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Special LFC
sculpture auction for Hope Fund
A SPECIAL Twitter auction
is now taking place until 9pm on
Saturday, 25 January 2014 to raise funds for the Mayor’s Hope Fund.
The prize on offer is a magnificent, one of a kind sculpture created
by one of Britain’s leading ceramic sculptors, Emma Rodgers and
donated to the Mayor’s Hope Fund, a charity for poverty relief set
up by Mayor Joe Anderson to help support foodbanks.
Considered by many to be Britain’s leading ceramic sculptor, Emma
has taken time from exhibiting her work globally to create this
stunning unique homage to Liverpool FC especially for the Mayor’s
Hope Fund.
The 40cm mounted porcelain sculpture is a very special, handcrafted
Liver Bird which, when studied closely, has intricate details
including:-
► Wings of scarves and the Hillsborough eternal flames
► Inscriptions of famous Bill Shankly quotes:- “Some people
believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very
disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much
more important than that”, and “Liverpool was made for me and I was
made for Liverpool.”
► The Liverpool skyline along the edge of one wing
► A football player kicking a ball at the base of the other wing
► The Liver bird balanced on a sphere, representing football and the
significance of LFC across the globe
Emma said:- “I am fascinated by skylines and known
internationally for my depiction of birds of prey in my Sky Gods
collections
Images of the Liverpool skyline are a common theme in a wide variety
of my sculptural work which have been exhibited across the globe.
Working in this field, it is hard not to be fascinated by the Liver
Bird and I am delighted to donate this sculpture to Joe for The
Mayor’s Hope Fund.”
Mayor Joe Anderson said:- “This is a one off chance to own a
piece of art that you can’t buy in any shop.
I am very excited to have Emma’s support and we are delighted to be
able to offer the public a chance to own this rare piece of handmade
art.”
Log on to:-
twitter.com/mayorshopefund and use the hashtag #HopeFundAuction
to bid.
More information about the Mayor’s Hope Fund is available at:-
themayorshopefund.org.uk.
How it works
► The Auction will begin on Twitter only at 9am on Thursday 23/01/14
and will end at 9pm Saturday 25/01/14
► Bids are made by tweeting your offer, in whole pounds only, using
the hashtag #HopeFundAuction
► Bids may be made through direct messages if the bidder wishes to
remain anonymous
► A twitter feed following the auction will be available on the
Mayors Hope Fund Website and updates posted on @MayorsHopeFund
► All bidders must ‘follow’ the Hope Fund Twitter account in
order for their bid to be valid
► The winner will be announced on Saturday night and will be
contacted through a Direct Message. If the highest bidder is unable
to be contacted or cannot pay, the prize will go to the next highest
bidder.
Lenders should
cover borrowers’ mortgage valuation fees
MORTGAGE lenders should
bear the cost of valuing a property during the purchase process
rather than charging the buyer hundreds of pounds at a time when
finances are typically extremely tight, according to a new
independent report into the property valuation sector.
At present, before granting a mortgage, the Prudential Regulatory
Authority (PRA) requires the bank or building society to instruct an
RICS-registered valuer. This is to ensure that the purchase price
represents the property’s true market value. In the overwhelming
majority of cases, the cost of this is passed onto the consumer,
with the lender sometimes taking a considerable percentage in
commission. This means that buyers can be spending hundreds of
pounds on a service which is for the lender.
However, the report; Balancing Risk and Reward; suggests that
responsibility for paying for the valuation should lie with the
lender, enabling the buyer to pay for their own structural survey of
the property. Such a process would help to ensure that purchasers do
not incorrectly believe that the ‘survey’ that is conducted
also assesses the physical structure of the property.
The report also argues that panel managers; who commission
individual valuers on behalf of lenders; should develop their own
code of practice, in conjunction with RICS. Such a code would
deliver high standards and ensure that panel managers allow a
valuer’s contract allows sufficient time to conduct a thorough
internal and external inspection of the property.
Dr Oonagh McDonald, chair of the independent report, said:-
"Paying for a valuation which is primarily for the lender’s use at a
time when the buyer is usually under financial pressure only adds to
the burden on buyers at a particularly expensive time. Given that
the valuation is a product for the lenders, and not the buyer, it is
therefore only right that the lender covers the cost and not the
consumer.
