Lake march

Issue 19 • March/April 2016

The local interest magazine for West Kirby, Hoylake, Meols and Caldy

Fragments from the Front • Hoylake Fishing Families • Wirral Rocks in May!

Welcome to the nineteenth issue of The Lake, the local interest magazine for West Kirby, Hoylake, Meols and Caldy.

We would like to thank our readers for your kind comments and to encourage you to keep writing to us with your thoughts and stories.

@lakewirral

We’d also like to thank our advertisers without whom this magazine wouldn’t be possible – we are extremely grateful to them for their continuing support.

The Lake provides local interest and historical stories on a bi-monthly basis and we hope you enjoy it. Please get in touch if there is anything you want to see in future issues, or if you have any stories or pictures of your own that you want to share.

Contact the Editor by email: jon@lakemagazine.co.uk Or by post to: Jon Bion, Editor, The Lake, Royal Standard House, 334 New Chester Road, Rock Ferry, Wirral CH42 1LE. Telephone 07796 945745.

Published by: Wirral Advertising Media Ltd, Royal Standard House, 334 New Chester Road, Rock Ferry, Wirral CH42 1LE.

Our team has years of experience in design, production and distribution.

The magazine is delivered door-to-door to 12,500 homes and businesses in the area and copies are available from various outlets.

If you feel that advertising in The Lake would benefit your business, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss this with you. Please contact Alan Strange on 07788 510868 or email: alan@lakemagazine.co.uk www.lakemagazine.co.uk

Contacts: Editor Jonathan Bion 07796 945745 jon@lakemagazine.co.uk Sales Director Alan Strange 07788 510868 alan@lakemagazine.co.uk Accounts accounts@lakemagazine.co.uk

Photographs and original material are submitted at the sender’s risk and must be accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope if you wish them to be returned. The publishers will not accept responsibility for loss or damage.

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material published, Wirral Advertising Media can accept no responsibility for the veracity of the claims made by advertisers. Any views expressed in The Lake are not necessarily the views of the publisher.

CONTENTS

Delivered free to 12,500 homes and businesses in West Kirby, Hoylake, Meols and Caldy For distribution queries please call 0151 644 9475

06 Wine Column

26 Commando X-Fit

08 Hoylake Fishing Families

30 Wirral End of Life Care Charter

08 Caldy Village Gardens

31 How well is your skin ageing?

10 Fragments from the Front

32 BTR Port Sunlight Road Race

12 Dale Farm…a Hive of Activity

33 Shorelines

15 Local history month at West Kirby Library

33 Hoylake Cottage Open Day

16 Wirral Rocks in May!

34 All Things Auctioneering

18 West Kirby Sailing Club

36 Work experience – why and how?

20 The History of the Mersey Tunnels

37 What’s on the Big Screen

22 The Wirral Society

38 Fitness Queen

Let us know how we can help promote your events

The Editor, The Lake, Royal Standard House, 334 New Chester Road, Rock Ferry, Wirral CH42 1LE Email: jon@lakemagazine.co.uk • Telephone 07796 945745.

04 The Lake

Granite Transformations Transforming the look of your kitchen or bathroom couldn’t be simpler and without the need to rip out existing worktops or take down tiles. The surfaces have a fabulous finish, are non-porous, heat and stain resistant and very easy to clean – perfect to use in the kitchen, in showers, around vanity units, windowsills and on walls and floors. No more grout to clean!

At only 6.5mm thick, it fits directly over practically any existing surface. It’s 100% made to measure with installation usually taking one day. No ripping out, minimum disruption and no damage to tiles and walls.

We also offer a full door replacement service and by combining new work surfaces and new doors from our wide range of styles and colours, you could save about 40% on the cost of a new kitchen – and without the mess. Why rip out perfectly sound cabinets if you don’t need to?

Granite Transformations opened our first display showroom at the Gordale Garden Centre back in August 2014. Perhaps you have seen us already and asked about our stunning range of work surfaces. If you haven’t visited us yet, then you need to come along and see what all the excitement is about and just how easy it is to transform your kitchen or bathroom with minimum fuss and no demolition!

Since we opened our doors for business in 2014 it’s been hugely successful, so the time felt right to expand into a new area. So, right now we’re delighted to announce the opening of a second display in the Dobbies Garden Centre in Liverpool near John Lennon Airport.

Our factory is located in Ellesmere Port and is well positioned to serve all of the Wirral, Chester, North Wales and South Liverpool.

Refurbishing your bathroom? Whether it’s an entire wall or a shower area, our product is perfect. The made-to-measure sections will go straight over the existing tiles and it’s possible to incorporate borders in a contrasting colour or choose from our beautiful Italian glass mosaics as a design feature.

We can deal with any layout alterations a customer may wish to make or we can fit an entire new kitchen or bathroom be it an existing space, an extension or a new build. Our product is also suitable as floor tiles for kitchens, conservatories, utility rooms, etc., so it really is very versatile.

Our surfaces are fabricated locally and are installed by our own fitters. As a customer you only deal with Granite Transformations staff from first contact to sign-off. We do all we can to ensure your transformation goes smoothly.

OUR SUCCESS IS BASED ON THREE IMPORTANT FACTORS

Our comprehensive knowledge of the motor parts industry coupled with the widest possible range from the best suppliers mean that we can guarantee a price that is always competitive.

PRODUCT RANGE

SERVICE

STAFF

We select our products and suppliers very carefully on the basis of quality, range, price and reputation.

We know that speed and accuracy of delivery are important, that is why we have invested in a delivery fleet that provides a fast same day FREE delivery service.

Our team of well-trained and motivated employees is dedicated to ensuring that our customers enjoy the best possible service.

Jim Barrow, 8 Durley Park Close, North Cheshire Trading Estate, Wirral CH43 3DE • Telephone: 0151 609 0609 • www.jimbarrow.co.uk

06 The Lake

W NE COLUMN

By Graham Simpson, Whitmore & White

Take The Road Less Travelled!

All of us (yes even me!) get bogged down with buying the same wines over and over whenever we visit our merry local wine merchant, so I thought I’d take you through half a dozen wines which I think are a welcome break to the norm. None of these wines will break the bank and are miles more interesting than anything you’ll find in larger outlets.

Vermentino di Sardegna £11.50 A stunning white wine made using the Vermentino grape grown on the Italian island of Sardinia. Crisp and fresh with crunchy green apple notes, zingy acidity and a floral element on the palate.

Cousino Macul Isidora Sauvignon Gris £9.95 Chile really does offer up some fantastic wines. This Sauvignon Gris is a hybrid grape (made by crossing Sauvignon Blanc with Pinot Gris), but has been grown in Chile for over 130 years. The wine is dry and aromatic with honeysuckle, peach and green apple notes and a fresh balanced acidity.

Willunga 100 Tempranillo £11.95 Tempranillo is the grape used to make Rioja. And it does do very well.

This wine is from McLaren Vale in South Australia. It is lush and ripe and ever-so fruity with a deep background of raspberry compote. So delicious you’ll want another bottle.

Port Sunlight in Focus 1896–1916 Port Sunlight Museum’s new special exhibition for 2016 showcases the work of the three local photographers who contributed most to the pictorial record of Port Sunlight village during its first 25 years – Edward Jenkins, George Cotton and Jonathan George Davies.

Technical innovations in the late 1880s meant that cameras began to get smaller, lighter and less expensive and photography became accessible to millions of people who had no particular professional training. At Port Sunlight, the working and social environment meant that employees had the spare time and disposable income to indulge in their hobbies and as early as 1896 the village could boast a group of photography enthusiasts who were beginning to record every aspect of community life.

Port Sunlight in Focus 1896–1916 will trace the early amateur photography of Edward Jenkins and George Cotton through to the commercial work of J. George Davies as all three portrayed the village for their own pleasure, whilst also contributing to Lever Brothers rapidly expanding public relations machine. Rare and unpublished images of the village are displayed alongside some of the iconic views that helped Port Sunlight to achieve worldwide fame.

For more information on the special exhibition visit our website: www.portsunlightvillage.com You can also keep in touch by visiting Facebook www.facebook. com/portsunlightvillagetrust or Twitter: @PortSunlight

Image supplied from Port Sunlight Museum Collection

Simonsig Chenin Blanc £10.50 Outside of the Loire Valley where Chenin Blanc has entrenched itself in folklore, South Africa has become the grape’s second home. Simonsig who are based in Stellenbosch have come up with an absolute belter of a wine with this beauty. Honeyed with notes of beeswax and lanolin. Aging for a wee while on its lees lends the wine body that belies its price.

Liberty School Pinot Noir £19.95 With Burgundy and New Zealand taking all the plaudits for Pinot Noir at the moment, countries like Chile and the United States always seem like afterthoughts and either too cheap (Chile) or too expensive (USA).

However, there are some excellently priced Pinots from California if you are willing to look a little deeper. This one from Liberty School is ripe and fulsome with raspberry, mulberry and rhubarb notes but none of the “jammy” overripe notes seen in lesser wines.

Crozes Hermitage La Chapelle de Guinchan £15.95 In the age of New World Shiraz, which can be delightful when made correctly and not over-extracted, it is refreshing to come across a Syrah (the French name for Shiraz) which is a completely different style.

Earthy black fruit, pepper and oak notes meld with crunchy tannins on the palate. Very much a food wine – save this for a roast rib of beef.

So there you have them – six wines to explore if you’re looking for something different! For tasting events our calendar is online at www.whitmoreandwhite.co.uk/events. And don’t forget Tasting Hour runs every Saturday from 11-12 in the shop, where you can sample different food and drink every week. Keep an eye on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for Tasting Hour news!

Until next time, drink well!

Graham

The Lake 07

Solar Update – Government pushing ahead ln addition to signing up for Chinese funding of the proposed nuclear plant at Hinckley Point, in January the government reduced incentives for solar installations. After much campaigning, the reductions were not as drastic as had first been proposed however, and solar can still provide an attractive proposition – both financially and ethically.

