'Our Liverpool' program ready to launch...

LIVERPOOL City Council launches:- 'Our Liverpool,' a programme to help migrants and refugees settle into their new City and get to know their neighbours.

The ₤2.4 Million funding from the Home Office to will enable City Council to improve and increase the capacity of services for asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable migrants to access the support they are entitled to and to live independent healthy lives and contribute to their communities, such as:- housing, education and health services.

The 'Our Liverpool' programme sets out to enable refugees to obtain appropriate benefits and safe housing freeing up emergency accommodation for the wider community. Employment services will support migrants to access employment opportunities, easing pressures on job centres and family learning support to enable migrant children to access education more readily.

Across the city, Our Liverpool will include initiatives to tackle migrant rough sleeping, provide specialist educational support to migrant children to free up pressure on schools and to ensure that all children are given immediate access to learn, which will help with integration. ESOL (English for Speakers of another Language) will be provided to enable migrants to use services more effectively.

Many of the projects supported by Our Liverpool will provide English language lessons to allow new residents to contribute to and feel part of their communities. They will also include education around British values and social norms, breaking down cultural barriers. Local communities will have opportunities to connect with their new neighbours.

Cabinet member for Communities and Partnerships, Cllr Liz Parsons said:- "The launch of Our Liverpool is something that we've been really excited for. Ensuring that we have adequate provisions for asylum seekers, refugees, and vulnerable migrants are absolutely essential. Liverpool is a City that is known for its welcoming and friendly nature, we want to make sure that people coming to our City feel supported in every way possible and to know that we want them to have the very best future imaginable in our City. Having the provision to be able to provide services solely for asylum seekers and refugees will undoubtedly increase the capacity of mainstream services, and allow us to tailor the support we give to vulnerable migrants."

Bootle Graduates Celebrate at University Centre's 1st Graduation Ceremony

GRADUATES, their guests and staff from Hugh Baird College's University Centre has celebrated student success at their 1st ever Higher Education (HE) graduation ceremony. Opened in 2014 as an affordable, inspirational and logical progression for students from the College and those living within the Region, Hugh Baird University Centre now offers 17 foundation degrees and 13 full honours degrees along with a range of professional development courses. Most courses can be studied part time and all foundation degrees and full honours degrees are validated and approved by The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).

Colette Mawdsley, Dean of Higher Education, at the Hugh Baird University Centre, told us that:- "As an organisation, we recognised the ability and talent that many of our students possessed, but we also discovered that large numbers of our learners just didn't believe that University level study was something they could achieve or something they even deserved. It was something that 'other' people did. We realised that it wasn't right that many within our local community were passing up the opportunity to further develop themselves because they didn't have the confidence or financial means to go to a large University or they thought that they couldn't because they'd had a family. So we decided to do something about it and set about developing a curriculum that not only provided clear progression routes for our learners, but also gave them the high level skills needed to embark on careers in the key economic growth areas of the Liverpool City Region. Our 1st event Graduation Ceremony is testament to the hard work of all our graduates, but it was also an opportunity to celebrate the dedication of staff from right across the College who have all contributed to making the University Centre a reality."

Those in attendance at the ceremony heard about a number of inspirational educational journeys from graduates picking up special achievement awards, but none were more moving and impressive than that of Thomas Rothwell.

Tom 1st joined the College on a Level 2 course in Art and Design after having had a challenging time at a number of local schools. At the age of 16 years by his own admission, he felt forgotten about and had a low opinion of himself. Although he had excellent practical skills in 3D building and designing, these skills went unnoticed and he was not given the chance to flourish and develop. This was not the case when he joined Hugh Baird College.  He successfully completed his Level 2 course and moved on to higher level study at the College before progressing on to study for a Foundation Degree in Visual Merchandising and Promotional Design at the University Centre. He achieved a Distinction grade in his foundation degree and then decided to study for a full BA (Hons) degree. In June of 2018, Tom was delighted to hear he'd not only gained a full degree, but had also achieved a 1st Class pass grade.

Speaking after the ceremony, Tom said:- "The ceremony was amazing. It was nice to be recognised for what I've achieved, but none of it would have been possible if it hadn't been for the amazing staff at Hugh Baird College and the Hugh Baird University Centre. They are supportive and really go out of their way to help each and every student. The student support really is second to none and I would like to thank all the staff who supported me while I studied here."

