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WORK STARTS ON Woolton's house of glass
BUILDING has now started on the Woolton estate on a landmark piece of public art for those people of Liverpool.
The artwork called Outhouse, which was nominated for the Turner Prize by Vong Phaophanit and Claire Oboussier, takes the form of a 70% real size normal house made of glass, and is being constructed on a strip of woodland close to the Guinness Trust tower blocks. Funding for the sculpture has come from the Liverpool Housing Action Trust and Guinness Trust as part of the Woolton regeneration programme.
The doors and windows of the Outhouse will be made from opaque material either etched glass or stone, whilst the walls be translucent glass, which if you think on it is the reverse of the normal way of things. It will be built along the lines of the terrace housing built by the Guinness Trust and the HAT on Vale Road, Woolton, and will have architectural help from those same architects. When complete the Outhouse will be lit up at night from the ground by 4 red neon strips.
During the construction there will be a community education programme which will then continue after the sculpture's launch in April 2005. HAT and Guinness Trust want the people of Woolton to see the sculpture as their own and as a resource for the various different community groups in the area. It will then form an attraction for the European Capital of Culture in 2008.
Elizabeth Anderton, the Guinness Trust's acting area manager for Woolton said:-
"Outhouse is a fantastic piece of public art. It will provide a focus and talking point for the people of Woolton for years to come, and I'm delighted we have been able to help make it happen. It is an important part of the regeneration of the Woolton estate and shows housing associations are interested n building communities, not just houses."
By 2006 the Guinness Trust and Liverpool HAT will have regenerated all 300 homes on the estate. 4 tower blocks are now being fully refurbished, a fifth was demolished to make way for the Art Extra scheme, for frail elderly people. And a sixth block will soon be demolished and the land sold for private development with the money going towards the overall project which will cost £22 million.
SHOPPING TIPS REQUIRED
BUS operator Arriva has conducted some new research that has shown people in the northwest are the most unoriginal in the country when it comes down to buying Christmas presents.
The survey was primarily conducted to find out more about the shopping habits of bus users during the busy Christmas period.
The ladies fare the worst on the surprise gift front, with almost 75% receiving perfume, chocolates and toiletries every year.
50% of men typically get given the old faithful of presents, socks and aftershave on Christmas day.
Derek Bowes, commercial manager of Arriva North West and Wales, said:-
"Although we might be the most unoriginal when it comes to purchasing gifts, at least we haven't been
labeled with buying the most unromantic presents. That falls to our friends in the midlands who are guilty of giving irons to their loved ones."
The men of Wales are the most likely to buy sexy underwear and to whisk their partners away on a weekend break, proving that romance really isn't dead.
You could be really original and get your loved one a bus ticket!
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'Business Liverpool' Launched
LIVERPOOL Business Centre is the one stop shop for business support in the city. It will now be called 'Business Liverpool', reflecting the organization's straightforward and business-like approach. Liverpool Business Centre, a partnership between Liverpool Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Business Link and Liverpool City Council, was founded in 2001. Since then £225m of inward investment has come into Liverpool, about 5000 jobs have been created or safeguarded and over 500 businesses assisted.
To build on this success and to take business support services in the city forward, a Joint Venture Company is being formed and this will be headed by a predominantly private sector led board.
Mike Taylor Chief Executive of Business Liverpool said:-
"Having the private sector at the heart of our organisation is essential if we are to create a focused and highly effective business support service which fully meets the needs of the business community.
With the changes in the way the organisation is being operated, it was an opportune time to look at its identity and brand. 'Business Liverpool' is clear and straightforward, reflecting our overall approach to the provision of business support. Our service is free and based on meeting the needs of business. Our core activities continue to be the provision of support in the areas of property, finance and workforce development.
We will continue to work in partnership with our public and private sector partners to ensure that our client's needs are comprehensively met.
One thing we will be concentrating on is ensuring that there is no duplication of services between the various partners involved in Business Liverpool, with our resources properly focused on the need of the business community, "
Future plans for Business Liverpool include the creation of a business drop-in centre with the Chamber of Commerce, developing projects which encourage and support enterprise, and managing the private sector led City Growth project which sets the agenda for business development and growth across the city.
Game shooting under attack from Labour MPs
THE Labour dominated Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has launched an attack on the rearing of game birds and suggested:-
"limiting the numbers of game birds that are able to be
reared".
The committee also rejected the Game Farmers' Association's comprehensive code of practice and, bizarrely, was concerned that:
"of the game birds being reared, only 40% end up being
shot".
Simon Hart, Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance, said:- "Anyone who still believes that shooting is not now under serious threat should read this report. The agenda of animal rights organisations and Labour MPs is one and the same and shooting is now the top item.
Even if DEFRA Ministers do not collude with MPs, as they have in the past, they will again be powerless to control the vast majority of their
colleagues".
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