Southport gardens to be filled with colour for families as volunteers seek your help
Photos by Andrew Brown.

LORD Street In Bloom Garden Volunteers are among a team working hard this week to improve the Town Hall Gardens in Southport Town centre; and they would love your help to fill the area with colour.

The gardens became an awe-inspiring sight over the summer as thousands of families came to lay a huge number of flowers, plants, teddies and other tributes in memory of the 3 young Southport girls killed and the children and adults severely injured at The Hart Space in July 2024.

It has become a space where family members, friends and others can come and enjoy quiet reflection while enjoying community support, since the tragic events earlier in the year.

This November and December the Gardens will be the central feature of Southport's Christmas decorations. This week, the Lord Street In Bloom Garden Volunteers are working with contractors from Dowhigh and Sefton Council to carry out substantial improvements to the area for families to enjoy. But they need your help in order to purchase plants, bulbs and shrubs to really make the gardens shine.

New volunteers are also guaranteed a warm welcome. Lord Street In Bloom Garden Volunteers founder Pauline Morris said:- "On Wednesday our group will be working alongside Dowhigh and Sefton Council staff. We'll be planting up around 2,000 mini daffodils, lots of double tulips, polyanthus, forget me nots, a few shrubs, and lots of perennials. Thanks to Southport BID for their continued support. They've supplied us with a lot of perennials. Sadly we do rely on donations to purchase plants, bulbs etc. We need lots of shrubs, and a lot more perennials for this area in front of The Atkinson. If you own a business and you'd like to make a small donation please contact me. We want to fill these flower beds with lots of colour.�

Can you help? Please contact the volunteers via their Lord Street In Bloom Facebook Page. Dowhigh, a local business based in Sefton, is delighted to be supporting the volunteers.

A spokesperson said:- "Dowhigh started work on:- Monday, outside Southport Town Hall and The Atkinson, clearing the flower beds in preparation for the planting of bulbs by Lord Street in Bloom. The team have been busy with diggers and dumpers, 1st removing ferns and other plants which the In Bloom team will replant, and then by taking the current soil out of the flower beds. Over the past 2 days, they have continued to clear the beds before bringing new substrate and soil to replace what's been removed. On Wednesday Dowhigh will be running a corporate day where different members of the team from throughout the business will help in making the final preparations, including:- tidying up and painting the waste bins around the area. The In Bloom team will then continue with their replanting later in the week. Dowhigh are pleased to be involved in this important work and to provide our assistance in this venture. The area outside The Atkinson has become a significant focal point of the Town and, as a long term contractor for Sefton Council, we felt it was important to continue to play our part in the rejuvenation of the area. It will be great to see the flower beds in the spring after all of the bulbs have flowered.�

Local businesses in the Town Hall Gardens including:- Crave Pizza and The Pavilion Cafe, Bar and Bistro remain open while the work is taking place

Mersey Care reopening Face to Face Talking Therapies in South Liverpool

MERSEY Care is due to reopen its Face to Face Talking Therapies clinic base in South Liverpool for the 1st time since being forced to close during the COVID-19 Pandemic several years ago.

The service, which aims to improve access for local people, closer to home, will be moving back into St Andrew's Business Centre, 91-93 St Mary's Road, Liverpool, L19 2NL on 4 November 2024 its hoped that the location will be fully open for business.

Talking Therapies provide psychological treatments to help people with common mental health problems such as feeling stressed, feeling low in mood (depressed) or very nervous (anxiety).

Consultant Clinical Psychologist Christina Fitzgerald, Mersey Care's Clinical Lead for Talking Therapies, said:- "We're delighted to reopen our base in the south of the city, so we can offer people Talking Therapies appointments in their local area. Many of us experience anxiety and/or depression at points throughout our lives and Talking Therapies are here to provide psychological treatment for these common mental health difficulties when and where people need them. All the psychological treatments we offer have been proven through research to be effective in reducing the symptoms of anxiety and depression and helping people feel better and recover, we are here to help.�

This free and confidential talking therapy service is available to adults aged 16 or over and who are registered with a Liverpool GP.

You can self refer to Talking Therapies Liverpool directly by:-