Liverpool Life February 4 2014, 2:11

Liverpool

Life

www.jmu-journalism.org.uk

4th - February - 2014

An LJMU scientist has discovered that ‘mummy’s boys’ pilot whale sons drain more resources from mothers than daughters do

THE NEWS THIS WEEK...

After conquering Dancing on Ice and reaching the final of X Factor, former Brookside actor Ray Quinn talks to Liverpool Life

Tributes are being paid to the late Liverpool Football Club centre forward Tony Hateley, who has died at the age of 72

WE KNEW ALL ALONG More on page 4

More on page 7

More on page 11

Hillsborough campaigners say latest revelations are no surprise

by Jack Birch

It took the dedicated Peter Rogers a whole six months to construct his LEGO® model

Picture: Nadine Higham

Ang-Lego Cathedral Many people look for a project to keep them busy after they retire, and for Peter Rogers from Liverpool, it was a real labour of LEGO® love because he decided to build a scale model of the Anglican Cathedral out of the popular plastic bricks.

Peter started to make the model last year. It took him a total of six months to build and only he knows how many bricks are used in the final construction, which is now on display inside the real thing.

The Cathedral is running a

competition for children to come and guess how many bricks it has taken to complete the stunning piece of miniature architecture. The prize will be a day-trip to Legoland in Windsor.

The two-and-a-half-metre long structure will be on display throughout the year and may be followed with a life-sized LEGO® red telephone box, both designed

by Giles Gilbert Scott.

On Screen: The LEGO® Movie opens. Page 8

Picture: ©Kev747/Flickr

Hillsborough campaigners have hit out at the independent police inquiry set up in the aftermath of the disaster.

A report on last night’s BBC Newsnight programme revealed criticisms by witnesses at the scene about West Midlands Police, who conducted the initial investigation in 1989.

Survivors from the disaster claimed they were intimidated by officers from the West Midlands police force and were told they could face prosecution for wasting police time when they told of control problems at the ground.

Sheila Coleman, spokesperson for the Hillsborough Justice Campaign (HJC), said that it came as no surprise to those who have fought for justice for almost 25 years.

She said: “For those of us involved, it is not news. It’s what we’ve known from the beginning from speaking to the survivors.

The only change is that it’s now in the public domain.”

The Hillsborough Independent

Panel reported 18 months ago that 164 accounts from South Yorkshire Police, who were in charge of crowd control at Sheffield Wednesday’s ground, had been altered in an apparent attempt to shift the blame for the disaster from the police on to fans.

Since then that number has increased as part of the probe by police watchdog the IPCC. Ms Coleman explained that members of the HJC believe that the latest revelations of police intimidation are evidence of an overall cover up by both the South Yorkshire Police and West Midlands Police forces.

She said: “It is obvious that it was a clearly defined strategic plan to stage a cover up and to continue the cover-up started by South Yorkshire Police.

“They attempted to demonise the survivors of the disaster. These people were rescuers and were actually quite heroic in helping others even though a lot of them were injured themselves.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Life|News|2

Employment on the rise for graduates

By Harriet Midgley

Tory MP Greg Clark © Flickr/CommunitiesUK

TORY MP TO LEAD ROSCOE LECTURE

By Cillian McGinn

Liverpool John Moores Roscoe lecture returns to the Philharmonic with Conservative MP Greg Clark taking the lead.

The lecture takes place on February 10th at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, Hope Street at 6:00pm. The topic is “Regeneration and renewal- a strategy for urban Britain.”

Mr Clark is the current Minister of State in Prime Minister David Cameron’s cabinet and in his lecture will consider the regeneration and renewal of Britain.

He was appointed Minister of State on October 7th 2013. He has been the Conservative MP for Royal Tunbridge Wells since 2005. Born in Middlesbrough, Greg studied economics at Cambridge before earning his PhD from the London School of Economics.

He was Director of Policy for the Conservative Party from March 2001 for three successive Leaders; William Hague, Iain Duncan Smith and Michael Howard, before being elected as the Member of Parliament for Tunbridge Wells in 2005.

Cllr Clark was appointed Minister for Cities in July 2011 and Financial Secretary to the Treasury in September 2012.

Prior to this, he was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change in October 2008, having previously been Shadow Minister for Charities, Social Enterprises and Volunteering.

Graduate opportunities in Liverpool are on the rise, according to new research.

The news comes after the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) predicted a 10% increase in national graduate employment.

Graduate employment figures for Liverpool John Moores University rose to 66.7% in 2012, compared to 64.6% the previous year. This percentage is set to rise further if predictions made by the AGR come into fruition.

Particular degree courses have a higher rate of employment, at LJMU; the Faculty of Health has an employment rate of 81.5%, while Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences follow with 81% and the school of Engineering, Technology and Maritime Operations have a graduate employment rate of 70.3%.

Liverpool John Moores University believe that graduate employment can be increased by initiatives such as their World of Work programme. This programme works with future employers in all sectors to offer students work experience and skills to enhance their chances of employment.

LJMU Press Officer, Clare

By Elen Crean

Warrington has been named one of the top ten locations in the UK for new business start-ups, with 6,776 businesses registered in 2013.

The figures, released by Start Up Britain, put the town in ninth place in the UK table with only Manchester in the North West region ahead, at third place.

Another survey released last year placed Warrington as the UK’s best place outside London to start new business.

Councillor Terry O’Neill, leader of Warrington Borough Council, said: “This is further great news and a further endorsement that our local economy is strong and has grown despite the recession.”

He continues: “New business is a life blood and these statistics are very reassuring as the

Life

Team

News Paul McIntyre James Routledge Ryan McElroy Simóne Foggin Hazel Miller Features Editor Gemma Sherlock

Doran, said: “The World of Work Careers Centre runs a number of workshops each year called ‘Graduate Schemes Uncovered’ where careers advisers talk about this type of job opportunity, what they entail and where to look for them. The sessions have also featured guest

speakers who are recent LJMU graduates who are currently on such a scheme and they talk about their experiences and offer advice to current students.”

The national rise in graduate employment opportunities reflects growing business confidence in economic growth,

Picture © LJMU

AGR says. Stephen Isherwood, AGR’s chief executive, said the results were ‘welcome news’.

However, Mr Isherwood also warned that graduates still need to ‘think carefully’ about their job applications and understand what employers are looking for.

The National Union of

Students (NUS) also welcomed the figures, but said the improvement has done little to tackle the ‘endemic problem of youth employment’. NUS research has revealed graduates are twice as likely to be employed compared to nongraduates.

North West is top location for business

Liverpool

Editor Sarah Mee

JMU Journalism students on their graduation day July 2013

Features Kerryleigh Gough Liberty Chrismas Sports Editor Will Shaw Sports Jade Masri Laura Ryder

Do you have any news or feedback?

Email us on: liverpoollife@gmail.com

creation of new business is vital in order to maintain our economic position of strength. It is reassuring that business sees Warrington as the place to be and the place to set up.”

Steve Park, managing director, Warrington & Co, Warrington’s partnership for economic growth, added: “This is a great position for us to be in and the council has set in place a robust framework; Warrington Means Business, that will ensure that we continue to grow and build upon that position of strength.”

Complete My Sale, a sales progression service for estate agents, property developers and mortgage brokers based in Warrington, began handling sales in March 2013 and is an example of start-up business success.

Josh McGann, director of Complete My Sale said: “At Complete My Sale, we are dedicated to providing a first class customer service; our priority is the customer’s experience. Late 2013 saw us raise money for Kids Kidney Research where the likes of Miller Metcalfe, Orchards of London and Moss Properties joined forces to help towards a great cause raising awareness for both the charity and the business.”

He continued: “In 2014, we are looking to expand the business for more estate agents, property developers and mortgage brokers. We also have plans for a brand new market first product, which will revolutionize the sales process and help to strive the business further.”

