MyClubmoor Newspaper Issue 6 by MyClubmoor

www.myclubmoor.co.uk

Issue No. 05

Spring 2015

WHAT’S INSIDE.... MY CLUBMOOR - PG 2

TREVOR’S STORY - PG 5

MORE CLUBMOOR - PG 9 -10

WHAT A SPRING - PG 3

ALLOTMENT CHALLENGE - PG 6 - 7

CAROL’S BLOG - PG 11

JENNY’S STORY - PG 4

GET ACTIVE - PG 8

www.myclubmoor.co.uk

Issue No. 05

COMING SOON TO CLUBMOOR

A NOTE FROM THE CHAIR

Recently, it was Volunteers’ Week across the UK. The week gave us an opportunity to celebrate the millions of people who sacrifice their time to benefit others. For all you volunteers – especially those of you who have contributed to Clubmoor over the years – thank you, your support is always greatly appreciated.

I remember when we started out with MyClubmoor, the vast majority of people said that they “didn’t think they did much in their community”. The funny thing was, as the conversations went on, we found people already ‘volunteered’ in many ways, they just didn’t see it like that! Flicking through this edition of MyClubmoor you can see this; there are people helping out at the local schools and children’s centres, putting on barbecues at the allotment, serving in churches, working as caretakers, organising running clubs, and getting people involved in a campaign to look after a cemetery.

So what difference does it make? Well, I read an article by an economist who reckoned that volunteer hours were roughly the same as 10% of all the total hours worked in the UK and had a value of £23bn – that’s about the size of the whole Liverpool City Region economy. But I’m not so interested in that bit… The real difference it makes is in us! Volunteering connects us to each other in different ways; it builds friendships and new relationships. It gives us new skills and puts us in places we didn’t think we could go to. In a nutshell, I believe that contributing something makes us feel more fulfilled and it changes how we feel about the place we live. I love volunteering with MyClubmoor, I’m constantly meeting new people and learning new things. Finally, I think volunteering does good. It helps someone out of a difficult situation, it puts us together and enables change the things we are not happy about. Given the results of the election last month, I’m sure you can think of a few things that you’d like to change? Let me point you to the comment pages at the back. Tell us the change that you’d like to make and let us help you take the first steps to doing something about it.

MYCLUBMOOR FASHION SHOW

17th October 6.30pm St Andrews Church, Adshead Road See back-page for more details

GARDEN/ALLOTMENT CHALLENGE 23rd August 9.30am - 4.00m Grandison Road Allotments Judging event and showcasing event

ANNUAL DOG SHOW Kevin Peacock, MyClubmoor Chairperson

19th July 11am - 3pm Clubmoor Recreational Ground Register on the day

LIVERPOOL FLOWER SHOW

Sweet Pea & Rose 25th July 11am - 6pm 26th July 10am - 5pm Dobbies Garden Centre, 1a Speke Hall Avenue Flower & Veg Show 8th August 11am - 6pm 9th August 10am - 5pm Dobbies Garden Centre, 1a Speke Hall Avenue

www.myclubmoor.co.uk

Issue No. 05

WHAT A SPRING SCHOOL OF YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS

Roscoe Primary school is tackling food poverty and highlighting healthy eating in a number of different, innovative ways. The school has a great breakfast club, which was set up with initial funding and support from Greggs the bakery and Liverpool Mutual Homes (LMH). The club runs from 8.15am and provides children who attend with a free breakfast that includes; beans/spaghetti on toast, cereals and fruit juices. The club is also available afterschool for mums and dads who need extra child care. Due to the school’s policy of healthy food and snacks, Roscoe Primary closed down its tuck shop, as staff members and parents felt it was encouraging the children to make unhealthy decisions. After closing the unhealthy tuck shop, Mr Stalker came up with the brilliant idea of having the children set-up and run their own healthy shop. The Healthy tuck shop has been up and running for over seven months now and has 15 children working on a rota and independently running the enterprise. Children receive lessons in finances, stock control and ordering through their work with the school’s healthy shop. The shop is open every school day during first break and there’s always a regular queue of children waiting to purchase their snacks!