As predicted in our November edition, the government are pushing ahead with plans to bring more nuclear and fracked gas to the UK energy mix, even though this will impact on the energy security of the UK and, ultimately, cost the public more than the renewable energy alternatives.

There have also been developments both in terms of the aesthetic appeal of solar, and ability to store excess energy generated during the day in batteries for use in the evening. Tony Edwards from local company Roof and Energy, explains: “Even with today’s electricity prices, an investment in solar can still provide a return in excess of other investments – and for anyone considering a reroof it makes absolute sense, as significantly fewer tiles or slates would be needed, and the finish looks really good.

“Also, battery technology is now available at a price which makes financial sense – and the technology can provide backup and protect against blackouts – and we are installing equipment from companies such as LG and Tesla.”

08 The Lake

Hoylake Fishing Families Carol Hunter will be giving an illustrated talk about ‘Hoylake Fishing Families’ on Friday 29 April at St Bridget’s Centre. Doors open at 7.00pm for 7.30pm start and entrance costs £3. Arrive at 7.00pm to ensure you get a seat. Numbers are limited

Emblamatic crew

If your ancestors were born in the early 19th century in Hoylake, there is a strong likelihood that they had a maritime profession.

There were numerous fishermen in Hoylake and also coastguards, tide waiters, customs officers, pilots, lighthouse keepers and lifeboat men, etc. The Hoylake fishing families include the familiar surnames of Eccles, Roberts, Bird, Armitage, Little, Jones, Hughes, Beck, Davies, Jackson, Silcock, Sherlock, and many more.

Hoylake had a large fishing fleet. Fishing was a dangerous occupation and you only have to look at the gravestones in Holy Trinity churchyard to see evidence of local men lost in tragedies at sea.

During April, May and June the display in West Kirby Museum will be ‘Hoylake Fishing Families’. We are looking for memorabilia to enhance this display. The Museum at St Bridget’s Centre, St Bridget’s Lane, West Kirby, is open every Saturday from 10.00am to 1.00pm.

Caldy Village Gardens – Sunday May 22nd The Caldy Village Gardens will be opening again from 2pm until 5pm on Sunday May 22nd in support of North West Cancer Research. ln order to give visitors more time to see the gardens and to spend less time queueing for tea and cakes this year, we are altering the catering arrangements as an experiment, offering self-service drinks at several sites around the village, instead of our usual waitress service.

The ticket price will not include the cost of any refreshments, beverages will be paid for at the point of sale. Tickets will be available in May from various local shops. Linghams Book Shop in Heswall, A I Roberts Butchers, Hintons Butchers and LeBizz Gift Shop in West Kirby have kindly agreed to stock tickets for us. Maps will be supplied to advance ticket holders on their arrival in the village, and there will also be the opportunity to buy tickets and maps on the day.

Further information can be found on the National Directory of Village Open Gardens www.opengardens.co.uk or from simonsfield@btjnternet.co.uk

The Lake 09

Choose an expert when buying and selling your home If the title to a property is unsatisfactory, then this may cause you serious problems if you go ahead to purchase and then try to sell, or raise a mortgage, in the future. This is where the advice and knowledge of an experienced residential property legal advisor is essential.

Issues and their possible implications will be discussed with you, along with how these problems might be resolved.

Janette Waddington

Janette Waddington, senior solicitor and head of the Residential Property team at Lees Solicitors’ West Kirby office, discusses the importance of using an expert when buying and selling your home.

Moving home is a huge financial and emotional investment. Even if a property is structurally sound, a flaw in the legal title to a property could cause a buyer major problems if they unknowingly purchase without these issues being detected.

As part of the conveyancing process, the title to the property registered at the Land Registry (or the historical title deeds, if unregistered) should be thoroughly checked. Other points to consider are who owns the property; what covenants or restrictions affect it; whether there are adequate rights of access; and, if applicable, whether the terms of any lease are suitable. Searches are also carried out that give a substantial amount of information about the property and which sit alongside the detailed information provided by the seller through their solicitors.

Janette joined Lees Solicitors in November 2015 and leads the highly knowledgeable team at the West Kirby office, where collectively they have over 30 years of legal experience. Janette has over 14 years of experience specialising in all types of property work, representing individuals, property developers, and registered providers of social housing. Janette says: “I draw on my experience to understand the concerns clients may have when involved in residential property transactions, and I offer pragmatic advice and focused solutions.”

If you are buying or selling a property, or intend to buy a property in the future, Lees Solicitors can help. Please call us free on 0800 387 927 or visit our website www.lees.co.uk/move where you can obtain an instant conveyancing quote using our online calculator.

At Lees Solicitors, we understand that moving house can be stressful. We will provide you with expert, professional and efficient legal advice, ensuring that whatever your property transaction, it will be as smooth as possible.

What Lees Solicitors can do for you…

• Three local offices to choose from: West Kirby 0151 625 9364 Heswall 0151 342 6273 Birkenhead 0151 647 9381 • Heswall office is open on a Saturday (book for an appointment) • Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) accredited • Visit www.lees.co.uk/move and use our online calculator for an instant conveyancing quote If you are looking to buy, sell or remortgage, we can help, contact our team to book an appointment or to chat through your options on 0800 387 927.

“Many thanks for all of your help and patience in dealing with the sale. I really do appreciate the attention you gave to all matters and the regular updates” Residential Property Client

10 The Lake

Fragments from the Front up the hand. Remember this was 1899!

In later years it looked as though Joseph had been born with a three-fingered right hand – there were no signs of any stumps.

The right hand grew very big and strong and he had a powerful index (trigger) finger.

Throughout his life his older sister, Annie, took him under her wing. She taught him to do everything with his right hand even down to knitting, sewing, crocheting and writing (his very own occupational therapist). Joseph had lovely handwriting as you will see in his missives.

This series of short articles by Rastus and Betty looks at a soldier’s close connection to his West Kirby family and his correspondence from the Western Front trenches during WW1.

Joseph attended St Bridget’s School. He left school in 1912 and in December of that year became apprenticed to the head gardener at The Grange, one of the big houses on Meols Drive, Hoylake. The Grange is now the home of Hoylake Conservative Club. Joseph grew into a fine – and tall – young fellow, eventually reaching 6ft 4ins in height.

Preface Isn’t life funny and full of surprises? West Kirby resident Heather Chapman purchased a batch of ‘unseen’ WW1 postcards last year from eBay. The seller lived in Aberdeen, Scotland. Heather recognised the unusual surname ‘Ellerker’, a family friend, and the West Kirby address. The postcards were written by a local soldier, Joseph Ellerker to his elder sister, Annie, who lived at 15 South Road, West Kirby.

Even more amazingly, Heather knew Joseph’s daughter, Betty, (now in her 90th year), who lives in Canberra, Australia, and sent the postcards to her. Betty was delighted. The mystery still remains of how these unique family treasures ended up in Aberdeen!

Heather contacted the eBay seller to tell him of the coincidence and enquire whether he had any more Ellerker postcards or photos for sale. The seller replied

Annie Ellerker 1917

indicating the postcards were extracted from an old Ellerker photo album which contained many other personal family photos which were of no use to him and he would send them to Heather – free of charge. Besides family portraits, there is also a nude photo of Betty (6 months old), which must have travelled and been seen afar! We are indebted to the eBay seller for this great gesture and generosity.

The treasures have been returned to the family, albeit by a circuitous route, all due to chance and perhaps fate!

The family Joseph Ellerker was born in March 1897.

He was the third and youngest child of William and Hannah Ellerker. The family lived in South Road, West Kirby and Joseph attended St Bridget’s Primary School.

William was the local police sergeant and by all accounts was very strict.

Joe Ellerker 1917

At the age of two, Joseph was unfortunate to lose the second and third fingers on his right hand. The local GP was called out and placed young Joseph on the kitchen table and operated on the hand, removing the stumps of his maimed fingers and stitching

Rather than keeping these family memories and snippets about WW1 to ourselves, we would like to share them, with you, the reader. It is interesting to note, that Betty had never seen these ‘fragments’ before and knew only a little of her father’s wartime service and locations in WW1.

Like many WW1 soldiers, Joseph never talked about the war to his family. A good thing to forget we guess!

Our ‘Peregrinations’ encapsulate many of these postcards and photographs. The articles in this series, by ex-West Kirbyites Rastus and Betty, briefly discuss Joseph’s life, Annie and the Ellerker family of West Kirby, and display the interesting, tragic and often humorous postcards sent by Joseph from the trenches of the Western Front.

How wonderful it is to see such beautiful cursive writing once more – from a maimed hand nonetheless!

Next issue – WW1 postcards from the Western Front

12 The Lake

Dale Farm…a Hive of Activity

By Robert Foster

However, the jewel in Dale Farm’s crown is its honey. Produced on site by a number of hard working swarms, the hives are maintained by Mark and all those working at the farm. They have now spent 13 years honing their honey producing skills and Mark is more than happy to teach the art of beekeeping to anyone who wants to learn. Beekeeping is clearly not for the faint-hearted but he is definitely not short of volunteers to take on bee duties.

I’ve always had a passion for the outdoors, harbouring a romantic and somewhat middle-class desire to work the land and live self-sufficiently. However, as my farmhouse dreams show little signs of coming to fruition just yet, I have had to look elsewhere to get my fix of the good life. Luckily, I’ve stumbled across Dale Farm and the team have welcomed me with open arms.

Fresh, organic crops make up a large part of the Dale Farm effort and the students are responsible for planning, planting and harvesting the crops. They are then sold through Dale Farm’s own on-site shop, as well as at nearby Church Farm. The on-site café run by the students also makes good use of the produce and is well worth a visit, offering freshly prepared food at ridiculously affordable prices.

The delicious honey the Dale Farm bees work so hard to gather is entirely local.

