MyClubmoor Newspaper Issue 8

www.myclubmoor.co.uk

Issue No. 08

Summer 2016

WHAT’S INSIDE....

MY CLUBMOOR - PG 2 PEOPLE LIKE... GORDON DINN - PG 3 PEOPLE LIKE… LIZ WILLIAMS - PG 4 PEOPLE LIKE… NICKY WILLIAMS - PG 5

LEAMINGTON SCHOOL GARDENING CLUB - PG 6 PEOPLE LIKE… PAUL ROTHERAM - PG 7 PEOPLE LIKE… PETE ATKINSON - PG 8 PEOPLE LIKE… DANIEL RYDER - PG 9

CLUBMOOR’S HISTORY - PG 10 CAROL’S BLOG - PG 11

www.myclubmoor.co.uk

Issue No. 08

COMING SOON TO CLUBMOOR

A NOTE FROM THE CHAIR couple of weeks ago I met Victor and Cuthbert who were visiting Liverpool from Malawi. Like me and many others in Clubmoor, they are heavily involved in their local church and in their community as volunteers. Their work is transforming their local area.

The numbers are amazing - over 22,000 people have participated in their community activities. 64,000 people now have clean water as a result of their work, and 60,000 people are part of the ‘Village savings and loans’ scheme.

I asked Cuthbert about how they do what they do. His response was simple, and reminded me of what we are trying to do here in MyClubmoor.

He said that he thinks that “everybody is somebody”, and all they do is

“HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY WANT TO DO, AND THEN TO REACH IT.”

money in these times of financial difficulty.

So look out for more on this as we go through the year.

Cuthbert said when we met that;

We also think that it is people like Gordon, Liz or Daniel who will help us to achieve our vision to make Clubmoor the best that it can possibly be.

They have all taken a step into the unknown by having a go at something new, and are now all involved in MyClubmoor in different ways. You can read the stories of them and others in this newspaper, and see the opportunities for you to follow in their footsteps.

At the Poppy Centre, 179 Townsend Lane, Clubmoor, Liverpool, L13 9DY Every Wednesday at 1:30PM, £2 admission

“NO ONE KNOWS THEIR COMMUNITY BETTER THAN THE PEOPLE IN IT, AND NO ONE KNOWS YOU BETTER THAN YOURSELF”.

GARDEN So that leaves you with a couple of questions.

ALLOTMENT What changes would you like to see in CHALLENGE Clubmoor, and how can you make them happen?

As Margaret Mead once said:

“NEVER DOUBT THAT A SMALL GROUP OF THOUGHTFUL, COMMITTED CITIZENS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD; INDEED, IT’S THE ONLY THING THAT EVER HAS.” Kevin Peacock, MyClubmoor Chairperson

I have great pleasure in presenting this issue of MyClubmoor, we’re doing something a little different: presenting our plan for 2016-2017.

Throughout the issue, we’ll be giving you loads of opportunities to get involved in the Clubmoor community and make a difference in your area.

We think that people like what we have been doing with the event programme, so expect more Dog Shows, Family Fun Days and Allotment Challenges. Everybody likes opportunities to get involved, so expect more chances to volunteer.

We also want everyone to get involved with our awards programme. At our popular SOUP events, we give the Clubmoor community the chance to pitch any big ideas they have, and successful pitches will receive funding to make their idea happen.

WEEKLY BINGO

21st August 2016, 9AM-4PM Marlborough Road Allotments

MYCLUBMOOR DOG SHOW Sunday, July 24th, 11AM-3PM Walton Clubmoor Recreational Ground

WEEKLY LINE DANCING CLASS Every Thursday, 10AM-12:30PM Poppy Centre, 179 Townsend Lane, Clubmoor, Liverpool, L13 9DY £4 per class

Monday Nights 7—8:30pm @ St Andrews Community Network Roscoe Primary School, Ballantyne Rd entrance, Clubmoor, L13 9AL SCHOOL TERM TIME ONLY

EVERYONE 16+ WELCOME (all 16-17 yr olds must be accompanied by an adult)

Led by a professional Music Director Contact Deb Price @ St Andrews Church office 0151 226 1977

ST ANDREW’S CHURCH SERVICES, EVERY SUNDAY 9am Holy Communion This is a more traditional service with hymns and liturgy. It is a quiet and more reflective space to worship God. 10.45am Morning Worship This is a lively, contemporary service for all ages led by our worship band. There is a Crèche for children under three, and different groups for children of all ages.

