Liverpool Life 3:3 Oct 14 2014 by Steve Harrison

14-October-2014

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S ISSUE... NEWS

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Honours for young film talent at ninth Clapperboards awards

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Catwalk style as Liverpool Fashion Week opens at Anfield stadium

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Liverpool Ladies retain their Women’s Super League title

STAND UP FOR US, SAY KURDS Hundreds demand help for Kobane in third protest of week

By KIERAN ETORIA-KING A third pro-Kurdish demonstration took place in Liverpool today, chanting support for the people of Kobane, who remain besieged by ISIS. Chanting ‘Free Free Kurdistan!’ and carrying dummy bodies wrapped in white sheets, the protesters marched through the city centre and along Lime Street before sitting down outside the Royal Court Theatre, where Robert Claridge, of Fight Terrorism Fight Imperialism, gave a rous-

ing speech. He told the crowd: “There are two peoples in the middle east struggling on behalf of humanity for a future free from imperialist terror. Those are the people of Palestine and the people of Kurdistan. The people of Kurdistan have been fighting for a free state for more than 90 years, and now we see the people of Kobane on the front for the future of a united Kurdistan” Referring to the jailed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) lead-

er Abdullah Ocalan, who has called on all Kurds to take up arms against ISIS, Claridge said: “The fact that it is impossible to express support for one of the organisations [the PKK] that is fighting for our free Kurdistan, or to demonstrate, or to show a flag of a political prisoner who is sponsored by Amnesty International and who is the acknowledged leader for that organisation, is a statement of the lack of democracy within this country.  Continued on page 3

PROTESTORS: Carrying sheets to represent dead bodies and marching for Kurdistan © Lydia Morris JMU Journalism

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Award honour for young ﬁlm talent

By DAN GOULDING

Television stars came out to celebrate young film makers’ efforts at the ninth Clapperboards awards at Liverpool’s Capstone’s theatre. Former Hollyoaks actress Jessica Forrest and ex Peep Show actor Neil Fitzmaurice co-hosted the ceremony, last Thursday, which saw young people from Manchester and Merseyside awarded for their short films.

The films examined a range of topics, from finance to hate crime and disability. Organiser and Director of Clapperboards UK, a charitable organisation, Maureen Sinclair, told Liverpool Life: “I’m really moved and emotional when everyone comes together, it really is amazing.” The judging panel this year consisted of producer Nicola Shindler, actor Josh Bolt, writer Frank Cottrell Boyce and ex

Clapperboard volunteer Amy Campbell, who now works as a BBC researcher. Co-host Neil Fitzmaurice expressed his delight at presenting the event. He told Liverpool Life: “It has been really good and inspiring. There’s been a bit of everything for everyone, nostalgia and history. All in all, it’s been very good.” Clapperboard UK relies heavily on sponsors and donations. Presenters of the awards in-

cluded Royle Family actor Ricky Tomlinson, Shameless star Tina Malone and journalists Jade Wright and Amy Campbell. Producer and Director of National Film and Television school, Nik Powell, spoke about how important he finds celebrations like the Clapperboard youth projects. He told Liverpool Life: “The whole point of making a film is for people to see the film, not just on iPads and iPods but live,

in front of an audience. It gives people confidence.” Christie Mac from St. Chad’s High School , was Awarded with the Echo best achiever award for her piece by Jade Wright, alongside Amy Campbell and Neil Fitzmaurice. Maureen Sinclair added: “Events like these are very important, how else would they showcase their work to a diverse audience of the filming industry?”

REWARDED: Christie Mac is presented with the Echo Best Achiever Award by Jade Wright (far right), Amy Campbell and Neil Fitzmaurice. ©

MPs battle for more power in the region By HANNAH ANDERSON

Merseyside MPs are calling for more powers and a directly elected city region Mayor, following comments made by Wirral councillor leader, Phil Davies. MP Louise Ellman told Liverpool Life: “The current debate on devolution opens up major opportunities for Liverpool. “I would like to see more powers for the Liverpool region, together with a Northern regional

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entity which could address the current regional imbalance. “I would welcome consultation on how this could be progressed, including the suggestion of a directly elected city region Mayor.” This comes from comments made by Cllr Davies after remarks were made from Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson in a Labour party conference last month. He said that a Metro Mayor was the way forward for Merseyside, rather than the newly-

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created combined authority set up this year. Mayor Anderson said: “For me, combined authorities work but to a certain extent they’ll always have that competitive edge between authorities, whereas a Metro Mayor elected by the whole population is more accountable and democratic. “If it is good for London, Paris and the rest of the civilised world, it’s good enough for us.” But Cllr Davies said it would be “a bit daft” to abandon the

authority. Davies said: “Joe Anderson has been a long-term supporter of the idea of a Metro Mayor, so I’m not surprised to read his comments. In the light of what happened in Scotland, there will be a big move now to devolve more powers to the English regions - and we have a ready-made vehicle in the combined authority to deliver that.” He believes that decision making power should not rely solely

with central government. Maria Eagle, a Labour party politician told Liverpool Life: “Of course they [the city] should be asked for their opinion on their Mayor. “Labour has proposed a constitutional convention, led by members of the public, including civic leaders such as Councillors and MP’s. “They should consult the public and report back to the constitutional convention next summer with proposals.”

Anﬁeld mum takes on comedy festival By KIERAN ETORIA-KING An Anfield mum has attracted the attention of high profile celebrities with her first ever standup comedy performance. Angela Preston, of Breckside Park, took a six-week course that culminated in a ten minute set at the Liverpool Comedy Festival in front of 200 people. The 46-year-old’s performance has racked up over 500 views on YouTube since it was first uploaded and has been shared on Twitter by comedian Jim Davidson and former Liverpool FC stars John Aldridge and Ronnie Whelan. Angela said: “It’s just unreal, I

nearly fell off the settee when I saw Jim Davidson had responded! I was literally gobsmacked. When I first did the course I wasn’t expecting anything from it. “I’ve always wanted to do it but never had the time. I resigned from my job and I’ve put my heart and soul into it. “The time was right because I’ve left work and I’m training from home to be a life coach. My kids have all grown up now, and I’ve always worked for them.” The mum-of-three has lived in Anfield for 28 years since moving from Kensington, where she met her husband when they were teenagers.

She said: “We got together at 14, moved up to Anfield at 18, and we’ve been here ever since. We’ve always been part of this community. “I’ve got five sisters and we’re quite a humorous family and my family and my husband have a huge impact on my comedy, as well as where I grew up. I’m actually looking to write a sitcom about Radcliffe Walk.” Angela lists Lee Mack, Sean Lock and Sarah Millican as her biggest influences and has high hopes for a potential career in comedy. “If you put me on a scale of one to 100 for enthusiasm, I’d probably be 100!”

MAYOR Joe Anderson © Jack Maguire/JMU Journalism

Council agrees landlord licensing Tenants across Merseyside could experience better rented accommodation due to a new licensing scheme passed by Liverpool City Council this week. The scheme will mean that private landlords throughout the city will have to pay a fee on each property they own so that the council is able to form a regulatory system on the rental sector. At the cabinet meeting, Mayor Joe Anderson said that the scheme, which will cost landlords around two pounds per week on each of their properties, aims to ensure the acceptable practice of landlords and eliminate those who take advantage of renters. Under the new regulatory system, private landlords will have to adhere to certain conditions on common problems with rental properties. This could include gas and electricity safety as well as pest infestations and disrepair issues.

Vandals’ grafﬁti attack on graves Vandals have sprayed graffiti and damaged over 150 graves at the Wirral’s historic Flaybrick cemetery site. The council is been carrying out repairs at the site, which are expected to take several months to complete. Residents have proposed installing CCTV and overnight lighting in a bid to tackle the vandalism.