Purchasing manager Anton, aged 10, said:

“I LOVE BEING A PART OF THE TEAM AND SERVING THE CUSTOMERS, IT HELPS ME WITH MY MATHS AND I GET TO MEET OTHER CHILDREN WHO ARE IN DIFFERENT CLASSES THAN ME”. Carole is supported by a dedicated team of volunteers, namely: Enas and Anisa Nasser, Customer Liam, aged 6, said:

“I USE THE SHOP EVERY DAY AND MY FAVOURITE IS THE BLACKCURRANT FRUIT BARS – THEY’RE SO YUMMY!” The range on offer includes; healthy option fruit bars, bottled water, natural fruit juices and dried fruit snacks. The benefits to the children extend the importance of healthy eating; the children involved also learn practical skills such as money management and responsibility.

ST ANDREWS COMMUNITY WEEK

cross the second May Bank holiday weekend, St Andrews Church held a family fun day, complete with a delicious hog roast and all the trimmings to help launch their mission week. Over 700 people came along to the fun day to ‘pig out’ and take part in community activities that included; football, an inflatable assault course, giant bowling, kingsize Jenga and face painting! Andy Radford, community pastor, said: “Our strapline is ‘Connecting People to God and to each other’, so everyone that we met was invited to our Sunday Service when the Bishop of Liverpool spoke. The Bishop shared his own story of discovering faith in God and explained how this transformed his life. It was a great week for Clubmoor and I hope the attendees enjoyed it as much as the church did!

www.myclubmoor.co.uk

Issue No. 05

JENNY’S STORY JENNY’S STORY

enny, 30, is a trained dancer and singer; she has studied nursing, and is a genuine, down to earth Liverpool girl. She’s a great sense of humour and people who know her would describe her as friendly, outgoing, bubbly, chatty, and overall confident person. All of which makes her story that little bit harder to understand but, also, it proves that it domestic abuse can happen to anyone, regardless of their situation.

too late, he was already controlling my life. I was isolated from my family and friends no longer had a mobile phone as it was causing too many arguments between us. He had even added me onto his bank account and had convinced me to give up my job. He had done this so I had no money. He gave me an allowance and I was accountable for every penny. I kept thinking that he would change once the baby was here and I still loved him, but things just got worse.”

14 years ago, Jenny was working away at Butlin’s holiday camp when she met a man who she described as; very charming, good looking and a romantic who liked to flash his money. It wasn’t long before they got romantically involved and Jenny was really enjoying her work and social life. One night, around six months into their relationship, he had cooked a romantic, candle-lit meal for them both and things were going great…until Jenny said something that turned the night into a nightmare.

Jenny moved with him to the Cotswolds, where he was from originally, and on the outside they looked like a happy couple. He had money left to him from his family, from businesses he owned and he flaunted his wealth. They moved into an amazing converted barn, they had two cars and other assets that they rented out. The only friends they had were his friends and he acted completely different around them most of the time. If he did slip up in front of them, he no longer kept them around or they wouldn’t want to be around us, and we wouldn’t hear from them again. Plus, their home was completely isolated – there was nobody around for miles.