Finally, we think that people would like us to try and make a bigger difference in the lives of young people, to help to change our local economy, and to support people with their

2

www.myclubmoor.co.uk

Issue No. 08

PEOPLE LIKE… GORDON DINN SHARING STORIES OF PEOPLE IN THE CLUBMOOR COMMUNITY

I

n this special issue of MyClubmoor, we’ll be sharing stories of people in the Clubmoor community doing great things, and inspiring others to follow in their footsteps. Every single day the people of Clubmoor accomplish so many wonderful things, so it’s about time we shared some Clubmoor stories with you. Who knows – one day it may be YOUR story we’re sharing! Introducing: ‘People Like…’

You may have seen Gordon Dinn around the area. You can always spot him collecting recycled scrap wood, such as pallets and old fences - any type of wood he can get his hands on. Gordon is an entrepreneur with a simple and wonderful idea: he uses the wood he collects to design and create new furniture.

Gordon attended our first SOUP event which was held at St Andrews Church, to pitch his business to the mixture of people within the group. He was very nervous before the pitch, but when the time came he stood up tall and proud, and pitched his idea to the crowd. He explained that making furniture from recycled wood had long been a hobby of his, but he hoped to make it become his full-time work. He’d drive around in his little car collecting wood, and design and build innovative, resourceful, recycled furniture.

He was voted the best upcoming entrepreneur of the evening. Gordon was awarded the money that had been collected on the door from the

SOUP event, and he used the money to purchase a new woodwork drill – the same drill he uses to make his recycled furniture today!

to purchase a number of different tools and apparatus needed to be able to do more intricate work and designs.

Gordon has gone on to meet lots of new people within the St Andrews Community Network and MyClubmoor community. Getting to know new people has allowed Gordon to create a network of contacts, and have the chance to share his valuable skills with others. From building up such a diverse network, he was able to find people who were interested in buying his bespoke, handmade, recycled furniture.

Now, he is enthusiastic about the idea of building a kid’s play area with small mud kitchens – wooden play-kitchens where children can make pretend food out of mud, dandelions, grass and anything else they can find – lots of fun! The play area and mud kitchens would all be made from recycled scrap wood, and be a really good eco-friendly, safe and fun place for the local kids to play.

The next step was to get himself some business cards, and distribute them within the local area.

In doing so, he got the word out about what it was that he was doing. His company’s name, ‘Pallet Designs’, started to spread throughout the area and bring in even more business. This encouraged him to create some new ideas to fit in around the seasons, including a Countdown Board and a hand-built Christmas tree.

Through the MyClubmoor community, Gordon was put in touch with the local ‘Inbetweenies’ kids group in St Andrews Church, where he is now making a mud kitchen and a large play area for the kids at the group so kids from the Clubmoor community will have a fun and safe place to play right within the church grounds.

At the MyClubmoor Christmas Fair, he was able to show people some of the outstanding pieces that he had produced, including Christmas projects he had designed. He received an exceptionally good response, with people even suggesting new ideas to him and projects that he had not previously considered. Feeling confident about what he was doing, Gordon spoke to MyClubmoor regarding the extension of his business to become a full-time position.

He was introduced to the awards programme through the MyClubmoor ‘I Heart’ programme, where he was able to succesfully apply for a grant to help with the start-up of his business.

Gordon used the award and loan he received

To get involved at our next Soup event or for more information contact: lianne@standrewslive.org.uk or call 0151 270 3803

3

The next big project Gordon is working on is his allotment. He has the vision of turning his patch on Marlborough Allotments into another larger play area and mud kitchen with space for child minders to sit and chat with other child minders.

He envisions a safe, eco-friendly space in the middle of the allotments that allows parents and minders to watch over their kids and work on their allotments at the same time.

With enough perseverance and support from the Clubmoor community, Gordon will keep on crafting great projects that we can all enjoy. If you have a great idea for a business or a project and you are interested in coming to a SOUP event to get your project off the ground, contact: Lianne at Lianna@standrewslive.co.uk.

My Clubmoor would like to welcome you to our second Soup event which will allow you to pitch your business proposal to members of the local community in the hope of securing long term funding in the future.

www.myclubmoor.co.uk

Issue No. 08

PEOPLE LIKE… LIZ WILLIAMS SHARING STORIES OF PEOPLE IN THE CLUBMOOR COMMUNITY

H

ere’s the story of Liz, who for the last four years has been a Roscoe School Governor. Working with local authorities, she plays an important role in guiding the staffing and finances of the school, always working to make the school a better and more positive place for the kids and the local community.

Liz became a part of the St Andrews network through meeting Steve and Andrea McGanity on the Roscoe School governors board. She has two children and lives with her partner in West Derby, where she’s lived for 20 years.

Liz has been an active member of the Clubmoor community for a long time now. She went to Holly Lodge Girls School, and from the age of 14 she worked at Lee’s Sweet Shop for 3-4 years – who remembers the shop? From a young age, Liz recognised Clubmoor locals from seeing them on a regular basis. Even now, she still remembers some local faces from all those years ago.