Cancer pledge for students Three university students have been pledged £400,000 by a leading cancer research charity. North West Cancer Research and Clatterbridge Cancer Research will fund the students’ work for the next four years as they work at NWRC Research Centre at the University of Liverpool. The three students, Lucy Ireland, Erithelgi Bertsoulaki and Valeria Quaranta, were selected after a rigorous application process.

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Curtain up for Everyman on architecture stage Anti-IS By AMY NICHOLSON The famous Everyman theatre has been shortlisted for one of the world’s most prestigious architecture prize. The theatre on Hope Street has been shortlisted for the 2014 Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize (RIBA). The prize is one of the world’s most respected architecture awards and is up against the likes of The Shard, the Olympic Aquatic Centre and the Manchester School of Art. Deborah Aydon, Everyman and Playhouse Executive Director, told Liverpool Life: “We are thrilled to have been short-listed for this prestigious award and very proud that the Everyman, which has been so quickly taken to the hearts of the people of Liverpool, has also been able to fly the flag nationally for imaginative and high-quality architecture in our city.” Since it opened in March, the Everyman has already won the

RIBA North West Building of the Year at the regional round in April and has also been named World Architecture News Best Performance Space 2014. The Everyman theatre, was designed by Haworth Tompkins. it includes refurbished versions of its hallmark features, a 400seat thrust auditorium and basement bistro, 21st-century technical equipment, a rehearsal room, costume workshop and sound studio and enhances both productions and training opportunities. Gemma Bodinetz, Everyman and Playhouse Artistic Director, told Liverpool Life: “Haworth Tompkins listened to us, our audiences and communities, our actors and artists and created a theatre for Liverpool that is both stunning and humane. “We are thrilled that our theatre held so dearly by our audiences and practitioners has received such prestigious national recognition.” The award will be presented on Thursday 16th of October at the RIBA headquarters in London.

protests in city centre  Continued from page 1

NOMINATED: Exterior of the new Everyman theatre in Liverpool. Pic: Lydia Morris

Cycle for freedom to ﬁght trafﬁcking By AMY NICHOLSON

Campaigners have set off on a 500-mile bike ride from Liverpool to London to raise awareness of human trafficking. The Cycle for Freedom tour, which is hosted by the Sport for Freedom charity, set off from the docks at 8am this morning for their inaugural bike ride to London. The riders were joined by local school pupils and celebrities, including Liverpool footballer Fabio Borini. The team, which is made up of a core of 14 cyclists, will be joined by hundreds of people in their cycle from Liverpool to London over five days to raise awareness

of the growing problem of modern-day slavery and human trafficking. The team is made up of amateur cyclists who range from TV producers, city professionals, entrepreneurs and the Team GB Junior Champions Tennis Coach. Julia Immonen, CEO of Sport for Freedom, said: “Many assume that slavery is an issue of the past, but recent statistics tell a different story. Thousands are still being trafficked within and into the UK for forced labour and sexual exploitation, and I am passionate to expose the injustice of slavery, which is a growing problem on our doorstep.” Over the course of the journey the team will cycle through past

and present slavery hotspots in Birmingham, Bristol, Oxford and London, where the team will stop to raise awareness of the cause in each city. The cycling team arrived in Liverpool yesterday where they took part in educational talks with pupils from local schools at the International Slavery Museum. Kirsty Gallacher, TV Presenter and Sport for Freedom Ambassador, said: “It is of utmost importance that we raise much-needed awareness of modern day-slavery which is a hidden crime that affects every country globally. By harnessing the positive power of sport we are preventing trafficking,

rehabilitating survivors and also providing an opportunity for us all to take action.” Statistics from the AntiTrafficking Monitoring group suggest that over 5,000 people are victims of human trafficking and slavery at any one time in the UK and there are estimated to be over 30 million victims worldwide. The cyclists will arrive in London for the grand finale on Saturday where the team will meet at the Oval Cricket ground for a reception hosted by Frank Field MP and Sky Sports presenter Natalie Pinkham. The team will also be joined by Slough MP Fiona McTaggart for a ride to Parliament.

FRANK FIELD: Reception host ©wikimedia commons, NI Executive

Great wall charity walk for Alder Hey Hospital By AMY HOLDSWORTH Fundraisers have walked along the Great Wall of China to support the new Alder Hey facility coming to Springfield Park. Alder Hey Children’s hospital in West Derby is in the process of moving its facility across the road and needs extra funds to help with the transfer. The brand new hospital ‘Alder

Hey in the Park’ will be one of the largest children’s hospitals in Europe and will care for children and families across the UK. Sue Kelly, Head of Marketing and Communications at the facility, said to Liverpool Life: “We have recently had a charity walk along the Great Wall of China and have an exciting new campaign starting at the end of October.” The Great Wall of China walk

followed a nine-day itinerary which ended on the October 5. There were 18 fundraisers taking part including the Head of Community Fundraising at Alder Hey, Cath Harding. She blogged about her experience and stated: “Those 26,396 steps were a simply wonderful experience. Despite the length of the day and the personal challenges faced everyone one finished the trek

with a smile on their face.” Cath Harding told Liverpool Life: “It will be a couple of weeks before the remainder of the fundraising comes in for the grand total raised, however we will have raised over £60,000.” All the fundraising from the walk will go towards the £30m being raised for the Alder Hey along with other events in the year. Many fundraisers for the

hospital are previous patients, including seven-year-old Ted McCaffrey who won a Pride of Britain award last week. Ted raised over £1,000 by competing in a mini-triathlon and a scootathlon. Mrs Kelly added: “The hospital is now 100 years old. It is no longer suitable for its purpose, which is providing worldleading care and medicines for the children of the UK.”

The news comes after London Mayor Boris Johnson admitted that he had “little doubt that eventually there will be a case of Ebola in this country” and that he is unsure about the recently introduced screening process at Heathrow. The process involves all passengers who have flown from affected areas of West Africa

having their temperature and contact details recorded. Ebola has currently killed more than 4,000 people in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea and has been described as “the most severe, acute health emergency seen in modern times” with between 50 and 90% of cases being fatal. However, Professor Solomon

of Liverpool University believes that the UK has demonstrated it can overcome the crises following the effective treatment of British nurse Will Pooley at The Royal Free Hospital in London. The outbreak has caused nationwide panic which was sent spiralling with the news that Spanish nurse Teresa Romero is the first person outside of Africa

to contract the disease. Following this, the UK has unveiled a £125m action plan to combat the virus as well as revealing that over 500 NHS staff have signed up to help a hospital in West Africa. The Liverpool Royal is set to be replaced by a £429 million building. Construction work started in March.

Liverpool medics ready to ﬁght Ebola crisis By STEVIE PICKERING

A hospital in Liverpool has been put on standby to prepare for any Ebola cases arriving in the UK. Liverpool Royal is one of four hospitals up and down the country which has been sent specialist equipment to help medics deal with the deadly disease.

He commented: “Supporting the people of Kurdistan and fighting for democratic rights in this country is vital. “The PKK is described as a terrorist organisation. We say the PKK are liberation strugglers!” Asked if he was happy with the turnout, which was in the hundreds for the third time in a week, Claridge told Liverpool Life: “It needs to be better. That means getting British people to understand that what’s happening in Kobane is a fight for the future of humanity. It’s not just something happening far away that doesn’t affect us. It’s about our future.” He said that the next step in achieving this would be to stage more protests and public meetings, to ensure that their message was broadcast. “There is not going to be any let up in the struggle for Kurdish independence, and even if Kobane falls the struggle will continue. “Kobane is part of what is called Rojava, where the YPG [People’s Protection Units], have set up democratic structures which have incorporated everybody which were secular and had no regard for national origin. “They were a force for the future. That’s what a future independent Kurdistan will look like.” Meanwhile, the sister of ISIS hostage John Cantlie has issued a plea for direct contact with the Islamist group. Jessica Cantlie said in a video: “We strongly challenge those holding John to return to your previously-opened channel, to which we continue to send messages and await your response.” A recent United Nations report claims at least 10,000 civilians have been killed in Iraq since ISIS began expanding its territory across the country and neighbouring Syria earlier this year. More than 190,000 people have been killed in Syria’s civil war, according to an August UN report. A similar protest was also held on Wednesday .

