13 year old Southport boy shortlisted for award for his help caring for older disabled brother

13 year old Caleb Cunningham from Roe Lane in Southport has been shortlisted for an award that recognises the support he gives his older brother Noah who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.  He, along with other shortlisted children and families is attending a very special awards ceremony at Westminster, on Monday 8 July, hosted by Radio 4 Woman's Hour presenter Jane Garvey, where the winners will be announced. Caleb's mum Vicki nominated Sebastian in disability charity Contact's awards, which help shine a spotlight on the often unseen but great things siblings do for their disabled brothers or sisters.

Proud mum Vicki said:- "Caleb is the most caring selfless person I know. Caleb puts Noah above everything else. He cares for him, feeds him, helps his with absolutely everything as Noah can only use his hands. They are the best of friends and enjoy playing Fifa and F1 on their Playstation together. We all enjoy watching Everton, we have season tickets and the boys are so passionate about their team! Caleb insists we don't do anything without Noah, so he does miss out on things that other youngsters of his age are doing. I had unexpected brain surgery 2 years ago leaving me with a long recovery. I have a brain condition and needed an emergency shunt inserted which left me out of action for 6 months. I had to rely on my parents, sister, aunts, friends and Noah's carers. Throughout this time Caleb was a superstar, he was an even bigger support to Noah and to me."

Contact, the charity for families with disabled children, set up the awards to celebrate the countless things UK families do when caring for disabled children. The sibling category is 1 of 7 award categories.

Amanda Batten, CEO of Contact says:- "At Contact we often hear about when things go wrong for families, such as when they are struggling to get support for their child. This isn't surprising as it's what we are here for. But it's important to recognise the things that go right too, and all the positives that come with being a family with a disabled child. I was touched to learn about Caleb's story and what a lovely bond he has with his brother Noah. We really can't believe the number of wonderful nominations we have received to Contact's Awards 2019; it is going to be really difficult for our judges to shortlist the finalists."

Schools in Merseyside could win ₤1000 for their breakfast club

SCHOOLS within Merseyside could be in with the chance of winning ₤1,000 by entering the annual Kellogg's Breakfast Club Awards. 1 club from each Region of England could be crowned the best breakfast club of the year and bag a cash prize. Winners will also be invited to attend an awards ceremony at the prestigious Houses of Parliament.  From inspiring volunteers to themed breakfast days and creating kitchen gardens for the School canteen, each and every element of breakfast clubs will be celebrated at the awards. Entries are opened on Monday, 4 July and you have until Friday, 4 October 2019, when entries will be judged by a panel of experts.

LifeCentre Nurture Breakfast Group in Salford were last year's winners from the North West. The children who attend are experiencing some form of stress at home and the group enables them to access School and learn in a way they couldn't have before. It offers the children the opportunity to learn how to manage their feelings, control their body and prepare themselves for their day at School. They spent their prize money on increasing the amount of fresh fruit available to the children every day.

Kate Prince, corporate social responsibility manager for Kellogg's, said:- "The Breakfast Club Awards are a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the wonderful and inspiring work that goes on in Schools up and down the country.  Kellogg's has supported breakfast clubs for 21 years because we believe that every child deserves the best start to their day. Clubs offer so many benefits for theSchool such as improved attendance and behaviour in the classroom. The children love them too as they get a chance to wake up in a fun way before lessons begin."

The Kellogg's Breakfast Club Awards are just 1 part of Kellogg's support for School breakfast clubs. This year the cereal company announced that in 2019 it is doubling the funding for breakfast clubs in communities that need it the most and will donate a minimum of ₤600,000 to Schools across the UK.  To find out more and to enter the Breakfast Club Awards, visit:- BreakFastClubAwards.Co.UK.

Councils pocket more than ₤326M in penalty charge fines in 1 year

MORE than 9 million penalty notice charges were issued in 2018, but 23% of motorists think most fines are issued unfairly. The total income made from fines reached more than ₤326 million in 2018 from 9 million PCNs, according to new Freedom of Information data obtained by Confused.com. This includes fines for offences such as parking, misusing a Bus Lane or Box Junction, or turning right illegally. But new research finds that not all drivers think fines are issued fairly. And there is evidence of this in the fact that most appeals were successful. According to the research, 48% of UK drivers have received a PCN. Of these, 40% argued their case, with most (74%) resulting in paying a reduced fine, or nothing at all. This may go to show that not all fines are issued fairly, and drivers are being asked to pay fines they may not be accountable for.

