Knowsley Online

Teenage torchbearer is all heart.

Teenager with a heart Joe Shaw will be swapping lunch club sandwiches for the Olympic Flame in a couple of weeks.

The Knowsley 16 year old will be carrying the Torch down Liverpool Road as it’s taken through Huyton, out into Liverpool.

It’s his chance to share in an historic moment and a far cry from the selfless voluntary work he does week in, week out.

Joe, who’s from Kirkby, is doing a diploma in sports but finds time to help out at the charity shop and lunch club at St Mark’s church in Brook Hey Drive.

Get active with a party for the Diamond Jubilee.

Knowsley’s Activity for LIFE Programme is having a party to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

The party is at Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park in Longview Drive in Huyton on Friday June 1, from 3pm to 7pm. 

Tickets are £5 and include a glass of bucks fizz on arrival, a buffet, licensed bar, entertainment and a disco. Everyone is welcome. 

There’s a free return coach to Huyton from Kirkby, Halewood and Stockbridge leisure centres so there’s no need to worry about transport. 

You can pick up your tickets from the Activity for LIFE Team at any of Knowsley’s leisure centres.

 The Activity for LIFE programme offers support to local people who need help to do more exercise. 

You can join the programme for as little as £4 a month and there are sessions at all of Knowsley’s leisure centres. 

To find out more or to get information about Activity for LIFE call 443 3109 or email activityforlife@knowsley.gov.uk

Kick start your fitness

Do you like training outdoors and want to improve your fitness fast?

Why not try out a fitness boot camp at Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park?

You can try out the all new boot camps for just £4 a go in June or you can sign up for a 12 session course for just £40.

The taster sessions are on Tuesdays, June 5 and 12 and Thursdays June 7 and 14, from 6pm until 7pm and Saturdays, June 9 and 16, from 10am until 11am.

The first full course starts in the week beginning June 18, 2012

For more information, call 0151 443 2200 or call into Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park in Longview Drive in Huyton to book your place

Drop in to hear about street lighting work in Kirkby Central

Knowsley Council is working with Tay Valley Lighting (TVL) to carry out a multi-million pound revamp of the borough’s street lighting.

Work is nearing completion in Prescot West and Halewood South and the team will then move into Kirkby Central next month, contributing to the wider £200 million regeneration of the town centre.

 Members of the community in the Kirkby Central area are invited to attend a drop-in event being held on Wednesday, 23 May at Southdene Community and Youth Centre on Broad Lane, Simonswood, Kirkby.

Representatives from both Knowsley Council and TVL will be on-hand to answer any questions residents may have regarding the work that will be taking place.

Call in any time between 6.30pm and 8.00pm to find out more about the scheme, along with details of the timescales and benefits it will bring to the area.

Councillor Norman Hogg is the new Mayor of Knowsley for 2012/13.

Cllr Hogg has represented Halewood West for the last 14 years and is a governor at Halewood Centre for Learning and Holy Family Junior School.

He received the chains of office from outgoing Mayor, Cllr Christina O’Hare, at Knowsley Council’s Annual General Meeting.

Cllr Hogg’s wife of 49 years, Wendy, is the Mayoress in 2012/13 and the Mayor’s chosen charities are:

HoneyRose Foundation - a charity which supports local people who are suffering from a terminal illness.

Friends of Knowsley Young Carers - a project to provide relief and support to young people in Knowsley who provide care to a family member.

A donation will also be made to Listening Ear Merseyside, which is a community-based charity which provides a free and confidential listening, counselling and bereavement support service.

Cllr Hogg said: “It is a great honour and privilege to serve my borough as Mayor this year.

“I’ve always been extremely proud of my Knowsley roots and Wendy and I are delighted to be able to represent the borough and see some of the fantastic things that are happening here.

“In my role as Mayor, I’m particularly pleased to have the opportunity to raise money for my chosen charities, which do a fantastic job in our communities.”

Crimestoppers offer up to £2k reward for information on the theft of plaque for boys killed in Cheshire

A reward of up to £2,000 is being offered by crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers for information on thieves who stole a metal plaque erected in the memory of two young boys killed in an IRA bomb attack in Warrington. 

