Jail and Bail fundraiser for Queenscourt Hospice

A community spirited bathroom owner in Southport is keen to tap into lots of support when he takes part in the new Jail and Bail initiative to raise money for Queenscourt Hospice.

Daniel Doherty, who owns the Ripples bathroom showroom on Eastbank Street, is among prominent local people left with a sink-ing feeling after learning they will be:- 'locked up' on:- Friday, 15 September 2023.

To win his freedom Daniel needs well wishers to shower him with donations as he aims to raise a minimum of £999 in 'bail' money.

People can donate via the Daniel Doherty Jail and Bail 2023 fundraising page on the JustGiving website.

If the fearless fundraiser, who will face a series of challengers on the day, doesn't come up with the readies then he faces a long soak inside.

Jail and Bail will see over a dozen community minded people 'locked up' in the prison cells at the former Southport Magistrates' Court building; for a variety of heinous 'crimes' including Hospice Director of Corporate Services Debbie Pierce-Lawson.

Their only way to escape? By completing daring challenges and seeking support from local people splashing out at least £999 in 'bail' money.

Every penny raised through Jail and Bail will go towards Queenscourt Hospice.

The charity provides care and support for residents across West Lancashire, Southport and Formby, 365 days a year.

Queenscourt is staging this brand new fundraiser in collaboration with Stand Up For Southport.

It takes place:- 10am to 3pm, on:- Friday, 15 September 2023, at:- Access Point, based inside the former Southport Magistrates' Court building, on Albert Road in Southport.

A handful of local 'criminals' have already had their collars felt; now organisers are reaching out for more willing participants to join their 'chain gang.'

Ripples Bathrooms owner Daniel Doherty said:- "I'm feeling nervous about heading to spend some time inside so I'm keen for people to come to my rescue and bail me out! This is the 1st time that Jail and Bail has taken part in Southport and I think it's a really good initiative. Queenscourt Hospice is a fantastic charity to support and I am delighted to do anything I can do to support what they do in our community. Our area would be lost without all the good they do. Without members of the public raising funds every year through Jail and Bail, Star Trekk, Santa Sprint and other events, our local Hospice just wouldn't exist. I am always up for a challenge and taking part in Jail and Bail sounds like lots of fun! The main aim is to raise as much money as we can for Queenscourt Hospice so I hope people are as supportive as possible and help my appeal; and get me out of:- 'jail'! Although I'm sure some of my family and friends would be keen for me to stay in!"

Ripples Bathrooms, based on Eastbank Street in Southport town centre, is owned by Southport couple Daniel and Jenna Doherty and recently celebrated its 1st birthday.

It is the only Ripples outlet in the North of England.

Earlier this year, Ripples Southport was a finalist in the New Bathroom Retailer of the Year Awards at the kbbreview Retail and Design Awards 2023.

Which crimes does Daniel think his family and friends think he should be charged with for Jail and Bail? He said:- "I don't think you could publish that! I think they'd lock me up for being too good looking! Either that, or enjoying a nice Guinness or 2 at the weekend."

Local businesses including:- The Cheshire Lines Inn, pub in Southport are supporting the initiative on the day.

Queenscourt Hospice Fundraising Manager Liz Hartley said:- "Jail and Bail, Queenscourt Hospice's brand-new fundraising challenge, in collaboration with Stand Up For Southport, is coming soon to a jail near you and we would absolutely love you to be involved. Individuals eager to take part in this challenge will be:- 'arrested,' 'charged with a despicable crime' and then placed on 'trial' in the famous courtroom inside the Access Point building; all for a wonderful cause! Once you have been found 'guilty,' you will need to raise a minimum of £999 in bail money to be released! Wearing a prison uniform, you will have access to your laptop and phone throughout the day so that you can raise your bail money. You will also take part in activities throughout the day, around Southport, that relate to your chosen crime."

Stand up For Southport owner Andrew Brown said:- "We are honoured to team up with Queenscourt Hospice to launch the 1st ever Jail and Bail fundraiser! It's going to be a really fun way of raising money for an incredible local charity that holds a very special place in the hearts of so many of us. We would love to see people from across West Lancashire, Southport and Formby join us for this unique event, with numbers very limited."

Access Point People Director Amanda Manley said:- "Access Point is delighted to support Queenscourt Hospice with Jail and Bail this September, by offering the use of our Courthouse cells. Liz Hartley, the Fundraising Manager at Queenscourt, has shared her vision for the event and it's sure to be a fun filled day for all involved and a great way to raise funds for the Hospice. Our employees have held various events to raise funds for Queenscourt since May 2022 and it's great to be able to help them from behind the scenes this time around."

