Free screening of WW1 film kicks off week long commemoration

WITH just a month to go to the WW1 multi media commemoration at Holy Trinity Church, Southport, the latest activity to be included is a free screening of the feature film Journey's End.

Set in a dugout in Aisne in 1918, the film, released this year, reveals the story of a group of British Officers, led by the mentally disintegrating young Officer Stanhope, as they await their fate. The screening (12A) will be at the Church, on Hoghton Street, Southport, on Friday, 9 November 2018, from 7.30pm. It will be free and people can just turn up.

This film kicks off a week of events, organised by Trinity Arts, which includes a gallery of images and stories, live poetry readings with people dressed as WW1 soldiers, a poignant flower display, video reports, schools participation, silhouettes, talks from special guests, and original artwork. There will also be items from WW1 on display including original cigarette boxes, a cartoon book featuring soldiers, medals and more. Children's activities will be available, including making a tissue paper poppy wreath.

The activities above are on Saturday, 10 November, 10am to 4pm, and on the Sunday there will be a Remembrance Service with a 2 minute silence and the laying of wreaths. On Friday, 16 November 2018, in the Parish Centre, at 1pm, there will be a pianist playing war time songs, which people can sing along to. All events are free, but there will be opportunities to donate to the poppy collection, and at the film screening, to the charity Combat Stress.

Organiser Joy Aldred, of Trinity Arts, said that the event had become much bigger than anyone expected. "Thanks to media coverage, so many people have got in touch to share their families' stories and their tales are amazing and so poignant. They're not just about WW1, we are also remembering those who fought in WW2. Just a few highlights to mention include diaries from prisoners of war in both conflicts, a story of someone who deserted; because he wanted to fight at the Front, a Southport lass who helped defend London in WW2, by being a barrage balloon operator, and an Untold Story of a soldier in WW1, whose family knew nothing about his experiences until he died. Then they discovered a cupboard full of memorabilia, from which we've pieced together part of his life at the Front. That memorabilia will be on display on the Saturday and is fascinating."

A timetable of events will be available nearer the time, meanwhile check out:- TrinityArts.Org.UK or follow on Facebook.

Liverpool charity on target to boost local community's circular economy

SPEKE based charity, CREATE UK is celebrating a successful 1st 8 months of its white goods reuse scheme, which aims to rescue old fridges and freezers from the scrap yard, while generating new job opportunities within the local community.

Since January 2018, the charity has already processed over 876 tonnes of refrigeration for repair, recycling and reuse, resulting in the creation of 5 new full time jobs (exceeding the original target of 3 new jobs.)

Due to its success, CREATE UK has already funded 1 of its drivers to obtain his HGV licence. Having been unemployed for a few years, Alfonso Luyeye has now secured a new future and comments:- "By providing the opportunity to work and continually learn and develop new skills, CREATE UK has completely transformed my life for the better. The team are dedicated to helping people and gave me the support I needed to get back on my feet. From recycling other people's unwanted goods, the organisation does excellent work for the Merseyside Region both for people and the environment."

At the end of 2017, the charity was awarded ₤25,000 of funding from the:- 'Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Local Project Fund,' part of the nationwide Distributor Takeback Scheme. This was to be used to support the repair and re-use of white goods appliances, with the refurbished items being sold on to low income households.

The charity made an agreement with REPIC (the UK's largest Producer Compliance Scheme), Veolia and the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority(MRWA) granting it access to the Merseyside and Halton's Household Waste Recycling Centres and Waste Transfer Stations, which receive most of the Region's household waste.

Once collected, reusable white goods are taken to CREATE's workshop in Speke for repair and refurbishment, before being sold on with a 6 month warranty to low income households, via its charity shop in Old Swan, Liverpool, or through other charities. All money made is then invested back into the charity to provide work, training and work placements for local unemployed adults in the collection, selection, refurbishment and sale of reusable appliances.

The initiative's success has meant that the charity has also contracted an additional 18 tonne vehicle in order to collect all refrigeration from Merseyside and Halton's Household Waste Recycling Centres.

Speaking on the importance of collecting and reusing waste and end of life electronic products, Mark Burrows Smith, Chief Executive of Repic said:- "With mounting environmental pressures, we all need to be more efficient with our resources; the act of recycling and reusing everything that we can is a simple and easy way of contributing to the environment. We were really impressed by CREATE's ambition to maximise the reuse and recycling of white goods for the benefit of the local community and environment, which is why we were pleased to give the collection contract to the charity. We look forward to seeing the full results at the end of this year."

CREATE UK is aiming to refurbish over 100 tonnes of appliances for reuse, as well as recycling 2,000 tonnes for parts where repair and reuse is not possible.

To find out more about CREATE UK visit:- CreateUK.Com. To learn more about WEEE recycling or where your nearest recycling facility is located visit:- Responsible-Recycling.Co.UK or contact your local Council.