S Club to switch on Southport Christmas Lights 2018

ON Sunday, 18 November 2018, Southport BID have announced a huge line up for Southport's Big Switch On event! Headliner's for 2018 are 90's/00's superstars S Club, backed by massive boy band 911 and house legends Livin' Joy! The event we are told will be packed full of:- "huge surprises making it Southport's biggest Christmas Light Switch On to date!"

Headliners S Club - Jo, Bradley and Tina, between them have a huge catalogue of hits, including floor fillers such as:- 'Don't stop moving' and 'Reach' through to 'Never had a dream come true' the band have had huge chart successes worldwide.

Boyband 911, known for hits such as:- 'More than a woman' and 'Don't make me wait,' enjoyed huge success and reformed for ITV's The Big Reunion and are back taking on the pop world. Completing the stellar retro line up is classic house giants, Livin' Joy featuring Luzahnn, performing huge hits such as:- 'Dreamer' and 'Don't stop movin...'

Visitors can expect a full day of entertainment before the main show, with:- fairground rides, Santa and his Reindeer and plenty of pop up street entertainment around Town Center.

The main stage, located on Lord Street, will kick off at 2.15pm, with the brilliant StarKidz Christmas Show and performances throughout the afternoon from STA Dance Academy along with 2 superb panto sets. Local singer, Astrid, the star of Team Will.I.am, on ITV's Voice Kids, will also be wowing audiences with her jazz vocals.

Children's headliners this year (2018) are the absolutely hilarious Cook and Line from CBeebies' Swashbuckle. Aimed at young children aged 2 to 7, Swashbuckle takes the form of a pirate game show pitting children against the 'naughty' pirates Cook, Line and Captain Sinker. Cook and Line will be delivering a hilarious show perfect for grown ups and little ones alike.

The 2018 event's presenter will be the star of Love Island, Scott Thomas and the whole event will culminate in the switching on of the spectacular new feature Tree, along with the Town Centre wide lights.

As an added surprise a firework display set to Christmas music from the British Musical Firework Championships Sirotechnics, will burst from the roof of The Atkinson!

Hugh Evans of the BID says:- "2017's switch on was a huge success with over 45,000 people in Town, throughout the course of the day and a crowd of over 4,500 for the switch on moment. It was a spectacular day and we want to make it even better with even more superb surprises and our most impressive line up yet! The fireworks will be a stunning display and we are excited to release details of our stunning new tree as the centre piece to it all"

The entertainment begins at 1pm on Lord Street, Sunday, 18 November 2018, with the lights being turned on at 5.30pm. For more details, running order and line up announcements please follow Southport BID on Facebook, Twitter.

WW1 - Pages of the Sea by Danny Boyle - Formby

THE 11 November 2018 marks 100 years since Armistice and the end of the First World War. To mark the occasion Formby will be taking part in a unique public commemorative event. The National Trust will be leading events at Formby Beach and others across England Wales and Northern Ireland from 9am to 12noon. The event will mark the millions of people served in the 1st World War and many left by sea. Each event centres around the drawing of a large scale portrait of a casualty from the First World War, designed by sand artists Sand In Your Eye, which will be washed away as the tide comes in. In addition, the public will be asked to join in by creating silhouettes of people in the sand, remembering the millions of lives lost or changed forever by the conflict.

Poet Carol Ann Duffy has been invited by Boyle to write a new poem, which will be read by individuals, families and communities as they gather on beaches, on 11 November 2018. Copies of the poem will be available at the beaches around the UK for those who wish to come together or to offer their own personal contribution.
Danny Boyle launches Pages of the Sea Play Video

Pages Of The Sea will take place on Formby Beach, on Sunday, 11 November 2018. Members of the public are encouraged to use public transport to travel to and from Formby on the day to avoid traffic queues and delays to their visit. The event will be focused around the Board Walk Path at Lifeboat Road. This is a 20 minute walk from Formby Station via Kirklake Road or from Victoria Road car park via the Sefton Coastal Path. Lifeboat Road car park has the best access to the event, via the boardwalk and is most suitable for those with access needs, buggies or wheelchairs.

Fake Liverpool ONE Christmas Lights Switch On event notice

FACEBOOK users have been mislead after a post popped up on peoples walls that suggested the Liverpool ONE Christmas Lights Switch On event was on 8 November.   the event notice even appeared on peoples walls, without the account holders being aware that it had popped up on their profile pages. This again highlights issues on Social Media in the way Fake News spreads. We have asked Facebook for a comment, after our Editor found it had popped up on his wall as well!  A spokesperson for Liverpool ONE has confirmed they are aware of the fake post and that the the festive celebration will take place on 16 November, as stated in the 27 October issue.

Schools in Liverpool welcome knife crime awareness

SECONDARY Schools within Liverpool are hosting assemblies dedicated to the awareness of knife crime and how young people can help prevent themselves from becoming victims of knife crime whilst discouraging them from considering carrying a knife.

Working with partners at Merseyside Police, a mobile knife arch will be brought to these assemblies to familiarise young people with how the arches work and what they look like. The knife arch is used to show 1 of the ways that Officers tackle knife crime.

Senior Youth Worker in the City, Alan Walsh who runs the Anfield Boxing Club, will be delivering the sessions. The assemblies will offer a holistic approach to knife crime and highlight some of the known causes of knife culture and carefully discuss the issues, raising the dangers of carrying a knife whilst demonstrating the effect on everyone's lives in the event of a knife related incident.

Cabinet member for Communities and Partnerships, Cllr Liz Parsons said:- "It's important that we inform the young people of Liverpool about the impacts of knife crime and how not to become a victim. Bringing the knife arches into School assemblies is a great way to introduce young people to the look and feel of arches, so should they encounter them in their day to day lives, there will be a sense of familiarity about them and not fear. We want every young person in the City to know how they can avoid slipping into a lifestyle that promotes knife culture."

Liverpool Association of Secondary Heads representative David Hayes said:- "This is not about any 1 School having an issue with knife crime, it’s a collective approach across the whole City as we recognise that schools have a key role in helping to address knife crime."

Merseyside Police Superintendent Mark Wiggins, said:- "The aim of these assemblies is to inform the young people of Liverpool that if they make certain life choices, their chances of becoming a victim of knife crime or ruining their lives could increase. If they are caught with and convicted of a knife crime offense they face being deprived of their liberty, but the consequences for them and their loved ones can be far worse due to the increased risk of physical harm both to themselves and to others if they choose to carry a knife. Secondary schools across Liverpool approached us to ask how they can assist in reducing knife crime and we recognize their importance in getting the message across. No 1 school suffers from this issue, so they have come together with us to deliver the knife crime sessions so young people understand the negative impact carrying a knife can have. It’s really important that everybody knows how and who to contact if they suspect somebody of carrying a knife and to be strong enough to do so."