Knowsley Online

A tip-off from a member of the public results in illicit tobacco find

Illegal tobacco with a street value of over £21,500 has been seized from three premises in Knowsley.

Knowsley Council’s Trading Standards team carried out the operation with colleagues from Merseyside Police and the Trading Standards North West Regional Tobacco Team.

Based on information from the public, officers discovered almost 135,000 illicit cigarettes and over 8 kilograms of hand rolled tobacco at two residential properties and one business premises in the Huyton and Stockbridge Village area.

All of the products are now being tested and will be destroyed.

A spokesperson for Knowsley Council said: “We take the problem of illegal tobacco extremely seriously and it is certainly not a victimless crime as some people wrongly believe.

“Cheap illegal tobacco is particularly harmful as it helps children to start smoking.

“This seizure came as a result of a tip-off from a member of the public and I would encourage anyone who has information about the supply of illicit tobacco to report it.”

Anyone with information about illegal tobacco should contact Knowsley Council’s Trading Standards team on 0151 443 4712.

They can also telephone Crime-stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or the Trading Standards North West Illicit Tobacco Team on 01925 442 466.

Caring for young carers for 20 years

A service which has worked with more than 2,000 young carers in Knowsley is marking its 20^th anniversary.

Knowsley Young Carers service is holding a celebration event on Wednesday, May 29, at the River Alt Resource Centre in Huyton from 1-5pm, with all present and past young carers invited.

With an estimated 800 young people in the borough acting as carers for parents or relatives, the Young Carers service aim to minimise the impact on their lives and make sure they don’t miss out on a childhood.

Peter Comer, Manager of Knowsley Young Carers Service, said: “We’re working with children as young as 7, some of whom are spending hours a day, every day, looking after parents and carrying out household chores like cleaning, cooking and shopping. In many cases this has a huge impact on their lives – sometimes they are missing school and struggling to concentrate when they do attend, and they miss out on the normal everyday things other children take for granted – playing out with friends or going on family outings.”

Nationally, there are more than 70,000 young carers, around 800 of them living in Knowsley.

Knowsley Young Carers Service look at ways to minimise the impact of the caring responsibility on children, ideally finding ways to stop it altogether.

Defibrillator for the Halewood Junior League

On Wednesday 22 May 2013, Managers from the Halewood Junior Football League presented a defibrillator for use at the Junior Leagues games, as well as for use of the other user groups at the Arncliffe Sports & Community Centre.

To recognise the awareness campaign of the OK Foundation, which was set up following the death of Oliver King, a pupil at King David High School as a result of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (S.A.D.S) whilst having a swimming lesson. The aim of the Foundation is to see the installation of a defibrillator in all public buildings.

Cllr Edna Finneran, Mayor of Halewood said, The Town Council congratulate the managers concerned who took part in the sponsored walk from Liverpool to Southport. They raised the funding for this important piece of equipment to be used by the Junior League, (who have up to 1,000 children taking part of a weekend), and also for other user groups at the Arncliffe Centre.

The Managers are pictured presenting the defibrillator to the Mayor and her fellow Town Councillors at the mid-week Junior Summer League along with Halewood Town Under 8’s.

The sponsored walk was organised by one of the team managers, Simon Clifton, and the other managers who took part are Lee Campbell, John Ross, Ian Yoxall, Phil Allen, John Fearon, Scott Hendry, Dave Barr, Billy Bradley and Andy Strachlis.

Switch for energy savings

You are invited to join the Liverpool City Region Collective Switch to get a better deal on your energy bills.

Organised by Wirral-based charity, Energy Projects Plus, together with the Liverpool City Region local authorities, the scheme will give householders from across the region the chance to join together to get a better deal on their gas and electricity supply.

Anyone can join the LCR Collective Switch. The scheme aims to make it safer and easier to switch supplier and householders could typically save £189 per year on their energy bills!

How does it work?

It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3…

1. Sign up

Registering is easy! Simply visit www.LCRenergyswitch.co.uk or call 0800 043 0151 by 3rd June.