Warrington town hall

Pic © Flickr/IngyTheWingy

Childhood trauma could lead to mental health issues

By Elen Crean

Early childhood trauma, such as abuse or neglect, could lead to the development of psychosis in later life, according to research led by a University of Liverpool psychologist.

An international team of researchers reviewed more than 120 reports on the biological mechanisms underlying the relationship between childhood trauma and psychosis.

The research concluded that people experiencing psychosis should be offered evidencebased psychological therapies that address the social causes of their difficulties.

Anomalies in the brains of people diagnosed with mental health problems such as ‘schizophrenia’, have

Childhood abuse could lead to psychosis later in life traditionally been used to support the notion that such problems are biologically based brain disorders that have little to do with life events.

Professor John Read, from the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Psychology, Health and Society, said: “Trauma based brain changes should not

be thought of as being indicative of having a brain disorder or disease.

The changes are reversible.

Recent studies have found, for example, that the brain’s oversensitivity to stressors can be reduced by properly designed psychotherapy.”

He continues: “We hope that

Pic © Flickr/cassetteject

this vast body of literature will encourage more mental health staff to take more of an interest in the lives of the people they are trying to help, rather than viewing hearing voices and having unusual beliefs as mere symptoms of an ‘illness’ that need to be suppressed with medication.”

Life|News|3

REPORT ATTACKS INQUIRY POLICE CONT. FROM PAGE ONE Ms. Coleman claimed campaigners knew that some of the officers brought in to the inquiry were part of the infamous West Midlands Police force that wrongfully convicted the ‘Birmingham Six’ – six men who were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1975 for the Birmingham pub bombings. The convictions were eventually quashed in 1991 after it was deemed they were unsafe and unsatisfactory. The six men were awarded compensation ranging from £840,000 to £1.2 million.

The force has declined to comment pending ongoing inquires and the forthcoming inquests into the disaster, due to start on March 31.

Speaking on the force’s refusal to comment, Ms Coleman said: “That doesn’t surprise us again. They always hide behind something. This time they are hiding behind an ‘ongoing investigation’.

“But enough people have evidence and they will continue to pursue this until those responsible are held accountable for their actions.”

ONLINE TRADE PRAISED

by Damian Leonard

Almost a third of Liverpool residents say online shopping is the most significant tech development of our time.

Although 54% of the Liverpool population likes to wait until new technology has proved itself in the market, the latest statistics from E.ON show that three-quarters of people are banking online, whilst a massive 93% choose the web to shop.

Jean Fiddes, from E.ON’s Smart Metering programme, said: “Our research shows that consumers are increasingly using technology to make their lives easier, while also saving money on everyday costs.”

E.ON commissioned the research to study people’s attitudes towards new technologies, and found that 68% of people find that online shopping makes life easier for them.

CITY TRUST WARNED

by Damian Leonard

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has told Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust that to comply with national standards of quality and safety, it has to make improvements.

Unannounced inspections were carried out at the Trust’s Headquarters, reviewing the district nursing and community equipment services.

The inspections were carried out in response to concerning information reported to CQC. Inspectors found the Trust was failing to meet national standards relating to care and welfare, staffing, supporting workers and assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision.

Malcolm Bower-Brown, CQC’s Regional Director for the North said: “Undertaking unannounced inspections in response to information of concern is a vital part of CQC’s role.

“The shortfalls we found against legally required national standards were extremely concerning. We have warned Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust.”

Demand for hotel rooms booms in the city

by Elen Crean New figures from the hotel industry show that demand for bedroom space in the Liverpool city region is continuing to grow.

Weekday occupancy rates in the area in 2013 rose to 71% compared with the last year with the total number of rooms sold over 2.6m. The figures, from the latest edition of the Digest of Tourism Statistics, show the total number of rooms sold increased by 180,000 compared to 2012.

Kate Foster, Hope Street Hotel spokesperson, told Liverpool Life: “We have had a 7.5% increase in 2013 occupancy against 2012, and this was both weekday and weekends. The figures also show a strong growth in Sunday night occupancy as well as Friday and Saturday nights.”

With an estimated 57 million visitors to the Liverpool City region and Liverpool One recording a footfall of over 26 million in 2013, the visitor economy is now worth £3.4 billion in the city with over 45,000 jobs supported by it.

Analysis and monitoring of the figures can help the hotels in Liverpool to plan for the future.

North West Research Manager, Anna Biagetti, said: "NW Research is a repository of useful information about the City Region Visitor Economy collated over many years from visitor surveys. This indepth understanding of visitor characteristics, behaviour and opinions helps us plan for the future and inform our City Re-

The Best Western Feathers Hotel on Mount Pleasant, which is near the city centre.

Picture: Nadine Higham

Alcohol banned on Mersey trains

by Harriet Midgley

Merseyrail has banned the consumption of alcohol on train lines despite a drop in alcohol-related incidents last year.

The train operator received permission from the Department for Transport to extend previous laws that banned alcohol in particular places at certain times of the year.

Merseyrail is the first train operator to impose these tough anti-alcohol measures apart from London Underground.

Transport for London banned passengers from drinking alco-

hol on public transport in 2008.

Before the ban, passengers could buy and consume alcohol on all of the UK’s national trains, unless operators decided to run ‘dry’ trains going to certain events such as football matches.

During the Christmas period the consumption of alcohol was banned on all five Merseyrail underground stations. Passengers were not permitted to consume alcohol from an open vessel from mid-November until Christmas Eve. If caught breaking this byelaw passengers were removed from the train service.

The number of alcohol related

incidents on Merseyrail trains was lower in 2013 than in previous years. In 2011, there were 92 alcohol-related accidents on the Merseyrail network. In 2012, this figure fell to 66, despite this Merseyrail have now extended this byelaw to permanently ban alcohol consumption or intoxication on their trains.

David Foster, safety and assurance director for Merseyrail, said: “It is very encouraging that such accidents are coming down, and while we urge everyone to use the Merseyrail network, we will not allow people into stations and trains if they are clearly

under the influence of alcohol.”

Merseyrail has also taken further safety measures through their ‘Travel Safe’ policy which was developed in 2011. The policy encourages staff to assist people who have trouble standing unaided and look out for displays of disorderly, indecent, offensive or aggressive behaviour, not just those who are under the influence of alcohol.

Kaj Mook, director of Merseyrail customer service, said: “Since the start of the Travel Safe campaign and people being refused access to the network because they are un

fit to travel, there has been a significant drop in the number of alcohol-related passenger accidents and staff assaults.”

Station and train staff are instructed to help passengers in danger and offer practical and emotional support.

Liverpool to lose £8bn if high-speed rail plans go ahead

by Lewis Bell

The high-speed trains at St. Pancras station. Pic © Flickr/Department for Transport

Liverpool stands to lose £8 billion from the city’s economy over the next 20 years if the current HS2 proposals go ahead, according to the group leaders of the 20 Miles More Campaign.

The campaign was established by a group of prominent business leaders, policy makers and academics to endorse a proposal to add a rail link from Liverpool directly to the HS2 network east of Warrington.

Phillip Blond, director of think-tank ResPublica and one of the leaders of the 20 Miles More campaign said: "The campaign came about when a group of us looked at the current HS2 proposals and those of us that love Liverpool were appalled and aghast.

“We believe the current plans would strangle Liverpool's renaissance and cut the new SuperPort off from

the rest of the country.”

The campaign has published an open letter signed by renowned individuals from around Merseyside including Home Bargains founder Tom Morris; Mersey Maritime Group Chief executive Jim Teasdale; the Earl of Derby, President of Liverpool, Knowsley and Sefton Chambers of commerce, and Guy Wallis, co-founder of DWF and founder of the Liverpool Supporters believe that the city needs a more broadly-based campaign to ensure that it is not by-passed by HS2 and does not give the impression to investors that Liverpool is not important.

