Formby Village is glowing after the installation of hundreds of new lights!

LOCAL lighting firm IlllumiDex UK Ltd wrapped lights around 6 trees along Chapel Lane in:- August and September 2021. Last week they were back to light up 9 more, bringing the total to 15, really making it shine.

There are now around 3 kilometres of lighting stretched around trees on both sides of the street. It's a huge boost to the area which is packed full of superb local businesses, including:- several cafes, bars and restaurants which boast outdoor seating.

Formby will be a fabulous place to be during evenings now with the lights twinkling in the trees outside.

2 years ago, IllumiDex famously lit up the Lord Street's shopping boulevard, in Southport Town Centre, with 300,000 lights, as well as providing lighting for other:- Town Centres, Village Centres, retail parks, homes and businesses across the Region.

Their latest scheme has been commissioned by Formby Parish Council, working alongside Sefton Council.

The project was able to go ahead after the provision of 6 new power points through Sefton Street Lighting Department.

IllumiDex UK Ltd Director Steve Clayton said:- "We have just finished installing all the new lights in Formby Village and we are delighted. We have wrapped a further 9 trees along the main street in the centre of Formby Village, making it 15 altogether. It brightens up the area a hell of a lot. If people have never been to Formby Village before it will leave a real impression on them. It is looking a bit like Lord Street in Southport now! It is really striking. There were lots of people coming up to us while we were carrying out the work telling us how pretty it looks, and how it really sets the town off. Formby Village looks amazing now. There are a lot of lovely little bars, cafes and restaurants there with lots of tables and chairs outside which will really benefit from all the new lighting. When we get to Spring, which won't be long now, it will be lovely for people to sit out with all the lights sparkling away creating a bright and vibrant atmosphere. It is going to really support local businesses and will attract more people into Formby. Anything that can be done to enhance the area like this is going to bring more people in. Formby looks really pretty at night now."

Illumidex UK Ltd is a family run company based in Southport which covers the North West.

Owners Steve and Jan Clayton have extensive qualified and hands on experience in producing bespoke large scale festive decorations and lighting schemes.

They have worked hard to establish themselves as 1 of the leading festive lighting decoration manufacture and installation companies, offering a tailored and exceptional service to all of their clients, both commercial and residential.

For more details about Illumidex UK Ltd please visit:- Illumidex.Co.UK or email:- Info@Illumidex.Co.UK or call:- 01704220829 (landline) or 07979158404 (mobile).

1 Education Leader Is Calling on Academics to Rethink Assessment Strategies Amid the Emergence of AI

TAKING exams is often 1 of the most poignant of School memories, however, what would once strike fear in the hearts of students is now becoming less of a worry thanks to the emergence of sophisticated AI programs that can fool many of the most popular plagiarism checkers. Education leader, Dr Ryan Thomas Williams, Senior Lecturer, at the University of Sunderland, and author of Think Piece: Ethics for the Virtual Researcher believes that lecturers must review the way in which their courses are assessed to prevent students from getting the highest grades using questionable methods. According to Dr Thomas, savvy students have now discovered ways to prevent their plagiarised work from showing up on platforms like Turnitin. With the emergence of AI and specifically ChatGPT, students can now produce high quality essays without doing any work themselves, making it next to impossible for lecturers to pick up on which essays are authentic and which have been created using AI.

Speaking on plagiarism among students, Dr Ryan Thomas William says:- "The growing popularity of AI is particularly alarming for lecturers. Not only does it devalue the work of hardworking students who deserve their high grades, but it also means we're seeing others graduating without actually knowing any of their course content. I think it's important that we look at new ways of grading students, outside of the traditional essays that are now open to interference from AI. 1 solution for lecturers who want to crack down on grade-boosting AI platforms is to adopt an increasingly formative assessment approach. This would involve giving students a final grade based on ongoing class-based examinations like presentations, debates, group work that take place throughout the School year. Another solution is going back to in-person examinations, but I do agree with some of the very valid concerns over whether these exams are a good measure of a student's ability."

Dr Thomas understands that the role AI plays in our society is transforming, especially within the education industry. If academics want to get the best out of their students, they have to embrace AI in academia. However, in order to ensure equality, it needs to be a collective effort to rethink how we measure learning and grading.  To find out more about Dr Williams, follow on Twitter.