Meet the champions of the summer!

FANS will have the opportunity to meet their heroes during the School holidays, as Liverpool 1 promises to entertain the whole family with a programme of free events. Some of the England's most decorated champions; from the worlds of boxing, athletics and more; will be dropping in to meet fans, host skill sessions and share their stories of success. From Olympic medallists to world record holders, stars will include:- professional boxer Natasha Jonas; sprint track athletes Anyika Onuora and Kelly Masse who scooped Bronze in Rio 2016; professional rugby player Rob O'Donnell; and ex-marine and now the world's fastest single leg amputee, Andy Grant.

The next group to visit Liverpool 1's Chavasse Park, will be Anyika Onuora and Kelly Massey, on Monday, 12 August 2019.  Anyika is a Liverpool sprint track and field athlete who was part of the triumphant women's 4x400m relay team. that won bronze at the Olympics in Rio. Kelly is a former British Champion who has won medals for England and Great Britain at 9 major championships and an England sprinter, specialising in 400m events.

Then on Tuesday, 13 August 2019, professional rugby player Rob O'Donnell; who is originally from Liverpool and has played with the Worcester Warriors in the English premiership, as well as the Rotherham Titans will be in Chavasse Park, Liverpool 1, from 12pm to 2pm.

Then from 1pm to 2pm, on Friday, 16 August 2019,  Andy Grant, who is an ex-marine and now the fastest single leg amputee in the world over 10km; clocking a time of 37:17 will be in Chavasse Park, Liverpool 1.

Don't miss this fantastic opportunity to meet these amazingly inspirational sports men and women.  For more information about this and other events that take place in Liverpool 1, please visit:- Liverpool-One.Com.

Letters to the Editor:- "Lost contact with an old friend."

"I'M looking to find an old friend who I lost contact with and wondered if your readers could help me? She is called Julie, but goes by the name of Juelz. She has an older daughter called jasmine and 2 sons, Levi and Rico. She is from Southport and was living there 6 years ago when we lost touch. We met on holiday in Turkey about 8 years ago... I travelled up to her caravan in the Lake District for a long weekend once back in the UK. I have a daughter and I live in Kent.. Sadly I changed phones and lost her number and feel really sad as she would not of known this is why I lost contact with her... Julie was a single mum to after recently splitting with the boys dad Giles... I recall that she has black hair is fairly tall and extremely fit physically... Not sure what else I can say that could help to identify her. If you know who she is, or if you are Juelz, please get in contact with me via Facebook." Collette Dolan, from Edenbridge, Kent.

₤10,000 grant available for Healthy Heart projects for communities in Granada Region

COMMUNITY groups across the Granada Region that help local people look after their hearts can now apply for a Regional grant up to ₤10,000, thanks to national charity Heart Research UK and the Subway® brand. The Heart Research UK and Subway® Healthy Heart Grant is available for new and innovative projects that promote healthy hearts and reduce the risk of heart disease in the community. Projects should demonstrate health initiatives such as cooking skills and healthy eating and should encourage people to move more and promote positive mental wellbeing. The ₤10,000 has been raised locally in Subway® stores throughout the Granada Region, and through the nationwide Subway Helping Hearts™ Family 5K fun runs. The beneficiary of the grant in 2018 was Blackpool FC Community Trust, who launched a project to improve the heart health of local women through football.

Kate Bratt-Farrar, Chief Executive at Heart Research UK said:- "The aim of our partnership with the Subway® brand is to encourage people to make good healthy choices and give them practical help to do so. This grant is available to ensure everyone can benefit from a healthier, happier and longer life. We've funded hundreds of innovative projects over the last few years, and we are very excited to offer this opportunity to groups in the Granada Region once more. We're really grateful to the many customers and staff at Subway® stores who have raised the money to make this possible."

Colin Hughes, Subway's Country Director for the UK and Ireland, said:- "We are so proud of the generosity of our guests who donate to our charity partner Heart Research UK through our network of collection boxes, which are in every Subway store. This programme allows us to proudly offer this Healthy Heart Grant to the Granada Region. We know that these grants go a long way to help others in helping with their heart health. We're delighted that our initiatives with Heart Research UK are recognised and give people opportunities to improve their heart health that they otherwise might not have had."

Applications are open now and close on 9 September 2019.

Letters to the Editor:- "Dancing Carers in Southport"

"HI, my husband and I visited Southport yesterday. The renovations are amazing and we and lots of other people had a very enjoyable day out. We were looking over from the Pier to where there was a coffee / drinks and food place, with lots of people sitting outside and live music a guitarist playing a lot of 60's etc. Then I spotted an amazing wonderful thing some Carers, in brown uniforms, had brought some ladies down from a Care Home and they were all up dancing in their slippers and boy were they good dancers with fancy footwork (the ladies). The were having a great time. Now is that not better than sitting asleep in front of a television. They will have slept really well and had sweet dreams. Well done those Carers for thinking of doing such a wonderful thing. Made my day. A joy to behold. We had a great time too." Sharman and David Whitehead from Stockport.

Launch of the Wellbeing and Mental Health Texting Service

PEOPLE in Lancashire who may be experiencing issues affecting their wellbeing will soon be able to access support through a confidential texting service that is launching in September 2019.  Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust's Wellbeing and Mental Health Helpline is excited to announce that its service is expanding and will soon be offering increased emotional and wellbeing support to young people in the area. The brand new service aims to reach out to those who may find it difficult talking on the phone by providing emotional support via text messages. On texting the service, the person will receive a welcome message confirming their text has been received and will be responded to within 24 hours. An operator will then respond and invite the person to share how they are feeling and provide emotional support. Service users will also be able to obtain information about local and national services from operators, ensuring that people can access support from a number of resources.

Lorraine Khalaf, Wellbeing and Mental Health Helpline Manager at Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, said:- "We are really excited to be expanding our service and to be able to increase our offer to people living in the area. We recognise that for some people, picking up the phone can be equally as difficult as having a conversation face to face. Some people can feel pressured to think about what it is they want to say over the phone, but equally in the back of their minds, may know that they need to talk to someone. It's really important for a service like the Mental Health Helpline to be able to move with the times and offer a flexible service that offers the right support through the right channels. All of our trained volunteers are here to do this and will introduce themselves and invite the person texting to share as much information as they feel conformable with. By listening, asking and responding to questions, our volunteers will help people to think clearly and make decisions about their own wellbeing."

The service can be contacted by texting:- 'HELLO' to:- 07860 022 846. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 7pm until 11pm and Saturday and Sunday, 12pm until Midnight. For more information about the service please visit:- LancashireCare.NHS.UK.