The commission was established to address current problems in the
property valuation market. I have consulted with lenders, insurers,
valuers, lawyers, regulators and all other interested parties in
this sector. I hope that the recommendations in my report will help
to ensure that the market works effectively in the future.”
STEAM PACKET COMPANY VESSEL BEN-MY-CHREE’S
DRY DOCKING
THE Steam Packet Company
are pleased to announce that, following the necessary dry-docking
last weekend, the stabilising fin has now been removed and sent for
repair. The opportunity was also taken to complete a hull inspection
and some other minor repairs. Steam Packet Company Chief Executive
Mark Woodward said:- "I would like to thank all those staff
involved for completing the work so promptly and also our passengers
and freight customers who made use of Manannan and Arrow during the
weekend. After assessing the removed stabilising fin it is clear
that the level of damage is much more serious than had been
expected. The manufacturers of the stabilising fin have advised that
some key components, which would normally be expected to last the
life of the fin, will need to be replaced. As such we are now
advised the repair time will be significantly longer than first
believed. Accordingly, the second scheduled dry-docking over 8
February to 10 February 2014 will not now be necessary. The
manufacturers are assessing the damage to the fin and we will be
reviewing all options to minimise the repair time and avoid any
unnecessary disruption. We will release further information as soon
as we can." In the meantime, Ben-my-Chree will continue to
operate as previously scheduled to both Heysham and Birkenhead until
Manannan returns to service, as originally planned, at the end of
March.
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Local school
urges others to follow their lead and join the giant march for road
safety
A Southport school is
urging other schools and community groups in the Merseyside to
register now for the UK’s giant safe walking event, and champion
safer streets for families. The Giant Walking Bus, coordinated by
Brake, the road safety charity, with support from
webuyanycar.com,
is on 11 June 2014, and will see tens of thousands of kids saying yes to
fun, healthy walking and no to people driving fast in their
community.
Marshside School in Southport has been recognised by Brake as one of
the star schools of last year’s event for their efforts in promoting
road safety to children, parents in the wider community, and they
have already signed up to take part again this year.
The Giant Walking Bus involves children across the UK simultaneously
marching for safer roads from their school gates, and often taking
part in educational and awareness-raising activities in the run-up
and on the day. The event promotes the importance of children being
able to walk and cycle without fear or threat from traffic, and
calls on drivers to ‘GO 20’ - to protect children by slowing
down to 20mph around schools, homes and shops. It also raises funds
for Brake's work to improve road safety and care for families
devastated by a death or injury on roads, as most schools fundraise
on the day.
Primary schools can register now at:-
walkingbus.org or call:- 01484 550061. Every school
that takes part receives a free bumper pack of resources, including
a banner, posters, stickers and certificates, to help them run their
march and promote road safety on the day and year round.
In 2013 Marshside Primary School received a visit from their local
road safety team to learn all about being safe before they headed
out on their march. This is their third time taking part in what
they’ve now made an annual event for the school which has tied in
closely with their campaign to lower the speed limit to 20mph in
their local area.
Jeanette Court, teacher at Marshside School, says:- “The Giant
Walking Bus is a fantastic event that really helps to promote road
safety to children, parents and local drivers. It provides an
opportunity for the children to get involved in learning about safe
walking, the dangers of traffic and why it’s important for drivers
to slow down around schools. Schools can help spread these important
messages through assemblies, road safety talks and by getting the
children to design their own posters and slogans for the march. We’d
definitely encourage other schools to take part and help keep
children and their local community safe.”
Julie Townsend, Brake deputy chief executive, says:- “The
Giant Walking Bus is a great way for schools to promote children’s
right to be able to walk without fear or threat from traffic. It’s a
chance to teach kids about road safety and why walking is healthy
and eco-friendly. But it’s also about showing the local community
why kids’ safety on foot is so vital, and how local drivers can make
a big difference by slowing down. Many schools will have concerns
about children’s safety in their area, and Giant Walking Bus can act
as a springboard for achieving change to help protect everyone.
We’re urging schools to sign up now to take full advantage of the
resources and support Brake offers to help schools get involved.”
3 giant reasons for schools to march
Learning about road safety:- kids can research road risks and
transport choices in their community, and make their own 'slow down'
and 'get walking' placards and other creative materials. Brake
provides guidance to schools on activities they can run. It's a
great way to meet safety and citizenship goals and promote travel
plans or a healthy or eco school status.