Arson fear after road blaze

By HANNAH ANDERSON Firefighters were called to a blaze last night, where a box trailer was alight. The fire service suspect that the fire was started deliberately and was called out to Forge Street in Kirkdale, at 5:20pm last night after reports that the black smoke coming from the fire was blocking visibility for drivers on Derby Road. John Murphy, 45, Bootle, was driving home last night and had to pull over in his car because of the poor visibility. He told Liverpool Life: “There was black smoke coming from the fire which made it hard to see and drive in, I had to stop on Derby Road to let the thick of it past and then drove on slow.”

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Fierce rivals join forces

By HANNAH ANDERSON Liverpool and Manchester are joining forces to enhance connectivity between cities across the North. MIPIM is the UK property market place which provides the only national forum for property professionals to meet and close deals across all sectors of the property market. These include connecting investors, developers, local authorities, occupiers, hotel groups, agents and business service providers. Joe Anderson, Liverpool Mayor, said: “It’s vital we keep up the momentum we have built since returning to MIPIM last year and following the International Festival for Business 2014. “I am making sure that Liverpool is at the heart of the debate to devolve powers to cities following the Scottish referendum. We need the powers to help us grow and attract the right kind of investment that will help rebalance the UK economy. Chris Brown, Director of Marketing Liverpool, told Liverpool Life: “It’s vitally important that Liverpool secures HS2 not so much because of the reduction in the time taken to reach London but more because we need capacity for increase freight demand that will be created by the expansion within the Port. It is important that Liverpool stands out from the rest of the cities to be more attractive to investors. Chris Brown continued: “Liverpool is undoubtedly at a disadvantage to the South and London so the current debate that is focused around providing devolved powers to the major northern cities is of huge interest if it leads to an ability for us to have more control over our own affairs. “Certainly transport initiatives are gathering momentum, particularly centered on the links between the cities - the west across to east discussion.” He also added: “We [Marketing Liverpool] are supportive of the concept of the plans but only if they include Liverpool, and if the timescales for delivery can be increased but it is pleasing that for the first time for a long time there is debate about the northern cities and the changes needed to make them more economically active.”

Exhibit funding By MEGAN HILL

The International Slavery Museum has received a funding boost from the Heritage Lottery Fund to help develop it. The £225,000 grant is aimed to help the museum enhance its collections of the transatlantic slave trade and contemporary slavery exhibitions. Dr Richard Benjamin, Head of the International Slavery Museum, said: “Real objects enable an emotional connection to strong personal stories of exploitation, the fight for justice and representation.”

NHS workers walk out in pay protest By MELISSA MCFARLANE

Thousands of NHS workers walked out in Merseyside on Monday in protest over claims of a less than a one per cent pay rise nationally. The strikes which are part of an ongoing protest about the government’s latest cuts are the first the National Health Service has seen over wages in 32 years. Six unions took part in yesterdays’s four-hour strike at healthcare buildings across Merseyside; Unison, Unite, the Royal College of Midwives, GMB, UCATT and the British Association of Occu-

pational Therapists. Around 100 staff members and supporters stood outside The Royal Liverpool University Hospital while buses and drivers cheered their support. Yvonne Poole, who has worked as a Clerical Assistant at The Liverpool Royal Hospital for 24 years told Liverpool Life: “We want the government to realise that one percent is really not much to ask for and we think we’re worth more than that!” Some hospital workers said they were concerned that such a low pay rise could potentially affect

the quality of patient care. Stephanie Fleming, a Royal Hospital staff nurse of two years said: “We are fighting for patient safety as well as our financial stability. It’s not OK that really good workers who are really good at their jobs, are considering walking away because they’re not getting what they need and what they deserve. It will disadvantage patients.” Nathalie Nicholas, the council’s Deputy Chair for adult social care and health select committee told Liverpool Life: “As a local councillor and nurse I think

today is an unfortunate day, not only for staff but also for patients due to the government not listening and disregarding health professionals. “The government needs to listen and start valuing the staff of the NHS.” In response to the strikes, Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We are offering everyone one percent, but nearly 60% of NHS staff get an automatic pay rise through their increments of an average of three percent. “The increment system is out-

of-date and unfair and it gives higher percentage pay rises to higher paid workers. I think that is wrong and we have offered to negotiate with.” A spokesperson from Unison said: “After today there will be further action, we have to send a message out to the public. “This is your NHS and the people who work in the NHS care about the patients and the public and they deserve a pay rise.” Emergency departments and other urgent services remained fully functional throughout the strike, which ended at 11am.

Memory walk tribute for dementia sufferers By CONNOR DUNN

MEMORY WALK: A Family walking in memory of their Nan © Connor Dunn

A 2km or 10km charity walk in aid of dementia sufferers drew more than 2500 people to Aintree racecourse. The centre-piece of the event was a memory tree for walkers to hang a tag on in memory of loved ones. There were hundreds of tributes across the day and Angela Kennedy, 45, who along with her daughters raised more than £800 in memory of their Mum and Nan. Another group donned green wigs, tutus and socks for their walk. Lynn Billingsley, 43, Mandy Cook, 39, and other members of their family have raised more than £700 in memory of their Nan who also suffers from dementia. Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Erica Kemp, joined families to cut a ribbon and set the walkers on their way. She said: “Like many of you, I’ve been touched by a relative and someone else I know who has had a diagnosis of dementia. As Lord Mayor, the Alzheimer’s Society is one of my chosen charities this year, and that’s why I am pleased to be here.” Owner and director of Home Instead Senior Care, Catharine Chalton also said that coping with the disease can be a lonely path and that is why the Alzheimer’s Society is there. She said: “Don’t walk this lonely walk alone, reach out to us because we are here to help.”

City celebrates its black history By EMMA MARSDEN

Black History Month comes back to Liverpool this October to celebrate the contributions black men and women have made to British society. Liverpool was once at the heart of the slave trade due to its thriving port, but is now one of the leading cities involved in Black History Month. There are more than 5,000 events being held across the UK this month, including many more in the US and Canada. Liverpool’s International Slavery Museum is at the

heart of the city’s festivities, with many free events available to all being held throughout the month. Black history month first started in the US in 1926, originally being held in February to commemorate the birthdays of two influential figures – President Abraham Lincoln and former slave Fredrick Douglas, who spent a lifetime campaigning for racial equality. Black History Month was eventually brought to the UK in 1987 by Akyaaba Addai Sebbo, an analyst who worked with Ken Livingston at the Greater London Council. The events moved to October

as the month is traditionally seen as a time of reconciliation and tolerance in African culture. October is also a month when children are in school, helping encourage pride and identity in the countries’ young people. This year’s events will focus on the work of black citizens during the First World War to celebrate the centenary which was marked earlier this year. During WWI a separate black unit, the British West Indies Regiment, was formed within the British Army. Throughout the war over 15,204 black men ended up serving for the regiment.

Free events at both the International Slavery Museum and the Museum of Liverpool throughout October. October 19: Join in Capoeira Club, 2-4pm, International Slavery Museum (ISM) October 21: Tour of Liverpool’s Black Community, 3pm, Museum of Liverpool October 22: Performance of Sus by Barrie Keefe, 2pm, ISM October 25: Hands on activity, Unsung Super Heroes, 1-4pm, ISM October 25, A demonstration of Afro supa hero, 1pm, ISM.