The letter establishes a compelling business and economic case for the additional 20 miles of track that would link Liverpool directly to the HS2 network East of Warrington. A Liverpool HS2 branch would cost as little as an additional £1.5bn to the £42bn overall cost of HS2 .

Life|News|4

Why mummy’s boys have whale of a time

by Damian Leonard

An LJMU scientist has discovered that male whales are a bigger drain on their mother’s resources than their sisters.

Dr Hazel Nichols from the

LJMU School of Natural Sciences and Psychology led the investigation, studying genetic and behavioural data from a previous study of 3000 pilot whales.

She found that male calves grow much faster than female calves

in early life, suggesting that they need greater investment from their mother in her milk Dr Nichols said: “I conducted this study because I’m fascinated by how and why animals differ in the way in which they care

for their offspring. Every mother has to ‘decide’ how much energy to invest in an existing son or daughter versus how much energy to keep in reserve for future offspring.

“As whales are difficult to

© Flickr; Paul Gorbould

How city is building a healthy new future

by Nathan Pearce

Building work on the new £429m Royal Liverpool University Hospital began earlier this week, renewing hopes that the city’s much publicised poor health can be turned around.

The start of the work comes the same week as the World Health Organisation published research that suggested cancer cases could rise by 70% in the next 20 years.

Liverpool was already named as one of the places where cancer survival rates were amongst the lowest.

The World Health Organisation stressed the importance of tackling lifestyle causes of cancer, such as alcohol consumption and diet, in a report published on World Cancer Day. Amanda McLean, World Cancer Research Fund’s General Manager, said: “On World Cancer Day 2014 it’s very alarming to see that such a large number of people don’t know that there’s a lot they can do to significantly reduce their risk of getting cancer.”

Globally, cases of cancer have increased from 12.7m in 2008 to 14.1m in 2012, when there were 8.2m deaths, it is predicted that the figures will increase to 25m

by 2032.

Ms McLean said: “In the UK, about a third of the most common cancers could be prevented through being a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet and being regularly physically active.

These results show that many people still seem to mistakenly accept their chances of getting cancer as a throw of the dice.

But by making lifestyle changes today, we can help prevent cancer tomorrow.”

The new Royal Liverpool University Hospital will feature 18 theatres, 23 wards and 646 individual bedrooms, the hospital also aims to work closer with the city’s other healthcare bodies, such as the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre.

The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre plans to build its own hospital next to the new Royal to ensure patients have access to all forms of treatment on one site.

The new Royal University Hospital is set to open in 2017, with demolition work on the existing hospital taking place once it’s opened.

World Cancer Day is now in its 14th year and aims to raise awareness of ways to prevent the disease at the earliest possible time. It also plays an integral part in the development of new treatments.

study, people know very little about how they care for offspring, so they were an excellent species to choose for my investigation.”

The work was in partnership with Professor Bill Amos from the University of Cambridge, and the results have been published in the journal, Animal Behaviour.

Previous research by Professor Amos showed that pilot whales live in large groups of up to several hundreds, known as pods. They show strong social ties and individuals rarely seem to leave their groups, often staying in the same group for their entire lives. It also showed that they have extended periods of maternal care, similar to humans, which is where Dr Nichols work stems from.

The results also build on work by scientists at the University of Exeter on killer whales, which found that sons in this species are highly dependent on their mothers, even into their later life. These ‘mummy’s boys’ find it difficult to survive without their mothers, being more than eight times more likely to die in the year following their mother’s death.

As part of the investigation, Dr Nichols’ study found that female pilot whales are unable to “choose” whether to produce sons or daughters, as there’s evidence that some species can.

The curtain rises The Everyman Theatre, Hope Street, Liverpool

A BITTER END TO CHEAP BOOZE

by Gemma Brezinski The cheapest alcohol in England and Wales will this year be banned from sale, the Home Office has announced.

The ban, which will come into force on 6 April, aims to stop the worst instances of deep discounting, which in the past has resulted in cans of lager being sold cheaper than water in some supermarkets.

An official assessment says that the ban on sales of alcohol at below cost, defined as duty plus VAT, will mean an ordinary 440ml can of beer or lager cannot be sold below 50p.

The new ‘floor price’ for a bottle of wine will be £2.24 and a bottle of vodka or other spirits will cost a minimum of £10.16.

Health campaigners have

“Liverpool came top for the number of alcohol-related conditions treated in hospital.” accused ministers of buckling under pressure from the drinks industry last July, when they rejected a minimum unit price for alcohol and a ban on multi-buy promotions.

The news comes at a time when alcohol-related illness and injury rates are at their highest in Lancashire and Merseyside, according to recent figures from a governing health body. The report revealed that Liverpool came top for the number of alcohol-related conditions treated in hospital.

The Alcohol Health Alliance, which includes the medical royal colleges, said the impact of the alternative ban on selling at below duty plus VAT would be negligible.

© Flickr

Picture: Nadine Higham

by Damian Leonard

Liverpool’s Everyman Theatre will officially reopen next month, after a closure of over two years. London-based company Haworth Tompkins has been redeveloping the Hope Street theatre since 2011 and it’s now set to open its doors over the weekend of the 1st March, showcasing a 400-seat playhouse following a £27milion facelift. Executive Director Deborah Aydon said: “After 10 years planning and two years construction, we are thrilled to

be able to announce the Everyman’s reawakening.

We have a very busy few months ahead, getting ready for that extraordinary moment when the people of Liverpool can take possession of their beautiful new theatre.” The opening night will be branded as the people’s celebration and will have a parade in collaboration with the Liverpool Lantern Company and Walk the Plan. A housewarming will be thrown on March 2nd to welcome people to see the new build. Artistic Director Gemma

Bodinetz said: “The Everyman has historically been a theatre that has represented the renegade and generous spirit of this city.

It has held its arms wide open for the broadest section of humanity. It has always been fearless. It has always had a twinkle in its eye.” Shows will officially start from March 8th, with Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, starring Matthew Kelly and Nick Woodeson, who both started their careers at the Everyman in the 1970s.

The Home Office’s impact assessment, published on Tuesday, acknowledges that the move is only likely to hit 1.3% of all alcohol sales, mainly in supermarkets, but says that this will amount to sales of 220 litres per year.

Ministers insist that below-cost selling is a real issue, with six out of seven major supermarkets selling alcohol at up to 12% below cost, a 2008 Competition Commission study revealed.

They also point to growing evidence of ‘pre-loading’ with two-thirds of young people who were arrested for alcohol-related crime and disorder in one English city admitting to have ‘tanked up’ with cheap supermarket booze before going out.

Life|News|5

TALKS ON SPEKE SCHOOL CLOSURE

Reaching out to street drinkers The project aims to tackle alcohol abuse in Liverpool

by Gemma Brezinski

Drinkers on the streets of Liverpool have been offered help to turn their lives around.

Outreach workers contacted more than 180 people in the City Centre and Kensington offering advice and support about how to reduce their drinking levels.

The project aimed to identify street drinkers and their needs, while building working relationships and trust, it encouraged street drinkers to think about changing their lives and make them aware of the solutions and options available.

Outreach workers provided advice on safer drinking and, where needed, helped in accessing medical treatment through walk-in centres or a GP. David, a 46-year-old man with a long history of rough sleeping and street drinking,

©Flickr

CONTACT INFORMATION

Liverpool Homeless Football 07595 503 694 Action on Addiction 0300 330 0659 Missionaries of Charity 0151 7090628 Homeless people in Liverpool ©Twitter @lpoolcouncil has changed his life around with the help of Outreach workers.

