Myerscough Motorsports win first round of Off-Road Championships

THE Myerscough College Motorsports team were triumphant in the first round of the Northern Off-Road Club Championships over the weekend.

Myerscough had an entry into this round with Myerscough College Motorsports Course Tutor Pat Masters driving the College prepared RS 200, and the team came first in class. The car had been prepared by National Certificate and National Diploma in Motorsports students at the College and five of these students accompanied Pat and fellow Course tutor Stuart Ward to the meeting held near Lincoln at Wickenby airfield. The car was driven over a very rough two mile circuit and completed ten laps to finish the meeting first in class.

Pat said of the terrain:- “It was the roughest ground I have ever driven over, some of it you could not even walk over!”

Round two of the championship is on 22 April 2007 at Stainby and the team are now preparing for the next stage. More details about the events can be found at:- norc.co.uk.

Belinda Cookson, FE Motorsports Coordinator said:- “It was a great achievement for the staff and students to be first in class on the first event of the season. The students worked hard in their own time to prepare the car under the guidance of Motorsports staff. Round two should provide more hands on experience for the students and hopefully another trophy for the Motorsports team’s collection!”

Myerscough College offers a selection of Further and Higher Education courses and is excellently equipped with 7 motorsports workshops and a fleet of racing cars with the latest motor vehicle technology. Students regularly take part in rallying events and develop a firm foundation of practical skills and the relevant technical knowledge in motor vehicles to enable them to progress in the industry. Employment prospects are superb with many students progressing on to exciting careers as Technicians and Mechanics, or in data analysis and logistics roles, with the many motorsports teams based in the UK.

Photography E-Petition:- Response from the Government

WE have had an official response from the PM's office to the report about the e-petition about proposed restrictions on photography.  We have also had countless photographers and news groups adding their opinions to this subject.   Thanks to all who contacted us.  This is the official reply we got:-

"THE e-petition asking the Prime Minister to:- "Stop proposed restrictions regarding photography in public places" is on-going. This is a response in advance of the closing date from the Government.

This petition has already attracted over 60,000 signatures from people who obviously share your concern. Not surprisingly, the idea that the Government might be poised to restrict your ability to take photos has caused some puzzlement and even alarm.

We have therefore decided to respond to this petition before its closing date of August, in order to reassure people.

The Government appreciates that millions of people in this country enjoy photography. So we have checked carefully to see if any Government department was considering any proposal that might possibly lead to the sort of restrictions suggested by this petition. We have been assured this is not the case.

There may be cases where individual schools or other bodies believe it is necessary to have some restrictions on photography, for instance to protect children, but that would be a matter for local decisions.

In fact, Simon Taylor, who started the petition, has since made clear that he was not really referring to Government action or legislation. His main concern appears to be that photographic societies and other organisations may introduce voluntary ID cards for members to help them explain why they are taking photographs. Again, any such scheme would not involve the Government.

We hope this re-assures you and clears up the confusion."  

Click here to see last weeks report 10 Downing Street.

Home-grown talent exhibited at Albert Dock

ARTISTS from 50 Parr Street Studios launch new show, ‘From One Address’, at Albert Dock. A group of artists from Liverpool’s 50 Parr Street Studios are launched a new exhibition - ‘From One Address’ - at the Albert Dock on Thursday 29 March 2007.

The 50 Parr Street Studios collective is working with the Albert Dock Company to showcase the work of thirteen locally based illustrators, painters and sculptors within the Grade 1 listed visitor attraction.

The new exhibition, which runs to 26 April 2007, is located within the Albert Dock’s Colonnades area, just metres from an exhibition by online art space Liverpoolgallery.com, Tate Liverpool and the many art shops at the Dock including Liverpool Pictures and Art 4 You.

Established for over five years, the studios at 50 Parr Street have played a pivotal role in the Liverpool Art Scene. Following the closure of many artists’ studios around the city, 50 Parr Street has fought to remain open. The workshops provide a much needed space for local independent artists of varying backgrounds and experiences.

Many Parr Street artists have a keen following by private collectors and often make work to commission, such as for Aintree Racecourse.

The exhibition ‘From One Address’ reflects the varied individual styles and outlooks of the thirteen artists involved, and attempts to portray the creative melting pot that is 50 Parr Street Studios.

The opening of ‘From One Address’ at the Albert Dock follows the highly successful launch of Site, a major new art gallery curated by Liverpool John Moores University and the Liverpool Biennial of Contemporary Art, situated within the Dock’s Queen Elizabeth Hall.

This partnership-working with local arts organisations ties in with the Albert Dock’s focus on leisure and tourism. The Albert Dock Company is building on the attraction’s strong cultural visitor experience by exhibiting the work of Liverpool’s vibrant art scene within a World Heritage waterfront setting.

Ian Brown, Director of the Albert Dock Company says:- “Our aim at the Dock is to constantly improve the experience for visitors. By opening up many of our units to local artists we are providing a high profile platform for much of Liverpool’s exciting home-grown artistic talent. We have another exhibition launching soon organised by Markmakers, the Halton-based contemporary Artists’ Collective.”

Debbie Ryan, member of the 50 Parr Street Studios collective said:- “We are really excited to be given this opportunity to exhibit our work. The Albert Dock is such a beautiful location, with the site’s history, architecture, and the River Mersey running so close by. The space is brilliant, to showcase a group show such as ours. Who’d have thought it? We have Tate Liverpool as neighbours!”

Major u-turn in common fisheries policy is a 'wake up to reality' say Conservatives

THE grotesque policy of forcing fisherman to throw caught fish overboard in order to comply with quotas has itself gone overboard

Brussels on 28 March 2007 the European Commission admitted that the much reviled policy of 'discarding' caught fish has been a disaster. Conservative pressure paid off as Fisheries Commissioner, Joe Borg, let fishermen off the hook. No longer will they be forced to measure net mesh sizes, fix acoustic devices on nets or create escape panels in them. Borg admitted that 'the application of these measures is too complicated to apply and control'. It has also led to over 1 million tonnes of healthy fish (25% of all fish caught in the EU) being discarded every year.

Discarding is the practice of dumping overboard unwanted fish or other marine organisms which have been caught unintentionally. Many UK fishermen in the whitefish fleet, which targets cod, haddock, prawns etc., admit that discards routinely account for nearer 50-75% of their catches. Even worse, in the Atlantic deep water fishery, where fishermen target exotic species like Orange Roughy and Roundnose Grenadier, discards of the multitude of slow-growing, late maturing fish which live in almost total darkness at enormous depths and are caught alongside the targeted species, can amount to over 90% of the catch. This is horrendously wasteful and environmentally unsustainable.

Sir Robert Atkins MEP, Conservative Deputy Leader in the European Parliament, welcomed the u-turn but added a note of caution: "Many fishermen will doubt that Fisheries Commissioner Borg can really put an end to the disgraceful practice of dumping perfectly healthy fish back into the sea because they doubt the wisdom of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Little wonder. If a fisherman attempts to land an undersize or out of quota fish, he will be prosecuted and end up with a criminal conviction and a hefty fine. Rather than face criminal charges, our fishermen have no alternative other than to dump such fish over the side. Much of this problem can be traced to the way in which we operate our current system of fisheries management under the CFP.

In the eyes of the public, the wasteful discarding of one million tonnes of healthy fish each year is the unacceptable face of Europe's fisheries policy. The clamour for reform has been constant, and at last their demands are about to be answered."