Slow down drivers and get kids
walking:- the march gives kids a voice, helping them tell drivers
to slow down and look out for kids. It ties in with Brake’s national
GO 20 campaign and can be used as a springboard for schools to
campaign for safer streets. Brake can help schools get publiCity
through local media, and promote the event in their newsletter or
website, to get the road safety message out.
Help bereaved and injured
families:- kids can be sponsored by family and friends to take
part, or schools can fundraise in other ways on the day, helping
Brake campaign for road safety and support families bereaved and
injured by road crashes.
Facts about children’s road safety
Every school day in the UK, 23 children are run over and hurt when
walking or cycling to or from school and four of these children are
killed or suffer serious injuries. That’s 713 children killed or
seriously injured walking or cycling to school each year. Death on
the road is the biggest non-medical killer of school aged children,
greater than drowning, falls or accidental poisoning combined.
CCTV released after passenger
abused on Birkdale to Litherland train
THE British Transport
Police (BTP) have released this CCTV image of 2 women officers would
like to speak to following an incident on a train between Birkdale
and Seaforth and Litherland. Officers were called on Thursday, 5
December 2013, at about 8.30pm following reports of 2 passengers
being abusive towards other travellers. PC Jane McGee said:-
“2 women boarded the train at Birkdale and travelled to Seaforth and
Litherland, initially doing so in relative peace and quiet. As the
journey progressed the women became more and more abusive and
threatened a woman passenger who was using her phone. The offenders,
having become extremely aggressive, then threatened the woman
stating they would ‘smash her face in’.” Following a
number of local enquiries officers have managed to isolate the CCTV
image of 2 women and are now calling on the public to assist. PC
McGee added:- “The behaviour of the 2 aggressors was as
shocking as it was unprovoked and it is imperative we locate them as
soon as possible. I believe the people captured on CCTV have key
information about the incident and I am calling on anyone who
recognises them; or who has information about the incident; to come
forward.” If you can assist the investigation in any
way please call British Transport Police on:- 0800 40 50 40 or ring
Crimestoppers, anonymously, on:- 0800 555 111. In all calls please
quote log:- NWA/B6 of 22/1/14.
ANTI-THEFT INITIATIVE HAILED A
SUCCESS FOR CYCLISTS IN SEFTON
AN anti-theft initiative led by Police in
North Sefton has been hailed a runaway success. More than 100
cyclists brought their bikes along to Formby Police Station and a
bike shop in Ainsdale earlier this month to get them registered for
free. And since then, neighbourhood officers have offered a similar
service to school children who own mobile phones with more than 250
pupils at Formby High and Range High registering their smart phones.
The initiative, led by neighbourhood inspector Jim Atherton,
involves people recording the make, model and serial number of their
bike, lap top of mobile onto a free online database called:- 'Immobilise.com'.
The database matches registered property to the owner and allows the
Police to search it whenever they recover lost or stolen belongings.
Cyclists who registered their bikes at the 2 surgeries were given
'Immobitags' which are chips that can be embedded into
the bike's frame containing all the owner's information. And so many
high school pupils wanted to register their mobiles, officers are
considering running similar lunchtime sessions at other local
schools in the near future.
Inspector Atherton said:- "It has been great to see so many
members of the public come to these sessions and take up the offer
of free crime prevention measures. People work hard to have nice
things like bikes and phones and it can be really annoying and
upsetting if these things get stolen by opportunist thieves. By
registering your property on a police-approved website, you are
increasing the chances of getting it back if it is stolen, and also
helping the police when we stop people we suspect of having stolen
goods. A quick scan of the database tells us who the rightful owner
is and whether the person we might have detained should be in
possession of it or not. Registering with Immbolise also acts as a
deterent as you can mark you bike or computer with a sticker to make
it clear to any would be thief what you have done. If they have any
sense they will leave it well alone."
Inspector Atherton added:- "The bike surgeries were a big hit
and people queued in the cold to make the most of what was being
offered. The funding came from Sefton Council and the bike shop even
offered free bike safety checks at the same time. I would encourage
people who haven't taken advantage of this initiative yet to look
out for the next ones we run and help us make life as difficult as
possible for criminals who want to steal our things."
For more information about how to protect your home and possessions
visit:-
merseyside.police.uk and follow
the Immobilise link.
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