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Bombed out Church Garden Bar open as Lockdown Restriction Ease
Report by Sean Taylor.

FOLLOWING the easing of some of the Government's recent measures to control and restrict the spread of COVID-19, we (myself and my friend John) were invited by Southport Reporter to take a look at the Bombed Out Church Garden Bar, in Liverpool. St Luke's Church (AKA the Bombed out Church) is a historical Liverpool landmark, and serves as a war memorial in addition to a relaxing green space. Over the last few years, they've hosted a number of cultural events, including various festivals and performances. Now, they're back with a view to the future and plans to be less dependant on seasonal income from tourism.

The bar is situated within the fenced site, the entrance to which is on Hardman street. There are currently additional safety and social distancing measures in place, which is immediately apparent, as upon entrance you will notice arrows on the ground to signal entrance and exit lanes, and a foot pump operated sanitising gel dispenser. We were greeted by security and the hostess, who explained to us how to use the new:- "track and trace" system, whereby we scan a QR code with our phones and fill in our contact details, as we were shown to our table.

The big wooden tables had parasols to provide welcome shelter from the sun. Less convincing, however, are their claims that these would serve to keep you dry in the rain; they simply don't seem big enough. The tables are said to seat 6 people, with the current safety caveat that they will refuse to seat people of more than 2 different households at the same table.

On each table are another couple of QR codes to scan with your phone; 1 for drinks, and 1 for pizza. The pizza is provided by Liverpool's own Turncoat, who have a wood fire pizza oven on site. The pizza prices are reasonable, varying between ₤6 and ₤8 depending on toppings, and garlic bread coming in at just ₤5. Dips for ₤1.50 is a slightly more difficult sell, but the option is there for those who want it. The drinks menu seems to offer a little bit of everything, with various beers, wines and spirits, as well as a few basic cocktails. These items are ordered and paid for via the webpage (with card or paypal), but if you lack any of the necessary pre-requisites to order in this way, they do have the facilities to order with a waiter or waitress and pay by debit card in the usual fashion.

We ordered a couple of beers (Budvar Dark - ₤4.50), which, interestingly, were served in re-usable plastic pint cups. These are apparently much more expensive, even per use, than the regular disposable plastic containers, but are much better for the environment. The beer was delicious, as expected, and for me personally it was nice to have a drink outside for the 1st time since March. It was nice to just take a moment to appreciate the sunny weather, the beer, the situation and the surroundings, a moment marred only by the unsightly portable toilets directly in my eye line.

We ordered 2 of the same pizza, as sharing was out of the question for a pair of such hungry boys, and the description of the:- "Meat, Heat and Sweet" was too hard to pass up:- "Marinara Sauce, Mozzarella, Red Onion, N'duja Spicy Sausage, Spicy Salami, Honey" - ₤8. We'd also ordered a garlic bread with cheese, to share, which arrived pretty promptly.

The bread was served in a disposable cardboard takeaway box. John remarked that it might be better to only offer such takeaway boxes if we wanted to actually take the food away with us, but upon reflection neither of us could think of an appropriate alternative; standard plates would be difficult to wash and re-use safely (especially with the limited access to electricity and running water), and anything other than disposable cardboard plates would probably be disposable plastic, which would be even worse. Upon opening said box, we were greeted by the familiar aroma of dough and garlic, and the pleasing sight of melted butter and cheese. It was sliced up already and we divided it up, each at arms length without touching, and dove in. The dough was amongst the best I've had. It was cooked to perfection, with a nice crisp bite to the base, and an indulgent chewy crust. The cheese had a beautiful spring, and I challenge anyone to not delight in the flavours of melted butter and garlic.

The dips were delicious, albeit expensive. I sampled the lemon and garlic aioli whilst John tried the BBQ. Neither the garlic bread or the aioli were too garlic-y, which can occasionally be an issue when you stack garlic flavours back to back. We hadn't even finished the garlic bread when the pizza arrived, although we may have done had we been waxing less lyrical about it. The pizza arrived, again, in a familiar takeaway box. We were greeted by a nice, thick, satisfying looking base and crust, with large slices of salami and little chunks of spicy sausage. I was still slightly sceptical at this point as to how well honey might sit in the mix of things, and although it was very much on the sweet side, it certainly was not unpleasant. Like the sweetness, the spiciness was definitely noticeable, but it was nowhere near dominating or unpleasant. It was a delicious meal.

