Formby Neighbours Start Week with Lottery Win

6 people in Formby had a bit of a cheerful news after winning ₤1,000 each thanks to their lucky postcode.  The Gardner Road neighbours netted the windfall when L37 8DG was announced as a Daily Prize winner with People's Postcode Lottery on Tuesday, 24 March 2020. People's Postcode Lottery ambassador Judie McCourt sent her well-wishes to the winners. She said:- "I'm thrilled that we could bring some happy news to our winners today, congratulations!" A minimum of 32% of ticket sales goes directly to charities and players of People's Postcode Lottery have raised over ₤500 million to date for thousands of good causes in Britain and beyond.  This draw was promoted by the Wildlife Trusts which have received over ₤12.6 million in funding from the players of People's Postcode Lottery. The Wildlife Trusts look after more than 2,300 nature reserves and operate more than 100 visitor and education centres across the country. The Trusts work to make life better for wildlife, people and future generations. Many good causes close to the winners have also benefitted from players' support, and local charities can next apply for funding in August 2020. For more information on People's Postcode Lottery, please visit:- PostcodeLottery.Co.UK.

Formby Residents are saying 'Devil's Hole' brake though is a very worrying sight

THE most extensive dune system in the North West of England is between Hightown and Southport. This coastal strip is dominate by the due system which forms an important natural coastal flood defence for the local area and they are constantly changing. For many in the North West, Formby's spectacular expanse of beach and dunes is a must go to place in the Summer, but this increasing popularity is acceleration of the naturally eroding coast, that is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) For many local residents within Formby, the sand dune blowout, known locally as 'Devil's Hole' began to form in the 1940's, is a well known feature. It is thought that it was probably formed following the explosion of a German bomb between 1940 or 1941.

The large hole in the dunes has grown over time, due to the wind, making for a rather dramatic feature. This has lead to even more erosion, with people climbing on it. The recent storms and the mass tourist numbers who have headed to the area over the 2019 has lead to this unstable structure opening it's seaward side to the sea. This is a major worry as blowouts form by wind and other forms of erosion, slowly hollowing the depression out. As it developed, it get deeper and deeper, until the water table is reached, as the sand is then too wet to continue blowing. This means any added loss of the sand dune's protective cover, the vegetation, in this case due to tourists climbing on it, means the process gets faster.  Now the wind, has opened up a gap that in theory could allow the sea at some point to brake through, if protective measures are not undertaken. We can't stop erosion, as Sefton's dune fronted shoreline is dramatic environment, but Sefton Coast's vulnerability to coastal flooding is highlighted by this. We must do everything we can now to protect the dunes and help protect the Ravenmeols Sandhills, that is now being managed by the National Trust from accelerated erosion from tourism. This will prove to be very challenging and now many readers are suggesting that notices should be used to highlight both the dangers of digging into the sand dunes, not only to those digging holes, but also to the area. Currently only warnings about lighting fires, tides and swimming are displayed. What are readers thoughts on this issue? If you have any views, please email us to:- News24@SouthportReporter.com.