After leaving the sweet shop, Liz took a role in training and education for NVQ courses, helping those in work or looking for work with training in soft skills such as customer service, communications and management.

Liz also worked in housing for Plus Dane. She was their Learning Development Manager where she trained a work force of about 500 in general

health and safety and accounts. She had to put across the values in which the company aimed for through the training, she did so with lots of group work with a driven culture for success.

Not only that Liz started volunteering with a Breast Cancer Care group helping ladies access alternative head coverings whilst undergoing chemotherapy.

“LET’S GET EVERYONE TOGETHER AND MAKE A MARKET FOR EVERYONE IN CLUBMOOR TO ENJOY.” 5 years ago, Liz eventually had to stop work for a period for maternity leave, but while away from work she felt a lot more aware of what she wanted to do. She felt like she wanted to empower people to move forward and assist them in reaching their goals, focusing on the Clubmoor community. Her main target was in helping drive people’s ideas and aspirations by supporting and teaching them to push and achieve their goals on their own.

3 years ago, Liz also started her own scarf business. The idea was to bring together women through the simple fashion accessory of a homemade scarf. She started the business with only £100, but through creativity and perseverance she made it happen.

She began by taking scarfs into work to sell, and initially had a real success rate, but soon realised that she had to do more. Liz started running scarf parties and pop-up stalls at events and people’s homes. She said this had a good success, as it gave customers a chance to

To get involved in our Summer Markets or for more information contact Lianne: lianne@standrewslive.org.uk or call 0151 270 3803

4

have a good look at all her products and it was the perfect environment for her to practice her communications and sales skills. Her scarves are becoming more and more popular.

Liz is passionate about encouraging people to become an important part of their communities, and becoming one of the little pieces that make the big picture. In becoming a part of the St Andrews Community, she got involved in some volunteering projects helping at some events, and through these events she found out all about MyClubmoor. Straight away, she was keen to become a part of the growing MyClubmoor community too.

She joined our board and is currently our newest member, and she is looking to use the skills and experience from all her previous voluntary work to make a real positive impact on the community.

After the loss of Broadway Markets in the Clubmoor area, Liz came up with the idea of getting back a local market in our community as it would complement the local shops, and bring more business into our thriving area. With Liz’s past experience in organising and running a market, she felt that she could run a really successful, community-changing project.

And this is where YOU come in! Anyone interested in helping support Liz and MyClubmoor in starting up some markets within our community, or anyone who is interested in having a stall at our markets can contact Lianne using the details below. Together, we can make it happen.

www.myclubmoor.co.uk

Issue No. 08

PEOPLE LIKE… NICKY WILLIAMS SHARING STORIES OF PEOPLE IN THE CLUBMOOR COMMUNITY

N

icky has lived in the Clubmoor area for over 10 years with her husband and 3 children, and has been an active member of St Andrews Church for a long time.

She and her family have been involved in many volunteering opportunities within the church.

Nicky has a background in finance, so she applied for a role as a debt advisor to give debt advice to clients within the Clubmoor area from St Andrews church. The goal of the debt advice was to try and help people be released from the burden of debt, and become financially empowered again.

After giving debt advice to the community, Nicky became aware that there was a real need for more education on finance. Nicky’s aim was to help people avoid debt in the first place. To fight the battle to prevent debt, she wrote and put in place a Money Education course for all ages.

The course is to help people discover and understand what their financial priorities are, whilst also teaching how to budget for the future.

Nicky was able to get her Money Education course accredited so that she could teach the course outside of Clubmoor as well. Big Local Trust approached Nicky, asking her to run a day

of training to help other Big Local areas.

They wanted people of the areas to look at debt situation and to think about how they could influence financial capability through things like money education, benefit advice and debt advice.

Nicky become aware of the Clubmoor area and the need to make a change, and she wanted to be the person that helped make that change.

She heard about MyClubmoor through St. Andrews Church, and MyClubmoor were looking for local people with a keen interest in their community who wanted to get involved to make changes for the better. They were looking for people who would be interested in becoming a member of the MyClubmoor board of trustees.

Nicky joined the board the first chance she got. She was already very involved in lots of volunteering throughout the church and the St Andrews Network. She found that she had a passion and interest in what happened in the community, and that being able to be a part of the board and making a positive change gave her something she could put her mind and energy into.

Currently, Nicky is a full time Slimming World manager and consultant. She holds 1 group within the Clubmoor Norris Green area, and also runs groups in Liverpool City Centre and Toxteth.

She supports both members and consultants in the best method of weight loss by teaching knowledge in a healthy balanced way, through making the right choices with food, finding empowering ways to exercise and helping people confront any underlying psychological issues that may be contributing to their obesity.