The victims; 12-year old Tim Parry and three year old Johnathan Ball, died in 1993 after two bombs were detonated in the town centre in a blast that also injured 54 others. The two bombs exploded within a minute of each other on 20 March 1993.

The plaque is believed to have been stolen between 20 April and 5 May 2012. The scrap metal value of the stolen plaque, which forms part of the River of Life memorial on Bridge Street in Warrington, is thought to be worth around £30.

The plaque replicates a passage from the bible featuring a large rock in which water flows down a channel into a dome. Along the channel are words to commemorate the bombing and the boys who lost their lives. 

Foodbank charity opens new centre in Huyton

A charity that has helped to feed hundreds of people across Knowsley has opened a new centre in Huyton.

Knowsley Foodbank, run by Jubilee Church, has two distribution centres in Kirkby and has now opened a third centre at the Apostolic Church on Liverpool Road in Huyton, where people on low incomes or who are struggling to keep their cupboards stocked can pick up emergency food parcels.

Since opening in September last year the charity has helped to feed 900 people. It ultimately aims to run 10 centres across Knowsley that will put its vital support within one mile of the majority of Knowsley residents.

Knowsley MP George Howarth will be joining volunteers at Asda in Huyton on Saturday (May 19) to help the new centre get off the ground by collecting donated food.

Barry Cooper, from Knowsley Foodbank, said: “It is very sad that there has been such a big demand for the foodbank because it shows how many people are struggling to make ends meet.

“But it also shows how important this service is and that we need to make it accessible to as many people as possible across the whole of Knowsley.”

Why not try out for Prescot Cables under 18s youth team

Prescot Cables Youth under 18,s are presently holding trials on a Friday night at Huyton Arts & Sports Centre, Seel Rd , Huyton.

Time - 6.45pm to 8.00pm each week. All players must be 18 after the 31st August. Players leaving school or just finishing their 1st year A levels are welcome.

Prescot Youth play in the Northwest Youth Alliance league and therefore players should have played to a very good standard previously.

For further information Contact :- Kev Jones (Youth Manager) on - 07894306876

Elizabethan Fayre takes Prescot back in time.

Strolling players and medieval craftspeople filled Prescot in a Spring Fayre with a difference.

The popular Elizabethan Fayre transported around a thousand visitors back to the 14^th century.

There were jugglers, harpists, craft stalls, donkeys and fairground rides at the event in and around Prescot Parish Church in Church Street.

This year it coincided with Prescot’s popular producers market which showcases the best produce from local farmers, bakeries and businesses.

The festival recreates the old May Fayres that were held in Prescot, during the era of the first Queen Elizabeth

“The Elizabethan Fayre is becoming a real crowd puller,” said Cllr Eddie Connor, Knowsley Council’s cabinet member for leisure community and culture.

“Prescot has a lot of history and the medieval fayres here attracted people from all over the country.

“This event gives people a chance to see what the town might have looked and felt like way back then.”

• The Prescot producers markets are held on the first Saturday of every month from 9am until 2pm around Eccleston Street.

A medieval street entertainer meets a youngster from Prescot at the town’s Elizabethan Fayre

Bob fixes it for colourful Lui

Bob the Builder fixed it for 3 year old Lui Parry Jones when he won a competition in Knowsley.

Lui went to see the popular TV character at Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park in Longview Drive, Huyton and got to meet his hero backstage.

He was one of ten children who’d won a colouring competition and got to meet Bob, Scoop, Muck, Dizzy, Rolly, Wendy and Spud.

Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park opened last year and offers all sorts of sports and leisure facilities, a wide range of classes and two swimming pools.

It also has a beauty and leisure spa, adult day care and a fully equipped theatre space. There’s lots of parking and a reception bar and café on the evening of performances.

Plan where you’ll watch the Olympic Flame in Knowsley!

The Olympic Flame comes to Knowsley on June 1 and it’ll be welcomed with a celebration event at Knowsley Safari Park.

There’s a day-long celebration to welcome the Flame at the Park, starting at 10am and a talent show for local groups.

To register for your FREE ticket, log onto the www.knowsleysafariexperience.co.uk website.

