Mersey Ferries p-p-p-p-pick up Penguin!

A small colony of penguins is set to invade the public transport network as part of the magical transformation of Liverpool into an Antarctic wonderland.

The early arrival of one of the colony, nicknamed Perry, was spotted on board the famous Mersey Ferries.  The visit of Perry coincides with the announcement of Merseytravel, owner and operator of the service, as a presenting partner of Go Penguins, a project that will see more than 100 penguins across the city as part of a unique Winters Trail.

Councillor Mark Dowd, Chair of Merseytravel, welcomed the arrival on board Royal Iris ferry. He said:- “We are proud to support this project which draws together the themes of art and the environment in such an imaginative way. The Superlambananas captured the public imagination so spectacularly last year and we hope Go Penguins will do likewise.  As you’d expect, I’d encourage families to use the public transport network to come and visit all of the locations and enjoy this fantastic project over the winter months.”

Councillor Dowd was joined on board the ferry by Leader of Liverpool City Council, Councillor Warren Bradley, who said:- “The success of Go Penguins depends on the support of everyone – be it the public and private sector to artists and schools – and it's fantastic to see that support is growing so soon after the project was launched.  To see Perry the Penguin on the ferry gives you a great flavour of how the Winters Trail will add that touch of magic to the city and guarantee a Christmas for everyone to remember.”

More than 100 unique penguins will decorate Liverpool City Centre as part of the Go Penguins project.   The mass participation public art event, commissioned by Culture Liverpool, is being organised by Wild in Art – the team behind 2008’s hugely successful Go Superlambananas.  From mid-November, colonies of small and large penguins will be on display for seven weeks in a special city centre trail.

Sally Ann Wilkinson, Director of Wild in Art added:- “Wild in Art is delighted to welcome Merseytravel on board as a Presenting Partner of Go Penguins – A Winter’s Trail.  The involvement of the business community in Merseyside is pivotal to the success of the event which we are sure will be a hugely popular part of the city’s festive offer. We hope that Go Penguins will bring together a wide range of partnerships, providing an important link between businesses, artists, schools and communities.”

As part of its diverse and unique public art strategy Merseytravel has commissioned three Penguins and they will be located at key sites across the region.  Perry, dressed as a Mersey Ferry captain, will soon swap his uniform for a personal design by the children of Claire House Hospice in Wirral. Children from the charity, supported by Merseytravel in 2009, will create their own design with public art officer Emma Lawrence.  The 2nd, as yet unnamed penguin will be offered to the public to design as part of an open competition by Merseytravel – so watch this space.

Merseytravel will select the design of the 3rd penguin for a portfolio of designs submitted through the Go Penguins call to artists submission process.  Schools, artists and communities can get involved in what is bound to be one of the most popular events of 2009 by emailing info@gopenguins.co.uk.  The team are inviting schools to adopt a 3ft penguin – for just £450 – which can be designed in any fun and creative way they like and will then go on display in a city centre indoor venue. The school will get to keep their personalised penguin once the trail has finished.

Artists are also being asked to come up with designs for the 5ft penguins, with sponsors picking the designs they want to represent themselves or their organisation. Designs have to be submitted by the end of August.

Businesses can become Penguin Patrons by sponsoring their own work of art for £3,000.  For more information, go to:- gopenguins.co.uk. 

The initiative is a highlight of A Winter’s Trail which runs from November to January and will see a series of special penguin-themed events take place across the city, with the support of numerous cultural organisations.  Go Penguins have been inspired by Liverpool’s Year of the Environment, and the festive spectacular also aims to raise awareness of climate change by reflecting on the melting of the ice caps in Antarctica.  Merseytravel is also an official partner of Year of the Environment.

10th Birthday For Dogs Trust Merseyside!

THE Dogs Trust Merseyside will be 10 years old this August and is calling on local residents to help the homeless hounds celebrate in style.

In honour of the fact that the symbol for 10th anniversaries is ‘tin’, staff at Dogs Trust Merseyside are asking people to raid their cupboards for contributions of tins of hot dogs, corned beef and spam to give the canine residents a special birthday treat.

Georgina Lowery, Dogs Trust Merseyside Centre Manager, explains:- “Dogs have very sensitive palates so we love to give them extra treats on top of their standard dog food when we can. If you’re passing by the centre anytime and have a few spare tins in your cupboard, please do drop in – we can offer you a very warm and slobbery welcome! Since Dogs Trust Merseyside opened 10 years ago we’ve rehomed over 6,000 dogs. These have gone on to become police dogs, assistance dogs and, of course, waggy-tailed household pets and have brought much joy to their owners’ lives. We hope we can be even more successful in the next 10 years.”

