations until Friday December 15th.

There is also a postal address so if people prefer to donate in this way, they can message Pyjama Party Liverpool for the details on their Facebook page. https://en-gb.facebook. com/PyjamaPartyLiv/

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Safety First

Jade Culver reports on a new way to teach emergency personnel

Life savers: Merseyside Police representatives at the event in Birkenhead

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If there was a scenario like this in the future, I think I would be prepared for it

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house on fire, a car crash, a bomb, a gunman and a dead body with missing limbs on a train track; this was no ordinary day at university for first year LJMU Policing Studies students.

A new partnership between Emergency Services Training Centre in Birkenhead and the university’s Policing Studies department gives students who are aiming for careers in the emergency services the opportunity to experience real life scenarios within a controlled and safe environment.

ESTC is used by a variety of emergency services, ranging from police, paramedics, firefighters and various other professions.

The centre, a former factory, is fully equipped for every possible scenario, there is a medical centre stocked full of appliances one would see in a hospital emergency room, alongside a two-carriage train, ambulances, fire engines and even a lifeboat.

Chief Executive, David Allcock said: “If you have a look at the platform, we have built and delivered here, it gives realism and that is very important. What we find with students is that they do not actually have the opportunity to go into real live environments that you would do in your job.”

It is the first time a Policing Studies course has had the opportunity to engage students through real

life scenarios.

Upon arrival at the Birkenhead training centre, a briefing took place, for students and staff, with Mr Allcock warning that the day ahead would push everyone to their limits.

“We are going to push you out of your comfort zones, but health and safety is paramount. If you don’t feel comfortable in a scenario, you do not have to participate. You

First Aid: Students were talked through real-life scenarios

FOCUS need to be vigilant, there will be a lot going on. You all need to be adults; you’re going to be pushed to your limit.”

Students threw themselves into the day with gusto and determination. Each scenario provided them with real world training, with the exception that in these scenarios mistakes were allowed. Merseyside Police Sergeant Robert Venables, Inspector Mark Renshaw and Inspector Ian Devaney were on hand for certain scenarios to engage with students and correct them when they made mistakes.

Sergeant Venables told LL: “Everything about this exercise and the Policing Studies course is positive. I have previously roleplayed and participated in scenarios like this before, I feel like people can really benefit from it.”

One of the most interesting scenarios involved students coping with a building on fire, led by firefighter Richard Clarke. The policing students were decked out in firefighting gear such as heatproof clothing, rubber boots and helmets and walked into the building to look for potential trapped civilians. Whilst a controlled fire, on the ground floor of the building, created the effect of smoke and searing heat to make it seem as real as possible.

After completing the exercise, student Rahul Jiwa said: “It was very hot, and very hard to breathe.

If there was a scenario like this in the future I think I would be prepared for it.”

A disused train provided students with three scenarios to deal with all at once. There was an incident where a role player, Jess Perrin a third year Policing

LL

11

student, had become drunk and rowdy whilst on the train. She vocally abused other ‘passengers’ and when told by the students to calm down and leave the train she became more aggressive with her ‘mates on the train’ egging her on.

That was until a passenger came running out of the second carriage screaming about a gunman and a bomb, at which point the nine weeks of training which the students had already had within university kicked in, calling to the control room for a negotiator and escorting all civilians off the train, even the journalism team.

For every scenario each group of students would have a nominated radio holder, who, with their call sign, would contact the control room where LJMU lecturer Nick Kealey would pass on instructions, advice and information that would be useful for each situation.

Mr Kealey, who has previously worked as a police sergeant for 26 years, said: “We have listened to student feedback over the last 18 months and it seemed most wanted more of practical hands on experience alongside what they can learn theoretically. So we formed this partnership with ESTC, and we have devised scenarios and created a basic plan of what is going to happen throughout the day. At 90 minutes into live exercises, it has exceeded our expectations.”

Many Policing students found the experience interesting and exciting, feeling as though the scenarios would help them for future situations.

Lizzy Archibald, a second year student, said: “It’s very educational and informative for our professional careers.”

Exercise: Some of the students taking part in the day’s activities, above centre, and the scenarios they faced

“ Advice: Jade is given helpful pointers by professionals

As part of the level six journalism team that joined the Policing Students, I gained some real hands-on experience. I personally found the whole experience very intriguing and somewhat exhilarating in the fact that every scenario felt real. From a journalism point of view, it gave me insight into what happens in certain scenarios and how the police deal with incidents on a train, a car crash, a burning building and so forth.

The day was an incredible experience for everyone in attendance - Jade Culver

”

12 LL HERITAGE

The Black-E dome © Becky Jones

The Black-E today © Becky Jones

An old depiction of the Black-E © www.theblack-e.co.uk

The city’s hidden gem

By BECKY JONES

O

ne of Liverpool’s most historical buildings has been brought back to life.

The Black-E is undoubtedly a significant landmark that seems to have slid under the radar for many. Primarily used as a community centre, the Black-E is situated beside Liverpool’s China Town in and can be spotted as a gated, domed building.

The centre gained its original name in the late 1960’s, due to a century’s worth of pollution that covered the building in black soot. The building was originally opened in 1841 as George Street Congregational Chapel but

was dubbed ‘Liverpool’s third Cathedral’ by locals at the time.

With the last Church service taking place in 1967, the building was handed over to the Peter Moores Foundation, meaning the Black-E gained charity status and still to this day relies on public funding.

The building consists of multiple rooms spread across four floors, with the main space able to hold a capacity of 250 people. The space has its own bar and two floors of balconies, lending itself to the dances, dramas and circus nights they host regularly.

Perhaps the most architecturally pleasing part of the building is the centre’s dome. Tucked above a set

of spiral staircases, the dome can be accessed through the building’s main doors and is often opened to the public when events are on-going.

Hires manager for the Black-E, Margaret Connell told Liverpool Life: “The Black-E isn’t affiliated to any particular constituency area so it is open to groups from all over the city. The diversity of events we host also appeals across the board. Groups who use the Black-E regularly include Inkings writers group, who have been coming here for over 25 years, to Company of Friends theatre company, a local Tai Chi group and a Table Tennis club.

We would like to become self

sustaining at some point and not as reliant on funding which can change radically with the changing political climate.”

When gaining its charity status, the Black-E’s staff focussed all their efforts on turning the centre into a hub of educational and artistic activities as well as becoming a programme of social welfare. The building’s gallery space is still in keeping with these themes to this day, with educational groups taking over the room to display various exhibitions. The space is currently home to a Black History Month display alongside an artistic presentation of American artist Judy Chicago’s work.

ENTERTAINMENT

LL13

Coat tails as old as time ...

Fashion students create stunning outfits for Beauty and the Beast

By BECKY JONES

A

Liverpool Fashion school has been working hard to create costumes for the Black-E’s production of Beauty and the Beast.

RARE school of fashion, near Liverpool’s China Town, was launched in 2015 offering 25 students the opportunity to gain a qualification in design or merchandising on an intensive programme. The school is the first of its kind outside London and aims to provide opportunities for people in the North-West.

As part of community theatre company ‘Drops of Light CIC’, the school have partnered with the Black-E to conduct their first ever pantomime. With a background in musical theatre and a role in Disney’s 2015 remake of Cinderella, producer of the show, James Lacey, has been hard at work with his students to create enchanting costumes for the performance that hits the stage on December 6th.

The script for the re-run of the Disney classic has been specially created by Jessica Lea, who has previously written for Tracey Beaker and now writes for EastEnders and Hollyoaks.

The original script holds many surprises for the audience, including new musical numbers and many costume changes.

Every character in the panto has at least three costumes, but some, such as Dame Dolly, require up to ten outfit changes.

Mr Lacey revealed that the biggest challenge of all came in creating Belle’s iconic final dance

dress.

He said: “It was a beast to make, layer upon layer upon layer.

Beauty and the Beast is such an iconic story, regardless of what version you watch and we’ve started from scratch and created a brand new version for the show.”

Drops of Light CIC was formed to engage budding actors and actresses around Liverpool into parts of theatre that they might not otherwise get the chance to be part of.

The head of each department within the Beauty and the Beast production has taken on an intern, offering hands on training and front line experience in the industry.

The company has a cast of 96 local children alongside the main characters, meaning the students and helpers of RARE have been working tirelessly to complete all the outfits in time.

Mr Lacey added: “This is the first time we’ve done a production as Drops of Light and the first time the Black-E has hosted a pantomime, so we are very excited.

“It’s the most gorgeous venue and the audience will never be more than four rows away from the action because of the 360 degree venue, so you will be able to eye up our costumes from every angle.”

Running throughout December, and playing host to some famous faces, including Formby-born Tori Hargreaves, the production promises to surprise and entertain its audience throughout.