Nicky cares about helping beat obesity and giving people control of their own life. She also loves watching them grow in confidence and self-esteem throughout the program, which is what really makes a difference to the members.

She is invaluable to her community, and one of Clubmoor’s many unsung heroes.

“TOGETHER, WE CAN TAKE CONTROL OF OUR LIVES. EVERYBODY IS WELCOME TO JOIN OUR COMMUNITY.”

Nicky has been a MyClubmoor board member for 3 years now. She has become a Money Education specialist, and has produced an accredited course which has been successfully taught to other advisors looking to pass on the knowledge to avoid debt. All of this started with the simple intention of helping her community become financially empowered, one person at a time.

Thursday

Saturday

St Teresa’s Parish Club Utting Avenue East, L11 4.30pm & 6.30pm Nicky Williams: 07903873340

Above Subway Ranelagh Street (next to Central Station) 8.30 am Nicky Williams: 07903873340

Norris Green

City Centre

5

www.myclubmoor.co.uk

Issue No. 08

LEAMINGTON SCHOOL GARDENING CLUB AFTER SCHOOL FUN

L

eamington Community Primary School in Norris Green is a school for boys and girls from ages 3-11. The school’s mission statement is to ‘work to provide a happy, secure and stimulating environment in which every child is valued and encouraged to achieve their full potential through the development of a love of learning and a desire to expand their knowledge’. This is something that the teachers and staff work hard at, every single day.

The school wanted to create a place where the children could come after school to have fun but also learn and develop. The project also needed to be independent from the school. After plenty of discussion, they came up with idea of starting a ‘Gardening Club’ for a group of children aged 7-10.

The project helps the children take control of their own learning, and teaches them about taking care of the raised garden beds around the school playground. The children have also learnt how to grow and care for flowers, vegetables and fruit.

When the group first started, about 14 children were involved. The school heard about the awards program in MyClubmoor and decided to put the Gardening Club forward for the ‘I Heart’ award. The group were looking for some funding so they could purchase some tools and planters to help them garden and grow their own produce.

They were able to find someone to come in and repair the raised beds that were already there, and remove old bushes that were in the front of the school. This was all done so the children could replant the raised beds and begin the process of growing their flowers and vegetables around the school grounds.

Some time, after winning the ‘I Heart’ award, the school got back in touch with all of us at MyClubmoor to say thank you for awarding them the grant, and tell us all about what the money was going towards. They were able to buy some new trowels, forks and plenty of compost to bring the garden to life.

The project enables the children to work together and cooperate with each other by listening to each other’s ideas. The impact on the school has been ‘brilliant’, the project leader said,

They are still working on the development of the memorial garden, but their highlight was receiving two awards from MyClubmoor: one for the brilliant potatoes that they grew, and one for their homemade chutney. The chutney was produced by the children in Year 6, using the produce grown by the group. The group were so thrilled to get recognized for all their hard work. Receiving this award has filled the children with a newfound sense of confidence and empowerment.

‘WE ARE GREENING THE SITE WHICH IS LARGELY A CONCRETE BASED SCHOOL’.

The word about the Gardening Club got round the school, and soon there was a waiting list of other children who wanted to join in and become a part of the group.

In addition to growing flowers and vegetables, the children also asked if they could develop a memorial corner. A number of the children have lost loved ones in their lives, and wanted to come together and create a place that they could go to in order to quietly reflect and leave messages of remembrance.

6

At present the children have grown; potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, lettuces, tomatoes, radishes, beetroot and strawberries. By continuing to work hard and work together, the children will go on to grow even more fresh produce, and bring more and more greenness and life to Clubmoor. Who knows – maybe they’ll go on to have allotments of their own, and compete in the Clubmoor allotment challenge.

www.myclubmoor.co.uk

Issue No. 08

PEOPLE LIKE… PAUL ROTHERAM SHARING STORIES OF PEOPLE IN THE CLUBMOOR COMMUNITY

P

aul and his family have lived in Clubmoor for all of their life. Paul is one of the most well-loved, colourful characters in the Clubmoor community, and is absolutely great at forming relationships and engaging with people from all walks of life.

Paul is well-known for being a long-standing member of the Grandison road allotments, where he has also been their Chairman. In addition to his work at the allotments, he also runs fundraisers for charities and hosts events at the taxi club.

Paul’s passion is in helping others engage with food and eating healthily. He has had many successful events with the local schools and disability groups, and has even got involved in supporting other organisation’s events.

3 years ago, Paul joined the MyClubmoor partnership board and got involved in many of our projects and events. Last year, he took ownership of our allotment challenge and facilitated the running of the event with the 3 local allotments – Marlborough Road, Grandison Road, and Walton Hall Park.

He managed to get loads of people involved from outside of the allotment community, and got people growing and producing their own entries. He even had the schools taking part and competing against

each other in the challenge!