Dogs Trust Merseyside address is:- Whiston Lane, Huyton, Liverpool, L36 6HP.

Dogs Trust is the UK’s largest dog welfare charity with 17 Rehoming Centres across the UK. Dogs Trust cares for over 16,000 stray and abandoned dogs every year.

Get a taste of the Olympics

WHY not try target shooting at the  Altcar NRA Open Day on Saturday, 29 August 2009

The NRA is hosting its fourth Open Day on Saturday, 29 August 2009, at Altcar Training Camp, Hightown, Southport, and this is the only chance for you to try Olympic shooting sports for yourself.

Come and have a go at:-

Air Rifle
Shotgun
Gallery Rifle
Sporting Rifle
Black Powder Pistol
Fullbore Target Rifle
Classic and Historic Arms

For the younger ones:-

Laser Clays
Inflatable Pirate Ship (84ft long)

It’s a great day out for all age groups
Book on-line now to avoid disappointment!

How to Register

1 Visitors will need to complete a simple registration form either on-line by visiting www.nra.org.uk or on arrival.

2 Registration is £8 for adults and £4 for children 12 to 14 years old.

3 If booking on-line, visitors can pre-purchase vouchers for the shooting activities which are sold in sheets of £10.

4 Visitors will also need to produce a form of identification eg:- driving licence, passport or utility bill (please note a credit/debit card will not suffice as it does not include the address).

Please note that age restrictions apply to children under 14 years of age for some shooting activities, and all children under 17 must be accompanied by an adult.

For further information please contact Elaine Buttle, PA to the Secretary General, NRA via phoning:- 01483 797777 ext. 126 or send them a email

People from socially deprived communities are around 3 times more likely to die from a stroke

STATISTICS included in a new publication reveal that people living in deprived areas are around 3 times more likely to die from a stroke than those in the least deprived. The findings released by The Stroke Association and British Heart Foundation, show that death rates from stroke vary among areas of different social and economic conditions.

The statistics have been published as part of British Heart Foundation’s Heart Statistics series. The Stroke Association and British Heart Foundation have been working together to produce this report which is the first comprehensive collection of national statistics regarding the burden of stroke to the UK.

The stroke mortality rate for men and women of working age (under 65) has fallen consistently since the late 1970s. However the rate has fallen quicker in adults of higher social classes, resulting in an increase in inequalities in stroke death rates.

The social gradient in stroke deaths is clearly demonstrated when mortality rates from areas of differing deprivation are compared. The data shows that stroke mortality increases with deprivation for both men and women. For premature mortality, the rate in the most deprived twentieth of England and Wales is over 3.5 times higher for men, and over 2.5 times higher for women.

The statistics also show that people from lower social economic backgrounds are more likely to face major risk factors of stroke. For example, cigarette smoking is more prevalent among manual social groups and people from households with lower incomes are more likely to be obese. However, it is not just people from lower income households who are at risk of stroke. This document shows that people in managerial and professional jobs are more likely to binge drink and drink alcohol on 5 or more days a week. People who regularly consume a large amount of alcohol have a 3-fold risk of stroke.

Joe Korner, Director of Communications at The Stroke Association said:- “We have known for some time that social deprivation increases people’s risk of stroke. These shocking statistics show that you are about three times more likely to die of a stroke if you are poor. Decreasing inequalities in our society will also lessen inequalities in health outcomes. In the meantime there is so much that everyone can do, whatever their social class, to reduce their risk of stroke. Over 40% of strokes can be prevented through the control of high blood pressure. Small lifestyle changes, such as not smoking, drinking in moderation, improving your diet and being active can help reduce your risk of stroke. “

Professor Peter Weissberg, Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation said:- "The picture these data on stroke present strongly mirror figures for heart disease, which is also much more common in deprived communities. Many of the risk factors for heart disease and stroke, such as smoking and high blood pressure, are the same and potentially modifiable. The statistics argue for a concerted effort to identify and modify risk factors, by lifestyle and drug interventions, in those communities with the highest risks. We don’t underestimate the challenge this poses, but success will save the lives of thousands of people and prevent disability in many more."