Knowsley Online

KHT secures £5m to build new homes in Knowsley

Hundreds of families will have the chance of a new home after Knowsley Housing Trust (KHT), part of the First Ark Group, received £5m of funding to support an innovative four-year development programme across the borough.

KHT’s successful bid to the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) as part of the Affordable Homes Programme means it will be able to build 241 homes across Knowsley from now until 2015.

First Ark Group Chief Executive Bob Taylor said: “This investment will provide a massive boost to the housing supply in Knowsley and will be a real stepping stone to the future regeneration of the borough.

“KHT built 87 homes in 2010/2011 and this funding will allow us to greatly increase the number of homes we can deliver over the next few years.

Zumba marathon helps vulnerable children.

Over a hundred people took part in a three hour sponsored Zumbathon at the new Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park.

Zumba is a combination of exercise and dance to a lively beat and has really taken off across the country.

The event at the leisure park raised £510 for the Lord Mayor’s charity.

This year the charity chosen is the Magic Fund which supports vulnerable young people across Knowsley.

Those taking part in the event paid £5 each and there were twenty instructors, from Freestyle Fitness, the company that provides Zumba classes for Active Knowsley.

It was held in the sports hall at the new centre and there was a prize draw of those that took part.

This was won by Lisa Kehoe from Kirkby who was presented with a voucher for a treatment at the centre’s new luxurious Spa area.

“This was a mixture of good fun and good will,” said Cllr Eddie Connor, Knowsley’s cabinet member Leisure Communities and Culture.

 “I would like to thank everyone who took part and gave up their free time to help such a worthy cause.”

Arts in Precot

Sunday 30th October, 3pm

Prescot Parish Church, Church Street, Prescot. L34 1LA

AUDITIONTASTIC

Where X-Factor meets the world of opera

You be the judging panel as 5 professionally trained

opera singers compete for your vote.

Tickets £6 (£4 conc) on the door

And

Sunday 13th November, 3pm

Prescot Parish Church, Church Street, Prescot. L34 1LA

SONGS OF REMEMBRANCE

Programme to include Britten's Cabaret Songs & Butterworth's

'A Shropshire Lad'

Performed by Laura Hudson and Benjamin Weaver

Tickets £6 (£4 conc) on the door

www.prescotfestival.co.uk

Key date for Knowsley landlords

Knowsley Council is hosting a key event for private landlords in the borough.

The fifth private landlords’ forum will focus on three important topics:

•  Knowsley Private Sector Housing Strategy – Interactive Session;
• The top ten tips for dealing with tenants; and
• Housing benefit changes update

The previous events have been extremely popular and successful, with landlords able to access guidance and support from specialist council officers and network with other landlords from the borough.

Those who attend will also have the opportunity to find out more about – and sign up to – the Landlord Accreditation Scheme. The scheme is free to join and offers a range of benefits to members. So far 46 private landlords, covering 71 properties in Knowsley, have joined the scheme.

Cllr Dave Lonergan, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Economy and Skills said: “We are always looking to share advice, support and best practice with landlords and this forum is proving to be an extremely popular way of doing so.

“I would encourage private landlords in Knowsley to attend and also to find out more about our Landlord Accreditation Scheme, which provides a range of benefits to members.”

The forum is being held 5:30pm-7:30pm on Thursday 17 November at the Huyton Suite, Civic Way, Huyton.

 Landlords wishing to attend should telephone 0151 443 2287 or email housing@knowsley.gov.uk

Apprentice hopefuls begin job quest

Hundreds of young people looking for apprenticeships have attended assessment events in the first stage of the recruitment process for the Merseyside Apprenticeship Programme.

Events took place in Knowsley, Sefton and Liverpool for 16-24 year olds who applied for one of the 100 apprenticeship positions being advertised across the local authorities as part of a European Social Fund financed initiative.

The candidates were put through numeracy and literacy tests before being briefed about the apprenticeship programme and what it will entail.

As part of the scheme, employers will be given financial support towards the cost of their apprentice and training, while apprentices will be given a two year paid placement and the opportunity to gain up to an NVQ Level 3 in a relevant subject as well as invaluable work experience.

Magic performances at new Knowsley venue

Tickets are now on sale for some top notch acts at Knowsley’s newest venue this autumn.

A Queen tribute act and an Elvis Presley show will be at the new Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park in Huyton.