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Authors ﬁght for libraries By LIAM COTTON

Literary heavyweights across the country have added their names to a petition to attempt to prevent the closures of over half of Liverpool’s libraries More than 500 people have signed a letter of support to the TRADITION: Statue of Min- libraries, including Carol Ann Duffy, David Almond and Caiterva © moz278 / Flickr lin Moran. The idea for the letter came from Merseyside-based writers Cathy Cassidy and Alan Gibbons, who have publicly criticised the decision to close the libraries. Speaking at a protest against the closures Cassidy, known for her young adult fiction said: “Protests, rallies, consultations and petitions are having little impact, and people feel helpless. The idea of the letters is to give a voice back to the people who

City statue set to stay

By OLIVIA SWAYNE-ATHERTON The Statue of Minerva is set to reign over Liverpool for many more years as the exterior of Liverpool Town Hall is reaching the peak of its repairs. The sculpture of the Roman goddess of wisdom, arts, trade and strategy has stood for 215 years, surviving decades of pollution and the wartime Blitz. The statue from 1799 is made from coade stone and is located on top the dome of the Grade One listed building. Scaffolding has been around the Town Hall for eight weeks and is due to finish in January.

Planes cause panic

By STEVIE PICKERING Training exercises have caused panic twice in Merseyside in the last week. An EasyJet plane was spotted circling Liverpool John Lennon airport for over two hours, causing residents to take to social networking sites in panic. Twitter user Peter Handley commented that he had counted the plane circling, “at least 15 times in the past two hours.” However the airport officially announced that the plane was merely taking part in ‘crew training’ over the city. Earlier in the week residents from the Wirral were quick to jump to conclusions about why a military ship and helicopters suddenly appeared at Wallasey docks. Some residents thought there was a terrorist threat on the navy ship by the Penny Bridge. The military were actually there for routine exercises. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “These exercises occur frequently around the country and any inconvenience caused to the general public is minimized wherever possible.”

Sir Cliff is 74

Sir Cliff Richard celebrates his 74th birthdaytoday and is set to appear at Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall next year as part of a special 75th birthday tour of the UK.

Writer Alan Gibbsons ©Gibbo1993 / Flickr

need those libraries, and to all who care about books, reading, culture; about futures. Can Liverpool seriously mean to take the opportunity to borrow a book away from those children too?” David Almond, author of the award-winning novel Skellig, called libraries “among human-

Carol Ann Duffy © Magnus Manske / Wikipedia Commons

kind’s greatest inventions”. He went on to add: “Without them, our society is diminished, our cities are meaner, our children are cheated. Great cities like Liverpool should honour and protect them.” Liverpool councillor Wendy Simon, Assistant Mayor and cab-

Caitlin Moran © Deﬁnitive Picture / Flickr

David Almond ©Sarah Jane Palmer / Wikipedia Commons

inet member for libraries, said that “no decision has been made as yet”. However with a 58% cut in the council’s overall budget, £2.5m is set to go from the library service. She added: “We’re doing what we can to save as many as we can. The council is talking to or-

ganisations and individuals with ideas and plans for keeping the libraries open.” The authors will see how effective the petition was at the final decision on the future of the city’s libraries, which is set to be made later in the year in November.

Council chief quits to save money By LAURA SCHUMANN

Chief Executive of Knowsley Council Sheena Ramsey has announced she is leaving her job of 10 years in order to save the council money. A Knowsley Council spokesperson said: “Due to unprecedented Government cuts in our funding, the council will have to find in the region of £26m of savings over the next two years. One of the ways in which we plan to achieve savings is by further reducing our senior management costs.” On £192,000 a year, she is paid more than the chief executive of Birmingham City Council, the UK’s largest local authority. Knowsley Council added: “We will also be looking to restructure our senior management ar-

rangements resulting in a loss of several senior manager posts to realise more savings, as well as reducing our workforce by 200 jobs.” Sheena Ramsey is due to leave at the end of the month to take a voluntary redundancy package. Councillor Ron Round, Leader of Knowsley Council, said, “On behalf of the Council, I would like to thank Sheena Ramsey for her work and contribution to Knowsley during the last nine and a half years and offer her our very best wishes for the future.” Mrs Ramsey, who became Knowsley boss in 2005, is the third Merseyside chief executive to leave in as many weeks. St Helens chief executive Carole Hudson and Wirral’s Graham Burgess have both announced their retirement after long careers in local government.

CUTS: Knowsley Council Building

Church receives nearly £250,000 By DAN GOULDING A New Brighton church has received funding for essential repairs from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Ss Peter, Paul and Philomena’s Church has received £39,800 to repair the building, this is the second time since August 2013 that the church has received funding. In total, the church has received almost £250,000 which will allow the landmark, nicknamed “Home of the Dome’ to make fundamental repairs. The funding will add to a previous HLF project, completed this September, and will help fix the roof, brickwork, create a space for the community and new information desk, which will allow visitors to view a live stream showing images of Liverpool Bay from the roof of the Merseyside building. The Dome was established in 2012 and is open daily from 8am-8pm. Volunteers helped with the first HLF project, assisting with the cleaning, gardening

FUNDING: Ss Peter, Paul and Philomena Church ©The National Churches Trust / Flickr and showing visitors around the church. Anne Archer, Project Coordinator, told Liverpool Life: “We have a number of community projects associated with the Dome. When members of the public voted to award funding for community projects we had massive local support. The new project was announced at our Annual General Meeting last week and our volunteers were delighted. We expect this to continue to grow.” Earlier this month, the landmark received a £2000 check

from deputy Lord- Lieutenant, Peter Woods, representing Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside, Dame Lorna EF Muirhead DBE to be put towards the works. Head of the HLF North West, Sara Hilton, said: “The grant, will not only mean that vital repairs can be completed – complementing our previous project – but also see the Church reimagined as an important community space. “As a result the building will have a sustainable plan for the future and be properly cared for by local people.”

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I wish I could rewind time and tell Mum ‘I love you’ A campaign in Liverpool hopes to change the attitudes and stigma attached to mental health illnesses

By EMILY LEWIS A community event organised by the Liverpool Mental Health Consortium took place on Friday to celebrate World Mental Health Day. The day aimed to raise awareness and tackle the stigma around the illness that is likely to affect one out of three people in Liverpool. There are still many misconceptions around mental health and there is often a negative portrayal of those affected by the illness. Ian Mulhaney, Volunteer at the Liverpool Mental Health centre, told Liverpool Life: “Mental health needs to be as prominent as AIDS was in the 80’s, people understood a lot and would talk about it all the time. And after about two to three years it really wasn’t a taboo; but mental health is. “The people that do have mental health issues do still feel stigmatised. But they’re doing it to themselves. You can have bipolar, but that’s not who you are it’s what you’ve got, diabetes is exactly the same, it doesn’t make you a bad person.” Events took place across the

city and there was a range of activities for the public to take part in as well as talks to attend. An emphasis was made on the vast support system available in the city for those who suffer from a mental health illness or know somebody who does. A creative writing competition, art and recovery exhibition, choir and a drama performance all marked the importance of the day. Former Lord Mayor Gary Millar opened the day with a speech about his own personal experience of living with somebody that suffered with mental health. He implored the public to love each other more and make a difference to help one another because we can. He said: “My mum died 12 years ago today, and she spent 40 years of her life suffering some serious issues and there wasn’t anyone around to help her apart from her family. Actually her family let her down, I let her down, I wish I could rewind in time and tell mum I love you and we do care and there’s people out there to

INFORMATION: Some of the resources available at Liverpool Mental Health Centre Pictures: ©Emily Lewis support you. Claire Stevens, Liverpool Mental Health Consortium Development Manager, told Liverpool Life: “We need to be talking about it and getting the message out there. Mental health still has a stigma attached to it, people still associate it to the “mad acts” but actually it’s something that touches all of us.” The charity Believe in Barnardo’s was also supporting the event. They primarily support

young people who are caring for an adult who is ill or disabled. Declan Diver who works for the Charity in the North West, said to Liverpool life: “I think there is a rise in mental health issues, but I think that’s because more people know about it and are aware of it more.There’s definitely more awareness now regarding mental health issues, but there is also a lot more preventions.”