They are spoilt for choice as they forage the wild flowers and heathery hillsides of the dales. The end result is a flavoursome honey that has rightly earned an excellent reputation. The raw honeycomb is used to produce both set and runny honey, so there is something for everyone to enjoy.

But you’ll have to come and see for yourself – they only sell the honey at the farm!

Sitting among the hills of the Heswall Dales, overlooking the Dee and North Wales, Dale Farm is an unassuming community project that many people don’t even know exists.

The peaceful surroundings give little away, but within this scenic and secluded location lies a real hive of activity. Dale Farm combines the daily reality of an agricultural business with the hugely important role of supporting adults with disabilities within the community, and they are doing a top job in both respects.

Seasoned logs and rotted manure may not sound as appealing as the farm shop but these are perhaps the farm’s biggest seller. Mark relies on local tree surgeons to provide timber that is seasoned and split on site before being sold locally, ensuring the wood burners and open fires of West Wirral never run short of fuel.

The atmosphere on the farm is fantastic and there is an undeniable sense of community that I would urge you all to check out. So next time you’re passing, pop in for a coffee, say hello and pick up a basket of wonderful fresh veg. Who knows, perhaps you can fulfil your own farmyard fantasies by lending a hand down at Dale Farm.

While the Dale Farm team prides itself on their quality organic produce, farming is only part of the story. Hands-on participation and the development of life skills and learning opportunities for the students is what really makes Dale Farm special. There is a sense of enthusiasm in the air and all systems are go – there’s no room for slackers here; there’s work to be done!

Mark Diggory manages Dale Farm and is clearly committed to the cause. With his team of seven full-time staff and over 30 volunteers behind him, the farm teaches a multitude of practical skills that can only serve to benefit all involved. Teamwork is key to what is being achieved and it is clearly working judging by the services the farm provides.

UPCOMING EVENTS FRIDAY 25TH MARCH

Good Friday

Famous ‘Fish Friday’ is back!

Stunning seafood menu available all day

SUNDAY 27TH MARCH

SATURDAY 26TH MARCH

Easter Sunday

Gary Murphy

Roast dinners available all day and Easter treats

With his famous guitar back by popular demand 8.30pm

SUNDAY 10TH APRIL

Jimmy Rae & The Moonshine Girls Soak up the Sunday afternoon sunshine with a glass of wine and live music from 3pm

SATURDAY 9TH APRIL

Grand National

Join us to watch the big moment on our screens, join our famous sweep and try our red rum cake! Free drink for those dressed to impress!

AVAILABLE FOR PRIVATE HIRE

BOOKING ADVISED FOR ALL EVENTS Keep an eye out for our extended spring/summer hours and our new wine menu coming soon.

Now taking bookings for Fathers Day Sunday – 19th June.

SOUTH PARADE, MARINE LAKE, WEST KIRBY • TELEPHONE 0151 625 3882

The Lake 15

Local history month at West Kirby Library

West Kirby Museum Research Group have been busy finding out all about the old district of West Kirby and Hoylake.

From 18th April to 2nd May there will be an exhibition in West Kirby Library showcasing our many projects (the library is closed on Sundays).

The displays will include West Kirby Shops in times gone by, West Kirby remembers WW1, West Kirby men at the Somme, Early transport, Victoria Road and surrounds, Hoylake Baths, The Dale Estate and Sandhey Estate.

This is a free event and everybody is welcome. If you have any memories or photographs to share please bring them along.

A member of our team will be attending the display between 10 and 12 daily.

Heather Chapman will be giving an illustrated talk titled ‘West Kirby Shops in Times Gone By’ at West Kirby Library on Thursday 21 April at 2.30 pm. Book your free ticket (limited numbers) at West Kirby Library.

@lakewirral

16 The Lake

Wirral Rocks in May! Wirral Hospice St John’s is organising a major fundraising event which will take place in May. Rick Parfitt added: “We always thought we’d see a red light when it was time to stop. The show hurts now, physically. It’s hard to maintain that level of energy and without that it’s not really a Quo show. So we don’t feel we should continue.

“This is definitely the end of our lives on the road with the electric set. Life won’t be the same for us – or many of the fans – but we can’t go on at this pace anymore.”

Frontmen Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt will be joined by bandmates Andy Bown, John ‘Rhino’ Edwards and Leon Cave as they plug in and bring their thunderous electric live show to Wirral for the last time, packed with hits, new and old, taken from an unbelievable back catalogue stretching back to 1967.

If you have never seen Status Quo before, this is your last-ever chance to see them on Wirral!

‘Wirral Rocks’ will take place at Tranmere Rovers Stadium, Prenton Park, over two nights. Tranmere Rovers has kindly provided the ground at no charge. The event will raise money for the Hospice’s special care and support of patients and their families.

The artists performing are:

Friday 20th May 2016 – Will Young Brit Award winner Will Young is coming to the Wirral on Friday 20th May 2016 to open the first night of Wirral Rocks at Prenton Park, Birkenhead. The incredibly talented singer-songwriter and former Pop Idol winner has sold over eight million albums worldwide and will be performing his well-known hits like Leave Right Now, Evergreen, Jealousy, All Time Love and Light My Fire.

Saturday 21st May 2016 – Status Quo Status Quo are coming to the Wirral on Saturday May 21st to perform one of their last-ever, full-on electric sets. The Quo have announced that that they will be hanging up their electric guitars at the end of 2016 and pulling the plug on their electric set for good.

Speaking about the decision to call it a day, Francis Rossi said: “We’ve talked about it for some time and have decided that it’s time for us to hang up the electrics. It’s getting harder and harder for us to play those shows.

“It’s 30 years since we last said we were stopping, but this is a final decision. It doesn’t mean we won’t do other things, perhaps the odd special, but we’re agreed that the moment has come. There’s more to come from us in the years ahead, but we won’t tour the electric set ever again.”

John Pentland, Wirral Hospice St John’s Finance Director, said: “We are delighted to be bringing this major event to Wirral. It costs around £3.5m a year for us to provide free care to Wirral residents and their families. Almost half of our costs are met by NHS grants, but each year we need to raise around £1.8m to continue our work.

By attending Wirral Rocks, you will not only be having a great night out, but you will be supporting a fantastic cause as all the money we raise will be put towards our running costs.”

Tickets are already selling fast for both days, so don’t delay buying yours! You can get them from the Wirral Rocks website, www.wirralrocks.com or from ticketmaster on 0844 844 0444 Tickets are £35 for Will Young and £35.50 for Status Quo, both are subject to booking fees and postage.

For more information visit www.wirralrocks.com www.facebook.com/wirralrocks or www.twitter.com/wirralrocks

18 The Lake

West Kirby Sailing Club Latest news

By Phil Shepherd

The Icicle series is being sailed, with an average of 18 dinghies turning out for a blast in February and March’s sunshine.

These include both thrill-seeking adults and juniors.

For the younger members, Cadet and Optimist training is continuing throughout the winter, and is being very well attended.

The RYA Northwest Zone Squads of Oppies and Fevas were coached at WKSC at the end of February. These are hotly contested squads and were able to train on both the lake and the tide. They learn from top coaches and love it to bits.

Powerboat courses have been run through the winter, on some lovely high tides. Traditionally we only run these courses when the weather is below freezing, with a strong added windchill, but this year something must have gone wrong in the planning Assistant Dinghy Instructor courses have been run to enable our talented youths to also enjoy coaching beginners in a recognised pathway.

Forthcoming events Easter Start of Season Tidal Series 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th March Finn Masters 23rd and 24th April 67th Wilson Trophy 14th, 15th and 16th May Contact Phil Shepherd, Commodore 0151 625 5579 office@wksc.org.uk

Letting services to suit all types of landlords

We appreciate that every landlord is different so offer a truly flexible range of lettings options that’s right for you: • Simple Tenant Find • Rent Collection • Full Property Management For landlords looking for the reassurance of a fixed, regular income each and every month from their rental property we also have a solution for that too.

If you are looking for a letting solution that is as unique as you are, talk to the Proper Property People.

Northwood Wirral

0151 348 4527

78 Telegraph Rd, Heswall, Wirral CH60 0AQ northwooduk.com

20 The Lake

The History of the Mersey Tunnels

By Ryan Ferguson The project was finished on 20th January 1886, and services began 12 days later.

Originally, four stations were in operation: Green Lane, Birkenhead Central, Hamilton Square and James Street. The network branched out to Birkenhead Park in 1888, as northern Wirral outlets such as Hoylake and West Kirby were incorporated.

By 1890, the railway carried ten million passengers per year.

However, a decade later, commuters returned to the ferry boats in their droves due to steam pollution throughout the underground network. Mersey Railway went bankrupt as customers were driven away, only for electric traction to inspire a renaissance in 1903.

Queensway Tunnel opening July 1934

Nowadays, driving through to Liverpool from Wirral is easy. We barely think about it. In fact, we take it for granted. But in bygone times, such privileges were the stuff of fantasy. Therefore, it’s time we paid respect to those who campaigned for, and ushered into being, the most innovative system of underwater tunnels anywhere in the world.

tunnels were dug: one for two rail tracks, one for drainage, and the other for ventilation.

Two pumping stations were built, on Shore Road in Birkenhead and George’s Dock in Liverpool, and they often removed up to 40,000 imperial gallons of water per minute from the tunnels.

Nevertheless, long queues of cars and lorries waiting to board ferry boats remained commonplace well into the 1920s. With more than 35 million people using the ferry service every year, Royal Assent was granted to develop a more efficient system for crossing the Mersey.

In 1922, a committee was established to rectify the issue. Spearheaded by Sir Archibald Salvidge, the group preferred a road bridge, but fears of damage in future wars made such a proposal unlikely.

Instead, they settled on an ambitious plan to build the world’s longest underwater tunnel. Exciting times lay ahead for the people of Wirral and Liverpool.

