NICHOLAS AYERS MURDER INVESTIGATION

MERSEYSIDE Police are offering a £20,000 reward leading to the capture, arrest and conviction of the person, or people, responsible for the murder of Nicholas Ayers, 46, on 29 April 210.

The announcement of the reward comes on the eve of what would have been Nicholas Ayers' 47th birthday.

Detectives investigating the murder of the father-of-two have also released CCTV stills of a vehicle they would like to identify and are appealing for the publics' help.

Nicholas Ayers, 46, who was known to his friends as Nicky, was murdered in the early hours of Thursday, 29 April 2010. Emergency services were called at around 12.10am to South Cantril Avenue, West Derby, following reports of shots being fired.

When officers arrived at the scene they found the body of Nicholas Ayers, who managed the Western Approaches football team, and he was pronounced dead at the scene by ambulance staff.

At the same time a light coloured (possibly silver) car was seen to exit from Snowberry Road onto Princess Drive in the direction of Finch Lane. The vehicle performed an immediate u-turn and drove back into Snowberry road.

Detective Inspector Rob Hill, said:- "Thursday, 30 September 2010, would have been Nicholas Ayers' 47th birthday and his family and friends still mourn his death, as much today as they did when the news was first broken to them in April. Nicholas leaves his wife, Jackie, two daughters, Lyndsey, aged 26, and Nicola, 28, an eight-year-old grandson, Nicholas, and a four-month-old granddaughter, Ria Nicole, and they miss him greatly.  We are determined to catch the people responsible for this murder. We are particularly keen for the person or persons in this vehicle to come forward. They may have seen something, no matter how small, that could help us with our enquiries. We are also still keen to speak to anyone who may have seen a motorcycle being driven in the area around the time of the incident to come forward. Community information is vital when investigating reports of this type and we need your help."

Nicholas Ayer's daughter, Lyndsey Ayers, said:- "It's been really difficult trying to come to terms with what happened and it still doesn't seem real. The night it happened we had all had dinner together, watched Crimewatch and then he went out - and that was it. It's hard getting to grips with the fact that he is not here. And that's been made more difficult because I was coming to the end of my pregnancy when dad was shot and two weeks after he died my daughter Ria Nicole was born and I've had real mixed emotions. Ria has been deprived of her granddad and my dad never got to see his lovely granddaughter. He had helped prepare for her arrival - decorating her room and buying things and in the end he never even got to see her."

Nicholas' mum Mavis Ayers, added:- "My whole family are devastated. He was such a lovable person - a great man with a big heart and a big personality. I've felt so empty since he died and I feel like it's not worth getting up any more. It's 24/7 in your head and it just won't go away. I do believe that if those who killed him were caught it would help us through this. They are walking around free and Nick had his life taken away from him - it just isn't right"

Anyone who may have been in the area at the time or who may have any information about this incident, or can help identify the vehicle pictured is asked to call Merseyside Police on:- 0151 777 8617, or Crimestoppers anonymously:- 0800 555 111.

WITNESS APPEAL - ROBBERY, LIVERPOOL CITY CENTRE

MERSEYSIDE Police Detectives are appealing for witnesses after a bar worker was robbed of his takings in Liverpool city centre on Saturday lunchtime.

The 21 year old was carrying the cash in a black suitcase along Fleet Street at around 12 noon when he was confronted close to FACT cinema and Igloo bar.

The front seat passenger of a silver Vauxhall Astra got out of the car as the bar worker passed by and grabbed the suitcase from him before shouting threats and getting back in the car, which drove off towards Slater Street.

Detectives believe the offenders may have been parked up in the area at least half an hour before the robbery happened and are appealing for anyone who noticed anyone behaving suspiciously to contact them.

The bar worker was physically unhurt but left shocked and distressed by the incident.

Both offenders are described as white men aged in their early to mid 30s. The driver had short hair with a thin face, prominent cheekbones and a large nose. He was clean-shaven and had a local accent.

The passenger who grabbed the suitcase looked slightly older and of larger build. He was wearing a dark cap and thick white gloves. The car was silver and described as a new-shape Astra.

Anyone with information is asked to call St Anne Street CID on:- 0151 777 4811 or Crimestoppers anonymously on:- 0800 555 111.

Croxteth Gems voted best youth centre in the UK

LOCAL youth centre Croxteth Gems has been named Best Young People’s Centre of 2010 by youngsters from across the UK. A team of young people and staff from the centre were presented with a winner’s trophy this weekend at Community Matters’ Annual Conference in Reading.

The award is the climax of a digital engagement project, the Youth Engagement Scheme (YES). The project has been led by Tom Robbins, a young volunteer at Community Matters, and has involved 12 young people from 4 different community organisations across England. Using ‘Come Dine with Me’ as the inspiration, each group of young people visited each others community centre and secretly scored them on its openness to young people.

“Young people are a vital part of the future of all our communities and the YES project has highlighted the critical importance that young people need to be given opportunities to take part in their local communities” says David Tyler, Chief Executive for Community Matters, the national federation for community organisations.

The Yes project has provided young people with the opportunity to have a voice in their local community centre, to visit and meet with other young people of different backgrounds across England, and gain the skills and experience associated with delivering a community project. For the young people involved, it has provided them with the confidence and skills to be more involved in their local community and to bridge with other communities:-

"I will definitely walk away from this project with more confidence in talking to new people. It was really good being able to compare the different places we live - I didn't realise how different the youth centres and the places we live were." said Darren, 15, from the Pan Community Centre, Isle of Wight

"This project has taught me a lot. For example, I have learnt more about how Muslims live and how they practice their religion and I admire them for standing proud of who they are. I therefore I have more knowledge and respect for other cultures." added James , 17, from the Croxteth Gems, Liverpool

"This project has been good because the young people can now see how they can take their own wants and needs and to use them to actually influence decisions and to affect change in their community centres." said Jean Hannah, Youth worker from Croxteth Gems, Liverpool.

David Tyler hopes that the scheme will encourage local people and groups to explore and support other opportunities for young people to get involved in their local community centres. “These are important places where young people from different backgrounds can take part in their local community, be supported, and work with a range of local people."

All participants were awarded certificates by Gerwyn Jones, Chair of Community Matters National Executive Committee at the
presentation ceremony in Reading.