Jenny recalls,“We were laughing and joking and then, next thing I know, I said something he didn’t like and he swiped the candles off the table towards me. One side of my face and neck was covered in hot, melted candle wax – I couldn’t believe it! I was in shock, but he just sat there laughing at me, like it was some sort of joke. I ran to the bathroom to remove the wax, but it had already burnt my skin. My face was scorched, red, blotchy and very sore.” The apologies began straight away, but Jenny was obviously upset and distressed. She left that evening still not sure of what happened or why. However, he wasn’t going to give up trying to persuade her and continued to call, text and send gifts, to prove just how sorry he was. Jenny adds,“I should have seen the signs then but I just didn’t. He continually apologised, bought me gifts and I fell for it all. I was already in love with him and believed it was a one off, unfortunately it wasn’t, it was just the start.” Jenny decided to give him another chance and things were going ok for a while. Looking back, and without realising it at the time, he had already started to control her life. It started with the little things that weren’t so obvious at first, then Jenny found out she was pregnant and hoped that this meant they could build a happy family together, forgetting the past. Jenny explains,“He started to criticise my friends and family by saying that they didn’t have my best interests at heart, and that they were jealous of our relationship etc. He started looking at my mobile phone and making comments about text messages I had received. This obviously caused a lot of arguments! Looking back, the process to control me was quite slow but it was constant and in hindsight, the signs were there – I just didn’t see them! By the time I moved in with him and got pregnant it was

Jenny remembers, “People used to think we had it all: a great home, two beautiful babies with another on the way, money, cars, expensive holidays abroad. The full package. If only they knew… After having my second child, things started to escalate. I knew there were agencies out there that could help me but I was too scared, in fact, I was terrified of him! I felt I had no one to turn to and I thought no one knew what I was going through or wouldn’t believe me if I did tell them. I felt like that I was unworthy, unloved and that he was the only person I had, because he made me believe it. It may sound strange; but when someone is constantly putting you down and criticizing you, you start to believe it yourself. He had me in that much of a state I couldn’t function properly; I couldn’t go the supermarket on my own as I was too scared to buy the wrong groceries. He arranged for me to visit the doctor and bullied me into believing that I was mentally ill and that I had bipolar disorder. I still don’t know how I got through it all! I don’t think anyone had any idea of the extent of the sexual, mental and physical abuse I was going through, because on the outside we appeared to be a normal, happy family. To be honest, I felt embarrassed of what was happening to me. Most of all, I was that scared of him and what he would do to me, he’d constantly threatened to get my kids taken away and even kill me. I believed he would, so I lied to everyone to cover it up. I couldn’t even tell the doctors after getting hospitalised after a bad beating. He was clever, though, and knew where to hit me to hide the bruising so I didn’t go often. Plus I had nursing training and could do most it of it myself”. Jenny knew she had to get away from him for the sake of her children, even though they were still young and despite him never been abusive

or violent towards them, they saw and heard everything he did to their mum. Jenny believes that her children helped gain the strength to get away. She began by packaging an escape bag and hid it in the house. Waiting for the first opportunity to escape, she had no idea where she could go, or how she could get there but she would try. Unfortunately, he found the bag which resulted in more violence and he made sure it wasn’t something she would, or could do again. However, Jenny didn’t give up, she placed essential things like hers and the children’s passports, bits of money, putting them in places that she could grab quickly and easily. Then Jenny planned her escape. He was going abroad to work and she knew it would be the perfect opportunity to leave her abusive life behind. Jenny recalls, “Things had started to peak. I was growing with determination and confidence, I was ready and I was leaving! However, I was still terrified of him and I thought he might know about my plans. I remember, just before I left, I was cleaning the oven and my two eldest children were playing. My 18 month old baby was trying to get my attention, the baby was climbing on my back so I asked my abusive partner to take the baby away, as I didn’t want the cleaning product to touch my little one. He calmly picked the baby up, moved him into the living room, then walked right up to me and lifted me by my hair off the floor. He then dragged me outside in the snow and locked me out. I couldn’t understand it. Why? For hours my kids were at the window staring at me. I had no shoes, and was wearing only shorts and a vest top. I was freezing. We had a picnic type table outside so I climbed onto there, so my feet were out of the snow. When I did that, I put the umbrella on the table up. It was still snowing and all the while my kids just stared through the window at me. I knew then that was it I had to go for their sake. I started to believe he was actually trying to kill me”. Eventually, he went away on business and Jenny was able to get away. “I sat in the middle of the living room with the house phone, picking up the receiver and putting it back. Dialling the Women’s Aid number over and over, and putting it down before it rang. Even though I knew he wasn’t there, I was still terrified and part of me was still questioning my decision to leave. I eventually let it ring and the woman who answered the phone was amazing from the start. She talked me through what had been happening and made me realise that it wasn’t right. He knew what he was doing and I needed to get away now.” After putting the phone down, Jenny ran and started throwing items in a bag. When she left she went back to Liverpool and to her mum’s house. She can’t thank the lady on the phone enough and says that she knows she saved her life. It was the best decision she ever made.