2. Let us do the hard work for you

Our switching partner, energyhelpline, will invite energy suppliers to offer a deal for the collective switch. We will let you know what the offers are and it’s up to you if you want to switch.

3. See how much you could save

You will be able to see how much you could save before you agree to switch. If you do decide to go ahead we’ll make sure it all goes smoothly. If you don’t want to switch, you don’t have to; there’s no obligation.

The more people who join the switch, the better the deal is likely to be, so join in and don’t forget to tell your friends and family

Make sure you register by the 3^rd June 2013.

Innovative ‘green’ work earns recognition in leading eco awards

Knowsley Housing Trust (KHT) has been recognised as an environmental pioneer for its green initiatives across the borough.

KHT, part of the First Ark Group, has been shortlisted in the Sustainability Team of the Year category in the BusinessGreen Leaders Awards 2013 for its innovative work to make Knowsley a ‘greener’ place.

Projects such as Eco Teams, Green Office Week and recycling and sustainable travel programmes encourage and support KHT staff and tenants to reduce their energy use and consider their impact on the environment.

KHT’s Eco Teams, delivered in partnership with Global Action Plan and HACT, engage with groups of residents, schools and local organisations out in communities on a range of issues that can bring down bills, help make homes warmer and reduce waste and carbon emissionsThese include energy, water, ‘growing your own’, travel, recycling and creative cooking.

Huyton Gallery hosts Anthony Ratcliffe's exhibition

Knowsley Council’s Huyton Gallery is delighted to welcome Anthony Ratcliffe’s British landscape and contemporary woodcut printmaking exhibition.

The exhibition will run from 17 June until 5 October 2013 and displays woodcut prints, watercolours, sketchbooks and artists’ books which reflect a lifelong passion for the British landscape.

Anthony Ratcliffe presents a selection of his work from two recent projects in this exhibition, gaining inspiration from a range of sources - maps and illustrated guidebooks for fell running and climbing, poetry and texts and through working from a studio overlooking the Pennine watershed and Dark Peak of the Peak District National Park.

The ‘Shoreline’ project contains images from the coastline of Britain, recording the evidence of past and present human occupation. ‘Watershed’ is a project consisting of images and constructions made from a study of the Pennine watershed overlooking Manchester, with its extensive moorland marked out by remnants of past and present usage, observing the transforming nature of the seasonal shifts on the landscape.

Anthony Ratcliffe has exhibited widely in the UK.  An elected member of Manchester Academy of Fine Arts and Leeds Fine Artists, he is currently Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for Foundation Course in Art and Design at Manchester Metropolitan University. 

There will be lots of free family-friendly activities and artist-led workshops in the gallery inspired by this exhibition during the term-time breaks.

Further information can be found on the council’s website – www.knowsley.gov.uk or contact Tina Ball on 0151 443 5617 or email Tina.Ball@knowsley.gov.uk

Councillor Brian O’Hare is the new Mayor of Knowsley

Raised in Huyton, Cllr O’Hare was first elected to Knowsley Council in 1982 and has held a wide range of positions in the borough since then.

Cllr O’Hare is a former civil engineer and construction manager and currently holds a number of roles in the voluntary and public sector. He is a Governor of Sylvester’s Primary School, where he was educated.

During his year as Mayor, Cllr O’Hare will raise money for the Magic Fund, a charity which supports young people across Knowsley.

Cllr O’Hare’s wife, Christina – also a Knowsley councillor and a former Mayor of the borough – will be his Mayoress.

Cllr O’Hare said: “It is a huge honour and privilege to be serving my borough as Mayor this year. It is fantastic to be able to go out and see the great things happening in our communities and raise money for extremely worthy local causes.”

Arts in Prescot's Programme of events

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Suspended jail sentence for selling counterfeit goods

A man has been given a three month suspended jail sentence for selling counterfeit goods from a shop in Huyton.

James Olivier traded as Royal Discount from premises on Sherbourne Square, selling goods including household items, clothing and children’s toys.

Trading Standards officers from Knowsley Council seized items from the premises on a number of separate occasions. The counterfeit goods taken by officers included fake Lacoste, ‘In the Night Garden’ and Nintendo products.