Hospice Director of Corporate Services Debbie Pierce-Lawson also revealed her reasons for taking part, saying:- "I have worked as part of #teamqueenscourt for over 5 years. Queenscourt supported my dad and our family many years ago and has always been close to my heart. When the chance came to work as part of #teamqueenscourt I jumped at it, and I haven't looked back since. I try to support our fundraising activities when I can. We receive less than 20% of our funding from statutory sources so it's vitally important that we find inventive and fun ways to encourage people to support us, either as a volunteer or through a donation. People are amazing and never fail to humble me with the amount of time and money that they donate to Queenscourt. I'm not the most athletic or adventurous person in the world so challenges like the marathon or skydiving definitely aren't really my thing. I think I can manage to be locked up in a cell and complete a few tasks to (hopefully) raise enough and get released and I would like to say thank you so much to anyone that donates to the bail fund or shares the link to my page. The most important reason to donate is that all bail money raised will help Queenscourt's mission to deliver specialist support and services within our local communities. Hopefully, my friends and family will also want to donate so that I can escape and get home, although I imagine that there are a few of my friends that might find it funnier to donate to keep me in! Unfortunately, this isn't an option for them, not on this occasion anyway."

Queenscourt Hospice provides access to specialist palliative care either at home (including care homes), Hospital or in Queenscourt via the Inpatient Unit or as an Outpatient.

For more details or to register your interest please email Queenscourt Hospice Fundraising Manager Liz Hartley at:- Fundraising@Queenscourt.Org.UK

For more news about the work of Queenscourt Hospice, please visit:- Queenscourt.Org.UK.
 

Pothole repair funding in UK has reduced more than majority of other OECD nations

SPENDING on local road repairs in the UK has been reduced by more than nearly all other OECD countries in almost 2 decades, new Local Government Association analysis has revealed. Figures from the OECD; a group of 38 'high income countries' show that £4 billion was spent in 2006 on UK local road maintenance compared with £2 billion in 2019; the last year of comparable data available. This is compared to:- Sweden, Denmark, the United States, Japan and New Zealand which have increased spending by around 50% over the same period. Countries including:- France, Finland and Canada have also protected pothole repair budgets more than the UK Government has. Only Italy and Ireland have seen such similar drops in spending on local roads.

This comes at the same time as the LGA publishes its latest residents satisfaction polling which found that only 34 per cent of residents were satisfied with how well their local roads were maintained. This is the lowest level recorded since the survey began in 2012.

The LGA, which represents Councils across England and Wales, said it wants to work with Government on a devolved, long term plan for our local roads, which needs to include greater and more consistent funding to get our investment in roads back up to the levels of other leading countries.

The Government currently spends 31 times more per mile on maintaining motorways than local roads. Ahead of the next General Election, the LGA is calling on all political parties to pledge to a 10 year programme where current funding for local roads and local transport infrastructure is boosted by devolving the equivalent of 2p of existing fuel duty. This would help Councils to reverse the current decline in road conditions, so residents aren't paying for far more expensive pothole repairs, and work can continue on reducing air pollution and supporting the move to a low carbon economy.

This needs be accompanied by fully devolved powers to Councils over all local transport, with 5 year funding settlements as benefits national bodies such as Network Rail and National Highways, to also allow investment in more sustainable and lower carbon forms of local transport as we work towards net zero.

This would not only ensure Councils can tackle our growing local roads repair backlog, but also boost the economy, jobs and investment. Despite additional funding delivered in the Budget this year, latest estimates from the ALARM survey found that Councils face a record £14 billion road repair backlog which it would take them 11 years to tackle without further support. Rising levels of inflation which has pushed up the cost of materials such as bitumen as well as more extreme winter weather has made it harder for Councils to tackle potholes and maintain local roads.

Cllr Shaun Davies, Chair of the LGA said:- "The UK has fallen from the top to almost the bottom of the league when it comes to the amount we spend on repairing our local roads. Decades of reductions in funding from central Government to local road repair budgets has left Councils facing the biggest ever annual pothole repair backlog. Positive extra funding in the recent Budget will help, but Councils still face considerable challenges when trying to get on top of this pothole blight. In order to support motorists, the Government should take this opportunity to work with Councils to develop a long-term, fully-funded programme to catch up with the backlog. Ultimately, all local transport decisions should be devolved to Councils, who are best placed in determining what is a priority for their areas. This will allow Councils not just to tackle potholes but make improvements to road surfaces, saving money in the long term and improving our roads for everyone who uses them. As well as this, we would urge all parties to commit to invest in our local road network at the next general election, which is so important to our residents and our business community."