www.myclubmoor.co.uk

Issue No. 05

TREVOR’S STORY CLUBMOOR CHILDREN’S CENTRE Six years later, the children are happy and so is Jenny. Her ex-partner still, to this day, is abusive towards her. Every chance he gets; he tries to get her back into a relationship, he still tries to manipulate his way back into her life, using the children as an excuse. Jenny is stronger than ever and has a great support system around her, including The Children’s Centre in Clubmoor. Jenny now volunteers at the children’s centre and helps to support women who have experienced domestic violence. The Children’s Centre runs a support and peer to peer, role model course called YOU & ME, MUM. It is a 10 week programme designed to help participants understand the impact of domestic violence on children and themselves. Clubmoor Children’s Centre is now on its 4th full programme and 52 women have so far taken part, including Jenny. The programme helps to build trust, strengthen relationships and studies personal development. YOU & ME, MUM is also an accredited course that enables women to use their skills and knowledge to deliver and support others in a similar situation. There is also a DAD’S CLUB which offers; parenting programmes, self-esteem, first aid, hairdressing, cookery, and many learning and skill courses through adult learning. The children’s centres have become a life-line for many people over the years, and the help and support that is available is hard to find anywhere else. The impact they have on families is immeasurable. If you fear that a friend of relative is the victim of domestic abuse, here is a list of signs to look for: • • • • • • •

Stopped socialising Changed phone number frequently Appearance changes The abuser may have suffered abuse in the past They argue a lot Change friendship circles often Expects a high level of order and cleanliness all the time, without exception

Jenny says, “You must completely cut ties with them. He still sent me flowers and gifts. He was constantly saying sorry, but I know he would never change. Thankfully, I have and I will never go back. I was terrified of him, terrified of what he was capable of. I felt worthless, manipulated and isolated. I was lucky I got out when I did, while my children were too young to remember it. After leaving, it took me months to be able to feel safe, and to even sleep at night, but I soon passed the stage and I was glad to invest in my children’s futures by leaving. I left everything behind and walked away from it all, but no amount of possessions are worth you, or your children’s lives, and I am happier than I have ever been”.

TREVOR’S STORY At the age 50, Trevor found out that he was going to be a father again. Trevor had met his new partner two years earlier after his first marriage ended. His new partner was 32 years old at the time, and they both enjoyed a party lifestyle. Once Trevor and his partner found out about the pregnancy their lives changed and the partying stopped as they both got ready to be become parents. However, for his partner this didn’t last for very long – she wanted her party lifestyle back. Not long after baby Paisley was born, Trevor’s partner began drinking heavily and was introduced to drugs. Soon, arguments began to occur and Trevor believed that their baby girl was being put at risk, so when Paisley was around 6 months old Trevor decided that he had to make a stand. Home life was becoming difficult, Paisley’s mum had started drinking more and more frequently and was becoming violent towards Trevor – she frequently assaulted him and once threw a glass bottle at him whilst he was holding their daughter! Trevor had no choice but to get the police involved to protect his daughter (and himself) from her destruction. Paisley was just 8 months when Trevor applied for temporary custody, and this made his partner become even more violent. Trevor eventually felt like he had no choice but to take Paisley to his family in Macclesfield for her own safety. However, he could only stay in Macclesfield for 2 weeks as he had to return for the custody hearing. The process was long and stressful with Trevor tirelessly fighting to prove himself so that he could become the main care provider for his daughter. Trevor faced many accusations and he had to go through continuous drug and alcohol tests, liver scans, police checks, social worker assessments and DNA testing. His ex-partner was given supervised access but she either turned up late, or not at all. Trevor’s partner eventually stopped trying to contact Trevor or their daughter when Paisley was 2 years old, this was the last time either Trevor or Paisley saw her. While the hearings and court cases were ongoing, Trevor’s mother became unwell. As a result, when Paisley was 12 months old, Trevor and Paisley moved into his mother’s house to care for her. It was around this time that Trevor started to attend the local children’s centre with Paisley in Clubmoor. The pair ended up spending most of their week attending Wiggle & Jiggle toddler groups, swimming lessons, going on day trips and popping along to story time sessions. Trevor soon discovered Clubmoor’s DAD’S CLUB and went along to find out more.