Liverpool mental health worker Declan Diver

Families forced to choose fuel or food STEVIE PICKERING looks into the increasing number of households who will be relying on food banks this winter

ood banks across the region have seen a surge in families needing their help as the cold winter weather reaches the UK. The Trussell Trust charity which provides a minimum of three days’ worth of essentials including long-life milk and tinned meat, has declared that people are having to choose between ‘heating and eating’ this winter. With the unusually warm weather lasting until October people have been able to refrain from putting on the heating, which has helped with their ever increasing energy bills. However, with the country still being gripped in a recession and inflation rising faster than wages, it has led to thousands of families who are

already living on the breadline, being forced to rely on food banks in the winter months. The Trussell Trust has revealed that over 5,000 more people in Merseyside rely on their help in the colder months. A survey by Netmums exposed that 13 million people are living below the poverty line in the UK with over 900,000 people visiting food banks. A staggering 95% of those are working families who are simply struggling with economic demands.

ynda Battarbee, Trussell Trust’s North West development officer told Liverpool Life: “We are preparing for a very busy autumn/winter in Merseyside. The number of

people fed in September 2013 in Merseyside by Trussell Trust foodbanks was 4390. This year it was 5434. We are expecting a similar increase to happen in December.” This year marks the 33rd annual World Food Day and this is focusing on “the significant role of family farming in eradicating hunger and poverty. Lynda continued: “World Food Day is a great time for businesses to reflect on what they have and to consider working together as a team to help those with nothing.” As predictions of snow over the winter months become stronger many are fearing how they will cope if food banks are not available.

Picture: Flickr ©Bromford

Life|Arts|7

Sometimes we don’t know what we can do until we try R

OLIVIA SWAYNEATHERTON talks to LJMU journalism graduate Ngunan Adamu

ubbing shoulders with celebrities, helping the community, doing exclusive interviews and the host of her own show - it is no surprise Ngunan Adamu is an LJMU success story. Chatty, positive and inspiring are just a few words to describe Ngunan. The home-grown journalist who describes herself as a ‘Nigerian Scouser’ has come a long way since graduating from John Moores in 2003. Ngunan never planned to be a journalist as a child. She wrote stories and was inquisitive, but she knew was that she wanted to write and be a voice for people without knowing it could be her job. She started college studying science and maths AS but left before her second year without telling her parents. She told Liverpool Life: “They had this film and media course, like a foundation degree but it was one year. It was the first time they had done it and I was like ‘yes get me on!’ Funny enough I got on quite quickly as well. The whole thing just happened rather quickly I wouldn’t say it was luck it was like it was meant to be.” This led to her getting an unconditional offer at John Moores University. During her second year of university Ngunan’s father passed away, which saw her leave the UK and travel to Nigeria for six months. While she was there she continued her drive for journalism and she went to the Nigerian TV association to gain experience. After graduating it wasn’t plain

sailing for Ngunan. After applying for the BBC three times to getting told she was unsuccessful, Ngunan did youth work and kept persisting with her application. After getting no feedback or understanding of why she was unsuccessful she carried on regardless and signed up to do more courses and projects to bulk up her CV. It wasn’t until she did a project and met someone from the BBC who gave her advice which lead to her big break. Once in the BBC, she said, she had to deal with nasty editors, have tough skin, be resilient and keep pushing.

THEATRE

Bright Pheonix Bright Phoenix is a wild play about the carnival of the city at night and a gang of rebel kids who still don’t quite ﬁt in as grown-ups. Featuring live music, Jeff Young’s epic and poetic play commissioned especially for the new Everyman, reveals the magic of forgotten places and dreaming beneath the stars.

FILM

Annabelle The sequel to ‘The Conjuring’ Annabelle is about a couple begin to experience terrifying supernatural occurrences involving a vintage doll shortly after their home is invaded by satanic cultists. Perfect way to get you into the Halloween spirit. Out in cinemas now.

ARTS

Britains Child Migrants A ground-breaking exhibition which looks at the migration of children from Britain to the other side of the world opens at Merseyside Maritime Museum, telling the story of Britain’s child migrants told for the very ﬁrst time.

he said: “You have to constantly prove yourself, it is all about the person who shouts the loudest. It’s not being overly arrogant but being confident in your skills and knowing that you can deliver and even if you can’t do it say yes you can and just go for it. Sometimes we don’t realise what we’ve got in us until we give it a try.” With experience in youth work and doing hard-hitting news involving youths, Ngunan explained that having a niche helped to open doors. By having this specialism she got to be at the forefront of projects and worked with BBC radio one, BBC Radio 1 Xtra, Five Live and BBC Sports. As for the future, Ngunan aims to work in international news. She told Liverpool Life: “I have always said I want to go international and use media as a positive tool because sometimes when you go abroad people see journalism as a dirty word. It

CRITICS’ CHOICE

MUSIC

Jake Bugg Jake Bugg, one of the most exciting and unique artists to emerge out of the UK in a long time will be playing Liverpool Echo Arena this month. His debut album has sold over one million copies worldwide. Tickets are priced at £28.

EVENTS

MADE IT: Ngunan, left, with hit music artist Rita Ora would be nice to educate people on media and journalism and the good it can do. It’s giving people a voice.” With a career in the BBC spanning 10 years and counting, she gives budding journalists some great advice to help them get employed after graduating. She

said: “I would say don’t be afraid to ask for help, be resilient, do your research, always, always research. Ask to meet for coffee, sometimes that is the easiest way to get to know someone. Look at yourself as a walking CV, find what makes you different and be honest and true to yourself ”.

Homotopia Homotopia has always offered something for everyone and the 2014 programme shows the festival is continuing to curate a diverse and unique mix of entertaining culture, dramatic debate and thought provoking art, it is on throughout the city.

Life|Style|8

Downton’s ﬂapper fashion The gowns of Downton Abbey are on display at Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight. Liverpool Life’s Megan Hill went down to the glamorous exhibition

ownton Abbey fans are not just attracted to the unforgettable characters or poignant story-lines. The stunning costumes play a key part in the massive public obsession with the ITV period drama. We can’t help but find ourselves in awe of the pearls, beading, colours and materials. How Lady Edith Crawley’s dress hangs on her as she saunters around the manor house is top of our topic list in the office come Monday morning.

