Fundraising women will pack a punch with 6 hour power fundraiser for Southport tragedy families

A Southport fundraiser will pack a real punch with a non-stop 6 hour PWR-thon, to take place on:- Sunday, 20 October 2024.

The event will take place at the PWR BOX studio in Southport Town Centre, in part of The Kingsway building. All places have now been filled with participants getting ready for their most intense workout yet.

It has been organised by Sarah Radley Buck who owns PWR BOX Southport and coaches Rachel Humphries and Ashleigh Blinston.

The 3 local mums are determined to raise as much money as they can to support the families of the 3 young girls who were killed and those who were injured in the heartbreaking tragedy at The Hart Space in Southport, on 29 July 2024.

The knife attack claimed the lives of:- Elsie Dot Stancombe, aged 7; Bebe King, aged 6, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, aged 0. Several other girls and adults were badly injured and others left traumatised.

You can donate via the PWR BOX GoFundMe Page organised by Sarah.

The friends have some superb raffle prizes which you can win, including:- a £1,000 store credit at DFS, a party for 15 children at Nerf Action Experience, a luxury overnight stay for 2 in Snowdonia, 2 hospitality places for a Liverpool FC game at Anfield, a signed Steven Gerrard shirt, an overnight stay and breakfast at The Grand Southport and more.

The fundraiser takes place on the 2nd birthday, of PWR BOX Southport.

As 3 local mums they thought staging an event to fundraise for local families was something they were determined to do.

They said:- "Many of us were deeply saddened by the events that took place in Southport this July. Fundraising for this is a promise we have been eager to keep, but it needed to be the right time. We feel that our second birthday, celebration is the perfect opportunity to come together and support the families of the 3 girls; Alice, Bebe, and Elsie, and all the other girls and teachers who were affected by the tragedy. The classes will be taken by ourselves, Sarah, Rachel and Ashleigh. The classes we are not teaching we will be taking part in! This fundraiser is very close to our hearts and we are personally passionate about it. We believe that with your help, we can make it the biggest 1 yet. On Sunday, 20 October 2024, we will be hosting a six-hour PWR-thon, with 6 back to back classes (mixed up). We welcome the support of anyone who would like to buy raffle tickets or donate. We have created a GoFundMe page while people who would like to buy tickets can also call into our studio in Southport. Let's raise some serious money to help these amazing people. This event is very close to our hearts at PWR for so many reasons. Let's all come together and show the world what the small Town of Southport can really do. For information on how to donate and enter our amazing raffle please don't hesitate to message us via our Instagram page. Let's come together and make a difference in the lives of those affected by this tragedy."

Just a few of the amazing raffle prizes include:-

• £1,000 store credit at DFS.
   

• A party for 15 children at Nerf Action Experience.
   

• Luxury overnight stay for 2 at Plas Coch Luxury Escapes in Snowdonia.
   

• Family of 5 grotto visit at Scarisbrick Hall School.
   

• 2 hospitality places for a Liverpool FC game at Anfield.
   

• Signed Steven Gerrard shirt via Soccer Speaker.
   

• A Say It With necklace.
   

• Overnight stay and breakfast at The Grand Southport.
   

• Plus shop vouchers, afternoon teas, facials, restaurant vouchers, aesthetic treatments, hair and nails vouchers, and so much more.

The PWR BOX Studio is Southport's boutique boxing studio.  For more details email:- PWRBox.Boxing@Gmail.Com, call:- 07896968809, or visit::- PWRBoxStudio.Co.UK.

River of Light Shines Bright For All

WITH just over a week to go until River of Light returns, Liverpool City Council unveils plans to make the popular event even more accessible, inclusive and engaging.

Building on the success of last year, the FREE event will once again offer Quiet Hour sessions to accommodate visitors with additional sensory needs. These special sessions will run from:- 4pm to 5pm on:- Sunday, 27 October and Monday, 28 October 2024, and the same times on:- Sunday, 3 November and Monday, 4 November 2024. During these hours, the 12 featured installations will have reduced soundscapes or will operate entirely without sound. Where possible, lighting will also be softened, creating a calmer environment for those with sensory sensitivities.

