September/October 2014

Issue 10 • September/October 2014

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

Hoylake Lifeboat Museum • History of Hilbre Island • Hoylake Chamber Concert Society

MOVIE NIGHTS AT TANSKEYS ACTION...Saturday 27th September

FANTASY...Friday 14th November

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

LIFE OF PI

WITH FISHERMANS PIE PLUS A BOTTLE OF WINE EACH

WITH CURRY, RICE, NAAN & CHUTNEY PLUS A BOTTLE OF WINE EACH

£20 per person

£20 per person

COMEDY...Friday 10th October

CHRISTMAS...Friday 12th December

QUARTET

MIRACLE ON 34th STREET

WITH LASAGNE & GARLIC BREAD PLUS A BOTTLE OF WINE EACH

TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS ROAST DINNER

PLUS A BOTTLE OF WINE EACH

£20 per person

£20 per person

FRIDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER

Music Nights with Gary Murphy

We are taking part in the worlds biggest coffee morning for Macmillan Cancer Support from 9am – 8.30pm, Gary Murphy, the legendary guitarist, will be playing.

Plus in December – a 7 piece professional Operatic Group from the West End to perform the most fabulous Christmas Carol Evening. Fun, tears and nostalgia for all the family.

(And maybe Santa) but book early.

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

Welcome to the tenth 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 Cover image by Sue Rees – randommusingsofmrsordinary.blogspot.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

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 Delivered free to 12,500 homes and businesses in West Kirby, Hoylake, Meols and Caldy

Pages 26-29

For distribution queries please call 0151 644 9475

06 West Kirby Remembers WW1

24 Hoylake Chamber Concert Society

08 Almost There – Brian Woods

30 West Kirby Sailing Club

10 Melrose Hall

34 Local Wildlife

12 Hillbark Players

36 Draw a Line Under Ageing

14 Fabulous Frost Fair

38 Under the Gavel

18 SSAFA Wirral

40 Deeside Laundry

21 Hoylake Lifeboat Museum

41 Fitness Queen

22 History of Hilbre Island

43 Your Letters

04 The Lake tricks, betrayals, boggarts, ghostly musicians, goblins and wishes gone wrong. Each performance will last approximately one hour and be advised that they are not suitable for children under 12 – you have been warned. With two performances at 7.30pm and 8.45pm, bookings are now being taken at Port Sunlight Museum, 0151 644 6466. £6 adults, £5 concessions/children 12+.

So what’s on offer for the children? Well how about a fun craft activity that costs a little and gives a lot! ‘Sunlight Spoons’ over half term break, Tuesday 28th, Wednesday 29th and Thursday 30th October, 1.00pm until 3.30pm. Take a look in the mirror, pick up a wooden spoon, choose your material, wool, pens and paper and put them all together, what do you get? A self-portrait! An afternoon of creative fun and only £1.50 per child.

Find out more about what’s going on in Port Sunlight, visit: www.portsunlightvillage.com

Spooks, Talks and Spoons in Port Sunlight!

West Kirby Christmas Lights Appeal 2014 As most residents know, West Kirby hasn’t had any Christmas lights for the past two years. Wirral Borough Council provides no direct funding for Christmas lights, so after the West Kirby Chamber of Business & Community dissolved there was nobody left to organise or pay for the lights.

Port Sunlight Museum has exciting events coming up in their autumn events campaign in October!

If you have a passion for history, learning and creative fun, then Port Sunlight has plenty to offer. If you’re fascinated by this 19th century garden village and want to find out more, then book onto the forthcoming lecture on Thursday 23rd October, 6pm, taking place in the aptly named ‘Old School Room’ at the Lyceum. ‘The origins, development and changing social scenes of sports, clubs and societies in Port Sunlight’ is a talk given by the museum’s collections and research officer, looking into the historical background of the many groups and clubs that began in Port Sunlight with many still having strong memberships today. From the ‘Amateur Athletics’ teams of the early 1900s, to the popular ‘Port Sunlight Wheelers’ cycling club 2014, this 125-year-old village is still a hub for sporting activity.

If ghosts grab your attention, another evening to book onto is ‘Creepy Tales for Halloween’ on Friday 31st October. Drawn from the creepy side of the folk tale tradition, the stories will feature witches’

This year, a group of residents and businesses have got together to try to fundraise the £15,000 needed for West Kirby to have Christmas lights once again. We are appealing to all the shops and businesses of West Kirby, as well as residents, to help us, either by donating directly or supporting the events that we are going to host.

We need to say a big THANK YOU to both Lattetude and the Aubergine Café for being the very first businesses to donate – only about 180 other businesses to go now!

Collection tubs are being set up in a number of shops and we’re looking for corporate sponsors too. We also plan to run a big raffle.

If you can support in any way, it would really help make West Kirby a lovely place to do your Christmas shopping this year.

Please email pledges or ideas to westkirbylights@gmail.com You can also follow us on Twitter @westkirbylights, on our Facebook page ‘Light up the town’ or visit the website westkirbylights.webs.com

06 The Lake

West Kirby Remembers WW1 Billet Bash – 25th August Thanks to local residents who attended this patriotic event in commemoration of the brave local men who fought for our freedom. Despite the miserable weather, we all enjoyed our rations, had lots of fun, joined in with patriotic singing and watched the new recruits on parade.

The West Kirby Museum Research Group would like to thank WRO Lounge for hosting this successful event and donating the proceeds to ‘West Kirby Remembers WW1’ for research, publishing, future events etc. Thanks also to Barclays Bank for match funding this event. We are very appreciative of the Lormac Singers and the West Kirby Concourse Singers who gave up their time to entertain us.

Sunday 12th October – Officers’ Tea at WRO Loft, Grange Road, West Kirby – 3.00pm.

PLEASE NOTE THIS DATE HAS BEEN REARRANGED Please join us for afternoon tea while you learn all about WW1 West Kirby.

1914 West Kirby Posters One hundred years ago, Grange Road, West Kirby would have been a very different place. Grange Road would have been bustling when war was declared. The military was billeted at the West Kirby Public Hall. There was an air of excitement and people were optimistic that the war would be over by Christmas.

As part of the ‘West Kirby Remembers WW1’ project, the West Kirby Museum Research Group has produced a poster for every shop in Grange Road outlining the businesses and families in existence in 1914. The posters will be displayed in the shop windows from 25th October until 12th November. Shopkeepers are invited to dress their window as their shop was in 1914 and/or a patriotic display. There will be a best dressed shop window competition.

The newly refurbished West Kirby Museum is now one year old.

We celebrated our first year with a special open day on Saturday 12th July. We were competing with BIG events taking place in Hoylake and West Kirby at the same time - the start of the Open Golf championship and the last weekend of the Festival of Firsts.

In spite of the competition, we had visitors who were interested in seeing the museum, looking at the displays about West Kirby prepared by the museum Research Group and having a go at archaeology hands-on.

The day had an archaeology theme because it was part of a national event, the Festival of Archaeology. This is organised each year by the Council for British Archaeology.

There was something for all the family. We had a Time Team experience where you could learn the techniques of archaeological excavation. There was an explanation and demonstration to show how archaeologists use tree rings (dendrochronology) to date wooden remains. An assortment of finds from local excavations proved of great interest for all, sorting into different types of objects. There was an opportunity to write your name in Runes and to make a Viking helmet.

Over the last year we have had over 3,700 visitors, coming from the local area, around the UK and overseas. Visitors from abroad include Norway, USA, New Zealand and Australia.

We could not manage to open the museum regularly and hold special events without the support of our Friends Group. If anyone is interested in joining, there is information on our website. The website also gives information about special events.

The museum is open every Saturday from 10am-1pm.

Please note that during December there will be limited opening.

Information will be available nearer the time on the website.

The Annual Remembrance Day Service will be at the West Kirby War Memorial on 9th November. Following the service there will be a march down Grange Hill, passing all the Grange Road shops.

Children’s competition There will also be a children’s competition. The children will have to read the posters and find the answers to questions.

Entry forms will be available at West Kirby library from 25th October. Entries must be returned to the library by close of business on 7th November.

7 November – ‘1914 West Kirby’ at 7.00pm for 7.30pm Heather Chapman will give an illustrated talk at St Bridget’s Centre, West Kirby, outlining the impact on West Kirby village when war was declared. The military took over the West Kirby Public Hall and soldiers, instead of holidaymakers, became a familiar sight in the town.

8 November – ‘West Kirby Remembers WW1’ exhibition at St Bridget’s Centre 10.00am – 4.00pm This is an opportunity for local people to share their stories, photos and memorabilia about West Kirby servicemen and their families during the Great War.

Sorting excavated finds

The Lake 07

The Changing Face of Solar As over 99% of the solar installations in the UK are of the traditional panels, it’s not surprising that most people think this is the only form available for the technology that converts daylight into electricity. Tony Edwards, from local Solar specialists Natural Energy Sources explains: “Whilst there have been improvements in the aesthetics of these panels over the past couple of years (all black panels for example), some people still do not like the look of large panels erected on rails above their existing tile/slate roof covering – particularly if the installation is for the front of their property. Whilst the counter argument may be that traditional roof coverings may not look that good themselves, the solar industry has taken on board this view, and are starting to produce systems like the one shown above, which we installed earlier this summer and has received many positive comments. Whilst these systems are more expensive they add to the appearance of the property, and the added value more than outweighs the additional cost.”

As outlined in previous editions of The Lake, it is to the benefit of solar system owners to use as much of the generated energy as possible, and there are a number of ways of achieving this – from basic behavioural changes (such as switching on appliances when it is sunny), through to more sophisticated automated solutions. Tony explains: “We installed one of these more comprehensive systems earlier this year, whereby the energy produced by the system is used in the first instance to power the appliances that are already on in the house. The excess energy then charges a set of batteries and

then as much of the further excess as possible is redirected to an immersion heater before the final balance is sent to the National Grid.

The system was connected through to the internet, from where the homeowner can monitor what the system is doing in overview using a simple ‘app’ (as shown below), or in much more detail using an online portal.

With a further advantage of also being able to provide a backup supply in case of any outages of the main electricity grid (automatically switching over to battery power if the grid goes down) – this system would even power your front door bell for when the neighbours call around to ask you to store their frozen food!”

08 The Lake

Almost There Brian Woods

By Frank Baker

Frank Baker with Brian Woods

When a poster for rock ‘n’ roll star Little Richard’s concert at The Tower New Brighton was recently found during renovation at Bidston Station, it brought back many memories for Hoylake resident Brian Woods. Brian is now putting his memories on film with the help of local filmmaker Frank Baker.

