Staff from IKEA take to the road to help vulnerable children in Region

A group of more than 20 staff and helpers from IKEA Warrington have donned their lycra to take part in a sponsored bike ride to raise ₤1,900 (to date) for children's charity Barnardo's.

The team, a mixture of experienced cyclists and enthusiastic amateurs; completed the 50 mile challenge, on Wednesday, 19 May 2021, cycling on mainly off road routes from the IKEA store at Warrington to Croxteth Hall in Liverpool and back again.

The group stopped off midway on their journey at the Barnardo's retail store, at Deysbrook, Liverpool, where they were welcomed by staff at the shop and representatives from local Barnardo's services the team are supporting.

Paul Fishwick, organiser of the event and Marketing Specialist at IKEA Warrington, said:- "Here at IKEA Warrington we have been super excited to take part in our 1st charity bike ride for Barnardo's. Not all the co-workers that took part are avid cyclists so it was a serious challenge for some. However, as a team we are so happy to support and raise awareness for all the great things Barnardo's are doing. There has been a real buzz around the store leading up the ride and with all the riders joining from various different departments from within the store, there is a real sense of togetherness around."

The 50 mile fundraising challenge is just one of the ways the IKEA team, at Warrington, has been supporting Barnardo's over the past 2 years, when IKEA chose the charity as their partner for the UK and Ireland.

Locally, teams of staff from the store have also been involved in redecorating and furnishing rooms used for counselling sessions with children and young people in Merseyside, donating large items of new furniture and other accessories to support children in care and holding pop up Barnardo's charity shops in the IKEA store.

Milly Dawson, Partnerships Manager at Barnardo's said:- "We are incredibly grateful for the enthusiasm, generosity and efforts of staff from IKEA, who are supporting the vulnerable children we work with across the Local Region in so many different ways. Thank you to all of the many team members that took part in the cycling challenge, and to everyone that has supported them with time and donations; this all helps us to make a difference to the lives of children and young people who need our support the most."

Anyone wishing to donate to the fundraising efforts of the IKEA team for Barnardo's can do so by visiting Just Giving - IKEA bike ride:- JustGiving.Com.

Members of the team were supported during the challenge by cyclists, from St Helen's Cycling Group. Prior to the ride, DR BIKE visited the IKEA store to fix the workers bikes, which was organised and paid for by The Cycling Development team in Liverpool.
 

A programme of 14 new works to be premiered at the inaugural Little LTF event, in Liverpool, this Summer, has been revealed. Little LTF is a new strand to the hugely successful Liverpool Theatre Festival, which was staged for the very 1st time last September in response to an ongoing need for live entertainment during Covid19. The outdoor festival at St Luke's Bombed Out Church, in Liverpool City Centre, was created by Liverpool Theatre Producer Bill Elms, who stepped in to bring entertainment back to audiences after theatres across the country were ordered to close their doors as part of the 1st Coronavirus lockdown in March 2020. The festival was so well received last Autumn, that Bill was determined to take the event to the next level by introducing an open call for artists to submit new work with a chance to be premiered and showcased at its sister event.

Organisers were:- "overwhelmed by the incredible calibre of work and remarkable talent" of submissions. Little LTF will run for 7 days between:- Monday, 12 July 2021 and Sunday, 18 July 2021; with all productions included in the line up will be seen by Liverpool audiences for the very 1st time at the festival. The outdoor event will be staged within the church walls, at St Luke's Bombed Out Church, a new set up than the September festival, creating a more intimate, unique, covered Covid secure performance space.

The 14 successful shows chosen for the Little LTF programme that is now on sale. To book tickets visit the festival website at:- LiverpoolTheatreFestival.Com.

A panel of industry professionals embarked on the difficult task of selecting the final line up from works submitted. Media and industry professionals will be invited to see the productions 1st hand at the festival. Accolades will also be given to outstanding productions in specific categories. Genres represented in the diverse and inclusive programme covers:- Black arts, cabaret, comedy, disability arts, drama, family entertainment, LGBTQ, mental health, and musical theatre.

Producer and Artistic Director Bill Elms commented:- "The decision to introduce a sister event to Liverpool Theatre Festival for 2021 was most definitely a great move. Little LTF is unique as there are so few festivals who solely showcase new works. We had an excellent response to our call for submissions and the panel has been overwhelmed by the incredible calibre of work and remarkable talent across Liverpool City Region and the wider North West area. Creatives have really jumped on board for this festival of new works, especially in this 1st year, so we're excited for the future already. Work submitted was extremely creative, diverse, captivating and inspiring; it's been a very uplifting experience and proved very difficult for the panel to select its final programme of shows."