'Sock-et' to heart disease with new electrical appeal in Merseyside

TUESDAY, 5 July 2011, marks the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) 50th birthday and to add a spark to the celebrations, the nation’s heart charity is joining up with the UK’s leading electrical retailers, Currys and PC World to hold an appeal for small electrical appliances in Merseyside.

Do you have an unused bread maker or blender lurking in the kitchen or a neglected hi-fi or hairdryer hidden in the loft? Simply drop your unloved (but still working) small electricals into any BHF, Currys or PC World store in Merseyside during July and they’ll be re-sold¹ in local BHF Furniture & Electrical stores raising money to fight heart disease - the nation’s biggest killer.

Whether you’ve got a toaster, a kettle, a radio or a DVD player to donate, as long as it still works you’ll receive the chance to win £1000s worth of brand new electricals as well as a 5% off voucher to spend in Currys or PC World - so recycle, help save lives and bag yourself a shiny new gadget!

Mike Lucas, BHF Retail Director, says:- “We’re delighted to have joined up with Currys and PC World for this appeal and I’d like to encourage every single household in Merseyside to have a rummage for unwanted electricals - each and every one we receive will be giving hope to those suffering from heart disease.”

And to make it even easier to donate this July, if you can’t get to a drop off point, the BHF will be offering its free collection service across Merseyside for larger electrical items, such as washing machines, TVs and microwaves, with most stores offering evening and weekend collections.

For more information about the campaign visit:- bhf.org.uk/dropitin.

2011 is the BHF’s 50th birthday. Since 1961, we have been the nation’s heart charity, dedicated to saving lives through pioneering research, patient care and campaigning for change. But we urgently need your help to continue our life-saving work. Because together we can beat heart disease.

EXCLUSIVE WORLD CLASS BIBLE EXHIBITION COMES TO RESORT

WAYFARERS Shopping Arcade is to host an exclusive exhibition celebrating 400 years of the national Authorised Version of the King James Bible 1611 to 2011 from June 30 to July 6.

To coincide with the Methodist Conference in Southport, the local chapels in Banks, Hesketh Bank, Tarleton, and MereBrow, have invited the Museum of the Book, from London, to bring their world class display of the Bibles to the town. The display tells the story of the Bible covering 5000 years of history and includes Bibles that have belonged to Charlton Heston, Florence Nightingale, Elvis Presley (inscribed by Elvis himself), the Queen’s coronation Bible and a first edition of the 1611 King James Bible, along with many more.

The inspiring collection of Holy books is currently on display at the Museum of the Book in London and the only opportunity to see this incredible collection in the North West will be at Wayfarers Shopping Arcade, Lord Street, Southport.

Embodying the story of the Bible and encompassing 5000 years of history, visitors to this engaging exhibition will discover how the Bible progressed from its earliest form in tablets and scrolls, to the majestic tome of King James.

Yvonne Burns, Wayfarers Shopping Arcade manager, said:- “The Arcade plays a central role in the town, regularly hosting high profile entertainment and events. It is a privilege to be the only location in the North West to host the King James Bible exhibition.”

The exhibition is on for one week from Thursday, June 30 to Wednesday, 6 July 2011, from 10.00am to 5.30pm, with late night opening on Tuesday, 5 July 2011.

Details of this and other events taking place in Wayfarers Shopping Arcade can be found at:- wayfarersarcade.co.uk.

NEXT OF KIN APPEAL - FRANCIS FITZSIMMONS

THE Coroner's Office in Whiston are trying to trace the next of kin of a Huyton man who died at his home on Sunday, 26 June 2011. Francis (Frank) Fitzsimmons, aged 60, was found dead at his home on Gort Road. His death is not being treated as suspicious. Mr Fitzsimmons's next of kin, or anyone who knows how to trace them, is asked to call the Coroner's Office at Whiston Hospital on:- 0151 430 1238.

HOME TRUTHS – UK BUYERS BLOW THEIR BUDGET BY £3.7 BILLION

NEW research launched this week by TV property gurus Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer has revealed that UK home hunters overspent their combined budgets by a staggering £3.7 billion* last year, despite falling house prices and what should be a buyers market.

North West buyers were most likely to take advantage of this and use strategic tactics to secure the best deal on their dream home with 30% admitting to flirting with their agent, telling a sob story, lying about their budget or delaying on their offer until the last minute. However, despite their efforts, 49% of North Westerners still admitted to overspending their original budget.

The survey of 2,000 home buyers, announced today to coincide with the launch of the new iPhone app ‘Kirstie & Phil’s House Hunter’, has revealed that 49% blow their budget on average to the tune of over £10,000 – although with North West buyers this rose to £11,430.  For 10% of home buyers the situation is even more extreme, with finances stretched to cover an additional spend of up to £50,000, whilst for a frivolous few (2%) it topped the scales at more than £100,000.

Although some buyers are happy stretching themselves financially to secure their dream home, the findings have revealed that for many new home owners, the overspend in property purchase price is often unplanned and sometimes unexpected.

20% of buyers admit to getting caught up in the excitement of the moment, letting their heart over rule their head, whilst 10% don’t factor in the cosmetic work required to make their new house a home. A similar number (11%) are caught out by the level of legal and estate agent fees they need to build into their buying budget.  Stamp duty is another major issue, with 58% of house hunters saying they are clueless as to the level they are required to pay when shopping and budgeting for their new home.

In response to the findings, ‘Kirstie & Phil’s House Hunter’ app, available from iTunes, is the first to allow buyers to search across thousands of UK properties while being guided through every stage of the house buying process, from searches and viewings to making an offer and closing the deal.

House Hunter is packed with videos and audio tip guides from Kirstie & Phil and contains chapters including a definitive guide to finance, mortgages, dealing with agents, legal processes and exchange and completion.

Kirstie Allsopp says:- “Going over your intended budget isn’t always a bad thing if it means getting your dream home for a price you can still afford. However with house prices as low as they are at present it should be a buyers market, and so it’s worrying to hear how many people are spending too much either because they’re not striking a deal or because they’re not on top of their finances.   Factors like estate agent fees and stamp duty will leave a serious hole in a budget if they’re not prepared for and it’s staggering to find out how many people are being caught out.”

Another significant reason for the overspend seems to be the fact Brits aren’t good at bagging a bargain; a staggering 40% of all buyers said they offered the asking price for their home without entering into any negotiation.

Phil Spencer adds:- “We know from helping hundreds of people through the buying process that the same problems and pitfalls arise time and time again and that’s why we’ve created the app. It’s the first to combine an extensive property search function with great tools to help buyers manage their individual search, from tracking and scoring viewings, calculating finances and doing the deal to managing the move. As such we hope it will go some way to keeping the process stress free for house hunters, as well as on budget."

‘Kirstie & Phil’s House Hunter’ is available from the iTunes store from early summer and integrates the Zoopla search engine to enable users to search for properties anywhere in the UK, as well as call or email agents directly from the app.

House Hunter is packed with videos, tips and advice from Kirstie & Phil providing a comprehensive guide to buying a home. In addition, the app enables users to store, score and make notes on each property as well as add their own photos. By shaking the iPhone, users can also hear a selection of audio tips direct from Kirstie & Phil.

The app has been jointly developed and produced by The Talent and Brand Ventures team at BBC Worldwide and Raise The Roof Productions.

Further details about the app can also be found on Kirstie and Phil’s website and YouTube Channel which features an exclusive introduction to the app from Kirstie and Phil. Phil will also be hosting a live Twitter Q&A session on Monday, 4 July 2011, from 2pm GMT.