People have needed to travel across the Mersey since the Middle Ages. Liverpool has long been a magnet for business and trade, making the commute from our fair peninsula a necessity for thousands. For many generations, that journey was made almost exclusively by ferry boat. Sure, campaigns were launched for a road tunnel in the 19th century, including one notable suggestion by Marc Isambard Brunel, but the project never came to fruition.

Yet, in the 1850s, that movement gathered serious momentum. The industrial revolution opened people’s eyes to the opportunity of commerce, and demand for more travel options soared. Several attempts to build a highway over or under the river were stifled by a lack of capital, but in 1871 Mersey Railway was granted permission to extend its track underground in a move that would connect Birkenhead and Liverpool. The project finally began in 1881, when Major Samuel Isaac provided the requisite funds.

Construction was contracted to John Waddell, who drafted in Charles Douglas Fox and James Burness as engineers.

Firstly, they dug two deep shafts, one on each bank of the Mersey, from where the excavation would begin. In time, three Railway tunnel drainage and ventilation diagram

The Lake 21

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To a design by Sir Basil Mott, a powerhouse engineer, construction began in 1925.

John Brodie supervised the process, while Herbert James Rowse, one of Liverpool’s leading architects, designed the entrances and ventilation buildings, which are now Grade II listed. A mix of government funding and customer tolls paid for the project, which cost more than £8 million.

foresaw, the minds that planned, the skill that fashioned, the will that drove, and the strong arms that endeavoured in the bringing of this work to completion.”

excavate 200 feet of earth per week. In total, the second tunnel cost around 20% more than its forebear, but construction was reduced to five years, rather than nine. The Kingsway Tunnel runs through to Wallasey.

07513 223 495

In building the three-mile long tunnel, more than 1.2 million tons of rock were excavated by explosives and pneumatic drills. Much of that earth was later used to build Otterspool promenade and fill in the Storeton quarry. Some 1,700 men worked on the project for nine years, and 17 even died on the job, which was perilous and unforgiving. But the finished product was a sight to behold, a wonder deserving of pride.

Indeed, on 18th July 1934, the tunnel was opened by King George V, who viewed its completion as a triumph for Britain, not only Merseyside. The opening was treated as a state event, with the national anthem being played before a grand reveal.

“I want to thank those who achieved this miracle,” said the King to 200,000 attendees. “I praise the imagination that

With that, the royal car became the first vehicle to pass through the tunnel to Birkenhead, where a crowd stretching three miles awaited. People hung off rooftops and street lights, gathered at the roadside and up in trees. Somewhat miraculously, there was now a way of travelling under the Mersey in something other than a train. Of course people were going to celebrate!

In the post-war years ahead, a boom of social freedom put increased strain on the tunnel, as travel became something of a hobby. Traffic soared, and the so-called Queensway Tunnel couldn’t cope. New roads were created around the entrances, but that had little impact in terms of quelling the problem. Later, consultants recommended a six-lane bridge, only for the plan to be overruled once again.

Instead, the idea for another tunnel was conceived, with work beginning in 1966.

The advancement of technology saw construction run more smoothly than three decades before. The largest mechanical moles ever seen in the UK were used to

Once again, the tunnel was graced by royalty upon opening. On 27th June 1971, Queen Elizabeth II spearheaded a fantastic ceremony, attended once more by many thousands. “In honour of my father, it is the greatest pleasure that I declare the second Mersey tunnel open, and name it Kingsway,” said Her Majesty in a speech. Almost as soon as the bunting was packed away, the moles were turned around and sent burrowing back the other way, creating a second tube that opened in 1974.

Nowadays, over 28 million vehicles pass through the Mersey tunnels every year.

Thanks to careful maintenance, the option to travel under the river should remain in place for all eternity. But, once upon a time that very thought was impossible.

Accordingly, next time you drive or ride a train through the tunnels, spare a thought for those who devoted time, effort, passion and even their lives to make our commute easier. Without always realising it, we owe them a lot.

22 The Lake

Keeping Wirral Green – The Work of the Wirral Society was written in 1988 to celebrate the society’s diamond jubilee. This opening article, ‘The origins and work of the Wirral Society’ was written by Ron Sumner.

All who care for the English countryside lament the changes which are taking place in it. However, few pause to consider what it is in the landscape which they particularly enjoy, what makes it typically English and why changes have rendered it to them less beautiful.

Back in May 1928, at St Michael’s Church Institute in Claughton, a group of people expressed their fears that the rural and coastal beauty of Wirral was being threatened. This was the inaugural meeting of the Wirral Society which came about largely as a result of growing concern that inter-war ribbon development would create whole areas of unplanned conurbation.

The Society was formed with the object of ensuring that Wirral’s natural beauty, its architecture and flora and fauna, were preserved and improved for the enjoyment of present and future generations.

This ‘natural beauty’ includes the countryside, open spaces, sea coast and adjoining waters, and the villages. The area it covers is the old ‘Hundred of Wirral’, bounded by a line roughly between Blacon Point to Stanlow and straddling the boundary between the counties of Merseyside and Cheshire.* The Society is steered by its Officers and Executive Committee who consider the many applications for land development in Wirral, and constructively oppose any which will have an adverse effect on the environment. Several committee members are from affiliated bodies (such as the Hoylake Civic Society and the Heswall Society) who, with their local knowledge, can provide valuable advice. The Society also invites information from members of the public regarding any activity in their locality which appears to endanger the environment.

At local and national level many matters of policy if left unchallenged, would adversely affect the local environment. The Wirral Society must act as a watchdog on these matters too. Encroachment into the ‘Green Belt’ for development, expansion of industry into the countryside, and the development of large retail outlets located in the rural areas are a few of the items which demand attention.

Since its formation in 1928 the Wirral Society has been affiliated to the Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE). The Council has a powerful voice at national level and is able to acquaint the government of the day with our views concerning any policy changes which may affect Wirral. The CPRE is doing very valuable work in protecting the English Countryside from overdevelopment and is vigorous in its attempts to protect the ‘Green Belt’ up and down the country.

One of the original committee members of the Wirral Society was also instrumental in establishing the CPRE. Patrick Abercrombie was a brilliant and influential town planner who was first appointed to the School of Architecture at Liverpool University in 1907. Between 1915 and 1935 he held the Chair of Civic Design, after which time he became Professor of Town Planning at London University.

Abercrombie’s article ‘The Preservation of Rural England’ appeared in the Town Planning Review and led directly to the formation of the CPRE in 1926. Abercrombie came to know and love Birkenhead and Wirral during his time in Liverpool and would have observed the urbanisation of the peninsula and the spread of itinerant building.

These were the themes that preoccupied his foreword to the Wirral Society’s first ‘Cautionary Guide’ published in 1933.

In its early years, the Society had not only the support of the newly formed CPRE but also the backing of the influential Liverpool and District Regional Survey Association and the long-established Wirral Footpaths and Open Spaces Preservation Society. As a coordinating body, the Wirral Society maintains close cooperation with the Green Belt Council and local amenity groups. In this respect the Society provides an ‘overview’ not always possible with local conservation groups, and provides the stimulus and experience of what is happening in other parts of the peninsula.

Members of the Society are kept informed about planning applications and government legislation receiving consideration by means of a regular newsletter. A Summer Meeting is held at a local place of interest: Ness Gardens, Burton Manor, and Thurstaston Hall among others have provided the venue. The Annual General Meeting is normally held in October, with an informative talk by a guest speaker after the conclusion of formal business.

When you are next enjoying a stroll along the Wirral Way, or can feel the breeze on your face as you picnic at Thurstaston Common, it is worth remembering the labours of the Wirral Society and other kindred associations who (with the local authorities) have done so much to preserve and improve your local heritage.

Change is inevitable in the countryside. We really need to combat not change itself but destructive change which destroys forever a rural area or a landscape of outstanding beauty. By acting as a watchdog on these matters, with its members as the ‘eyes and ears’, the Wirral Society can go some way to achieving this. * For practical purposes, the Wirral Society normally leaves matters arising south of a line roughly from Shotwick to Stanlow to the Chester Committee of the CPRE.

The Lake 23

Chairman Rod Tann telles The Lake readers about the work of the Wirral Society and some current local issues.

The Wirral Society is now in its 88th year and is still dedicated to the aims and objectives it set out to achieve in its early years; some problems never go away, for example, littering, but many others are new.

While the Society still takes an interest in the whole of the Peninsula (extending as far south as the Shropshire Union Canal), as it did in 1928, it is inevitable that a significant amount of time is given to casework within the urban area, especially North Wirral.

This work is handled by a committee which meets monthly to consider current issues.

If built, it would be one mile nearer to West Kirby and Hoylake than the present Upton station, but consequently further away from Upton and Woodchurch townships (including Arrowe Park Hospital).

It would also be sited next door to an extensive sheltered-housing development.

This is the Fire Service’s second proposed site and it follows on from the attempt to locate this replacement station in Greasby, which united that community in total opposition to a ‘Community’ fire station being imposed on it.

We in the Society have always supported councils that uphold the maintenance of Wirral’s tight Green Belt – a planning device introduced in the 1950s with the primary aim of preventing the merging of townships.

There are two proposals for development in the area covered by The Lake magazine, which, if implemented, would each breach the Green Belt. The largest of these is the proposed Golf Resort at Hoylake, which was featured in an earlier edition. It is currently going through pre-application consultation and feasibility study stages.

While we welcome local economic growth, we have, among other concerns, serious doubts about the need in the area for 100 plus luxury houses as so-called ‘enabling development’. We cannot see how Wirral Council, as the major landowner, would be able to accept such luxury housing development in the Green Belt as it does not meet the exception test of ‘Very Special Circumstances’.

Former Biscuit factory at Moreton: The Society has supported Burton’s Biscuit Company in its plan to build houses on the site of this factory. A new planning application has been submitted where it is demonstrated that the land is unlikely to be required for employment purposes in the future. Our hope is also that new houses might help revitalise the town centre.

As part of that support, the Society is anxious to see that the presently derelict Water Feature, designed by the renowned landscape architect Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe, on the roadside boundary of the site, is restored. To this end, an application has been made to have it listed as being of ‘special architectural merit’.

