Southport running group celebrates its 3rd birthday
Photos by Niland Photography.

MEMBERS of the Southport Strollers gathered on Tuesday, 7 September 2021, to celebrate the very special occasion, with the club now having grown to more than 100 members since it was founded in 2018. They are always delighted to welcome more runners to join them. Lee Bibby is among the club's committee members. He said:- "On Tuesday we celebrated our 3rd birthday with over 50 of our members. Southport Strollers is such a lovely club that has grown to over 120 members since starting in Dunes car park in Southport 3 years ago. The club began in September 2018 with approximately 20 people coming to a new club for the 1st time. On Tuesday night the club had its 3rd birthday party which was celebrated by over half of our 125 members! Celebrations of cake and alcohol free fizz took place after our regular social Tuesday running session of either 4k (running or run / walk), 5k or 7k group. The ethos of our club has always been to celebrate the personal achievements of every running member, whether that be a 1st time non-stop run or completing an ultra marathon. Running ability isn't judged at Southport Strollers, we want everyone to have the opportunity to set personal running goals, achieve their own success, enjoy supporting others and be proud of the community that we've all created. We have a team of 14 qualified run leaders and a Committee of 9 people, all of whom are volunteers who support the growth and success of the club, but most importantly it's our members who make it such a special club and 1 we're all proud to belong to."

For more details about Southport Strollers please visit them on Facebook.

Sefton Council have helped Fleetwood Hesketh Sports Club

SEFTON Council have helped a Southport Sports Club ensure they're swinging for success after contributing towards brand new safety netting for their cricket and football offer. Fleetwood Hesketh Sports Club on Fylde Road, Southport were recently given a grant of nearly ₤20,000 to erect much needed mesh netting to stop wayward cricket balls and footballs from leaving the grounds and hitting road users or neighbourhood properties. A total of ₤19,978 was granted to the club from Sefton Council's Community Transition Fund, which now forms the 1st stage of a major refurbishment and improvement project the sports club are undertaking. Bobby Addison, Chairman of Fleetwood Hesketh Sports Club, thanked Sefton Council, saying without the grant they would have been forced to suspend cricket and football at the venue.

Bobby said:- "Many residents around Marshside and those who have visited our club will remember our wonderful tree lined boundary with Fylde Road. Unfortunately we became aware of a need to remove and replace these trees as they were becoming a health and safety issue. Once these works were complete, we needed a long lasting alternative to protect our neighbours and we approached Sefton Council for help. The Council were fantastic and gave us a much needed grant of ₤19,978 which allowed us to purchase and erect the safety netting. Without the Council's help we may have had to suspend cricket and football at the ground, which would have had a significantly negative impact on our community. This is the 1st stage of the project and we are now looking to raise funds for a new fence and ball stop netting for our other boundary."

Cllr Ian Moncur, Sefton Council's Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said:- "Fleetwood Hesketh is a wonderful community sporting venue that has been serving Marshside and Southport for nearly a hundred years! To be able to see the physical benefits of what the Sefton Community Transition Fund can do is incredibly heart warming and we are delighted that we have been able to play a part in ensuring both cricket and football remains a staple part of what Fleetwood Hesketh offers. The Community Transition Fund has been developed by Sefton Council for this exact reason; to assist community organisations on a 1 off basis to ensure their long term success which will be passed onto our residents and neighbourhoods."

To find out more about the fund, please visit:- Sefton.Gov.UK/CommunityFund. For more information on Fleetwood Hesketh Sports Club, visit:- FleetwoodHesketh.Com.