You can get tickets by calling into any one of Knowsley’s leisure centres at Huyton, Kirkby and Halewood, or online through www.wegottickets.com/knowsleylcp Both performances begin at 7.30pm and tickets are £14 and £12 for concessions.

Magic - A Kind of Queen features one of Britain’s finest tribute bands in a live performance on Saturday, November 12. The show will feature all of Queen’s greatest hits including 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'A Kind of Magic' and ‘Under Pressure.

Seamless help for families.

Families in Kirkby can get everything from child care to job help and education in a unique centre.

Westvale primary school works with no fewer than four other organisations on one site to help people from birth to adulthood.

Knowsley City Learning Centre (CLC) has just moved there and a celebration was held to mark the expanding partnership.. 

The CLC has state of the art technology that can be used by schools and community groups and joins the school, Eden Children’s Centre, the Family Learning Team and Kids in Bloom Childcare at the centre..

“We’re not just educating the children,” said Gill Holland, head teacher at Westvale.

“Between us we’re providing seamless care and support for the whole family.

New shop gets Knowsley Working

A new shop in Huyton is offering a one-stop destination for residents who want a job or are seeking advice on employment and training.

Advisors at the new Knowsley Works shop on Archway Road, Huyton Village, can help jobseekers find vacancies, give information about voluntary work or training and even offer advice and support on housing, health or money issues.

The new shop compliments Knowsley Works’ existing two centres in Kirkby and Page Moss, Huyton, as well as the regular sessions they hold in more than 40 outreach locations across the borough.

Cllr Dave Lonergan, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Economy and Skills, said: “The Knowsley Works team have developed a fantastic and well earned reputation among local people and businesses over recent years for the work they have done helping residents into work and matching suitable employees with available vacancies.

“The team have excellent connections and can help residents whether they are long term unemployed, recently made redundant or are school leavers looking for a first job.

“The service can be a real lifeline because they offer practical help with some of the issues which might also be worrying people such as housing, money management and health.”

Knowsley Works is run by Knowsley Council and is funded by the European Social Fund. The service is available to anyone living in Knowsley, except those who are already on the Work Programme with either Ingeus or A4E.

Rugby legend pays tribute to Knowsley’s sport fans.

Rugby league legend Eddie Hemmings headed up a gala awards ceremony in Knowsley.

The sport and physical activity awards pay tribute to people who help themselves and others to get more healthy.

Eddie was one of three presenters, including top FA referee Chris Foy and the current Commonwealth boxing gold medallist Tom Stalker.

They met with a whole host of performers, volunteers and coaches who work to help others increase activity and healthy living.

The winners of the first six categories now go forward to represent Knowsley at the Merseyside Future Sporting Champions dinner in Liverpool in November..

They were:

• Young volunteer of the year, Sammy Scotland, who is 16 and from Kirkby Sports College. She helps out at all of the college’s after school clubs, weekend events and the Everton Mini Kickers.
• Ed Calland from Halewood, who was named Volunteer of the Year for his work with Halewood Tae Kwon-Do Club.
• Angela Hyland, from Huyton,  who was named Coach of the Year for her work in swimming, which includes training London 2012 Olympics contender Michael Rock
• Mags junior football club which was named Club of the Year. It has 700 members and trains very young footballers.
• Sarah Rostron, who is 17, a boxer and from Kirkby. She was named Young Sport Person of the Year and has been training for just three years but is already a twice ABA champion and a European silver and gold medallist. She now has her sights set on the Olympics 2016.
• Harry Warburton who was given the Lifetime Achievement Award. He founded Whiston Juniors football in 1985 and is still active at the club, painting the clubhouse and setting up goal posts for matches.

Knowsley Housing Trust backs call for rethink on welfare changes

Knowsley Housing Trust is backing Welfare Action Week by calling on ministers to rethink changes to housing benefit rules that could push many local people into hardship.

Welfare Action Week is a national week of action starting on 10 October, organised by the National Housing Federation, the trade body for housing associations, to raise awareness of the harsh reality of the Government’s proposed welfare changes.

Hundreds of housing associations across the country will be participating in this week of action

Under the Welfare Reform Bill, which is going through Parliament, the Government is proposing to cut benefit for social housing tenants deemed to have a ‘spare bedroom’ – even if they have lived in the property for decades.