News reports located on this page = 5.

Letters to the Editor:- "Locals residents and business have issues with L37 Festival decision."

"WITH reference to my previous letter concerning the application for a 365 day Entertainment and Alcohol License at; the applicant used the usual procedure of asking for a great deal in order to get what they actually wanted, not a 1 year licence, but a permanent licence for a 3 day 'open air festival' every year. Regretfully the Licensing Committee, contrary to the Council’s own stated policy, granted this licence, saying that as the Council’s Environmental Health Department, and the Police, had passed this reduced application, they accepted their decision over the objections of the local residents; and a road safety expert. 1 of the greatest concerns is that this event is to be held in a field with the entrance/exit onto a narrow country road, only wide enough for streams of cars in both directions, where anything bigger, such as parked coaches, would block one lane completely. This road to the nearest Railway Station has no street lighting, and only 1 side even has a pavement - with a ditch alongside it! There is no public transport at all. The entrance / exit is less than 400 yards from a 60mph dual carriageway. A road safety expert said that whatever conditions were set or plans made, to grant an entertainment and alcohol licence at that location would result in accidents and injuries, if not worse. It was said there will be a turn round area inside the entrance for coaches to collect revellers and deposit them at Rail Stations, at Formby, Hightown and Crosby. How many revellers will quietly wait inside the grounds for their turn for coaches there? Will Merseyrail be able or willing to lay on extra trains? Even if they do revellers will have to wait for trains, and from past experience local residents fear vandalism and anti-social behaviour and Hightown Station has no toilets! Will Sefton Council explain why they publish that it is a condition that people must be able to make their way in safety to and from entertainments and then grant entertainment and alcohol licences at a dangerous venue; and when their own officials have told the applicants that statements of intention without provable plans are enough to get a licence? I would like you to ask if the headliners at this venue are aware of the objections from the local community, to the noise nuisance to the nearby quiet Village, and no local transport by the venue, and the fears of accidents and injuries to attendees? I feel very sorry for the local fishing business that is literally in the next field to this venue. I understand that fish get scared off by noise; how much business will they do whilst this 'festival' is taking place? May I just say a sincere thank the local councillor Catie Page for speaking up for the local residents at the licensing hearing." (Full name and address provided.)

Editors Note:- Link to the letters reference to previous published in our paper are as follows:- Letter 1 / Letter 2. Now we know what the event is, we are trying to contact L37 Fest to see if they can give you any reassurances on the issues you have raised. We will also be contacting the bands for comment along with Sefton Council.

Woodvale Rally legacy meeting

ON 9 April 2019, at 7:30pm, VAMPhire.com will be acting as an intermediate between interested parties who would like to set up any legacy events, at a meeting, to be hosted at Sacrebleu Southport. This is an open meeting and it is a networking, fact finding meeting, with representatives from Woodvale Rally attending.

It is for any event to gain an inheritance from Woodvale Rally. It is open to who ever attends as to what this legacy will be and what form it takes.

Sacrebleu is located on Seabank Road, (PR9 0EW) and is in walking distance of the x2 and 2 bus stops, as well as Southport Station. This is a working bar, so please do buy a few drinks. They make coffee and tea and also have a good range of soft drinks, if you are driving…

Should you be unable to attended, but have a real offer, to add for consideration, be that a location to hold an event, an offer of your time and support as part of a committee or some other form of support, please send us full information by 8 April 2019, to VAMPHire.com, on the media and event agency's Facebook Page.

VAMPhire.com will keep all information about contact detail of those not attending, private and will only release to a group, after agreement from the person making the offer. This is to keep people's personal information private, until a definite group or groups have been established. That way you will know who has your information.

Already 1 legacy event is The BIG Model and Hobby Show, that will be held later this year in Southport.