Tim Steele, The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), Executive Director for International Strategy and Partnerships said:- "I was delighted to officiate at the 1st award ceremony with High Baird College and University Centre as we celebrated the success of the latest graduates to come out of this longstanding partnership. UCLan is very proud to provide access to students in their local community which underpins UCLan's approach to Widening Participation, and our approach to Working in Partnership, to Work with Place, People and to Work with Potential. It was clear from the reaction from all the families, friends and the High Baird University Centre academic faculty how proud everyone was of the graduates, many of whom have overcome personal challenges and combined study with work. I look forward to continue to work with the College as we look to further strengthen our partnership."

ONS National Measure of Loneliness; Christmas brings welcome holiday from "holiday" for lonely maternity mothers

THE ONS has released its National Measure of Loneliness, a comprehensive guide on the loneliness measurement landscape, including the recommended national indicators of loneliness and the questions used to test and underpin these recommendations.

The latest data focuses on young people and children and shows that 11.3% of children age 10 to 15 said they were "often" lonely, falling slightly to 9.8% of 16 to 24 year olds. A previous study by the ONS found that 5% of adults reported feeling lonely "often" or "always" with those particularly at risk identified as:-

► Widowed older homeowners living alone with long term health conditions.

► Unmarried, middle agers with long term health conditions.

► Younger renters with little trust and sense of belonging to their area.

As the festive season approaches and we get to spend time with our friends and family, Christmas will bring some of us a welcome respite from an area of life that isn't often associated with feeling lonely; maternity leave. The ONS state that women are more likely to feel lonely when compared to men and a study earlier this week by the BBC found that 47% of women found themselves feeling lonely during maternity leave.

While many consider maternity leave to be a holiday in itself, this simply isn't the case and the Christmas break helps to alleviate this loneliness as partners, friends and family take time off from work to spend with each other.

These feelings of loneliness were the exact reason Cuckooz Co-founder, Charlier Rosier, expanded her business to include Cuckooz Nest, so that new mums could return to work quicker without jeopardising the care they provide for their child.

Cuckooz Nest is London's 1st full flexible, Ofsted registered nursery with integrated workspace so that parents with children under 2 can bridge the work life gap sooner and with the support needed.

Since starting Cuckooz Nest, she has met a number of mothers who have suffered from the same issues while being away from work. Here are 2 of their stories.

Holly Mason, Portfolio Manager at a private bank, currently on maternity leave:- "After I had my 1st daughter, I didn't just feel different; it was like a grenade had been detonated, deep in the command central of my life. It came as a great surprise to me that the business of bonding with your baby coincides with a severe disconnect in other areas of your life, including your relationship with your partner.  The period of loneliness coincided with a time in which I was rarely ever on my own, either in public or in private, being attached to the little human that I loved most in the world. I felt overwhelmed with a sense of loss of self; an identity shift into motherhood which knocked me flat. I was unrecognizable, even to myself. I would no longer be the most important person in my own life, and that is how it should be. My interests, priorities and ambitions went out the window the moment my baby came into this world. And while I was happy to be a mother, I was also deeply conflicted. I missed my old self, my old life and the sense of loss, combined with the isolation of care giving, conspired me to feeling terribly alone."

Cat Simms, Influencer, Content Creator and Social Media Manager and mum of 2:- "No 1 ever tells you how lonely being a new mum can be. You go from working with adults all day, being able to do your own thing, to all of a sudden feeling isolated and in charge of keeping a human alive. The pressure of that is huge and when combined with adjusting a new normal, it can really leave you feeling lost in your own world."

Charlie Rosier, Co-founder of Cuckooz and mum commented:- "When I 1st returned from maternity leave the 1 thing that stayed with me was the feeling of disconnect from the wider world which left me feeling completely isolated during my time away from the office.

That feeling, coupled with the struggle of finding flexible and affordable childcare is what led me to start Cuckooz Nest and I'm so glad I did. While we've only just begun, it's so rewarding to hear the stories of other women benefitting already and how it's helped them to return an aspect of normality to their lives, when they otherwise wouldn't have been able to. The initiative isn't just about childcare it's about a sense of community where like minded people can share their parental struggles, and this has been just as important as the returning to work aspect. Maternity leave is no holiday and loneliness is no joke. We want to urge everyone to do what they can to help someone that might be feeling lonely, whether they're young, they've just had a baby or it's an elderly relative living on their own and everyone in between, even the smallest of gestures can make a huge difference."