This year Paul will once again be the driving force behind the challenge, bringing everyone together for a fantastic event. He is hoping to expand on all the work he did last year, and encourage local children and their families to take in this year’s scouse challenge. In the scouse challenge, children are challenged to grow their own produce and make their own scouse, which is then judged by the MyClubmoor team.

Last year Paul was also elected to be chairperson for our grants committee group where he liaises with LCVS (Liverpool Charity and Voluntary Services) on behalf of the board to deliver our grants program and support our local entrepreneurs.

FOOD BANK DROP OFF: ROSCOE PRIMARY SCHOOL, BALLANTYNE ROAD ENTRANCE, L11 9AL

Paul is also part of a team that are looking for ways to bring our parks back to life. He is passionate about encouraging everyone to use the green spaces of Clubmoor, and to get involved and care about their parks, allotments and gardens.

Absolutely everyone is welcome to take part in the allotment challenge, led by Paul, or to join MyClubmoor at one of our food focused events.

Paul is a hackney driver and last year had his taxi wrapped with the everyone counts logos and brand to further support and raise awareness of food poverty.

If you don’t want to take part in our food events but you still want to help out the community, you can donate some food to the local food bank any time by leaving it at our office.

Marlborough gardening club annual vegetable, flower and craft show 28th August 2016 doors open to public at 1pm

IN LOVING MEMORY OF JOHN SPRUCE

MyClubmoor has teamed up with Grandison road, Marlborough and Walton hall allotments to host our very own allotment challenge. Fancy yourself as a prize willing grower? Pride yourself on your preserves?

Or just fancy having a go?

Set up from: 9:00am Announcing Winners: 2

-11:30 - 4pm

Sunday 21st August

Marlborough Road Allotments Brownville Road entrance

7

My Clubmoor at St Andrews Community Network, Roscoe Primary School, Ballantyne Road, L13 9AL for more information please contact 0151 226 3406 lianne@standrewslive.org.uk

www.myclubmoor.co.uk

Issue No. 08

PEOPLE LIKE… PETE ATKINSON SHARING STORIES OF PEOPLE IN THE CLUBMOOR COMMUNITY

F

or 15 years now, Pete has been training dogs – this is his story. It all started when he got some Black Labradors and trained them to be gun dogs, capable of tracking and retrieving game.

He began breeding his own dogs for training and hunting, and discovered Italian Spinones - another gun dog breed. He worked hard to train the dogs, and before long he was going to competitions with his dogs, entering agility and strict obedience competitions. Pete and his dogs became so popular that they started touring the country with a dog display team, impressing dog enthusiasts all over the country.

Pete and his Italian Spinones achieved more and more fame and before long they qualified for Crufts, the biggest dog show in England (maybe even the world!). Incredibly, he holds a 1st Place award at Crufts, as well as a number of other awards and achievements during his time showing.

With such a track record of training gun dogs and show dogs, Pete turned his attention to a new kind of dog training, one that could help people and stop crime: Police Dogs. He started training a breed of dog that he had never trained before, a herding dog from France called the Beauceron. He started working trials with this dog, teaching the dog how to track people.

At Walton Clubmoor Recreational ground 11am to 3pm, Sunday, July 24, 2016 for more information please contact Lianne: 0151 226 3406 or lianne@standrewslive.org.uk

He was so impressed by how well his Beauceron responded to his training that he started promoting the breed around the country, and competing at Crufts on the ‘Discover Dogs’ stand, doing his best to popularise the French breed.

In addition to his Black Labradors, Italian Spinones and his Beauceron, Pete also has a pet Manchester Terrier – a British dog that is becoming less and less common. Pete’s Manchester terrier has also competed at Crufts. Pete firmly believes that Manchester Terriers are wonderful, agile dogs and he actively encourages more people to get one of their own.

Pete is a qualified Kennel Club judge for show dogs, and also judges dogs on behalf of the Good Citizen Dog Training scheme, awarding Bronze, Silver and Gold awards depending on how obedient the dog is. Pete is available to visit people at home if they have behavioural problems with their dogs, and he also carries out training classes on Saturday mornings.

Not only that, but Pete also looks after dogs in his family home, providing a safe and secure environment while the owners are away.

3 years ago, Pete met with Lianne from MyClubmoor to discuss what Clubmoor could do about the problem with dog fouling, and how the community could promote responsible dog ownership. Together, Pete and Lianne came up with a community dog show that would showcase the importance of looking after your dog correctly, and show people what they are able to achieve with the right care and training.

This year Pete started his own puppy training

We thought what we could do about the dog fouling and how we could promote responsible ownership in our area. Together we came up with a community dog show that would showcase the importance of looking after your dog correctly and also what they are able to achieve with the right care and training. But not only it’s a day where the locals can meet and socialise and show off there doggies, a day not to be missed.

