Enter the Dragon! Celebrations at Chinatown with Culture Liverpool

PLANS are under way to stage Liverpool's biggest-ever Lunar New Year celebrations, not only to welcome in the Year of the Dragon, but also to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the City's twinning with Shanghai.

Secretary of Liverpool Chinese Business Association, Ming Wang, said:- "As we say goodbye to the Year of the Rabbit, we welcome the Year of the Dragon; a time which signifies power, success and good fortune. Once again, our local Chinese community, Culture Liverpool, and other organisations have worked tirelessly together to arrange a series of arts and cultural events for everyone to enjoy. It is guaranteed fun filled with plenty of activities for children and adults to enjoy. Please come and join the celebrations."

Taking place from:- Friday, 9 February to Sunday, 11 February 2024, for the 1st time the FREE activities will not only take over the Chinatown area, but they will also bring a festival of colour and sound to the Bombed Out Church (St Luke's), Liverpool 1 and the Royal Albert Dock Liverpool.

Sean Morrison, Estate Manager at Royal Albert Dock, said:- "We're delighted to be a part of this year's spectacular event celebrating the Lunar New Year. For the 1st time, we're welcoming a floating dragon to the dock for what is guaranteed to offer 3 days of breath-taking performances. Let's embrace the Year of the Dragon with joy, harmony and a celebration that reflects our diverse community and shared heritage."

As well as the usual Chinatown takeover which includes:- traditional dragon, lion and unicorn parades, firecracker displays, family workshops, Tai Chi demonstrations, live music, a fairground and food and craft stalls; Culture Liverpool has commissioned brand new cultural pieces to celebrate Europe's oldest Chinese community. These will take place in the run up to the main day of celebration on the Sunday, and on the day itself.

They include:-

From Friday, 9 February to Sunday, 11 February 2024, the traditional Chinese story of the Boy and the Pearl will come to life as it's projected on the Bombed Out Church. Taking place from:- 6 to 9pm, each night, the projections will transform the building with captivating animation and a newly composed soundscape. The show, which lasts for 10 minutes, will run on a loop each evening. The work has been created by Focal Studios, in collaboration with Pagoda, the Bombed Out Church and local artists. To add to the atmosphere, around the church will be wooden dragon installations designed by local Schools and community groups.

Culture Liverpool has teamed up with outdoor art experts Walk The Plank and fiery thrill seekers:- 'Bring The Fire' to stage 3 nights of entertainment at Royal Albert Dock Liverpool. This will see a 25 metre, illuminated dragon floating through the dock system, an exciting fire street theatre featuring dance and martial arts. All activities will run from:- 5.30pm to 9pm, each night; more detailed timings will be announced on Culture Liverpool's social media channels nearer the time.

Bring The Fire will also showcase its stunning skills at Chinatown on the Sunday with a mesmerising, fire finale at:- 4.30pm, on the stage, at Great George Square.

Due to popular demand, even more free family friendly workshops will be available on:- Sunday, 11 February 2024, from:- lantern making sessions, traditional arts and crafts including dragon shadow puppetry, candle making and storytelling; and lots more! Each session will see local artists sharing their skills to inspire creativity. The Mersey Forest team is also getting involved in the workshop action and will stage activities at the Bombed Out Church.

The Philharmonic Hall's Music Room will play host to Harmony of the:- 'Dragon - A Chinese New Year Gala' an enchanting musical performance including a rendition of:- 'Great Race,' a delightful tune associated with the CBBC programme of the same name. This is a ticketed event and all the information can be found on the venue's website.

Thousands of lanterns will adorn the City centre streets around Chinatown and Liverpool 1 from the beginning of February, and a number of buildings will be illuminated in red in honour of the new year; signifying good fortune and joy to everyone. Some of the locations include:- Sefton Park Palm House, the Mersey Gateway Bridge, Cunard Building, Liverpool Town Hall, St George's Hall, the Martin Luther King Building at the Royal Liverpool Albert Dock, Steve Prescott Bridge. Liverpool 1 and the Rotunda.

On Sunday, 11 February 2024, activity will take place from:- 11am to 5pm, in and around the Great George Square area, and all the information about what to expect can be found on the official Lunar New Year website.

On Saturday, 3 February 2024, excitement is set to build as the Liverpool Hung Gar Kung Fu Friendship Association and award-winning dance company Movema lead a lion parade through the City Centre. It will start from Bold Street around midday, travel to Liverpool 1 and then finish at the Royal Albert Dock Liverpool.

Donna Howitt, Place Strategy Director for Liverpool 1 said:- "We are delighted to be part of the City's celebrations for the Lunar New Year as we embrace the traditions from our various communities in the City. At Liverpool ONE, our lantern decorations and activities have become an annual feature, allowing our visitors to join in the celebrations. We wish everyone a prosperous Year of the Dragon."

Keep up with the latest news by following Culture Liverpool on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow the conversation on socials with #LNYLiverpool.