The 36 year old, of Huntsman Wood in West Derby, pleaded guilty to 10 offences at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court. Nine offences related to selling items bearing false trademarks and one was for failing to provide information to an officer investigating the matter.

He was today (Friday 17 May) handed a 12 week custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months. He was also ordered to carry out 100 hours’ unpaid work and pay £1,000 costs.

A spokesperson for Knowsley Council said: “This sentence should reassure shoppers in Knowsley that we will not tolerate counterfeit goods being sold in the borough.

“These items are often of extremely poor quality and are unlikely to meet the strict health and safety requirements met by genuine products.

“If our officers suspect counterfeit goods are being sold, we will seize them and carry out a thorough investigation. Where the goods are found to be counterfeit – as in this case – we will push for a prosecution.”

We can really feel the difference!

Two thousand homes have now benefited from a £15.5m scheme to improve the energy efficiency of properties in Kirkby.

The Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) is a partnership between Knowsley Council and Wetherby Building Systems.

It allows private homeowners to have external wall insulation, loft insulation or a replacement boiler fitted in their home, subject to certain criteria.

The work is carried out free of charge to the homeowner and is funded by the energy companies.

The total value of the work carried out in Kirkby is more than £15.5m and it is estimated that the improvements will save 340,000 tonnes of carbon emissions over the next 30 years.

The home owners could reduce their energy bills by up to £375 each year by installing external wall insulation, £80 by having a condensing boiler fitted and around £20 each year by installing loft insulation.

The 2,000^th property to be improved is Matt and Jeanette Smith’s home on Brook Hey Drive in Kirkby.

The couple live in the semi-detached house with their four sons.

The Smith’s property has had a new boiler fitted and external wall insulation installed, as they hope to reduce their quarterly energy bill of over £800.

Jeanette said: “I’m really glad we had the work done. It was done very quickly and the workers were very tidy while they were in the house.

“We can really feel the difference and hopefully our energy bills will now start to come down. We are made up and would definitely recommend it to other people.”

KHT affordable homes is one of the best projects in the UK

A development of 49 new homes that has revitalised an area of Knowsley is one of the top 50 affordable housing schemes in the country.

Tiverton Close in Huyton has been chosen from thousands of projects across the UK as a best example of a scheme that has regenerated an area and provided much needed affordable housing.

The £6.3m project of flats and houses was completed by Knowsley Housing Trust, part of the First Ark group, in 2012, with partners Bramall Construction and John McCall Architects.

The Top 50 affordable Housing Developments 2013 list, compiled by Inside Housing magazine, highlights the work of the very best housing providers in the UK in securing funding and driving forward development.

Arts Festival Has First Class Music for Low Prices

Merseyside music lovers can enjoy orchestras, choirs and brass bands at low prices this June.

Tickets for the Ninth Annual Prescot Festival of Music and the Arts went on sale on 1 May, and range from no cost at all to just £8 per event.

For just £4, concertgoers can sway to the sounds of Liverpool Harmonic Gospel Choir and hear Prescot Festival Chorus sing Fauré’s immortal choral work Requiem.

A concert featuring cellist Gethyn Jones, of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, will cost £8. The soloist will perform Elgar’s Cello Concerto, accompanied by Wirral Symphony Orchestra under conductor Jonathan Small, also of the RLPO.

Other performers at this year’s 10-day festival include Birkenhead Operatic Society, Liverpool Cathedral organist Daniel Bishop and Haydock Male Voice Choir. A number of events, such as the Schools Verse Speaking Festival and the Young Instrumentalist of Prescot competition, are free to audiences.

“We’ve always aimed to make the festival as accessible as possible,” said Founder and Artistic Director Dr Robert Howard. “There are few other opportunities to get so many amazing cultural and musical experiences at such affordable prices, and it’s all down to the quality and generosity of our volunteers, and the community groups and performers we work with.”