Proposed new Fire Station at Saughall Massie: We in the Society, together with local residents and local councillors, have been very concerned about the closure of West Kirby Fire Station, the proposed closure of Upton Fire Station, and the building of a new fire station on council-owned Green Belt land at the end of the by-pass.

Although we know there have been major cuts in revenue funding to the service, which prompted the Fire Chief’s proposal to have one station rather than two, we cannot see the justification for spending some £4m of taxpayer’s money on building such a facility.

To do our work, we are very much dependent on people like yourselves who are concerned to see the retention of Wirral’s unique character. We try to keep our subscription to a minimum, in order to encourage as many as people as possible to become members of the Society and so provide us with the backing we need to make our voice felt.

26 The Lake

What kind of classes do you offer?

We offer a range of indoor and outdoor classes.

Outdoor sessions are based on Royal Marines Commandos training.

Our most popular class is the Commando Circuit. This class utilises a variety of bodyweight exercises, equipment and weights, which are incorporated into a circuit-style boot camp. The benefits of training in the great outdoors is proven to burn more calories, improve mental wellbeing and not forgetting develop grit and determination which can be drawn upon in everyday life. We offer a beginners and advanced version to suit the needs of every individual, whereever they may be on their fitness journey. There is nothing else like this class on the Wirral.

When and where are the classes held?

Pensby Sports Complex (Irby Rd, CH61 6XN): Monday:

Beginners Commando Circuit 7:00 – 8:00 PM Commando Circuit 7:00 – 8:00 PM

Tuesday:

Commando Combat Boxing 6:30 – 7:30 PM Insanity 7:30 – 8:20 PM PiYo 8:20pm – 9PM

Commando conditioning is our newest outdoor class which is comprised of trail running and body weight exercises. This takes place at a different location around the Wirral, advertised on Twitter and Facebook. The idea behind the class is based on endurance and aims to push yourself to the absolute limit in an environment that will both challenge and excite. At the end of the day ‘What you put in is what you get out’. Our instructors motivate and coach clients rather than stand and shout.

Wednesday: Commando Circuit 7:00 – 8:00 PM

Our indoor classes include a non-contact boxing circuit based on Ricki Hatton’s Boxing Academy. Unlike boxercise this uses real boxing techniques. It’s a great class for confidence building, coordination and shifting the calories.

Hoylake Beach:

We also run the famous Insanity workout. It is a High Intensity Interval workout which pushes your body to the limit. But don’t be put off by the name ‘Insanity’... Why is it insane? Because of the insane results you can achieve! Anyone can do this work out as we offer modified exercises to suit all levels.

We also run our own day camps. If you have been to Thurstaston Beach recently you may have seen our logo embedded into the mud from our last day camp. This is an all-day event where the public can test their mettle through physical and mental challenges. It’s an all-day body blast!

Commando Ab Blast is our newest indoor class and is designed to attack your core muscles like no other class.

Do you need to be super fit before you join?

PiYo is a high-intensity class that is a kinder and gentler routine than the ‘Push to your limits of exertion’ routine of the Insanity workout. By combing the muscle-sculpting, core-firming benefits of Pilates with the strength and flexibility of flowing yoga movements PiYo promises all the gain with none of the pain.

Friday:

Insanity 6:00 – 6.50 PM Commando Ab Blast 6.50PM – 7:20 PM

Irby Village Hall (71 Thingwall Rd, CH61 3UB) Thursday:

Saturday:

Commando Combat Boxing 6:30 – 7:30 PM PiYo 7:30 – 8:10 PM

Commando Circuit 09:30 – 10:30 AM

Day camps:

Absolutely not. Don’t be put off by the fact that the Instructors are ex-Royal Marines Commandos, that just means that we have excellent experience in designing exercise programmes for all levels of fitness.

Everything we do has options for beginners all the way to advanced.

We live by the saying: “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.” At CXF we leave no one behind – our aim is to reshape an extend lives. You won’t get out style of training in any gym.

Do you have to make a financial commitment?

No, you can pay as you train. We do offer membership for £40 for unlimited classes with no contracts.

Why should people come to Commando X-Fit? Our experience as Royal Marines Commandos and our imagination has helped us to develop a training programme unlike anything else around. All we ask for is 100% effort and a sense of humour.

Who says exercise has to be boring? We have trained some of the world’s most elite troops. Not every fitness instructor can say that!

Contact details tom@commandoxfit.co.uk 07818 481680 www.commandoxfitengland.co.uk Twitter @commando_XFIT Facebook commandoxfitengland

The Lake 27

Wirral-based tree and garden specialist goes ‘Green’ Director Matthew Monaghan, who is a resident of Lower Heswall, told The Lake that Wirral Tree Services can now offer a complete ‘green package’ to its customers. The company has invested in a new 4,000 sq ft barn facility on Chester High Road to cater for the needs of Wirral residents and businesses. After providing tree and garden services, they recycle the resulting waste material and then supply back to the local community with processed logs, chips, and even compost. Matthew said: “Why send your garden waste miles away to end up in big hole in a field when it can be recycled!”

The company provides a complete tree and garden service that clients can really trust. Wirral Tree Services is a limited company, fully insured, and their tree specialist staff are qualified to a minimum Level 3 Diploma in Forestry and Arboriculture. Matthew said: “I don’t think clients are comfortable with employing strangers

from a cheap flyer posted through their door when there’s little or no comeback, especially with tree work that can go seriously wrong if not tackled by experts.”

Although their main line of work is tree surgery, they also offer a wide range of other garden services. Recent successful contracts include an annual booking for external grounds maintenance for a large warehouse facility. On the private client side, a group of local residents has grouped together to pay for a day visit to their cul-de-sac on a bi-weekly basis, each resident supplying a ‘to-do’ list that changes with the seasons. This is a clever move as they save by sharing the cost, but still get a professional service.

Matthew says: “We very much look forward to serving all the Wirral community. If you have any garden or tree work, require supply of logs, chipping or just advice please feel free to call us on 0845 862 0801 or email us at info@wirraltreeservices.co.uk”

We are committed to customer satisfaction, reliability and long-term working relationships with our customers. All staff are trained to the latest modern standards and our duty of care to the preservation of trees is utmost.

What We Do All aspects of tree surgery Hedge, pruning and shaping Garden maintenance Wirral Tree Services are a Heswall-based tree surgery and garden maintenance specialist offering professional but cost-effective workmanship to the residential and commercial sectors.

LOGS FOR SALE

Tree inspection and free advice Hedgerow management Garden and ground clearance All staff trained to minimum Level 3 Diploma in Forestry & Arboriculture (NPTC Level 3)

Prices from £39 (per cubic metre/ton bag)

Telephone: 0845 862 0801 or 07444 507 204

Email: info@wirraltreeservices.co.uk • Website: www.wirraltreeservices.co.uk

28 The Lake

The Bowen Technique the brain starts to reorder the signals it is also able to reinterpret the information coming from other areas, an example of why Bowen will often set off reactions in areas that haven’t been treated.

How many treatments will I need to have?

What is the Bowen Technique?

The Bowen Technique is a remedial therapy tool. It is used by therapists mainly to help people who are in pain or discomfort for one reason or another. This is a gentle therapy that works over the soft tissue of the client and features lots of rests in between moves to allow the body to start working with the information. Developed by Tom Bowen, many valid forms of his work exist in the world today.

How does it work?

There have been many theories put forward in the past relating to why Bowen works and there are many people who, conversely, believe that we don’t need to know. They may have a point, but these days there is much more that we can understand and acceptance from the medical community and wider use of the technique by health professionals will come from a better understanding of what happens during a Bowen treatment.

Recently the concept of the way in which the brain reacts to neural stimulus has been looked at in more detail and is the subject of ongoing research by ECBS. The brain emits in the region of 600,000 signals per second, all of which both send out signals and in turn receive information from the body. A muscular movement for example begins from the primary motor cortex at the front of the brain and is sent, via the spinal cord, to the arm or leg where it is translated into movement. In order to gauge this, however, the brain needs to receive a signal telling it what is happening and what to do next and this it does via the parietal lobe of the brain.

The effect is a kind of looping circuit travelling at massive speeds, sending and receiving information. A Bowen move which is a series of gentle rolling moves, followed by breaks at certain intervals, interferes with this signal and creates another set of parameters for the brain to examine. Once

There are no guarantees here because everyone responds differently but, on average, the number of treatments required for, say, a stiff neck or back is around three.

Some problems need more treatments and some even fewer, but what won’t happen is that you will be required to have a long course of treatment, only to find that it hasn’t helped. Although there are never any promises, you should in most cases start to see change fairly quickly.

To learn more about Bowen Therapy or for further details contact Nicholas Tobin Cert. ECBS in Heswall on 0749 659 6969 or alternatively visit: www.wirralbowentherapy.co.uk

30 The Lake

Wirral End of Life Care Charter The Charter is being promoted throughout Wirral again in 2016, not only to end of life care professionals, but also to Wirral residents, so they can be reassured in the knowledge that Wirral professionals are working to the highest standards.

Julie Gorry, Chief Executive of Wirral Hospice St John’s, a member of Wirral Palliative and End of Life Partnership Group, said: “The idea is to make services known and accessible to everyone facing this very difficult and stressful situation, so they can reach the best possible care. We all know that you can’t plan for every eventuality, but this is a great start.”

She went on to say: “Many people don’t realise that end of life care can be necessary over days, weeks, months - even years. All the agencies involved, which include the NHS Trusts, GPs, and charities, among many others, want to help patients, their families and carers have the best quality of life for as long as possible, even though the patient’s condition cannot be cured.

Wirral End of Life Care Charter is a blueprint for the highest standards of palliative and end of life care.

Created by professional care providers on Wirral, the Charter reassures ‘care, kindness and understanding for people at the end of life’. It seeks to show that help is available for people with life-limiting conditions to have the best quality of life possible, for as long as possible, and that their wishes lie at the heart of their end of life care.