Paul Aitken's Next of Kin Appeal

MERSEYSIDE Police are appealing to the public to trace the family members of a man who passed away in the Liverpool area. Mr Paul Simon Aitken, 50 of Canterbury Way, Liverpool was sadly found deceased at his home address, on Tuesday, 2 April 2019. His death is not being treated as suspicious. Anyone that knows Mr Aitken or how we could get in touch with his family members is asked to contact Coroner's Investigation Officer, Liam Moss, at the Coroner's Office on:- 0151 233 0150 or email:- Liam.Moss1@Liverpool.Gov.UK.

SAT's revision? No way. Have fun with your kids this Easter

EDUCATION expert and former Teacher Oli Ryan says that Primary School children don't need revision or tuition. "As a former Primary School Teacher, I think it is entirely unnecessary and inappropriate to make children undertake revision for the SAT's children take in Year 2 and Year 6 of Primary School, even more so during the holidays."

It's easy to forget that SAT's are designed to measure pupil progress. Additional revision outside School means that Teachers won't get a realistic idea of how your children are progressing. SAT's aren't qualifications: they're guidelines for Schools and Teachers, to help them plan how best to support children during their time at School.

MPs and headTeachers have repeatedly said that SAT's are putting too much pressure on pupils and causing them unnecessary stress. For parents to add to it is unforgiveable. For young children, holidays and ½ terms should be about be about activities, family time and, most importantly, fun.

Tutoring for SAT's is an even worst idea an could even harm their education. It could push children way beyond what they are capable of during the School day. This could cause children real problems as they move from Primary to Secondary School as secondaries, use KS2 SAT's results to place pupils in attainment based maths and English sets. Children who are placed in sets which are:- 'too high' may struggle to keep up, and lose confidence. It can take time for Teachers to place them in the set that matches their abilities.

Instead of revision or tutoring for Primary age children, my tips for holiday learning are:-

► Allow for free, undirected time for children to play with friends and siblings.

► They will find creative ways to pass the time, which is a skill in and of itself.

► Most learning during term time takes place inside, but some of the best learning happens outside the classroom.

► Get out into the park, go for walks, explore forests and gardens, go rock pooling, beach combing, metal detecting, geo caching (outdoor treasure hunting) - whatever! Children learn loads when they're exploring outside!

► Check out pinterest for some great art / cooking ideas for rainy days.

Of course, when it comes to GCSE and ALevel preparation at Secondary School, revision is definitely effective. But the time spent on swotting should be agreed with the student rather than dictated to them, and how that time is managed should be the responsibility of the children themselves (not to say that adult assistance with this isn't often necessary or helpful).

Here are my tips for exam preparation without tears:-

► Help your child to make a written / drawn weekly planner, or use a physical calendar / diary. They should plan to do a little each day, ensuring that the revision is varied.

► Recommend that they use a countdown timer. Suggest that they revise in blocks of no more than 25 minutes, and plan for short 5 minute breaks after each block (3 to 4 a day at the most in the holidays). Ideally, get them out of the way in the morning (after a lie in!), in a single session rather than split up throughout the day. That's just too dispiriting.

► Students should tick off each revision task on their planner - it feels great and they can see what they've achieved!

Help children avoid procrastination by ensuring they have a tidy, light, clean, dedicated space to study. A corner of a dining room table is fine as long as it's kept clear and ready to work at. Create an environment where they can work quietly without distraction. Instruct younger siblings to stay away; quiet music, ideally without vocals, in the background can act a bit like 'white noise' and help with focusing on revision, and masking distracting background sounds. Oli Ryan is a former Teacher and now works at Plan Bee, which produces ready to use lesson plans for Teachers.

