Knowsley Online

Fall in child poverty numbers

HM Revenue and Customs has today (September 28, 2012) released the number of children assessed as living in poverty in August 2010, which showed a reduction in the number of children and young people living in poverty in the Liverpool City Region from 91,355 to 88,880.

This 3% reduction in the numbers of children and young people in poverty is mirrored nationally.

	Aug-09		Aug-10
	Number	Percentage	Number	Percentage
Halton	7,990	27.20%	7,800	26.50%
Knowsley	11,850	32.30%	11,840	31.70%
Liverpool	32,460	34.40%	31,070	33.10%
Sefton	11,665	20.30%	11,480	20.20%
St Helens	9,775	25.20%	9,535	24.70%
Wirral	17,615	20.90%	17,155	24.40%
Liverpool City Region	91,355	26.80%	88,880	27.20%
England	2,429,305	21.30%	2,367,335	20.60%

Commenting on the figures, Frank Field MP, Chair of the Liverpool City Region Child Poverty and Life Chances Commission said “These figures are of limited use when trying to have a serious understanding of poverty and more importantly its causes.

Youth Theatre looking for new members.

Are you a young person living in Knowsley and would like to try your hand at acting?

Knowsley’s Youth Theatre has performed everything from Shakespeare to Narnia and is looking for new members.

Sessions cost just £1 and you don’t need to have any experience – just a desire to get involved and have fun. 

The group has branches throughout the borough and different sessions catering for age groups from 7 to 19. 

These are: 

Huyton Children's Theatre, every Monday, 5pm - 6.45pm, Huyton Arts & Sports Centre for Learning, Seel Road, Huyton, L36 6DG.  Age group 7-11 years. 

Kirkby Children's Theatre, every Wednesday, 5.30pm-6.30pm, Kirkby Sports Centre for Learning, Bracknell Avenue, Kirkby, L32 9PP. Age group 7-11 years. 

Huyton Youth Theatre, every Monday, 7pm - 9pm. Huyton Arts & Sports Centre for Learning, Seel Road, Huyton, L36 6DG. Age group 12-19 years. 

Halewood Youth Theatre, every Tuesday, 6pm - 8pm, Halewood Centre for Learning, The Avenue (off  Wood Road,) Halewood, L26 1UU. Age group 12-19 years. (This group is currently full but has a waiting list) 

Kirkby Youth Theatre, every Wednesday, 6:30pm - 8pm, Kirkby Sports Centre for Learning, Bracknell Avenue, Kirkby, L32 9PP.  Age group 12-19 years. 

If you’d like more information or would like to get involved, call 0151 443 0333, email kristy@altru.co.uk or just turn up on the night.

Partnership encourages women entrepreneurs

Knowsley Housing Trust (KHT) has teamed up with an award-winning enterprise organisation to help hundreds of women start their own business.

Working together KHT and Liverpool-based The Women’s Organisation aim to engage women in the Knowsley area and support the start up of up to 120 new businesses by helping them access financial support, advice and training.

The project’s first quarter has already seen 12 business start-ups including Beauty and the Beasts Groomers in Whiston, owned by Prescot resident Sharon Parr.

Sharon Received a £200 business start grant from The Women’s Organisation and £800 from Knowsley Council’s Fresh Start scheme towards the initial start-up costs.

She said “I am immensely proud of what I have achieved, and I can only hope it continues this way.”

Chris Boardman opens new cycle track

Olympic gold medallist Chris Boardman was the guest of honour as Knowsley’s Leisure and Culture Park enjoyed its official opening yesterday.

Part of the centre has been open for 12 months but yesterday marked the completion of the multi-million pound leisure project with the opening of its spectacular new outdoor velodrome and BMX track, which is already attracting interest from right across the region.

Champion cyclist Chris met some of the centre’s users and unveiled a plaque to officially mark the occasion.

Knowsley’s new school programme complete

The new Springfield and Elms Federation at Bluebell Park has opened its doors to pupils, marking the end of Knowsley’s building schools for the future programme.

This project has seen the coming together of The Elms School and Springfield School into a new 185 place educational facility for pupils aged 3 - 19.

Bluebell Park has amazing facilities for pupils with special educational needs and the wider disabled community.

These include an18 metre warm water Learner Pool, a Hydrotherapy Pool and a number of sensory areas.

Pupils will benefit from a Sports Hall, Performance Hall and Soft Play area as well as specialist teaching areas for Design Technology and Food Technology.

All classrooms are bright and airy and are located on the Ground Floor of the building.

They all have direct access to the external play spaces which have been very carefully designed to offer safe areas for the children to play and explore.

