News reports located on this page = 2.

Liverpool and Everton go head to head at the Betfred British Masters Pro-Am

THE Merseyside red and blue rivalry will be rekindled when Liverpool and Everton footballers take to Hillside Golf Club for the Celebrity Pro-Am on the eve of the Betfred British Masters. The Premier League clubs, who are separated by 1 mile across Stanley Park, have produced many memorable battles in English football and the latest will take place on the fairways when former players and several current stars tee it up at the Betfred British Masters Celebrity Pro-Am, on Wednesday, 8 May 2019. Everton fan Tommy Fleetwood, the 2017 Race to Dubai Champion and one of the stars of last year's Ryder Cup, will host this year's Betfred British Masters at Hillside Golf Club, on 9 May to 12 May 2018, in Southport, the Merseyside Coastal Town, where he grew up. Fleetwood will see his beloved Blues represented by former players Leon Osman and Alan Stubbs, and former Everton Ladies goalkeeper Rachel Brown Finnis. Also teeing it up at Hillside will be former Everton manager David Moyes, who led the club to their highest Premier League finish to date when they clinched fourth place in the 2004 to 2005 campaign during his 11 years at the helm. Brown Finnis has a close affiliation to Fleetwood as she is married to his caddie and long time friend Ian Finnis. She began her career in the North West of England and joined Everton in 2003, having previously played for Liverpool Ladies and in America. She debuted for England in 1997, as a 16 year old, before going on to make 82 appearances for the national team alongside winning the 2010 FA Women's Cup before she retired in 2015.  Merseyside rivals Liverpool will be represented by several icons from the club; Sir Kenny Dalglish, Robbie Fowler, Alan Hansen and Jason McAteer, who share more than 1,500 Liverpool appearances between them, as well as 14 English league titles, 9 European titles and 4 FA Cups. Dalglish, who managed the Reds between 1985-1991 and 2011 to 2012, adds a further three English titles, 2 FA Cups, plus the 2012 League Cup as boss of the club. Another footballing legend teeing it up in the Celebrity Pro-Am is Newcastle United hero Alan Shearer; the Premier League's all time top scorer with 260 goals; who also captained England on 34 occasions. Stars from other sporting arenas are also set to take to the Southport links, including:- England cricket's record wicket taker James Anderson, and his former teammates Stuart Broad and Matt Prior. Television presenters Clare Balding, Jeremy Kyle, Spencer Matthews, Naga Munchetty and Dan Walker will also tee it up, joined by reality television stars Gary Beadle, from Geordie Shore and Chris Hughes, from Love Island. Tickets to the 2019 Betfred British Masters hosted by Tommy Fleetwood, at Hillside Golf Club, from 9 May to 12 May 2019, are available by visiting:- BetFredBritishMasters.Com. A range of hospitality packages are also available.

Lancashire Care shortlisted for prestigious international award

THE Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust has been shortlisted for a prestigious international award that recognizes innovation and excellence success stories, both regionally and globally.

The Trust has been shortlisted at the:- 'IACCM Innovation and Excellence Awards 2019' within the:- 'Operational Improvement' category. The shortlisting recognizes work that the Trust undertook in engaging partners to help deliver a new Health and Social Care Network (HSCN) across the Lancashire Integrated Care System. The HSCN is a new data network that allows health and care organizations to access and exchange electronic information, helping clinicians to deliver timelier care and better patient experience.

The project has been shortlisted in recognition not only of the considerable savings it has created for the NHS and Lancashire Fire and Rescue (LFR,) but also the improvements in network performance, speed and security. The project has improved connectivity across more than 300 NHS and LFR sites in Lancashire, as well as benefiting staff who work across different sites. The new network underpins the healthcare systems that doctors and nurses use and will deliver important improvements in performance as well as securing against future malware and cyber attacks.

Stephen McGarry, Head of Procurement and Commercial Finance at Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, said:- “It is simply fabulous to see this HSCN procurement being shortlisted at the European IACCM Innovation and Excellence Awards. Along with the GO Public Procurement Award shortlisting, this now means 2 separate bodies have recognized this project for both the procurement process we undertook, but also the contract and commercial management processes which have been used with such success to improve the value and quality of services being delivered. Although it is nice to see our hard work being recognised in this way, what is most satisfying and most important is that this new contract underpins improvements in the performance and security of our networks which will ultimately provide a stable and secure infrastructure for the healthcare systems and technology we use and will enable quicker, more streamlined exchange and interaction between healthcare providers, all of which will ultimately improve patient care and experience throughout Lancashire.”

