Communities In The North West Must Pull Together To Save Historic Churches

THE Liverpool and Southport Group Travel Buyer Showcase arranged by the Mersey Partnership and Southport Tourism and coordinated by Steve Reed Tourism Ltd from Northumberland, attracted 45 coach and tour operators and group travel organisers from all over the UK.

The purpose of the familiarisation event was to generate new bookings for the tourism industry.

And the showcase took place amid the news that Southport’s group visits – coach parties - are up considerably compared to this time last year. And bookings are already coming in because of the Showcase.

The delegates included Norman Allen Travel from Hereford; Rover European Travel from Gloucester; the Civil Service Retirement Association in Cambridgeshire; Wold Travel from East Yorkshire; Hanson Travel from Pudsey in West Yorkshire and Sunway Travel from the West Midlands.

Based at the Ramada Plaza and Scarisbrick Hotels in the popular seaside resort of Southport, with transport provided by UK Inbound Coach and Tour Operator Centurion Travel, the event took in a number of top attractions, hotels and venues in Southport and Liverpool. The attendees began their visit with a reception at the Scarisbrick Hotel.

A tram trip along Southport Pier and a journey to bygone days in the pre-decimal penny arcade at the end of the pier signalled the start of a packed series of fact-finding visits for the guests.

Anthony Gormley’s ‘Another Place’ art installation on the beach at Crosby; a walk around the Botanic Gardens, Fernery and Aviary at historic Churchtown; a visit to the Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre and a tour of the famous Edwardian shopping boulevard of Lord Street, coupled to a ‘Welcome to Southport and Liverpool dinner’ at the Ramada Plaza Hotel, whetted the VIPs’ appetite for their visit to Liverpool.

There the group took in a superb itinerary visiting a number of top and even iconic attractions  on the Albert Dock, the Beatles Story and then the Mersey Maritime Museum greeted the guests – before a visit to the Liverpool Novotel Hotel for lunch, followed by shopping in the Liverpool ONE shopping centre nearby. Here the visitors made a pilgrimage to the recently unveiled John Lennon Peace Memorial before a tour of Liverpool Cathedral – an opportunity to take in the views from the top of the Tower and also to experience evensong in this beautiful and justly famous Anglican Cathedral.

The guests finished off their busy day in Liverpool with dinner and a showround at the Liverpool Jury’s Inn Hotel, right next door to the Liverpool Echo Arena.

A chance for the wider tourism industry to meet and do business face to face with the buyers took place at the Prince of Wales Hotel in Southport - the ‘Meet the Tourism Industry Workshop’ was followed by lunch at this traditional seaside hotel.

The Martin Mere Nature Reserve, just a few miles from Southport, proved too to be an enjoyable stop for the attendees who finished their flying visit to the area with a special feedback session at the Royal Clifton Hotel in Southport. There the group gave their verdict on what proved to be a memorable and business-generating experience for all.

Julia Fahey is the Southport Tourism Officer:- "We pride ourselves here in Southport that we have what it takes to look after groups of visitors - whether it’s our great group hotels; the excellent facilities for coaches or perhaps our famous Welcome to Southport Meet and Greet service for groups – I think that the showcase visit has illustrated that we have everything groups can possible want and our increased booking numbers for groups this year bear that out."

The operators were stunned by the great strides being made in Liverpool with respect to the exciting new developments along the waterfront. Janine Ross is the Campaign Manager for the Mersey Partnership:- "Anyone who hasn’t been to Liverpool or maybe not visited us for a while would be amazed by the tremendous scene that greets visitors."

"Our long established attractions are being reinforced by a whole army of new visitor magnets including the Liverpool Arena; Liverpool ONE Shopping Centre; the new Jurys Inn, Hilton and Novotel hotels and of course the quickly taking shape City of Liverpool Museum near to the world famous Three Graces icons." explains Janine.

Making Sweet Memories

THE once rural village of Formby has transformed into a bustling community, but in recent years it has been hard hit, with many small shops closing. Many have spotted, like so many other villages, that it has started to lose its uniqueness and identity. But all is not lost as some new shops are starting to bring back a bit of that individuality like the new confectionery shop that has opened. This new shop called 'Sweet Memories' is in the heart of the Village on Brows Lane, next to the well known local independent book shop Prichards. This traditional sweet shop sells vast choice of traditional sweets and its layout is aimed to evoke many memories of childhood for older clients. For the young; it also has a wide range of modern sweets as well. With Halloween and Christmas at hand, it is truly sweet news for locals. But take note... The owner has told us that they can also tell you the history of what you buy as well! So when you pop in, put it to the test and ask them when that type of sweet you are buying was first made and where. You might be shocked by the answer! Let’s hope that this shop and the others opening can revitalise Formby’s small businesses and save the centre from its slow decline into a village run by superstores and large chains.