Women in North West urged to take part in revolutionary breast cancer study

RESEARCHERS based at Wythenshawe Hospital are inviting a number of women from across the North West to be part of a new study that could help to revolutionise breast screening in the UK. The specialist team is urging women who have received an invite letter to come forward and be part of the pioneering research. The vital research will test, in a live clinical setting, the Hospital's BC Predict risk assessment tool; a ground breaking online system that estimates a woman's risk of developing breast cancer in the next 10 years through an in depth questionnaire that assesses a number of risk factors. The images taken from a recent breast screening mammogram will be used to measure breast density, an important predictor of breast cancer risk, and this will be included in a risk estimate along with the information collected from the questionnaire. The test comes ahead of a large scale research study involving:- Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and East Cheshire Breast Screening Programmes. The BC Predict tool will be used as part of the study to determine whether the breast cancer screening service should be changed so that it includes a personal assessment of breast cancer risk for each woman invited for breast screening. Currently around 1 in 9 women in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. However, if it's detected early, treatment is more successful and there's a better chance of cure. The ultimate aim of this research is to develop methods of identifying which women are at risk of developing breast cancer, so that they are then able to be offered preventative interventions to stop the disease from ever occurring.

Nikki Barraclough is executive director of Prevent Breast Cancer, which is part funding the study and is the only UK breast cancer charity completely dedicated to researching how to predict, prevent and protect future generations from developing breast cancer. She commented:- "At the moment, all women aged from 50 to 70, who are registered with a GP (or known to the NHS) are automatically invited for breast cancer screening. However, the risk of getting breast cancer is not the same for all women, and that's why this type of study is so vitally important in helping to shape future services. Those women invited to take part could, quite literally, be helping to make history. We know from our previous research (PROCAS 1) that it's possible to accurately estimate breast cancer risk in women attending breast screening, by looking at the most important breast cancer risk factors and analysing mammograms to assess breast tissue density; an important predictor of breast cancer risk."

Predicting Risk Of Cancer At Screening 1 (PROCAS 1), carried out in 2009, recruited 57,900 women from across Greater Manchester to answer questions about their family history and lifestyle ahead of their routine breast screening appointments. Scientists were then able to calculate a 'risk score' based on this information together with their breast density; ratio of breast tissue to fat tissue. Depending on their risk level, women were offered risk reducing measures, including more frequent mammograms, diet and lifestyle advice and, for those found to have a particularly high risk, preventative drugs or surgery. PROCAS 1 found that, while 3 yearly screening intervals are appropriate for the majority of women, approximately ⅓ of women are at higher risk of developing cancer and might benefit from more frequent mammograms.

Professor Gareth Evans, BC Predict chief investigator, said:- "The research we're now undertaking is of vital importance, as the BC Predict tool is an essential element of the wider research being conducted within the field of breast cancer research. Women who receive an invite letter from the Hospital and opt to take part, will be asked to read and complete a BC Predict risk assessment questionnaire, which they can do from the comfort of their own home, on a computer, tablet or smartphone. A mammogram will also be carried out in order to understand breast density, which ultimately impacts breast cancer risk. We'll then use this information to calculate their individual risk of developing breast cancer in the next 10 years, and send them information on their risk in the post, along with advice on ways of reducing it. All women participating in the study will also have the opportunity to speak with the study team to discuss their feedback."

Nikki Barraclough added:- "Breast cancer is something that affects many women, and so many people's lives; whether directly or indirectly, through family, friends and work colleagues. And it's for this very reason we're urging women across the North West to take part in the current BC Predict test. By simply completing a questionnaire, and having a mammogram, they'll be helping us to accurately test the system and increase our current understanding of risk, which will no doubt help countless people, both now and in the future. Ultimately, by giving women their breast cancer risk and signposting them to available services, we hope to reduce the number of women being diagnosed with breast cancer and detect breast cancer at an earlier stage."

Helen Whitehead, who recently took part in the BC Predict test, commented:- "I was more than happy to take part in this project, as I think BC Predict is a very important diagnostic tool that will make a real difference to many women; particularly the younger generation. I've never personally been affected by breast cancer, though I have had the odd scare, as many women have. However, throughout; I'm now 70. I've always gone for screening, as I would any other type of medical appointment or routine check up. Taking part was simple, too. I attended my mammogram screening as normal, and then I had to fill out a questionnaire. I'd encourage everyone who's eligible to take part to do so, as it takes so little time and helps towards such a deserving cause."