8

school, which is also nurturing and training Clubmoor dogs to enter and showcase their talents in our annual dog show. It is through this training school that we’ll find our display team for the 2016 Clubmoor dog show. By 2017, Pete will take full ownership of the dog show and display team, so that we can have a wonderful dog show in Clubmoor every year for years to come.

The Clubmoor dog show is an event with a real focus on Responsible Dog ownership. It’s a fun day, with lots of charity activities and guidance on training dogs. Big beautiful rosettes can be won by young and old, with dogs of all breeds and talents. Nobody is excluded, and to top it off we give prizes out to winners! It’s a day full of smiling people and happy dogs – A fantastic day in the Clubmoor calendar and one that is definitely not to be missed. Be sure to come down!

“THE DOG SHOW IS A FUN WAY TO HELP PROMOTE RESPONSIBLE OWNERSHIP AND BRING THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER” And if you want to join the Clubmoor dog community and help out, just contact: Lianne at Lianne@standrewslive.org.uk

www.myclubmoor.co.uk

Issue No. 08

PEOPLE LIKE… DANIEL RYDER ELLA RADFORD

O

ur newest member of the MyClubmoor family, and the youngest person to be featured in our ‘People Like…’ series. Dan has come on board in association with Liverpool Chamber of Commerce doing his NVQ level 3 apprenticeship in Social Media, Marketing and Communications. Daniel first became interested in Media when he completed his art GCSE at school, and also gained a Certificate in Digital Applications (CIDA).

Dan enjoyed working making creative, compelling graphic design pieces. After finishing his A-levels, he decided to continue his studies at St Margaret’s Church of England Academy.

After Dan’s first year, he decided he wanted to gain some real-life work experience.

He secured a placement at Venture Photography on Rodney Street, Liverpool where he honed his photography skills. Meeting clients and evaluating what style of photography would best capture them, then conducting photo-shoots and editing the pictures to create the right look. Dan loved the whole process, and was proud of the fact that his clients loved his work.

Dan applied his creative and digital skills to setting up a website to promote his dad’s business. He also used his knowledge of social media sites to publicise the business, which has received good feedback & led to potential clients.

Dan started voluntary work with MyClubmoor and St Andrews Community Network. Helping out at our ‘Well Being’ event and our first SOUP event and managed to organise an apprenticeship with MyClubmoor through the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce. Leading up to Dan starting his apprenticeship, he took part in MyClubmoor’s Peer Coaching project.

Dan is now a fully trained peer coach with a great deal more confidence in how to understand people and how to reinforce positivity in all people at all times, and really make a difference to the lives of people surrounding him – both in the Clubmoor community and beyond.

Because of his love of music, he spent the summer of 2015 working at festivals. It was while doing this work that Dan noticed the difference in himself and with his confidence, communicating with ease to people from all over the world. He dreamt of organising a festival in Clubmoor to bring the young together through music and with a common goal.

When asked about travelling, Dan said

‘I HAVE A THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE AND WANT TO LEARN ALL I CAN ABOUT DIFFERENT RELIGIONS’.

Dan’s curiosity led him to join St Andrew’s youth team, where he seized the opportunity to join them on a trip to Malawi in Africa. He had the privilege of visiting a youth prison where Dan gave prisoners football kits that had been donated from Liverpool football club. He played

football with the youth in the prison and with children in a local orphanage, saying;

‘THIS WAS THE MOST HUMBLING EXPERIENCE’, The village where the youth team stayed is a community that St Andrew’s church has been supporting for many years, and the Youth Team trip marked the first time anyone from the St Andrew’s community had been over to see them.

Their community did not have much in life, but were so grateful for them coming over. They even presented them with a goat which they then went on to have for their dinner that evening!

Since joining the MyClubmoor family, Dan said,

‘I FEEL LIKE I’M IN A MUCH BETTER PLACE IN MYSELF, AND EVERY DAY SEEMS TO JUST BE GETTING BETTER AND BETTER’.

Through MyClubmoor and his new experiences Dan is to truly finding himself. He is keen to get the MyClubmoor festival up and running, and is keen to get local artists and musicians involved to make a brilliant Clubmoor community line-up.

If any local bands or artists would be interested in playing at a local music festival in Clubmoor this summer, please contact Lianne using these details: Telephone: 0151 226 3406 Email: lianne@standrewslive.org.uk or danielr@standrewslive.org.uk

Peer Coaching

Need to talk or make a tough decision?

Peer Coaching hubs offer you the opportunity to talk though every day issues in a safe environment. Our peer coaching service is based on the principle of empowering purposeful conversation designed to support you.

