North West England Mayors arrive in Dublin to kick off joint mission to boost trade and cultural links

THE Mayors of both Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester have arrived in Ireland for a joint visit to strengthen trade and cultural links between the North West of England and Ireland. Steve Rotheram and Andy Burnham visited Dublin, over Monday, 28 March to Tuesday, 29 March 2022, to meet with the Irish President, Tánaiste and Foreign Minister, as well as British and Irish businesses, on the 1st visit of its kind for metro mayors from the UK. The 2 day mission began at the British Embassy this morning, where the Mayors will meet Ambassador Paul Johnson, before going on to an audience with President Michael D Higgins at the Áras an Uachtaráin. They also meet with Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, who took part in a virtual summit with the Mayors in 2020.

The Mayors were accompanied on their visit by Minister for Exports Mike Freer and a delegation of 15 Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester businesses, led by the UK Department for International Trade (DIT), all of whom will join a business roundtable with the British Irish Chamber of Commerce.  The Mayors also join a breakfast meeting with Irish businesses and Leo Clancy of Enterprise Ireland, the Irish Government agency in Ireland responsible for supporting Irish businesses to grow in global markets. After that the North West delegation then took part in a Business and Innovation Summit, that was hosted by DIT, featuring sessions on exporting to Ireland, net zero innovation and low carbon industries, and how they looked at how the Cities in Ireland and the North West of England can cooperate and learn from each other. The summit was followed by a meeting with Foreign Minister Simon Coveney, who visited Manchester in 2021, to open Ireland's Consulate General for the North of England. The Mayors then headed on to a symposium on the culture and tourism sectors, including the night time economy.

Just before the meetings Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said:- "Ireland holds a special place in the hearts of so many people in the Liverpool City Region;and we know that feeling is mutual; which is why our Region has earned the title as Ireland's 33rd county! I'm looking forward to building on that unique relationship this week and engaging in constructive conversations with colleagues to help us to forge an even greater bond with our friends over the Irish Sea. Myself and Andy have arrived in Dublin this week with a united message on behalf of the 4.5m people we represent: we want to build an even stronger, more prosperous future with our nearest neighbours. The North West has enjoyed a long, successful trading partnership with Ireland, and we share many of the same aims in renewable energy, innovation, trade, and manufacturing, married together with our warm, common cultures, and there is still so much potential to unlock."

Also, just before the meetings, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said:- "It's great to be back in Ireland and to be leading the 1st joint Mayoral mission together with Steve. This place holds deep significance for so many people across the North West; including myself; who trace their roots back to Ireland, and it's a privilege to be here representing them and Greater Manchester. The next couple of days will give us a chance to come together with Irish leaders and have those important discussions about how we can work together to recover from the Pandemic, cut emissions to meet our net zero goals, and deepen collaboration and cooperation between our places. We're also joined by some real innovators in business and culture from across the North West, and will be hearing from them about how they can take advantage of new opportunities to grow, invest, and create good jobs on both sides of the Irish Sea."

Did you know that the North West of England exported almost ₤2bn worth of goods to Ireland in 2019, with almost ½ of this total coming from the Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester? The Region is also home to around 50,000 Irish people, while many more have Irish heritage. Ireland is among the most popular tourist destinations for the 2 City Regions, and Irish visitors to the Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester are some of the most frequent.. We would also be interested to know your thoughts on this topic, so please email them to our Newsroom at:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com.
 

Liverpool ½ Marathon Attracts 2,300 Runners - Countdown Now On To 30th Anniversary In 2023
Pictures by Paul Francis Cooper...

 

A field of 2,300 eager runners took to the streets of Liverpool at the weekend for 1 of the Region's biggest road races. The 29th Annual 13.1 mile BTR Liverpool Skyline ½ Marathon returned, on Sunday, 27 March 2022, and the event also included the 11th Annual BTR Liverpool 10 Mile Road Race. Runners and spectators were welcomed to the grandstand start and finish line area at Pier Head Liverpool on the City's world famous waterfront, under the gaze of the Liver Birds and iconic 3 Graces, the:- Royal Liver Building, Cunard Building, and Port Of Liverpool Building. BTR Liverpool Skyline ½ Marathon 2022 was won by Ben Taylor from Pensby Runners in 1 hour 10 minutes 40 seconds. 1st place female was Chloe Wilkinson in 1 hour 23 minutes 2 seconds. BTR Liverpool 10 Mile Road Race was won by Stephen Campbell from Knowsley Harriers AC in 52 minutes 23 seconds. 1st place female was Emily Gray from Liverpool Harriers AC in 1 hour 5 minutes 4 seconds. Plans are already underway to celebrate the milestone 30th Anniversary of Liverpool ½ Marathon in 2023.  Next year, the event will grow to span an entire weekend and include 10K, 5K and 1 mile races as part of a brand new festival of running on the banks of the River Mersey. The event date and full details will be announced in the coming weeks.