Pictures © Becky Jones Above: Belle’s dress Right: Costumes for other cast members Below: A wig, and fashion look book

THE GUIDE What’s On: Theatre

W

ar Horse, November 15th – December 2nd, Empire Theatre

Based on the beloved novel by Michael Morpurgo, this powerfully moving and imaginative drama, filled with stirring music and songs, is a show of phenomenal inventiveness. At its heart are astonishing life-sized horses by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, who bring breathing, galloping, charging horses to thrilling life on stage.

C

razy for You, December 5th – December 9th, Empire Theatre

High energy, high kicking and gloriously glamorous, the acclaimed Watermill Theatre production of ‘Crazy for You’ is the ultimate feelgood musical starring Tom Chambers (Top Hat and Strictly Come Dancing) and Charlotte Wakefield (Sound Of Music, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), featuring a fabulous score from the Gershwin brothers’ songbook.

H

arry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets™ in concert with full orchestra, December 1st, Echo Arena Cars fly, trees fight back, and monsters are on the loose in Harry’s second year at Hogwarts™ School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!

This concert features the film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets™ in high-definition, on a giant screen, while a live orchestra performs John Williams’ unforgettable score. Relive every magical moment as the music brings life to a story that has bewitched the world.

G

ood Mourning Mrs. Brown, November 23rd – November 25th, Echo Arena

‘Good Mourning Mrs. Brown’ is part of the hilarious series written by and starring Brendan O’Carroll. This is the first time the production is heading out as a full UK arena tour.

In this hilarious show, in which Brendan has received some of the best reviews of his career, we see Agnes Brown planning Grandad’s funeral. The only problem is Grandad is not dead. What could go wrong?

THE GUIDE What’s On: Music

J

ake Bugg, November 25, Philharmonic Hall

Still only 23, Jake Bugg’s last album was the acclaimed On My One, and followed two multiplatinum selling albums - his breakthrough self-titled debut and Shang ri La. His stunning new album Hearts That Strain was released in September and to coincide, he is embarking on an intimate solo acoustic tour with support from Georgie.

As ever, Jake’s writing and singing shines on Hearts That Strain.

There’s a common thread running through its 11 songs, each one a gem waiting to be discovered.

Q

ueen and Adam Lambert, November 28, Echo Arena

Queen and Adam Lambert return to Echo Arena on November 28 with a specially designed state of the art production.

The choice of performance material will no doubt acknowledge this year’s 40th anniversary of Queen’s biggest-selling studio album to date, News of the World, which was released in 1977 and yielded the immortal anthems “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions”.

B

owie Starman, November 25, Echo Arena

Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, Thin White Duke, Major Tom and more. The many personas of David Bowie with one thing in common... all delivered many of the most memorable, inspiring and lasting songs of a generation.

Songs from all eras of David Bowie’s celebrated career are performed to perfection in this highly-charged show.

The finest musicians and singers, combine with an amazing performance from theatre stage star, Michael King. Include big screen audio visual footage plus various costume changes and you have an awesome show taking the audience on a ‘Fantastic Voyage’ of Bowie hits. ‘Starman’ is not only the ultimate tribute to a legend, but also a highly entertaining, emotional and thought prevoking musical celebration.

K

asabian – December 5 - Echo Arena

Since releasing their glorious number one album ‘For Crying Out Loud’, Kasabian have been making festival history everywhere they’ve played this summer throughout Europe, effortlessly proving why they are one of the world’s very best live acts every time they step onstage.

Armed with a back catalogue brimming with classic singles and with a history of headlining the world’s biggest stages and festivals, these shows promise to be THE live highlight of the year.

16

LL MUSIC

Rapper art

Daniel Moxon catches up with the man behind local rapper Riuven to talk about his career, fame, and what he is up to now

W

hen you listen to Rob Morris talk, you would never believe that this mild-mannered Scouser could have any possible connection with infamous foul-mouthed rapper Riuven – yet they are one and the same person.

Riuven is something of a local celebrity on Merseyside. The Toxteth ‘kidder’ rose to internet fame writing songs about local ‘chav’ culture in Liverpool, and gained a cult following in the area.

Rob, sitting comfortably in an armchair in his home near Sefton Park, says: “The Riuven character started off as a mocking of chav culture in Liverpool.

I had long hair and an alternative taste in music growing up, and I used to get a lot of abuse from ‘scallies’.

“I thought what better way to mock them than to make music pretending to be one of them and acting aggressive and like a bully. Riuven is an Ali-G-like caricature of that sort of person.

“My friend suggested to me that I should do rap music, because that’s what those types of people tended to be into. I didn’t rap at the time; I had to teach myself how to do it, but the more I did it, the more in got into it myself.”

Riuven was almost unique in the mid 2000s, in that he was a rapper who focused solely on Liverpool and local culture.

“When I started, no-one had really heard scouse rap music before, so I suppose it was instantly funny in that respect, because of the scouse accent, and I was rapping about things that really only people in Liverpool could relate to.

“Nowadays there are rappers like OShea and 2k, and rap battles are everywhere these days.

The Liverpool rap scene has definitely gotten a lot bigger. But back then it was just me!”

Rob’s work under the name of his alter-ego Riuven was much more popular locally than he had ever anticipated.

Riuven: Rob Morris speaks to Liverpool Life from his Sefton Park home. Pic © Daniel Moxon

“My song ‘Tha L.I.V.’ got the most attention. I’ve had a lot of people say to me that it was their teenage anthem. My sister had it on her phone, and back then you could just use Bluetooth to send stuff to anyone. So she sent it to everyone in bars and stuff, and about a month later it was all over Liverpool!

“I’d hear people singing it on the bus, I’d have people shouting to me in the street. My online plays were hitting a million every day and that’s what led to record label and management interest.

“I didn’t start it off to get somewhere, I did it for the comedy really, so I was really shocked when it went massive.

My manager also worked with some big names like Lily Allen and The Kooks. I remember ringing my mum afterwards and she was even more blown away than I was.”

There is a small twinkle in Rob’s eyes as he recalls this. He speaks with a gentle excitement that gives away just how taken aback he still is about the attention that he received.

His fame peaked in 2008 when he was chosen to perform as part of the city’s European Capital of Culture celebrations, alongside famous locals such as Echo and the Bunnymen and Ringo Starr.

“I haven’t been able to top 2008! I just can’t out-do playing to a full Echo Arena for the Capital of Culture, live on telly where I suppose millions of people could have been watching.”

His controversial performance

I’d have people “shouting to me in the street. My online plays were hitting a million every day

”

at the Echo Arena sparked a large number of complaints to BBC Radio Merseyside and the Liverpool Echo, but he insists that the themes that Riuven addresses in his raps do not reflect what Rob is like as a person.

“I play the Riuven character, but it isn’t me. God forbid I should be like that! I hate Riuven as a person, and that’s the whole point of the act really.”

I

n recent years, Rob has moved on from his alter-ego, and is focussing more on his street-art under the pseudonym Hegdish.

“I’ve always been drawing since I was a kid, but I like the fact that I can draw something, and then transfer it onto a massive wall.

“Graffiti itself is more about vandalism, but I’m a street artist and that focuses a lot more on the artistic side of things. I’m not just drawing words on a wall because I’m anti-social, I like to use the space and use what may already be there to incorporate it in my art.”

MUSIC LL17

Riuven’s attack

Rob recently held an exhibition of his work in Liverpool, to showcase his more artistic side.

“The exhibition was based in Zap Graffiti in Liverpool, which is a workshop for people who want to go down and practise.

They do exhibitions for people down there, and I was lucky enough to be able to show some of my work down there.

“I like to do things like that as more of an installation and try to create a feeling that you’re walking into another world.

“Around 200 people turned up, which I was really thrilled about, especially seeing as I didn’t really promote it that much. I sold a lot that night as well. It’s similar to my character Riuven in that it’s very much a local thing.”

Asked what the future holds for Riuven, Rob was cagey and unwilling to commit to anything concrete, but in contrast, he refused to close the door fully on the rapper making a comeback to the Scouse rap scene.

“I guess if I was more confident then I’d love to do Riuven more and take it onto a more promi-

“

I like to do things like that as more of an installation and try to create a feeling that you’re walking into another world

”

nent level, but it’s very tiring. As it’s a caricature, it’s a lot of work to stay in character, and sometimes I don’t really enjoy it.

“I’m still kind of doing the whole Riuven thing, but it’s more social media-based. I don’t really enjoy doing gigs, so I’m not sure if Riuven would ever make a comeback in that sense, but I’d never say never to anything, so watch this space!”

Hegdish: Artwork from the rapper-turned artist.

18

LL MUSIC

REVIEWS

Friends Against Cancer Events / Camp and Furnace / 17.11.17

A

“

nother sold out venue, FACE put together a spectacular rave for charity, in the Camp and Furnace.

The fundraising night began three years ago in memory of Tony Barton a Cream legend, who lost his life to cancer in 2013. It has become one of biggest music events on Merseyside an after previously packing out Constellations, it was time for a step up into one of Liverpool’s most renowned venues.