Brian first started in music as a member of Hoylake group The Morockans, who had a regular spot at the YMCA. While playing a booking in Chester he was asked to join a revival group from West Kirby called Gus Travis & The Midnighters. The band had quite a following on Merseyside, playing regularly at The Cavern and The Majestic Ballroom in Birkenhead. They were voted the 17th best group in the Mersey Beat newspaper pop poll and appeared on the cover of the paper twice in 1962, billing themselves as the No.1 Rhythm & Blues Combo. That same year they joined other Merseyside Beat groups alongside Little Richard at The Tower. Brian played bass guitar and remembers it was a great show.

He was able to meet Little Richard backstage, and also on the bill that night was The Beatles whom they’d supported on many local gigs.

Freddie Starr & The Midnighters

Band member and manager Alan Watts got them a booking at the newly opened Streatham Ice Rink near London and they went down a storm with the crowd. During the break a talent scout for Joe Meek of Telestar fame approached them with the offer of going professional. They were offered a recording contract, something that every Merseyside group was striving for. On returning home, however, Gus told the group that unfortunately, he would not be turning professional as he had a good job with a regular income. A replacement was soon found – a singer called Freddie Fowler, who would later change his name to Freddie Starr. The new line up of Freddie Starr & The Midnighters returned to the Streatham Ice Rink – the talent scout was still there and was very impressed with the new singer. He set up a meeting with Joe Meek at his recording studio and the band became one of the first Merseyside groups with a recording contract.

Heinz & The Wild Boys. Richie Blackmore is second from left

The Lake 09 Their first record, Who Told You, reached number four in the Liverpool Echo Disker’s Chart and bookings rolled in. Brian Epstein booked them for a small tour of seaside venues where The Beatles topped the bill. Brian remembers the ABC Theatre Blackpool as the highlight of the tour, with George Harrison and Ringo Starr sitting in the stalls watching their act. Later, Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch complimented them on their good sound. Cliff & The Shadows had the summer season at the ABC Theatre.

Freddie Starr & The Midnighters split up soon after these shows and Brian was out of work for six months before being contacted by Ian Broad, the former drummer from the Midnighters. Heinz Burt, the guitarist with The Tornados, was about to form a new band and needed a bass guitarist for the group. Brian passed the audition and found that one of the members of this new group would be Richie Blackmore, the future guitar legend of Deep Purple and Rainbow.

Heinz & The Wildboys released a number of singles including Digging My Potatoes. The ’60s was the age of the package tour and Brian found himself rubbing shoulders with top names on these tours such as Brenda Lee, The Hollies, Lulu, and Dusty Springfield and on appearing on TV pop shows with Tom Jones. Many hours were spent travelling up and down the motorway in a clapped-out old van.

A family health problem cut short his professional music career and he had to return home to Hoylake. He still performed music, but only on the local scene. and joined a group called Art & Sound, which included in its line up Cliff Williams, a future member of Australian hard rock band AC/DC. Brian looks back on it all with fond memories and still plays his guitar and sings for his own entertainment.

Brian Woods on bass guitar

Tom Jones, Heinz Burt and Brian doing the twist on a TV show

10 The Lake

Melrose Hall Opened 1959 www.hoylakehelp.co.uk Melrose Club began life as a Pensioner’s Club within the old Parish Hall, Hoylake. The membership eventually rose to over 500.

The club outgrew the premises, but the members wanted it to be open every day.

When King George V1 died, a Memorial fund was set up in his memory and the funds were to be distributed to community groups who needed new facilities and could provide 50% of the money.

The club, through its President Alison Christian-Jones, applied for the money as they already had £3,000 towards a clubhouse. With the money they received, they were able to fund Melrose Hall as their home, and building began. The land had been gifted by St Luke’s Church Hoylake and construction work was provided through Hoylake Urban District Council. It was opened in 1959 by the Rt Hon Selwyn Lloyd.

Membership thrived and activities took place all week, to the delight of the members.

As the years passed, people did not consider themselves ‘old’ any more and did not join this type of club – membership tailed off and by 1997 the building was almost uninhabitable. Various attempts were made to save it until 1999, when Jackie Hall, and her late husband Ron, were persuaded by Mrs Lee Ireland, the Chairman, to save the building from demolition. With the help of their many friends and in memory of their parents and relations who had all been members, they set up the Melrose Hall Appeal Fund as a separate group to renovate the Hall and make it viable. The club still ran every week, and operated as before, while the Appeal Group ensured that the Hall met all the latest requirements for a village hall.

The Appeal Group are all volunteers and ensure that the building is maintained to a high standard, all the bills are paid, and that it is a safe and comfortable environment for both the members of the club and others who use the Hall.

Members and their friends enjoy Friday Club each week with ‘fellowship, food and fun’ – and there are also art classes; a choir and other activities, which everyone is welcome to join. No one should be lonely and this is an ideal way to make new friends.

To keep up with all the latest trends and needs of the community, the Events Programme changes annually and at present ‘THEATRE@MELROSE’ has become the popular event. Many residents find it difficult to go out at night or travel to theatres out of the area, but they do want to see live entertainment, so each month

there is a jazz band event and a theatre event. These are at reasonable prices and cover many ideas – music, plays, readings, etc., particularly true during the ‘Festival of Firsts’. We are now being approached by companies wishing to bring their productions to the Hall, as they cannot afford the high fees at professional theatres any more.

All these events make the Hall viable and ensure that the Melrose Club is still in existence in Hoylake after 55 years.

Future Dates Saturday October 18th Lormac Productions present Music of the Night Roy Weissensteiner and Kendall Bradshaw.

7.30pm – Tickets £10 Tel: 632 2152 or 632 4548.

Saturday November 8th Lormac Productions present Hoylake Remembers An Evening of Wartime Memories.

7.30pm – Tickets £5 Tel: 632 2152 or 632 4548.

The same group of volunteers recently opened the Help Shop at 59 Market Street.

They run this shop and the Hall side by side, enhancing the village, promoting Hoylake and helping both residents and visitors to enjoy this wonderful place to live

and visit – where they can have all their needs for culture, education and a sociable life met within the area.

When people are concerned about issues that arise in the village, Melrose Hall is made available for public meetings to discuss the issues and ensure that it is the general view of the area, not just of one or two people. This was particularly true for the Open Golf event and three meetings were held to keep residents aware of the plans.

We all work together with the community groups in Hoylake, and the surrounding areas, to help each other and promote the community.

12 The Lake

Hillbark Players Formed 1964 Celebrating 50th Anniversary 1964 was a memorable year in the history of English literature – it marked the 400th anniversary of the birth of our greatest playwright, William Shakespeare.

A group of Wirral actors, led by Tom Gittins, Malcolm Ash and Robin Nelson, decided to mark the anniversary by staging an open-air version of Much Ado about Nothing. Thanks to the support of Hoylake Urban District Council, the chosen venue was the gardens of the recently acquired Hillbark House. They named themselves Hillbark Players and the play ran for a week from 6th to 11th July, despite the now traditional downpour that interrupted the second night’s performance. The production was so successful that it was decided to stage another open-air Shakespeare the following year. The Hillbark Players tradition had begun.

24 productions and 50 years later the group has become the longest-established open-air Shakespeare company in the North West and a unique part of Wirral’s cultural heritage. Hillbark Players continues to attract the very best directorial, design and performing talent, producing top-quality productions every two years in Royden

Macbeth 2009

Park, with the audience all under cover and the Players the ones braving the elements.

On Friday 10th October, many current and former members of Hillbark Players will gather to celebrate that golden anniversary back where it all started - Hillbark House – now Wirral’s own 5-star Hillbark Hotel and Spa. This unforgettable evening will include a drinks reception, a sumptuous banquet, Shakespearian-based entertainment, and dancing late into the night. Hillbark Players want to invite anyone who has been connected with any previous productions to join us. Whether you’ve performed on our hallowed bit of turf in one (or more) of our stagings, slaved away (in all weathers) behind the scenes in any capacity, or have simply been a loyal supporter over the years, we’d like to hear from you. And if anyone has any old items of Hillbark

memorabilia or photographs tucked away that you’d like to share with us, we’d be delighted to see them!

Tickets for this unique event are only available from the Group’s treasurer, Gareth Cooper, at 13 Wroxham Drive, Upton CH49 OTS, or by email to: hillbarkplayers@gmail.com Hillbark Players’ next open-air production in Royden Park will be a brilliantly entertaining new staging of Much Ado about Nothing in June 2015, and tickets will be on sale later this year – save the date!

For further information about Hillbark Players, visit www.hillbarkplayers.co.uk Find us on facebook www.facebook.com/HillbarkPlayers Follow us on Twitter @hillbarkplayers

Much Ado About Nothing in July 1964. Hero was played by Elisabeth Sladen who went on to find fame in Doctor Who and later The Sarah Jane Adventures.

The Lake 13

Rowe Fitted Interiors opens in Hoylake Rowe Fitted Interiors, a leading online family-run business specialising in the design, manufacture and installation of quality bespoke kitchens and bedrooms has opened its first high street studio at 120 Market Street, Hoylake CH47 3BH. With over 20 years’ experience, Rowe Fitted Interiors has built up an established reputation for delivering a personal and complete service from start to finish.

Steven Rowe, Managing Director and owner of Rowe Fitted Interiors said: “We have had the privilege of delivering a premium and quality service to all of our online customers, many of whom have been repeat purchasers, which is testament to what we stand for as a business. This will certainly not change but we felt that the next stage in our business development is to extend our offering to the high street.”

The 903 sq ft studio launched on Saturday 23 August and will create two new jobs as well as provide additional hours for existing employees.

The firm has also been presented with a ‘Small Business Sunday’ Award from Dragon’s Den investor and entrepreneur Theo Paphitis and maintains its Trading Standards Approved company accolade, which reaffirms their guarantee to treat customers fairly.

As chosen by Theo Paphitis

COMPETITION WINNER

Congratulations to Lynn McCormack from Meols who won the competition in the last issue and will be enjoying a golfing break for two to the beautiful Isle of Man. For more information call 08000 789 530 or visit www.isleofmangolftours.com

14 The Lake Tanya Leary, founder of the Fabulous Frost Fair told The Lake: “We are absolutely thrilled to be hosting the first Fabulous Frost Fair in the beautiful location of Hillbark Hotel.

“We feel passionately that the many fantastic and creative small businesses in the region need to be given the platform to showcase their products so that people are reminded to shop locally whenever possible to purchase something truly unique and carefully produced for loved ones.

“It is ridiculous to suggest that only the South East of the country enjoys this level of event quality and we are keen to prove that we have just as much to offer here in the North West.”

With brands on board such as Love Your Nation, the stunning Alma Thea Rose and the delicious Squidges Cookies, the fair has so much to offer visitors and over the three days there should be something to suit all ages and budgets.

Christmas is coming to the North West in serious style this year, thanks to the brand new ‘Fabulous Frost Fair’ happening from 21st to 23rd November.

