Report Page 1 - Southport, Formby, Liverpool, 2021-08-29

Remembrance of Diana, Princess of Wales and All Road Crash Victims

ROAD crash victims are to be remembered in a special online ceremony filmed in front of the Peace Doves at Liverpool Cathedral. Road Peace North West is inviting those who have been bereaved or injured through road crashes, together with those who support them, to an online remembrance event, starting at 2pm, on Tuesday, 31 August 2021. The service usually takes place in the Lady Chapel of Liverpool Cathedral, but due to the pandemic it will now take place online and will be premiered on Road Peace’s YouTube Channel.

Canon Philip Anderson, Precentor of Liverpool Cathedral, said:- "For many years Road Peace has met in Liverpool Cathedral to remember and honour those killed on our roads, and to campaign for change. This year the service was recorded in front of the Peace Doves installation, a mass participation artwork created by Peter Walker, gathering thousands of prayers and hopes for peace, written on paper doves, and gathered together like a flock in flight in the cathedral. The display continues until the end of August and all are welcome."

Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Mary Rasmussen, who took part, said:- "Every road traffic collision has a massive impact, not just on those involved but their wider family and friends, as well as the emergency services and the NHS. This service is hugely important in raising awareness of the consequences of road collisions as well as recognising the valuable work of Road Peace North West in supporting bereaved families and campaigning for better road safety."

The Chief Constable of Merseyside, Serena Kennedy, who also took part in the service said:- "It was truly a privilege to be involved in this service, and I was incredibly moved to meet the families of people who have tragically lost their lives in collisions. This annual event allows us the opportunity to pause and reflect on the lives lost to road traffic collisions, and show our support for their loved ones. I want to express my gratitude to Road Peace for organising the event, and for the vitally important work they do all year round. The day of remembrance also serves as a sobering reminder of the devastating impact collisions on our roads have had across Merseyside, and only strengthens our resolve to continue working with partners and the community to reduce the number of people killed and injured on our roads and spare other families such pain."

Emily Spurrell, Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside also took part in the remembrance and said:- "Whilst nothing can take away the pain and suffering from losing a loved 1 in a road crash, Road Peace’s annual remembrance service is an important opportunity to come together to show our support for the families who have been tragically affected. Whilst once again we can’t meet in person, the poignant message of this service is no less important. Crucially, it reminds us of our shared responsibility to work together to prevent other families from enduring the same loss in the future. Improving safety is 1 of my policing priorities and, working with all our partners, I'm committed to continuing to reduce the number of people who lose their life or suffer life changing injuries on our roads. Together we can reduce the number of crashes on our roads and make them safe for everyone."

The remembrance takes place on the 24th Anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in a road crash and will include photographs and tributes to loved ones who have died. Britain's 1st road death also occurred in August, when Bridget Driscoll was killed, at Crystal Palace, on 17 August 1896, with the Coroner pronouncing:- "This must never happen again."

Since then, over ½ a million people have been killed in crashes in Britain and the current annual global death toll is estimated at 1.35 million deaths. In the UK, provisional results from the Department for Transport show 1,472 people were killed and there were 115,333 casualties in 2020. Such scale of loss has been described by Professor Danny Dorling, a patron of Road Peace, as this century's biggest public health crisis with our roads:- "the open sewers of the 21st century."

Pauline Fielding, a trustee of Road Peace and event organiser, believes remembrance plays a vital role in reminding society about the number of victims and highlighting the long term psychological impact on those bereaved and injured in road crashes. She said:- "My son Andrew was killed in a road crash, caused by a driver who did not stop and who was never traced. Since that day, 27 years ago, I have been fighting for justice for him and to reduce dangers on the road where he died, to help prevent others also experiencing the loss of a loved one. The day Andrew died changed my life and that of so many others. I was helped emotionally and practically by Road Peace and so I urge all those bereaved or injured by road crashes, together with those who support us, to join us in remembering our loved ones and in raising awareness to help prevent further death and injury. We are thankful to the emergency services, all those who support us and to those who are working hard to reduce the number of people killed or injured on our roads."

If you have been affected by a crash and would like to speak to Road Peace’s support team, the helpline number is:- 08454500355. You can find out more about the organisation by visiting:- RoadPeace.Org.

Santa visits Southport Beach for holiday fun and frolics
Photos by Carolyn Hughes.

AINSDALE Beach, on the Merseyside Coastline, had a special visitor, as Santa enjoyed some summer holiday fun before he returns back to the North Pole to prepare for his busiest time of the year. With only 122 days to go until Christmas he enjoyed all the fun of the seaside to the delight of the children and the adults who had set up camp for the day to enjoy the long awaited sunshine. Sun worshipers and families enjoying picnics could not believe their eyes as Santa served ice creams, chatted with the RNLI, paddled in the sea and wandered along the famous sand dunes. Children squealed with delight and parents swiftly grabbed photographs with the most famous man on earth as quick thinking parents reminded their younger's that:- "Santa is always watching you."

Locally based festive installation and event specialists, The Festive Group, were shooting a promotional campaign on the beach and in the pine woods and decided that post Pandemic a fun theme, to make people smile, would be a great idea. PR Consultant, Carolyn Hughes from CHPR, who planned the campaign said:- "Reminding people about Christmas in August and September can be a tricky, so we wanted to make people smile as well as planting the 'C' word in their head. We thought that Santa in the woods and on the beach would produce some great images, make people smile and plant the Christmas seed. What I didn't bank on was the beach being so busy and Santa causing such a stir, so a job that should have taken us an hour took 2 hours by the time the children had got their pictures and gave Santa their Christmas lists. It was fantastic to see so many sand covered excited young faces literally in awe of Santa."

Santa also showed his cultural side during his seaside trip by stopping off to see the new Paul Curtis installation, on the site of the derelict Toad Hall, where Paul told him the tale of his latest stunning mural:- 'The Sand Lizard.' Whilst the recent rainy weather has held up the finish, the colourful addition to the landscape has already become a hit with the locals and visitors.

The Festive Group based in Liverpool, have created installations ranging from:- 'Million Pound Trees' to family favourites and decorated the homes of the rich and famous creating masterpieces to suit every budget. Clients include:- Sharon Osborne, Dawn Ward, Gemma Collins, and Mo Salah, with an equally impressive corporate installation client base including:- Boodles, LFC, Very, Sophia Webster. Formby based Operations Manager for The Festive Group, Paul Lally, said:- "Our design and installation teams spend all year preparing festive installations for our domestic and commercial clients. Every client has different requirements and it is our job to turn memorable places into magical spaces. We are delighted that yesterday’s photo shoot brought so many smiles to so many faces."

For further details regarding The Festive Group, visit:- TheFestiveDecorators.com or call:- 01513293356.

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