Obituary notice of Major Colin Trollope

WE are saddened to report the death of one of our Directors, Major Colin Francis A Trollope, who died in December 2022, Aged 90 years. Colin will be greatly missed by all his family and friends. A funeral service will take place at:- St Luke's Church, Formby, on Thursday, 12 January 2022, at 11.30am, followed by committal at:- Southport Crematorium, at 1pm. Family flowers only please, donations are being gratefully received for Queenscourt Hospice c/o Dean Brothers Independent Funeral Directors, Deans court, Gores Lane, Formby, L377DF. Tel:- 01704872023.
 

Southport Jazz Festival 2023 brings UK's best jazz musicians to town with 10 top shows

SOME of the greatest jazz musicians in the UK will be heading to Southport this February when the 2023 Southport Jazz Festival takes place. The 3 day event takes place from:- Friday, 3 February to Sunday, 5 February 2023 in the spectacular setting of the art deco The Grand on Lord Street in Southport as part of the landmark building's centenary celebrations.

The beautiful venue, which was built in 1923, has recently been lovingly restored by Mikhail Hotel and Leisure Group, in a £4 million transformation, and the UK's finest jazz musicians will invoke the spirit of the roaring 20's with this superb event.

Southport Jazz Festival is being organised for the 1st time by acclaimed local musicians Jez Murphy and Emma Holcroft, who have taken over from Neil Hughes. Emma will be among the performers, starring with the Swingtime Big Band featuring herself and Liane Carroll on the opening night. The new venue is among some welcome changes that audiences will enjoy seeing although some of the event's much loved traditions will remain.

Jazz lovers will be delighted to see for example that the Alan Barnes Octet will close the Festival with a show on the final night. There will be a variety of shows for people of all tastes from jazz enthusiasts to music lovers keen to enjoy something a little different in a glamorous setting.

There are so many highlights that guests won't want to miss. Saturday night for example sees jazz legend and superstar trombonist Dennis Rollins MBE perform with the Wendy Kirkland Quartet. This is an exciting and diverse reboot of Roy Budd's iconic film score celebrating Jack Carter, played by Michael Caine in the cult 1970 film. 

Rising star Alex Clarke, with the Alex Clarke Quartet, will present her new album on Saturday afternoon. One of the most in-demand and versatile young saxophonists emerging on the British jazz scene, she was a finalist in the BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year 2020.

On Sunday afternoon, Internationally renowned Singer / Pianist, Jeremy Sassoon and his superb band will take you on a journey through some of history's greatest Jewish musicians from the golden era of Gershwin, the Great American Songbook, through to the 21st Century, honouring artists such as:- Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Randy Newman and Amy Winehouse.

On Sunday night, Southport Jazz Festival favourite Alan Barnes will present Copperfield, with something for everyone. A great night out that is also a treat for the jazz connoisseur; it will delight anyone who loves music or literature - or just being entertained.

Emma and Jez said:- "Welcome to the 2023 Southport Jazz Festival! It feels good to be able to say that at last. It's all change at Festival central, a new team and a new venue, but don't worry we will still have the same top class jazz music in stunning new surroundings. When we were approached by Neil to take over as the new directors of the festival we jumped at the chance as we have a deep affection for this festival and have many fond memories from years gone by, both as performers and as audience members. So, over the last few months we have been plotting and scheming to bring you a line-up worthy of the festivals of the past and we hope that you will get behind us to keep this gem of a festival going for many years to come. I'm sure you'll agree that we have managed to secure the very best in UK jazz artistes to entertain you over three days, from trio to big band, there's something for everybody. Our hosts at Mikhail Hotel and Leisure Group are looking forward to welcoming you all and have assured us that you will all be royally looked after. Based on Lord Street, in the Northern Quarter of Southport, they have four newly refurbished establishments, all on each others doorstep; The Grand, The Lord Street Hotel, The Bold Hotel and Punch Tarmeys Bar will all be offering discounted food and drink for SJF attendees over the weekend as well as discounted hotel rooms. Now, more than ever we need to keep music live, we hope you will all support this festival, as you have done so often in the past, and let's have the best jazz house party possible!"

There is so much to choose from. There are 10 performances in total across the 3 days with people able to attend the show of their choice, or to buy a day pass, or to buy a Weekender Ticket.

You can buy tickets and see more details at the website.
 

Record numbers of Doctors and Nurses working in the NHS to ease pressure over winter

A record number of Doctors and Nurses are working in the NHS in England, according to Minister for Health, Will Quince, who says that they will be delivering extra appointments, speeding up diagnoses and helping to tackle the Covid backlog to ease pressure on the NHS this winter.

There are over 1.25 million full time equivalent staff working in NHS trusts and commissioning bodies in England; over 42,000 more people compared to a year ago, up by 3.5%.

The latest data published by NHS Digital up to October 2022 shows there are almost 4,700 more Doctors and over 10,500 more Nurses working in the NHS compared to October 2021.

Since 2010, there are now over 35,300 more doctors and over 47,100 more nurses working in the NHS.

Minister for Health, Will Quince, said:- "Growing the workforce is one of my immediate priorities and we are making significant progress in training and recruiting a record number of staff; with over 42,000 more people working in the NHS compared to a year ago; and we are well on track to deliver on our commitment to recruit 50,000 more Nurses. Thanks to these dedicated staff we're building a stronger, healthier NHS for the long term and we will publish a workforce plan this year to recruit and retain more staff and make the NHS the best place to work."

The Government remains on track to deliver on its commitment to recruit 50,000 more nurses by 2024, with over 36,000 more nurses in October 2022 compared with September 2019.

In the Autumn Statement the Government committed to publishing a comprehensive workforce strategy this year to help recruit and retain more staff, with independently verified forecasts for the number of Doctors, Nurses and other professionals that will be needed in:- 5, 10 and 15 years' time.

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