Liverpool One 1st Birthday

LIVERPOOL One 1st Birthday, on Friday, 29 May 2009, will see the shopping attraction holding some small scale celebrations on Chavasse Park as well as a few in and around the area. The celebrations will include some family fun, including face painting, juggling and balloon modelling. Also on Chavasse Park, a BBQ will be on offer for visitors on the park from 12pm (noon) as well as musical entertainment throughout the evening. If weather permits, and permission is approved, Grosvenor Estates is hoping to have a very small, but dazzling firework display above the park, to mark the end of the day.

"This year will be far smaller in scale than last year's large opening. It is just a small celebration to mark the first anniversary of Europe's largest urban and retail led city centre regeneration project.   It has been almost a year since the £1bn Liverpool ONE development, and the site still has lots more things to open this year. The development is going from strength to strength, despite the recession. This celebration will be our way of having a bit of fun and saying thank you to locals who use the shopping attraction. It is not meant to be anything more that just a bit of fun to mark the occasion." said Grosvenor's PR team at Mason Williams..

Did you know...?

Did you know that Grosvenor Estates is owned by the Duke of Westminster?

Links to our related reports:-  Link 1 ¦ Link 2  ¦ Link 3

BBC Blast is on its way to Liverpool

LIVERPOOL One on Saturday, 16 May 2009, played host to the BBC Blast's advance team, showing off just a few of the many things that will be on offer to the youth of Merseyside at this year's Blast event. The BBC Blast, Liverpool, event will take place over 23 May to 24 May 2009 at highly successful Liverpool Hub Festival in Wellington Dock. Blast aims to inspire and motivate young people to develop their creative talents and showcase their art, dance, film, music, writing, games and other art related activities. So do take note!

Workshops are for 13 to 19 year olds. Everyone taking part in BBC Blast activities needs to bring a completed Blast Consent Form to the event that can be downloaded via using this link. If you are under 16 the BBC reminds you that this will need to be signed by a parent or guardian! To find out more go to:- www.bbc.co.uk/blast.

HMS DARING – THE ROYAL NAVY’S NEWEST TECHNOLOGICAL WONDER – MAKES LIVERPOOL HER FIRST EVER PORT OF CALL

THE world’s most advanced warship has chosen Liverpool as her first official port of call.

New Type 45 destroyer, HMS Daring, will visit Merseyside from Friday, 22 May 2009 will see her first ever commercial port visit since being accepted off contract.

A stunning sight, the 5,800-tonne destroyer will be alongside at the Cruise Liner Terminal in Liverpool during her four-day stay, a respite from an extensive period of sea trials prior to her being commissioned into the Royal Navy on 23 July 2009.

The highlight for the Liverpool public, however, will come on Saturday and Sunday (23 May and 24 May 2009) when the ship’s company throw open the gangway from 1pm until 5pm on both days (last entry for tours is at 4.30pm).

Officially recognised in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s most advanced warship, Daring has organised tours of the ship and her crew will be delighted to chat about the ship and their various roles on board.

In addition, the ship will host a number of private tours for local schools and colleges, including Greenbank High School in Southport, and Range High School of Formby on 22 May 2009, plus there will be an official reception for local civic dignitaries held onboard on Friday.

During her stay, members of HMS Daring’s ship's company will also take the opportunity to test out their fitness, with a football match against Valentine’s Veterans in Liverpool, and then a rugby fixture against Birkenhead RFC.

Commanding Officer of HMS Daring, Captain Paddy McAlpine, said:- "We are very much looking forward to spending time in Liverpool. We are all very proud of this ship – she is a thoroughly modern grand dame of the seas and the crew can’t wait to show her off. Personally I’m very proud to be captain of such a new ship and I am looking forward to plenty of exciting times on board once she is fully commissioned as a Royal Navy warship.”

HMS Daring is part of the most powerful destroyer class ever built in the UK. She is equipped with a state of the art air defence system which will be able to track and destroy a target the size of a cricket ball travelling three times the speed of sound. Over 150m long, Daring will have a range of 7000 nautical miles.

Together with her five sister ships, HMS Daring is designed to be a flexible multi-role vessel able to carry out a variety of tasks across the globe, from an air defence role to humanitarian and anti-piracy functions.

She is the seventh ship to bear the name and was launched at BAE Systems’ yard in Glasgow on 1 February 2006 by HRH the Countess of Wessex. HMS Daring is the first of class of six ships to be built on the River Clyde.

Owens Bar, Southport Closed!

YET another bar goes to the wall. The distinctive Owens Bar on Hoghton Street, in Southport has closed down down after 8 years of trade. This is another blow to the restaurant and bar community, with many fearing more will follow. We have been asked to state clearly that the Hair Salon next to the entrance to the bar on Hoghton Street is still open for business.

If we get more information about what is happening, we will let you know on:- www.formby-reporter.com.