Overall, we were both very impressed. The Bombed Out Church Garden Bar is a nice place to sit, relax, converse and enjoy a drink and a pizza. I would say it would be nice to see a slightly more comprehensive menu, for food especially, as I found myself very much craving a dessert, but from our brief conversation with Mark Hensby, who manages the church, it seems as though plans for a few more select vendors may very well be revealed in the future. We wish the bar all the success possible going forward, and shall definitely be returning in the future. Any complaints were small, and the staff and surroundings are exceptional.

I asked John for his own final thoughts to close out the article, here's what he had to say:- "I can't help but feel this was a much needed outside green space, to enjoy food and drinks with friends or family within Liverpool City Centre. The space is stunning, with the ambiance of City life in the backdrop. I would 100% recommend The Meat, Heat and Sweet pizza accompanied by any beverage you choose. The future ideas are even more intriguing and I wish Mark and The Bombed Out Church garden bar the best of luck for the future. I will be back!"

You can watch his video review, below, of the visit, or go to Sean and John's YouTube Channel, Everyday Food Reviews (EFR) and discover what the lads give the visit in their ratings...

After the food we popped over the road to take a look at Bold Street and all the activity taking place on it, since Lock Down.  Diffidently, this is the way forward for this area after Covid19 restrictions have ended, as it now looks fantastic.

Liverpool takes a stand against hate crime

LIVERPOOL City Council and its partners have set out a vision to create a fair City for everyone by taking a stand against hate crime. Liverpool's City safe partnership launches its Hate Crime Strategy 2020 to 2023, which sets out how partners including the:- Council, Police, health service, voluntary sector, the business community and more will challenge hate crime and work together to ensure incidents are reported and dealt with.  A hate crime is defined as any incident motivated by prejudice or hostility against a person's race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or transgender status. Examples include verbal abuse, threatening behaviour and assault, offensive literature and fly posting through to social media posts and jokes.  Since 2017, Liverpool has seen a 10% increase in the number of recorded hate crime. The partnership believes that this increase is due partly to a rise in incidents but also a reflection of the greater awareness of hate crimes and better ways of reporting them. The Hate Crime Strategy sets out to prevent and reduce the number of hate crimes committed in the City by making sure that victims and witnesses are supported and offenders are brought to justice.

Liverpool's City safe partnership pledges to work with communities to encourage activities that bring people together and to raise awareness about what a hate crime is, the impact they have on victims and how they can be reported. Liverpool's Hate Crime Strategy was due to be launched in March 2020, but had to be delayed due to the Coronavirus lockdown. The strategy was officially launched, on Thursday, 30 July 2020, through a special online event.  The launch coincides with the 15th Anniversary of the death of the Merseyside teenager Anthony Walker. The 18 year old was brutally murdered with an ice axe in a racist attack in Huyton in 2005. Anthony's story has been re-told in a special BBC drama written by Liverpool playwright Jimmy McGovern.

Speakers at the launch will include:- Liverpool City Council's Cabinet Member for Communities and Partnerships, Cllr Liz Parsons, Cabinet Member for Inclusive and Accessible City Cllr Pam Thomas, Liverpool's newly appointed Race and Equality task force leader Tracey Gore and John Au and Ben Osu from the Anthony Walker Foundation.

Liverpool City Council's Cabinet Member for Communities and Partnerships, Cllr Liz Parsons, said:- "The impact of hate crime can be devastating for victims and their families but also has the potential to divide and damage communities and neighbourhoods. Working with our partners, we will strive to reduce isolation, victimisation and inequality for individuals and vulnerable groups, and continue to develop the confidence that if an incident occurs it will be dealt with effectively. By working together we will focus on building resilient and empowered communities and endeavour to ensure that our residents and visitors feel safe and feel part of their community, feel they belong."