Hillbark Hotel and Spa will be playing host to the area’s finest small businesses and creatives, encouraging local visitors to support independent suppliers this Christmas, without compromising on quality and style.

The team behind the event are keen to spread the magic of Christmas this season and to help busy shoppers to feel festive whilst ticking off their shopping list in this relaxing and luxurious venue.

Shoppers can start their own fairytale shopping experience by perusing the unique and individual products on offer, stopping for an afternoon tea or something a little stronger over the course of the day.

This is the perfect day out or evening of entertainment for groups of friends, mums and daughters and even families, with Sunday’s activities being focused on children having some festive fun with the big man in red. Activities include bauble-making, Santa’s letter writing workshops, story sessions and even an opportunity for family photo shoots ready in time for Christmas.

The team behind the fair have been visiting events similar to this in London for several years and felt it was high time that something similar was available locally.

The fair is helping to raise much needed funds for their chosen charity, The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity who have already benefited from a very generous donation of £2,000 from Contessa Hotels of which Hillbark is a part.

Louise Beach Fundraising Manager at the charity, said: “We are thrilled to be the chosen charity at the Fabulous Frost Fair at Hillbark Hotel, which is set to be a wonderfully festive event bringing a little Christmas spirit to Wirral homes!

“It’s thanks to this support that we can make the hospital such a special place, helping our patients – young and old – in our area get the best possible care.

“By choosing to raise money for The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity, you’ll be helping to fund pioneering research, new treatments and vital support services that may otherwise be unavailable – ranging from the latest innovations in how we treat cancer to the special touches that mean so much to our patients and their families.”

Lisa Baker, General Manager of the five-star Hillbark Hotel & Spa added: “We are delighted to be involved in such a fantastic festive event which is bound to kick-start everyone’s Christmas shopping in five-star style! The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity is a lifeline for our area so we were thrilled be able to help raise funds, awareness for the charity and of course, play host to this fabulous festive weekend!”

16 The Lake

YOGA New studio in Caldy

Tracey Lloyd experienced and BWY qualified teacher is excited to announce the opening of her new Wirral Studio.

• All ages and abilities • Small classes or 1-2-1 • Dynamic and gentle classes offered • No previous experience necessary • Beautiful, dedicated Yoga Studio Specialist in back pain and injury rehabilitation Telephone 0151 625 3172 www.holisticfit.co.uk

Regular Housework • Spring & Emergency Cleaning Cleaning of Business Premises • Ironing & Laundry Carpet Cleaning • Upholstery Cleaning

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At your service 100% customer service, reliable and courteous

• Long distance • Cruise terminals

• Airport transfers • Weddings and funerals

Telephone: 0151 625 8709 Mobile: 07887 886818

Heating with Wirral Plumb & Bath New installation • Boiler change • Servicing Radiator valves • Cylinders • Powerflushing Pipe repairs • Safety checks • Fixed price call out

Fixed call out price starting from £40.00 Call 0151 625 1089 for more details.

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Our distribution covers over 12,000 homes and businesses in West Kirby, Hoylake, Meols and Caldy

CONTACT ALAN Tel: 07788 510868 Email: alan@lakemagazine.co.uk

Hoylake College has been set up by Stephen Donnelly aiming to help students aged 18 -24 get the best start to their adult lives by achieving top grades at A Level.

Local teacher Stephen Donnelly is setting up a brand new college in Hoylake, Wirral to help students into university and boost their career opportunities.

Opening in this month, the small college will take in 10 students aged 18 to 24 years.

The specialist college will teach from one to six different subjects and Stephen is looking for students who want to improve their A Level grades or start a new one studying in a different environment to a traditional school.

The college is part of a long-term project to gain full academy status and provide a different approach to learning for students who don’t feel traditional schooling works for them.

Uniquely, Hoylake College will teach a maximum of two subjects per term and students will learn the entire subject in 10 weeks before moving onto the next A Level. Exams will be taken at the end of the school year, with revision sessions which will run right up to each exam.

Stephen explained: “In schools and colleges, students move from class to class, perhaps taking three or four lessons a day, and

will work with just 10 students per week, which enables us to give each student a weekly progress report.”

Stephen’s track record suggests his teaching methods are successful. Over the past nine years he has achieved an average of 73% working with students of mixed ability. The question is why is he doing this for free?

often with long periods of hanging around waiting for the next lesson. When you are in work you’re not asked to do part of your job on one floor before moving to the next floor, so why do we put our children and teachers through this process?

“It’s disruptive, puts extra pressure on teachers and students get bogged down in multiple lots of homework. Teachers will often teach 100 different students during the school day.”

Stephen continued: “Focusing on one subject at a time allows students to learn a subject more thoroughly and it is better preparation for life at university or the workplace. It also means that our teachers

Stephen explained: “I’ve taught at schools in England and internationally with some excellent teachers. Now I want to use the benefit and knowledge of the best learning methods to help local students. Setting up a college takes time and whilst work is underway I want to make a difference now.

This is why for the first year places are limited and with a smaller group of students we can achieve a huge amount and gain valuable experience together.”

The first enrolment begins in this month and Stephen is looking for students now.

Lessons take place at The Parade in Hoylake. You can find out more by visiting www.hoylakecollege.org.uk or calling Stephen Donnelly directly on 0151 665 0089.

18 The Lake

SSAFA is the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association, whose mission is the “lifelong care of our Armed Forces Regular, Reserves and their families” (www.ssafa.org.uk).

The Wirral Division of SSAFA is second only to Liverpool in terms of being home to veterans. A recent research report estimates that over 18,000 Armed Forces

veterans live on the Wirral and our Division based at Tranmere is always busy – 24/7, year round – with requests for assistance.

It too needs support.

If you would like to donate to SSAFA, sponsor us if you are a business, join us as a volunteer caseworker or fundraiser, or, simply support us occasionally in myriad ways, then we would be delighted to meet you and tell you about our work and how you can help us.

Please contact us at: Wirral Office at Reserve Forces, Chetwynd, Wexford Road, Prenton, CH43 9TF. Telephone: 0151 653 3858.

SAAFA operates nationally and internationally looking after serving Armed Forces (and Reserves) and their families, at home and abroad, and it operates across all local authority areas on Merseyside, including the Wirral. The role of the local branch on Merseyside is to look after retired Armed Forces personnel, or ‘veterans’ as they are known, and their families, who are sometimes also known as the retired Armed Forces community.

While many Armed Forces personnel retire without any physical, mental, or social ill-effects, and can look after themselves perfectly well during their post armed service lifetime, many others cannot. They suffer injury and hardship during their service that causes them difficulties during later life, and this sometimes impacts upon their families and their opportunities in life.

SSAFA seeks to assist these individuals in a variety of ways and has access to over 2,000 military charities that – in appropriate cases – will offer financial and other support where it makes a difference to the quality of that individual’s or family’s life. SSAFA acts as the conduit between these needy individuals and the various military charities who use SSAFA as their ‘eyes and ears’ on the ground.

SSAFA itself, on Merseyside, and throughout the UK, is entirely run by volunteers, who work long hours to support the veteran armed services community. Their running costs are raised entirely by donations from the public via charitable giving, organising SSAFA events, and corporate support where it can be found.

One such event was held on the 13th of September at St George’s Hall, when the world-famous Grenadier Guards played at a concert, arranged by SSAFA and the local authorities of Merseyside, to commemorate the onset of the First World War. The proceeds will help support SSAFA on Merseyside.

20 The Lake

Wardens Prepare for the Return of the Birds Volunteer wardens are looking forward to the return of thousands of wading birds to Wirral’s beaches from their breeding grounds inside the Arctic Circle.

In the longest running voluntary wardening scheme in Britain, wardens will be on West Kirby beach during the high tides from this September to next March, for their 29th annual season of wardening.

They will be encouraging people to avoid disturbing the roosting birds on the beach and to avoid letting their dogs disturb them.

They will also be showing passers-by the birds, explaining what they are, where they come from and what they are eating in the mud.

Karen Leeming, chair of the Dee Estuary Voluntary Wardens group explains: “Wirral’s beaches are internationally recognised for their birdlife in autumn and winter. I have been a warden for twenty years and it is an immense privilege to show and excite hundreds of people each year about Wirral’s wonderful waders and to protect the birds from disturbance by people and their dogs. We invite anyone who would like to become involved in wildlife protection to join us on the beach – we are always looking for new wardens and you don’t need to be a bird expert, just interested in birds, willing to learn, friendly and like talking to people.”

The wardening scheme is administered by Wirral Council’s Coastal Rangers. To find out more, contact them at Wirral Country Park, Thurstaston: telephone (0151)648 4371.

The wardens are running a birdwatching event on Hoylake promenade on Saturday 27th September from 12 noon meeting at the bottom of Trinity Road. Everyone is invited to what promises to be a great event as the wading birds return from their breeding grounds in the north. No need to book.

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The Lake 21 The museum had secured a grant of £1,000 from National Historic Ships UK, which, although welcome, did not cover the cost of materials – the balance being met by the volunteers themselves.

The museum has many fascinating examples of lifesaving equipment, including a Neil Robinson rescue stretcher; a breeches buoy; and a Schermuly rocket pistol, kindly loaned to us by Alex Bottomley, a former coastguard from Morecambe. Also on display is a collection of souvenirs from the halcyon days when Hoylake was a popular holiday destination, including several ‘penny lick glasses’ guaranteed to raise the eyebrows of our more sensitive visitors, as well as old photographs, maps, tourist brochures and advertisements for shops and businesses in the town dating back to the 19th century.

Founded in May 2011, Hoylake Lifeboat Museum is a Registered Charity (No. 1142970), situated in the former lifeboat house at 15 North Parade, Hoylake, CH47 2AL. It is not a part of the RNLI. The museum is usually open on Sundays from 12 noon to 4pm, weather permitting.

Admission is free. Donations are welcome.

The museum has a wide collection of artefacts, photographs, postcards, books, articles, maps and ephemera relating to the maritime and social history of Hoylake, which has been assembled by the trustees, committee and supporters of the museum.

Some of these items are on display in the museum are given on a generous long-term loan basis. Included in this collection is ‘ON461 Chapman’, ‘ON’ stands for ‘Operational Number’, and we believe this to be the oldest example of a pulling and sailing Liverpool-type lifeboat in existence.

Built at the Thames Ironworks, London in 1900 – their former work’s football team are better known today as West Ham United Football Club. Chapman served at Hoylake No. 2 station, on Hilbre Island from 1924 until its closure in 1938. The first restoration of Chapman was carried out by a team of apprentices at Cammell Laird, Birkenhead under the supervision of Graham Steedman. Graham was one of the museum trustees until his death, late last summer. His humour, kindness and his width and depth of knowledge on a wide range of subjects will be greatly missed.