For more information about our peer coaching services contact Tracy: tracy@standrewslive.org.uk or call 0151 226 3406 At St Andrews Community Network Office, Roscoe Primary School, Ballantyne Road Entrance, Liverpool L13 9AL

9

www.myclubmoor.co.uk

Issue No. 08

CLUBMOOR HISTORY OUR HISTORY

T

his special article has been written by Ian Soffe, a local historian with a keen interest in Walton Park. Ian is currently dedicated to getting the Walton Park the archaeological attention it deserves, and encourages the whole community to get involved and help out. This is the story of Ian, and the history of Walton Park.

I came from Norris Green (never Noggsy then), and there was a crescent called Mentmore outside our house full of swings, grass and bowling greens. The crescent was like a running track which we raced on, and the grass was a footie pitch we played and fought on all day.

Then, when I was 11, we moved.

We moved from Norris Green (which I loved) to old and grim Walton. I never understood why Walton Hospital, County Road, the tiny terraced houses near Walton Lane and Walton Church were all so dark and miserable, but that’s always the way they seemed to me…

We moved to Walton with no family connections during the 80s, when there was mass unemployment (including my dad, my uncles and my cousins). I had to find friends by joining local church youth clubs (where the girls went playing records while we boys played darts and pool…).

YET, through all the great people I’ve met and known and loved in Walton ever since, the only thing that has made me TRULY happy on and off for nearly 40 years is WALTON HALL PARK. I left Liverpool and Walton at 18 to head to London, as so many lads did in the 80s. Now, however, I’m married and back in Liverpool, and every day I take my puppy to the greatest park not only in this City, but anywhere. It is the only green space that looks like proper countryside

in Liverpool - and that’s because of its age and history. I’ve also swum in the lakes and walked on the two islands, which 30+ years ago were full of rats….

SO, here’s the forgotten history of Walton Hall Park, also known as Walton-On-The-Hill.

I am writing to you at My Clubmoor as a local historian (and I work at Liverpool John Moores University), and on behalf of the Park Life Committee of Walton Hall Park, owned by Liverpool City Council and Chaired by Ann O’Byrne (Deputy Mayor). I want to report the findings of my investigations into the oldest and most historic area of Liverpool, Walton-on-theHill.

Walton was named in the Domesday Book as Wale-Ton and stretched from present day Formby in the north to Toxteth in the south, Bootle on the coast and West Derby to the east, and then all the way to Warrington. The estate was given to the de Walton family around 1109 for services to the crown. The estate was preeminent in Liverpool in terms of size, prestige and as the site of the Church authorities. In fact, Walton St Mary church itself dates back 1000 years and is intriguingly built on a circular site, suggesting a previous site of worship stretching back many more years. It has never been excavated.

The focus of this history article is what is left of the Walton estate, which is now known as Walton Hall Park. I was asked at my first meeting at the Park Life Committee to find the site of Walton Hall – similar yet bigger than Croxteth Hall.

So let’s tell the truth. It took me two months of

10

reading, researching and using friends skilled with metal detectors BUT I have located the precise site of Walton Hall, the stately home from which the park derives its name, and which was demolished around 1900. It is thought that the estate housed a hall throughout its thousandyear history, but my focus is on the modern Walton Hall, whose history paralleled and reflected the rise of Liverpool itself.

Walton Hall (the second of its name and so called ‘modern’) was constructed in the middle of the 18th century by the Brere (or Bryers) family of Preston. It was built as a seaside home as it was approximately a mile from the sea, but its owner died within one year of construction and his widow sold it to John Atherton in 1746.

Atherton was a local merchant, and in line with many Liverpool businessmen was a slave trader, upon which much of his fortune derived. The hall was seen as befitting his status, yet by 1761 the family had left the Hall, and for 30 years it stood rotting.

Local legend talked of a curse regarding no children ever being born to the owners of both Hall and estate, and the death of Atherton’s young daughter-in-law shortly after marriage in 1760 added fuel to such rumours.

Caretakers were employed to maintain the Hall, until a new owner was finally found in 1801 when the Hall and its 300 acres were sold to Thomas Leyland who took up residence in 1803. Leyland was a self-made man who had made his fortune by winning the Government Lottery in 1777, whereupon he bought the merchant trading company he worked for.

He bought a ship which he named ‘Lottery’, and enthusiastically and successfully joined the slave trade. He subsequently served as Mayor of

www.myclubmoor.co.uk

Issue No. 08

CATCHING UP WITH CAROL on her list. He didn’t lose his temper with her, no matter how slow she was and he didn’t try to speed her up. He walked at her pace and carried on a conversation with her as they went along. Her face was beaming with happiness the entire time.

the new, booming City of Liverpool and moved into banking. The Hall cemented his status as a ‘Gentleman and Squire’ and his ambition now lay in founding a family dynasty. But this family dynasty eluded him: as the hall was passed down the family, the family name dwindled.