Drivers gave several reasons for refuting their PCN, with most (29%) blaming unclear or confusing signage for the mishap. But 60% drivers who received a PCN didn't challenge the fine, with 13% of these put off by confusing information online about how to appeal. A further 17% also claim they didn't know how to appeal. And this is echoed in the fact that 17% of those who did challenge their fine found the process difficult, or confusing (8%).  This goes to show that these processes need to be made clearer and easier for drivers who could potentially be forking out fines they know they don't need to pay. In fact, 52% claim if they had more clarity about how to appeal a PCN, they'd have challenged an unfair fine.

Knowing that this can be a very overwhelming process, particularly considering money is at stake, the comparison website has created a checklist which drivers could use to form the basis of their appeal. The checklist covers parking and moving traffic offences, which could potentially save drivers millions of pounds collectively, if their appeal is successful. The checklist helps drivers decide if they should challenge a range of fines issued by Councils, including:- parking offences, which appears to be the most common PCN motorists have received. To highlight the just how much money other Councils across the UK have made from PCNs in 2018, Confused.com has created an interactive map, which highlights the top offending areas in the UK, and how much this has made Councils from fines.

Amanda Stretton, motoring editor at Confused.com says:- "The fact that almost ¾ (74%) of PCN appeals were successful last year suggests that some fines are being issued unfairly. Challenging an unfair fine can be both complicated and daunting. The appeal process is confusing and needs to be made clearer. With Councils raking in over ₤326 million in PCNs, it's only right that some of this fine money is invested to help make road signs clearer to eliminate the number of fines being distributed unfairly. In the meantime, we're helping people fight unfair fines and navigate through the chaotic appeal process. Our challenge checklist should help motorists decide whether to appeal a fine, and guide them through the process. With the cost of motoring ever-increasing, we shouldn't be forking out even more money to pay for unfair fines."

Given how much money Councils are raking in in fines, it's no wonder more than a ⅓ (36%) of drivers are confused where the money from PCN fines goes. In fact, 42% believe that Council's treat drivers as cash cows. And motorists in Westminster may be particularly puzzled about where PCN money goes, given the Local Council raked in the most money from PCN's in 2018. According to the data, Westminster City Council received more than ₤16.5million from more than 313,000 PCN's in 2018. This averages out at ₤53 per fine. Councils in London pocketed the highest collective total, making more than ₤175m from nearly 4 million PCN's.

So what do you are readers think about these findings? We would love hear from you about this... Please email us to:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com and lets us know.

MPs to debate sentencing for death by dangerous driving

ON Monday, 8 July 2019, MP's will debate a petition urging the Government impose life sentences for death by dangerous driving. Helen Jones MP, Chair of the Petitions Committee, will open the debate. The petition, which has more than 164,000 signatures was started by Glenn and Rebecca Youens whose 4 year old daughter, Violet Grace, was killed by a hit and run driver who was later convicted of causing death by dangerous driving.

In their petition they stated:- "The men who killed our daughter drove a stolen a car at 83 mph, in a 30 mph zone! They killed our 4 year old daughter Violet-Grace and severely injured her Nan, who has life changing injuries. They will serve less time in prison than Violet was alive. I don't want other families to suffer like this.  In October 2017, the Government promised life sentences for death by dangerous driving. It's now 2019. Innocent people have been killed, but nothing has changed. The law is out of date. Anyone convicted of death by dangerous driving should receive life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 15 years. If more than 1 person is killed or injured, the sentences must run separately."

In response to the petition, the Government said:- "Driving offences can have devastating consequences for victims and their loved ones. Sentencing in individual cases is always a matter for the courts, which are independent. This was a deeply tragic case and our sympathies remain with Violet Grace's family. No sentence can make up for the loss of a loved 1, but we are focused on getting the law right, to ensure the changes we make are comprehensive, proportionate and, we hope, might help avoid some further unnecessary deaths on our roads."

Monday's debate will provide an opportunity for MPs to question a Government Minister directly on this topic.  You can read the House of Commons library briefing via this link.