The second restoration of Chapman took place at the museum where a small team of volunteers spent over six months, some 2,500 plus hours, restoring the boat to a high standard. The team was led by our late, and much missed, trustee, friend and colleague, Jon Britton, cruelly taken from us last December. It was a great privilege to know Jon and to work with him on Chapman, even when working in sub-zero temperatures on dark winter evenings. His patience, sense of humour, and ability to lose tools the moment he had finished using them has become the stuff of legend.

One of the trustees has assembled a collection of magic lantern projectors, lenses and several complete sets of magic lantern glass slides, including the stories of Cinderella; Little Red Riding Hood; and the lifeboat rescue based on the award-winning rescue in 1868 of the crew of the Pace by Coxswain Joseph Cox and the crew of the Appledore lifeboat Hope. Many slides show day-to-day life in the early 20th century, including the launch of a lifeboat, and a family trip to Hilbre Point now known as Red Rocks, Hoylake, and to the submerged forest in Meols. These last slides are dated to the summer of 1914. Due to their age, these items are not on general display, but, periodically, we present a short magic lantern show on special occasions at the museum. In July, some of our friends were able to come and examine both the magic lantern projectors and some glass slides, after donning the obligatory archival quality white cotton gloves of course, as well as taking a private tour around the museum.

We have secured several funding grants to improve the museum in 2014. Firstly, a grant from the WBC constituency fund enabled us to purchase two community noticeboards and fit them to the exterior wall of the museum. This is a great improvement over trying to fix laminated posters to the brickwork during one of our local onshore breezes… We are always happy to advertise community groups and events.

Please contact the Secretary if you would like to make use of this facility.

Hoylake Lifeboat Museum Founded May 2011

By Beverley Aspinall Secondly, we were awarded two grants by the WBC ‘Love Wirral’ programme. The first of these grants was spent on upcycling some old tyres to create planters, which we then filled with a display of begonias on the piece of land next to the museum.

This lovely splash of colour has provided much pleasure for visitors and local folk alike. A huge thank you to Pat and George Britton for all their hard work in clearing vast quantities of sand and weeds from this patch of land, and for recreating the floral displays which graced this part of Hoylake in days gone by. Quite by chance, we painted the planters the same shade of blue that the promenade railings used to be painted each summer. We intend to have seasonal displays in our planters, throughout the year (see photograph).

The second grant is being used to renovate and repaint both sets of metal doors at the front of the museum. We hope to have this work completed soon.

New for summer 2014 is the first in a rolling series of displays to commemorate the outbreak of World War 1. Entitled ‘Hoylake – a seaside town at war’, the display shows life in our town at the outbreak of war, photographs of Hoylake in 1914, recruitment posters, and public information posters. We also have collections of public information films, silk embroidered postcards sent from soldiers to loved ones at home, humorous postcards, fundraising postcards and much more.

If you would like to arrange a school or group visit please contact the Secretary to make a booking. If you are interested in helping out as a volunteer, or if you would like to make a financial donation or donate an item for display at the museum, please contact the Secretary, Beverley Aspinall on 0151 632 5529.

Website: www.hoylakelifeboatmuseum.com Also find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com /hoylakelifeboatmuseum?fref=ts

22 The Lake

History of Hilbre Island Article from Wyrale

By Greg Dawson The final part on the history of Hilbre Islands by Greg Dawson...

The census of 1851 records only ten people living in the two island cottages and no building workers. The Trinity House buoy attendant, Stephen Barnett and family still lived in Family Cottage, but there was no record of the two farm servants. In Telegraph Cottage lived a new telegraph keeper with his wife, three children and an assistant keeper. He was Liverpool-born Thomas Hughes, a 46-year-old ex-mariner whose 35-year-old wife Phinea was born in Wakefield. The assistant telegraph keeper was 19-year-old Joseph Roberts from West Kirby.

Professor Craggs records that Thomas Hughes’s first wife was tragically lost shortly after they went to live on the island in the early 1840s. She had been to market to buy a few sheep for the island farm and while crossing the sands from West Kirby with the sheep in her pony and trap, she lost her way in a snowstorm and was drowned.

In 1853 a red sandstone cross was found on Hilbre, possibly of Irish design made in the ninth or tenth century. The Church sold Hilbre to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board in 1856.

During the 1860s the Barnetts and the Hughes were still employed on the island and the population had fallen to seven.

Patrick Dealy, a 27-year-old general servant, lived with the Barnetts, and probably looked after the farm animals and kitchen garden. It appears the Barnett children had all grown up and flown the nest. Lucy Barnett, who was born there 21 years before, married George Lees of Birmingham in 1861. Thomas Hughes still had two daughters living at home and one of them worked as his telegraph assistant until he died in 1870.

By 1871 there was quite a change of personnel on the island, with newcomers from Wales. Thomas Hughes’s widow Phinea, and two of her daughters were still there. Phinea was registered as out of business, but daughter Isabella was down as assistant telegraph keeper to telegraph manager, Morris Griffiths. Morris was born in Llanddulas in Denbighshire and his wife Eleanor was from Rhuddlan.

The Barnetts had left, and the new Trinity buoy-keeper and occupier of Family Cottage was Thomas Owens. Thomas had come to Hilbre from Haverfordwest in South Wales with his wife Tasnie, son Thomas and his 14-year-old nephew

who was registered as an assistant buoy painter. Thomas and his wife also had a two-month-old baby, probably born on the island, which then had ten inhabitants.

They’d had bad luck two years earlier when William, their six-month-old baby, died.

By the late 1870s, the job of Trinity House buoy-keeper had ceased and the cottage was then leased to several private individuals, one of which was Henry Daubeney Brandreth, an American-born merchant of Little Meols.

In the telegraph station things were much the same. The census of 1881 records that Morris Griffiths was still telegraph and tide gauge keeper, and Isabella Hughes was his assistant. Her sister had left, and only four people now lived on the island.

The census of 1891 records that the job of telegraphist had passed to another married Welshman, 32-year-old Lewis Jones. Lewis and his 34-year-old wife Ellen were both Anglesey born, in the villages of Llaneilian and Llanrbyalial respectively. (Llaneilian is east of Amlwch but the second place name does not exist and must have been misspelt. It could possibly be Llanrhyddlad near Church Bay).

Part of Family Cottage, the former home of the Trinity House buoy keepers, had been made into a clubhouse for the Mersey Canoe Club. The caretaker was 28-year-old Louisa Anderson, born in Rock Ferry, who had four young children, Florence eight, Richard six, Louisa three and Harold aged one. Also living in Family Cottage were John Vernon a 22-year-old farm servant and domestic servant Sarah Brant aged 13, both born in Liverpool. Staying in the Hilbre Island Canoe Club for one reason or another were two club members and a visitor. The two club members were William Wynne, a bank accountant born in Uttoxeter, and Townson Rundell, an average adjuster,

born in Falmouth, both aged 38. The visitor was 34-year-old John Jellicoe, an insurance agent from Limerick, Ireland.

In 1896 the Hilbre Yacht Club was formed and based at the island using their yacht, The Hilbre. With the coming of the railway to West Kirby day trippers crossed the sands in great numbers and packed Hilbre Islands, causing so much concern that visiting permits were issued. On Bank Holidays, policemen were needed to monitor the crowds and check the permits. Three bungalows for yacht owners were built and in 1911 iron railings were fixed around the two larger islands. Those without permits who were caught out by the tide had to climb the cliffs and hang onto the railings until the tide ebbed.

During the Great War, Birkenhead was a defended port protected by a special reserve battalion of the Cheshire Regiment.

The 16 officers and 500 men of the battalion were under the command of Lieut. Colonel Logan DSO who deployed them to defend Birkenhead docks and positions of strategic importance across Wirral. These strategic positions included Hilbre Islands which had a garrison of 21 men. Unfortunately Colonel Logan was killed at Loos in France while in charge of the 15th Durham Light Infantry.

Lewis Jones the telegraph keeper retired in 1923 after well over 30 years on the island and was succeeded by Mr Thomas who was the last keeper. In 1939 the Telegraph Station was closed down and the RAF set up a machine gun post there. During the Second World War, the RAF used Hilbre as part of a decoy system, set up to confuse German bombers targeting Liverpool. After the war the islands were sold to Hoylake Urban District Council who appointed a resident custodian.

The Lake 23 Nowadays fishermen and bird watchers enjoy themselves in an ideal location for their chosen pastimes. Many rare birds have been seen there, as well as the local birds you would not expect to visit the islands, such as owls, kingfishers, and partridge. About eight common species often nest there, including the wren and the dunnock. In 1962 Hoylake Council built a birdwatching hut. Birds are sometimes caught and ringed to monitor their movements.

Over the years many different animals have also been recorded on the islands, including foxes, otters, stoats, rabbits, hedgehogs and bats. The seals seen on the sandbanks appear to be increasing in numbers, yet fish stocks are getting lower.

In 1974 the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral took over the islands. Although archaeologists have gone over the islands with a fine-tooth comb, there are still small finds being made.

One such find was made on a wet March day in 1989 by Rolph Jordan of Irby. It was Rolph’s first visit to Hilbre. On the far side of the main island, in a cleft in the rocks on the shore, he found an old copper penny.

On one side was a harp and the date 1816, with the Duke of Wellington on the other side. As the Duke had been facing upwards he had been worn by the tide. Rolph did some quick research and found that unfortunately the coin was a worthless Irish

token. But nevertheless, it goes to show that if you get out and about there are still things to be found.

Today Hilbre Islands are still as pleasant a day out as ever, particularly when not too busy. The 1.5 mile stroll out there, a lap of the islands, a look in the caves and a potter round the rock pools is a nice break, but time and tide have to be watched. Many people have been caught on sandbanks by

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the tide which rushes down gutters and can rise at a rate of two inches per minute. Mist and fog have also caused people to lose their way and be cut off. There have been many nasty falls on the rocks, including one in the 1960s when a man died after falling into the sea. We will never know how many lives have been lost going to and from Hilbre over the centuries, but I bet it is no small number.

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24 The Lake

In 1925, radio broadcasting was at an early stage of development and the sound quality was poor. Gramophone records were limited to just a few minutes of scratchy playing time. It was in this environment that a group of local music lovers decided to form a society to engage professional musicians to play public classical music concerts in Wirral, and so the Hoylake Chamber Concert Society (HCCS) was born.

In the winter of 1926-7 the society promoted its first season of concerts and between then and the Second World War gave increasingly successful concerts and recitals over 14 seasons, attracting such prestigious ensembles as the Griller String Quartet, and a succession of famous pianists such as Myra Hess, Benno Moiseiwitsch and Egon Petri. This September the Society launches its 88th season with a concert by the Katona Twins at Westbourne Hall in West Kirby, on Monday 29th at 7:30pm.