The event has been organised by Liverpool City Council's Culture Liverpool team in partnership with the Liverpool Chinese Business Association. Those supporting the event are:- Royal Albert Dock Liverpool, Liverpool ONE, Arts Council England, Canal and River Trust, Liverpool BID Company and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Liverpool City Council's Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Culture, Councillor Harry Doyle, said:- "The traditional celebrations have had a bit of a glow-up this year with a brand new name and new locations added which is testament to the scale, popularity and inclusivity of this event. In 2023 we welcomed more than 20,000 people on the Sunday alone and it was fantastic to see so many people come together in celebration of our much loved Chinese community. This year it's bigger and better and we're delighted that our friends at the Albert Dock are working with us to bring a bit of dragon spirit to their site which will look incredible. The day itself is guaranteed to be a real spectacle with a whole host of family-friendly activities which are either free or low-cost. And it's a fantastic start to this special anniversary year which marks our 25-year relationship with Shanghai. We're hugely proud of the twinning and the many cultural exchanges it has resulted in. This will be the 1st of many events to mark this significant milestone."

Lunar New Year was formerly known as Chinese New Year. The name has changed to be more inclusive to those communities outside of China which also celebrate the New Year.

Liverpool woman sentenced after dead cats found in rubbish strewn house

A woman from Liverpool has been fined and given a community order after her 2 cats, Ernie and Mags, were found dead inside a rubbish strewn house.

Mandy Swash, (DOB: 02/09/1970) of Rosedale Avenue, Liverpool, was sentenced at Liverpool Magistrates' Court, on:- Thursday, 4 January 2024, following a previous hearing in September where she was proven guilty in her absence.

RSPCA inspector Louise Showering was 1st called to the property in Barmouth Way, Liverpool, where Swash was then living, in September 2022 following reports that there were dead and live animals living in poor conditions inside the house.

On entering the property, she immediately noticed a smell despite wearing a mask and there were lots of flies buzzing around. The letting agent had informed her that they'd entered the property 2 days before and that conditions inside the house were dire, with fleas and other parasites.

Describing the conditions at the property, inspector Showering said in a witness statement:- "Inside there were boxes and bags piled high making it difficult to see the floor. I had to stand on rubbish and cat litter in order to go up the stairs. The bathroom was in a filthy state with items covering the floor and inside the bath. The door of the back bedroom was off the hinges and resting against bags and the bed behind it. The window was partially obscured by piles of bags and there were many flies and fleas in the room. The landing was blocked by more items so I had to climb over these to reach the other 2 bedrooms. Inside the front larger bedroom, the bed was heavily soiled by faeces. I had to stand on rubbish just to get into the room. Inside the kitchen, I was again unable to see the floor due to the amount of rubbish. There was faeces and empty food packets, plastic and empty soiled bowls and litter trays. The kitchen itself was also filthy, with piles of faeces stacked up next to the sink and on the work surfaces"

Sadly, in the lounge and rear bedrooms, the RSPCA Officer found the bodies of the 2 deceased cats.

She added:- "In the lounge area, I saw a black bin bag over the top of 1 of the boxes. The letting agent informed me that he had spoken with Swash who told him that 1 of the dead cats was in a box in the lounge so I removed the box outside and found the body of a black domestic shorthaired cat inside. The cat appeared to have had a head injury and trauma to the eye area. In the rear bedroom, I saw a large number of fleas jumping on a blanket to the left of the door. I removed the blanket and discovered the body of a black domestic short-haired cat which appeared underweight and also had a flea infeStation."

It is believed that Mags had suffered following a road traffic collision due to her head trauma.Meanwhile, a postmortem on Ernie showed that he was very underweight - although it is not known whether this was from not having access to food, although there was little food in his stomach, or an unknown disease which was detected.

Over the next few days, more than 185 bites appeared all over Inspector Showering's body. She said:- "To date, this is the worst case of flea bites I have suffered in my whole 13 year career. These caused me significant discomfort and an inability to sleep for a number of days due to the severity of the itching."

Showering added:- "This was an incredibly sad case which resulted in the neglect and suffering of multiple cats. These cats were not provided with a suitable environment in which to live due to the heavily soiled litter trays, a heavy build up of cat faeces on work surfaces, floors, beds and soft furnishings and unsafe living conditions due to the hoarding of items such as plastic bags, and stacked items, causing potential trapping or injury hazards. There were no safe, comfortable, clean places in which the cats could rest. The environment was such that it would be more difficult to spot an injured cat easily. They were heavily infested with fleas and there was a build-up of faeces and detritus which would create a breeding ground for disease."

Swash also had 2 other female black and white cats which had been moved out of the property previously. Maud, two, and Mabel, seven, appeared in normal bodily condition and no further issues were raised.

Swash was sentenced to a 12 month community order which includes:- 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days and was placed under a curfew, between:- 7pm and 7am to last 8 weeks. She was given 12 sessions of mental health treatment requirement and ordered to pay £114 victim surcharge. She was also ordered to pay a further £1,250 in costs.

In mitigation, the court heard how her personal circumstances are different now in terms of mental health and therefore no disqualification order was imposed. The other 2 cats have remained in her care and are well looked after, receiving regular vet checks and flea treatment.