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Giant event to
take over City Park
THE return of the giants
this summer will see them exploring Kensington as part of their
latest Liverpool adventure. Set to be the UK's flagship 2014
World War One commemoration event, Memories of August 1914, welcomes
back the Little Girl Giant and her faithful pet dog Xolo in a
special event marking the outbreak of the Great War.
The entire event runs from 23-27 July (with the main action taking
place from the 25-27) and is expected to be the largest ever
cultural event to ever take place in Newsham Park. The beautiful
Grade II Victorian Park will be the sleep-over location for the
giant visitors on the Friday night with the mesmerising marionettes
exploring the streets around Gardener's Drive and Sheil Road. And
continuing the epic journey, some of the action will also take place
in the Peel owned Clarence Dock area which is part of a world
heritage site and Liverpool Waters. The huge space will also act as
their sleep over destination on the Saturday night, and will easily
accommodate the hundreds of thousands of people expected to turn out
to watch the spectacular as the story unfolds.
As with the 2012 Sea Odyssey event, it is hoped that by taking some
of the activity out of the main City Centre areas Memories will
shine a light on areas outside of the City Centre connecting with
those communities and showcasing the potential development and
investment opportunities.
Founder and Artistic Director of Royal de Luxe – the street theatre
company who are bringing the event to the City - Jean Luc Courcoult,
said:- "It is our ethos to make sure free events touch the
heart of communities and neighbourhoods. Seeing these beautiful
giants walking past rows of houses, local shops and parks means that
we are bringing magical theatre to an audience who may not usually
engage with art. We are passionate that art connects communities so
we literally take art to their doorstep."
Liverpool City Council's cabinet member for culture and tourism,
Councillor Wendy Simon, said:- "We have spent months working
with the French team looking at the route, with one of our main aims
being that the visit of the giants should benefit wider communities.
It's also about bringing large numbers of people into a community
which they may have never visited before, allowing them to see the
hidden gems of the City and hopefully transform their perceptions of
that area.
Sea Odyssey had a huge impact on north Liverpool and we received
fantastic feedback from residents who were delighted that an event
of this scale was performed on their doorstep. It gave them a real
opportunity to showcase the area and in turn engendered pride,
inspired creativity and built community cohesion.
We hope for a similar reaction this year, particularly in the Newsham
Park area, and we look forward to working with residents, businesses
and community groups on how they can make the most of this amazing
opportunity which will shine a national spotlight on Liverpool."
Ian Pollitt, development investment surveyor at Peel Holdings said:-
"There's no doubt that the return of the giants will be a
spectacular event and will draw people to the City in their
thousands. We want to be part of this remarkable occasion and
provide a taste of the future we have in store for Liverpool Waters.
By opening the doors of Liverpool Waters to key cultural events such
as the giants and the new drive-in cinema at Clarence Dock, we are
making the very most of the City's greatest natural asset: its
waterfront."
The event takes place from 23 July to 27
July 2014.
► Wednesday, 23
July and Thursday, 24 July 20134, will be a static (i.e no
giants walking around the City) City Centre element of the show.
The full route and story will not be released for another couple of
months, but the current performance times are:-
►
Friday, 25 July and Saturday, 26 July 2014 from 10am to 7pm to 7.30pm (approx).
►
Sunday, 27 July 2014 from 9am to 1pm (approx).
Student debits will be haunting
many for life ON
10 April 2014 the results of a study commissioned by Sutton Trust
have found most students will still be paying back university loans
into their 40's and 50's. When labour introduced the loans, many
students protested and warned that it would affect less advantaged
students and plunge many more into a lifetime of debt. Many
questioned the figures given about former students wages. Now it
looks like the chickens are coming home to roost. It has now been
revealed that many more former students will never pay the debts off
than predicted, leaving them with a debt hanging over them for
life. The 2012 student finance regime will lead to many more people
vulnerable being affected by this financial time bomb, at a time
that many groups are claiming that family costs are now peaking.
Are you one of the first group of Students who had student loans?
Are you still paying them off, or have you not started paying them
off? Have you paid you loan off? Have you just taken a student loan
out? Let us know what you think about this looming and possibility
catastrophic threat personal finance and education... Email us to:-
news24@southportreporter.com.