The night kicked off around 9pm, with local residents Liam Cooper and Josh Miller first to take to the decks, Anton Powers and Billy Clements followed them. In the Camp Room, Radio City DJ, Lee Butler rolled back the years with a 2-hour set, and then the headliners took over house legends K-Klass.

The idea of raving for a great cause was felt within the crowd as there was an upbeat, happy vibe felt from start to finish as the 80s

This being our biggest event to date has really opened my eyes

”

and 90s house tracks kept the floor filled until 4am.

Event promoter Tony Clarke said: “The reception we’ve had from the beginning has been unbelievable; this being our biggest event to date has really opened my eyes.

We have already done so much for these charities in terms of equipment and research and we couldn’t do it without the help of everyone who gets a ticket.”

Since the first event ‘Team Tony Barton’ FACE has raised over £40,000, for The Bloom Appeal, a charity dedicated to investing in blood cancer research and helping patients through their treatment and Macmillan Nurses, a charity that was very close to Tony and his family.

JORDAN REAIS

Rating: 

E

mbarking on their ‘The Spark’ album tour, alt rock outfit Enter Shikari blasted their way into the Liverpool Olympia, quite literally bringing the roof down.

Support band Astroid Boys had the crowd bopping, whilst second support Lower Than Atlantis got people belting out some of their most popular tracks. Dancing onto the stage, his hair a tall crazy mess, singer Rou Reynolds welcomes the screams of over a thousand fans ripping into the first verse of ‘The Sights’.

Banter ensues when singer Rou asks guitarist Chris what ‘The Machine’ is trying to say, whilst pressing a series of keys on the symbolic keyboard, one of the many representations of the alternative rock band.

“It’s telling us to play The Last Garrison,” Chris shouts back, an instant fan favourite. As soon as the first chord is struck, heads are moshing and bodies are crowd surfing, as tiles and plaster start

“

falling from the ceiling due to the heady bass and surround sound.

There’s always mistakes on the first night of a tour, but not for Enter Shikari who flawlessly transitioned from one song to the next, even challenging themselves to perform four songs in just eight minutes. The whole venue was a flash flood of colour, tones of blue, red and yellow reflecting off the shiny faces of the mass of sweating fans.

Rou takes to the circle seats, above those standing to belt out the ballad of ‘Adieu’ whilst a chorus of mismatched voices sings right back. Drummer Rob Rolfe holds his hands in the air creating the Enter Shikari symbol against the backdrop of a faraway planet.

The night ends with a two-song encore, as fans swarm out of the venue to sombre lyric “I’m gonna live outside, live outside of all of this now…”

“

Rating: 

JADE CULVER

As soon as the first chord is struck, heads are moshing

Deaf Havana / O2 Academy / 18.11.17

Creating an incredible atmosphere for the adoring fans

”

I

t has been two years since Deaf Havana graced the smaller room of the O2 Academy, but with their return comes a bigger crowd and a much bigger venue space.

Support acts Decade and Black Foxxes created a heavy wall of the sound with many audience members humming along.

When the time hit 21:15, ‘Scripture’ from Netflix’s hit show Stranger Things blasted through the speakers, a surefire indication that Deaf Havana’s are about to arrive on stage.

The Veck-Gilodi brothers James (lead vocals) and Matt (lead guitar) took to centre stage, strumming the first chords of song ‘Fever’ from new album ‘All These Countless Nights’.

The band bounces off each other with vigour, each chord, each beat, each lyric creating an in-

Photo ©Gary Coughlan

Enter Shikari / The Olympia / 16.11.17

”

credible atmosphere for the adoring fans in the crowd. There is the occasional chatter between the members, but this is a band completely focused on concentrating and sharing their music with an audience.

Deaf Havana give the crowd a mix of songs, appeasing fans new and old with tracks off varied albums.

The interesting - and somewhat dark and painful meanings behind the lyrical genius that are Deaf Havana - songs created a somewhat calming atmosphere with sombre undertones from the fans singing along.

JADE CULVER

Rating: 

MUSIC

LL19

Introducing Liverpool Sounds

Steph Kettle gets the low down on the city’s latest up-and-coming electro pop musican

T

hink pixie:think small, cute and timid - however, do not be fooled by this Pixey.– a Liverpool-based musician producing electro- pop with an effervescent indie twist.

With lots coming up she revealed all to LL, including why she is ready to break free from self-producing her music. Although not born and bred Liverpudlian, Pixey has gone to both school and university in the city.

“For as long as I remember I’ve always loved the city, so now I’m living here I definitely resonate strongly with Liverpool,” she said.

After releasing her first single ‘Young’ last year, the 21-year-old took the music industry by storm with appearances on BBC Introducing Merseyside. “At the moment I’ve just finished recording and producing my EP, I’m also re-arranging my live set, which is really exciting!” Pixey said.

Pixey, pictured right, certainly takes more of an organic approach when it comes to the production of her music. She produces all her tracks from home. Sounds ideal? Pixey has a different opinion, telling LL: “I still want to evolve as a writer and producer, but maybe upscale from the comfort of my own bedroom.”

Listen on - soundcloud.com/pixeyofficial

“

I still want to evolve as a writer and producer, but maybe upscale from the comfort of my own bedroom

”

Emily Wall talks to LIPA student and musician Tabitha Jade

O

“

I like the vibe it’s a bit grungy down there

”

ne of the youngest musicians to play at Liverpool SoundCity is fast establishing a brilliant music career.

Born and bred in the city, Tabitha Jade, pictured left, grew up listening to a wide variety of music. Soul, dance, reggae and pop are all genres that have influenced her. Amy Winehouse, Lauren Hill, and Destiny’s Child are amongst many that Tabitha looks up to.

From a young age, music has always been a part of Tabitha’s life.

She said: “I’ve always been singing like round the house and things.”

Her step into music started at just 11, when she began to learn the guitar. From there she would sing covers, and eventually started writings her own songs.

After her father’s suggested doing open mic nights locally, Tabitha’s confidence grew and she began to do more and more gigs.

“I wanted to get out there and perform more, and started doing a few gigs here and there.”

One of Tabitha’s favourite places to perform is at the Magnet in Liverpool.

“I like the vibe, it’s a bit grungy down there.”

Tabitha’s passion for music spills into every aspect of her life. She is currently studying music at LIPA 6th form, two and a half days a week. The course is perfect for her: learning how to perform and use body language, song writing and theory classes, amongst many other things.

“It’s great to be surrounded by people who are into the same things as you.”

There have been many performances from Tabitha over the years but her biggest achievements include performing at Soul Fest, Sunnyside Live and the Cavern Club. One of her notable experiences has been performing at Liverpool’s Sound City. At age 14, she was the youngest to play there. Her music, which is already widely critically acclaimed, is being played on a variety of radio stations and racking up thousands of views on YouTube. In September 2016, her song, What You Were Like, was played on BBC1Xtra.

Tabitha writes all of her music herself and has her little sister on hand to play the keyboard and harmonise with her.

“Sometimes I just bounce ideas off her on a few songs, so it’s pretty chilled.”

The future is looking bright for Tabitha. Whilst continuing gigging and her studies, she also plans on recording new music, and looking into going on a UK national tour.

20 LL ART

The new Banksy on the block

L

JMU graduate Neil Keating is now a fulltime artist and illustrator, injecting creativity around the city of Liverpool.

Urban art or graffiti, whatever you may call it, is a way to brighten up cities and bring a pop of vibrancy to the streets.

As a child, Neil was a huge fan of the Beano comics. Since the age of seven, he was illustrating the characters in the issues and his passion took him up to university and Liverpool - a place close to Neil's heart.

He said: "Its the ‘can do’ attitude of the people which is making the place such a vibrant place to work and live.

“I feel privileged to be a part of this cultural movement, which has been happening in the city since 2008."

The most recent piece of work to make a huge impression is on the side of bar/restaurant 'Love

Neil at work © Neil Keating

STEPH KETTLE meets the street artist who is gracing Liverpool with his quirky illustrations.

Thy Neighbour' on Bold Street. A popular place for people on the alternative scene.

Neil's artwork style constantly changes, depending on the project. As a street artist, he feels that art should be more public.

"I'd love to do more street art across the city. Public art is important, and the purpose for me is to send out a positive message to the community and I enjoy seeing people's interactions and reactions to the work." he said.

Neil has also recently created wall art in the 'Rotisserie Hub' restaurant in Liverpool that features a whole room of woodland inspired illustrations.

Inspired through different eras of artwork, the traditional methods seem to be the most influential on Neil's work.

He said: "I love the traditional methods of print making of Japanese, 1930s and 40s Cartoons, pop culture of the 50s to the 90s and the 19th - 20th century

advertising."

Neil is currently working on artwork for a new tap and bottle shop named 'Craft Minded' located at Cains Brewery Village in the old boiler room and due to open in December. The bar will house a library of craft beers internationally sourced.

