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Memorial Garden for babies given top award
LIVERPOOL'S Pity
II Memorial Garden has been awarded a prestigious landscape award
for its sympathetic design and calm setting. The British
Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) singled out the garden as
one of its 2005 National Landscape Award winners in the soft
landscaping category.
The garden at Allerton
Cemetery was created in the wake of the Alder Hey organ retention
scandal. It is an area where parents, whose children's organs were
removed without their permission, can visit for peaceful reflection.
It was designed by green
specialists Glendale, who worked with the Pity II support group for
parents and Liverpool City Council's cemeteries and crematoria
service.
Liverpool City Council's
executive member for green issues, Councillor Richard Oglethorpe,
said:- "We worked closely with Liverpool residents to create a
harmonious area, where people can reflect peacefully on their loss.
We are all delighted the garden has been awarded such a prestigious
accolade and it is a credit to all those involved in designing and
maintaining the area."
The garden resides in
one of England's largest public cemeteries, nestling under a
picturesque line of mature pine trees.
Glendale's contract
manager in Liverpool, Peter Cosgrove, said:- "The teamwork
involved in creating the memorial garden was tremendous. 3
landscape gardeners were supported by our maintenance teams
including gardeners, JCB drivers, litter pickers, grave diggers and
grass cutters. We are very pleased the garden has attracted
such praise and attention and we hope it will continue to be a
special place for many members of the community."
The entrance to the
garden leads families to the main feature - a memorial stone
which forms the centrepiece of the garden. Features include grassed
and paving areas, seating and colourful planting to create a calm
and relaxing area. As a gesture of support and goodwill,
Liverpool City Council donated the land for the garden, and it was
opened earlier this year by Michael Redfern QC, who chaired the
enquiry into the scandal.
The BALI Award ceremony
was held in London and the memorial garden received a special award
under the category of soft landscaping under one hectare.
SHARRON DAVIES HELPS TO CELEBRATE RE-LAUNCH OF MCDONALD’S RESTAURANT
THIS week Olympic medallist Sharron Davies was guest of honour at the
re-opening of the Queens Drive McDonald’s restaurant in Merseyside
that was damaged by a fire 5 months ago.
As part of the re-opening ceremony Sharron was also able to present
a cheque to the Ronald McDonald House, Alder Hey, as part of the
restaurant’s support for the facility which offers free home-away
from home accommodation to parents with sick children undergoing
treatment at Liverpool’s Alder Hey Hospital.
Sharron said of her visit:- "I have been involved with
McDonald’s for a number of years through my work with the McDonald’s
Mums’ Panel and McDonald’s Team Sport. I am really pleased to be
here today to open the fabulous new restaurant, and present this
cheque to the Alder Hey Ronald McDonald House. T
he work of the House
is extremely important, especially with Christmas around the corner
when it is a time for families." |
£525,000 for soldier injured on tank exercise
A SOUTHPORT soldier with more than 20 years service who was
blown-up and suffered serious leg and foot injuries while on
exercise in Canada has been awarded a settlement of £525,000 by The
Ministry of Defence.
Married father of 2, REME Staff Sergeant Russell Speed B.E.M (41)
was commanding an armoured vehicle observing a tank exercise on the
vast BATUS artillery range in Northern Alberta when the vehicle ran
over and detonated an unexploded shell. Staff Sgt. Speed was
flung into the air by the force of the blast and landed back on the
roof of the armoured tracked vehicle but suffered extensive
compression injures to his heels, ankles and lower legs. After
recovering from the accident he was transferred from active duties
to a desk job in Bicester for the remaining 2 years of his service.
Michael Molloy, of leading North West law firm Rowe Cohen,
negotiated the out of court settlement with the MoD:- “This is
a case where liability was never in question. Staff Sergeant Speed
was not on active service in a combat zone when the accident
occurred. I must say that The Army’s legal representatives have
acted with sympathy and complete propriety in dealing with this
matter. His regiment, too, has made every effort to minimise the
impact of the accident on SSgt Speed, his wife and 2 teenage
children. That said, a serving soldier who suffers an accident
has rights in law like anyone else. In this case, the settlement
reflects the need for a career soldier like SSgt. Speed to leave the
forces capable of starting a new life, in spite of some residual
disability.”
Reaction to Proposed Changes to Tobacco Purchase Age Limit
RETAILERS Against Smuggling, the campaign of the Tobacco
Alliance, has questioned calls to raise the legal age for buying
tobacco to 18.
Solly Khonat, the North West Spokesman of Retailers Against
Smuggling and a retailer in Blackburn, commented:- “Raising
the legal age for buying tobacco to 18 will not stop young people
smoking and runs the risk of encouraging more youngsters to buy
tobacco illegally from smugglers on street corners and at car boot
sales. In our recent Retailers Against Smuggling survey, one in five
of our shopkeepers stated that they knew of smugglers supplying
underage smokers.
To raise the age limit will only provide a new market for the
smugglers who are already targeting the UK because of this country’s
high tobacco taxation policy. To introduce such a regulation would
suit smugglers down to the ground and mean more youngsters
committing the crime of buying smuggled goods instead of buying
legally from shopkeepers. However, whatever the age limit,
responsible retailers demand proof of age such as CitizenCard before
making a sale. Smugglers just don’t care.”
A recent Retailers Against Smuggling survey found that 74% of
independent shopkeepers said that the only way to stop the tobacco
smuggling problem was to reduce or freeze taxes. The survey also
found that 21% of independent shopkeepers were considering closing
down their business as a result of tobacco smuggling. In addition,
35% were aware of counterfeit tobacco products in their area.
What do you think the
age should be? Email us today at:-
news24@southportreporter.com
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