Santa Watch 2024 - Did you see him?

ON Christmas Eve and into Christmas Day our annual Santa Watch Webcam was live again. Not only is this now a tradition for us to broadcast it, it is also now one of the key webcams on the international website:- emailSanta.com.

If you are unaware, emailSanta.com is a well-known and established website that runs a Santa Tracker and has displayed his route since 1997, when it was set up in response to the Canada Post strike. Now it is featured all over the world, from the BBC, NBC, CNN, The New York Times, Wired are just a few places that use it's services or follow it.

This year, not only did we host our normal page, we added the camera to MyEarthCam.Com as using YouTube to host a live stream. So, did you Father Christmas on our Camera live? After we put up the highlights, someone spotted a 4th possible appearance on the footage... Do you agree that was also Santa? Not only that, but Santa also visited our Office in Southport! These are a few pictures and a bit of video footage from the cameras...

Merseyside Newsbites section on Mersey Reporter, alternatively you can also  get in contact via emailing our Newsroom at:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com or send us a message on:-  Mastodon, Facebook, or Twitter.

Thousands of planted bulbs across Liverpool set to make Spring a vibrant sight

COMMUNITIES across Liverpool will see an incredible display of colour and vibrancy as Winter turns to Spring in early 2025.

This Autumn and Winter Liverpool City Council has worked with community groups to plant more than 220,000 spring bulbs; the biggest bulb planting season for many years.

By far the largest area to see Spring bulbs being planted is in Kirkdale, in the area known as the Flower Streets.

This zone, which is flanked by the famous Flower Street murals by artist Madeline Pires who also helped plant some of the bulbs, has already seen more than 160,000 bulbs planted. Local residents and pupils, from The Trinity Catholic Primary School, helped in planting the bulbs.

Dense crocus stripes are being planted as rays of colour, extending from the mural across the verge and beyond, into the adjacent greenspace at Canalside Park.

The project has been designed by Elaine Cresswell, of Reshaped Landscape, working closely with Councillor Joe Hanson, who represents Kirkdale West ward, and Liverpool City Council's Parks and Greenspaces team.

Cllr Joe Hanson said:- "This has been a wonderful project to work with the community on. We expect that this northern City gateway, through Kirkdale, should look even more amazing in the Spring. It's so important to engage with local communities, Schools, designers and artists such as Madeline and Elaine to ensure the continued growth and improvement of our environment. Not only will these projects make our City look better, but it will also instil a sense of local pride in thousands of residents and may even inspire some of our youngsters to become keen gardeners."

Dr Helen Rawlinson, Green Infrastructure Project Manager at Liverpool City Council, said:- "As an early source of food, the flowers support emerging pollinators, enhance biodiversity and contribute to delivering Liverpool City Council's Pollinator Strategy. Planting bulbs is great for wellbeing too; from the planting activities to the spirit- lifting splash of colour as the seasons change to Spring. We hope the rays of crocus will give everyone a boost."

Thousands more bulbs have; or will be; planted at other sites across Liverpool:-

• Wavertree Botanic Park has had 40,000 crocuses planted between the trees along the Cherry Walk.
  The Friends will also be planting 1,000 daffodils and tulips.
   

• Vauxhall Medical Centre, with support from the Liverpool City Council Parks team, have planted 500 daffodil bulbs within the greenspace at the corner of Burlington St and Green St, as part of a new community garden and greenspace initiative promoting wellbeing.
   

• 2,000 bulbs (a mix of daffodils, tulips and crocuses) are being planted at:- St James' Gardens by the Friends group.
  500 daffodils and 500 crocuses are being planted at:- Seeds Lane.
   

• 14,500 daffodils are being planted at:- Hill Street, Toxteth, along the verges recently planted with new trees. Facilitated by the Council's Parks team working together with the Highways Active Travel Officers.