GOODYEAR LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO WALK ON WATER

LIVERPOOL residents are being offered the chance to take part in the country’s newest sport and one of them could become national champion.

Goodyear tyres has teamed up with the Royal National Lifeboat Institute and will use the brand new sport of HydraZorbing to raise money for the organisation and raise awareness of safety in the wet and on the water.

Goodyear has commissioned the UK’s first HydraZorbs and will be holding regional heats across the country before hosting a national final for the most talented competitors.

They will be visiting Liverpool on 11 June 2005 from 11.45pm where the HydraZorbs will take to the water at the Mersey River Festival, and anyone who fancies their chances of becoming a HydraZorbing ace is being urged to enter.

There is an entrance fee of £5, which goes entirely to the RNLI, and Goodyear spokesperson James Bailey believes the event will be a great success.

He said:- “We commissioned the HydraZorbs to mark the launch of our HydraGrip tyre which performs as well in the wet as it does in the dry, hopefully we are now going to find someone in Liverpool who can do the same!

The HydraZorbs are like a giant, waterbourne hamster wheel that the athlete climbs inside and moves round thanks to small fins on the surface that give them traction on the water. It is great fun and I’m sure the new sport will raise a lot of money for the RNLI.”

RNLI spokesperson Anne Maton is delighted to have linked up with Goodyear and believes the wet safety messages are as important as the fun of the sport.

She said:- “We have a lot of natural synergy with Goodyear because their research and development is always looking at ways of keeping people safer in wet conditions on dry land; we do the same but in water.

HydraZorbing is a great way of highlighting that safety and fun can be combined and we are grateful to Goodyear for donating the proceeds of this sport to us.”

Anyone wishing to enter the Liverpool regional heat should contact the HydraZorbing hotline on 0121 362 4011.

BG SPIRIT LEAVES GLOBAL CHALLENGE FLEET BEHIND WITH SIGHTS SET ON A WIN IN BOSTON, USA

BG SPIRIT, one of twelve yachts taking place in the Global Challenge 2004 / 2005 round the world yacht race is storming ahead of the rest of the fleet, with only 352 nautical miles to go until her imminent arrival in Boston. Australian Skipper Andy Forbes and the crew of BG SPIRIT have clocked up some 214nm between themselves and second placed VAIO, the greatest lead held by any boat at any point in the race to date. If they continue their winning form, they will arrive in Boston over the weekend, picking up the Leg Five trophy and resuming their position at the top of the Global Challenge leaderboard. 

The BG SPIRIT crew members have taken some brave yet calculated decisions on this crucial leg of the race. Their strategic route was mapped out in the weeks building up to the leg start in Cape Town, South Africa on 1 May. A clever tactical decision to breakaway from the fleet at the beginning of this fifth and longest leg, saw BG SPIRIT make early gains on the pack as they adopted a more easterly route up the African coastline; a decision which soon paid dividends as BG SPIRIT moved through the fleet over the course of 48 hours and eventually saw themselves propelled into the lead. 

As crew member Robin Hyde explained:- "It's week five of a five week race and relatively speaking we are within spitting distance of Boston and over 200 miles in the lead. It's true to say that morale is high and that we're sailing with a great deal of enthusiasm and diligence, but it's also true that we're all on the edge and expecting a tough last few days." 

Whilst the crew could not wish for a better lead, this race is the most competitive in its history and their current position is no reason for complacency. The weather between BG SPIRIT and their supporters in Boston is extremely varied, requiring all members on board to maintain full concentration and determination until they safely cross the finish line and secure their podium position. 

BG SPIRIT is due to arrive in Boston in the next 48 hours, having travelled over 6,775 nautical miles. She will spend two weeks in port before departing for the penultimate leg of the race to La Rochelle, France on 19 June 2005.

MERSEY RIVER FESTIVAL'S SILVER LINING FOR KIDS

YOUNG people will be making a splash at the Mersey River Festival this year. 

To mark the 25th anniversary celebrations of Britain's biggest free maritime festival (June 10 to June 13 2005), a new kids' theme is being introduced in the greatest shake-up of the event programme for a decade.

Highlights include performances from the winners of a young musical talent competition to public artwork made by schoolchildren, plus water based activities such as boat racing and even walking on water!

The programme of activities, put together by the Liverpool Culture Company, is to support the city's pledge to involve every child in a maritime activity during this year's Capital of Culture themed year - Sea Liverpool 2005.