Cllr Graham Wright, Knowsley’s cabinet member for Children and Family Services said: “This facility is a real leap forward in special educational needs provision in Knowsley. It’s great to see this fantastic facility rounding off our building programme.

“We can now rest assured that we’re offering all learners the opportunity to enjoy a state of the art environment where they can fulfil their potential”

Olympic Fun for the older generation

Knowsley’s Older People’s Fun Olympics is being held this Friday (Sept 28) at Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park

The annual event is in its fifth year and brings together teams from Huyton, Kirkby, Halewood and the combined forces of Prescot, Whiston, Knowsley Village and Cronton.

It’s all about promoting health and wellbeing among people who are over 50 and the four teams that take part train weekly throughout the year.

The one-day “Olympics” pitches the teams against each other in a variety of activities that people of all abilities can take part in and the emphasis is on fun.

They include boccia, badminton, short mat bowls, table tennis, new age kurling and welly throwing.

The event starts at 9.30 am at the centre in Longview Drive in Huyton and finishes at 4pm.

Knowsley Older People’s Fun Olympics is now a registered charity and the event is run by the members, with support from Knowsley’s Leisure and Culture service.

If you’d like to know more about getting involved in the Older People’s Fun Olympics’ weekly training sessions, contact  0151 443 5712.

KHT pledges to create 25 new apprenticeships

Knowsley Housing Trust (KHT) has pledged to create 25 new apprenticeships by the end of 2012.

The housing association, which owns 13,500 homes in Knowsley, has signed up to the National Housing Federation’s North West Apprenticeship Commitment and pledged that by the end of the year five per cent of its workforce will be apprentices.

KHT is among more than 30 social landlords in the North West that are working with the National Housing Federation to ensure the sector steps up to the mark and provides opportunities for young people to start their careers.

On September 7 housing associations met with the NHF, which represents housing associations across the country, at Burnley Football Club in East Lancashire to discuss ways of employing more apprentices.

Knowsley’s new outdoor velodrome & BMX track to inspire future Olympians

Budding cyclists inspired by the sport’s incredible summer of Olympics and Paralympics success will soon be able to take to the track themselves at Knowsley’s new outdoor Velodrome and BMX track, which opens next week.

With the memory of the Tour of Britain cyclists thundering to the finish line at Knowsley Safari Park still fresh from earlier this month, the borough is excited to offer this fantastic new facility, which sees the BMX track located within the centre of the velodrome – only the second of its kind in Europe.

Based at Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park in Huyton, the 400m velodrome has a 7m cycle track and the BMX track is built to national standard and includes a pump track. The new facility opens this Thursday (27 September 2012) and offers bike and safety equipment hire, as well as training and accreditation sessions, and dedicated sessions for the public, schools and clubs, allowing everyone to try cycling whether complete novices or enthusiasts.

‘Empty nesters’ targeted in new fostering campaign

At this time of year many parents face the emotional prospect of their children leaving for university or getting jobs away from home.

Now a new and innovative campaign is calling upon ‘empty-nesters’ to join an emerging trend by becoming one of the increasing number of more mature foster carers.

The fifth phase of the successful North West ‘You Can Foster’ campaign, a collaboration between the region’s 23 Local Authorities, kicks off next week (September 24, 2012)  with focus on attracting those empty nesters in their late forties and fifties who are being asked to consider fostering for their council. They recognise the invaluable parenting skills more mature people have acquired in bringing up their own children and the potential lifeline that they could offer to children who remain in the care of their local authority.

According to the Fostering Network, the average age of foster carers is now 53 for females and 54 for males. In the year 2000, average ages were 46 and 47 respectively - showing a distinct upward shift in the age demographic of carers, which may be reflective of a combination of factors including more people taking early retirement, and the fact that people are living longer, healthier and more active later lives.

Tenant evicted for anti-social behaviour

Knowsley Housing Trust has evicted a tenant who was carrying out anti-social behaviour in his neighbourhood.

Stephen Skelhorn, 51, has been evicted from the property on Pennard Avenue, Huyton, after a six-day hearing at Liverpool County Court where his appeal against the eviction was dismissed.

Mr Skelhorn and his son Dean, 23, had been abusive to residents and displayed threatening and anti-social behaviour.

Peter Davidson, KHT Head of Tenancy Enforcement, Income and Service Development, said: “This sends a clear message that KHT will not tolerate anti-social behaviour and we will take action to keep our communities safe.

“While we are committed to working with tenants to address issues and offer support, we must balance this with the rights of our tenants to live peacefully in their homes.”

Proceedings against Mr Skelhorn initially began in 2007 for rent arrears.