During the course of the project David was seen by the ‘Out of Hours’ street drinker team on 67 occasions, each time building a relationship with the staff, who managed to get him into accommodation and encouraged him to stay at a residential, rehabilitation centre where David has remained alcohol free since December 16.

A spokesperson for Transforming Choice said: “David is a joy to work with and will join our peer mentor programme to help others in a similar situation.”

David’s success story is sure to boost more people who are sleeping rough and street drinking to turn their lives around.

The value of this project can be seen in the effect it has had on the lives of people like David,

Councillor Peter Brennan, Mayoral Lead on Community Safety and Citysafe Board Chair, said.

“Many other people have been supported in reducing the levels of their drinking” he added.

Councillor Roz Gladden, Deputy Mayor and cabinet member for Adult Social Care, said: “This project shows what can be achieved when agencies work together along with the work carried out by organisations like

Transforming Choice- they are making a real difference to the lives of very many people.”

The results of the project are now being evaluated to consider the best way forward in engaging with and supporting street drinkers to change their lives for the better.

Please contact the above charities for help and support and any infromation on how to support someone in need.

Consultation is starting on the proposed closure of Parklands High School in Liverpool.

It follows an unsuccessful drive to reverse a slide in pupil numbers, which have been declining steadily for the last few years. There are only 269 pupils at the 916-place school, meaning 7 out of 10 desks are empty.

Only 34 children have applied for places at the Speke school in September 2014 – a fall of more than half compared to 2008, when the intake was 84.

Exam results at the school have also been significantly lower – with just 32pc of pupils getting five good GCSEs including English and maths, compared to 58pc across the rest of the city.

Councillor Jane Corbett, Cabinet member for education, said: “It is with great sadness and regret that we are starting a consultation over the closure of Parklands High School.

“We have exhausted every single option in trying to make the school sustainable over the last few years, including Academy status.”

Ofsted reccently praised the school as a good school providing a good quality of education to its pupils.

The latest statistics on pupils attainment, average grades, the quality of the teaching and when the school was last inspected is available online and is updated regularly.

POLLY PALLET

North West Motorway Police suffered an unfortunate blunder this morning after tweeting that they were on their way to a ‘broken parrot’ on the M57.

The tweet, which was quickly corrected to a broken ‘pallet’, was quickly cleared on the northbound carriageway near junction 2 at Prescot.

Record sales thanks to eBay A huge collection of 15,000 records have been sold on eBay for £6,000 from the now-defunct Bold Street record shop, The Vinyl Emporium.The shop, which was rebranded as Hairy

Read Liverpool will have over 6,000 books availble to download for free

©Twitter @impactmodels

Thousands of free eBooks for city

by Gemma Brezinski In response to the growing demand for digital books, Read Liverpool has expanded the city’s eBook collection at the central library by more than 6,000 books, which are available to download for free.

The city council is investing more than £370k in re-launching the facility, with titles being added to the collection every week.

The present 60,000 library members will benefit from the upgraded service, with more than 3,000 members already using the existing e-library.

Liverpool council’s assistant mayor and cabinet member responsible for libraries, Councillor Wendy Simon, said: “Liverpool city council was one of the first local authorities in the UK to introduce an e-library service in 2009 and since that time we’ve seen the popularity of e-books increase year on year.

Reading habits have changed dramatically, and people want to be able to access books quickly and easily, 24 hours a day.

“It makes sense for us to invest in this service and respond to the demand that is out there.

“The ability to give everyone their own mobile library is a high priority. 2014 marks Liverpool’s Year of Reading and we

want to do everything we can to encourage families across the city to regularly get into the literary habit.”

The library team is encouraging everyone in the city to become a library member so that they can make the most of the e-books that are on offe, as the collection includes a shelf-load of e-magazines.

There is also a range of audiobooks, reference books and it even has a dedicated children and teens area, as well as a newspaper archive.

Compatible devices for the digital material include iPads, iPhones, the KindleFire range, PCs, Macs, Android phones, Android tablets and other e-readers

©Twitter @ReadLiverpool such as Kobo, Nook and Sony.

Eight books can be downloaded at any one time and will expire after 21 days.

To access the city council’s e-library and to find out more, visit www.readliverpool.co.ukor to become a library member, visit http://liverpool.gov.uk/libraries/find-a-library/central-library/

Records last year, was once one of the oldest record shops in the country. Last year the shop faced finanical difficulties but thanks to their reccent sale are doing well.

Life|Features|6

Happy

Birthday,

Recent 2013 Reports that Facebook offered to buy Snapchat for $3 billion but was spurned.

Facebook begins letting people edit their posts and comments after publishing.

Facebook launches a new timeline.

Major changes to News Feed abandoned after negative feedback from users.

2012 Facebook reaches 1 billion active users.

Facebook goes public, with the company valued $104 billion, the largest valuation to date for a newly listed public company.

Facebook acquires Instagram for $1 billion.

Facebook starts showing advertisements in the news feed. The advertisements are generally for pages that one’s Facebook friends have engaged with.

2011

By Lisa Jones Ten years ago it didn’t exist, but now Facebook has 33 million users in the UK alone.

Thanks to Facebook, you would now recognise basically anyone from your high school if you passed them in the street, stalking is an acceptable social activity and big nights out have a new stage to brag from.

Despite the obvious perks, like holiday slideshows being a thing of the past and like your employers or parents being able to access most areas of your life, Facebook has lost 11 million young people since 2011 and there are doubts over whether the social networking site can survive the next decade.

Bebo and Myspace used to be at the forefront of our online networking needs, allowing users to add friends; post statuses’ and upload photos, however these sites were aimed at young people and they were

almost unheard of among older society. In 2004 Mark Zuckerberg released thefacebook.com.

This began the rapid decline of sites like Bebo and Myspace, as Facebook attracted all age ranges as it advertised as a way of connecting with old friends, and keeping up to date with new ones.

Lauren Cordelle, 21, from Liverpool, deleted Facebook at the start of her University course three years ago following a girl’s holiday, she said: “Facebook causes too many arguments; people make indirect statuses aimed at certain people and I think it is pathetic. I use Twitter and Instagram now; I check Twitter a lot but upload more to Instagram.”

However, Tom Green, 20, from Manchester, said: “I used to use Myspace every day after school. When I first got Facebook I couldn’t understand it, it was too complicated, but then they redesigned it so it was simpler. I stopped using

Myspace at the end of school five years ago. I think people will always use Facebook even though Twitter is becoming more popular”.

Despite Facebook’s huge success, it has not come without its hiccups on the way. In 2013 Facebook paid $20 million in a law suit relating to users images being used in advertising content. The company has also faced trouble from anti-bullying charities regarding the regulation of content on the site.

Many users have complained about offensive comments being left for too long on the site before action is taken.

But nothing lasts forever and in recent years we have seen the speedy rise of competing social networking site Twitter.

At first it went hand in hand with Facebook, it meant people had a place to keep up to date with friends and upload photo albums, and another place to follow the activities of celebrities and keep up with

local and national news. This was then accompanied by Instagram, a sort of twitter for pictures, which again added a new dimension to connecting with friends. Then you throw Snapchat into the mix and you wonder if anyone has time for real conversations anymore.

The ease of sending a tweet became the accessible update we were waiting for in the fast pace lifestyle we live in today.

Twitter meant users could promote businesses, follow the famous, and receive instant news updates and all at the same time as keeping up with friends.

At this time Facebook is more a collection of memories from over the past ten years; a safe place for photo albums and a bank of old school friends that you can’t bring yourself to delete. The future for Facebook wouldn’t be described as bright, but it is still an internet milestone that has paved the way to ‘poking’ someone being a thing.

Is Facebook losing its likes?

By Cillian McGinn and Niall Dudley

Are you sick of Facebook?

