News reports located on this page = 4.

Photography exhibition opens for Crosby Camera Club ahead of new season

CROSBY Camera Club has unveiled a new exhibition of photography, ahead of the start of its new season. Over 100 of the best photographic prints produced by its members last season are now on display, for public viewing, in the Reading Room of Crosby Central Library (opposite the Plaza Cinema).  The exhibition runs for 5 weeks and features both colour and black and white images, including the winners of last season's:- 'Print of the Year' competitions.  The opening of the exhibition is followed by the start of Crosby Camera Club's new 2019/2020 season, beginning on Wednesday, 4 September 2019, with President's Night which features an introduction to the club and advice on how to improve your photography skills.

Stephen Lang, President of Crosby Camera Club, said:- "Our exhibition is looking great and gives a fantastic overview of the superb work produced by our dedicated members over the last year. We hope the exhibition will also inspire people to pick up a camera themselves and come along to 1 of our meetings this season. Whether you're new to photography or want to take your skills to the next level, we're here to offer advice, help you master your camera and host a series of fascinating evenings, led by some of the Region's top photographers."

Founded in 1950, Crosby Camera Club has been part of the local community for almost 70 years. Meetings are held every Wednesday, from 8pm to 10pm, from the 1st week of September 2019, until the last week of April 2020, at Crosby Central Library's Small Lecture Room (where election polling takes place), on Crosby Road North, Waterloo. The 2019 Print Exhibition will be open for viewing during the library's normal opening hours. Further details about Crosby Camera Club's new season, including the full syllabus of upcoming talks and competitions, are available at the club's website:- CrosbyCameraClub.Net.

Primary School Teachers face new term 'exhausted and anxious'

THOUSANDS of Primary School Teachers have had to use their summer holidays to prepare lessons and activities for the new academic year; and it's impacting on their mental health and leaving them facing the new year exhausted and anxious. 23.7% said it impacts on their sleep and 34.4% report it making them anxious. 35% said it prevented them from doing a leisure activity. And 49.1% complained that it stopped them spending time with their families. The results are from a survey of nearly 1,000 Teachers by PlanBee, the leading lesson plan and resources company run by former Primary School Teachers. Some Teachers spent as many as 18 to 20 days on preparation for the new School year, with 26.8% having to allocate up to 8 days. Some even said they worked throughout the holidays.

The most onerous task was lesson planning, with 49.3% of respondents identifying this as the key task during the holidays. Asked how the holiday workload made them feel, Teachers used words such as:- 'frustrated,' 'overwhelmed,' 'resentful,' 'drained' and 'depressed,' though some considered it just 'part of the job.'

1 Teacher said:- "It doesn't seem to be a holiday as I'm always thinking about work.' Another wrote that they were 'resentful of the fact that I cannot "switch off" completely.' Another said they were 'overwhelmed,' adding: 'It is very tricky to juggle it with looking after my own young children in the holidays.' Another simply remarked: 'It's too much."

Another Teacher commented:- "I'm constantly torn because I want to take time for myself and to recharge my batteries, but I also don't know how to take a step back. Unfortunately, due to the pressures and lack of resources/funding and support at the minute, I can't see it changing any time soon."

PlanBee founder Becky Cranham, a former Primary School Teacher, said:- "Teachers have always spent some time over the summer holidays preparing for the next academic year. But these findings show that some are having to devote great swathes of what should be rest and recuperation time to planning the coming year's activities, and that suggests that something's going wrong with the workload they're expected to handle.  As well as impacting on their mental health, it's stopping them from spending time with their own children. And that's not right. We need Teachers refreshed and positive, in September, if they're to be at their best in the classroom."

Liverpool's shipping history brought to life with the Docklands Trail

THE Docklands Trail; the 1st phase of which is has been launched at Collingwood Dock; is a tour of the North Liverpool and Bootle Docks' history, reflecting their importance to the City and Region and to world events. The trail is a set of specially customised shipping containers housing artefacts and memorabilia to create a series of walk through museums telling the stories of the:- Waterloo, Stanley, Huskisson, Canada, Gladstone and Seaforth Docks.

The Docklands Trail is a registered charity founded by a group of retired ex-pupils from Bootle Grammar School. The group was formed from the desire to give something back to the local community and to say thank you for their upbringing and education in Bootle.

Les Ellis, Chair of Trustees of The Dockland Trail, said:- "The trail will create a tourist attraction that will bring visitors to Liverpool out to the Dock area to learn about our proud involvement in global trade and the Docks' role during wartime. Its success as a tourist attraction will sustain the trail for the benefit of our local communities, who will be able to use the facility for educational, local interest and job awareness purposes."

Collingwood Dock is the 1st of at least 3 sites on the trail. It has 4 customised containers which will give an overview of the trail, tell the story of Waterloo Dock and chronicle the life of legendary Liverpool Dock builder Jesse Hartley. 1 of the containers will be used by the Canal and River Authority to tell the history of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

Further instalments of the trail are planned for Huskisson and Seaforth Docks. The 1st instalment of The Dockland Trial was officially opened by Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson, at Collingwood Dock, Regent Road, Liverpool, on Wednesday, 21 August 2019.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said:- "The importance of the Docks to the story of Liverpool cannot be understated. These once thriving areas were the City's gateway to the world and provided jobs and livelihoods for thousands of residents. They are rich sources of the City's heritage and unique culture. The Docklands Trail is a great example of the local community taking ownership of its history and turning it into something really special. Thanks to the group's hard work and passion, the Docklands' story will be kept alive for the benefit of generations to come."