Neil revealed to LL: "It will be a Liverpool first."

There are plans for him to design a mural piece to rebrand St John's market and if that is not impressive enough he is continuing to design a brand new piece of street art in the Baltic Triangle, so keep your eyes peeled.

ART

When Maggi met George

LL21

Renowned painter and contemporary artist Maggi Hambling spoke to LL about her painting Good Time George and her friendship with the man known as the most colourful son of Liverpool

By CHLOE GEORGE

S

itting down staring at her painting of her beloved friend George Melly, Maggi Hambling explains how the artwork, Good Time George, now on display at the Walker Art Gallery, evokes a lot of emotion in her.

“When I sit here and look at the painting there is a sort of sadness, he is still smiling but it’s obviously George old. This painting was made after he died, but what I approve of is that it does have movement, sort of like waves and the movement and rhythm that is moving through it is very much to do with the life of it.”

Maggi first met George Melly in 1980 and little did she know then that he would become the subject of one of her most beloved paintings.

“We met at a big garden party, we both had a considerable amount to drink and we were both lying on the grass, we sort of moved towards each other along the grass like worms and met horizontally.”

After this and appearing on television quiz show Gallery together, the pair became great friends, George would become the subject of much of Maggi’s artwork, and he in turn would use her as somebody to test his material on.

“He used to try his jokes out on me on the telephone and if I didn’t laugh, he didn’t use them, it was quite a responsibility.”

“

For anyone, when somebody you love dies, that person goes on being alive inside you and this is where I think artists are very lucky, because I went on painting George with as much life as possible.

”

Maggi has now given the painting to the Walker Art Gallery.

It celebrates George Melly, the Liverpool-born Jazz Musician, comedian and author, who became her close friend. She created this piece of artwork after he died in 2007. On the subject of their friendship, Maggi spoke about George’s calm nature.

“One of the things about George was that he was completely un-shockable. If I’d rung him, not that I did, and said ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do I’ve murdered my mother’, he’d say ‘Well Maggi what are we going to do about it?’ Nothing could shock him, nothing could faze him, because he had done everything and been everywhere throughout his life.”

George once told Maggi she would go down in history as Maggi coffin Hambling, due to her drawing loved ones after they have died.

“I draw people in their coffins and paint them after they are dead and then of course that happened with George.”

Maggi explained her reasons for doing this, she said: “For anyone, when somebody you love dies, that person goes on being alive inside you and so this is where I think artists are very lucky, because I went on painting George with as much life as possible, and so you have this chance of grieving for somebody but it’s positive.”

M

aggi told LL why she decided to give the painting to the gallery.

“The Walker wanted this painting to enter at the time of my show of George Melly, but there wasn’t the money and so I just decided that the painting belongs here.

George is one of the greatest sons of Liverpool so I decided to give it to them.”

She said that giving the painting away helped her accept George’s death.

“Not until after the lorry had arrived that morning to collect the painting and I saw that my studio

Maggi and her painting, Good Time George. © Matthew Skelly walls were bare that I said to myself now look you have to face it George is dead.”

The artwork evokes a lot of emotion in Maggi.

“When I sit here and look at the painting there is a sort of sadness, he is still smiling but it’s obviously George old. This painting was made after he died, but what I approve of is that it does have movement, sort of like waves and the movement and rhythm that is moving through it is very much to do with the life of it.”

Maggi tells of how she manages

to keep producing artwork.

“I get up and go straight to the studio, first cigarette, first cup of coffee and then I work until lunch time.

“The first thing that I do every morning is make a drawing in a sketchbook, to renew the sense of touch, and you could say that a drawing is the beginning, the basis of everything for me. I don’t believe in writer’s block, it’s rubbish, you’ve got to do it every day and most of the time it goes wrong but occasionally it goes right and those are the moments you live for.”

22 LL PEOPLE

Why Jamie is on a mission to get men talking again Suzy Sankey speaks to Crosby singer Jamie Somers about his new help group

A

popular Crosby singer is fighting the stigma facing males’ mental health issues, using his own experience

to help, Jamie Somers has set up a group in Waterloo, named ‘We Are Not Alone’, inviting men of any age and background to attend and share their problems in a confidential but friendly environment.

He told LL why he feels it’s time that something is put in place as a support network for males and why he is the man to start it.

“There’s been problems with relationships, and I don’t mind saying that I attempted suicide - I was as close as you get. I’ve lost all my money, I’ve witnessed what it’s like to have nothing. I was beaten up badly by six doormen when I was a kid, I had to learn to read and write properly again, all my confidence went.

“I thought to myself, I’ve done that, I’ve been there, I’ve taken punches in every single part of my body, I’ve kind of had them all, and I’m still the most optimistic person you’ll meet. So I thought, let’s just do this then.”

Just over three out of four suicides are committed by males (76% according to the Office for National Statistics), yet men are much less likely than women to access psychological therapies than women, with only 36% of referrals to IAPT (Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies, NHS) being male.

Jamie noticed a gap in society for a social support for males who may be suffering, despite the strong support network he has himself.

“I’m very lucky in the respect that I’ve got my Mum, and I’ve got Pep (Jamie’s fiancé) as well, and I’ve got a couple of good mates who I could lean on, so I had so many people to speak to. But

Group leader Jamie Somers © Jamie Somers there are people who live in a flat, or even live in a massive mansion, who don’t have anyone to talk to.”

Groups such as Slimming World and Weight Watchers have gained popularity in recent years, not just for the help they provide for people aiming to lose weight, but also the social and support network that they provide. Although these groups are open for both males and females, just 1.1% of the estimated 900,000 members are male.

Jamie also told acknowledged the lack of publications aimed at males in shops.

“There just aren’t many publications which a man might pick up and go, I wonder if my concern is in this magazine, so there was no outlet for that.”

J

amie is well known through his career in singing, but also for raising thousands of pounds for charities, through not just his gigs, but also constant charity work he does to raise awareness and funds for good causes close to his heart.

“I just thought it was a chance to let people know the true integrity of what my heart’s all about, which is helping people.”

The first group was earlier this month and although Jamie was obviously nervous beforehand, the group ran successfully, and he was pleased with what he achieved, in order to help the four men who attended.

“We did alright in the end; there were four fellas who attended but four different problems which was good because we all bounced off each other. I was very diligent as to where I chose to have the meeting because we needed somewhere accessible, somewhere discreet and had a bit of privacy.

It opened up an hour early too so it was just perfect. I think I got the space spot on and it just worked well.”

Jamie chose to host the meeting at The Liver pub on South Road, in Waterloo, as the manager, James, agreed to open up early, in order to provide the place that Jamie wanted.

“It’s another example of a community coming together,” Jamie said.

Jamie hopes that he will be able to run the group once a month, as he clarifies any legal ramifications, which may affect the group as popularity grows. Alongside his already strong passion for charity work and helping others, Jamie hopes that one day ‘We Are Not Alone’ may become a charity of its own, with more groups across wider areas of Merseyside, meaning that the group can help as many males who need it.

“I suppose it might become funded. It might become a charity.

It might become something that days out could be included in, that’s well off in the future. At the moment I’ve got to make sure I have the legalities right.”

Jamie describes the group and its aim in one simple sentence “A meeting for likeminded gentlemen to offload and share their problems in a comfortable, safe environment.”

If you are, or know anyone who may be interested in the group, please contact Jamie Somers on Facebook.

“I just thought it was a chance to let people know the true integrity of what my heart’s all about, which is helping people”

23 Julie Walters returns

mum of Peter who welcomes former Hollywood Legend Gloria Grahame, into their home when her health declines.

Veteran Merseyside journalist Dave Charters gave a talk to LJMU students this week, writes Emily Wall.

Mr Charters (pictured right) who has been a journalist for nearly 50 years, is an honorary fellow of LJMU. Over the years he has worked for many national newspapers and was a columnist for the Liverpool Daily Post for 25 years.

He currently works as a columnist for the Liverpool Echo.

At the event, he told

Picture © Emily Wall

The much-loved actress Julie Walters has returned to Liverpool ahead of the premiere of Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool.

Julie is no stranger to the city as she used to work for the Everyman Theatre company in the mid 1970’s alongside performers such as Bill Nighy, Willy Russell and Jonathan Pryce.

In the film, which is released on November 16th, Julie plays the

Veteran’s memories in print

students that ‘everything is recorded but nothing is remembered’, so stories journalists write have to be memorable. Mr Charters,

who is also a poet, gave a reading of some of his pieces. He believes that writing poetry benefits a journalist’s work.

PEOPLE L Taxis do good A taxi firm in Prescot is being a serial dogooder.

Britannia Taxi recently surprised a victim of a theft with a conga of their taxi cars showing their support, and a bunch of flowers.

More recently, they have provided wrist bands for a local vigil in memory of lives lost to knife crime and have put food banks in all of their offices, just in time for Christmas.