According to a Princeton paper published, it could come to an end in the not-so-distant future.

The paper, compared Facebook to an infectious disease, and through a mathematical algorithm they predicted that Facebook could lose four-fifths of its peak user base between 2015 and 2017.

The publishing of the paper, titled ‘Epidemiological modelling of online social network dynamics’, was even noted on the stock market as share prices took a hit.

It’s a big claim to make, but given what happened to such websites like MySpace and Bebo, could this prediction be on to something? Will the rise of other social media sites bring Facebook’s tyranny to an end?

Facebook has admitted that it has lost 11 million young users since 2011 but that’s just a pebble in the ocean when people consider that

they have had over one billion users. Facebook users could grow even more now that China has lifted a ban on the social network site within the Shanghai Free Trade Zone.

However, social media site Twitter has grown enormously over the last few years and is valued at around $35 billion, whereas Facebook is still valued at $110 billion. With that, Facebook is still investing money in how to stay fresh and update in a hope to avoid becoming stale.

In 2012 Facebook bought photography based social media site Intsagram for $1 billion and more recently tried to purchase upcoming social media mobile app Snapchat for $3 billion but their approach was rejected.

Could we actually be seeing the end of Facebook or could this just be a small blip before they unveil their next best thing? Only time will tell.

Facebook has also been a hot topic with academics over its 10 years. Here are some of the more unusual studies into the

social media site: Does this Profile Picture Make Me Look Fat?-(The Pennsylvania State University)This research looked at the link between college students number of Facebook friends, amount of time spent on Facebook, their emotional investment in Facebook and the way this linked with their body image. The results found that people who had more Facebook friends and put more emotional investment into their profile had a more positive evaluation of their appearance.

Facebook Use and Adolescents’ Emotional States of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress-(College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Samar State University, Philippines)- The college looked at the effects of Facebook usage on adolescents’ emotional states of depression, anxiety and stress. After speaking to over 70 Filipino students the study found that there is no substantial link between emotional states and Facebook usage.

“Are We Facebook Official?” Implications of

Dating Partners Facebook Use-(Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Wisconsin and St Vincent Hospital, Green Bay, Wisconsin)- This study looked at the correlation between Facebook use and portrayals of users relationships on their profile. Results revealed that male and female partners were highly likely to report their relationship on Facebook and were likely to feature their partner in their profile picture.

Addictive Behaviour In Relation To The Happy Farm Facebook Application- (China University of Technology) The university investigated the influence of materialism on online game addiction in particular the Facebook game “Happy Farm”. It found that those who are more materialistic are more likely to be addicted to the online Facebook game. Also that people with less interpersonal skills would have more of a chance of getting addicted to the game.

Facebook login page changes due to Facebook Timeline addition.

Facebook adds new "civil union" option for gay partnerships.

2010 The Social Network, a film about the beginnings of Facebook, is released. Mark Zuckerberg says that the film is a largely inaccurate account of what happened.

Facebook employees sell shares of the company with a valuation of $11.5 billion. Facebook also announces the start of the Like button being available for comments.

2009 2008 2007 Facebook announces Facebook Platform for developers to build applications on top of Facebook's social graph.

2006 Facebook is open to everyone aged 13 and over, and with a valid email address Facebook launches a high school version of the website Facebook launches News Feed.

2005 Facebook introduces the ability to tag friends in photos and add high school networks.

2004 Facebook achieves its one millionth registered user Facebook receives its first investment of $500,000 Born

Life |Arts |7

Liverpool

Life

Wife allows Ray to dance with danger S

elf-confessed ‘adrenaline junkie’ and Dancing on Ice star Ray Quinn has admitted he has to get his wife’s approval before doing any dangerous stunts.

The former Brookside actor, who is favourite to win the ITV skating show, said he can’t wait to push himself to try some more daring moves.

He said: “I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie at heart, I like riding fast bikes and fast cars.

When

Image: © @therealRayQuinn

it

By the time former Tory MP Edwina Currie and anti-poverty campaigner Jack Monroe fought hard to shout louder than the other while arguing about food banks, The Big Benefits Row had already lost all credibility.

Said credibility was gone as soon as the cameras focussed on professional attention-seeker Katie Hopkins, whose mission to provoke outrage before a national audience continued throughout.

Nathan Pearce talks to Dancing On Ice star Ray Quinn comes to skating I like the danger and the uncertainty of it all, so I have to try the hard and nerve-wracking moves.

“I do have to get my wife’s permission to get a bike or to get a tattoo. I’m terrible, I’m like a naughty school boy, but she’s excited for me to have such a great opportunity.”

The former champion will be combining his dance skills, with some dangerous jumps and lifts to wow the judges tonight.

The 25-year-old said: “This week is a really fun dance number, and I’m so excited to go out there and actually dance because last week I was focussing more on the skating and the lifts.

“It wasn’t the best I could possibly do, so this week with dancing up my sleeve it’s really exciting and I’m just hoping it doesn’t let me down, because I’ve been dancing since I was three. I just want to get over the nerves, get out there and bend my knees.”

Ray and his wife, West End star Emma Stephens, sometimes struggle to juggle family life and their busy work schedules, but Ray insists he always puts his wife and son, Harry first.

He said: “I tried to get an extra hour on the rink on my day off but being a family man and being in the middle of all sorts at home; we’re in the middle of moving house and Harry’s up throughout the night, I couldn’t.

“Emma’s amazing and really The Channel 4 program was supposed to be a measured debate about the UK’s benefits system where ‘expert’ panellists and a studio audience aired their views. What actually occurred was more like a vaudevillian freak show.

What it lacked in professionalism, however, it more than made up for in terms of entertainment.

All rational, considered opinion was marginalised in order to give a platform to the extreme and almost farcical opinions of Hopkins and others.

White Dee, who was featured on Channel 4’s controversial Benefits Street program, was eventually marched out, as though the producers of the show considered her a microcosm of every intricacy and nuance involving the issue of

supportive, she’s buzzing about me doing the show and I’ve got all my family down each week.”

Ray was crowned Dancing On Ice champion in 2009, with partner Maria Filippov, and they were reunited on the rink again for this year’s Champion of Champions series.

The duo are joined by other memorable contestants from previous series, including last year’s winner and Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle, actor Sam Attwater and hapless viewer favourite Todd Carty.

Ray sees everyone on the show, including himself, as competition.

He said: “My worst competition is myself, because I always push myself and if I don’t get something right, it just plays on my mind for days and I end up getting so frustrated with myself.

“Everybody’s just so good and that’s what this series is about, bringing the best back, so to be a part of this history is a real privilege and I’m hanging in there just as much as everyone else is.”

Since coming runner-up in the 2006 series of X Factor, Ray has gone on to forge a successful theatre career, performing in West End productions of Grease and Dirty Dancing.

The Childwall-born star also returned to his hometown this Christmas to perform at the Liverpool Empire’s pantomime, Peter Pan. Ray has no immediate plans for the future, but is keen to join the Dancing on Ice Champion of Champions Tour and although nothing has been confirmed, he eagerly tells fans to ‘watch this space’. the benefits system.

To her credit, she did at least come across as possessing more wit and dignity than most of the people she was sharing a platform with.

It took little doing, however. One of the few panellists willing to discuss the topic at hand was Reverend Steve Chalke, and he eventually derided the show as becoming “cheap television”.

Cheap, but attention-grabbing. Hollow, but sensational.

Ironically, The Big Benefits Row was must-see television that deserves to be forgotten.

It quickly became apparent that the only conclusion the show would make is that debate shows like The Big Benefits Row never make a successful conclusion.

by Paul McIntyre

Critics’ Choice Theatre

Arts

Ghost The Musical starts at Liverpool’s Empire Theatre next Tuesday, giving the public the opportunity to re-live the amazing fantasy about the power of love.