Children's events for the Silver Jubilee weekend include:-

Children's Activity Marquee - Craft workshops on how to make your own pirate ship to carnival masks, story telling, and a chance to explore the Culture Company's Friend Ship. 11am to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday, June 11 to 12 at National Museum of Liverpool Life Car Park. 

Colour Dome - Travel through a maze of colour tubes, chambers of intense colour and light and enter the large transparent dome where musicians and mime artists perform. 11am to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday, June 11 to 12 at National Museum of Liverpool Life Car Park. 

Dragonboat Racing - Volunteer to race in these spectacular boats in Salthouse Dock from 11.10am to 3.30pm on Saturday and Sunday, June 11 to 12. Age restrictions apply. 

Glitter Ships - Floating artworks made out of unwanted CDs by young people, with guidance from artist Liam Curtin. The 10 ships will be launched to a sea-shanty choir of more than 200 kids in pirate fancy dress on Friday, June 10 at 12 noon at Salthouse Dock. 

Have A Go Sessions - Free 20-minute taster sessions in canoeing, sailing and windsurfing for anyone over the age of eight years at Liverpool Watersport Centre, Queen's Dock. Participants must be over the age of 8 and able to swim. Saturday, June 11 - 10am to 4pm. 

HydroZorbs - Magically walk on water in Salthouse Dock in these man sized inflatable spheres. Age and height restrictions apply. 11.30am to 3.30pm - Saturday, June 11. 

Inflatable Park - Seven maritime themed bouncy castles from the Yellow Submarine to Noah's Ark on south lawn of Pier Head from 11am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday, June 11 to 12. 

Streetwaves - Musical talent competition finale with seven performances by the 'most ready' acts chosen by judges from hundreds of entries. From 11am-1pm on Pier Head main stage, on Saturday and Sunday, June 11 to 12. 

Surf Rider - New and exciting surf simulator offers the challenge to ride the imaginary waves just like a real surfer. Pier Head, 11am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday, June 11 to 12. 

Water Tag - Fun team 4 minute water challenge event of 8/10 players. Squirt your opponents team to see who takes on the most water. Pier Head, 11am to 5pm on Saturday, June 11 to 12. 

Councillor Warren Bradley, the city council's executive member for culture, said:- "This is the River Festival's most ambitious activity programme. Never before has there been so much to see and do for youngsters.

It's a fantastic package of fun and education and is the perfect way to celebrate the festival's 25th anniversary and Sea Liverpool. It will help reconnect a new generation to what the Mersey means and what it has to offer. A more child friendly event will also re-energise the festival and ensure another 25 years of success."

Professor Drummond Bone, chairman of the Liverpool Culture Company, said:- "Young people will learn a lot with these cultural projects but often without knowing it because they're just having too much fun. 

It's giving everyone, whatever their age a taster of culture through art, theatre, music and events, so hopefully it will capture their imagination and they will continue to be interested in those things."

The Silver Jubilee Mersey River Festival, organised by the Liverpool Culture Company, is also setting sail across to the Wirral and Sefton this year with music and watersports events galore as more than 250,000 people revel on the river for the weekend.

The star attractions of the three-day festival is the presence of the Tall Ships in Wellington Dock, including the Lord Nelson, The Prince William and The Khersones, and in Canning Dock including The Grand Turk, The Bessie Ellen and Eye Of The Wind.

In the Albert Dock the public can see the Liverpool 08 Clipper, the city's entry in the 05-06 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race which begins at 12 noon on the River Mersey, on Sunday, September 18.

On Sunday June 12, the Festival's main event, the Parade of Sail, will begin at 3pm featuring more than 200 vessels of all shapes and sizes. 

Neville Skelly and his Jazz Orchestra will then bring the day to a close with a free concert on the Main Stage at the Pier Head from 7.30pm to 10.30pm.

And over the weekend at Mann Island, there will be a continental Farmers Market selling the best of natural produce from across Europe.

Other Mersey River Festival highlights include:-

14th Merseyside Canoe Polo International at Dukes Dock 
The Royal Marines Flight Displays and performances by HM Royal Marines Band Portsmouth 
The Royal Mersey Yacht Club Regatta 
Opera Classics at Liverpool Parish Church 
Sea Harriers 
RNLI North Exhibition 
Sail Training Open Day 
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Displays by Spitfires and Lancasters 
Swordfighting Displays in Albert Dock 
Dragon Boat Racing at Salthouse Dock 
The Yakovlevs Air Displays 
Mersey River Festival Rock and Blues - Live at The Cavern.