The next step for Chris Chris Carberry, ambassador for the children’s cancer charity, CLIC Sargent, is nothing short of an inspiration.

He is an amuptee cancer patient who has hand-cycled for more than 40 miles along Hadrian’s Wall to help raise money in his battle for survival.

He has recently returned from Northumbria, having been supported by 31 members of his friends and family on his journey along the Roman landmark.

At the age of just 19, Mr Carberry was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer in his leg called

Osteosarcoma. The cancer was discovered after Chris, now 21, stepped off a curb one day and broke his thigh bone.

With treatments not working as well as hoped, the St Helens man needed to have to have his leg amputated in a ‘leg or life’ situation.

Chris finished his treatment in January 2017 at Clatterbridge Hospital. However, the cancer devastatingly returned in July of the same year, but had now spread to his lungs.

Chris has an active Go Fund Me page, which can be found at Chris’ Livesaving Treatment.

Petition is a success

Liverpool journalist Josh Parry has reached over 10,000 signatures on his petition calling for a ban on controversial gay ‘conversion’ therapies in the UK. The petition was launched in response to Josh carrying out an

undercover investigation into conversion therapy in a local Liverpool church, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry in Anfield.

After just two weeks, the petition has amassed 10,530 signatures, which means that Josh can now get a government response.

Josh said: “So proud of every single person who has signed, shared and supported this petition to ban gay ‘cure’ therapies. But the hard work is far from over – at 100k signatures it is considered for debate in Parliament.”

24 LL BEAUTY

Blown Away Glamoriser Cordless Hair Straightener – Argos £69.99 Have you given up trying to rearrange your bedroom to make sure your mirror is next to the power socket? Well no more.

Glamoriser have brought out a cordless hair straightener to ensure you can get ready with ease. It makes a perfect Christmas present for the ‘difficult-to-buy-for’ daughter.

Travel hair dryer – Primark £8.00 Primark have always had the best products for so cheap; it’s what they’re known for. This is no excep�on. This compact hair dryer is great for if you’re travelling abroad, staying overnight in a hotel or even if you just don’t have much storage space at home. It’s so prac�cal and so cheap, it can definitely be the perfect stocking filler.

Andrew Barton Volumising Mousse – Asda £4.50 Having flat hair makes ge�ng ready so much harder – believe me, I know – but this is a game changer. With heat protec�on, you don’t need to worry about it damaging your hair. Just use a palm sized amount and drag it down the body of your hair, for volumised, heat protected hair. Whether your ponytail is looking a li�le flat or your waves deflate within an hour, this is the perfect solu�on.

BaByliss Curl Secret Simplicity Hair Curler – Very £120.00 Christmas is around the corner and perfec�ng that hairdo is a necessity for your work do. With the Curl Secret, crea�ng your desired look couldn’t be easier. Natural waves, 1920s Hollywood waves and �ght curls are just a Curl Secret away. Simply take a piece of your hair and place it into the device and within seconds you have the perfect Christmas curl.

Words by Olivia Frie�

The

long and

BEAUTY LL 25

short

of it

Steph Kettle and Daisy Scott go hair to hair in the “chop or not” debate

M

any little girls grow up aspiring to be their favourite princesses, with long luscious locks trailing behind them.

Some women may say that their long hair is where their confidence comes from, acting as a comfort blanket, whereas others would say confidence is a state of mind.

In such a diverse world, the question remains whether having long hair like Rapunzel really is the confidence booster it seems to be.

Since the 1920s when ladies first started to experiment with hair length, the bob made its self known, the 60s were all about pixie cuts and beehive then leading into the 70s it was the more natural the better with the sights of free flowing waves while the 80s saw the hype of bangs and the long bob.

It is hard to put your finger on the exact style for the current era.

According to Styling Director Beth Harrison at Andrew Collinge Heswall, long hair can make the difference in personal confidence.

She said: “I feel having long hair gives me more confidence because it can be styled in many different ways, you are less exposed than someone with a crop as you see their face first and hair second.”

As part of their appearance women wear makeup for added levels of confidence, the same applies for hair length, however, as a woman with long hair, Beth can relate to how it can give an added boost. “With long hair it can be more of a comfort, you can hide behind it on days you don’t want to be putting makeup on or putting much effort in” she said.

Despite the movement of the hair revolution reaching a more diverse era where anything is possible, long hair is still very much in fashion.

Maria Edwards, Director at Bold Street salon ‘Minksys’, said: “People are still coming in for the bouncy blow dry, it is a go to, young people should explore different areas more because everyone has long hair.”

Confidence is an attitude: an individual could have no hair at all and hold bags of confidence and some girls feel their confidence comes from cutting their hair short.

L

auren Keir a LJMU graduate in Fashion Communication has been able to be up close and personal with models for photo shoots and fashion projects.

She said: “Long hair is stereotyped as more feminine and beautiful, personally I think having short hair as a woman is liberating.”

There is always the perception that long hair equals beauty and confidence, needless to say we all fawn over those princess locks whether we want to or not.

Steph

Long and strong: Long hair is becoming more popular

L

iverpool is known for standing out from the crowd. In terms of fashion, it is often pinpointed for the image of women with curlers in their hair. However, what if you lack the locks?

For some, having short hair can be a blessing. In hindsight, think about how much money you end up saving from all those hair appointments and saving on all the expensive hair products.

The idea of the Mia Farrow crop may be too much, but with many more people choosing to chop of their locks and take on the Jean Seberg, short hair has never been so vivid.

Some see red when the crop comes up, but others beam with confidence. According to recent statistics from the Telegraph, super short and styled hair dos, once made fashionable by the likes of Victoria Beckham and Rihanna, appear to be losing their appeal as the number of women with long hair has increased by 20pc since 2010.

I visited a number of hair salons across the city centre to find out more about how hair-length can affect confidence.

Wirral hairdresser Emily Hughes, said: “If you have the perfect haircut it improves your confidence massively.

I feel more confident with short hair.”

Experimentation of hairstyles is part of growing up.

You only have to look through archived photographs of yourself to see how you have changed. It proves that the continual change in hair is a signifier of confidence.

Maria Edwards of Minksy’s on Bold Street says hairdressers are frustrated about the lack of short hairstyles, with

many hairdressers of older ages being trained in shorter styles, rather than long.

Maria added: “We are hoping it becomes a trend, because at Minksy’s we are trained to cut short hair.

“It is like a medicine to have your hair cut. Personally I think people should.”

M

aria later added: “I think,people who get their haircut find confidence and it gives them more power. Hair is a big confidence booster and a big power boost.”

Short hair is still tempting the women of Liverpool, and although it is not obvious, it is still making the cut. After speaking to the hairdressers across Liverpool, it concludes that short hair can add power and confidence to a girl, but perhaps they have to have it beforehand.

Will you be reaching for the clippers anytime soon?

Daisy

Short and Sweet: Short hair can add condidence and power

26 LL SHOPPING

Who needs chocolate wine, cheese, gin Jo Cunliffe runs through LL’s guide to the best and worst advent calendars of 2017

T

is the season for all to be jolly, and everyone should have an advent calendar to countdown the days this Christmas. Long gone are the simple chocolate filled doors.

This year it is all about wine, cheese and … pork crackling?

People now expect more from their advent calendars than just a piece of novelty-shaped chocolate so swap your traditional advent treats for a more unusual calendar.

Julie Ashfield, Joint Managing Director of Corporate Buying at Aldi UK, said: “This year’s advent calendar offerings are better than ever - be it as a festive count down for excited kids or a way for parents to enjoy the countdown to Christmas.”

Gin: This timeless twist on the advent calendar is the perfect way to capture the festive season within your home. With 24 Christmas scent inspired candles, such as sparkling cinnamon and snowflake cookie, this could be an exciting gift set as well as an advent calendar.

Price: £24.99, Yankee Candle Pic © Yankee Candle A multi-brand advent calendar is a beauty dream. Including skin must-haves for winter, it contains products from popular brands such as Estée Lauder, Clinique, MAC and Bobbi Brown.

Price: £125, Estée Lauder

Pic © Estée Lauder

Price: £49.99, Aldi Pic © Aldi

As Gin is becoming more popular, Morrisons are selling a gin advent calendar this Christmas as part of their Black Friday deals. Adding up to 1.2 litres of gin, 24 different gins are behind the doors, including favourites Bombay Sapphire and Gordons Price: £60, Morrisons Pic © Morrisons

Food blogger Annem Hobson, from So Wrong It’s Nom, has launched a Cheese advent calendar for 2017.

Exclusive to Asda, the calendar includes 24 pieces of individually wrapped cheese, with five varieties available.

This calendar is the perfect way to enjoy well-known wine, with plenty of variety. With 24 bottles of red, white, rosé and fizz, this new kind of advent calendar is the best way to start getting in the festive mood.

