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City Looking Up for 08
LIVERPOOL is
set to look its best when it is the centre of attention as European
Capital of Culture in 2008.
The Look of the City programme will ensure the city is clean and
attractive when hundreds of thousands of tourists will descend on
the city.
It coordinates a number of existing initiatives and brings in new
resources to tackle grot-spots, adds extra cleaning to popular
destinations and dresses the city with new banners and welcome
signs,
It also wants to encourage local people and businesses to play their
part in making the city sparkle.
Look of the City will particularly target popular visitor
destinations in the city centre, key gateway routes and major roads
such as Edge Lane, Speke Boulevard and the East Lancs Road.
Work has already started to take action over the 30 worst grot spots
in the city. They will be tackled using existing programmes with
enforcement action taken when necessary.
A major clean up operation is to be launched in the city centre with
“a deep cleanse” to ensure key areas are free of
chewing gum, oil and other dirt and there will be extra cleaning in
four areas which are likely to attract the highest number of
visitors.
Four hit teams, to ensure gateway routes are well–maintained and
litter free, are to be set up. There will also be increased
enforcement throughout the city on issues such as dog fouling and
fly-tipping and local residents are being encouraged to report
incidents of litter and fly-tipping on a new website.
There will also be major efforts to further improve the city’s green
spaces, building on the success of the city achieving 11 green flags
for its parks.
As well as the environmental improvements the city will also have
high quality banners and welcome signs on display on main routes and
the city centre. Liverpool Culture Company has carried out a survey
of what is required to make the city welcoming.
“This is one of the most important times on Liverpool’s history and
it is vital, that the city is seen at its best
We have a very exciting artistic programme for 2008 but we don’t
want people to come away from a concert, exhibition or other event –
thinking ‘great show but pity it’s such a scruffy city.
They have to have memories of a city that is clean, attractive and
welcoming. They have to want to return to the city, recommend it to
their friends and, in some cases, invest here.
And it is not just for the sake of visitors that we have to have the
city looking its best. It was the people of Liverpool who won the
Capital of Culture title - they deserve to have the city in a
pristine condition.
While the City Council, Culture Company and other public sector
bodies can play their part it is just as important that local
business and people are also involved. We will be looking at the
best ways in which we can engage communities in this important
programme.
We are determined that the city will look great in 2008 but we must
not underestimate the difficulties facing us. Winning the title has
sparked new regeneration in the city and there will be a lot of
building work throughout 2008 and beyond. We are a city in
transition. But that does not mean that we have to look like a
building site – we can use imagination and creativity on hoardings,
for example, to highlight the work taking place although we have to
be realistic and accept that not everything can be disguised.
Liverpool has a wealth of great buildings and attractions for
visitors and we are going to make sure that with the support of
local people and businesses we are looking really good in 2008.”
said Cllr Mike Storey, Executive Member for Regeneration.
The Council’s Executive Board is being asked to commit funding and
approve the programme at its meeting on 8 June 2007.
It is proposed that £1.8m be used from existing programmes and an
additional £839,000 of council funds be used: £462,000 has been
obtained from grants to carry out enforcement and it is anticipated
that more than £720,000 will be contributed from the private sector. |
Eco Fashionshow
THE young
people from the SHAFTESBURY YOUTH CLUB behind Tranmere Rovers have
transformed donated second hand clothes to create new outfits. The
results can be seen at the Eco Fashion Show in the sports hall
downstairs at the Shaftesbury on Tuesday 5th of June (doors open at
6.30pm, show starts @ 6.45pm). The MC for the night will be the
Director of Wirral 08, ex-Scaffold man John Gorman. The evening is
to be opened by Dr Russell Keenan of the BBC2 programme “IT’S
NOT EASY BEING GREEN”. The show featured the progress of the
building of his environmentally friendly family home, in Saughall
Massie.
As well as the fashion show, there will be stalls by local designers
who make brooches from paper, purses from plastic bags, jewellery
from used stamps. There will also be information from local
community groups who reflect the theme of the show, including the
Recycling Team of Wirral Council and Oxfam. The event is open to all
and is free. Refreshments will be available for sale.
The project has been made possible by a grant from Local Network
Fund and Tranmere Alliance to allow local craftsperson Alison Bailey
Smith to work with the young people of the club and the younger
children of the play-scheme. The participants have made paper on
which to print the invitations on, chosen the music, created the
clothes and decorations as well as model the clothes on the catwalk!
Alison said:- “Using recycled odds and ends from The Green
Community Shop in Oxton, and fabric donations from local small
businesses, they have created some wonderful outfits!”
The image is of Chloe 9 and Eleanor 10 . They have signed permission
to be in the paper.
OULTON PARK Vintage Car
Race Meeting
CHESHIRE'S
beautiful parkland race circuit hosts 250 historic racing cars in an
exciting programme on Saturday 9 June 2007.
The 10 races feature powerful sports and racing cars from the 1920s
and 1930s, plus wheel-to-wheel action from 1950s sports cars and
mighty Formula 1 racing cars of the 1960s.
Alongside international stars of historic racing, there are plenty
of drivers from the North West of England, including Cheshire,
Lancashire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester.
The VSCC's Hawthorn Memorial Trophies Meeting honours Mike Hawthorn,
Britain's very first Formula 1 champion, with three trophies bearing
the great man's name up for grabs.
The meeting also features the famous Cheshire Concours, a
walk-around display of dozens of the best-presented and most
interesting cars from the pre-war decades which set the pace in
engineering innovation and exotic design.
There's free access to the Paddock and free parking with fine
viewpoints in the beautiful parkland setting, plus plenty of space
to sit and watch the action. You can get close to the cars and meet
the drivers, enjoy a picnic or the appetising refreshments on sale,
and experience that very special atmosphere of vintage and historic
motor racing.
Advance tickets are available by phone on 0870 950 9000, and
online.
Advance tickets cost £15 per adult, and Under 13s go free. Tickets
on the day cost £20.
Oulton Park is at Little Budworth, close to the junction of the A54
and A49 near Tarporley, and less than 10 miles from the M6.
So, if you enjoy racing the way it used to be before the days of
sponsors, computers and designer drivers, revel in a day of racing
at Oulton Park, courtesy of the Vintage Sports-Car Club. |
