Letter to Editor:- "British Heart Foundation Face a Fear"

"DID you know that 28% of people, within the North West of England, are scared of spiders? This July, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) is challenging the nation to face their fears and raise money for life saving research into heart and circulatory disease. Every year, heart and circulatory diseases including heart attack, stroke and vascular dementia kill around 17,800 in North West. Today, more than 850,000 people in the region are living with these serious illnesses. We urgently need to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat these terrible conditions. That's why I'm calling on everyone in North West to join me this July in signing up to the British Heart Foundation's (BHF) Face a Fear campaign to help fund our fearless researchers. There will be a pint of blood, sweat and fears when I conquer my phobia of needles by donating blood. Knowing I'm helping people in more ways than 1 is what I will think about to get me through. So whether its spiders or snakes that leave you squirming, or dizzying heights that have you frozen with fear, it's time to look fear in the eye and say:- 'No more.' It won't be easy, but every courageous pound you raise by facing your fears is crucial in funding the cutting edge breakthroughs we need to end the devastation caused by heart disease. Your heart will race and your legs will wobble, but at the end of it, you'll feel on top of the world. You'll overcome something. You'll conquer an enemy. So join me this July; put your courage to the ultimate test and get sponsored to beat heartbreak forever. Sign up today at:- BHF.Org.UK/FaceAFear."  Yours sincerely, Adrian Adams, Head of Face a Fear at the British Heart Foundation.

Freshfield Animal Rescue Centre needs your help!

FRESHFIELD Animal Rescue has been shortlisted for Sainsbury's Local Charity of the Year, at 2 of it's local stores, in Southport and Upton.

Debbie Hughes, from Freshfield Animal Rescue Centre, said:- "This would be a great opportunity for Freshfield Animal Rescue Centre to gain support and raise funds for the animals throughout the year. It's now up to a public vote. You can vote online, and in store. If you would like to vote for us online, it's quite straightforward:-

1. Please go to:- SainsburysLocalCharity.Co.UK .

2. Type in 'Southport' when you're asked to 'search for your local store.'

3. Choose the Southport, St George's Place option (in purple)

4. 3 charities will come up. Click the 'Freshfields' option.

You can also do this exactly the same steps to vote for us at the 'Upton' store. Plus you can vote on multiple devices, phone, laptop and PC. That's it! Cheers everyone! Vote, share, tell your friends and family and let's do this for the animals! Vote closes on Sunday, 24 June 2018."

We are also told that you can also vote in store at:- Southport Sainsburys, St. George's Place, Lord Street, or at:- Upton Sainsbury's, Upton By Pass, Birkenhead.

Liverpool Gears Up For:- 'The Future of Work'

ORGANISATIONS across Liverpool are announcing a new positive commitment to exploring:- 'The Future World of Work.' A range of projects, events and trials will start to tackle the big question around what work will look like for the people of the City in coming years; reacting to estimates which show 50% of current jobs in Liverpool will no longer exist within the next 20 years.

The Future World of Work is split into 4 separate elements:-

► Artistic Exploration - Led by FACT, 8 international artists are being commissioned to engage with workers and businesses across a number of sectors to explore the future of work on society through an artistic lens.

► Business - The 2018 International Business Festival - which opens today - will have dedicated sessions everyday throughout its 3 weeks with key thought leaders including shadow business secretary Rebecca Long Bailey, ARM Holdings CEO Simon Segars and Paul Behan head of IBM's Watson artificial intelligence division all looking at the Future World of Work and what it means for businesses, locally and globally.

► Training - Liverpool City Council and Liverpool City region will begin working together to explore new approaches to training and skills which will create a workforce ready for the future.

► Education - A new exploratory Education Consortium, led by Liverpool John Moores University and chaired by Phil Redmond, will bring together higher, further and secondary education to begin looking at the journey of people of all ages in education being more responsive to the requirements of the job market. This approach is being trialled as part of Liverpool's bid to be the new home for Channel 4.