It is thought West Kirby Public Hall was the original venue for the first concerts.

The hall was built in 1897, but destroyed by fire in February 1932. In its place was built the Queen’s Cinema, later renamed the Tudor Cinema, and it is the building that now stands next to the new Aldi in West Kirby. The hall is well known as the venue for the premiere of George Butterworth’s The Banks of Green Willow, which took place on 27th February 1914, when Adrian Boult conducted a combined orchestra of 40 members of the Hallé and Liverpool Philharmonic orchestras. This was, in fact, the 24-year-old conductor’s first concert with a professional orchestra (he also gave the British premiere of Hugo Wolf’s Italian Serenade at the same concert). The London premiere of The Banks of Green Willow took place three weeks later, and seems to have been the last occasion Butterworth heard his own music.

could fit in a wealthy man’s house. Most broadly, it includes any music that is performed by a small number of performers, with one performer to a part. However, by definition it usually does not include solo instrument performances. Chamber music is often a composer’s very best work, but this is not widely recognised. The music often has a more complex pattern with more modulations in the keys than orchestral work, say, up to Beethoven’s time.”

John’s passion for the music is evident: “People often say chamber music is something you come to later in life. Often this is true, but I was 17 when I first heard chamber music and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I remember hearing Beethoven’s C-sharp minor String Quartet Op.131, and struggled to make anything of it. Now it is my favourite quartet. I think a lot of the problem nowadays is that younger people do not hear chamber music.”

Peter Cox, a former teacher at Kingsmead School, has been on the HCCS committee since when he was introduced by a friend in 1975. He says: “When I was a young lad, there were lots of concerts on the BBC Home Service and that was the only service there was. Now pop music is thrown at you 24-hours a day on a range of channels. In school we sang traditional English songs and put on classical concerts. School choirs

tend to do stuff with rock and beat in nowadays and, although they are very good, young people are missing out. I started collecting 78 rpm records aged nine, as our previous collection had been destroyed by a bomb! For me it was a wonderful world of enchantment and magic and still is today. I want to pass it on.”

Peter recalls a fond memory: “One of the marvellous things that has happened in the Society is that the Berry brothers who live in Grammar School Lane were keen to promote music. They knew of John Pickard, a composer who has since become much more famous. They liked the two quartets he had written so they sponsored a third quartet, which was premiered for us by the Sorrel Quartet in 1999. We got its first performance in Meols! It was a wonderful night. At the end of the concert Ralph and Mary Yardley, a couple from Caldy, came forward and offered to sponsor a fourth quartet, which is now regarded as one of the best quartets in the modern English repertoire.”

So how are the HCCS looking to encourage new members this year? John explains: “This season we are doing two things to encourage more people along. While a single concert will cost £15 at the door, annual membership has been reduced to £60 and provides entrance to all six

The HCCS has moved to several different venues over the years, including Meols United Reformed Church, Hoylake Congregational Church (now Hoylake Chapel), the parish church of St Hildeburgh’s in Hoylake and most recently Westbourne Hall in West Kirby. The name Hoylake Chamber Concert Society is due to the fact that Hoylake and District Council used to cover West Kirby, Hoylake, Frankby and Newton. Their concert series is now called ‘Wirral Chamber Concert Series’ to encourage the whole of the Wirral to attend. The series does not include any amateur ensembles. The musicians engaged are largely well-known professionals, and many ensembles are internationally acclaimed.

So what exactly is Chamber Music?

Committee member John Wallace explains: “Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments – traditionally a group that

The Jubilee Quartet who will be performing at the HCCS October concert, at the Chapel of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London on 24th of January 2014. Photograpy by Robert Piwko.

The Lake 25

Wirral Chamber Music Series 2014-15 Promoted by Hoylake Chamber Concert Society

Westbourne Hall, Westbourne Road, West Kirby CH48 4DQ Monday 29 September 2014 The Katona Twins

Monday 27 October 2014 Jubilee String Quartet

Monday 24 November 2014 Antara

Classical Guitar Duo

String Quartet

Flute & Harp

Monday 23 February 2015 Ruisi Quartet

Monday 30 March 2015 Mediterranean Trio

Monday 27 April 2015 Palomino Quartet

String Quartet

Piano Trio

String Quartet

All concerts start at 7.30pm. Tickets £15 at the door, or £60 for the season’s subscription

For more information on the repertoires and a downloadable subscription form, visit our website – www.chamberconcert.co.uk concerts in the season, which offers incredible value for money. Young people who are still in full-time education are admitted free. We are also introducing a CD lending library, which will be a free service to members, supplied by private collections.

The CDs will be available at our concerts and can be returned at a later concert.” The society has also moved the concert days from Fridays to Mondays, starting this September, hoping to make it easier for people to come to the concerts.

The concert organiser of the Society conducts an extensive search to find professional ensembles and musicians to invite to perform. Checking concert diaries of major chamber music venues in the country such as the Wigmore Hall would yield an interesting roster of musicians. In addition, national and international chamber music competition winners will be considered, if their repertoires are interesting and substantial. The Society also looks to trusts, such as The Countess of Munster Trust and the Tillett Trust, to subsidise the cost of their musicians and provide top quality performers who are often up and coming young musicians. Making Music, an organisation that supports concert societies like the HCCS, provides an essential platform for both young and well-established professional musicians. The HCCS committee then meet and select what they consider to be the best balance for the season.

John adds: “Over the years we have hosted some world famous quartets such as the Amadeus, the Endellion, the Wihan and the Henschel Quartets. I first heard the Henschel Quartet at the Wigmore Hall in London, possibly the most renowned venue for chamber music in the country, and that was before they played for us. A lot of the ensembles came to us before they were famous. We can be seen as a platform for young musicians to showcase their talent.”

Many of the ensembles that became household names, such as the Lindsay, the Chilingirian, the Fitzwilliam and the Belcea Quartets, have all been to Hoylake before going on to successfully establish their names in chamber music.

The 88th season is looking really intriguing.

The Katona Twins, classical guitar duo (29th September), will be launching the season with Bach, Handel and Vivaldi, while the Jubilee Quartet (27th October) will play, among others, Beethoven’s Op. 59 No. 1 – one of the most tuneful of his canon. On 24th November Antara, flute and harp duo, are presenting eight pieces, including the atmospheric Syrinx by Debussy.

The Ruisi Quartet (23th February) is going to perform one of the most magnificent late Beethoven quartets, Op. 127, and we shall hear from the Mediterranea Piano Trio (30th March) another famous Beethoven masterwork The Archduke Trio. Perhaps the highlight of the season will be the

Palomino Quartet (27th April) concluding the season with Schubert’s 15th string quartet in G, D 887, which is a real challenge for players, a work full of hair-raising climaxes. For full details on the programme of each concert and the ensembles, visit www.chamberconcert.co.uk. Colour brochures are widely available at most of Wirral libraries and other public places like art galleries. Look out for posters for individual concerts in libraries.

So why don’t you try classical chamber music if you haven’t before? If you decide to join as a member after attending the first concert in September, the society will offer the full-year’s membership at £45 (£15 ticket price deducted from the £60 subscription fee). The Hoylake Chamber Concert Society has been providing hundreds of evenings of great concerts to the people in Wirral for many years, offering both the classical canon of chamber repertoire and contemporary classical pieces. Go to their concerts and find out why listening to live classical chamber music is still so important and thrilling in the 21st century, almost 90 years after the beginning of the HCCS in 1926, even with the proliferation of technological means (a far cry from the scratchy gramophone records) that allow us to listen to any music, any time, anywhere.

Go and enjoy the special atmosphere that can only be felt at a live concert.

26 The Lake

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Impressive Waterfront Five Bedroom End Terraced Home • Uninterrupted Views Across the Beach Towards Hilbre Island Period Property Offering an Expanse of Living and Entertaining Space • Well Maintained and Updated Still Retaining Many Character Features Garden/Sun Room with Lovely Views, Cloaks, W.C and Utility Room • Open Plan Kitchen/Family Room Beautifully Fitted with Appliances Bay Fronted Sitting Room and Dining Room with Feature Fireplaces • Driveway, Detached Double Garage and Gardens to the Front and Rear

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The Lake 27

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28 The Lake

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£365,000

£315,000

Traditional 1930’s Four/Five Bedroom Semi Detached Home • Situated in the Highly Regarded Area of Meols • Spacious and Beautifully Appointed Accommodation Lounge, Sitting Room and Downstairs Cloakroom • Impressive Fitted Dining Kitchen with Appliances Laundry Room/Fifth Bedroom and Four Piece Bathroom Driveway, Garage and Generous Lawned Rear Garden Offered For Sale With No Onward Chain - Viewing Essential

Attractive 1930’s Bay Fronted Semi Detached Home • Boasting Four Good Sized Bedrooms Located in the Sought After Area of West Kirby • Tastefully Appointed and Spacious Family Living Space • Lounge and Open Plan Dining/Living Breakfast Kitchen Driveway, Garage, Central Heating and Double Glazing • Enclosed Block Paved Rear Yard Closer Inspection Strongly Recommended

Ferndale Road, Hoylake CH47

Ferndale Road, Hoylake CH47

£259,950

Five Bedroom Three Storey Mid Terrace Property • Beautifully Appointed Victorian Family Home Situated in the Sought After of Hoylake • Still Retaining Many Original Features Lounge, Dining Room and Extended Kitchen • Three First Floor Bedrooms and Bathroom Two Double Bedrooms to the Second Floor • Rear Paved Courtyard Garden - Viewing Advise

£250,000

Four/Five Bedroom Victorian Mid Terraced Home • Spacious and Beautifully Appointed Accommodation • Modern Living Space Still Retaining Character Features Lounge, Dining Room, Extended Kitchen and Shower Room • Central Heating, Part Double Glazing / Original Sash Windows • Stoned Rear Courtyard and Brick Built Outbuilding Situated in a Prime Location Within Easy Reach of Amenities

The Lake 29

Raeburn Avenue, West Kirby CH48

£250,000

Modern Three Bedroom Detached Home • Situated in the Sought After West Kirby Area Beautifully Presented Family Living Space • Lounge, Dining Room and Large Kitchen Three Double Bedrooms and Modern Bathroom • Gas Central Heating and Double Glazing Driveway and Garage with Utility Space at Rear • Well Proportioned Lawned Rear Garden

NEW South Parade, West Kirby CH48

Offers in the excess of

£200,000

Strand Road, Hoylake CH47

£214,950

Immaculate Four Double Bedroom Mid Terraced Home • Beautifully Presented and Updated Accommodation • Situated in the Sought After Area of Hoylake • Bay Fronted Lounge with Feature Fireplace • Modern Dining Kitchen with Appliances and Utility Four Double Bedrooms and Four Piece Bathroom • Gas Central Heating, Double Glazing and Rear Yard • Closer Inspection Essential to Appreciate this Home