Viewers of the 20th century drama can now relive these days gone by somewhere other than their living room sofa as Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight is exhibiting some of the best costumes from the TV show until January 2015. ‘Style from the small screen’ will compare costumes from the screen with historic garments of the 19121923 period, including some from the National Museum Liverpool’s own collection named after Liverpool lady Mrs Tinne. Nicola Cunningham, exhibition officer for National Museums Liverpool, told Liverpool Life: “We wanted to marry the six costumes from our original collection up with the Downton Abbey costumes so you getting the feeling of fictional reality. So our visitors could really have a good look at the details and style of the dresses so you can see the differences and the comparisons between the two.” The garments worn by women over the last 100 years have been carefully altered, remod-

eled and embellished for the Sunday night drama. Among the costumes on display is a silk and velvet dress worn by Lavinia Swire in season two and a maternity dress worn by Lady Mary Crawley during season three. Provided by Cosprop, one of the world’s leading costumiers for TV and film, the company hoped to capture the period of time through their designs. Pauline Rushton, curator of costume and textiles for National Museum Liverpool, said: “We have never shown costume before at the Lady Lever Art Gallery, we have shown accessories from our own collection but we wanted to try it out in this space. “We know it will be popular because Downton is so popular and there has only been a couple of shows in the UK before so this is really exciting for us” Pauline added: “There are so many that I really like there is not one that is my favourite. “The one that has the edge is the beaded one which is fantasti-

cally ‘blingy’. It is really quite modern as well and definitely something that you can still wear today. Cosprop have them just right. It is very easy to think of the characters as well as soon as you see the dresses.”

he post-World War One culture and society change can be seen in the apparel on display, it shows how fashion was reacting to the new world that the women were forced to live in. Dresses got looser as women began to follow more active lifestyles. A red embellished loose dress displayed was one of Lady Mary Crawley which was said to emphasize her place in society putting her in the forefront of the scene. She wore this dress in season two at the dramatic moment where she told Sir Richard Carlisle that they will not be married. Nicola said: “It’s just going into the 1920s now and fashion changing and women are

becoming empowered in terms of what they wear and the style that they wear it to express their political feelings and decisions moving forward.” Port Sunlight was the perfect venue for such an exquisite exhibition, she said. “With the Lady Lever Art Gallery itself, we

chose this gallery as it’s almost like a time capsule, in Port Sunlight it very much looks like that era and the building itself was completed in early ‘20s so it’s a perfect fit.” ‘Style from the small screen’ runs until 18th January 2015 and is free to visit.

STATELY: Highclere castle, the set of Dowton Abbey © Bas Sijpkes, Flickr

Are we losing our love for books? by JOSH KELSALL

COSY: Inside Reid of Liverpool © Josh Kelsall

With the ever-present rise of technology and innovation the humble book is coming increasingly under pressure from its much cooler and younger cousin, the eBook. The rise of the Kindle is threatening the future of the hard copy book industry. However, days like ‘Super Thursday’ mean the hard copies can come out fighting and show the new kids on the block that they are not ready to retire. Super Thursday is the name bestowed to the day that marks 300+ titles being released, which gives the book industry a much-needed boost and is the most successful day on the book calendar. This coincides with the hotly contested race for the Christmas No1 in the bestseller charts. Still an immensely popular Christmas present, autobiographies from celebrities such as John Cleese, Stephen Fry and Roy Keane were all released on Super Thursday last year. The industry is expected to generate an estimated £30m in the run up to the festive season. So it seems there is life in the old dog yet, local and second hand book shops are noticing an

increase in sales and custom this year after the sales of printed books fell by £98m the previous year. Gerald Fitzpatrick, owner of Reid of Liverpool on Mount Pleasant, which has been established since 1975 and holds over 40,000 titles, explained why he feels there is a new found excitement for the old fashioned way of doing things. He told Liverpool Life: “It’s starting to turn up a little bit, just a fraction, because it plummeted, it was on its knees for several years; it dropped right off the cliff face.” “My survival has come from being a novelty, people are seeing this a novelty.” He continued: “It’s an experience in the midst of everything going on out there, it becomes an escape. I’m not trying to sell anything as such, you can come in if you want or have a browse.” Whilst the Kindle is leading the way for the new school, Mr Fitzpatrick isn’t entirely convinced that they are the sole reason behind why things are changing. He said: “They’re a fabulous piece of technology, but it changed before the Kindle. People are accessing things in different ways now.” “People are spending less on things anyway

right across the board and books are one of the things that they spend less on. To attribute this specifically to Kindles or computers is a bit of red herring, it’s not the complete picture.” “We are straddling two worlds, the electronic world and the hard copy world. For kids growing up now this (books) will become something very different because of the way they will access their information.” “It’s a whole generation of kids that are growing up without books, they’re being stripped out of libraries and computers are becoming the norm. In 15-20 years’ time it will be par for the course.” Austin Seal, a regular at Reid’s, explained the romance that he feels that surrounds the unique experience of buying a book and visiting bookshops. Speaking to Liverpool Life he said: “As an inveterate book buyer since the age of 13, many moons ago, there’s nothing that beats coming into a book shop on a rainy day because the books smell is even stronger!” “You can just say ‘Yeah, I’m not going to do anything today but sit in a book shop and I might not even buy anything or I may even just browse’, it’s great!”

Life|Style|9

By HOLLIE BRADBURY

he annual Liverpool Fashion Week opened at Anfield stadium last night showcasing the best of couture, glamour and high fashion. The five night show, which is this year sponsored by Childsplay Clothing, is the largest regional fashion show in the country outside London. As the show prepared to unveil its fifth year edit, backstage was a frenzy of stylists and models anticipating their catwalk moment amongst clouds of hairspray and rails of haute couture dresses. A mix of local, regional and international designers took part in the couture catwalk spread over four hours. Designers included Scottish born avant-garde designer Brian Chan who appeared on Britain’s Got Talent earlier this year, Liverpool-based label Christine Collections, led by ex-Broadway costume designer Christine Edson, and American label Ngolela. Amanda Moss, Liverpool Fashion Week founder and editor of Lifestyle

magazine, told Liverpool Life how opening night is always the most nervewrecking. She said: “I love to get opening night out of the way and then I can have a big breather. I think it’s gone really well, hopefully the public have enjoyed it too. I shall wait and see the reviews before I pass judgement.” Amongst the front row fashionista’s were Hollyoaks stars Anna Passey, who plays the soap’s super villain Sienna Blake, and Persephone SwalesDawson, who plays Anna’s on screen daughter Nico Blake. With opening night over and another four days of Liverpool Fashion Week left to reveal, Amanda Moss is already thinking of the 2015 show. She added: “I see relief when the show comes together because it’s 12 months of planning and I’m planning next year’s show now. “I’m already looking at venues, designers are coming up to me so I never stop. I’ll start again in six months as it’s literally ongoing and that’s the only way I can make it bigger and better.”

LIVERPOOL FASHION

WEEK

Catwalk o T u t u r e

“I love to get opening night out of the way and then I can have a big breather. I think it’s gone really well, hopefully the public have enjoyed it too. I shall wait and see the reviews before I pass judgement “ - Amanda Moss POSE: A

Life|Sport|10

Fury in running for NFL training

By KIERAN ETORIA-KING The LJMU Fury are among 83 UK American football teams in the running to win a day’s training with NFL outfit the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the Florida side flying to London for their showdown against the Dallas Cowboys at Wembley on 9 November, NFL UK is offering whichever university side that wins its Twitterbased competition the opportunity to learn from the pros. The team with the most tweets and retweets containing ‘@ NFL_UK’ and a corresponding custom hashtag by midday on October 31, will travel to London to spend November 7 with the Jags. Fury receiver Richard Bosworth told JMU Journalism: “They could give us knowledge more than we could even imagine. The opportunity to have their expertise, their experience, it’s invaluable really.” Fellow receiver Tom Clewer added: “Training with the Jags would teach us new techniques and give us the vital experience we need to push on from being an emerging team to being a powerhouse.’’ For a tweet to count as a vote LJMU Fury, it needs to contain both ‘@nfl_uk’ and the hashtag #FuryNFLuk.

Mersey golfers miss out

By REBECCA COOKSON Two Merseyside golfers narrowly missed out on finishing in the top ten at a rain-stricken Portugal Masters last week. Tommy Fleetwood and Paul Waring both finished in 12th place alongside Rafa CabreraBello and Adrian Otaegui on nine under par in the event held at the Oceanico Victoria Golf Club in Vilamoura, winning €23,220 each in prize money. Southport man Fleetwood has enjoyed a good few weeks of golf, recently finishing alongside world number one Rory McIlroy in the runner-up spot at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship behind winner Oliver Wilson. The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship was not as much of a success for Birkenhead’s Paul Waring. He finished tied with nine others in 107th place so will see the Portugal Masters as a success.