The details on the artistic commissions as part of The Future World of Work will be announced in the near future, and the full list of speakers as part of the sessions at IFB can be found online.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said:- "The world of work is changing at the fastest rate since the industrial revolution. Some estimates believe that in a decade, 50% of the current jobs in Liverpool will no longer exist. Schools are worried the curriculum is producing children without the skills to survive in the future jobs market and businesses are rushing to keep up. But it can't be all doom and gloom. Technology has created industries we couldn't have imagined a few years ago, and the City has some of the fastest growing businesses around. Today's announcement is about a long term progressive commitment to think differently about the Future World of Work, and also about getting the public to start thinking about what it might mean for them."

Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:- "Nobody knows exactly what the coming years hold for us in terms of the way technology will change industries and worker's day to day lives. But what we do know is that the Fourth Industrial Revolution is around the corner, and we can't ignore it. I am very excited that as a City region we are taking the lead in exploring what it might mean for our residents, and proud that we are hosting some of the best thinkers and business people in the world on this subject over the coming weeks at the International Business Festival; the biggest of its kind in the UK."

FACT Director Mike Stubbs said:- "The Future World of Work provides a timely, and much awaited inquiry into the changing face of working life in a hyper connected economy with challenges including gig work, gender representation, and social care work to name a few. We cannot underestimate this moment in time, but whilst the newspapers are saturated with doom laden stories of automation, this artistic programme will cut through the science fiction, to understand what the coming workplace revolution means for us all."

UNI Global Union General Secretary Philip Jennings, who is hosting the 5th UNIGlobal Union World Congress in Liverpool which begins this week added:- "Big data, artificial intelligence, robotics, and global connectivity are the new frontiers for the labour movement. Liverpool is where global union leaders will set new benchmarks for the digital world of work. Liverpool was at the centre of the industrial revolution where workers fought to establish fair labour standards and we hope will do so again in this new digital age. We say no return to the casualisation practices of the 19th Century and demand a digital inclusive workplace where no 1 is left behind."

Later in the year, a 'Future World of Work' website will be launched which will bring together all of the content from across the season as well as providing links to support people who are in finding out more about what the future of work will mean for them personally.

Letter to Editor:- "Reply Letter about Green War on High Streets"

"AGREED that Pedestrianisation has had an effect on the high street, but it is minimal, the biggest impact on the high street is currently Online shopping, that you stated in your letter that was published on Southport Reporter. With this change we need to consider that our high streets will become residential areas and we need to let go of the concept of the high street as a shopping area, and maybe resign ourselves to the high street becoming a service based economy with restaurants, coffee shops, hairdressers and barbers. 

The fact is at the moment online shopping only takes 15% of the annual money spent on shopping, what actually has a bigger impact is that there are 80 locations throughout the UK that absorbs 75% of the annual shopping spend and these locations are retail parks and shopping centres. These retail parks and shopping centres have probably had more of a negative impact on the high street than the pedestrian areas and also means that those people using them are not putting any money back into the roads through the payment of parking meters / fees. 

Pedestrianised areas are better for Towns and Cities, increasing footfall to those shops within and bordering the areas, reducing pollution and accidents and it will also have the side effect of improving the health of those drivers who have to walk the 'several hundred yards' to the shops.  From the little research I have done, most cities and Towns that have pedestrianised areas also have good, out of Town, park and ride systems. 

I personally don't walk past closed shops with a smug expression, as it has little impact on me whether a shop is open or shut and I'm a realist knowing full well that change is bound to happen and the big change of our time is the rise of online shopping and the impact that is having on our high streets. I'm also not anti car, but I do think that we need to reduce the cars on our roads, especially the fossil fuel driven ones, and yes I'm in favour of turning more urban spaces into full pedestrianised spaces for all off the reasons previously mentioned.

Claiming that being anti car is a 'blinkered' view, is, in and of itself, a blinkered view and doesn't give the opposite side of the debate credibility therefore trying to ridicule or downplay their argument or point of view. If you have an opinion write in and let us know."  - Erirca.