Christopher Naylor, the hall’s last occupant who changed his name to Leyland to inherit the estate in 1885, never lived in the Hall, and sold the estate to the Corporation of Liverpool. The Hall was demolished around 1900.

During the First World War the estate saw service as a munitions dump and in the 1920s work began to create a public park. As the Wall Street Crash began, the work was carried out by the Unemployed Relief Works Board. Names are included in minutes of workers who were off due to illness and they were paid full or part time wages. The Park was opened on the 16th/17th July 1934 by King George V and Queen Mary.

All of which brings us to the point: This is a formal invitation to Liverpool City Council to help me bring in experts to excavate the remains of Walton Hall.

Its history in modern times parallels that of the City of Liverpool itself and its people. Situated in the north of Liverpool, I believe that the role of heritage and culture can help to regenerate one of the most deprived areas of the UK, as the Hall lies in what is a busy urban park. As an area with the oldest history in the area, Walton has been overlooked in archaeological terms and this is a unique opportunity for the Council to publicise Liverpool’s heritage following its hugely popular Time Team dry dock special programme based in Liverpool 1.

I watched a young lad from the Argos carry a parcel that was clearly too big for one person to a car and put it in the boot. I was expecting him to grimace when the car drove away, but no - he just smiled and went back into the shop.

I watched a man in a fancy car stop at the pedestrian crossing at the Broadway for a good 5 minutes whilst a load of school children crossed over. The whole time he was smiling at the kids and waving to them.

S

o what have I been up to since the last time we spoke? The truth is - not a lot. I’ve been unwell for most of the past 3 months, but what that has allowed me to do is to slow down and actually watch the people of Clubmoor.

I’ve been able to go to the shops and watch as people on very low paid wages go above and beyond for their clientele. I watched one lovely man in Asda walk the entire shop with an elderly lady, carrying her basket and reading what was

ST MATTHEW’S PRIMARY SCHOOL

In addition to locating Walton Hall, there is also the opportunity to examine and excavate the site of Walton St Mary Church, the oldest church in Liverpool. The church has a history of 1000 years of recorded history, but has historical roots that go back perhaps two or three thousand years.

Walton St Mary’s Church is built on a circular site at the top of the hill which towers over the whole of Liverpool, which suggests roots in paganism. All circular and old churches were built on pagan sites like Stonehenge. And don’t forget, Calderstones is older than Stonehenge – Walton could be as old, if not older…

If you are interested in getting involved to dig deeper into the ancient history of this fascinating site, or you have any ideas on how you can improve Walton Hall park for the whole community, please get in touch with Lianne from the MyClubmoor team. You can email her at: lianne@standrewslive.org.uk

11

I go to St Andrews church on a Sunday and week after week there is a queue of smiling happy faces asking how I am, asking how I’m doing. I run a craft group on a Thursday evening and no matter how sad I feel, or how ill I am, my crafters put a smile on my face because they love learning all new skills.

Each time I go out I am constantly reminded of why the people of Clubmoor are such beautiful people. There is kindness and goodwill constantly. It makes me proud to live in the area, and even more it makes me proud to tell others that I live in the area.

www.myclubmoor.co.uk

Issue No. 08

WALTON

FESTIVAL SAT 16TH & SUN 17TH JULY 2016 WALTON HALL PARK FUN

FOOD SPORTS

MUSIC

GET INVOLVED & HAVE YOUR SAY There are many ways you can get involved and have your say on the local area...

MyClubmoor relies on volunteers to help deliver projects and events. Please contact Lianne McGinnes, MyClubmoor facilitator at:

VOLUNTEERING: At events and projects

MyClubmoor, St Andrew’s Community Network Roscoe Primary School, Ballantyne Road Entrance Clubmoor, Liverpool, L13 9AL

NEWSPAPER: Stories, writing and journalism EVENTS: Running a stall, setting up and stewarding UNLTD AWARDS: Could you be the recipient of our next “TRY IT” or “DO IT” award.

Tel: 0151 270 3803 Fb: www.facebook.com/pages/My-Clubmoor Email: lianne@standrewslive.org.uk Twitter: @MyClubmoor Web: www.myclubmoor.co.uk

COMMENT SLIP We would love to know what you think about the publication! Is there anything you particularly like or dislike? Is there anything you would like us to include?

Simply fill in the form, cut it out and drop it off at: MyClubmoor St Andrew’s Community Network, Roscoe Primary School, Ballantyne Road Entrance, Clubmoor, Liverpool,L13 9AL. Tel: 0151 270 3803 Email: lianne@standrewslive.org.uk Web: www.myclubmoor.co.uk

NAME ADDRESS COMMENTS