The Ninth Annual Prescot Festival of Music and the Arts runs from Friday 21 to Sunday 30 June in the historic Lancashire town of Prescot, Merseyside. Full programme and ticket information is available at the official website, www.prescotfestival.co.uk.

Wanted: Foster carers

The hunt is on for local people with room in their hearts and room in their homes to help care for children when they need it most.

Foster Care Fortnight takes place from Monday, May 13 to Sunday, May 26, and potential carers in Knowsley are being urged to come forward and find out more about what fostering involves.

Knowsley’s Fostering Team are holding a drop-in session at the River Alt Resource Centre, Woolfall Health Avenue, Huyton, on Monday, 20 May from 11am-3pm (with a presentation from 12-1pm). Anyone who is interested in finding out more about fostering is welcome to come along, meet the team and chat with other foster carers to find out what it’s really like.

The team will also be out and about raising awareness of fostering in Tesco on Cables Retail Park in Prescot, on Wednesday, May 15, from 11-2.30pm.

Fostering involves looking after a child or young person in your own home at a time when they’re unable to live with their own families. Unlike adoption, fostering is a temporary situation for many children. Foster carers can choose whether to offer short or longer term care, and will have a say in the age of child/children they care for. At present there is a particular need for foster carers who are willing to care for children aged between 11-18.

Anyone with the right qualities can become a foster carer, you don’t have to be married, wealthy, or own your own home. Foster carers can be any sexuality, race or religion. Full training and support is provided to foster carers, and an allowance is paid to cover your expenses.

In fact, being a foster carer can be one of the most rewarding jobs you’ll ever do.

Cllr Graham Wright, Cabinet Member for Children and Family Services for Knowsley Council, said: “We have some fantastic, inspirational foster carers in Knowsley who make an enormous difference to the lives of local children every day.

“Fostering is such a rewarding thing to do, so if becoming a foster carer is something you’ve ever considered doing, then Foster Care Fortnight is the ideal opportunity to find out more. 

“Our fostering team are more than happy to speak to anybody who is interested – and if you do decide to become a carer there will be support, training and advice every step of the way.”

For more information on fostering for Knowsley visit www.knowsley.gov.uk or telephone 0151 443 3958.

Women needed to lead cycle rides in Knowsley

Female cyclists are needed to lead rides through Knowsley later this month as part of a drive by Knowsley Council to get more people on their bikes.

The Sky Ride and Breeze schemes train up local people to lead cycle rides on scenic planned routes in the area.

The Sky Ride scheme is for everyone and the Breeze programme is aimed at women.

The Breeze organisers are looking for women to lead the rides.

The leaders don’t need to be expert cyclists – just enthusiastic and comfortable on a bike and able to commit some time.

They will get free training and a free kit and equipment. In return, they’ll need to commit to leading around 12 rides a year locally.

The Breeze training courses take place on Sunday 19 May at Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park in Longview Drive, Huyton.

Search is launched for Knowsley’s Rising Stars

Up and coming singers are being offered the chance of performing in front of thousands at Knowsley’s largest community event this summer.

Knowsley Housing Trust (KHT) has launched a search for talented performers in its Rising Stars competition, with the opportunity to sing at its Community Day in July.

The shortlisted entries will perform in the grand final at the Community Day, which is this year being held on Saturday, July 6 at King George V playing field in Huyton

The winner will receive a day in a recording studio and will get their song played on KCC Live.

The free Community Day, which has become one of the largest community events in the North West, is expected to attract thousands.

It will be a fun-packed family day out with dancing, music and entertainment.

Jamie Sowler from KHT, part of the First Ark Group, who is coordinating the event, said: “This will be a fantastic addition to this year’s community day and offers budding stars the chance to get out there and shine.”

To enter, singers can upload a recording of them performing to YouTube or Soundcloud and post the link, together with their name, phone number and address, to KHT’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/knowsleyhousingkht.

Alternatively they can send a CD recording to: Marketing, First Ark, Lakeview, Kings Business Park, Prescot, L34 1PJ.

The closing date for entries is May 31, 2013.

The competition is for individual singers, but entries can be accompanied by an acoustic instrument. Entries must be 12 years old or over, and either live, work or go to school in Knowsley.

