Moooove over for grazing winter visitors at Sefton's Nature Reserves

SEFTON Council is welcoming sheep and cattle on to the local Nature Reserves, at Ainsdale and Birkdale, this week, as part of the its continuing conservation works. Each winter, the Council brings grazing animals onto the reserves as part of Green Sefton's management of the Dunes. The seasonal grazing benefits nature conservation, as the animals help to control vegetation growth, encouraging diverse plant species to grow and Dune specialists such as Natterjack Toads to thrive. This year, Herdwick sheep from Cumbria alongside Belted Galloway and White Shorthorn cattle from neighbouring Lancashire have been moved on to the reserve. Before the cattle and sheep arrived for the winter, the fenced enclosures on the reserves were checked by Rangers to ensure that they were secure and safe for this year's grazing. Green Sefton is urging everyone to act responsibly if they visit the reserves to catch a glimpse of the special winter visitors. Dog walkers are reminded that pets should be kept on a lead and under close control within fenced grazing areas, following the Countryside Code.

Gordon White, Countryside Officer for Green Sefton, said:- "These grazing animals are an essential tool in the management of Sefton's scientifically important sand Dunes. Not only do they help us to improve habitats, but they really help to optimise the potential of Sefton's important natural assets. We urge all dog walkers to keep their pets on a lead, under close control and away from the sheep and cows they may see in the fenced grazing areas this winter; just as you would on any site or farmers field where livestock are kept. Whilst they are docile animals and used to seeing people, they could be a little nervous in their new Sefton home."

Cllr Ian Moncur, Sefton Council's Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said:- "Conservation grazing is a fantastic, cost effective and natural way to protect our Dune systems and it is great to see the animals making a return to our reserves again this winter. Sefton's coastline is 1 of the most important areas in Britain for nature conservation, enjoying the highest level of protection under UK law as a site of specific scientific interest for its flora and fauna. On going initiatives like this really help to enhance these important coastal ecological systems."

Gordon White added:- "We all have an obligation to protect these very special features, and balancing their needs with those of our visitors can be a tricky task. Part of our role at Green Sefton is to help our communities to learn and understand how fortunate we all are to have such incredible and fantastic species right on our doorstep. Working with our communities, as well as with partner organisations on specific environmental projects, we can achieve great improvements to our wonderful sand Dune habitats. Ultimately this will enable us to be confident that we have contributed to passing them on to the next generation in a strong condition, to continue to survive, and provide them with fascinating wildlife spectacles."

The animals will graze the reserves until early April 2021.

Alder Hey Children offer their Christmas 'if I had just 1 wish'

A group of Alder Hey Children's Charity child Ambassadors will help launch Southport Pleasureland's Christmas experience on Saturday, by each filming their:- 'if I had just 1 wish' for Christmas. Their visit not only see them and their families enjoy VIP treatment, as well as big wishes for family and friends, it marked the 1st day of a new partnership with Alder Hey Children's Charity as the park's Charity of the Year for 2021.

The park, the Region's 'Happy HQ,' says its Winter experience, which opened on Saturday, 12 December 2020, will 'bring home Christmas,' surrounded by Covid19 protection best practice; starting on Saturday, 12 December and Sunday, 13 December 2020. The park will then open daily from Saturday, 19 December until 3 January 2021 (with the exception of Christmas Day). Gates will open at 11am, with all the rides and fun starting from 12 o'clock midday. Book online. And it's looking a lot like Christmas at the park, with everything from people's favourite rides to a trip around Santa's workshop.

Daniel Bell, Katie Countanche and Ben Parry are the 1st of the charity's Ambassadors to offer their special '1' Christmas wish. The countdown to Christmas at Pleasureland starts with Daniel Bell's wish. Daniel's 1 wish? A generous and unselfish wish; for a trolley with gaming equipment for the Hospital so that young patients can lose themselves in play and transport themselves through imagined worlds. Pleasureland will release the charity's Ambassadors wishes on the run up to Christmas; to offer a little inspiration and a lot of hope and joy from these amazing children.

For the 1st few years of Daniel Bell's life, he was like any other toddler, happy and full of energy, at home, in Ormskirk, but Doctors soon discovered Daniel had a brain tumour the size of a fist.

As he turned 3, mum Rosalind and dad Colin, noticed a change in Daniel's behaviour. He wasn't the same happy go lucky little boy. Rosalind explains:- "His personality literally changed. He was grumpy had lots of tantrums, was sick and went back to sleeping in the day too, which was the total opposite of what he was previously."

Thankfully Rosalind recognised some of the symptoms of a brain tumour. Daniel was taken to Ormskirk A&E which quickly realised the severity of the situation and Daniel was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

He was rushed straight to Alder Hey which is a centre of excellence for brain conditions. Rosalind says:- "It was like the bottom had fallen out of my world, our lives changed in a split 2nd. We were told he needed to go to Alder Hey right away and we were blue lighted to Liverpool."

Once at Alder Hey, Daniel was taken straight to theatre where Neurosurgeon Ms Sasha Burns drained fluid on his brain during a 3 hour life saving operation and the next day Daniel's tumour was removed during a 9 hour operation by Mr Conor Mallucci.

"Mr Mallucci told us that Daniel had a cystic tumour which was the size of an adult's fist and there was a possibility of Daniel losing motor and mobility skills as the result of the procedure." explained Rosalind.

The operation was a success, helped by the use of Alder Hey's 3-T MRI scanner, a pioneering machine which allows surgeons to scan the brain in theatre which was funded by Alder Hey Children's Charity. Alder Hey is the 1st Hospital in Europe to have this kit.

Pleasureland CEO, Norman Wallis, said:- "We are thrilled to have Alder Hey Children's Charity as our charity of the year for 2021. The charity does brilliant work and is focused on helping families stay whole and happy; and we couldn't wish for a better fit with our own goals; to deliver happy experiences to families. It's a privilege to welcome some of the charity's Ambassadors and their families at our Winter Wonderland experience on opening day. I've watched the 'just 1 wish' video series and it is heart-warming how generous and thoughtful these incredible children are; thinking of others in their wishes. We want to make wishes Come true and we want to help everyone have a Happy Christmas; we will do our utmost to support Alder Hey Children's Charity during what, we hope, will be a much better year. Anyone who would like to support the charity should visit the donations' page https://donate.alderheycharity.Org/public/; Pleasureland's own donations' programme will start from January 2021."

Daniel is now a healthy and very active little boy and also a budding actor. He has performed in Little Shop of Horrors with his local Performing Arts Club and he loves to raise money for Alder Hey Children's Charity. As a result of his fundraising, Daniel was named a Fundraising Ambassador for Alder Hey Children's Charity, which made everyone in the Bell family very proud.