The Charter takes the form of an affirmation of 12 expectations which patients, their families and carers are likely to want when the time comes for palliative or end of life care.

“These expectations are exactly what you would expect to see from a caring and humane community,” said Dr Sue Wells, Medical Director of Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group, who launched the Charter during the national Dying Matters week in 2015, to an audience of over 100 health and social care professionals.

“End of life care has received a bad press in recent years. But all our professionals are dedicated to improve standards. We believe that the Charter should help take the fear out of what type of quality is available to someone needing that care.”

The Charter Pledge has been signed by organisations who are aiming not only to deliver on its standards, but also to inform and help colleagues to reach them. In addition, they are undertaking to inform their service users about the Charter and its expectations.

At the same time, the Charter has its own Supporters’ Roll. Wirral residents are being asked to informally support the Charter and its aims which will help the news of the Charter become known throughout Wirral.

Further details of community events during Dying Matters week 9th – 15th May 2016 will be advertised on the Wirral Hospice website www.wirralhospice.org in the coming weeks.

For further information about the Wirral End of Life Charter, please contact Suzanne Lake: suzannel@wirralhospice.org

You May Expect: Support by skilled and knowledgeable staff that recognises your situation and who work together to co-ordinate and manage your care.

With your permission that plans, if you have made any, are shared with those involved in your care, so that your wishes may be fulfilled.

That, if you wish, those who are important to you are involved in decisions about your care and treatment.

Care which includes what you eat and drink, control with your symptoms, and support with your emotional, social, cultural, and spiritual needs.

Regular reviews of your individual care plans that will meet your needs and include decisions and actions that are made to best fit your wishes.

The possibility that you may die within the next few days or hours is communicated clearly and sensitively, to you and those who are important to you.

The support of trained staff, who will help you to think and plan ahead, if you want, to discuss your preferences and wishes for your care.

Support to help keep your independence as long as possible by caring staff respecting your dignity and sense of control throughout your illness.

The needs of your family and others important to you are respected and met, as far as possible.

That you, and others important to you, will be treated with compassion and respect towards the end of your life.

That your body will be treated with dignity and respect after your death.

That during your illness and after your death, those important to you, receive practical, emotional and spiritual support.

End of life care: • Is the total care of a person with an advanced, progressive, incurable illness or frailty; • Is not just about dying; • May last a few days, or for months or years; • Begins when, and continues as long as it is needed.

The Lake 31

How well is your skin ageing?

You can achieve incredible results in your 20s, 40s or 70s (and every age in between).

Tracey Locke, lead clinician at Serenity Clinic Ltd, has some great advice.

Your skin changes and has very different requirements at different stages of life, due to genetic disposition, lifestyle and so on. The good news is, if you take an ’age-specific’ approach to your skin, the results will be literally ‘written all over your face’. I can’t promise you’ll look when 25 when you’re 55 (unfortunately Photoshop doesn’t work on real people), but here are some pointers.

20s: Protect and prevent Your skin should be regenerating at a good rate. The mitochondria (the batteries in our cells) should be working efficiently, producing big fat baby cells to give you a glowing complexion. Unfortunately, not all of us are so lucky and you may have the odd spot or acne outbreak. The key is be gentle and don’t overstimulate the skin.

Focus on: Simple and effective cleansers such as micellar water or gentle antioxidant-rich face washes. A gentler and specific AHA cleanser could be used on a problem skin. Moisturiser is a must – even if your skin is oilier moisturising shouldn’t exacerbate the problem and it’s needed to balance the skin. I recommend a barrier repair treatment moisturiser that does what it says on the label (provides a barrier). SPF 30 to 50 all year and a sun hat will pay dividends as you age.

Treatments: Gentle skin-boosting treatments with a cocktail of antioxidants and hydration. No-needle mesotherapy.

Microdermabrasion. Specialist facials to address problems such as acne scarring or outbreaks.

30s: Spot the signs For most, this is one of the busiest (and often most tiring) decades due to work, etc., and this all affects your skin. There’s another factor to consider, too: hormones, which can cause problems, for example, ‘pregnancy mask’, pigmentation and facial red veins. This is also the decade when you’re most likely to notice your skin starting to age and show fine lines and dark circles.

Focus on: A simple but effective homecare regime to increase cellular turnover and break down intercellular bonds. If you think of the skin as a brick wall, the intercellular bond – made up of secretions from our skin – is the mortar that sets, sticking down dead skin and slowing cell production. Larger pores, pigmentation and generally duller skin will also appear, but these are easily rectified. Use AHAs or BHAs and you’ll start to notice a difference, within two weeks in most cases.

Treatments: Facials with AHAs and BHAs, Vitamins A and C, hyaluronic acid, peptides. Improve tone and texture with non-surgical micro-currents (which specific micro-current treatment depends on individual muscle tone and skin condition).

Baby muscle relaxing injections work really well on the forehead.

The Comcit™ three-in-one facial includes microdermabrasion, micro-channelling, vitamin infusion, lifting and hydrating.

Combination treatments are key from age 30 onwards.

40s: Stop lines in their tracks This is when you’ll see loss of volume, sagging skin, more visible lines, pigmentation (caused by sun damage) and red veins. But there are many things you can do to improve it.

Focus on: Homecare treatments that work on cellular turnover as the skin can become dull due to cornification (build-up of the dead epidermis). Large pores become more visible. Lines and wrinkles.

The ‘footprints’ of ageing, i.e. pigmentation and old scarring, which become more prominent in your 40s.

Treatments: PRP plasma-rich platelet facials (known as the ‘Dracula facial’) with micro-channelling, using your own blood plasma to stimulate collagen, tighten, plump and refine the skin.

Non-surgical face lifting works well on muscle tone – I find the Baxendale Wave works better on this age group and above, combining eye treatments for sagging lids and dark circles (great for men, too). IPL or laser treatments for rejuvenation and red veins.

Dermal fillers and injectables for specific areas of concern (discuss this with a qualified practitioner).

50s and up: Give yourself a lift Sadly everything tends to start to sag a little more as the skin loses elasticity. This can result in drooping eyelids and the onset of the dreaded crêpe neck. Wrinkles become more prominent as skin loosens and age spots are far more likely to appear/multiply. But, all is not lost!

Focus on: Boosting collagen, antioxidants, hyaluronic acid, vitamins A, C and E, AHAs and AHBs. Addressing pigmentation.

Lifting/toning the face, eyes and neck. Add peptides and stem cells into your homecare treatments.

Treatments: Venus Freeze Facial to address loose skin, drooping eyes, etc. This produces new collagen cells known as fibroblasts. Skin tightening to address sagging skin, jowls and neck. Advanced facials and peels to reduce hyper-pigmentation and age spots as well as lines and wrinkles. Light therapy to improve texture and skin tone.

Semi-permanent make-up to combat thinning lips and brows and redefine the face. Dermal fillers and injectables.

At any age use SPF 30 to 50 every day (reapplied regularly) and a hat in the summer months is a must for anti-ageing Serenity Clinic Ltd, 162 Banks Road, West Kirby, Wirral CH48 0RH T: 0151 625 6256 www.serenity-clinic.co.uk

32 The Lake

BTR Port Sunlight Road Race its UK workforce. Amongst Unilever’s brands are household names such as Persil, Dove, Tresemme, Radox, Comfort and Surf. A team of Unilever runners will also take part in the 5K and 10K races.

The BTR Port Sunlight Road Race events start and finish next to the village green, adjacent to Port Sunlight Museum, which provides a fantastic backdrop for the day’s proceedings. Last year almost 1,800 runners took part, including almost 40 running enthusiasts who ran in both the 5K and 10Ks to be double racers on the day.

Runners were joined by thousands of spectators who lined the village roads to lend their support and cheer the runners on.

Port Sunlight 2015 5K start line (Paul Francis Cooper)

Unilever Port Sunlight has been confirmed as the headline sponsor of the increasingly popular annual BTR Port Sunlight Road Race. The announcement comes from race organisers BTR Liverpool and Port Sunlight Village Trust almost nine weeks ahead of the 2016 event.

The BTR Port Sunlight Road Race is now firmly established in the village’s event calendar and on the region’s running scene.

Unilever is supporting the event for the third consecutive year as Unilever brightFuture – its movement for people everywhere who want to make the world a better place for their children and future generations.

This year’s event takes place on Sunday 17 April, and is the fifth consecutive year the race day has taken place. Participants take to the tree-lined boulevards of Port Sunlight Village for three events – 10K, 5K and children’s 1K fun run.

Unilever is extremely proud of its history and heritage in Port Sunlight, where company founder William Lever built his factory and village in 1888. The company continues to have world-class manufacturing, R&D and IT facilities based here, along with a third of

The 5K runners set off at 10am to complete a loop route, taking in key sights across the village. They are followed at 11am by the 10K race, which is two laps of the same course. All 5K and 10K finishers will receive a bespoke finisher’s medal, T-shirt and goody bag.

The 1K Kids’ Fun Run will start at approximately 12.30pm once the race course is clear. They will also receive a medal and a goody bag.

BTR Liverpool is the leading independent organisation for creating, managing and delivering headline race events across Liverpool City Region. Its portfolio also includes the Mersey Tunnel 10K, Liverpool Santa Dash, 26-mile Whistle Stop Tour Of Wirral, and the award-winning Wirral Half Marathon/10K. BTR Liverpool Race Director Alan Rothwell said: “The BTR Port Sunlight Road Race has become firmly established within the village events calendar – and we thank the Port Sunlight Village Trust for inviting us back for 2016. It’s fantastic to again have Unilever on-board as the headline sponsor, which enables us to grow and develop the overall event.”

Entries are being taken online at www.btrliverpool.com or at the BTR office at 82 Market Street, Hoylake, Wirral CH47 3BD.