NEW Melrose Avenue, Hoylake CH47

£169,950

Two/Three Bedroom Second Floor Apartment • Set in a Substantial and Attractive Property Stunning Front Views Onto West Kirby Promenade • Bay Fronted Lounge and Modern Kitchen Diner • Two Double Bedrooms and Sitting Room/Bedroom Three Beautiful Lawned Communal Gardens and Permit Parking Perfectly Situated for the Local Amenities of West Kirby Offered for Sale With No Onward Chain - Viewing Advised

Traditional Four Bedroom Semi Detached Property • Well Planned and Spacious Family Accommodation • Situated in a Popular Residential Area Close to Amenities Gas Central Heating and Double Glazing Throughout • Lounge with Bay Window, Utility Room and Fitted Kitchen Diner • Four Bedrooms and Three Piece Family Bathroom Enclosed Patio Garden with Brick Outbuilding to the Rear Offered for Sale with No Onward Chain, Viewing Essential

NEW Newton Road, Hoylake CH47

NEW Walker Street, Hoylake CH47

Two Bedroom Mid Terraced Property • Situated in the Heart of Hoylake Within Easy Reach of Local Amenities • Well Proportioned Accommodation Two Reception Rooms and Kitchen • Two Double Bedrooms and Bathroom Double Glazing and Central Heating • Closer Inspection Advised

£139,950

£137,500

Spacious Three Bedroom End Terraced Home • Situated in the Sought After Area of Hoylake Beautifully Appointed Family Living Space • Lounge, Downstairs Bathroom and Utility Area Modern Dining Kitchen with Fitted Appliances • Master Bedroom With Fitted Wardrobes Gas Central Heating and Double Glazing • Courtyard with Brick Built Outbuilding

30 The Lake

West Kirby Sailing Club A Summer of Sailing

By Phil Shepherd The weather has been kind to us all this summer so the sailing has been highly successful, with more people having more fun than ever before.

Monday night adult beginner/improver sessions have continued to thrive, with the aid of volunteers from juniors, dinghy and tidal sailors, as well as the qualified coaches.

Several of the new sailors have already bought boats to continue their progress in, and we are looking at starting to race with this group. A dinner has been arranged to celebrate their success.

Onboard, which is the junior entry course for learning to sail, on Saturdays, is continuing into October, and has been really enjoyed by the participants, due to the dedication of Paul Jenkins and Kieron Inman and the help from a great group of newly qualified dinghy instructors. These young people have been sailing at the club as members of the Hoylake Sea Cadets, an organisation which we are keen to help.

Racing on the lake every night of the week has had good turnouts, especially on Fridays, which is the Junior night. Some of these youngsters have raced elsewhere over the summer, such as Alex and James Colquitt who achieved 18th in the Cadet National Championships, and 7th in the World Championship Promotional Fleet, or Octavia Owen and Katy Norman who crewed with great success in the Albacore National Championships. The Juniors are entering the 24 hour race at Southport, and are currently training for the RYA Team Racing National Championships.

The weekend of our 99th Regatta also included the Finn Class National Championships, so we, fittingly, had 99 boats racing in varied winds and sea conditions, showing off what a great place the River Dee is for us.

The Tidal Classes have had a good season, but the undoubted highlight for them was the Menai Straits Regattas, with such good weather that every one of the two weeks races was completed for the first time in memory. The Hilbres had a record turnout, led again by Jemima Riley in Hirondelle, and Peter Price showed the way in the Falcons, with a young crew.

West Kirby Sailing Club has applied to the RYA for Sailability status, with which we hope to be able to help more sailors, with particular emphasis on Wirral Marine Disabled Association who need more manpower, dinghy instructors and rib drivers.

Cadets on West Kirby Lake

Before we get to the Frostbite Series, WKSC is participating in Bart’s Bash, which is the world’s biggest ever sailing race, to be held on 21st September, in memory of Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson, the Olympic Gold and Silver medallist, who died whilst training for the Americas Cup. Forthcoming events 21st September Bart’s Bash 27–28th September Albacore Northern Championships 19th October Bottled Firefly Team Racing 8th November Bonfire Night Fireworks in aid of RNLI Contact: Phil Shepherd, Vice Commodore 0151 6255579 office@wksc.org.uk

The Lake 31

Finns

Firefly fun

32 The Lake

27th September – 11th October

After the great success of last year’s festival, the team have been working through the winter to put together an amazing programme of events and activities for the festival this year.

Last year’s Heswall Arts Festival hosted over 100 events and more than 400 performers and artists. It attracted an estimated 5,000 visitors to the variety of shows events and exhibitions.

In 2014, once again you will find high quality live entertainment and artwork in many venues around Heswall. Be inspired also to have a go at some of the workshops on offer: try something new, make more friends, visit more places on your doorstep, bring family and friends and encourage tourists and visitors to discover what Heswall has to offer.

The 2013/214 Fellows of the Wirral Met College Art School are exhibiting their works at the Williamson Art Gallery and Museum in Slatey Road, Birkenhead, from the 13th of September until 12th October 2014.

The combined title of the exhibition is ‘Celtic Genii Locorum’ as both artists, Breda Whyte and Jane Acott, explore aspects of where they are from.

Jane Acott’s work is related to the copper industry of Flintshire, North Wales, where copper ore from Parys Mountain was smelted into copper sheeting to protect the hulls of slave ships travelling in tropical waters. In this exhibition, her work is a personal response to the copper mine, the local landscape, and the harbour area of Amlwch from where the copper ore was sent to Greenfield Dock. Her work is textilebased and primarily associated with the colours and textures of the Anglesey landscape.

“Parys Mountain is a beautiful and strange place,” she explained, “which was featured in an episode of Dr Who. The amazing colours and forms of the old quarry are a stark contrast to the surrounding landscape and I have tried to capture these in my work.”

Breda Whyte’s work explores the culture, history, traditions that have helped form her. She comes from an Irish town that used to be a small fishing community. The fishermen, whose livelihood was the sea, had a great understanding, fear and respect, of the natural world which led to many shared customs and superstitions. These included superstitions about cold irons (rats), red-haired women, banshees, wild animals and birds, particularly blackbirds. These superstitions have been passed down to today, even though the reasons to observe them no longer exist.

Breda’s work is also influenced by the legends and folklore of Ireland, and the larger-than-life characters of Tuatha De Danann, Fionn Mac Cumhaill, and Tir na nÓg.

“My Warriors are referencing these myths, but also acknowledge the influences of religion, politics, history, literature and the arts.”

Principal Museums Officer Colin Simpson, said: “We are delighted to exhibit the work of the Fellows, which continues our ongoing relationship with Wirral Met following the successful show from the recent graduates earlier this year.”

West Kirby FC upcoming first team fixtures West Kirby Football Club have three teams in the West Cheshire Football League and play their home matches at Marine Park, Greenbank Road. Why not support your local club?

Date

Time

Opponents

Venue

Div1 20/09/14 15:00 Upton A.A. (a)

Chester County Sports & Social Club

Div1

27/09/14

15:00

South Liverpool (h)

Marine Park

Cup

04/10/14

15:00

Heswall (a)

Gayton Park

Cup 08/11/14 14:30 Vauxhall Motors (a) Vauxhall Sports

& Social Club

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34 The Lake

Local Wildlife Back to School

By Matt Thomas

The Lake 35 watched as the adults deposited food into their young’s mouth without landing. Is it any wonder that I have developed such a soft spot for this species? Wildlife photography often involves long uncomfortable waits that can all too often end with no results. I have always found photographing Swallows to be a pleasant, thoroughly enjoyable pastime.

The dog days of summer are now behind us and autumn is fading leaves fast. Up and down the land kids are reluctantly returning to school after six weeks of fun and games. Shorts and sandals are being swapped for uniform and new school shoes.

Buckets and spades replaced by textbooks and pencil cases.

We can reflect on a warm spring and a hot, dry start to summer – true, August was wet and windy at times, but on the whole we have had little to complain about this British summer.

During this summer I decided to pay close attention to a bird that we particularly associate with the sunny season – the Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica). Ask people about signs of summer and I reckon many would say the arrival of Swallows from Africa is one of their favourites. As early as March they appear along the muddy banks of the Dee, dashing this way and that, chasing newly emerged flies. They nest as soon as they pair off and if the summer is a good one they will raise two broods of chicks before heading south in the late autumn.

I have always been a fan of Swallows – their song is a lovely cheeping warble. It always sounds happy, as if they know they are the bearers of good news.

‘Summer’s coming!’, I imagine they are saying as they swoop overhead. They always seem cheerful.

Looking back over the last few months, I have learned much about their behaviour as I photographed them. I have watched as they collected mud from the muddy margins of ponds, seen the progress of their nests built up with layer on layer of the sticky mud. I’ve seen the birds patiently brood their eggs before the feeding frenzy that ensues once the chicks have hatched and started to demand food.

I’ve lost whole afternoons transfixed as the adults hunt insects over meadows that gently sway in a summer breeze, marvelling at their ability to catch flies in daring aerial manoeuvres. I have sat quietly while chicks have waited for a meal to be delivered and

Spending time watching these birds it occurs to me that I have learned much about them, like I am attending Swallow School. The day starts with a little Physical Education as I think about the exertions of their long flight from South Africa to our shores. What strength and stamina it must take to make that journey. Then there is a bit of Geography. They pass over many countries, fly across deserts, over rainforests, skirt around mountains and cross seas. Some Physics and Astronomy lessons next, so we can understand how they navigate. They use the earth’s magnetic field and the orientation of the stars to make their way north to our shores.

Now for a little bit of Maths; just how many insects can these birds catch in a day?

Home Economics next – how many bugs do they need to power that flight to the southern tip of Africa?

These birds have taught me a lot about avian ecology, but I still have a few unanswered questions. Who teaches these birds to navigate using the stars? The adults leave for Africa before the chicks do, so how do the youngsters know how to find their way to South Africa under their own steam?

It is early September on Hilbre Island and a juvenile Swallow is sitting on a rusty metal spike waiting for its parent to return with an insect lunch. I am waiting for its parent too. I want to get a shot of the exchange of food. As I sit and wait I examine the youngster closely. Its adult plumage is starting to come through, although it is not there fully. It is still a little beige where the adults are white and its tail streamers are still a little stubby. I am finding it hard to imagine that in a few weeks from this moment my Swallow teen will be many hundreds of miles from here, swooping for its own food. I find myself wondering if it knows what it has to do yet. Is it nervous?

The journey ahead is long and treacherous, with many life lessons to learn. This young bird has much to discover – just like the children on the mainland heading back to school.

36 The Lake

Draw a Line Under Ageing

By Tracey Locke, Serenity Clinic, West Kirby (www.serenity-clinic.co.uk) Lines and wrinkles are a very evident sign of ageing, but they are not the only thing that reveals we may no longer be the ‘spring chicken’ we once were.

