The Club and partners to raise over £100,000 for Liverpool based charity

EVERTON Football Club has announced it hopes to raise in excess of £100,000 for Liverpool Unites before the end of the season.

The Goodison Park Club has officially nominated the Liverpool based charity, which campaigns to improve the lives of young people on Merseyside by inspiring them to break the cycle of crime and poverty, as its charitable partner for 2009/10.

To help officially launch the new partnership Everton has teamed up with its retail partner Kitbag Limited to introduce a special, limited edition Everton shirt designed to promote the association between the Club, the charity and its objectives.

The Liverpool Unites campaign was set up in response to the tragic murder of eleven-year-old Evertonian Rhys Jones who was shot in August 2007 and aims to convey to the wider world that Liverpool is a city that cares, and that its local population will not tolerate gun and knife crime.

After reaching its initial goal of raising £100,000 for the Rhys Jones Memorial Fund, Liverpool Unites continues to raise money for this and other local charities and community groups across Merseyside that aim to positively engage children and young people, giving them hope and ambition to create a brighter future for themselves.

Everton Chief Executive Robert Elstone, said:- "The Liverpool Unites charity has done a fantastic job in our local community since it was launched. It has proved to be important for the people of Liverpool and it made perfect sense to us at Everton to link in our fundraising activity. Everton and Kitbag hope to raise well in excess of £100,000 between now and the end of the season and we look forward to working with Liverpool Unites alongside our own Everton Foundation to see the money invested in the right type of programmes that will benefit our community.”

Tom Woolley from Liverpool Unites said:- “Our ethos is that if people in our community can work together, we can help vulnerable children escape a future threatened with gun and knife crime. This is a fantastic contribution from Everton and Kitbag, and we are proud to have this historic shirt associated with our charity and hope that its launch will both re-enforce our message to young people and raise the funds needed to help kids in our city.”

The limited edition shirt, which will be individually boxed, numbered and presented with a certificate of authenticity, will be unveiled at an exclusive black tie dinner to be held in ‘Club Everton’ at Goodison Park on Thursday, 29 October, 2009.

Ray Evans, MD of Kitbag added:- "We are going to bring all our expertise and contacts to support this worthy initiative and raise much needed funds to assist the charity achieve its goals. The dinner will be a fantastic occasion and will be as unique as the shirt itself."

Special Everton guests including members of the first team squad and former players will join over 200 guests to celebrate the official launch of the Club’s third kit for the 2009/10 campaign.

Kitbag, who run the successful Everton retail business, will provide ‘money can't buy’ prizes throughout the evening from their portfolio of football partners such as Champions League winners Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The first release of the limited edition shirt will be Friday, 30 October and the shirt will only be available in the official Everton retail outlets and online at evertondirect.com.

Tickets for the event are now on sale and are priced at £950 for a table of ten, which includes a three-course dinner and complimentary fine wine. Individual tickets can also be purchased at £100 each. To book please call Tom Woolley at Liverpool Unites on:- 0151 285 8400.

Local engineer set to storm UK Bus Awards

A Liverpool engineer is nominated for the prestigious IRTE Bus Engineer of the Year award at an exclusive award ceremony to be held next month.

Engineering Director Phil Cummins, 41, from Knowsley, was nominated by his employer for his astonishing commitment and skill at Arriva’s Wakefield base in Yorkshire.

Arriva’s Chloe Leach said:- “Phil maintains a fleet of some 350 vehicles and manages eighty personnel. With a reputation for creativity and innovation, Phil introduced an initiative in 2008 called Engineering Excellence that increased Arriva’s efficiency greatly.”

This is the first year the engineering award, sponsored by IRTE (Institute of Road Transport Engineers), has been included at the ceremony to celebrate the excellent work undertaken ‘behind the scenes’.

IRTE Chief Executive Nick Jones said:- “The high standard of nominees is great for engineering and I am thrilled Phil, who is an IRTE member, made the shortlist. His contribution to his local area is outstanding.”

LOST MEDICATION WARNING

MERSEYSIDE Police have issued a warning after a quantity of prescription drugs were lost in Maghull on Wednesday, 30 September 2009.

The medicine is believed to have been lost between 9.15 am and 11.40 am in the Westway / Liverpool Road North / Needems Road / Barnes Drive / Couppel Road area of Maghull.

Merseyside Police would like to remind members of the public of the dangers of taking drugs that are prescribed for someone else. These medications in particular could have very serious effects if taken.

Officers are urging anyone who may have found these tablets to contact their nearest police station as soon as possible or hand them in at a pharmacy.