Price: £8, Asda Pic © Asda

Christmas Crackers...

Cheese:

SHOPPING

LL27

when you can have or crackling?

Bah Humbug...

Price: £10, Debenhams

Price: £25, Boots Pic © Boots

This calendar has caused quite a stir after it was revealed that behind one of the doors is just a handful of confetti.

With only 12 treats including cookie cutters and stationary, Boots have now halved the price of this disappointing calendar.

Although this includes a door for Christmas Day itself, a tea advent calendar may just be that little bit boring.

Many tea drinkers already have their own stash of their favourite tea bags in the kitchen cupboard, so this advent calendar is a no from LL.

Although many people love Greggs , the idea of their own advent calendar wasn’t what people expected. Full of vouchers for festive bakes, mince pies and flavoured lattes, this calendar will set you back £24 and includes no physical prizes.

Pork Crackling:

Price: £15, Debenhams Pic © Debenhams

This crazy calendar contains all flavours of The Snaffling Pig Company’s bestselling flavoured pork crackling. It includes the flavours: Salt and Vinegar, Black Pepper and Sea Salt, Low and Slow BBQ, Maple, Perfectly Salted and Pigs in Blankets.

Poster A Day:

This advent calendar features 24 numbered gift boxes, each with a rolled poster inside. These posters include images of birds, a girl hugging a bear and a unicorn, but unless you have the wall space, does anyone really need 24 posters.

Price: £49.90, Juniqe Pic © Juniqe

Price: £24. Pic © Greggs Twitter

Greggs:

28 LL SHOPPING

In the black Friday is set to be the busiest day of the year for shops in the city

By ED BALDWIN The biggest day of the year for many shoppers is just on the horizon - Black Friday.

The frantic day falls on the 24th November this year – it is always the day after Thanksgiving in the USA; however the day itself now has worldwide prominence.

The term is used to describe the ‘pre-Christmas day of commercial carnage’ and day originates from the early 1950’s in Philadelphia, USA. Some of the largest retailers now launch deals on Black Friday but it was Amazon in 2010 that

introduced the concept to the UK with Asda (owned by US retailer Walmart) following suit in 2013.

Liverpool Life asked employees at one of Britain’s top retailers, Argos, about what to expect on the 24th.

Kara, 34, Manager at Argos in Liverpool One, told Liverpool Life: “Argos will be taking part in Black Friday, and we are expecting a flurry of customers both in-store and on the website.

We’ll have deals on technology products mostly, but a lot of our products prices seem to get knocked down.”

Black Friday is also the ideal time

to bag a bargain Christmas gift, so retailers like Argos and Amazon would be perfect to search for discounted toys, gaming consoles and gadgets.

Although Black Friday is just on for one day usually, in recent years retailers have made it into a weekly shopping sale. Some of the top stores including Topshop are making it a ‘Black Friday Weekend’ rather than just a day, offering items from shoes and jeans, to coats and dresses for cut price deals.

To find out more information about the business side of Black Friday, Liverpool Life spoke

to Business and Retail expert Andy Barron, 44, from Liverpool Business Associations, he said: “Black Friday has a tendency to only be for the top end retailers such as Amazon and John Lewis.

Smaller businesses tend to shy away from it as they can end up actually losing money by cutting their prices so much. I expect it to be the biggest Black Friday ever as in numbers wise, as I feel it is a growing phenomenon.”

From TVs and video games to health and beauty, there are products available from brands such as Phillips, Samsung, Xbox and PS4.

Here is a breakdown of the best Black Friday deals from the top brands...

1 - Amazon Echo Dot Multimedia speaker - White or Black One of the most sought after products of 2017, the Amazon Echo Dot is sure to be one of the most wanted products come the 24th November. £34.99 (was

4 - DeLonghi ECOM311.B Coffee Maker, Icona Micalite The DeLonghi Coffee maker is perfect for the winter and with £121 off at Amazon it is a must buy. £89.99 (was £211), (Amazon).

£49.99), (Amazon, Argos).

2 - Philips Series 7000 12-in1 Grooming Kit

5 - SONY PlayStation 4 Pro & Games Bundle

For a well-groomed look this winter, Phillips’ 12-in-1 kit has got all bases covered. It comes with 12 attachments – including a full-size metal trimmer – as well as four heads, a travel pouch and cleaning brush. £24.99 (was £49.99), (Argos).

This PlayStation 4 Pro games bundle would be an ideal Christmas present for any keen gamer. The £172 saving isn’t too bad either. £339.99 (was £512.95), (Currys).

3 - Samsung UE55MU6470U 55” Smart 4K Ultra HD HDR LED TV If you love TV then this 4K Samsung Ultra HD TV is for you, with its high picture quality and crystal colour display its sure to be great viewing, and a steal on Black Friday. £699 (was £1,049), (Currys).

1 - Amazon Echo Dot: Set to be a very popular product on Black Friday © Very 2 - Well-groomed in time for Christmas with the Phillips 12 in 1 beard trimmer © Amazon 3 - 4K delight: Samsung’s wonderful 55 inch UHD TV. © Currys 4- Winter warmer: The Delonghi Coffee maker is a great addition for the winter months © Amazon 5 - Bundle of joy: PS4 Pro games bundle would make a great Christmas gift © Currys

STYLE

LL29

From terraces to gallery Matthew Skelly giving you the latest on style from the Baltic Triangle Laces Out Event

A

packed Laces Out festival show-cased author Neal Heard’s ‘The Art of the Football Shirt’ exhibition

recently.

The event at The Camp & Furnace, Baltic Triangle, had large queues wrapping each side of the building as fans of casual culture waited for doors to open.

The event had numerous sellers of retro trainers and clothing on show and for sale.

Taking part in the event was Neal Heard, whose football shirt showcase is gaining a huge level of popularity across the world.

The collection is set to be released in full next summer and author Neal is gaining attention from across the globe from it.

Neal gave an exclusive to Liverpool Life about his exhibition.

He said: “I got into football shirts like the rest of us. Everybody remembers their first kit and I loved the first kits I had. They left a big mark on me.

“With collecting, again it just happened. I went to the 1990 World Cup in Italy and got some of the foreign shirts. I would also be going to vintage shops for trainers and end up getting football shirts.”

Following the release of The Football Shirts Book – A Connoisseurs Guide, friends at clothing trade show ‘Jacket Required’ suggested the pushing the concept further.

“I had previously done a trainer exhibition at Jacket Required and they suggested doing a similar thing with football shirts.”

Neal, who recently appeared on Sky’s Soccer AM, looks at shirts in the sense of fashion and designand his collection features shirts that are very rare nowadaysincluding banned shirts from Fiorientina, which had swastikas within the design, and Cameroon’s vest top, which was banned

by Fifa for the 2002 World Cup. “Football shirts should be treat-

Retro: Art of the Football Shirt at Laces Out Festival @ Matthew Skelly ed with the respect of art - they are like no other clothing. Particularly designs from the ‘90s which were crazy and different to now.

“The term retro annoys me, I don’t like the obvious. I look for shirts with political and musical links as well as the sponsors on the shirts.”

Speaking about Laces Out festival, Neal said; “The reception was really good. The talk was packed out which was great.”

People at the event who knew him already surrounded Neal, partly due to his work in 2003 on the trainer side of casual culture.

He credits this attention to his book Trainers.

The future is bright for the exhi-

bition. Liverpool will be the home of the final product as he works alongside Laces Out and Liverpool City Council.

When it’s released next June, the amount of shirts will be around double that on show at the Camp & Furnace.

“Fifa are having it in Zurich next February - it’s also going to Mexico City, Denmark, Paris and Holland.

“We’re not alone in the UK and I’m keener on foreign shirts.

World Cup shirts touch us across the globe “I’m looking to bring out a second volume of the book but that will be it. There are angles I’d like to look at but I’m not going to

milk it.”

Neal has had jobs designing as well as admiring. He worked with Le Coq Sportif on the “Made in France” collection, basing designs around the 1981 St Etienne kit, which he was a big fan of. He has also designed next season’s kit for his hometown club, Newport County.

However, the real passion is in the writing.

“I like to write, you can do what you want and let your thoughts go and I prefer that. It’s great to make clothing but the buzz is with writing. It’s great having people stop and listen to you speak about your interest, in a non-egotistical way.”

I would also be “going to vintage shops for trainers and end up getting football shirts

”

Trainers: Laces Out Festival in the Baltic Triangle @ Matthew Skelly

30 LL GRAD WATCH

SOPHIE’S SCREEN SUCCESS Tom Sutton speaks to LJMU graduate Sophie Grundy about her career in broadcasting

A

job on Hollyoaks isn’t exactly what you’d expect from a former journalism student - but for LJMU graduate Sophie Grundy, this is where it all began.

When Sophie left LJMU in 2013, she went straight from the student newsroom to behind the scenes in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, which was a very different environment.