Trevor says, “Attending the children’s centre was the best thing I’ve ever done. I received practical help and guidance on everything from cookery and money management, and from hairdressing to moral support – the variety of pathways is incredible. The dedication of the staff, especially Chris Cavanagh, who I felt gave me a life-line, is still very important to me today. I don’t know what I’d have done without the centre or its staff.” Through the children’s centre, Trevor was also offered the opportunity to take part in a volunteering programme or VIP project (which is a program, funded by LMH and designed to help people back into work). Trevor attended a one day a week training programme, which included paediatric first-aid and health and safety. He was soon offered a voluntary placement at a local primary school as a trainee caretaker for 12 weeks. After the placement was finished, Trevor received a 6 month contract as a caretaker with on-the-job training. Following the 6 month contract, the school kept Trevor on part-time hours, until recently when a full-time position became available. Trevor is now working as a caretaker at the school on a full-time contract. Now 5 years old, Paisley has grown into a happy, clever and beautiful little girl who is always smiling. She adores her Dad, and she means the world to him – it’s great seeing them together! Trevor added, “We both miss going to DAD’S CLUB, but now that Paisley has started school she is too old to attend. However, we still visit and we are always made to feel welcome. Without the children’s centre I honestly don’t know where I would be now. They have supported us through the custody battle, my mother’s bereavement, helped me find full-time work and showed me how to be the best dad that I can be – I really can’t thank them enough.” If you or anyone you know is struggling with domestic violence please contact: Clubmoor Children’s centre. www.clubmoorandellergreen.co.uk or call 0151 233 8500. Men’s Advice Line, free phone 0808 801 0327 (Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm), or email info@mensadviceline.org.uk Family services directory website, visit www.fsd.liverpool.gov.uk Mankind national helpline, call 01823 334244 Women’s Aid, 24hr helpline 0808 2000 247

www.myclubmoor.co.uk

Issue No. 05

ALLOTMENT CHALLENGE GARDEN /ALLOTMENT CHALLENGE

FOOD FOR THOUGHT EVENT

n Sunday, May 24, St Andrews held a BBQ and Open Day at Marlborough Allotments to launch their Food for Thought project.

The project not only encourages an appreciation for gardening and our environment, it also nurtures community spirit by inviting residents to grow, cook and eat together. The initiative also benefits our local food banks who are hoping to provide fresh fruit fruits and vegetables with their 3-day emergency food packages. Over 100 people came along to the magnificent launch event and a memorable day was had by everyone! Children were invited to plant a range of seeds that they could take away with them and grown-ups learned more about growing their own food, ways to cook it and how they can get involved with their local community. If you would like any more information on the environmental projects in the areas and how you can get involved, please get in touch with Sally or Lianne on 0151 270 3803

ur local environment is a hugely important part of our consultation and bigger picture plan. You said,

â&#x20AC;&#x153;WE WANT TO LIVE AND WORK IN A CLEANER, GREENER AND SAFER ENVIRONMENT. WE WANT TO LIVE IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT BENEFITS EVERYONE IN OUR LOCAL COMMUNITYâ&#x20AC;?. MyClubmoor believes that we can all get involved in this environmentally positive project and one way to achieve our goal is by working together. Local people are being encouraged to grow their own food and flowers and work together to keep our environment clean.