Winners of the awards will be announced at the IACCM European Conference held in Madrid from the 13 May to 15 May 2019. For more information, please visit:- IACCM.Com.

The annual awards are organized by the:- 'International Association of Contract and Commercial Management' (IACCM) which enables, both public and private sector organizations and professionals to achieve world class standards in their contracting and relationship management process and skills. IACCM has over 55,000 members across 177 countries and 20386 corporations.

The 'Operational Improvement' category recognizes initiatives that have delivered significant business value through an improved commercial or contracting process or practices.

Stop smoking support during Ramadan

PEOPLE are being encouraged to get in touch for help and support to stop smoking during Ramadan and to quit for good once the fasting period is over. Ramadan is the 9th month in the Islamic lunar calendar and is a period of prayer, fasting, charitable giving and self accountability. To coincide with this, Quit Squad, your local stop smoking service, is campaigning to raise awareness of the health benefits of quitting smoking and to encourage people who abstain from:- smoking, vaping and chewing in the day during the fasting period to quit for good.

The religious festival means participants are unable to chew or smoke tobacco or shisha during the time of fasting within daylight hours. By doing so, people are already part way through the battle of being able to quit for good. Chewing tobacco can also be known as betel quid, paan or gutkha, and is a mixture of ingredients that include:- nuts, spices and often tobacco wrapped in a betel leaf. Kicking the habit reduces the risk of some cancers, heart disease and stroke, and can improve blood pressure and cholesterol.

Tracy Sutton, Quit Squad Manager at Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, said:- “Ramadan is a good time for people to get into some healthy habits, and stopping smoking is 1 of those. We are aware it isn't easy for people to stop smoking. However, the health and wellbeing benefits people will see when they do stop for good are definitely worth it. During the fasting in Ramadan, people who smoke will be managing the majority of the day without a cigarette or using chewing tobacco. If you are fasting, you will have already taken significant steps to giving up your nicotine addiction. After 8 hours, the nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in your blood are reduced by more than ½ and after 48 hours, the body and the lungs become carbon monoxide free. People are 4 times more likely to stop smoking for good with the help of NHS services than with will power alone. By not smoking during the day, now is a great time to take the 1st steps to a completely smokefree future and all the benefits that comes with it.”

The Quit Squad has developed 5 top tips for quitting smoking this Ramadan:-

►  Mentally prepare yourself with a firm intention to give up smoking this Ramadan.

►  Break your fast away from other smokers.

►  Avoid food or drink that you normally associate with smoking.

►  Do whatever it takes to disrupt smoking routines, for example leaving the table or going outside immediately after breaking fast if you intend to end it with a cigarette.

►  Look for new distractions wherever possible.

In addition to drop in clinics (for which no appointments are required) and 1 to 1 sessions, the Quit Squad, for further details, telephone:- 0800 3286297, visit:- QuitSquad.NHS.UK.

Professionals' bike ride will raise money for Liverpool children's Hospice

4 Southport based business professionals will cycle across the country next week in a bid to raise money for Liverpool's Claire House Children's Hospice. The coast to coast ride, covering 174 miles between Ravenglass in Cumbria and South Shields in Tyne and Wear, takes in the route of Hadrian's Wall. It has been organised by Andy Webster of Southport accountancy and business advisory firm MHA Moore and Smalley.  Andy and his riding partners Paul Roberts, Thomas Flanagan and Mark Day aim to raise at least ₤2,500 for Claire House. The funds will support Claire House's work in helping seriously and terminally ill children live life to the full through creating wonderful experiences and bringing back a sense of normality to family life.

Andy said:- "This will be our third riding challenge in as many years and we're proud to be donning the lycra again for such a fantastic charity which has recently opened a new site on our doorstep here in Merseyside.  We did the 140 miles from Whitehaven to Tynemouth in 2017 and 170 miles between Newcastle and Edinburgh in 2018, so this year we're going even further. We've been training hard to keep in shape. It makes it so much easier when we know people are supporting us and making donations to our chosen charity."

The 5 riders are Andy Webster, of MHA Moore and Smalley; Mark Day of Dalesview Partnership; Paul Roberts, managing director of Cunliffes architects and surveyors; and Tom Flanagan of Speedy Hire UK. They will be helped by support vehicle driver Phil Evans, of RBS. The group start their ride, on 15 May 2019. To sponsor them visit the team's fundraising page.