Sam and Molly are a couple living together in Manhattan and whilst on their way back from a night out, Sam is murdered.

Sam is then trapped as a ghost between the living and the dead and learns that his girlfriend Molly is in grave danger, so enlists the help of a phony storefront psychic, Oda Mae Brown. The story follows Sam as he tries to communicate with Molly in the hope of saving and protecting her.

The show runs from 11th – 22nd February 2014, Monday - Saturday 7.30pm Wednesday & Saturday 2.30pm Ticket prices: £10 - £35 Tickets available from 0844 871 3017 or online at www.atgtickets.com/shows/ghost-the-musical-tickets/ For further information on Ghost The Musical go to:www. ghostthemusical.com/

Young people in Liverpool will exhibit their work at the Tate Gallery which will explore issues relating to their lives and communities within the city.

Welcome to My World is an exhibition of work by young people from three different areas in Liverpool. The students will work in collaboration with an artist, a film maker and photographer Joann Kushnerr.

Young people from Walton, Toxteth and Norris Green will introduce the audience to their lives and will examine issues that are important to them, to allow them to think critically about their own world and how they can have an impact on the way that develops.

Tate Liverpool’s atistic director Francesco Manacorda, said: “The work Tate Liverpool’s learning team are doing along with Joann, gives us an opportunity to create relationships with young people in Liverpool’s communities.

For us this is a key occasion to learn together with the groups through art and Welcome to My World is an example of how we value our young people as active contributors and collaborators to the gallery.”

Photographer Joann Kushner has been working with around 20 teens across the three areas, along with 60 students at Liverpool Community College, and hopes the initiative could also help effect real change for its participants.

The idea for Welcome to My World came out of the work done on two previous projects in Liverpool: Portrait of a Nation, when young people had particular concerns about ASBOs and the police’s stop and search policy, and Postcode.

Welcome to My World is part of Circuit, a national programme connecting 15–25 year-olds to the arts in galleries and museums, led by Tate and funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and runs from 1 – 28 February.

Cinema

This week, Lego makes a comeback, with The Lego Movie.

“An ordinary LEGO minifigure, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder, is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil LEGO tyrant from gluing the universe together.”

The film which takes art and commerce and clicks them together, has characters voiced by Will Ferrell and Liam Neeson, and is a funny family adventure.

The film is in cinemas on Friday 7th February.

Life|Fashion|8

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON SHOPPING Anna Wright, 29, Litherland, goes shopping every six weeks.

Margaret Holden, 38, West Derby, goes shopping up to three times a week.

Shopping list...

Socks Jeans Vest

You were served by Jess Watters and Alisha Daya.

Y “Today I have bought holiday clothes to get me in the summer mood. I feel happier once I have been shopping and bought something new, it is like an escape from the real world. I do

more online shopping because it easier but I prefer going out to the shops as it makes me feel happier. I think about it more online and overthink how much I spend.”

Victoria Macnamee, 23, Ireland, goes shopping ‘too much’.

ou could call it a hobby; you could say that it’s something to do out of boredom, or you could use it as treat.

However, a study has found that shopping has been proven to make you feel happy, bringing retail therapy to whole new meaning.

Treating yourself at shops and indulging in big spends apparently has ‘a lasting positive impact on mood’ and leaves ‘few if any negative emotional side-effects’ – good news to Britain’s retailers.

The research, which was published in the Journal of Psychology and Marketing in the U.S, showed that a total of 62 per cent said they had bought something to cheer themselves up, while 28 per cent said they had indulged as a form of celebration.

Researchers carried out hundreds of interviews at shopping centres as well as asking shoppers to keep diaries of their shopping

behaviour, moods and buys they regretted. Those who said they were in a bad mood on the way to doing some shopping have said that they were more likely to indulge in an impulse buy.

Selin Atalay and Margaret Meloy, the authors of the study, Retail Therapy: A strategic effort to improve mood, said retailers could learn from the findings.

They said: “What is suggested is that perhaps practitioners have it ‘right’ when they appeal to consumers with slogans that encourage them to buy themselves splurges.

There seem to be positive consequences to buying oneself a small treat: one does feel better.”

The study did sound a cautionary note, saying that findings should be interpreted with care as the survey is ‘self-selecting’, because participants in a good mood were more likely to respond.

“Today I have bought a blazer and some sportswear to encourage me to go to the gym. I love shopping it makes me so happy especially now the spring and summer stuff is

coming in because it makes me look forward to summer. I never do online shopping, I enjoy coming into town and having all the bags to carry.”

Jasmine Joynson, 18, Stoke, goes shopping once a week.

Pics by Nadine Higham

“Today I have bought a hoodie and t-shirt from Jack Wills. I shop a lot because it makes me feel a lot happier and gives me the feel good factor. I prefer to go out

shopping than online because you can get it there and then and make sure you have the right size.”

“Today I have bought a present for my sister. It cheers me up buying things for myself but it also makes me happy buying for others. I always feel guilty later

on though when I realise what I have spent. I don’t really shop online, I prefer to buy it there and then.”

Life|Health|9

Boobs, bums, tums and tats...

... how we fell in love with the ideal body ©Flickr VishalKapoorMD

As the numbers of people opting for plastic surgery in the UK reaches an all time high, Jessica Watters uncovers what is prompting the nation to go under the knife.

T

he UK is b e c om i n g a country obsessed with how we look.

Boobs, bums and tums are the talk of the country and it’s not just women going under the needle.

There has been a rise in cosmetic surgery in the UK with the number of nose jobs, face lifts and breast implant operations all increased by more than 10% last year.

In 2013 there were 50,122 cosmetic procedures; 17% more than the previous year.

Some people are simply not comfortable in their own skin anymore and turn to cosmetic surgery for a confidence boost and in some cases to look like a celebrity or idol.

21-year-old Ashleigh Turner from Wigan, however, does

‘I love people looking at me from every angle’

not believe it is all about being materialistic. She has had issues with self-confidence for a number of years and following her double nose and breast surgery at the end of 2013, her life has dramatically improved.

She said: “I was so selfconscious to the extent that I would never let my partner see me topless, and I would feel very

anxious about pictures taken by others as I hated the way my nose looked from any angle.

Now I love people looking at me from every angle and I feel as though I can flaunt around close friends and loved ones with tons of confidence.”

Ashleigh believes it was worth every penny of the £6668 she saved up and paid for her surgery, and has never felt happier. new part of cosmetic surgery has come to light recently, laser tattoo removal. Although it was first used by just celebrities, it is now massively on the rise. At each session, the laser penetrates the skin and hunts out color pigment, which is then broken into smaller particles that are absorbed into the bloodstream.

Epilight New Skin Clinics who specialise in laser tattoo removal in Liverpool said, “We have seen a big rise recently in

A

Ashleigh Turner, 21, feels more confident since having surgery on her nose and breasts.

people having tattoos removed and a lot more people are coming for consultations. The most popular type of tattoo that people get removed is names of a partner they later split up from and regret.”

The use of lasers for cosmetic purposes was de-regulated in England by the government in 2010, which means anyone can use them. The British Medical Laser Association (BMLA) and the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (Baaps) are both calling for tighter regulation of the industry with new rules on who can buy and use lasers.

Recent statistics from the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) suggest a third of people with tattoos regret them. For those who cannot afford laser removal the other option is a cover up tattoo.

Julie Simpson, 22, Ireland had a cover up of what is known as a

tramp stamp on her lower back, “I got a tribal tattoo at the bottom of my back when I was only 14.

It was really badly done, wasn’t straight and faded quickly. It made me feel uncomfortable when I wore a bikini so I got a portrait over it.”

However the most popular reason for someone getting a cover up tattoo is to disguise an ex partner’s name or portrait.