On the Sunday, April 12, MyClubmoor in partnership with Grandison, Marlborough and Walton Hall allotments launched the Garden/Allotment Challenge. We had a great day with vegetable modelling and planting, and we also saw lots of people signing up to take part in the challenges! Competition categories include; Best Vegetable, Best Chutney and Best Display. We had our resident experts on hand to offer advice, hints and tips to encourage residents of any ability to take part. Final judging will take place on Saturday, August 23 at Grandison Road Allotments and everyone is welcome to attend. All entries must be home grown and exhibitors can donate their produce to North Liverpool food bank, any preserves or displays can be sold and proceeds will donated.

www.myclubmoor.co.uk

Issue No. 05

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Issue No. 05

GET ACTIVE EXCELLENT WAY TO STAY FIT

e all know that exercise plays an important part in keeping us healthy, and running clubs have never been more popular across Merseyside. Running clubs are an integral part of a healthy community and an excellent way to stay fit whilst saving your pennies – there’s no expensive gym fees with the great outdoors! David Kirk, of St Andrews Church, said:

“Joining a running club was a fantastic idea, exercise helps boost our motivation and societies like these are a great way to make new friends. As a church we encourage running, the Curate, David Owens is a keen runner along with the MyClubmoor chair, Kevin Peacock. We recently held the Liverpool half Marathon in the city and we will soon be seeing being people run through the Mersey tunnel to complete a 10k race. In June, the city plays host to the Rock and Roll Marathon – this event is sure to keep the city “on its toes!” On a local level, there are many active runners who take part in local events and are members of local running clubs. Tony Riley and David Kirk recently travelled to Paris to compete in a marathon and have shared their experiences with us. We couldn’t help but feel that it’s some achievement to complete a marathon…but an even greater one to compete in an unfamiliar country.

Both men recently travelled to Paris to complete their marathon, and made some distinct comparisons between that and the London marathon they have both completed. The Paris marathon started and finished at the Champs Elyse. Tony said,

“It didn’t quite generate the same level of support as the London marathon, but the weather was warm and the accommodation was very good.” David and Tony are both members of Liverpool running club in Walton Hall Park, and along with the main running clubs in Merseyside, there are a number of clubs that are free to join that take place in the city and its suburbs on a regular basis. David said:

“I swore that I would never run another marathon but I enjoy supporting my friends and it sounded exciting. It’s this type of activity that residents in the local should be inspired by.” Tony said:

We believe there is more development in the popularity of the sport to come and urge local Clubmoor residents to take part in a running near them.

“I saw the race on Eurosport and I personally just wanted to do more than one marathon. I’ve found that attending a local running club is really important to give you support and help with morale. Liverpool Running Club is very supportive and there is no pressure to exceed your own personal goals and there’s always lots of encouragement.”

There are a variety of running clubs in the city but the most local ones available are:

Both David and Tony agreed that it was a fantastic to embark on the journey to Paris and were accompanied by two friends from Penny Lane Striders running club. Despite it not matching the London marathon’s atmosphere, the Paris marathon had unique differences that made it an amazing experience. Tony may have discovered a novel idea that he may use in the UK too! Tony said,

“Instead of free gels, I was given sugar lumps when I was running in Paris. I reckon they worked a lot better than the gels – I ran a personal best 14 minutes faster than my previous!” 8

•

Natterjack Run Club: Monday evenings from 6.15pm, North John St in Liverpool City Centre.