“Everything I got taught at Hollyoaks and was doing there was completely different to what I was taught at JMU,” she said.

Then the pace really increased when she moved to an area where she would be putting her journalistic experience to use at CBBBC, the children’s arm of the BBC, working for the website.

Her love for the city of Liverpool, coupled with her determination to get a journalism job, pushed her in this direction.

“I love Liverpool and I refuse to move, no way am I moving to Manchester! I just drive in every day. I guess it’s one of those things where you have to look into other places.”

This initial move to CBBC was where she really sunk her teeth into doing what she does today,

making topical content to be enjoyed by children on the digital side of the CBBC website.

It’s an area that is perhaps overlooked when you scroll down sites and see those fun little mini games and quizzes that everyone loves to share on Facebook, Sophie is the one creating them for our pleasure.

She finds it easy and fun to connect with kids because really it allows her to remain young at heart, whereas work is usually a place where you have to put your adult hat on.

Sophie found her version of going to the office a little different.

She could still play like a kid and have fun while still wearing that work hat: “ It’s actually really easy because I’m on the same wavelength.

“I just make quizzes that are whatever I feel like, really. As long as I feel like someone is going to enjoy it then I have a lot of freedom.”

While within CBBC she was given the task of taking on the Newsround Twitter site, making videos for its Facebook account and dealing with its website.

This is all from someone who when they first got introduced to

ABOVE: Sophie enjoying the sun Twitter via her lectures “really wasn’t a fan of it”. But things do change and now these are vital parts of her job that she does on a day to day basis.

Still based in Liverpool, Sophie remembers creating her news packages back in university and is still using those skills now, and thinks that learning about the use of Twitter within news gathering is one of the most useful things she did.

S

he looks back at her work placements within third year with real admiration, as this was the time and the place she was really able to get an initial feel for the industry that she would be working and creating content in.

Her placement took her to Manchester United and Everton

TV, where she made TV packages and saw the practical application of everything she was learning within LJMU. She offered up some helpful advice about those who will be finishing their journalism course and are wondering what to do with the next year or so.

She told Liverpool Life: “It was really useful to see how they use that stuff at actual industry level, and also not just that but to see what they wanted me to do and wanted from me.

“It taught me what I needed to learn basically, and how they would use it, It gave me a good sense of ‘learn while doing’ that I am still using today.”

Sophie aims to keep having a lot of fun creating content she hopes will put smiles on people’s faces.

LEFT: Sophie speaks to a project volunteer who vistited the Hollyoaks set

SPORT

LL31

THE LINE UP Darts team take top spot

Rock climbing enters Olympic frame

32

33

Echo Arena to host sport stars 34

Football

Dickinson continues unbeaten record 35

Fixtures for the coming weeks

Everton FC: Atalanta |H| 23/11 20:05 Southampton |A| 26/11 13:30 West Ham |H| 29/11 20:00

Liverpool FC: Chelsea |H| 25/11 17:30 Stoke |A| 29/11 20:00 Brighton |A| 02/12 15:00

Non-League Football

Non-League Football

Liverpool St Helens Hoylake |A| 25/11 Glossop |H| 02/12 Broughton Park |A| 09/12

Tranmere Rovers FC: Maidstone |H| 25/11 15:00 Torquay |H| 09/12 15:00 FA Trophy first round, TBA. 16/12.

Marine FC FC United of Manchester |H| 25/11 15:00 Workington |A| 28/11 19:45 Stafford Rangers |A| 02/12 15:00 Prescot Cables FC South Shields |H| 25/11 15:00 Kendal |A| 02/12 15:00 Bootle |H| 05/12 15:00

Rugby Union

City of Liverpool FC: Congleton |A| 25/11 15:00 Irlam |A| 28/11 19:45 Stockton Town |A| 02/12 15:00 Southport FC: Stockport |A| 25/11 15:00 Tamworth |A| 02/12 15:00 Boston |A| 09/12 15:00

Š Wikimedia Commons

32 LL SPORT

Darts team target top spot in university league

By TIM SPENCER TANFIELD Darts is a sport that has been on a rapid rise, from a game played in pubs between old friends to high-class tournaments broadcast globally in some of the most iconic venues the sporting world has to offer.

Yet despite the growing interest from the watching millions, for some, darts is seen as a game, not worthy of the title of a true sport.

“I get asked this a lot, but darts is a sport now, I don’t care what people say” says Ben Batram, founder and chair of the LJMU darts society.

“You still have to put the hours and dedication in on the practice board, sometimes between 5-7 hours a day.

“If it’s not a sport, then why is it being broadcast around the world on Sky Sports? It’s evolved massively since the eighties from what people just described as a pub sport; it is far more than that these days.”

For Ben, darts has always been a hobby: now in his final year at John Moores, he created the society late in 2015.

“The reasoning behind this was that I was playing in Riley’s and got bored of always playing against a friend, so I thought for a laugh I would make a society, however I didn’t expect it to get accepted. From then on, the rest is history.”

To date the society has 24 members, split between an A and B team, with both teams having played a friendly game against each other in preparation for the start of the season; with the A team triumphing 9-2.

Now, with competitive competition well underway, for Ben and the rest of the members a true goal has been realised.

“Our aims for the year were to join a league, and that has happened.”

However, for the team this is not enough, with their sights firmly set on tungsten glory.

“It would be nice to finish top of our NUDL West league and qualify for the finals, but for now we will take one game at a time and see what happens.”

Practice and home games for the society take place at Riley’s on Bolton Street, where newcomers are always welcome: “ For people thinking of joining the society, I wouldn’t be put off if you can’t play because it is all about practice, not everyone starts off at a good level.

“If you like the sport, then come down and have a throw and enjoy yourself as it’s a good laugh and always a good night of darts.”

Bullseye: LJMU’s Ben Bartham takes aim

Double top!: JMU darts team at Riley’s

Upcoming fixtures before Christmas:

LJMU Darts A & B at home vs University of Lancaster – 24th November LJMU Darts A & B at home vs University of Manchester – 29th November LJMU Darts A vs LJMU Darts B – 6th December

SPORT LL 33

Climbers get the chance to reach for Olympic glory Tom Sutton looks at the latest sport to make its way onto the grandest stage of all

I

realised I loved doing this sport when we first tried climbing the indoor walls at our local gym, I was about 10 feet up, hands and legs shaking with fear as I struggled to keep my grip.

Reaching and reaching for the final plastic orange hold, when in desperation and I leapt and caught it, that rush from the fact that I had used only my hands and my own strength to climbing something much bigger than me filled me with the knowledge that I wasn’t going to stop doing this any time soon.

Me and the friends that I go with heard of the wonders of climbing outside, as it was the origin of everything we were doing in the gym, so we ventured out into a local quarry Pex Hill, it was here much higher up around 8 Metres with no ropes and only a small mat to land on.

My hands frozen to the sandstone rock and my feet on minuscule little cracks, I realised the fear was the bit I was enjoying.

This was the part that was making me want to finish and put my hands on that final ledge to finish the problem, and I did. This is the feeling me and a lot of other climbers want others to see and feel when they tune in to the next Olympic games Sport climbing as an Olympic event is the culmination of the three different areas that make climbing what it is, here we are going to break down and give

you an insight into what you can expect to see.

Bouldering, Lead and Speed are the categories that the participants will get scored into and which will make up the sport.

Bouldering First off, there is bouldering, this is what all of climbing is derived from before advances and ropes allowed for bigger and larger scale climbs, people first had to climb boulders- hence the name.

This can be done both indoor and outdoor, inside a bouldering gym like, The Climbing Hangar, Liverpool, our very own climbing right here in the city or outside at the many varies crags, walls, caves and other outdoor bouldering sites around the UK Bouldering is usually the least high up off the three categories, most gyms especially only have walls go up to about 4.5 Metres , with crash pads at the bottom so you don’t get hurt.

Then onto the ‘problems’ themselves, this is what the routes and boulders to be climbed are called, based off the fact that these are problems that you must work out, using your body in conjunction with your mind.

Climbers at the Olympics will face problems such as these in order to receive their scores and achieve us golds!

Lead Climbing This area of climbing is the one you may have already seen before,

as it means climbing on a large route that usually can go a lot higher up on a rope.

If you have ever seen a picture of a climber very high up jumping for a small and scary move, then they were probably lead climbing, this area is definitely the most awe-inspiring part of the sport, and viewers will see climbers attempting to scale walls as high as 15 Metres, with more precision and stability than their competitors.

During their climbs they will have to clip the top they have attached to them to the quick draw clips along the route so that they are harnessed in, they are connected to their ‘belayer’ on the ground the person in control of how much slack there is between them and the rope.

This again, like Bouldering, can be performed indoor or outdoor, at large constructed indoor walls, or very famous and protected areas, like Yosemite National Park in The United States or many others around the world.

Speed climbing Finally, we arrive at probably the easiest to transition into the Olympics, speed climbing, this area of the sport will test and push

the sheer speed at which these contestants can climb.