With over two decades’ experience in advanced non-surgical facial rejuvenation, lead clinician at Serenity Clinic, Tracey Locke believes that we need to look at the bigger picture when it comes to ageing.

We hate lines and wrinkles, but they are not an inevitable part of ageing. With the right treatments, to suit your individual skin, they can be vastly improved. I’m in no way saying you shouldn’t put effort into dealing with them, but one mistake some make is only focusing on lines and wrinkles.

Dull, Uneven Skin It’s not just wrinkles that reveal our age.

Other changes in the skin are a real giveaway, particularly dull, uneven skin tone and texture, age spots and hyperpigmentation. The cornerstone of brighter, younger-looking skin and a more even texture and tone is exfoliation and hydration, and there are a myriad of therapies that can make real, lasting improvements. To name a few: microdermabrasion, mesotherapy and non-chemical peels effectively exfoliate the skin to even tone and texture; AHA, Vitamin C, hyaluronic facials and peels, mesotherapy and advanced treatments such as dermal rollering and needling hydrate and plump the skin at a deeper level; while LED light therapy and specialist facials and peels are an excellent way to brighten the skin.

Not only does smooth, hydrated skin look younger, it also reduces the appearance of wrinkles, so it’s a win-win situation.

Blemishes such as age spots, pigmentation, scarring, red veins and rosacea are also very treatable — with the right knowledge and expertise — and can make a huge difference to your appearance (and confidence) in terms of ageing.

Drooping Neck Most of us apply creams and potions to our faces every day, but seem to stop at the jawline! The neck is such an ‘open book’ in terms of age, yet few people pay much attention to it. How many times have you seen Hollywood stars who look wrinkle-free (often a little too taut!) and flawless until your eyes drop to their saggy neck and décolletage?

As we age, our bodies produce less collagen and elastin and this — combined with environmental factors such as UV exposure — is what causes the jawline, neck and décolletage to droop. As our skin also thins, it can become crêpe-like, which further exacerbates the problem. It is just as important to keep the skin in these areas as hydrated and plumped as your face and it is well worth looking into specialised therapies if you don’t want your neck, jawline (or your face) to age you. These include radio frequency magnetic skin tightening — which actually produces new fibroblast (collagen) cells — and advanced non-surgical lifting treatments (Mediwave, CACI and the incredible Venus Freeze).

Saggy Eyes Sagging, puffiness and dark circles around the eyes are another age-related sign that’s often neglected. The skin around the eye is thinner and more delicate, which means it needs to be treated differently.

Some think eye bags are more a sign of tiredness than age and that little can be done about them, but that’s not true. Yes, stress, lack of sleep, diet and hectic lifestyles don’t help, but Old Father Time adds to the problem. As we age, fatty tissue — previously held in place by muscle and tighter skin — begins to ‘slip’ and is deposited under our eyes (just as it is at our jawline and neck). Mesotherapy, needling, light therapy and specialist eye-specific treatments are ideal if you are conscious of sagging, puffiness or lines and wrinkles in this area. Semi-permanent lash, liner and eyebrow enhancement is also extremely effective for redefining the eye area and giving the effect of an eyelift.

Opt for a subtle, natural look rather than a ‘Scouse Brow’.

Thin Lips Lines around the mouth are often the focus of attention, but lips are somewhat ignored. Our lips lose volume and definition as we age and this only magnifies lines and wrinkles. Injectables are a proven way to increase lip volume, but if you don’t want to go down this route, semi-permanent lip liner and colour can make an astounding difference. It not only produces fuller, sharper and more defined lips, it puts an end to dreaded ‘lipstick bleed’ that is an instant ‘ager’.

Unwanted Hair It appears in places we don’t want it to and disappears where we do! As we age and hormones change, facial hair can increase and this can be very upsetting and ageing.

But, before you reach for the tweezers… don’t! Plucking facial hair will only make the problem worse in the long run and it is far better to opt for an alkaline face wash, ultrasound, electrolysis, IPL or laser hair removal.

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38 The Lake

Under the Gavel – a View from the Rostrum John Bathurst Crane with his regular column on the auction world...

The primary market is generally highly priced to cover the cost of exhibiting and marketing: the same works on the secondary or auction market may be more affordable, but of course you don’t have the choice of the range of pictures and sizes to suit your taste.

Ancient of the Forest – Anne Sudworth

Our Liverpool Auction Rooms

Late summer is always an interesting time in established auction rooms; a time to look back at the auction results for the year and to plan the auctions for late August, the autumn and next year. We try to plan for several months ahead, but as we are a client-led service business, and dependent to some extent upon house sales, we will always do a certain amount of rearranging to look after our clients’ requirements.

Our telephone is rarely silent for long.

Starr made £1,000. Autographs made several thousands of pounds for each set. I have just discovered a Starways airline luggage label which was signed in a lift at Liverpool Airport

by Paul McCartney and John Lennon on their return from Hamburg. This is a rare item and could easily make £3,000 to £5,000.

Two artists caught my eye when I was there.

The first is an artist called Anne Sudworth, who uses pastels to create finely detailed works, and the other is Yvonne Coomber, who has a totally different style and whose works in oil are very bright and cheer you up immediately! I personally like cheerful pictures of good quality as they are easy on the eye and brighten up our living space. Both these artists have exhibited widely and are selling well.

Early Beatles Negative and Photo Wild Meadows of My Soul – Yvonne Coomber

Paul McCartney School Photo

Reverse of Starways Luggage Label

The last auction in August was the annual Beatles auction, which was held at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts. It was well attended by buyers from many countries; they are great bidders and attend every year without fail. A panoramic school photograph which included Paul McCartney (illustrated) and his brother a couple of years younger, made over £800. A birthday card signed by Ringo and Maureen

Now, some readers might think that Beatles memorabilia is a bit boring and you might be a bit negative about this area of collecting.

However, if you owned five old-fashioned film camera negatives of the Beatles before they were famous (one illustrated), taken at St John’s Church in Liverpool, and sold them at the auction, you would be very pleased as two bidders were locked in battle until the top bidding price of £9,300 (including premiums) was achieved. I am now a very positive person! If you have any early Beatles photographs or signatures then please, please me, and give me a call!

A few weeks ago the Liverpool Contemporary Arts Fair was held at the World Museum Liverpool in William Brown Street. The primary art market – that is new works of art coming fresh to the market via art dealers or artists selling their own work – is extremely interesting.

A trained eye may be able to discern which pictures are good works of art and may be sound investments for the future from those that are produced to simply cover wall space. We refer to these as ‘furnishing’ pictures, though perhaps not in front of the artists concerned…

The Royal Cambrian Academy is of course exhibiting and as usual the standard of their members’ work was exceptionally high. If you are passing through Conwy or having a day out, it is generally worth the drive. They can be located centrally within the walls of the town. Have tea at the Castle Hotel and take advantage of the free car park 100 yards from the RCA gallery.

It seems to me, after nearly 40 years in the world of auctions and antiques, that people acquire objects for many different reasons.

Often objects evoke memories of childhood, but sometimes ‘everyday’ items were consigned to the refuse skip before they were considered to be ‘collectable’. Some time ago I drove past a skip in Heswall into which an antique (18th century) chest of drawers had been placed.

Admittedly it was not in the best of condition, but the ten antique brass swan-neck handles were worth salvaging as they would have cost a lot of money to buy from a specialist dealer.

A few minutes later the chest was missing from the skip as someone with a sharp eye had obviously removed it… No, it was not me!

The Lake 39

I have retained a small 1920s wardrobe from my childhood bedroom for sentimental reasons and it resides at the back of the garage at Cato Towers. Although it’s not worth more than a handful of pounds, I always get a good feeling when I see it as it immediately brings back my memories of a world which was quite different from the one we live in today – I’d not part with it for a king’s ransom!

When I undertake client home visits I always encourage people to keep family objects that they like, because once they have been sold they can rarely be retrieved from the antique trade. Many years ago, a client sold a treasured family diamond ring and immediately regretted her actions. Unusually, in this case, we were able to retrieve it for her, but it had passed through four hands and within a month was with a new owner in South Africa. Most fortunately, the new owner was very understanding and we were, for once, able to have it returned. I won’t tell you the cost involved!

Average quality antique furniture is only bringing moderate amounts in the auction rooms at the moment. The finest pieces are bringing sky-high prices and 1960s and 70s furniture can bring extremely high prices – much more than comparable quality antique examples. A Jens Risom suite of American walnut office furniture of seven pieces made over £4,000 last week in our auction in Liverpool. It was of extremely good design and had been well cared for over the years by its owner.

It appears that many of our established clients in Wirral are now moving into luxury smaller apartments and accommodation. Space is at a premium and small, high-quality objects are once again becoming desirable. Very small object collections are even more desirable and

Chinese Jade Buckle

some rare objects we offer in our internet live-bidding auctions attract serious interest, such as a small jade Chinese belt buckle which made £2,500 in our July auction.

It is, of course, not a virtue to entertain oneself by buying expensive objects simply for amusement.

Budget collecting can be great fun and sometimes more difficult as low value items are not kept by people. Some time ago a client of ours left all her fine items to a well-known trust who open the doors of country houses to the public and do great restoration and conservation work.

They were delighted that we had kept the pre-war kitchen utensils, a pre-war oak-cased refrigerator and a 1950s Belling electric oven!

Great value to them for display, but not of any monetary value – but they didn’t keep the antique furniture as they have several warehouses bursting to the seams.

Small C18th Silver Caddy Spoon

Rare Small Silver Napkin Holder

Small Gold Thimble

Small Silver Pin Cushion

One of our client in Wirral has a ‘budget collection’ of map postcards collected since the 1950s. Although he’s not paid more than a few pence for any single one, it could easily be the most comprehensive collection in the country. I could mention my visit to the UK’s greatest milk bottle collector, but the editor says there is not enough space to illustrate all 15,000 of them…

Carry on collecting and visit our auction rooms in Liverpool, or telephone me for a home visit in Wirral. Although I have to run the business every day, it is still a pleasure to meet people and a joy to see interesting objects. You can email photos to me at info@catocrane.co.uk, telephone me on 07836 209995, or speak to Anna my PA in Liverpool on 0151 709 5559 and she will make sure that I return your call and deal with your enquiry very quickly. Happy antique hunting to all…

I look forward to meeting you all in due course!

40 The Lake

Deeside Laundry, in West Kirby, this year celebrates a milestone achievement of reaching 125 years in business. and civic buildings, customers expect a high level of product and service from the company. An increasing number of industrial clients from chemical sites to garages are choosing a managed laundry service to ensure their employees are kitted out safely and hygienically.

