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Campaigners to
walk through City of Liverpool for 12 hours
12 members of The Oliver
King Foundation including Mark King, father of 12 year old Oliver
King, and Campaign Patron, Wavertree Cllr Jake Morrison, will walk
from Fazakerley through to Woolton on Saturday, 12 January 2013, from
9am to 9pm. Campaigners will collect signatures from residents and
businesses right across the City, along the way.
The theme of 12; that is, 12 January, 12 campaigners; to reflect on 12
young people losing their lives to SADS each week.
The e-petition was setup by Cllr Jake Morrison following the tragic
death of 12 year old Oliver King while at King David High School in
Wavertree. The e-petition expires in the beginning of February and
campaigners still need over 50,000 signatures before they can
trigger a House of Commons debate. Campaigners have already been
refused a meeting with Health Ministers and two separate occasions,
and have received an unhelpful response from the Government.
4 volunteers will dress up in costumes, including The Oliver King
Foundation mascot teddy bear. These efforts come as The Oliver King
Foundation
e-petitions is due
to expire. There are fears that although many people are aware of
the Foundation, they have not yet signed up. So campaigners want to
take the petition to their door-step.
Cllr Jake Morrison said:- "I was driving through Wavertree
worrying about how we are going to get over 50,000 signatures in
just a short amount of time.
It is clear to us that there are many people supporting the
campaign, but we need them to sign the petition. So I suggested to
Mark that we walk the streets of Liverpool, and why not make an
event of it.
Let's take the petition to the people. We will walk through the
hearts of all our communities and ask them to sign up to our
campaign.
We have stood in the City Centre for a number of weeks now, St Johns
Shopping Centre & City Central BID have been great with us, but we
also need to be reaching our communities across the City. We
will be walking through Walton, Wavertree and Woolton, and every
other area in the City, asking people to sign this lifesaving
e-petition. We don't have much time left, 4 weeks to reach the
target otherwise the petition will just fall. That will be a slap in
the face for all the hard work that has gone in to this campaign."
Mark King, Founder of The Oliver King Foundation said:- "We
have 4 weeks left, we have to do everything we can to get these
signatures.
12 young people die of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome every single
week. We need the Government to stop this, and the only way we can
go about that at the moment is through our petition. In
Liverpool we are already working, all 122 Primary Schools will have
Defibrillators by the end of January. But we can't just rest here,
what about the rest of the country."
The Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP added his backing in November by saying:-
"Access to a defibrillator would save lives. On behalf of the
Labour Party, I am happy to support your campaign."
It is estimated that 270 children die of a sudden cardiac arrest
while at school in the UK every year, and is the same medical
condition that struck former Bolton Wanderers footballer Fabrice
Muamba last season, forcing his retirement from the game. In October
The Oliver King Foundation handed over the 1st Defibrillator to
Pinehurst Primary School, as part of a scheme which will see all 122
Liverpool Primary School's receive this lifesaving equipment as part
of a £102,640 project.
The Oliver King Foundation campaign to get Defibrillators in schools
and public buildings has already won the support of many
organisations including:- The Liverpool Echo, Liverpool Football Club,
Everton Football Club, Fulham Football Club, Liverpool NHS Primary
Care Trust, Liverpool City Council and others, including Members of
Parliament - Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham MP, Shadow
Education Secretary Stephen Twigg MP, Liverpool MPs Maria Eagle,
Luciana Berger & Steve Rotheram, and Labour Leader The Rt Hon Ed
Miliband MP.
For more information about the Oliver King Foundation, visit:-
theoliverkingfoundation.co.uk.
Stargazing Live on the BBC
Photograph by Patrick Trollope.
THE Stargazing returned on
the BBC TV, on 8 January 2013, for 3 nights and again has had a
"positive impact on Amateur Astronomy," according to Mr
Gerard Gilligan, Hon Secretary, Liverpool Astronomical Society
(LAS). The show this year has been based on the border of Merseyside
and Cheshire, at the Jodrell Bank Observatory. It featured guest
experts and link-ups with NASA's Mission Control for the Mars
Curiosity Rover. The 3 nights of live events also featured members
of Liverpool Astronomical Society, who had braved the cold wet air
outside, as Professor Brian Cox and Dara O Briain hosted live
discussions and conducted the link ups indoors. Members of the LAS
have also taken part in the special, public Star Party Event, which
was held at Tatton Park on 10 January 2013, in conjunction with the
BBC Stargazing Live Programme. Our contact, Brendan Martin, who is
the Director of Liverpool Astronomical Society, and is at Leighton
Observatory, told us:- "It is not too late to get involved and
learn more about the sky above you. Our next meeting of the
Liverpool Astronomical Society is at 7pm, on Friday, 18 January
2013, in the Friends Meeting House, 22 School Lane, Liverpool L1
3BT. Our guest speaker that night, is Mr Ian Baker, from OpTIC,
Glyndwr University, St Asaph Campus. Who will speak on 'Amateur
Spectroscopy - A Real Possibility' is taking place. If you want to
become a member you can join us any time and take part in events
like this. For more information, and to join us, please visit our
website for contact details." Also the BBC and
the OU have issued a free book again this year to help you look at
the heavens. To order, or download your free, 'Star Guide'
for 2013, click on
here
and click on
here for more information about
the show. |
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CLA call for
universal broadband coverage vindicated by independent think tank
THE CLA's long-held belief
that the Government should not be solely fixated on broadband speed
has been vindicated by a report by independent think tank, the
Policy Exchange.