Usually with a 10-Metre wall or 15 Metre for international competition, the athletes start with both hands on a starting hold and one foot on a starting foothold and their ropes attached.

From the starting horn they must vault up the wall between the holds with their two main aims being reaching the top and waving their hand up past the sensor at the top.

To stop the computer timing them and give them their time, usually racing against another climber and trying to beat their time, the races usually only last between six to eight seconds depending on the category, so competition is fierce.

Speed climbing can also be referred to as the times that have been set for climbs, especially big climbs. National Geographical and North Face sponsored climber Alex Holnnold who set a particularly impressive time on June 3rd 2017, climbing El Capitan, a 3000 ft peak in the heart of Yosemite National Park, solo with out any kind of rope, in three hours 56 minutes, very different than the seconds in indoor competitive ‘speed climbing’.

Top left: Bouldering at The Climbing Hangar, Liverpool Top centre: Tom tries his hand at a climb Top right: Tackling an outside wall

34 LL SPORTS

Sporting stars set to shine in Liverpool

By DANNY MOXON Liverpool’s Echo Arena will play host to the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards 2017.

SPOTY is the biggest awards night in the sporting calendar, and this year it will take place in front of 11,000 people at the arena, and millions more live on BBC One. Liverpool last hosted the ceremony in 2008, when Scottish cyclist Chris Hoy won the coveted award after a stellar Olympic year in which he picked up three gold medals at the games in Beijing.

Last year, two-time Wimbledon men’s singles champion Andy Murray picked up the trophy for a third time, more than any other sportsperson since the ceremony first took place in 1954.

Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson said about the awards: “We’re honoured and excited to be rolling out the red carpet for BBC Sports Personality of the year in Liverpool.

“We’re a city full of passionate sports fans and we’re renowned

Southport golfer wins in Dubai

By JORDAN REAIS

Tickets are currently on sale for the event, which will take place on Sunday December 17th.

Biggest: Liverpool Echo Arena will host the event the world over for our hospitality, so we cannot wait to welcome the BBC in December.”

Boxer Anthony Joshua is thought to be the heavy favourite to scoop the main award, after a stellar year in which he maintained his undefeated record, and unified the IBF, IBO and WBA heavyweight titles. Three-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton is also thought to be in contention.

Honour: Mayor Joe Anderson

Tommy Fleetwood has won the Race to Dubai Championship after 12 months of competition came to an end in a thrilling final round of golf at Royal Carnoustie.

The Merseysider backed himself to win the season-long Championship from the beginning, he was accompanied by his two-month-old baby boy and fiancée when he received the £1 million prize money.

Amazingly, after months of competitions it come down to the last day, Justin Rose was two shots ahead of Fleetwood and it looked like he was on the way to winning his third tournament in a row.

As always with golf, there was a last minute twist as he hit four bogeys in a row and opened the door for Tommy to claim the Championship.

This huge win means the 26-year-old whose home club is Formby Hall is now 21st in the world golf rankings.

Redmen pick up top fan TV prize

By MATT SKELLY Redmen TV were among the big winners at the North West Football Awards, scooping the Fan TV Channel award for 2017.

The LFC enthusiasts beat off competition from Full Time Devils (Manchester United), Blue Moon Rising (Manchester City) and local rivals and big Evertonians, Toffee TV. Paul Machin, a key figure in the Redmen TV set up, told Liverpool Life: “We’re absolutely delighted, not just winning the award, but the fact the award itself even exists.

“When we started off this road eight years ago, Fan TV simply wasn’t a thing.

“In those years we had to fight not just to keep the channel going and growing, but also our place at the football table so to speak.

“To be recognised at a ceremony alongside the best and brightest in the game, and the traditional media feels like a real milestone for our industry.”

Machin, who also works on Ball Street Network - which links a lot of fan channels across YouTube worked in a bar for the best part of a decade, but says he is very much in a dream job.

“I can safely say working on Redmen is infinitely more rewarding than lugging barrels around - though probably as tiring.

“When the reds are on top it’s an absolute breeze, when they are struggling it can make things harder.

“Being able to dream up content, and then make it a reality has always been my dream, and the Redmen makes that possible.

“Sometimes I miss burying my head in the sand if we’ve had a bad defeat, but equally, the recording shows has a strange, therapeutic effect even at the worst of times, so I can’t complain.”

Through Ball Street, Paul works very closely with Barry and Ped of nominee channel Toffee TV. Although there was a sense of rivalry and some back and forth goading leading up to the awards,

the support for each other, and other fan channels, is evident.

“The beauty of Ball Street is in the sense of camaraderie. Barry and Ped were amongst the first to congratulate us, but also to lay down the gauntlet for next year too!”

Merseyside scooped a number of awards on the night along with Redmen TV. Andy Cook of Tranmere Rovers won Non-League Player of the Year and Liverpool Ladies’ Car-

oline Weir earned the Women’s Player of the Year.

Everton won the awards for Best Club Marketing, Sponsorship & Engagement with the “One for All/All for One” season ticket campaign and alongside Everton in the community were awarded the Kick It Out Promoting Inclusion award.

Dr Ian Irving of Everton FC also won the Fabrice Muamba Award for Outstanding Service to Football Medicine and Science.

LL35 LJMU men’s hockey club join in the Movember movement

SPORT

Boxer keeps up perfect record in four rounds

By JORDAN REAIS A Formby boxer has added to his unbeaten streak on the Carl Frampton card in Belfast.

Alex Dickinson, 30, managed to continue his undefeated streak in the SSE Arena, Belfast with his third victory.

Dickinson managed to get the job done in only four rounds, outpointing his opponent Milan Paunov 40-36.

The fight was aired live on Box Nation on the undercard of Carl Frampton’s highly anticipated return to Norther Ireland. It was Dickinson’s second time in Belfast after beating the Bulgarian Ferenc Zsalek back in June in his first professional fight.

He received the offer after a stellar performance and 7th round stoppage in the MEN Arena in September, the heavyweight had gone away for a few days with his father when he got a phone call of his management (MTK) telling him to head to Belfast.

He told Liverpool Life: ‘I love Belfast and I can never turn down an opportunity to box there. I can’t thank management enough for the opportunities these past

By JAMES FARRINGTON

months.’

‘I love boxing and I’ve always dreamt of getting these opportunities, now I’m taking everyone as it comes my way.’

The Everton Red-Triangle boxer is being hailed one of the best heavyweights the city has seen, and has now moved to 28th in the

country.

In other boxing news, David Haye has pulled out of his rematch with Liverpool’s Tony Bellew with a freak arm injury.

The fight that was set to go ahead on December 17th in the O2 Arena will now be held on either March 24th or May 5th.

Horse show gallops back for New Year spectacular

By DANNY MOXON Liverpool International Horse Show returns to the Echo Arena in December to help ride us into the New Year.

The three-day event returns for the third year running, and will feature some of the world’s finest riders, including Olympians and global sports stars.

The events begins to warm up on Thursday December 28th, when the restaurants and shopping village open to the public.

The action will begin the day after on December 29th, with extraordinary equestrian events, performances from stunt riders Lumino- Horse sense: the ever-popular so, and live music from Rick Parfitt close out the show on December Jr., the son of the late-Status Quo 31st, and will act as a fitting end to rocker.

2017 on Liverpool’s world-famous New Year’s Eve celebrations will

International Horse Show returns waterfront.

Tickets are now on sale and start from just £15.

The Liverpool John Moores Men’s’ Hockey club are currently taking part in Movember to raise money for the ‘Campaigning Against Living Miserably’ (CALM) charity.

Several members of the club have managed to grow funky beards and have embraced the event, all in aid of the good cause.

Ryan Millar, Former LJMU Club Captain said: “We are doing Movember this year in aid of the charity ‘Campaign Against Living Miserably’.

“Completing Movember is not only fun but it has an important meaning behind it too.

CALM are dedicated to fighting male suicide-the single biggest killer in males under the age of 45.

“This is something that means a lot to me as it is something I have experienced this in my family life and I am glad the rest of the lads have decided to do this with me to help raise money and awareness.”

The Hockey club have a fund raising target of £500 by the end of the month.

If you wish to support this valuable cause then donate via this link: https://t.co/ImwVxbqgSr

Owen swaps boots for hooves Former Liverpool and England striker Michael Owen is training to become a jockey and is preparing to take part in his first race.

He will compete at Ascot in a charity event later this week.

The 37-year-old, who also played for Manchester United, established himself as a successful racehorse owner and breeder following his retirement from football.

He said: “I’ve been gradually progressing from a six-year-old calm-ish horse to a younger and younger one.

“I was asked to ride in a charity race and thought, ‘Well, it’s one way of trying to get fit and getting down to a good weight’.”

LL Liverpool Life

Picture © Abby Nicholson

Produced each fortnight by LJMU Journalism Students