Everton’s charity chief honoured She is our Little Miss Dynamite - Kenwright

By MATTHEW JUDGE

More than fifty people turned out at an Everton in the Community event held at Goodison Park on Tuesday to honour Denise Barrett-Baxendale, who received an MBE last week for her services to the Merseyside community. Everton Football Club’s official charity’s Chief Executive Officer was in attendance at an Investiture at Buckingham Palace on Thursday morning and was officially presented with a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by the Queen. Dr Barrett-Baxendale, who is also the Deputy Chief Executive of Everton Football Club, was awarded the high-profile accolade, which pays tribute to those who have made achievements in the public sector and also recognises the work of extraordinary people across the United Kingdom. On receiving her accolade, the mother-of-two told Liverpool Life: “It was fantastic, I was absolutely thrilled, overwhelmed and I think it’s important that it’s just not about my work, it’s the work of the team. “I think I was just the privileged person who had the opportunity to go to meet the Queen and collect the award from her. “It would serve to punctuate my career in the most positive way. I hope it doesn’t distract from anything and we can move on forward as a community department and continue to achieve the best results we can.”

South Liverpool-born Dr Barrett-Baxendale was first appointed in her current role with Everton in the Community in 2010 and in that time has helped the charity make major strides forward, including helping secure £1m from the Big Lottery Fund to deliver a programme helping young offenders integrate back into society. Under her guidance, Everton in the Community also gained approval from the Department for Education to open the Everton Free School in 2012 – which was the first charity affiliated with a Premier League club to open a free school. Everton chairman Bill Kenwright hailed Dr Barrett-Baxendale’s presence at the club after the Investiture. He said: “From the moment Denise stepped into Goodison Park she has brought an energy, a vibrancy, and a work ethic that few have ever bettered. “Our extraordinary success as the country’s leading ‘Football Club in the Community’ is hugely down to her skill and her relentless enthusiasm - attributes she has continued to display magnificently as she has climbed the Everton ladder to her current position as Deputy CEO. “I can think of few people who are more worthy of the acclaim that Denise is currently, and quite correctly, receiving. “As I often say to fans, and shareholders meetings, she is our ‘Little Miss Dynamite’ - and we adore her.”

FANTASTIC: Dr Barrett-Baxendale with her MBE

Reds legends support Sterling By SAMUEL PEERS Former Liverpool FC players John Aldridge and Robbie Fowler has stood up for under-fire star Raheem Sterling, amidst a turbulent time for the youngster. The 19-year-old winger has been criticised for telling England manager Roy Hodgson he was tired before the Three Lions’ Euro 2016 clash with Estonia on Sunday, and asked to sit out. Sterling’s decision has led to a major backlash from many high-profile figures including former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer, and tensions between Hodgson and Liverpool’s Northern Irish manager Brendan Rodgers have intensified. The two managers had previously clashed regarding Daniel Sturridge, who picked up an injury during the last international break with England whilst training with the Three Lions last month.

Rodgers has since called for Hodgson to take more care with his selection of players, which also include Adam Lallana and Jordan Henderson. John Aldridge wrote in the Liverpool Echo that Sterling should be “praised instead of criticised”, and that “I’m delighted that Raheem did speak up, because he’s vitally important for us.” Aldridge added: “Let’s not forget he came off the bench and won the free-kick which led to Wayne Rooney’s goal.” Ex-Liverpool forward Robbie Fowler was also defensive of Sterling, saying: “What he did was for the benefit of the team. “Not everyone puts the team first like that.” The row comes off the back of a run of terrible luck for Liverpool injury-wise, with Reds’ players suffering a number of fitness problems during the recent international break as they play for their respective countries.

Rogers’ pressure as injury woes mount By SAMUEL PEERS

Pressure is piling on Brendan Rodgers to pull Liverpool together after a disastrous period battered its ranks. The team are preparing to go against Queen’s Park Rangers this Sunday at Loftus Road, but have been hit by a wave of injuries during the recent international break. Last week saw defender Dejan Lovren leave Croatia after tearing an abdominal muscle during training, while Lazar Markovic became the fifth Liverpool star to pick up an injury niggle after sustaining a muscle tear playing for Serbia in Saturday’s draw against Armenia on Monday. They join the versatile Jon Flanagan on the injury list, who is not expected to make his return to competitive football until after the New Year. Summer signing Emre Can

and England striker Sturridge both picked up injury knocks in September and have since been absent from Liverpool action. Meanwhile Wales midfielder Joe Allen also pulled out of international duty last month with a knee problem. Rodgers though hopes that star Sturrigde and Allen can be called upon as they prepare to face Harry Redknapps relegation threatened QPR, who will hope to cause an upset against a Liverpool side who have already been beaten three times in the league this season, The West London side are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table level on points with Newcastle and Burnley with four, but with the worst goal difference in the Premier League, currenrly standing at -11. The game is a 13.30 kickoff on Sunday, four days before Liverpool take on Real Madrid.

Rovers to play Bury in JTP Cup By REBECCA COOKSON

Tranmere Rovers will travel to Bury in the Johnstone Paint Trophy quarter-final. They booked their place in the final eight after drawing 1-1 with Carlisle. The two teams were not able to be separated after extra time and the Merseyside team eventually won 5-4 on penalties. After sacking their manager, Rob Edwards after only five months in charge it is likely that the Tranmere Rovers will have themselves a new manager by the time the match is played in the week commencing November the 10th 2014. In the FA Cup Conference, Stockport County will host Chester City in the fourth qualifying round. Steve Burr’s side will travel to Edgeley Park on October the 25th and the winners will progress to the first round where they could come up against Football League and Premier League opposition. The two teams have not faced each other since a goalless draw in April 2008 when both clubs were still in League Two. Stockport were relegated from the Football League in 2011.

Life|Sport|11

Jones front runner for Tranmere job

By REBECCA COOKSON

There are already several canidates being considered by Tranmere’s owner Mark Palios. Merseysider, Dave Jones has emerged as an early front runner for the job of Tranmere Rovers manager. Jones, enjoyed success as a manager with Stockport County, Southampton, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cardiff City and Sheffield Wednesday. He spent five seasons as a player with Everton during the 1970’s. Tranmere Rovers sacked Rob Edwards, barely five months after he took charge at Prenton Park. He leaves Rovers at the bottom of the League Two table after losing seven and winning only two of their opening twelve matches. The previous owner of the club, Peter Johnson appointed Edwards with the brief to develop young players in the club to make the club less reliant on loan signings. He worked as Paul Tisdale’s number two at Exeter City, this earned him the chance to manage his own team. However he has failed to generate the short-term results to keep

Tranmere safe from the threat of yet another relegation which would see them drop into the Conference after slipping out of League One last season. Chairman Mark Palios and his wife completed a deal to buy a controlling stake in the club in August. He said: “Rob is a decent man who has worked very hard over the past few months for the football club.” However, with the club currently sitting at the bottom of League Two for the first time in 32 years, it was decided this was the right time to make the break. “I remain committed to the vision that Rob shared of playing free-flowing and skilful football.” Palios, a former Tranmere player and chief executive of the football association says that the next manager of the club will have good contacts in the game to help bolster the recruitment of new players. Former Accrington Stanley manager James Beattie is also a favourite to take to the Tranmere dug-out. The former Everton and Southampton striker, took his first job in management at the Store First

TRFC © Ben Sutherland/Creative Commons/Flickr Stadium in May 2013 and despite failing to win any of his first twelve league games in charge.

