PARFECT FORM

A 9 year old Merseyside golfer is being tipped to follow in Padraig Harrington’s footsteps, after winning Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa’s next top golfer competition.  Oliver Clarke, from Aintree, was named best young golfer at Formby Hall on Saturday, 26 July 2008.

The highly promising young golfer saw off competition from 30 budding Tiger Woods and will now receive expert tuition at Formby Hall’s PGA Academy by its professional golf instructors.

Matthew Allen-Chilman, head of golf at Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa and organiser of the event, said:- “Oliver has great potential to go far in the sport and I wouldn’t be surprised if one day we saw him back in Sefton playing at The Open.”

Oliver’s father, Marvin, said:- “Oliver has been playing golf since he was five and practices everyday. This year, he finished 13th in the world junior championships and has qualified to play in 2 world championships in America next year. In three months, he has reduced his handicap from 33 to 17 and with the help of the PGA pro’s at Formby Hall hopefully he will continue his development and do even better next year.”

Matthew Allen-Chilman, added:- “It’s crucial to the future of British golf that we grow our own talent and ensure that youngsters like Oliver have the facilities and tuition they need to reach their potential. However, it’s not just about champions and at Formby Hall we’re committed to making the sport as accessible as possible and we’ve invested in the technology and facilities to help golfers of all abilities improve and enjoy the game.”

Formby Hall’s search to find Merseyside’s next top golfer is a 1st for 2008 and will become an annual event to help nurture local talent and introduce youngsters to the sport. Over 100 school children from across Merseyside entered the under 12 contest and 30 finalists were selected to compete for the title. On the day competitors took part in a series of putting, chipping and driving range challenges.

Oliver’s older brother Adam, 11, was one of 11 runners-up who included; Isobelle Fitzimmons (11, Aughton), William McCarthy (9, Southport), Oliver Bennett (9, Southport), James Stuart (12, Liverpool), Hannah Evans (7, Great Altcar), Luke Raybone (9, Crosby), Jack Thomas (12, Netherton), Matthew Kemp (10, Formby), Graham Sutclife (12, Tarleton) and Ben Findley (12, Liverpool). The runners-up have each won a private lesson with a PGA instructor.

Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa is the UK’s only PGA national residential golf academy. Its PGA academy has just opened, it is accessible to all abilities and complements the new 9 hole par 3 course, 26 bay driving range and existing 18 hole golf course.

European Consumer Chair Calls on Commission and Regulator to Act on Energy Price Rises

FOLLOWING the announcement of massive increases in electricity and gas bills, the Chair of the European Parliaments Consumer Protection Committee and local Labour Euro MP, Arlene McCarthy has called for immediate action to protect consumers.

Arlene said:- "it is clear that the energy market in Europe is not working for consumers. It is essential that the European Commission and national regulators take urgent action to protect consumers, particularly the most vulnerable."

Arlene added:- "the European Parliament has adopted a report from the Consumer Committee setting out the comprehensive rights that consumers should have under European law, giving a strong mandate to the Commission to defend the consumer interest. Rights include accurate information, accurate billing and more control over consumption, which are crucial to enable consumers to manage bills in the face of higher prices"

We also need more protection for the most vulnerable. Pre-payment meters are used by many poorer families to budget and manage their bills and it is unacceptable that these vulnerable consumers are being hit even harder than the average. It is wrong that the poorest suffer discrimination and pay the highest prices".

Arlene McCarthy has written today to the European Commission and OFGEM urging them to intervene following the recent increases. Arlene said:- "a strong competitive market is essential to ensure consumers get a good price. Energy liberalisation in the UK has given our citizens amongst the lowest gas and electric prices in Europe for years, but the latest increases show that the market is still not working well enough for the consumer."

NEW SURVEY NAMES IN-HOME CINEMA SYSTEM MOST DESIRED GADGET

CONSUMER'S in the North West of England have voted the in-home cinema system as the ultimate home entertainment gadget, while the television has been named Britain’s best invention, in a survey commissioned by Kronenbourg 1664.

The survey was carried out by the premium lager brand to mark the launch of its innovative new lager product – Kronenbourg 1664 with Dynamo Système – which combines the brand’s award-winning liquid with a unique lager widget to create smaller bubbles and a smoother taste when served extra cold.

In addition to the in-home cinema, the study, which examined innovation and in-home entertainment, revealed that massage chairs and automated drinks dispensers featured prominently on the gadget wish lists of consumers in the North West of the country.

34% of those polled named the internet as the one innovation used for entertainment they couldn’t live without with the fridge in 2nd place with 31% of the vote.  34% named the television as the number 1 British invention, while a 30% share of the vote placed the toilet at number 2.

Commenting on the findings, gadget guru Jon Bentley, co-presenter of Channel Five’s The Gadget Show, said:- “Although people claim that they want an invention to save them money more than anything, when it comes to actually naming their ultimate gadgets, top ranking goes to things that make home life more comfortable and enjoyable – home cinemas and massage chairs for example.”

Dr Jon Brown, group project manager at Scottish & Newcastle UK, who led the Kronenbourg 1664 with Dynamo Système technical development programme, added:- “For years technological advances have made in-home entertaining an easier and more pleasurable experience.  However, canned lager- which has played a central role in the social lives of consumer for several decades – has, until now, seen little innovation.  The launch of Kronenbourg 1664 with Dynamo Système, which features a smoother taste, represents a milestone development for the drinks sector – we can confidently say canned lager just got better!”

Respondents were also asked to name the famous face they would most like to invite to an ultimate night in with friends. Entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson topped the poll with 19% of the vote, while Prime Minister Gordon Brown was named the person people would least like to have in their home.

VIKING CLEARED TO RETURNED TO SERVICE

FOLLOWING an incident on Friday, 1 August 2008, in Liverpool involving the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company's Fast Craft Viking, the vessel’s port side has been repaired. The accident happened on Friday, shortly after departing the berth for its scheduled 11.15am GMT sailing from Liverpool. The Viking was caught by a squall of wind that pushed her back against the pontoon used for loading vehicles resulting in some damage to the port side shell plating. There were no injuries reported following the incident, and passengers were disembarked after The Master carried out a full inspection of the damaged area. He decided that the damage could result in problems at sea and in the interests of safety, the vessel should not sail until the damage has been properly repaired.  

On Monday, 4 August 2008, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company issued a press release that said:- "Repairs to the vessel’s port side have been completed and Viking will return to the Isle of Man this afternoon to undertake the 1530 sailing to Belfast. Snaefell will continue to operate the Liverpool sailings for the remainder of today. Viking will operate its scheduled Liverpool services as normal from Tuesday, 5 August 2008. This means there will be no changes to any of the scheduled sailings from Tuesday."

A full schedule of sailings are available at:- www.steam-packet.com.

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