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North West
jobseekers required to do more to find work
SIMPLY 'signing-on'
for benefits will be a thing of the past under new rules coming into
force at the end of this month which will mean jobseekers will have
to do more to find work.
Employment Minister Esther McVey has hailed the new rules as a
fundamental shift in expectations which helps put to an end the
one way street to benefits where people start claiming Jobseeker's
Allowance by just signing on without first taking steps to make
themselves attractive to employers.
Employers looking to fill vacancies want people who are prepared,
enthusiastic and job ready. That is why, from the end of this month,
we will begin asking jobseekers to take the first basic steps to
make themselves employable before meeting with a Jobcentre Plus
adviser, and then if necessary meet more regularly with their
adviser so they get more support up front.
 Minister for Employment Esther McVey said:-
"With the economy
growing, unemployment falling and record numbers of people in work,
now is the time to start expecting more of people if they want to
claim benefits. It's only right that we should ask people to take
the first basic steps to getting a job before they start claiming
Jobseeker's Allowance; it will show they are taking their search
for work seriously.
This is about treating people like adults and setting out clearly
what is expected of them so they can hit the ground running. In
return, we will give people as much help and support as possible to
move off benefits and into work because we know from employers that
it's the people who are prepared and enthusiastic who are most
likely to get the job."
To prepare for their 1st
interview with a Jobcentre Plus adviser, jobseekers will be asked to
do things like preparing a CV, setting up an email address and
registering for the Government's new jobs website. This change will
mean people start their Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) claim ready to
look for work and will show they are serious about finding a job as
quickly as possible.
People who need it will also have more regular meetings with their
Jobcentre Plus adviser; weekly rather than fortnightly; to ensure
they are doing everything they can to look for work and to quickly
identify any gaps in their work search.
All new JSA claimants will also now have a quarterly review with
their adviser where they will review their progress and job goals to
identify what more they can do to move into work. This will mirror
reviews that are carried out in the workplace to look at
achievements and areas for development.
These new measures are being introduced as figures show the number
of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance fell by over 363,000 on the
year, which is the largest annual fall since 1998. The number of
young people claiming JSA has been falling for the last 21 months.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the
employment rate has hit a five-year high and a record 30.19 million
people are now in jobs. Private sector employment has increased by
1.73 million since 2010, showing the Government's long-term economic
plan is proving successful.
The latest figures also show the
number of job vacancies increased in the last three months by 23,000
to 588,000. The number of people who are unemployed fell by
63,000 in the last three months, with the number of people who have
been unemployed for over a year falling by 38,000. The number of
unemployed young people also fell by 29,000 and has been falling now
for the last 6 months.
The Government is committed to helping people off benefits and into
work and the vast majority of people move off JSA quickly; over 75%
of people end their JSA claim within 6 months. Every working day
Jobcentre Plus advisers carry out around 98,000 interviews with
jobseekers and there are a range of schemes available to increase
people skills and give them the experience and training they need to
get a job, these include:-
► Nearly half a million long-term unemployed people have started a
job thanks to the Work Programme.
► Jobcentres have made more than half a million referrals for
training to help people get the skills they need to compete in
today's job market. And almost 150,000 of those referrals were for
young people.
► 277,000 people have taken part in an employer-led placement or
work experience designed to ensure they have the skills for modern
workplaces
► Over 65,000 young people have started a job through the Wage
Incentive
► Over 32,000 new businesses have been started thanks to the New
Enterprise Allowance, which gives expert mentoring and financial
support to jobseekers who want to be their own boss.
What North West employers and stakeholders have to say:
Suzanne Caldwell, Head of Business Services at Cumbria Chamber of
Commerce, said:- "Make sure you think about the skills and
experience you have, whether gained in the workplace, through
volunteering or elsewhere. Think about how they fit with the job
you're applying for and then make sure you highlight this in your
application and any interview. And be enthusiastic, even if you
don't feel it. Take a job, any job, or volunteer, or try working for
yourself for a while. You never know where it might lead and
employers always prefer someone who has grasped the nettle and done
something rather than sat waiting for the right job."
Jenny Stewart, Chief Executive of Liverpool & Sefton Chambers of
Commerce, said:- "Employers aren't just looking for skills.
They are looking for energy, drive and passion. With those assets,
any employer can give you the skills to do the job. Attitude is the
most important thing!" |
