ART BY THE FERRY PROMISES PICTURE PERFECT VIEWS

EXPLORE Art by the Ferry at Woodside Ferry Terminal for its first FREE arts and craft fair where visitors can find picture perfect views of the Liverpool Waterfront and a wonderful mix of arts and craft!

This coming weekend of 20 August to 21 August 2011, families are invited to enjoy a fun day out with arts, craft and live music at the Grade II listed venue. A wealth of affordable and unique creations can be found from local artists including paintings, cards, home wares, prints, textiles, photography, glass and more.

Visitors will be surrounded by music and creativity at this special weekend event organised by Open Culture in partnership with Mersey Ferries and Merseytravel.

Emma Lawrence Merseytravel Public Art Officer said:- “We want families to come to Woodside and discover the fantastic array of activities on offer. It’ll be a great day out with something to appeal to all ages including sailing on the ferries, arts & crafts, music and the U-boat Story. Woodside has also got one of the best views of the River Mersey and Liverpool waterfront which is just breathtaking.”

On Saturday, 20 August 2011, the Grand National Chorus, a 25 strong all male 4 part harmony chorus who have over 1000 performance under their belts, will be performing live on the Ferry and at Woodside between 12noon to 2pm, plus Liverpool accordionist Helen Maher will be performing live on both days from 1 to 3pm.

Families can also benefit from a ‘Child goes free’ offer on the joint River Explorer Cruise and U-boat story tickets. To find out more pick up an ‘Art by the Ferry’ flyer from Merseytravel stations and centres.

Art by the Ferry featured artists:-

Illustrator Laura-Kate Chapman creates painting and prints of her intricate and beautiful patterns and characters, which also adorn tea ware, plates and t-shirts

Charmione Lloyd creates quirky and unique handmade accessories, mixing together vintage and modern elements to create one off accessories and jewellery.

Photographer Alina Tait offers an impressive collection of Liverpool and wild life photography.

Sarah McGrath presents a great range of handmade wooden room accessories, including name plaques and wall letters. The perfect gift for that discerning little boy or girl.

Event information:-

Art by the Ferry
10am to 6pm
20 August to 21 August 2011
Woodside Ferry Terminal,
Birkenhead (nr Hamilton Square Rail Station)
FREE ENTRY

Organised by Open Culture in partnership with Merseytravel. Open Culture is a Community Interest Company that aims to increase engagement with arts and culture on Merseyside.

Temporary workers to gain full rights as legislation date approaches

ON the 1 October 2011, the Agency Workers Regulation (AWR) will come into force across the UK.   Under the new regulations temporary agency workers will; after 12 weeks of working on an assignment; be eligible for equal treatment and have the right to the same basic working and employment conditions; as if they had been recruited directly by the hiring company.

Equal treatment applies to various terms and conditions including those relating to pay, working hours, overtime, holidays, rest periods, access to vacancies and to other facilities it does not apply to other areas such as company pension schemes, company sick pay, or redundancy.

Carmen Watson, managing director of Pertemps Recruitment highlighted the implications for both business and HR sectors, saying that:- "In what is an already fragile economy where businesses are doing everything possible to maximise profits and cut costs, failure to prepare could add additional costs to their business and undermine their credibility as good employers.  The flexible labour market in the UK is an essential resource for many UK companies of all sizes and to the UK economy as a whole. Whilst the introduction of the AWR brings challenges to both employers and agencies, it also offers exciting opportunities for the recruitment industry. In particular for those agencies such as Pertemps who are prepared and working in partnership with their clients to ensure compliance and therefore protect their company’s brand and reputation.  As the AWR is not as straight forward as just counting 12 calendar weeks of work, companies should look to engage with an agency supplier who has the expertise, resource and technology solutions to provide the monitoring and tracking of flexible workers and their assignments so as to highlight potential issues before they arise."

Watson noted that agency workers too should take the time to familiarise themselves with the fine print in legislation and how it will affect them as for example:- "a break between an assignment of more than 6 weeks will reset the qualification ‘clock’.  The bottom line is that irrespective of attitudes towards it, the legislation is almost here and we need to embrace it. What’s crucial is to make businesses aware of how these changes may affect them and discuss the range of initiatives that should be taken. These will range from identifying high risk terms and conditions to carrying out systemic reviews of temporary contracts against those of permanent staff."

Crying out loud (required)

LIVERPOOL has a lot to shout about – but are you crying out for the chance to sell the city?   THE city council’s tourism team are now on the hunt for Liverpool’s very own Town Crier who will play a role in key civic and ceremonial functions, welcome international passengers at the Cruise Liner Terminal and be an ambassador during high profile events.  And with the deadline just days away, the team are urging as many people as possible to apply for the role which will see the city have its first Town Crier in more than 200 years.

They are looking for someone with:-

►  Good local knowledge of Liverpool and what it can offer to tourists.

►  A fine voice with good volume.

►  Previous experience – whether they’re already a Town Crier, or perhaps they’ve been a master of ceremonies.

►  Outstanding communication skills.

►  A great sense of humour and outgoing personality.

►  It’s essential that the candidate owns his/her own Town Crier outfit and they must be flexible, as events may take place in/over the evening and/or weekends. 

Once applicants have been short listed, their oral skills will be put to the test with a ‘Test Cry’ audition outside the Town Hall. Liverpool’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Frank Prendergast, said:- "This is a fantastic role and we’re looking for someone who’s enthusiastic and passionate about this great city to be able to sell it to everyone they meet. In my role as Lord Mayor I’m always attending various functions and people I meet, particularly those who aren’t from Liverpool, are keen to know more about the city – so it’s wonderful that there’ll be another ambassador spreading the message about everything we have to offer to visitors and residents. I hope as many people as possible apply for the position and I look forward to taking on the Simon Cowell role during the test cry!"

The successful applicant will receive a fee of £70 per engagement and mileage will be paid when required.  Liverpool’s tourism industry generates around £2.8 billion every year and is estimated to support approximately 41,000 jobs a year.  To see the full job description, person specification and application details, go to:- current-vacancies  and click on ‘General vacancies’. The job is open to any age, and applicants do not have to be from Liverpool.

The deadline for entries is Friday, 19 August 2011, and the Town Crier contract will run until October 2013.