LIVERPOOL NORTH SPECIAL CONSTABULARY WEEKEND

THIS weekend Merseyside Police's Special Constabulary will be taking part in a number of operations to target anti-social behaviour as part of the National Special Constabulary Weekend.

Merseyside Police Special Constabulary provides a fundamental support for the difficult work of the police service and is made up of 458 volunteers, who work across the Force. Specials provide a vital link between the regular Force and the community, and with the same training, uniforms and powers of arrest as regular officers, form a valued part of Merseyside Police's extended police family.

Specials are volunteers, who give a minimum of four hours of their time each week to help police Merseyside. They are valued members of Merseyside Police's neighbourhood policing teams, providing a highly visible police presence, increasing public confidence and helping to reduce crime.

Specials work closely with local communities across Merseyside and through this close link they have identified that communities would like this weekend's, Specials led, activity to focus on anti-social behaviour. In the Liverpool North area there will be a variety of activities going on including a mobile police station situated at Holy Corner staffed by Specials, where people can find out more about becoming a Special Constable and high visibility patrols in anti-social behaviour hotspots in the city.

Heading up this weekend's operation is new Special's Chief Officer David Burgess-Joyce:- "I've been a Special Constable for 28 years and I'm sure my fellow Specials would agree that being a Special gives you the opportunity to experience something different on a day to day basis, meet new people and learn new skills, while giving something back to the community. Our officers are really looking forward to taking part and leading this weekend's operation, where in each area they've identified the priorities and issues and have devised the activities according to what the local needs are. I strongly believe that Specials are a vital link between the community and the police and we hope that this weekend Merseyside residents will see the good work we do alongside our regular colleagues to tackle the issue of anti-social behaviour. At the end of the day the work we do is about being on the street, talking to the public and providing a visible and reassuring presence."

Assistant Chief Constable Helen King said:- "National Specials Weekend highlights the excellent work that Merseyside Police's hundreds of Specials do on a day to day basis. Our Specials contribute enormously to policing Merseyside, increasing public confidence and helping to reduce crime. They work side by side with regular officers, with as much commitment and enthusiasm for whatever situations they come to face and we are lucky to have such fine officers giving their time voluntarily to help make Merseyside a safer place."

Anyone who is interested in becoming a Special Constable can visit:- merseyside.police.uk.

Grow your own vegetables with Fir Tree Community Growers

FIR Tree Community Growers is a not-for-profit social enterprise and care farm that grow affordable organic vegetables for local disadvantaged groups. Based at Fir Tree Farm, Kings Moss the community project is set to run a series of training days and workshops to get St Helens residents growing their own food.

Fir Tree Community Growers are happy to do a free guided tour for any voluntary and community sector group in St Helens which has been made possible by the Big Lottery Fund's Local Food Scheme.

Volunteer co-ordinator Jenny Hall said:- “We can do free 2 hour tailored workshops for St. Helen groups and schools. For example we are doing gardening badges with the brownies and we can also do minibeast hunts as well as general grow your own vegetables activities. We have wheelchair access into the yurt, orchard, proposed donkey sanctuary and polytunnel although the three acre market garden has a tractor working on it and therefore can be uneven underfoot. Nevertheless, we have had wheelchairs on there as well.”

Fir Tree Community Growers is striving to be independent of grant support in the long-term so that it can provide day care opportunities for St Helens people living with a disability. The project runs weekend courses at reasonable rates:- climatefriendlyfood.org.uk/training which will support this transition to independence. The project currently works with St Helens Coalition of Disabled People and Brown's Short Break Respite which has worked very well and we look forward to welcoming them in the 2011 growing season. We welcome volunteers on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Mark Wheddon, Local Food Programme Manager said that:- “Local Food is all about bringing commuities together by building relationships with the local community and developing healthy lifestyles. The Fir Tree Community Growers project provides a great opportunity for residents to learn more about growing their own food and is something that Local Food is pleased to support. We are sure it will make a real impact on the local community.”

The Saturdays In Liverpool
Photography supplied by Vamphire.com.

PLAYING live was the amazing pop group The Saturdays, who took to the stage at the Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool on 5 February 2011. Our pap Ian Fairbrother had the privilege of snapping them as they strutted their stuff and sang their harts out to the packed out auditorium to the delight of their fans. If you do not know all ready, you can find out more about the band by going to:- thesaturdayscentral.org.