Festival favourite Jason Byrne announces date for the 2025 Southport Comedy Festival

THE Southport Comedy Festival in association with Halliwell Jones Mini can reveal another big name for this year's 17 day event at Victoria Park.

Festival favourite and comedy genius Jason Byrne is revved up and ready to turn stand up on its head AGAIN, as he prepares to return to the:- Southport Comedy Festival, on:- Saturday, 18 October 2025, with his brand new show:- 'Head In The Clouds.'

"Where does he get it all from?" is a regular phrase heard outside Jason Byrne's shows as the crowd leaves in peals of laughter. The answer is simple: his head is (most of the time) stuck in the clouds! It's laughter at its best as Jason performs his breezy banter live on stage. Come along for a night of beautiful, fluffy mayhem and see Jason with:- 'Head In The Clouds.'

Jason said:- "I'm beyond excited to take:- 'Head In The Clouds' on tour! This show is packed with all the madness and magic my chaotic brain can conjure up! Get ready for a hilarious storm of nonsense. See you there!"

Jason's lively, quirky comedy takes flight through spontaneous moments with the audience that:- 'Head In The Clouds' will perfectly showcase. Audiences had better brace themselves for a whirlwind ride through the clouds of comedy!

Jason's career has seen him awarded the UK Radio industry's prestigious Sony Radio Gold Award for his Radio 2 show. He has hosted his own chat show:- 'Jason Byrne's Snaptastic Show' for TV3 in Ireland and co-presented:- 'Wild Things' on Sky One.

TV appearances include:- Amazon's Last 1 Laughing, The Royal Variety Performance, The Graham Norton Show, Live at the Apollo (BBC One), Anonymous in Ireland and The John Bishop Christmas Show (BBC One). Byrne is also hugely popular in Australia. He has appeared on the prestigious Melbourne International Comedy Festival televised galas and The Great Debate as well as Network Ten's The Project and NZ's top-rating 7 Days on TV3.

Jason released his memoir, Adventures of a Wonky Eyed Boy: The Short Arse Years in 2016. Following the success of this book, Jason published his second in 2023, Memoirs of a Wonky eyed Man: The Dad Knows Best Years, a celebration of life and Jason's wonderful relationship with his dad.

Jason is the 5th name to be announced for this year's event. Jason will be joining internationally acclaimed Irish comedian Ardal O' Hanlon, best known for his starring roles in:- Father Ted, Death in Paradise and Derry Girls, Persian Powerhouse and Star of the Silver Screen Omid Djalili and comedian and star of Strictly Come Dancing Chris McCausland and Comedy legend Mark Steel.

For all information and to buy tickets visit:- SouthportComedyFestival.Com.

The 14th annual Southport Comedy Festival will take place from:- 3 October to 19 October 2025. The entire festival will be staged for a 5th year in a giant luxury heated and seated marquee courtesy of:- Elite Marquees, that will be located on:- Victoria Park, which is the home of the Southport Flower Show.

Hundreds of disadvantaged students to be supported into work and training under expanded pilot scheme

STUDENTS from across the Liverpool City Region have been selected to join a pilot programme which supports disadvantaged young people as they move from school into work, training and further education.

Running for 2½ years, the programme builds on the success of the 1st pilot, which ran from 2021 to 2023, and will work with 350 current Year 10 students to equip them with the skills, confidence, and opportunities to re-engage with education and prepare them for their future careers.

Delivered by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority's Careers Hub and in partnership with Elevate Education Business Partnership (EBP) the aim is to tackle the growing challenge of young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET).

The programme will work with pupils who are eligible for free school meals and will provide them with:-

A dedicated mentor: Providing support to the students on developing self-belief and resilience including:- decision making and workplace etiquette.

Career Pathways: Tailored guidance to identify strengths, interests, and aspirations, helping young people create achievable career or education plans.

Access to local businesses: Collaboration with local businesses and industries to offer a variety of experience of workplace visits and employer engagement events.

Every student has also received a tablet, digital skills training and 6 months of connectivity as part of the recent Digital Inclusion Initiative delivered by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. Research from Nominet[1], which publishes the Digital Youth Index, shows 23% of pupils who are eligible for free school meals nationally have no access to broadband at home. This programme will ensure that every young person taking part has the access and connectivity to not only increase their digital skills but also ensure they are able to complete applications online and access vital resources that can open up more post-16 opportunities.

Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said:- "After the success of the pilot programme, I'm delighted that we can continue expanding our support for young people across our Region. Every child, no matter their background, deserves the same opportunities to succeed; and this initiative is about breaking down barriers and giving them the tools they need to thrive. By providing dedicated mentors, career guidance, and direct links to local businesses, we're ensuring that our young people are supported at every stage of their journey. But this is about more than just qualifications; it's about confidence, aspiration, and unlocking potential. Investing in our young people today means investing in our future... securing the long term productivity, economic growth, and success of the Liverpool City Region".

The pilot programme has been commissioned by The Careers and Enterprise Company, the national body for careers education, through the Effective Transitions Fund with funding from JPMorgan Chase to test what types of support works best in breaking down barriers faced by disadvantaged young people.

The investment bank initially funded the programme with £2 million and has now pumped an extra £2.5 million into it after the initial pilot found more than 9 in 10 participants successfully moved on to college or training courses after leaving school at 16.

The initial pilot in the City Region focused on 130 boys who had become disengaged from school and risked leaving with no qualifications or plans for their future. Results from this pilot saw 97% of the students went on to college or training and all of them were still studying after 6 months. 94% said they now felt motivated to learn and 100% felt listened to and supported when planning their future.