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Shorelines

By Stephen G Baker

I have been speaking to young people recently about technology and social media. Truthfully, the discussion isn’t really limited to young people. Apart from a few exceptions, most people use technology.

At one stage, some intellectuals thought that the technology of writing had some major drawbacks. For instance they argued that writing things down reduced your capacity to remember and that wisdom was rapidly being replaced by the mere accumulation of facts! If this is true of writing then there definitely is some truth in it in relation to the many forms of technology we use today.

Neil Postman (1931–2093) an American author, educator, media theorist and cultural critic, wrote a number of books addressing the issues that arise out of the use of technology. In one of his books, Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology (1992) he explains that we are in danger of losing our capacity to think through the overuse of technology. To quote “…the uncontrolled growth of technology destroys the vital sources of our humanity. It creates a culture without a moral foundation. It undermines certain mental processes and social relations that make human life worth living.” That would be a tragedy!

It’s quite paradoxical that the very thing that was designed to improve social contact, communication, education, etc., could actually work against us. The aim of this article is not to condemn technology or social media, but to appeal for its wise use.

Did you know that we are the sum total of our thoughts! It is significant what we allow into our minds. Technology provides access to both good and bad things. Jesus Christ gave a searching commentary about our hearts and our minds. I don’t think that he would have condemned technology outright as he taught that our problems stem back to our character. Technology is only as good and as bad as we are. Listen to his comments – “…the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man... For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts...’[1] Jesus then proceeded to list sins that are common in society, some you might recoil from (theft, murder, slander) and others a lot of people today think are quite acceptable in our society (fornication, adultery, coveting, deceit, sensuality, pride, etc.).

We have become desensitised to our moral state and one of the main causes is corruption through technology. I think Neil Postman’s prediction of the effects of technology was pretty accurate.

So where do we go from here? Ditch technology? I don’t think so. An awareness of our weakness and sin will cause us to look for the only viable solution that can be found – salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” [2] Bible References: 1. Mark 7:15,21 2. 1 John 1:9

www.findingthemissingpeace.blogspot.co.uk www.seekthetruth.org.uk

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All Things Auctioneering

by John Bathurst Crane Are these examples art? Are the originators artists? Can they draw and apply paint to canvas to delight the eye? If it is not art, then what is it? Is it manufactured absurdism created to tempt and beguile those seeking novelty in their lives to part with large sums of money and then having to justify their choice for many years to come

Self Portrait with Nude by Dame Laura Knight

I sometimes have a problem with fine art, as pictures seem to me to be a very clear case of clever deception. Less weight and smaller tins for the same price in the supermarket may be considered to be a form of deception, and it keeps us grumbling.

With pictures we accept that ‘deception’ willingly with no questions whatsoever and no grumbles. We choose to believe that a flat, two-dimensional surface is really threedimensional and that pictures have ‘depth’ as revealed in the offing and horizon in maritime pictures and the far distant hills in landscapes.

I suppose it all arose in 1415 in Florence when the architect Filippo Brunelleschi made a painting of the Baptistry in Florence using his recently discovered system of converging parallel lines on the horizon. The artist Masaccio further developed the technique of perspective, which has remained little unchanged for several centuries.

I think pictures are additional windows in a room, so perspective and distant views to horizons of your favourite views of Devon or Hilbre Island, for example, are extremely important and can continue to delight the eye for decades.

Room interiors are still popular subjects as well – ‘a visual enquiry into the private world of another person’ is a nice way to describe them, especially if the subjects are not sitting for a formal portrait group. When travelling on the top deck of an omnibus there are few who can resist the temptation to gaze into electric light-filled sitting rooms with undrawn curtains… Pictures of interiors on your wall enable you to do exactly the same.

Now, what do you make of conceptual art?

An unmade bed, a pile of builder’s common bricks, a taut piece of string with knots tied along its length, a darkened black box into which you place your gloved hands to imagine the shape of the nothingness contained therein, or a electrically illuminated neon sign at the west end of a well-known religious establishment in Liverpool (which was put there on ‘loan’ for a few months – a new location has not been forthcoming).

I will leave you to ponder on these thoughts and come to your own conclusions – I have mine!

I was in Hoylake recently visiting a client who had been recommended to us. I discovered a c1900 postcard depicting the coastal village of Staithes on the north-east coast of Britain near Whitby. Staithes is important for its artist colony from c1895 to c1920. Many villages across Europe and America attracted communities of aspiring artists who fled the lure of bright city lights. Laura Knight, with her husband Harold, spent time at Staithes before moving to Newlyn and subsequently becoming one of the greatest painters of the 20th century.

Staithes by Charles Gregory

The Nuremberg Trial by Dame Laura Knight

The Staithes School were plein-air artists who found freedom away from the urban bustle; the movement was generally successful.

Almost too successful – lacking sufficient space they held exhibitions in Whitby and so were taken under the umbrella of the Yorkshire Artists Association, perhaps losing some identity in the process.

There were about 80 artist colonies in Europe in the 19th century, including St Ives, Newlyn, Glasgow, Liverpool, Ahrenshoop, Givenchy, Katwijk and Dachau, to name just a few. Many attracted international artists for the exchange of techniques and style.

It is often a bit difficult to find somewhere to go during these winter months when the snowdrops and crocuses are pushing their way up through the sweeping lawns of Wirral and Liverpool. However, I recently rediscovered Sudley House in Liverpool near Mossley Hill Church.

This sandstone property was built in 1823 by Nicholas Robinson, a former Lord Mayor of Liverpool. In 1883 the property was acquired

by George Holt, whereupon he set about developing his private art collection. He did this most successfully with the assistance of a handful of London art dealers, mainly Agnews who are now in St James’s Place (where I was recently visiting another dealer to look at two portraits by the Irish-born painter Sir John Lavery one of which was a portrait depicting the Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova).

The entrance hall of Sudley House houses a wonderful portrait by Sir John Everett Millais entitled ‘Vanessa’. Vanessa was a friend of Johnathon Swift, though several years his junior. Swift had two close friends in his life: Vanessa and Emma. The painting of Vanessa depicts her dressed in sombre clothes decorated with black beads and her eyes

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gazing downwards. The portrait of Emma is much more lively with bright colours and red beads; she is looking directly at the artist with a brightness of countenance. I will leave you to guess the reason.

Lake Maggiore by James Baker Pyne

A painting to brighten up a winter’s day is one depicting Lake Maggiore by James Baker Pyne. He was a self-taught artist of the c18th Bristol School, who later moved to London where he was greatly influenced by JMW Turner. The Sudley collection which is one of the finest personal collections in the country was bequeathed to Liverpool by Emma Holt in 1945.

Cato Crane’s Auction Rooms in Liverpool continues to be extremely busy with many of our clients living in Wirral and disposing of family collections. Our first internet auction in January saw higher prices than expected, with silver and jewellery and pictures all exceeding guide prices.

Antique walking sticks seem to be rocketing in price at the moment – perhaps in anticipation of a long winter ahead and snow and ice underfoot…

Oriental china continues to be popular. Care needs to be taken with objects that can prove to be extremely valuable these days. The strong Chinese market may not continue for ever, of course, as the stock market falls, so now may be the time to sell.

Fine c18th Chinese Vase

Marks to look out for

Fine quality furniture is doing very well, but mediocre quality has a long way to go before it picks up again. There does seem to be the need for the mass market to reify that all mid-20th furniture is great. It is very popular at the moment, with high prices, but fine antiques will stand the test of time in my view.

We are approaching a busy period now with many estate properties to remove. One estate in North Wales has a collection of bicycles powered by Autocycle motors c1950. That’s my style – 300 miles to the gallon!

I still have a few slots for talks in Wirral this year if you phone me soon. Wirral Radio and Radio Clatterbridge continue to want me on their programmes for 2016! My first talk of the year has been given – this was to South Wirral Rotary Club at the Glegg Arms. They do wonderful and supportive charity work and new members are very welcome.

Not all clients wish their items to be sold by auction; therefore, we can offer alternative methods by using contacts in London and the experience of 40 years in the business. Also, not all clients want their personal matters discussed or known to others and we have a gentle way of visiting people to discuss their requirements.

We also operate under the name of 5CountiesValuationCompany and John Crane Fine Art, which advises on the best method of the disposal of the finest objects such as pictures, silver, jewellery, bronzes and early books.

It is now March when my ‘Welsh Odyssey’ starts again. I will get home one day maybe.

Hiraeth and all that! But, for now, happy hunting and discoveries.

Please contact me at Chester on 01244 680055, at Liverpool on 0151 709 5559, at Wirral on 0151 342 2321, or on mobile at 07836 209995. You are most welcome to phone for home visits anytime.

36 The Lake

Work experience – why and how?

Top tips from a UCAS Adviser

By Susanne Christian In a survey carried out by Gumtree, 90% of employers said that work experience is essential for anyone applying for jobs in the current climate. Employers consider job applicants with good work experience to be more knowledgeable (67%), more confident (44%) and more committed (40%).

John Wastnage, Head of Employment and Skills at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “Work experience is an important part of preparing young people for their adult lives. It provides a chance for young people to experience a very different environment from school. As well as getting a taste of a particular industry, they learn that work can be both exciting and boring. For many it will be the first time they work alongside people of different ages and backgrounds.”

Matthew Hancock, who was Minister for Skills in the Coalition Government, agreed, saying: “Work experience is vital for young people and employers. It bridges the gap between school, college and work, helps young people make decisions about their future and develop new skills whilst at the same time giving employers the chance to spot good new recruits.”

So we know that work experience can do you the world of good when it comes to looking for jobs in the future, but how to find a work experience placement?

Most people use one of three ways: • Friends and family. Tell them that you’re looking for work experience in a particular role. Maybe they can help – or they know someone who can.

• Speculative applications to companies or organisations which interest you. Write or email, with your CV. Make sure you tell them why the company or sector interests you. Sound enthusiastic!

• If you find yourself struggling to come up with work experience ideas on your own, then you might want to look for structured work experience programmes.

