Public welcome at Trust board meeting

SOUTHPORT and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust will hold its next board meeting, on Wednesday, 6 April 2016, at 9.30am.  The meeting will be held in the Clinical Education Centre at Southport and Formby District General Hospital.  Members of the public are welcome to attend and observe the meeting. Anyone with a special requirement should contact the Trust in advance on:- 01704 704783.  The agenda will be available on the Trust website in advance of the meeting. Supporting papers will be made available on the day.

Local celebrities support festival

LIVERPOOL celebrities have expressed their support for Liverpool and the North West's only festival dedicated to showcasing new stage writing talent.  Actress and Comedienne, Pauline Daniels; Brookside Actor, John McArdle; Corrie Actress, Pauline Flemming; Poet and Playwright, Roger McGough; Actor Joe McGann; Historian, writer and radio presenter Frank Carlysle, have all offered support for Page to Stage festival, while one of the plays is directed by Emma Bird (Casualty's Maxine Price)

Page To Stage is a festival of new writing for theatre that will br running until 17 April 2016. Showcasing 8 new plays from non professional playwrights over 2 weeks, it gives new and emerging writers valuable experience in producing, casting and staging their own plays under the guidance of the festival director "I believe in nurturing new talent. A festival like this is the ideal place for new writing and new productions." explains organiser John McArdle.

Actress Pauline Daniels added:- "It is imperative that something as important as Page To Stage Festival happens here. Merseyside and the North West are renowned for their wealth of talent"

Each play is performed 5 times in a variety of venues around the city centre, giving the writers experience of touring their work in the relatively safety of a festival.

John launched the festival back in September 2014 as Liverpool's answer to Manchester's 24:7 following the demise of the 4 year old Write Now Festival. "It just didn't feel right leaving such a vacuum. Where would be the outlet for new writing in Liverpool? And what about all the missed opportunities for actors, directors and stage crew?" explains John.

With 24:7's recent announcement that they will no longer run as a festival, Page To Stage is left as the only such festival of new writing in the North West.  "Our Gift" is a play about the difficulties of grandparents caring for a severely autistic teenager. "A particularly poignant piece for autism awareness week." said John. At the other end of the caring spectrum, "Bricks" deals with 2 sisters' disagreements about the care of their aging father.

Celebrity culture is covered by "A Role", when an actor decides to shadow a career criminal to research a part, while a father becomes an internet sensation when his son videos his heart attack in "A Reluctant Celebrity."

Visions of dystopian futures are provided by the Orwellian "Welcome to Paradise Road" where Neighbourhood Watch really does watch the neighbours and dissidents disappear overnight, while a married couple in "An Everyday Apocalypse" fight for the survival of their relationship from the zombies knocking on the door.

The fantasy dramas:- "Chamber of Beheaded Queens" and "Truly Exotic" add an historical element to the festival. 4 Queens meet up in an afterlife chamber and discuss their various stories and beheadings while a time travelling trouble maker meets one of Elizabeth's courtiers recently returned from exotic lands.  "A number of venues are on board.., Including the Zanzibar, Ship and Mitre, Small Cinema, Quaker Meeting House and The Treasurehouse Theatre in the World Museum; who knew about that one?" says John.

In addition to these, there are 4 "Scouse and Show" double bill evenings at:- 'Fruit and Fibres Canteen' with all you can eat Scouse thrown in.

The festival begins, on Sunday, 4 April 2016, with a secret launch event. Further details and ticket information are on the website.

The final words go to John McArdle:– "I wish John Mc and his team the best of luck with it and hope it's a huge success."  And Pauline Daniels:- "Please support this festival,,, WE NEED IT!"