•

Leap Project: Wednesday mornings at 9.30am,

•

Newsham Park (there is a bike ride and a healthy eating course afterwards).

•

Liverpool Running Club: Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7pm, Walton Hall Park

Natterjack and The Leap Project are both led by Jenny Clague Jenny said:

“Witnessing how the runners achieve and improve from not running and then growing in confidence and believing in themselves is what gives me a buzz.” All of the above offer support for Runners of all abilities and ages and a great way to get fit!!

www.myclubmoor.co.uk

Issue No. 05

MORE CLUBMOOR MR PAXTON’S STORY

r Patrick Paxton is a local resident who contacted MyClubmoor with growing concerns over increasing damage to the graves in West Derby Cemetery. Over the last 10 years Liverpool City Council has been testing head stones across the city’s cemeteries as some have become dangerous. The number of head stones that have become damaged has increased year on year and the restoration of the cemeteries is an expensive process. Due to massive cuts in the city, the cemeteries have been forced to take a back seat in the cities priorities, as there isn’t enough money to fix or restore any of the head stones that have been damaged. Local Councillor James Noakes has maintained regular contact with Mr Paxton and explained the difficulties that the council have faced in finding a solution.

Cllr Noakes told MyClubmoor:

“Whilst it is regrettable that headstones are laid down it is done to ensure the safety of the visitors to the cemeteries. Unfortunately, each grave is the responsibility of the owners - the families with loved ones buried there. It is their responsibility to re-erect the headstones yet some of them are very old and the families may no longer be with us. The Council cannot spend public money on private property like that. In any case, it would cost in excess of £2.5m to simply re-erect headstones in Liverpool alone.

Given the financial situation we find ourselves in, I would suggest that would not be the best use of money. I have asked for our staff to consider alternative methods of maintenance but given the insurance and liability issues, it is felt to be inappropriate to consider volunteers.” MyClubmoor’s Lianne & Carol met with Mr Paxton to see if we could help raise some awareness through the newspaper and also try to get local people involved in finding a solution. Paul, a local stone mason, has since met with Lianne at the cemetery to discuss the feasibility and costs. However, it’s important to understand the challenge that lies ahead and appreciate the enormous financial and legal issues involved with this project – particularly during the current economic climate.

Fashion Show In the last edition we told you about award winner Ella Radford and her great idea of having a fashion using recycled materials. It tells the story of the myclubmoor’s plan in fashion and the children involved have worked extremely hard and will be hosting the fashion show. 17th October 2015 4.00pm - 6.00pm at St Andrews church, Adshead road, Liverpool L,13 0AL Tickets are available from myclubmoor/St Andrews community network Roscoe Primary school, Ballantyne road entrance, L13 9AL or email events@standrewslive.org.uk Tickets cost £1 and all monies will be donated to North Liverpool Foodbank

www.myclubmoor.co.uk

Issue No. 05

MORE CLUBMOOR OUR HISTORY

n apology. We had a lovely phone call about the last page on Clubmoor’s history and it seems that our dates were wrong. The train explosion actually happened on May 3 1941 – the lovely lady who called us actually lived one of the houses involved! As promised in our last edition of MyClubmoor, this edition will look at the arrival of baseball in Britain. Modern British Baseball was ratified in 1892, when the term ‘Rounders’ was dropped from the name, although the International Baseball Board wasn’t founded until 1927. It only has 2 members, The English Baseball association and the Welsh Baseball Association. Since then, a Liverpool team has won the league 9 times and come in as runner up 3 times. The first recognised international England v Wales game, which Wales won, was played on 3 August 1908. International games were played at either Cardiff Arms Park or Goodison Park, although the last game at Goodison was the 1948 Lancashire final, the Trojans against the Cardinals. Of course sportsmen in those day’s quite often played more than one sport and even the great Dixie Dean turned his hand to baseball, playing in not one but two Liverpool teams, whilst also playing football!