Dr Feelgood tattoo parlour in Liverpool, said, “We get a lot of people coming in for cover up tattoos, often young people who have got a name of a portrait of a loved one and they have then split up.” ike it or not, cosmetic surgery is here to stay.

As long as people a benefit – be it in their work, personal or sex lives – from looking younger or correcting perceived flaws, cosmetic surgery will continue to be a solution.

L

Life|Sports|10

Scholarship scheme: Liverpool John Moores University’s Craig Langley in action

Work and play go hand in hand

by Lauren Cordelle

E

lite athletes are being given the opportunity to get a degree while maitaining their training thanks to a sports scholarship program at Liverpool John Moores University.

LJMU boast some of the best sporting facilities and academic support in the UK and is on a par with the programmes available in specialised sports universities as well as those abroad.

David McDermott, LJMU’s Sport Scholarship Manager, thinks the scheme supports athletes and has a positive impact on athletes’ performance and studies.

He said: “Our sports scholarship

scheme works on an individual basis, looking to attract and recruit sports scholarship students who are at the national or GB level in professional sports or sports that are funded through Sport England.

“In regards to the overall package we’re certainly one of the leading universities for sports scholarships.

And it’s also easier for us to be able to deliver on all those three fronts because of the support that we get from the top of the university.”

Gymnasts Beth Tweddle and Hannah Whelan are two examples of how LJMU has accommodated top athletes and the university continues to give scholarships to both current and up-and-coming elite sporting personalities.

The sports scholarship programme

provides students the opportunity to flourish in their sporting and academic ambitions, having a direct impact on their own personal performance, whilst providing the scholars with a complete support base.

LJMU is one of the UK’s leading Institutions in Sports Exercise Science and Research and continues to attract and develop the best sporting talent in the UK. trong and widespread links with professional sports organisations and sports agencies across the North West allow the university to have access to some of the regions finest facilities.

Past and present athletes from LJMU have been successful in winning medals in a number of

S

major international competitions, including the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and Women’s Premiere League.

David McDermott, went on to say: “We have worked with elite athletes in the past and that’s a great advertisement for us. The majority of the students finish university within three or four years, so what that illustrates is that we are able to work with elite athletes can gain high level of accreditation through the university in good time.

“That is a great illustration for us on the flexibility of working so athletes can balance sport and study to reach their full potential. Coaches are keen for their athletes to come here, because they know they get looked after.”

‘Whenever I’ve done well academically, I’ve done well in swimming’

O

ne of the LJMU sports scholars is swimmer Craig Langley, who has won a number of medals in major international competitions.

Having competed at National level since the age of 11, Langley, has been part of the England Level 3 Junior squad and last year he swam at the Olympic Trials.

After being awarded a scholarship for swimming and he is studying Mechanical and Marine Engineering and described the scholarship scheme as one of the best in the country.

He said: “The strength and conditioning coaches and the facilities available are top notch.

“The scholarship has helped me managed my time effectively and given me a professional approach to everyday life.”

Langley also suggested that athletes benefit from progressing on an academic level as well as in their sporting expertise.

Reflecting on his personal experience he explained how slightly low GCSE results may have led to a dip in his sporting performance.

Langley went on to say: “I started nailing my academic side of things after my GCSE’s and I got into the top 4 in the country with my swimming.

“It’s like your whole life runs a certain way; if you stay focussed on a sport, your academics stay focussed as well.”

Russia ready for first its Winter Olympics in Sochi

by Lucy Bannister

I

t’s three days to go until the 22nd Winter Olympic Games begin and the torch will make its way to Sochi in Russia- the first Russian city to host the games since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

While hosting the Games was originally estimated to cost Russia £7.3bn, overspending led to the budget reaching over £30bn.

It has now surpassed the cost of Beijing’s Summer Olympic Games in 2008, which had an estimated price tag of £27bn, making the Sochi Olympic Games

the most expensive in Olympic history.

There will be 98 events with 15 disciplines in seven sports and 2,500 athletes from 88 nations competing in the Games.

With 62 of them representing Great Britain, it is the largest team Britain has sent to the Games since its creation in 1924.

UK Sport, who funds the Great Britain team, has set the target at three medals, although they’ve said they might even have the potential to win seven.

Britain’s main medal hopes lie with reigning Skeleton world champion Shelley Rudman, who was Britain’s only medal winner in the 2006 Games.

But the build-up to the Games has not

been without controversy. There have been some calls for a boycott due to Russian laws regarding homosexuality, with fears that gay athletes will suffer prosecution.

There have also been accusations of corruption due to the massive overspending and concerns about the risk of terrorism.

However, President Vladimir Putin has responded saying these Olympic Games will be “the safest Olympics in history”.

Coverage begins on Friday 7 February on BBC 2 at 3:30pm with the Opening Ceremony taking place at the Fisht Olympic Stadium.

Winter Olympics: The road to Russia

Life|Sports|11

THREE EVENTS TO WATCH DAVIS CUP

Andy Murray and his Great Britain team mates have done their country proud by beating USA in the first round of the Davis cup in San Diego. The GB team are now through to the quarter finals, for the first time since 1986.

Murray’s four set victory gave Great Britain a decisive 3-1 lead and rendered the last match redundant.

Great Britain will face Italy in the next round of the tournament after Italy beat Argentina in Mar del Plata in the first round. The Italians have beaten Great Britain in 10 of the last 11 meetings but they have not faced each other since 1984.

The match will be played at the beginning of April in Italy.

SIX NATIONS With the Six Nations kicking off last weekend the big match to look out for this weekend is the clash between Ireland and Wales at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Both sides started the tournament with a win and will have the Grand Slam in their sights even at this early stage.

Wales captain Sam Warbuton will return for the clash after starting on the bench for his countries win against Italy. The last time the two sides met was last year in February at the Millennium stadium where Ireland beat their counterparts 22-30 and will be looking for a similar outcome this time.

England will also be looking to bounce back from their defeat in France when they face Scotland in the Calcutta Cup at Murrayfield. Winger Jonny May will be fit to return after breaking his nose last weekend.

Liverpool FC pays tribute to former top striker Tony

by Kirsty McColgan

Tributes are being paid to former Liverpool striker Tony Hateley.

Tony Hateley, who scored 26 goals in 56 appearances for Liverpool, including the celebrated hat-trick against Newcastle United, passed away on Saturday aged 72.

After four seasons at Aston Villa and Chelsea, Hateley was on the move again, this time to Anfield for £96,000 after Liverpool manager Bill Shankly thought Hateley was the man to add more to the Liverpool team.

Ivan Ponting’s suggestive Player By Player book recalled the occasion strikingly.

“When Tony Hateley opened his Liverpool scoring account with a rousing hat-trick against Newcastle on the second Saturday of 1967/68, Anfield was the place to be. The stadium was bulging with nearly 52,000 people, the air was heady with the scent of triumphs to come and the ‘H’ bombers – Roger Hunt also scored two in the 6-0 victory – had signalled their arrival as partners to be

feared with a show of ruthless efficiency.”

Anfield legend Ian St John was a close friend of Hateley and delivered a moving tribute to his old pal.

“Tony was a smashing big fella,” he said. “He was an infectious and bubbly character and was always happy and good to have around the dressing room.

His son Mark was also a successful striker and went on to be capped for England, while grandson Tom played for Tranmere and now plays in Poland.

Toffees win as Liverpool wobble at West Brom

by Jack Birch

Liverpool FC suffered a setback in their quest for Champions League qualification this season with a disappointing 1-1 draw away to West Bromwich Albion FC on Sunday.

Daniel Sturridge’s first half opener was cancelled out courtesy of an uncharacteristic blunder from Red’s defender Kolo Toure.