The Flame leaves the Safari Park and the relay begins again around 3.30pm at the Prescot end of Liverpool Road.

You can line the route and cheer on the torchbearers as they carry the Flame through Huyton into Liverpool.

This simple map will help you plan where you can watch this historic event.

If you’re not coming along to watch, it might be best to avoid the area between 2pm and 4.30pm as delays are expected.

For more information call Steve Gowland on 443 5208 or Jennifer Sweeney

on 443 2984 or log onto www.knowsley.gov.uk

Map of the route of the Olympic Flame through Knowsley on Friday June 1.

 

More for Your Money at This Year’s Prescot Festival

A Merseyside arts festival is promising added value for concertgoers this year.

The 10-day Prescot Festival will give locals more for their money when it gets underway next month. On 15 June’s opening night, as well as music from one of the North West’s top brass bands, audiences will get a barbecued hamburger or hot dog supplied by caterers who recently fed the Queen and Prince Philip.

An organ recital by the Metropolitan Cathedral’s Richard Lea on 17 June will be followed by cheese and wine, all included in the ticket price. An old-fashioned choc-ice treat awaits those who go to see the 2006 hit film The Queen on 19 June.

And as if a night of toe-tapping tunes from Liverpool folk band The Travelling People were not enough, guests at the St Paul’s Barn Dance on 22 June will also get a traditional Lancashire hot-pot supper for their £6 ticket.

Swap your bus pass for a bike!

Children in Knowsley who get free bus passes are being offered the chance to swap them for bikes.

The scheme’s aimed at pupils in Years 10 and 11 in secondary school and is the first of its kind on Merseyside.

It’s called “Bikes for Bus Passes” and gives pupils the chance to swap their Council funded bus pass for a new bike and cycling accessory pack.

Its run by Knowsley’s Road Safety and Travel Plan team who say it can improve the health and fitness of the child as well as increase their independence.

It gives them a free form of transport and fits in with the team’s overall aim of reducing the amount of traffic around schools.

People who are interested in taking part in the scheme, should contact Knowsley’s School Transport Team on 0151 443 2500.

Join in the fun at this year’s KHT Community Day

Families can enjoy a fun-packed day of dancing, music and entertainment at this year’s Knowsley Housing Trust (KHT) Community Day.

Once again the event will be held at King George V playing field, Longview Drive, Huyton, with plenty of activities for all the family including a climbing wall, fairground rides, face painting, petting zoo, entertainment from KCC Live and fantastic performances from some of Knowsley’s best dancers, martial artists and singers –  and it's all free.

There will also be fairground rides, jugglers, a football tournament and basketball coaching, and various information stalls with a chance to consult with KHT and its partners and learn more about new lettings system Property Pool Plus.

£0.48m Invested in Knowsley’s coalfield communities

The North West Coalfield Communities Regeneration Programme (NWCCRP) has invested £0.48m over the past 7 years in the targeted coalfield communities of Cronton and Whiston, Knowsley.  The programme was supported through the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and Coalfield Regeneration Trust (CRT).

The programme delivered a package of support aimed at addressing and reducing high levels of worklessness and developing a culture of enterprise and entrepreneurship within coalfield communities. 

Young people aged 18 to 24 from Cronton and Whiston took part in 6-12 month work placements in environmental teams operated by Groundworks Merseyside and partners. They carried out work including tree planting, clearing shrubs, developing allotments, and reinvigorating football pitches.

We want your views – street lighting work in Kirkby Central

Knowsley Council is working with Tay Valley Lighting (TVL) to carry out a multi-million pound revamp of the borough’s street lighting.

Work is nearing completion in Prescot West and Halewood South and the team will then move into Kirkby Central next month, contributing to the wider £200 million regeneration of the town centre.

Members of the community in the Kirkby Central area are invited to attend a consultation event being held on Wednesday, 23 May at Southdene Community and Youth Centre on Broad Lane, Simonswood, Kirkby.  Representatives from both Knowsley Council and TVL will be on-hand to answer any questions residents may have regarding the work that will be taking place.

Free family fun

Knowsley families enjoyed a series of free, fun days to celebrate Spring at the River Alt Resource Centre.