Ben Osu from The Anthony Walker Foundation said:- "Now, more than ever, it is important that we work together to address racism and tackle all forms of hate crimes. We're proud of the work we have done and continue to do with our strategic partners and welcome the launch of the new Hate Crime Strategy. In recent months we have seen a rise in reported race and religious hate crimes compared to last year and this must not be allowed to go unchecked. Today marks the 15th Anniversary since Anthony's life was tragically taken. For him, we must work for a better world. For a better City. We must not let hate have the last word."

Diane Pownall, Superintendent of Community Policing for Merseyside Police said:- "We want to empower victims to speak out about hate crime, as well as educating the public in general in order to enable everyone living in our community to spot the signs and to feel confident in reporting incidents to us or our partners. Our dedicated teams of specially trained Officers are here to offer support and guidance as well as investigate incidents to bring offenders to justice. We take all reports of hate crime, whether that's physical or verbal, online or face to face, extremely seriously and incidents are investigated thoroughly. I continue to ask anyone who has been a victim of hate crime or knows someone that has, to please get in touch. Not 1 person living in or around Merseyside should feel inferior to another; hate crime will not be tolerated and those who target others or commit a criminal offence, can and will be investigated and brought to justice."

From home life to work and money:- the impact of lockdown on the 50 to 70's revealed

A new report by Ipsos MORI and the Centre for Ageing Better shines a light on the impact lockdown has had on those aged 50 to 70, revealing dramatic changes to people's lives and their plans for the future. Some have seen their health decline, with 1 in five saying their physical health has worsened since lockdown. Over ½ have had a medical or dental appointment cancelled. 32% have been drinking more, and 36% have been smoking more. At the same time, the lockdown has prompted worries about people's finances, with almost ½ of people in their 50's and 60's saying they expect their finances to worsen in the year ahead. Nearly 7 in 10 (68%) of those who are currently workless do not feel confident that that they will be employed in the future. For some, however, this period has been a positive 1, prompting reflections about family, work and community. 30% have been volunteering informally, such as running errands for neighbours. The majority of those who have taken up volunteering expect to carry on doing so in the future. Many have enjoyed spending more time with loved ones, and as a result are re-thinking their priorities: nearly ½ of those in work would consider changing their working pattern in future, and a quarter would consider a career change. Experts at the Centre for Ageing Better say it is crucial that Government acts to capitalise on these positive changes, while supporting those who have been negatively impacted. This group is in a particularly precarious position as they approach retirement, and any reduction in savings could leave them without enough to fund retirement. Job losses could hit this group particularly hard, as over-50s face significant barriers to returning to work once they become unemployed. At the same time, if health conditions or unhealthy habits are left unchecked at this age, they could have a serious impact in later life. The Centre for Ageing Better has urged action from Government to ensure this group isn't left behind in recovery plans, which so far have typically focused on younger age groups. The key support they say is needed includes:-

► Preventing ill health and promoting physical activity.

► Supporting over 50's to remain in work.

► Taking action to improve the poor condition of homes.

► Encouraging people to continue helping out in their communities.

Anna Dixon, Chief Executive at the Centre for Ageing Better, said:- "The lockdown period has had a huge impact on people in their 50's and 60's, with all elements of people's lives turned upside down; from their finances to their family lives. For many, this has been an incredibly worrying time. Lockdown has taken a toll on people's health, and put many at risk of financial insecurity. But for some there have also been opportunities to re-think their work-life balance, get involved in their communities, and build new, healthier habits. It's crucial that the needs of this group aren't overlooked as we move into the recovery period. We have a window of opportunity to build on the positive changes many people have been making, from exercising more to connecting with their communities. But without action to support people's health and help those who have lost jobs back into work, many in this generation face a retirement scarred by the impact of lockdown."

Ben Page, Chief Executive of Ipsos MORI said:- "There has been a great deal of coverage of the financial plight of young people, and the much higher mortality rate among older people. This new study shows how the over 50s' health, finances and employment prospects have suffered in lockdown. As in the aftermath of the 2008 crash, the risk we face is of older people seeing their prospects collapsing: even before COVID-19, employment fell off a cliff after 55; despite rising longevity.  It is vital the post COVID world does not reverse the gains made for older people in the last decade."