This year's light festival runs from:- Friday, 25 October to Tuesday, 5 November 2024, taking place at the same time as Diwali; the Hindu festival of lights. To mark the cultural celebration, on Friday, 1 November visitors can enjoy a programme curated by Indian arts organisation, MILAP, featuring performances by the popular Bombay Baja Brass Band and Piano with Bhav between:- 5pm to 8pm; all taking place near the Rangoli Mirrored Cosmos installation by award winning artist MURUGIAH.

The young people's engagement programme, developed by the City Council's Culture Liverpool team returns this year and connects young people with 3 of the event's featured artists, offering creative, hands-on workshops that encourage artistic expression and learning.

Families attending Granby Children's Centre and Family Hub will have the opportunity to work with MURUGIAH, who will guide participants through the creation of Mandalas; repetitive geometric designs which represent harmony and balance.

Students at St John Bosco Arts College will have a masterclass in sign-making from locally commissioned artist Liz Harry, learning the art of communication through visual design.

Pupils at Holy Family Catholic Primary School will collaborate with Rachel Darnell and Jorge Fernandez from Australia's Amigo & Amigo, designing and crafting their very own gnomes; inspired by their 2024 River of Light installation, No Place Like Gnome.

Working with the City Council's Children and Young People's team, there will also be a guided tour for young people who are part of the Positive Pathways scheme, aimed at those who could otherwise be at risk of being involved with anti-social behaviour.

The theme for this year's outdoor trail and the engagement programme is Play, tying into Liverpool's ongoing pledge to become a recognised UNICEF UK Child Friendly City. The initiative highlights the importance of children's rights to play, recreation, rest, and leisure, as outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. #ChildFriendlyLpool

River of Light will be part funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority as the lead authority. Avanti is the official travel partner for the event.

Liverpool City Council's Cabinet Member for Culture, Health and Wellbeing, Councillor Harry Doyle, said:- "We're thrilled to bring back the quiet hours this year after receiving such positive feedback from visitors in 2023. It brought in a new audience who hadn't experienced the trail previously, and thanks to some adaptations to the light and sound, they felt part of this massively popular event. It's also great to see the return of the workshops; they're so unique, and the youngsters and the artists always get a huge amount out of the sessions. Encouraging children to express themselves through art and creativity is an incredibly powerful tool that will hopefully inspire future artists. Celebrating Diwali as part of the River of Light is a fantastic way to embrace cultural diversity and unity and we're delighted to be working with Milap on this. Bringing together communities through art, music, and tradition, fostering a real sense of belonging and is certain to be a highlight of the festival."

Alok Nayak, Milap's CEO and Artistic Director, said:- "We are excited to be part of River of Light 2024, an event that unites art, culture, and community. At Milap, we believe in the power of the arts to inspire, educate, and bring people together. This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the richness of Indian arts, while contributing to Liverpool's dynamic cultural landscape. Diwali, the festival of light, is beautifully reflected in Liverpool's own light festival, making our collaboration with Culture Liverpool to bring MURUGIAH's:- 'Rangoli Mirrored Cosmos' to the City even more meaningful. Rangoli patterns are recreated in homes, in designs and works of art worldwide, and this concept will come to life on Liverpool's waterfront through MURUGIAHS's unique reimagining. We're eager to share this experience with the public and celebrate the positive impact of creativity and diversity!"

Denise Wright, Liverpool City Council's Family Learning Co-ordinator for Children Centre's and Family Hubs, said:- "This is a wonderful opportunity for families with young children to work with a world-renowned artist at 1 of our main Family Hub sites. The River of Light's theme of PLAY this year is great for engaging families in rich creative and cultural experiences in their own communities and for connecting families to a major interactive and cultural event in the City."

To get the latest information visit:- VisitLiverpool.Com.