Exploring in the warm weather

The six month old trio of rhinos are now out and about exploring the whole enclosure at Knowsley Safari - 100 acre area.

Prescot workers get ready to go green

Workers on a business park in Prescot are being encouraged to go green to mark Walk to Work Week and Green Office Week (May 13-17).

More than 1,000 people working at Kings Business Park in Prescot are being invited to find out more about walking or cycling to work, as well as how to save energy and reduce waste at a series of workshops.

The events will mark Green Office Week and Walk to Work Week, which both take place from 13-17 May. The activities are being organised jointly by First Ark Group, Knowsley Council’s Business Travel Advice team, Mersey Care NHS Trust and Merseytravel.

With a focus on green transport, the environment and health, there are short workshops taking place with a different theme for each day. Activities for workers on Kings Business Park will include competitions, health walks, ‘taster’ bus passes, health checks, recycling tips, bike repairs, plug-in vehicles and more. 

If you would like to see a similar event take place at your Knowsley building or workplace, contact your local Business Travel Advisor. For Kirkby businesses, call Patience Jones on 477 1357 or email patience.jones@knowsleychamber.org.uk.

For businesses elsewhere in Knowsley, contact Joanne Spencer on 443 2239 or email joanne.spencer@knowsley.gov.uk).

Crowds turn out for Elizabethan Fayre

The sun shone as revellers once again turned out in their numbers to enjoy the annual Prescot Elizabethan Fayre.

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

This year’s event was opened by Prescot Town Council Mayor, Lynn O’Keefe, with a parade of local school children from Evelyn Primary School in Prescot, dressed in Elizabethan costume.  Throughout the day, people were entertained by some atmospheric traditional medieval music.

An estimated 2,000 people also enjoyed a taste of life in 16^th century Prescot, trying their hand at traditional crafts such as basket making and wood turning. Visitors were also able to take a bell tower tour at Prescot Parish Church and learn a little bit more about this historic building.

Children enjoyed face painting, watching the incredible birds of prey displays, and trying circus skills and workshops.

Revellers were also able to browse the stalls of tempting locally produced goodies at the monthly Prescot Producer’s Market, which takes place on the first Saturday of every month.

Knowsley pupils learn about life in politics

Pupils from Northwood Primary School in Kirkby visited Knowsley Council to gain hands on experience and learn about democracy.

Pupils learned about the voting process and the importance of residents getting a say in how services in their area are run.

After learning about democracy the pupils had the chance to participate in a live debate in the council chamber about how decisions are made.

Pupils also learnt about how the Mayor is elected and what Mayoral duties consist of.

The visit was arranged as part of the schools curriculum about local and national government.

In addition, pupils will be visiting the Houses of Parliament in June to give them an insight of what life is like in national government, and how the decisions made in Parliament effect local people.

Jan Smith, Headteacher at Northwood Primary School, commented “The visit to Knowsley Council gave pupils an insight into life in local politics. It was an excellent opportunity for the pupils to see how decisions are made and to participate in a debate. The pupils enjoyed the day and are now looking forward to the trip to Parliament in June. “

Knowsley pupils learn about life in politics

Pupils from Northwood Primary School in Kirkby visited Knowsley Council to gain hands on experience and learn about democracy.

Pupils learned about the voting process and the importance of residents getting a say in how services in their area are run.

After learning about democracy the pupils had the chance to participate in a live debate in the council chamber about how decisions are made.

Pupils also learnt about how the Mayor is elected and what Mayoral duties consist of.

The visit was arranged as part of the schools curriculum about local and national government.

In addition, pupils will be visiting the Houses of Parliament in June to give them an insight of what life is like in national government, and how the decisions made in Parliament effect local people.

Jan Smith, Headteacher at Northwood Primary School, commented “The visit to Knowsley Council gave pupils an insight into life in local politics. It was an excellent opportunity for the pupils to see how decisions are made and to participate in a debate. The pupils enjoyed the day and are now looking forward to the trip to Parliament in June. “