Deeside’s fleet of vans now cover an area taking in Blackpool Preston, Manchester, Liverpool, Cheshire and North Wales.

Today, with about 50 employees at Deeside, this number remains the same as at its height in those horse-drawn days.

However, with the improving technologies and increased efficiencies the turnover of the business has grown significantly, substantially increasing the number of items processed each week.

Current owners Nick and Jonathan Cross

Deeside Laundry, which started life in Victorian England serving the large houses of the area, has grown to be a 21st century regional commercial laundry.

At the time of its inception in 1889, women wore long dresses and starched petticoats and men had high collars and shirt cuffs subjected to the grimy atmosphere of huge factories belching out smoke. Housemaids struggled to keep clothing and linen clean and crisp with hand washing and flat irons.

When the business opened, the collection and delivery of domestic laundry by horse and cart was a welcome sight for those ‘below stairs’.

ran Deeside and reshaped the business to take work from industrial sources. At its centenary in 1989 he had grown the industrial side of the business to an extent that only twenty per cent of business came from domestic customers.

In 1997 the company expanded into a second site in Hoylake where the work is predominantly garment based. Chefs, mechanics, and technicians all required a regular supply of laundered workwear to carry out their jobs.

The firm was founded by Major James Patterson VD (Volunteer Decoration) and bought by his brother-in-law Matthew Grier the following year, 1890. The laundry remained in the Grier family for nearly 80 years and in 1912 moved from Banks Road to Groveside, where it remains today.

David passed the business to his sons in 2006 and the two brothers have since grown and adapted the business further.

Recognising an opportunity to expand its garment side of the business into the high care sectors such as food and medical industry, the Carr Lane unit in Hoylake was fitted out with a highly technical ‘clean room’ facility that a number of customers use today.

Business was booming for the first half of the twentieth century. The laundry was full of dolly tubs and wicker baskets and a number of members of the Grier family held executive positions. Then, during the 1950s and 60s the role of the laundry began to change as laundrettes started to emerge, quickly followed by electrical twin tubs entering households.

Another period of major investment has seen cutting-edge technology introduced to the laundry with the latest in cleaning, drying, sorting and folding machines improving efficiencies. Modern fabrics need complex equipment to remove ingrained grease and grime and with the laundry facing thousands of items a week every improvement has a big impact.

In 1968, the laundry was sold to Joseph Cross, the late grandfather of the current owners Nick and Jonathan Cross. Joseph had run the County Laundry in North Wales and his father had previously owned a laundry in Cumbria. Joseph’s son David

This year, as the company celebrates its 125th anniversary, the business is solely used by commercial customers across the hospitality and industrial sectors. From restaurants, hotels, function suites, tourist attractions, private hospitals, nursing homes

Reflecting on the longevity of the business, Business Development Director Nick Cross says: “We are one of the few remaining mid-sized independent laundries in existence. New smaller operations have entered the sector to serve the smaller establishments and larger national companies deal with national chains of hotels and restaurants as well as large hospitals. However, we are happy to have found our niche and trade on the fact that we are small enough to respond to customer requests quickly but we are large enough to invest in the latest machinery and continue to offer the best products and service in the industry.”

This secret to their success is echoed by their loyal customer base and is expected to take them forward to grow their business further and possibly pass it to the fifth generation of their family in due course.

Horse drawn carriage circa 1912

The Lake 41

Rhiannon Lewis is a leading Personal Trainer.

She has helped numerous people throughout the North West to achieve their health and fitness goals. Here Rhiannon discusses how you can make the most of the facilities on the Wirral to kick-start your fitness.

Over the recent months it has been inspirational to see the nation really get involved with the hype surrounding the host of sporting events on show including The Open Championship at Hoylake, the Commonwealth Games and the Tour de France – there really has been something for everybody to enjoy.

The question is, has the range of sporting activities we’ve been exposed to left you contemplating your own current state of fitness? The lighter mornings and evenings at the moment make these months a great opportunity to get started. Taking the first step is the hardest part; you may feel self-conscious and a little nervous but you’ll feel a huge sense of achievement once your start. You don’t need any expensive kit to get started: all you need is a pair of trainers, casual pants or leggings and a comfortable T-shirt or swimwear, so what’s stopping you?

Solo Activities Suitable if you prefer to exercise on your own, at a time that suits you.

Start with brisk walking or jogging, swimming or cycling to name a few – all of these activities will give you a great workout and see your fitness level gradually increase. Set yourself a target such as running your first mile or 5k or completing 30 minutes of activity a day for a month. You’ll soon feel more energetic and enjoy your sessions.

Personal Training is another effective way to reach your health and fitness goals, working one-to-one with your trainer; you’ll notice an improvement in your body shape and energy levels within your first four weeks!

Family Activities

We have all heard about how exercise can help us drop the pounds, but did you know that regular exercise can regulate your appetite, reduce muscular aches, lower your stress level and even improve your social life through group activities and meeting similarly minded people?

There is a range of ways to get your children more active throughout the day. Activities don’t have to be expensive – games such as stuck-in-the-mud, frisbee, 5-a-side football, rounders and cricket are all games that you can play in most open spaces and will engage your children’s social and motor skills.

With so many activities to choose from, you’ll be spoilt for choice!

Top Tips:

Group Activities

• Avoid exercise for two to three hours after a meal. If you exercise straight after a large meal, you’re could experience nausea, stomach cramps and discomfort.

Suitable if you enjoy being in the company of others or struggle to get yourself motivated.

Choose from a range of activities including circuit training, dance classes, racquet sports, martial arts, and bootcamp. Our Fitness Queen Bootcamp in West Kirby takes place on the beach. We welcome women of all abilities for a fun, fat-burning workout with lots of support, and you can even claim a FREE TRIAL week!

• Chose activities that you enjoy doing and you are more likely to make them a habit • Always include a gradual warm up and cool down • Set new goals every six weeks to stay motivated • Drink Water - water is all you need for moderate exercise of an hour duration or less

SPECIAL OFFER FOR LAKE MAGAZINE READERS Fitness Queen Bootcamp takes place every Tuesday and Thursday 6-7pm. We are currently offering you the chance to claim your FREE TRIAL. This bootcamp is great for improving your cardiovascular fitness, improving muscle tone and increasing your confidence.

For details, or to find out about Personal Training, please contact Rhiannon via email info@rlewisfitness.co.uk or phone 07814 614145 and quote ‘Lake Magazine’ to register.

your letters 42 The Lake

Wake up West Kirby – Wake up Wirral!

Contact us 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.

In her recent letter to The Lake, Wirral West MP Esther McVey sought to reassure local people that she would do everything in her power to stop Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) happening in the Dee Estuary, citing primarily the need for various permissions to be obtained before anything could happen. We find this extremely worrying.

None of the environmental protections in place for the Dee are absolute; each and every one can fall if it can be claimed – rightly or wrongly – that the process can be managed safely. Local Council resistance can be overruled by central government, or if an application is made for drilling at the old coal mine over at Point of Ayr, by the Welsh Assembly. Wirral Council would have no power to refuse a Flintshire application anyway.

Mr Cluff says he is not about to drill in the near future, but that does not mean never. It is true that he has other licences, but the coal under the Dee is by far the largest of his potential resources. It seems naive in the extreme to imagine that he sees no prospect of it ever being exploited. He is paying for desktop modelling to work out how best to proceed and it wouldn’t need much change in the market price of gas for it to proceed pretty quickly.

We are a non-political group of local Wirral people from many different walks in life who have come together because we see all three of the new ‘Unconventional Gas Extraction’ technologies – UCG, Coal Bed Methane and Fracking for shale and other gases – as real threats to Wirral as we know it.

It is particularly worrying that Wirral’s geology is such that all three processes are possible, so there is the potential for a perfect storm of industrialisation on a massive scale.

Test drilling for Coal Bed Methane and Fracking is already creeping into North Wirral from Cheshire, where the sites of the first drilling rigs are even now giving residents of Farndon and Upton-by-Chester cause for real concern.

Test drilling is now planned for Ellesmere Port. If the industry can overcome objections in Cheshire and North Wirral, then how long before they start on UCG in West Wirral?

All three of these experimental technologies have a lot in common in that they involve drilling down deep into the earth and then, typically, drilling horizontally into shale or coal layers – but usually only for a limited distance. More and more wells need to be drilled as each becomes exhausted, with the area rapidly becoming littered with well after well, turning it into an industrial landscape of new wells, old wells, abandoned wells, toxic waste ponds, heavy plant and machinery and the noise and nuisance of the constant movement of heavy vehicles. Is this what we want for Wirral?

In addition to this inevitable industrialisation, all three technologies involve real risks to health, wellbeing and the environment. Fracking, because it involves fracturing the rock strata deep underground with pressurised liquid chemicals and sand, risks earthquakes and leakage of toxic chemicals into both the atmosphere and the water table. Fracking is often used to get Methane out.

UCG is even worse because it involves setting fire to coal deep underground to produce a whole range of toxic gases and chemicals which, again, could so easily pollute both our air and our water. UCG also risks subsidence as a result of the huge voids left underground after the burn, and possibly even underground explosions if pockets of methane, say, are encountered. Trials elsewhere have been very unsuccessful and serious failures have occurred, with environmental consequences.

Because of the dangers, France has already introduced a complete ban. Both our Wirral West MP and Labour challenger have indicated their willingness to join with others to oppose UCG under the Dee. What we really need to see, if we don’t want our water and air polluted and our environment ruined, is for all of our local sitting and potential MPs and Councillors to get together across the political divide and, following France’s lead, oppose unequivocally any introduction of any of these dangerous technologies to our beautiful peninsula.

The Open has showcased our area at its glorious best. Let’s all work together to keep it that way.

WIRRAL AGAINST FRACKING

Tommy I thought readers might like to read these few verses I composed as a tribute to the brave men who sacrificed their all in the First World War. My father was in the Northumberland Fusiliers, and although seriously injured during that time, he did survive and overcame his injury with dignity.

My poem is not necessarily about him or the fictitious ‘Tommy’ but about all the other nameless heroes of that time, to whom we owe so much.

Just stay by me young Tommy lad We’l| see this through together Then when we get back home again We will be friends forever The hail of bullets hushed the words The noise of battle nearer Intensified the fear within Yet making comrades dearer What do we fight for, Jimmy Sir? Why are we here? he asks We’re here to take the peace back home To those we love, our task’s Then I will stand and fight for that!

No! Tommy! Wait the call But bullets came again to us I did not see him fall...

My bullet came and then a voice We’l| help you now, our Jimmy Take Tommy first, he’s badly hurt, in agony I cried We left him lain, he feels no pain the gentle voice replied So now back home with war behind And arms around my Mother We weep with joy but sadness too For that young Soldier boy so brave, was just my little brother

ANN HEGG, HOYLAKE

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