A lot of the larger companies in the UK offer work experience placements to school (and college) students. They are popular, though and competition can be tough.

Rather than sending a CV, many large companies ask you to complete an application form. Some have an online application process.

In the past there has been confusion about health and safety for young people on work experience, with some schools and some employers expecting risk assessments for each placement. The situation was clarified and simplified by the Coalition Government in 2013 when the Minister for Skills, Matthew Hancock announced that: “Sensible questions will replace the mountains of paperwork which has resulted in many businesses refusing to offer work experience to young people. It is not the responsibility of schools to check health and safety on work placements, and companies need do no more than they would do for one of their own employees.”

The insurance industry played its part by including work experience students within existing Employers’ Liability Compulsory Insurance.

This all means that employers should be a bit more willing to offer work experience placements. However, it’s usually the case that there are not enough placements to go round. You might be competing with many others for a place on one of the large work experience schemes.

• what you are hoping to get from the work experience (be specific – you could say, for example, talk to a surgeon, watch a car engine being fitted, or work with the make-up department).

If you’re not getting the careers guidance you’re looking for, professional help is only a call away.

I’m a fully-qualified careers adviser, with over 15 years’ experience of helping people make changes to their lives and careers.

I’ve have coached adults and young people for all stages of applications – from CV to application to assessment to interview.

Get in touch to book an appointment 07837 345082 susannechristian24@gmail.com www.susannechristian.co.uk Previous clients have said:

Don’t forget to mention

‘Susanne’s approach instils total confidence in her clients’

• any jobs you’ve had

• Jaguar Land Rover

• charity work

• Marks and Spencer

• positions of responsibility.

• Merseyside and Cheshire police forces

But probably the most important thing you can express on your application is your enthusiasm for the company and for that type of work. Think about it from the employer’s point of view. If there are lots of applicants for a work experience, you’ll

• Liverpool Empire theatre.

• what else you’ve done to further your interest (joined a club, taken a particular course at school or college, attended a summer school or weekend event)

‘Great insight into what potential employers are looking for’

• other work experience

• NHS (Wirral Community Trust and Wirral University Teaching Hospital Trust)

• where your interest comes from (a life experience, something you saw on TV, a book you read)

You’ll need a good, strong application setting out what you’ve done (academic achievements, other school/college activities and outside activities), and what you hope to achieve in the future.

Local companies include:

• Airbus

want to take the people who show the greatest interest in your company or type of work. So tell the employer:

‘Very helpful advice on how to market myself positively’

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by Iceland Food) are provided for everyone who has purchased a ticket from 12.30pm. The film will start at 1:15pm. Tickets are just £5 (carers free). Tickets can be booked in person at the Box Office, and via the website.

Also this March Eddie the Eagle – 1st The Huntsman: Winter’s War – 8th Midnight Special – 8th Criminal – 15th The Jungle Book – 15th Bastille Day – 22nd Friend Request – 2nd Captain America: Civil War – 29th Demolition – 29th

Welcome to The Lake magazine’s film column.

Each issue will provide a rundown of what’s on over the next few weeks, including blockbusters, independent films and arts screenings that are available for you to check out in your local cinema.

During March and April, The Light Cinema, New Brighton, is hosting a wealth of live cinema, including theatre, opera and ballet.

introduced to Wonder Woman, played by Gal Godot (Fast and Furious), and Jeremy Irons as Alfred.

Fearing the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman takes on Superman, while the world wrestles with what kind of a hero it really needs. With Batman and Superman fighting each other, Lex Luthor creates a new threat, Doomsday. It’s up to Superman and Batman to set aside their differences and, along with Wonder Woman, stop Lex Luthor and Doomsday from destroying Metropolis.

Also this March

HAIL, CAESAR! – March 4th Hail, Caesar! is the newest release from four-time Oscar-winning filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men, True Grit, Fargo). This all-star comedy is set during Hollywood’s Golden Age and follows a day in the life of a studio fixer (Josh Brolin). He spends his day dealing with the problems of Hollywood’s biggest stars. He also faces his biggest task when Baird Whitlock (played by Coen favourite, George Clooney) gets kidnapped while filming the epic ‘Hail, Caesar!’ If the studio doesn’t pay the ransom, it’s the end of the line for Hollywood’s leading man. If you love the Coen brothers then you are sure to love this and we’d strongly advise to get yourself to yourself to a cinema as quickly as you possibly can! The film also stars Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, Scarlett Johansson, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Channing Tatum!

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE – March 25th It’s finally here, the epic battle between two of the world’s most iconic superheroes takes place from March 25th. Henry Cavill reprises his role as Superman with Ben Affleck playing the man behind the mask of the ‘dark knight’ and we’re

London Has Fallen – 3rd The Other Side of the Door – 4th Divergent Series: The Allegiant – 10th Kung Fu Panda 3 – 11th Witch – 11th The Boy – 18th My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 – 25th Zootropolis – 25th

APRIL CALAMITY JANE: Dementia Friendly Screening – APRIL 19th In conjunction with the BFI, Film Hub NWC, and The Dukes Theatre Lancaster’s project ‘A Life More Ordinary’, the Light Cinema presents a sing-a-long Calamity Jane starring the legendary Doris Day as a rootin’, tootin’, shootin’ gun-slinger in the western town of Deadwood.

The story follows Jane as she promises the citizens of Deadwood that she can persuade classy Chicago stage star Adelaide Adams to perform at the Golden Garter’s stage show!

In association with Age UK, these daytime screenings are open to the public, and we particularly invite people with dementia and their carers and families. Lights will be left on low, sound levels reduced slightly, and customers are welcome to move around as necessary. There will be a 20-minute interval halfway through the film with entertainment provided (e.g. music and sing-a-longs). Free refreshments (sponsored

ROH Live: Boris Godunov – March 21st Richard Jones and Antonio Pappano renew their creative collaboration with this new production of Musorgsky’s historical masterpiece.

The Railway Children – March 28th Presented by York Theatre Royal and The National Railway Museum. Roberta (Bobbie), Phyllis and Peter are three sheltered siblings who suffer a huge upheaval when their father is taken from their London home and falsely imprisoned. The children and their mother, now penniless, are forced to move from London to rural Yorkshire near a railway line.

ROH Live: Giselle – April 6th Giselle is the quintessential romantic classic, a love affair that begins in the real world and continues beyond the grave. Giselle transforms from an innocent peasant girl duped into love to a forgiving spirit who saves her lover from death.

BOLSHOI Live: Don Quixote – April 10th Cervantes’ eccentric hero Don Quixote leaves on journey full of adventures in search of his perfect woman, along with his loyal squire Sancho Panza. On the way he meets Kitri, the dazzling daughter of an innkeeper who he thinks might be his ideal love.

Monet to Matisse: Painting the Modern Garden – April 12th From the Royal Academy of Arts, London and the Cleveland Museum of Art. From the exhibition walls to the beauty of artist’s gardens like Monet’s Giverny, we take a magical journey to discover how artists used the modern garden to explore radical and wonderful new ideas.

ROH Live: Lucia Di Lammermoor – April 25th Lucia di Lammermoor is regarded as one of Donizetti’s finest works. It tells the story of an ongoing feud between two families in 17th century Scotland that has terrible consequences for two young lovers.

Craig Barton is the co-director of Pilot Light TV Festival and works within film exhibition at multiplexes and film festivals, and is a former lecturer of film and creative media.

Release dates are subject to change and are provided by Launching Films and The Light Cinema.

38 The Lake

2. Core strength – having a strong core is really important for long-distance runners especially. Having a strong core helps to improve your posture and running style.

This helps to combat back pain which some long-distance runners can experience. Plus, having a better running style can help improve stride length meaning a quicker time.

3. Running faster – strength training will help you run more efficiently and, therefore, use less energy. Running more efficiently will not only help you run further on training runs, but also helps come race day when you need to put that extra push in to get your target time.

Now that you have read some of the benefits of strength training and have decided to add it into your plan you need to know the best types of exercises. Unfortunately it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach, so give some of them a go and see what works for you.

1. Compound exercises – these are exercises that work multiple muscle groups in the same exercise. Exercises such as squats, lunges with overhead press and plank are all good examples. Anything that works the hips, bum and core at the same time is good.

2. Bodyweight exercises – these are exercises that don’t need any equipment and can be done in the comfort of your own home. Glute bridges, mountain climbers and lunge with a twist will work all the relevant body parts.

The days are getting lighter and warmer, which can only mean one thing – the start of the running season is quickly approaching. Whether you are thinking of jogging your first 5K or are aiming for a marathon ‘personal best’, adding strength training into your plan could help give you that extra push.

Here Head Coach at Fitness Queen Arrowe Park, Zara Wylie, talks you through the importance of strength training and how it can help your running training.

When most people start to train for a run they do just that – run. They try to get faster and go further, but progress is slow and injuries are common. However, if you add in some simple strength training you could be a fitter, healthier and stronger runner. There are numerous benefits to adding strength training to your running schedule – the key ones are: 1. Injury prevention – strength training helps to improve structural weaknesses in your body (weak muscles, joints or tendons). This makes your body more resilient to the impact of running and can help prevent a pre-existing injury getting worse.

3. Weights machines – if you are a member of a gym you could use the weight machines. These tend to isolate muscle groups such as hamstrings, quads and abs.

Although these are good you will need to use a few machines to target all the muscle groups, so compound exercises are better.

To start with do one or two 10–20 minute sessions a week doing as much as you can while being careful to not overwhelm your body. If you are not sure how best to start, why not join a class or speak to a trainer who can give you a simple plan?

Our well-loved group fitness classes focus on all-round strength and conditioning training. We can also help you with tailored nutritional plans to ensure that you are feeding your body correctly.

Website: www.thefitnessqueen.co.uk Email: zara.wylie@gmail.com • Call: 07702 844984 Twitter: @fitnessqueenuk • Facebook: Fitness Queen