Liverpool Philharmonic welcomes law firm Weightmans as new corporate sponsor

LIVERPOOL Philharmonic is delighted to announce that Weightmans has become a corporate sponsor for the 2022/23 season. Weightmans, an award winning national law firm, was established in Liverpool, in 1827, and remains headquartered in the City. The firm is particularly interested in Liverpool Philharmonic's Music and Mental Health programme, which is now in its 14th year.

Weightmans will sponsor Liverpool Philharmonic's 1st Dementia Friendly concert of the season. The concert, titled:- 'A Walk in the Country,' will be performed twice on:- Saturday, 3 December 2022, at Liverpool Philharmonic's Music Room.

Given by members of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the dementia friendly concert series is designed specifically for people living with dementia, their friends, family and carers. This concert will be presented by Gethyn Jones, sub principal cellist of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

The concerts will take place in the fully accessible Music Room. The performance space and bar area will be made as comfortable as possible for the audience. For example, lights will be kept on during the performance and there will be a separate quiet space where audience members can go during the concert.

Michael Eakin, Chief Executive of Liverpool Philharmonic, said:- "I'm very pleased to welcome Weightmans as a sponsor for this season and thank them for supporting the Dementia Friendly concert taking place in December. The support of the business community plays an integral role in our ability to deliver a diverse range of concerts throughout the season. We really appreciate the local and national businesses who have maintained their support for Liverpool Philharmonic."

Steve Peacock, Partner and Head of Weightmans' Liverpool office said:- "We are so proud to support the Liverpool Philharmonic, which shares our long history in the City and passion for supporting people and organisations within the Region. At Weightmans, we believe that investment in arts and culture is crucial, not just to benefit the local economy but to support and enhance the wellbeing of the community. Music can be an incredible tonic to those living with dementia and we are so pleased to support the Philharmonic's dementia friendly concert, which will hopefully bring joy to those who attend."

An attendee at a Liverpool Philharmonic dementia friendly concert in February 2022 said:- "My dad has dementia and his world is slowly shrinking. He's gone from being an intellectual to not being able to read, watch TV or even hold a conversation. The 1 thing he still loves is watching the Proms and so this dementia friendly performance was 1 way to try to stem that shrinking world. It was done so well, so friendly and planned with such sensitivity. It was a thrilling and well thought through collection of music that my dad could tap his foot to and even sing along. It was just as positive for my mum. She... "got out the house and went somewhere other than a Hospital for a change!" as she put it. We do hope you can squeeze in a few more, my dad's days grow darker and we need all the light we can get. Thank you to all who planned and played."

Hugh Baird College announces partnership with North West Training Council

HUGH Baird College and North West Training Council (NWTC) have announced that they have entered into a partnership that will deliver new training and education opportunities for people across the Liverpool City Region. The agreement brings together advanced manufacturing apprenticeship training and post 16 College education, providing new and innovative education and further levels of value for students and employers.

Founded in 1963 and located in Liverpool, NWTC has grown to become 1 of the Region's largest private sector training organisations in the advanced manufacturing sector. It has helped over 20,000 apprentices realise their potential.

Today, Hugh Baird College is a Further Education College, that is situated in Bootle, Merseyside. It's 1 of the area's largest education and training providers, delivering over 300 courses to more than 5,000 students each year. The College offers courses from entry Level to Level 3, T-levels, A-levels, Apprenticeships and University level courses, foundation Degrees and Degrees.

Rachael Hennigan, Principal and Chief Executive of Hugh Baird College, said:- "We are incredibly excited to announce this new partnership with Hugh Baird College and North West Training Council. Together, we aim to create even more opportunities for people across the Region to access high quality apprenticeships and gain the skills, knowledge and behaviours employers seek from their new recruits."

Steve Cobain, Chief Executive of NWTC, said:- "As an Independent Training Provider, we very much recognise the benefits of being able to work with a strong partner in the Region to help us achieve our goals. However, it was very important to us that we had the right partner; 1 who shares our vision and values and is passionate about the development and growth of engineering education and training. Hugh Baird College is that partner. We are absolutely thrilled to announce this new partnership and are excited about the future opportunities it will make possible"