HISTORY PAGE English baseball was very popular in Liverpool, and in fact is reputed to have started right on our doorsteps, in Clubmoor! Games were regularly played on the Townsend fields and during the time when Americans were based here, games were played between the locals and the “Yanks” all the time. Sadly participation levels slumped in Liverpool, mainly because of interference in 1933 from Sir John Moores of Littlewoods Pools, who made moves to encourage American rules, greatly diminishing UK rules baseball. The setting up of a professional league in 1939 further impacted the sport. It would be wonderful if we could see those heady days of games being played on sunny afternoons on the fields… Yes I know that there is football played, but it would be good to see baseball played again, particularly if it was English baseball rather than its American counterpart! Have you played in the local league? Do you have a story to tell? Are you are interested in playing again? Or helping to re-invent the game? Please get in touch with MyClubmoordetails on the back.

n our last edition, we introduced you to Hollie Best-Dutton and we’ve had a few requests to know how she’s getting on, so here we go… Hollie fought in Nottingham on Saturday, May 2, 2015 in the NTC Open Championship. She fought in 2 categories

Junior Female 55kg - Gold Senior Female 57kg - Bronze Hollie is at present looking for sponsorship because, as I’m sure you can all imagine, travel to and from competitions is not cheap! If you think you could help, either as a one of donation or as something more regular, please contact the office and we’ll pass your details on to Hollies team!

www.myclubmoor.co.uk

Issue No. 05

CAROL’S BLOG CATCHING UP WITH CAROL

ello again! Well it’s been a busy couple of months for me. For those who remember the last edition of the paper, the back page was an invitation to sign up for a Garden/Allotment challenge. We had an amazing time at the launch event; we saw live demonstrations, listened to hints and tips from gardening professionals and I felt that the community really came together! I’d like to congratulate everyone who managed to make a vegetable model and keep a straight face…because I certainly didn’t. There’s still time to get involved, even if you didn’t manage to sign-up on the day – be sure to contact a member of the MyClubmoor team if you’re interested.

If you would like a booklet with further information about the event and details on what we would like you to grow/make, please contact the office using the comment slip (see last page) or call us. If you have access to the internet, you can also go online at www.myclubmoor.co.uk to discover more details and to download a copy of the registration form and booklet. On 31 May, St Andrew’s, Clubmoor was visited by the Bishop of Liverpool. This followed a full week of programmes by St Andrew’s including a Hog Roast, Kidz Treasure Hunt, Men’s Curry Night, a Friday Night Quiz and a Ladies Breakfast. I didn’t make it to everything, but I did pop along to the Ladies Breakfast, an event that takes place on a regular basis at St Andrew’s and is always a hit! I was also lucky

enough to The Bishop too. Bishop Paul was introduced to Liverpool from the offices of St Andrew’s and was seen leaving with a copy of the second My Clubmoor Paper tucked under his arm so it was nice to see him back in the area. He was once again very complimentary about Clubmoor and his message was one of humility and mission: “Things are changing in England. In the old days the church had lots of money and lots of respect, and frankly we took all that for granted. Now we’ve got less money and we need to earn respect, by saying and doing true and real things. I think that’s all to the good. We need to be humble as Jesus was humble, a poor church with a rich message for everyone.” A brilliant message for us in Clubmoor.

We are looking for any contributors that may be interested in learning more about all things news and media related. If the answer to any of the following questions is “YES!”, then we’d love to hear from you: • Could you write an article for the MyClubmoor newspaper or a blog on are website? • Could you be a roaming journalist and interview local people at our events?

We are looking for people over the age of eight years old and upwards to learn and develop skills in these areas. If you are interested please contact Lianne or fill in the slip at the back!

• Would you prefer to volunteer behind the scenes and work with our audio and visual equipment? • Are you interested in social media and website development? • Are you interested in local history?

www.myclubmoor.co.uk

Issue No. 05