Liverpool took the lead in the 24th minute after a piece of individual inspiration by Luis Suarez who found his strike part-

ner with a left-footed chipped pass when it looked impossible to do so. Sturridge had an easy tap-in from a yard out to claim his 14th league goal in 16 games this season.

Liverpool’s Ivorian centre back Toure, handed the Baggies a 67th minute equaliser when he inexplicably played a square ball to West Brom forward Victor Anichebe 20 yards from goal. The former Everton player wilfully accepted the gift before dispatching the ball past the helpless Simon Mignolet.

Despite the result, the Reds

have held onto fourth spot but have allowed Everton to gain ground in the race for fourth, who are now just two points behind their rivals following their 2-1 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday.

Everton recovered from their Merseyside derby humiliation to Liverpool FC with a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa FC at Goodison Park on Saturday – but it took a second-half comeback to claim all three points.

Villa midfielder Fabian Delph dispossessed Ross Barkley in the centre circle, giving Bacuna

the chance to exchange passes with team-mate Christian Benteke before cooly slotting the ball through Tim Howard’s legs. The American will think he could have done better.

It looked for a while that the Blues were going to suffer consecutive league defeats for the first time this season but the hosts eventually found an equaliser through Steven Naismith – now playing in his preferred role as a centre forward.

Steven Pienaar picked up the ball on the left, just outside the box. The South African smartly

anticipated fellow substitute Naismith’s run in behind the Villa defence and found him with a delicate first-time pass. The Scot then swept a neat shot past keeper Brad Guzan.

With time running out, Everton earned a free-kick 25 yards from goal in the 85th minute.

Belgian winger Kevin Mirallas bravely took responsibility by pushing regular free-kick taker Leighton Baines aside. It proved to be a wise decision as he curled a stunning strike in to the top left hand corner past the despairing Guzan to give his side the lead.

Wigan vs Huddersfield kick off Super League

by Lucy Bannister

TRACK CYCLING

The 2014 UCI Track World Championships will take place from 26th of February to the 2nd of March in the Cali Velodrome, Santiago de Cali, Colombia.

The World Track Championships is an annual event comprising races from the various disciplines and distances in track cycling. The host city Cali, is recognised as the Sports Capital of Colombia, hosting a wide range of sporting events. UCI Travel will be releasing exclusive travel packages to the 2014 Track World Championships to get spectators close. The United Kingdom will be hosting the next Championships in London in 2016.

TODAY; Tony Hateley passed away © Twitter @LivEchonews

The new Super League season kicks off this week © Twitter @SuperLeague

The new Super League season is set to officially kick off this Friday with a clash between Wigan Warriors and Huddersfield Giants at the DW stadium.

Wigan were last season’s Grand Final champions and Challenge Cup winners, despite finishing fourth in the league.

They face Huddersfield Giants this Friday evening in the first match of the season. Huddersfield won the League Leaders Shield last season after finishing at the top of the table after 27 matches.

The match comes two weeks ahead of Wigan’s tough contest with the Sydney Roosters in the World Club Challenge. Melbourne Storm are the current World Champions after beating Leeds Rhinos 18-14 in last year’s final.

Wigan will be missing England international and prolific winger Josh Charnley, who slipped on his back on his first day of pre-season training, causing a hernia. But the Wigan star

is hoping to be fighting fit for the World Club Challenge.

This year the team are without legendary fullback Sam Tomkins. The England star signed for the New Zealand Warriors in 2013 and has now made the move to the National Rugby League, but whether the team will miss his presence remains to be seen. The Warriors have made some big signings including replacement fullback Matt Bowen. The Aussie has several times been the NRL’s leading try-scorer and holds the North Queensland record for most tries scored in a season.

Other signings include the highly-rated forward Eddy Pettybourne, signed from the NRL team Wests Tigers, as well as Tony Clubb and Dan Sarginson from the London Broncos.

Wigan will be playing in front of the Sky Sports cameras on Friday 7 February and kicks off at 8pm. Warrington Wolves will be playing their first match next week on Thursday 13 February against St Helens.

Liverpool

LifeSPORT 04 - February - 2014

Bright lights for Toffees’ tower

By Kirsty McColgan The iconic Prince Rupert’s tower which forms the centrepiece of Everton Football Club’s crest is about to be seen in a new light.

Blues boss Roberto Martinez will visit the famous landmark in Everton Park tonight, Tuesday and switch on a blue light that will illuminate the lock-up permanently.

The launch event, which will also be attended by the Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson and the Friends of Everton Park, is the culmination of a year-long project to light up the tower and showcase the unbreakable association between the Club and the community.

The 235-year-old lockup, known locally as Prince Rupert’s Tower, sits on a triangular piece of ground in Everton Park between Netherfield Road South and

Everton Brow.

The project came about after the club lit up the LockUp as part of its Christmas campaign to turn the city blue in 2012. It made such an impact on the local area, that the city council approached the club to help fund the light up initiative permanently.

Everton chairman Bill Kenwright said: “For me, the Everton tower has always had a special meaning.

When I first became an Evertonian, one of the first things I wanted to find out was its origin. I cannot tell you the number of times I have stood below the tower or next to it.

I get a lot of inspiration from that old tower because it is at the heart of our club badge “The tower is the perfect symbol for our club, reminding us of the village where we changed our name from St Domingo’s to Everton FC. The place is significant for both Merseyside clubs

because you can trace the birth of professional football in our city back to those historic early days.”

Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, said: “The lockup is an important landmark at Everton Park, with huge significance to the community, the football club and the city as a whole. This investment will literally build a brighter future for the famous tower. It will be a beacon of light for the whole community to enjoy.”

And in a further boost to the occasion, just an hour after the ceremony, a new play celebrating the history, myths and legends of the lock-up will launch at the nearby Hope University Capstone Theatre.

Tickets for the inaugural performance at Goodison Park on Friday 7 February (8pm) are only £10 and can be purchased from ticketquarter.co.uk.

INSIDE SPORT

Winter Olympics Preview Page 10 Prince Rupert’s Tower. Photo by: @erikaxx6 on Twitter

THE AMERICANS ARE COMING

By Kirsty McColgan

After more than 115 million people watched the American Superbowl on Sunday night, the question is now being asked whether it will become a new British favourite.

Last year the Superbowl was watched by more than 4million British people, which is almost twice as many as in 2007.

Wembley Stadium hosted two American Football matches for the first time this season.

In September the Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Minnesota Vikings and the San Francisco 49ers beat the Jacksonville Jaguars the following month.

The NFL has now announced that they will be hosting three more NFL games next season, which are already sold out.

Not only are people watching Gridiron, the numbers of people playing is also increasing rapidly. American football participation since 2007 has gone up by 15 percent with a number of leagues and clubs opening across the UK. The British Universities American Football League (BUAFL) had 42 teams before the Wembley game in 2007,

and that number has now risen to 75, there are also more than 4,100 players, coaches and officials throughout the UK. Liverpool John Moores University have their very on American Football team, known as LJMU Fury and wide-receiver on the team, Takunda Matsvimbo spoke to Liverpool Life:

“LJMU Fury Gridiron has been running for just over 5 years, and I have only been playing for just over a year.

There are 8 other teams in our league who we compete against weekly.”

He added: “Our team is currently aware of the fact they are trying to set up an official American Football

franchise in London to possibly compete with the American teams and we think this is a great idea, as we would like it to become more common not just in university, but also all over the UK. “Hopefully with enough luck and time, English players will become as good, if not better, than the Amer-

icans and we can make it a sport that is played in far more countries than just America.”

There have been a number of attempts before at trying to cash in on the popularity of American football in Europe as a whole. The World League of American Football was created in 1991, but later folded after two seasons.

Rugby Superleague Kicks Off Page 11

LJMU Giving Top Athletes Scholarships Page 10