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£2 million
investment in special schools
2 special schools in
Liverpool are set to benefit from a £2.1 million investment to
provide extra classrooms. A report to the Mayor's Cabinet on
Friday, 22 February 2013, recommends that Palmerston and Abbot's Lea; both
in Woolton; are extended to cater for increased demand for places.
Palmerston, which teaches secondary aged children with severe
learning difficulties, will get a four classroom extension to
provide a post-16 centre and enable it to take on a further 48
pupils. And Abbot's Lea, which specialises in supporting
youngsters with autism, will get an extra 6 classrooms. The
investment in the site will save the city council £2 million a year
as it means it will not have to send around 40 pupils on the waiting
list for places next year out of the city to be educated.
Councillor Jane Corbett, Cabinet member for education, said:-
"Our special schools do an amazing job providing our young people
with a fantastic education.
However, both Palmerston and Abbot's Lea desperately need to be
extended to enable us to be able to cope with the demand for places.
This work will enable us to provide first class facilities for young
people with special educational needs, and it is a fantastic and
worthwhile investment." The cost of the schemes is £929,000 at Palmerston and £1,234,000 at
Abbot's Lea.
The new classrooms will have solar panels on the roof to keep energy
costs low and will open in September 2013.
Kier Construction have been set a target of making sure that 65
percent of local spend and employment is within the city, with 85
percent from across Merseyside.
The projects form part of the Liverpool School Investment Programme,
in which Mayor Joe Anderson has pledged to deliver 12 new schools.
Pawning
valuables and borrowing from friends and relatives provides
financial lifeline
PAWNBROKERS as well as
friends and family are easing financial pressures as the first port
of call according to new research from The Money Shop.
The study highlights that 51% of customers who took part in the
survey seeking additional finance to tide them over are turning to
family and friends in the 1st instance or pawning valuable items
before seeking more conventional sources of funds such as an
authorised overdraft or bank loan.
The Money Shop research reveals that other methods of raising money
to get through the month include using a jewellery buying service
(21%) or via a Credit Union (18%).
A significant number of consumers are embracing pawnbroking, which
has grown by 14% from 2011 to 2012 to £851m and has more than
trebled in market size since 2006 (£248m), as a viable source of
finance, with 27% of those questioned using their valued items to
secure lending several times over 2 years.
71% of customers are loyal to 1 pawnbroker, more than 80% of
borrower's value factors such as keeping items safe and secure,
borrowing from a trustworthy brand and treating customers fairly and
honestly when using pawnbroking with gold rings the most popular
pawned item.
Before contemplating borrowing from friends or family or pawning
items, respondents also stated they would consider getting extra
work or selling items on Ebay.
Andrew Bryan of The Money Shop said:- "Our research
demonstrates the range of alternative sources of cash individuals
are utilising to tide them over. Many highlighted the strained
relationship with their bank meaning they had switched to borrowing
money from alternative sources.It would appear consumers are adjusting their perceptions, becoming
more open to alternative ways to boost their finances. Whilst our
survey also shows that many people were initially unsure about
pawnbroking, any misconceptions were dismissed once they had used
the service.
Whilst our survey shows that those fortunate enough to call on
friends and family and sometimes have that as an option, pawnbroking
is growing in popularity as a quick and easy way to secure vital
funds without getting into financial difficulty."
Through a network of over 550 stores, The Money Shop offers secured
pawnbroking loans, payday loans, cheque cashing, money transfer,
foreign exchange, debit cards and gold buying services through its
retail chain. |
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Liverpool office says
"no slowing down" as company hits £25k milestone
2 years on from pledging its nationwide
backing for 'We are Macmillan Cancer Support',
property lettings specialist, Belvoir, has beaten all of its own
forecasts to raise a record breaking £25,000 for the charity.
Belvoir, which has four local offices in Liverpool, originally set a
goal of £10,000 when it first launched its fund raising drive at a
'Go Green Day' in February 2011.
By the end of February 2012, the money raised by regional offices
and Central Office staff had hit the £16,000 mark. But a further
year of cash generating activities; ranging from relatively sedate
coffee mornings to a daredevil parachute jump and highly successful
golf tournament; has bolstered funds to its current cash
'quarter of a century'; much to the delight of Macmillan
Regional Fundraising Manager, Tanya Taylor.
"It's an incredible achievement and we are absolutely thrilled by
the hard work, commitment and inventiveness shown by Belvoir offices
all over the country, who have thrown their weight behind the
company's campaign." says Tanya.
Ron Wilson, owner of the Belvoir office in Prescot says:-
"Every Belvoir office is at the heart of its own local community and
throughout our UK network of 148 offices we have all committed to
doing whatever we can to support this fantastic charity. The money
raised is helping to fund Macmillan's daily work in providing
practical, medical and financial support to people affected by
cancer and their families and now that we have reached the magical
£25,000 milestone we do not intend to slow down.
Belvoir has pledged its
on-going support for the coming year and local offices will, once
again, be doing what they can to boost the funds even further."
Tanya Taylor added:- "Cancer affects so many people, 1 in 3
people in the UK will be diagnosed at some point in their lives and
there are 2 million people currently living with cancer.
The number of people with
cancer is growing every day.
We want to reach and improve
the lives of every one of those people.
The generosity of Belvoir
office owners and their colleagues friends, customers and other
supporters will truly make a difference in our ability to continue
our work.
Macmillan sends out a big,
heartfelt "thank you" to every one for their magnificent efforts and
generosity."
Dorian Gonsalves, Chief Executive Officer of Belvoir, added:-
"Everyone within Belvoir has been extremely impressed by the way the
Macmillan team engages with its supporters and Tanya and her team
have kept very close to the company – helping to provide promotional
and merchandising support to the very wide range of fund raising
initiatives and activities dreamt up by our offices.
With its years of
professional expertise, backed by an excellent network of
volunteers, outreach workers and carers, Macmillan helps relieve
some of the very difficult emotional stresses and other pressures
faced by individuals, couples and families in all areas of the UK.
Our nationwide network will
continue to do all it can to stay close to the charity's work and
provide as much financial assistance as it possibly can throughout
the rest of 2013."
For cancer support every step of the way call Macmillan, over Monday
to Friday, between 9am to 8pm on:- 0808 808 00 or you can also
visit:-
macmillan.org.uk.
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