Golfs fans advised to plan travel in advance as Open Golf Championship comes to Wirral

GOLF fans travelling to:- 'The Open Golf Championship,' at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, this summer, are advised to plan ahead, use public transport where possible and leave plenty of time to make sure they can get to and from the event. The 151st Open is taking place at the Hoylake based course between:- 16 July to 23 July 2023, and is expected to attract thousands of visitors to the area. The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is working closely with local partners including:- rail and bus operators, Merseyside Police, Wirral Council and event organisers to help ensure that everybody's journeys to and from the course are as easy and safe as possible.

Cllr Steve Foulkes, Chair of the Combined Authority's Transport Committee, said: - "We're delighted to see the return of the Open Golf Championship to the City Region for the 1st time since 2017. This event always brings thousands of visitors to the area, and we're expecting it will be no different this year. We want everyone to enjoy themselves so it's important that attendees think ahead and plan their journeys to avoid any disappointment. And we also ask that people are kind, patient and respectful of each other and our transport staff who will be working so hard to get everybody to and from this year's championship. Those travelling to the championship can find useful information to plan their journey on our webpage at: - Merseytravel.Gov.UK."

Top travel tips for those attending: -

• Whether you are travelling to enjoy the golf, commuting to work or taking the family out for a day trip, key information and advice is now available to help you plan your journeys.

If you live or are staying local and are able to: -

• Cycle or walk if you can - Active travel will often be the quickest way of getting around, and you'll help to keep our air clean.

If you're using public transport: -

• Plan ahead - We expect services on the West Kirby branch of the Wirral Line to be busier than usual across the week of the championship.
   

• Check timetables - Make sure to do this ahead of and on your day of travel in case there are any changes - in particular check last bus and train times. Merseytravel and operators will use social media to publish changes made at short notice.
   

• Leave plenty of time - Some journeys might take longer than usual or be subject to delay or changes at short notice - so whether attending the event or not please be aware of the plans and changes.
   

• Consider your options - The transport network is expected to be busier than usual. Think about staggering your travel home times and have a plan B in case you can't get the service you planned for. In particular, don't wait for the last scheduled train or bus home as these can often be very busy.
   

• If possible buy travel tickets in advance and online - This will speed up your journey and help you avoid queues on the day.
   

• Arrive early at the station, stop or ferry terminal in good time - This is to avoid disappointment as there may be queues.
   

• Consider multi modal tickets - Tickets that can be used over different modes of transport, such as: - Saveaways, will give you more options.
   

• Be patient - There will be lots of people travelling to the event.

"Please be kind and respectful to transport staff... Remember that they are working really hard to get you to where you need to be. Let's make this event fun and be proud of our Region!" said

You can check our new: - "Useful Contacts" page for rail and buss operator's websites and Twitter accounts for more information, before setting off by clicking on here....

Mersey Care nurses win Chief Nursing Officer Awards

2 of Mersey Care's most experienced nurses and their contribution to the NHS over their careers have been celebrated by being presented with Chief Nursing Officer Awards.

Trish Bennett, Mersey Care's Executive Director of Nursing and Operations and Deputy Chief Executive of Clinical Services, was presented with the 'Gold Award' by Raj Jain, Chairman of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, Christine Douglas MBE, Director of Nursing and Care at NHS Cheshire and Merseyside and Hilary Garrett, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer for England.

The award was presented in recognition of Trish's: - 'extensive experience of delivering on a broad range of community services from children to adults,' having begun her nursing career in 1985.

Clinical Team Leader, at Mersey Care, Solomon Gwatidzo, was also presented with a: - 'Silver Award.' He has worked for the NHS for 19 years and was nominated for the prestigious award for being a team leader who: - "is very inclusive and adaptive and this enables others in the team to learn, develop and achieve when working alongside him."

Prof Joe Rafferty CBE, Mersey Care's Chief Executive, said: - "I'm delighted Trish and Solomon have been recognised by their peers for such important awards and I'd like to congratulate them both on behalf of the Executive Board. People all have their own reasons for their chosen career, but there is no doubt that Trish and Solomon joined the NHS because they care about their patients and want to influence how we develop our care to provide empathy and support to all of our communities."

Trish remains visible at every level of the Trust and is known as a: - "nurse's nurse" and is available to colleagues and partners on a 24/7 basis. That was underlined when Trish was the driving force behind restoring the reputation of Liverpool's Community healthcare following adverse publicity in the final years of the former Liverpool Community Healthcare NHS Trust. Since being acquired by Mersey Care, in 2017, Trish has championed our community services, which are now widely respected both within the organisation and the wider healthcare system.

Soloman, as a multi - ethnic staff member, supports others in his team and the wider secure care teams to understand the importance of inclusivity and being able to flex and adapt our approach to supporting multi ethnic service users and being more culturally competent. He has recently worked closely with a multi ethnic service user in planning her discharge from secure inpatient services and is actively involved in her community follow up. The integrated approach to discharge ensured the view of our service user and her family was heard and incorporated in the plans.

The Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) and Chief Midwifery Officer (CMidO) Awards were developed by NHS England to reward the significant and outstanding contribution made by nurses and midwives in England and their exceptional contribution to nursing and midwifery practice.