He earned himself acclaim for keeping the club in the Football League last season.

In a statement realised by Beattie, he said: “It was with a hugely heavy heart that I decided to end this journey.” Robbie Fowler has also emerged as another potential candidate for the job with SkyBet listing him at 16/1. The former Liverpool, Leeds and Manchester City forward joined Thai side Muangthong United as a player but was later appointed player-manager, which he remained until he retired in 2011. He has a brief history in coaching after assisting Milton Keynes Dons and briefly coached Liverpool’s strikers in April 2011. He has been linked with the manager’s job at Tranmere before and was one of the favourites before Edwards took over in April. In September, he applied for the manager’s position at Leeds. But the chairman has no intention of rushing a new appointment and will make an announcement later this week in regards to who will take charge of the team for the match against Oxford on Saturday. The club has recieved more than 30 applications for the job.

Flower to learn fate after ﬁnal punch left opponent KOd

By SAMUEL PEERS

Wigan Warriors’ Ben Flower was this evening banned for six months, after his attack on St Helens man Lance Hohaia in Saturday’s Super League Grand Final. The Welsh international became the first rugby league player in history to be sent off in the showpiece event after just two minutes of action following his assault on defenceless 31-year-old Hohaia. Flower, 26, has been charged with a grade F offence, the most severe in the sport, for “violent and aggressive punching on an off-guard opponent.” Hohaia, caught Flower in the jaw with his forearm and was left unconscious following two punches to the face . The St Helens stand-off has also been slapped with a onematch ban for his own offence. Flower has apologised via the Warriors’ website, saying: “I am so sorry for what happened.

“There is no defence for my actions. It was something that happened in the heat of the moment when our emotions and adrenaline were running high.” He added: “I instantly regretted it and am devastated that I allowed myself to punch someone like this.” However, Hohaia showed some forgiveness for Flower: “Sometimes these things happen in a game, in the heat of the moment people do things that they regret. “I’ve done some silly things myself, so I don’t hold any regrets against Ben.” Also apologising on behalf of Flower was Wigan chairman and owner Ian Lenagan and head coach Shaun Wane. He said: “We apologise unreservedly on behalf of the Wigan club to Lance Hohaia, St Helens and the general rugby league family for Ben Flowers’ totally inappropriate behaviour.”

Rugby star donates shirt

By KIERAN ETORIA-KING

A rugby player, who was told he might never play again has donated his first England jersey to the hospital that helped him realise his dream. Harry Broadbent, 22, from Bebington, returned to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital on Monday 13 October, on World Thrombosis Day, to formally

hand over the jersey to the staff who helped him. Harry was diagnosed with rare blood condition thrombophilia when aged just 16. The condition - Factor V Leiden and protein C deficiency means his blood has an increased tendency to clot and he has an increased risk of getting deep vein thrombosis. Harry, a former Wirral Grammar School pupil, said: “I was

told three times I would have to stop playing rugby. I went to Australia on a rugby tour and had a serious clot and they said I couldn’t do any form of contact sport.” He was referred to see Professor Cheng Hock Toh at the Royal University Hospital’s Roald Dahl Centre, who told him he could continue to play rugby as long as his condition was managed correctly.

“I can’t say enough about how great they have been. The level of care has been exemplary, especially that of the haematology nurse Rosie Davies who has been a guardian angel to our whole family. She consistently goes above and beyond her duty. “Some people complain that you get treated like a number in the NHS but I had an extremely personal service. It was just amazing,” said the rubgy player.

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LADIES LIFT TITLE CUP 14- October 2014

By SAMUEL PEERS and ANGHARAD MILLINGTON

Liverpool Ladies retained their Women’s Super League crown after defeating Bristol Academy 3-0 in a nail-biting final day contest. The Reds scooped the title thanks to goals from Natasha Dowie, Lucy Bronze and a penalty by Fara Williams at the Select Security Stadium in Widnes, with a superior goal difference to close rivals Chelsea Ladies and Birmingham City Ladies proving to be the decisive factor. Liverpool raced from third place to the summit after Chelsea lost to Manchester City, while Birmingham were held to a stalemate with Notts County. The Merseysiders couldn’t have lifted their second successive title without these results going their way. This is the first win in two last places in previous years. An overjoyed club captain Gemma Bonner told Liverpool Life: “I thought the game was one of our best performances of the season. We seem to raise our game in the bigger matches and it proved to be the case yesterday. “It has been quite a reserved

celebration so far. We went out for a team meal after the match but with a massive game coming up in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, our complete focus is on that.” Liverpool kicked off the final day on the back foot behind Chelsea and Birmingham on 23 points, but a trio of second-half goals from Matt Beard’s side had them on the cusp of glory and praying results panned out the way they needed. Despite the absence of a number of key Manchester City players, Chelsea couldn’t produce the stunning form they had done for most of the season, failing to make the most of the hosts losing Abbie McManus to a red card for elbowing Yuki Ogimi in a 2-1 loss. A stunning solo effort from ex-Everton Ladies striker Toni Duggan helped City see off Chelsea, while Birmingham’s 2-2 draw on home soil against Notts County meant they could only settle for third-place come the final whistle. In an interview, Liverpool Ladies boss Matt Beard told BBC Sport: “I’m over the moon. The players deserve so much credit. They have dug deep.”

TRIUMPHANT: The Liverpool Ladies won 3-0

Inside Sport

©John Maher

The FA Women’s Super League Final Standings Pos

Team

Pts

Liverpool Ladies

Chelsea Ladies FC

Birmingham City Ladies

Arsenal Ladies FC

Manchester City Women

Joshua steps closer to Price ﬁght By MATTHEW JUDGE

Promising British heavyweight Anthony Joshua moved a step closer to setting up a mouth-watering domestic clash with Liverpool’s David Price next year after his stunning TKO win over Denis Bakhtov at the 02 Arena in London on Saturday night. Joshua displayed exactly why he is rated so highly in the boxing world after stopping Russian man Bakhtov inside just two rounds, claiming the WBC international heavyweight title in the ninth bout of his career in the process. The 24-year-old will now face English journeyman Michael Sprott on the undercard of Liverpudlian cruiserweight Tony Bellew’s rematch with fierce rival Nathan Cleverly on November 22 at the ECHO Arena, but Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, is already lining up Price as a potential opponent in 2015.

Scouse heavyweight Price, who has recovered from back-to-back losses against Tony Thompson last year with three wins, was ringside for Joshua’s devastating win over Bakhtov, 34, on the weekend and expressed his interest in a possible clash with the Watford man, should an offer be made. Price told Sky Sports on Saturday: “I’m not this durable fighter, who comes in to get rounds in. I’ll be going in to take his head off his shoulders type of thing, without sounding too manic. “I’ll be going out with the same intentions as Anthony Joshua. It will be like an explosive fight.” The chances of a fight being made between Joshua and Price is understood to be good, with both promoters involved in the potential match-up already holding a great relationship in terms of making fights in recent months. Price’s promoters, Team

Sauerland, worked with Hearn’s Matchroom Sport to set-up Liverpool fighter Paul Smith’s crack at the WBO super-middleweight title against champion Arthur Abraham in Germany last month. West Derby man Price, who has knocked out his opponent in 15 of his 18 career wins as a professional so far, has previously said Hearn would be ‘mad’ to put Joshua in the ring with him next year and the 31-year-old also has long-term rival Tyson Fury in his sights. The heavyweight won Gold two years ago during the London Olympic Games and has since turned to the professional circuit, following in the footsteps of fighters like Amir Khan and Audley Harrison. Both fighters went on to have world title fights in the UK as well as America. Fighting in Las Vegas and the world famous Madison Square Garden.

FLOWER FACES FIGHT CHARGE p11

TRANMERE MANAGER SACKED p10