They were provided by the council’s Family First service, which gives support to people with children from birth to 18.

There were all sorts of games and activities for parents and their children and there was the chance for the families to enjoy time together and to meet others. 

The Family First team laid on egg hunts, quizzes, competitions, egg decorating, spring planting, face painting and art and craft activities, supported by the Aspire Trust.

Aspire is working with Family First to involve  parents in positive activities.

The events were held over two days and 24 families took part.

They said they enjoyed the chance to spend some quality time with each other and appreciated the fact that the activities were free as days out for families can be expensive.

Knowsley’s Family First Service offers support across the borough.

To find out more, call  0151 443 4071 or 4056.

Pictureed: Free fun days run by Knowsley’s Family First Service at the River Alt Resource Centre.

 

 

Fostering changed my life

A Knowsley carer says fostering is the best thing she’s ever done and wants more people to try it.

Joanne’s 43 and has been fostering babies and toddlers for three years and loves every minute.

It’s Foster Care Fortnight from May 14 to 27 and she’s calling on other people to give it a go.

“It’s just amazing,” she said. “I can’t think of anything better to do.

“I love working with the children and making a difference.

“I try to do all I can to make the child I’m looking after happy and to develop.

“If, after that, it’s possible for them to go back home, that’s wonderful or if they go for adoption, that’s wonderful too.”

The foster mum knew from an early age that she’d never be able to have children of her own, but always had a strong maternal instinct.

She first applied to become a foster mum when she was 40.

“I wanted to get all of my partying days out of the way first!

“The application process is thorough which is important as becoming a foster parent is a tremendous responsibility.

“I had to write an account of my own life and I loved that! It made me realise how lovely my own childhood had been and all the more determined to help other children.”

She’s had lots of support from social workers in Knowsley and an experienced foster carer acted as her mentor in the first year.

Ground-breaking housing project in line for top eco award

An innovative project that is breaking new ground in home insulation and reducing carbon emissions has been nominated for a top eco award.

The First Ark Group, which includes Knowsley Housing Trust, has completed what is believed to be the first multi-foil insulation work to a row of three terraced homes in Lordens Road, Huyton.

The project has now been shortlisted in the BusinessGreen Leaders Awards 2012, in the WWF Green Game-Changers Innovation of the Year category.

First Ark is one of only a few housing organisations nominated against primarily private companies.

Ian Thomson, Executive Director of Asset Management at First Ark, said:  “This is a completely new method that has not been tried out before.

“That it has already been recognised in these awards is a testament to the hard work and ingenuity of our team and our contractors – and shows we are on the right track with our approach.”

Multi foil insulation has been developed to replace large thick insulation materials, but this project is believed to be the first time it has been used in this type of housing refurbishment.

A protective film has been fitted around the external walls and roof rafters – the two largest heat loss surfaces – of the three properties, treating them as a single building.

The multi foil insulation stops warm air escaping, improving insulation and air tightness. Fresh air is let in through a mechanical ventilation heat recovery system.

Nonsense Day at Knowsley Safari Park

Birthday celebrations for poet Edward Lear

Budding young poets are invited to join an owl, a pussycat, a 19th century menagerie keeper and even ‘Edward Lear’ to celebrate the poet’s 200th birthday, Saturday 12 May, at Knowsley Safari Park.

A ‘Nonsense Day’ birthday party will be held in honour of Lear, who wrote some of his most famous works while staying at Knowsley Hall. It will see the park’s new Birds of Prey enclosure decked out with bunting, and playing host to activities, including recitals of the nonsense stories, and craft workshops to make ‘runcible’ spoons and owl and pussycat masks.

Visitors are encouraged to get creative and wear fancy dress; top marks, and half price entry will go to those sporting anything from big Victorian beards and top hats to outfits inspired by Lear’s verses.

Rachel Scott, Head of Marketing comments: “Edward Lear lived and worked from 1832 – 1836 and wrote the famous poem ‘The Owl and The Pussycat' to entertain the 13th Earl, Lord Edward Stanley’s children and grandchildren.

“The event is a celebration of the great works by Edward Lear and unearths the unique connection between Edward Lear and Knowsley Hall.”