HRH The Princess Royal to visit Southport for rededication of War Memorial

SOUTHPORT will welcome HRH The Princess Royal on:- Friday, 29 September 2023, to mark the re-dedication of the Town's War Memorial, which will be 100 years old on:- 18 November this year.

Her Royal Highness will be attending the event in her capacity as President of the Women's Section of the Royal British Legion.

Located in London Square on Lord Street, the War Memorial was unveiled on:- 18 November 1923, by the Earl of Derby, along with local children of the fallen, from World War One.

The impressive structure comprises an obelisk flanked by 2 colonnades in the form of Greek temples. Outside the colonnades are public memorial gardens, each containing a Pool of Remembrance and fountains.

One of the largest outside of London, the memorial was designed by the local architects Grayson and Barnish, with the carving executed by Herbert Tyson Smith.

The event will consist of a parade marching, from:- Victoria Park, in Southport, to the War Memorial, where a Drumhead Service will be conducted to mark the re-dedication of the War Memorial.

The re-dedication will be directed by Colonel (Retd) Monsignor Stephen Alker MBE and attended by senior civil dignitaries and senior military figures.

The parade will be led by the Band of the Royal Air Force College and be made up of Armed Forces personnel and Veterans from all 3 services, as well as:- Combined Cadet Force Cadets, from:- Merchant Taylors School and contingents, from all 28 Schools in the Southport area.

Event organiser, Major Nick McEntee TD VR REME and Chairman of the Royal British Legion, Southport, said:- "It is a huge honour to welcome HRH The Princess Royal to Southport for the re-dedication of the town's War Memorial which honours the fallen from the 1st World War through to the present day. It means a great deal to the armed forces community and people of the Southport area that she will be here to mark its centenary."

The parade and rededication will start late morning on:- Friday, 29 September 2023 and conclude early afternoon. Specific timings will be confirmed in due course.

For further information please contact:- southport.secretary@rbl.community.

Campaign secures backing of Liverpool City Region

CAMPAIGNERS fighting National Highways' controversial Port of Liverpool Access Road have secured the backing of the Liverpool City Region as a result of their latest action.

Around 75 people braved the elements on:- Saturday, 5 August 2023, to march 6 miles from Rimrose Valley, the country park which stands to be bulldozed if the plans go ahead, to Mann Island, home of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA).

Wirral Councillor, Steve Foulkes, Chair of the City Region's Transport Committee met them and acknowledged the campaign's calls for the Combined Authority to reject the road proposal in favour of sustainable infrastructure and to urgently improve air quality in South Sefton.

Addressing the crowd, which walked a large section of the historic Leeds Liverpool canal before marching down a rain soaked Strand, Cllr Foulkes pledged his support, saying:- "(The Transport Committee) is a democratic organisation and the important thing about democratic organisations is they must listen to the people. It's quite clear what your message is; you want an alternative to this scheme. We don't believe it's the right solution (and) the committee and the Mayor are dedicated to clean air and better air quality. You do not do that by building more roads. The way forward is to improve the rail freight network. That's the proper solution. The infrastructure is nearly there, and it wouldn't take much to link it to the port. We're demanding that National Highways' funding be devolved to the Liverpool City Region and that WE decide the solution, working with our people and with your ideas to make sure we get the best solution for the future and for generations ahead. We have strong allies in Transport for the North and their masterplan is to get more freight onto rail. They are a statutory body that the Government must listen to. Together, we will use all our powers of influence and do all we can possibly do to get the agenda to move to what you want. I salute what you've done today, which demonstrates your commitment and has raised the profile of this problem to another level. Politicians must listen, Government officials must listen."

Speaking on behalf of Save Rimrose, Stuart Bennett said:- "We were blown away by the attendance for this event and want to thank everyone who gave up their Saturday and precious family time to show their commitment to the cause. This was particularly impressive, given the weather conditions. The words of Cllr Foulkes are a huge boost as it means we now have the backing of all 3 levels of our political structure; our council, both of our Westminster MPs and now the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. It would be madness for the Government and National Highways to push ahead with this road project in the face of this level of opposition. It also demonstrates that people power really does work and where better for us to prove this than in the heart of Liverpool itself? Our City and its people are renowned for our commitment to social justice and our campaign is a perfect example of this. Would the Government dream of building a road through historic Sefton Park, or 1 of London's great parks? Of course not. All we are asking is that OUR green space and the health and wellbeing of OUR communities be shown the same respect. It feels like we have made another major step as a result of this latest action and we're confident that this message is understood by all within the City Region, including our Metro Mayor, Steve Rotheram. We won't let up until this scheme is scrapped and new plans are offered, which put the interests of every resident in South Sefton 1st, not merely an afterthought of the port's expansion."