The report, The Superfast and the Furious, states that the
Government should focus on helping the 10.8million people who are
not online as well as helping small businesses make more of the
potential released by the digital revolution.
CLA North Regional Director Dorothy Fairburn said:- "We have
long advocated a clearer Government focus on ensuring that all in
the rural North have access to an affordable and effective broadband
connection of at least two Megabits per second (Mbps). This new
report highlights that two thirds of people think that good basic
broadband coverage for the whole country is more important than
chasing very fast speeds in some areas at the expense of others.
As we stated in our own policy statement Broadband Fit for Rural
Growth without universal coverage and the need for a universal
service obligation, the rural/ urban digital divide will simply be
exacerbated. What is clear from the Policy Exchange's own research
is that the majority of the British public agrees with us."
Around 20% of those who live in the rural North are still unable to
receive anywhere near the Government's benchmark of 2 Mbps.
Miss Fairburn added:- "There is still a huge amount to be done
to ensure coverage is universal. We believe the Government must do
more to help the countryside. By seeking to form a strategic
alliance with other rural interest groups to agree common
objectives, we can help to deliver a comprehensive broadband
strategy."
The CLA is also calling on the Government to provide an appropriate
framework allowing rural communities to "piggy-back" onto
public sector broadband which already exists in many rural locations
such as schools and libraries.
Miss Fairburn said:- "Until a fixed-line broadband
infrastructure is put in place, other technologies must be used to
bridge the rural/urban digital divide. The CLA advocates a 'patchwork-quilt'
model whereby other technologies, such as wi-fi and satellite become
widely available and used. But the Government must create the right
conditions for this to happen."
The CLA wants local authorities to ensure contracts awarded to
infrastructure providers include fair compensation provisions for
any failure to meet time and coverage requirements.
She added:- "We do not believe Broadband Delivery UK's bidding
process is working. The system adopted by the Government is too
bureaucratic and has discouraged many of the big market players from
taking part. Moreover, payments to providers must be
performance-related to ensure a fast and effective broadband service
is rolled out to rural areas."
Charity boost
for voluntary groups
VOLUNTARY groups in Woolton
will benefit from a charity established to improve recreation and
education in the neighbourhood. The Woolton Educational and
Recreational Charity is using the interest on the proceeds from the
sale of Woolton Village Club in 2000 to make awards to local groups.
Last year a total of £20,600 was distributed with the following
organisations benefiting:-
► Bishop Martin Primary School
will receive £2500 for improvement of IT provision.
► Friends of Gateacre will
receive £4543 for summer planting and watering.
► Marie Curie Cancer Care will
receive £1450 for improvement of IT provision for patients.
► Woolton Village Residents Association
will receive £1032 for provision of summer planting.
► Woolton in Bloom will
receive £6000 for provision of summer planting and watering.
► Woolton Primary School, will
receive £3000 for outdoor soft fall surface.
► St Julies' High School will
receive £1020 for benches for faith garden -
► Woolton Society will receive £1055
for the reprint of local history booklet.
This year it is anticipated that between £15,000 and £20,000 will be
available from the Charity. Applications should be made by 28
February 2013. Application forms can be obtained from Mr. R.
Thomaides, Liverpool City Council, Municipal Buildings, Dale Street
L2 2DH, call:- 0151 225 2405 or via
email.
Give it some
welly!
TO start the year on a good
footing, RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands in Cheshire is asking local
people to donate their unwanted, worn-out Wellies to help celebrate
'Welly Season' in style. From green gardener's Wellies or
trendy festival Wellies to pink with polka dot Wellies, people can
take their old pairs to their local nature reserve, where they will
be put to good use for 'Welly Season'. Running from mid-January to
the end of March, RSPB Burton Mere will be delivering a season of
Welly-related activities for all the family to get involved in. Paul
Brady, RSPB Visitor Development Officer, said:- "Maybe Santa
brought you a brand new shiny pair of Wellies for Christmas, but you
don't know what to do with your old ones, well, bring them to us and
we'll show you how to put them to good use." Donated Wellies
will be transformed into miniature gardens or bird feeders, and
staff and volunteers at the sites will be on hand to show visitors
what to do. Paul added:- "On our reserve, we wear Wellies to
carry out lots of different work on a daily basis. But there's also
a lot of fun to be had with them, from jumping in puddles to
decorating them with glitter and paint." Visitors will
be able to 'Bling their Boots', and the reserves will
be providing craft materials for people wanting to decorate their
Wellies on site. They will then be encouraged to share pictures of
their Wellies on the RSPB Burton Mere Facebook
page. The reserve will also be
running a special 'Wardens Welly Walk' event on Saturday, 19 January
2013, which offers a unique chance to go behind the scenes to find
out all about how the wetland habitats are managed. There are plenty
of activities planned throughout the season which will excite all
the family, from Welly quiz trails to Welly walks for pushchair
pushers, and there may even be a spot of Welly Wanging. Anyone
wanting to donate their old Wellies can take them along to their
local RSPB nature reserve. For more information, visit:-
rspb.org.uk. |
