Knowsley Online

Old skills for young builders

A group of school students are learning how to preserve Knowsley’s heritage as part of a building apprenticeship.

The teenagers are learning how to apply the skills of bricklaying, joinery and interior design to older buildings.

They are from St. Edmund Arrowsmith, Knowsley Park Centre for Learning and Huyton Arts and Sports Centre for Learning.

They are studying for a Young Apprenticeship in Construction and go to Knowsley Community College one day a week.

As well as the basic course, they take part in workshops run by craftsmen who are skilled in the sort of traditional building methods that are disappearing.

These skills are in demand as anything built before 1919 requires specialist skills and constant maintenance and repair.

These latest recruits to the Young Conservation Officers Group learn traditional carpentry, stone masonry, stained glass and historic paint finishes and gilding, all using traditional tools and materials.

Cllr Graham Morgan, Knowsley’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Economy and Skills said: “As a career choice, the heritage sector is often never considered, yet it can provide interesting, satisfying and well paid work and can really be a ‘job for life’.

“These young people have also visited buildings currently being restored to meet craftsmen on site, the site managers and conservation officers, to talk to them directly about what they do, the reality of their work and how they trained.”

The Young Conservation Officers Group is part of the Conservation Skills and Interpretation Project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Cllr Morgan with Sam Chapman, Young Conservation Officer and Jane Wells project manager for Knowsley’s Conservation, Skills and Interpretation project.

Pupils at sea with champion yachtswoman

Round the world yachtswoman Lisa Pover is taking primary pupils in Knowsley on a voyage of discovery.

Lisa, who circumnavigated the globe in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, has been meeting with pupils at St Columba’s school in Huyton.

The aim is to show the children what life there is beyond the horizons of their daily life and what hard work can achieve.

The link up followed a meeting with a relative of St Columba’s teacher Roni Oprey and the pupils are now following this year’s Clipper Race via the Internet.

“This is about showing our pupils that there is life beyond Huyton,” said Roni.

“Lisa is such a brilliant role model as a real adventurer and she gets on great with the children.”

“She talks about what it is like to be out at sea and what sort of equipment she relies on and lets the children try it out.”

A seasonal dog’s dinner

Homeless dogs in Knowsley are to get a Christmas treat from local pupils hoping to be heroes.

The animals at the Dogs Trust in Whiston Lane are to get seasonal hampers packed full of food, treats and chewable bones.

It is part of a project by a group of twelve and thirteen year olds at Knowsley Park Centre for Learning, who also made food hampers for local old people.

It is part of a project called Heroes in the Community in which the pupils looked at good and bad role models.

“The hampers were their idea,” said Gill Gaffney, a mentor at the school who gives extra support to pupils with emotional or behavioural needs.
“They have been talking about who they think are good and why and this was their way of trying to do good.

“Their heroes included parents, teachers, doctors, even our soldiers fighting in Afghanistan.

“The baddies were bullies and those who broke the law, amongst others.”

Gill, who works with fellow mentor Kerry McTigue, said a lot of the children had talked of how they loved their pets and wanted to make the doggie hampers for those animals who seemed unloved.

Homeless dogs in Knowsley are to get a Christmas treat from local pupils hoping to be heroes.

The animals at the Dogs Trust in Whiston Lane are to get seasonal hampers packed full of food, treats and chewable bones.

It is part of a project by a group of twelve and thirteen year olds at Knowsley Park Centre for Learning, who also made food hampers for local old people.

It is part of a project called Heroes in the Community in which the pupils looked at good and bad role models.

“The hampers were their idea,” said Gill Gaffney, a mentor at the school who gives extra support to pupils with emotional or behavioural needs.

“They have been talking about who they think are good and why and this was their way of trying to do good.

Knowsley benefits cheat given suspended jail term

A Knowsley woman who fraudulently claimed £48,000 in benefits has been given a suspended nine-month jail sentence.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the sentence against 44 year old Michelle Crosbie will be suspended for 18 months.

Ms Crosbie claimed housing benefit, income support and council tax benefit on the basis that she was a lone parent with two dependent children living at Hollowcroft, Stockbridge Village.

Knowsley Council carried out a joint investigation with Merseyside Police and the Department for Work and Pensions and found that Crosbie’s partner was living at the property most of the time.

At an earlier court hearing, Ms Crosbie pleaded guilty to fraudulently claiming £48,000 in benefits from September 2004.

A Knowsley Council spokesperson, said: “The result of this prosecution sends out a clear message that we will not tolerate cheats in Knowsley.

“Money claimed by fraudsters is money that could be invested in council services that benefit the whole community. Knowsley Council will always push for the toughest penalties for people found to be acting dishonestly.

“We would remind genuine claimants that they must always let us know if their circumstances change or they too could find themselves in court.”

Anyone with information about benefit fraud in Knowsley can call the council’s Fraud Hotline on 0800 073 0532. If you need to inform Knowsley Council about a change of circumstances, please call 0151 443 4042 or call into your nearest One Stop Shop.

Meanwhile, Knowsley Council has also successfully brought prosecutions in a further three cases of benefit fraud totalling more than £20,000. At Huyton Magistrates Court:

37 year old Sarah Jane Caldwell was given a two year conditional discharge for failing to declare her partner was living with her at an address in Custley Hey, Stockbridge Village. She claimed £11,712 housing benefit, council tax benefit and income support on the basis she was a lone parent with two dependent children.

40 year old Delroy Williams of Wimborne Road, Huyton received 120 hours community punishment order and 12 month supervision order for failing to declare his partner lived at the address. He claimed £4,129 housing benefit, council tax benefit and jobseekers allowance on the basis he was a single person living alone at the address.

28 year old Claire Louise Dodd claimed £4,596 benefits on the basis she was a lone parent living with two dependent children at Cherry Gardens, Kirkby. She received a 12 month conditional discharge for failing to declare her partner was living at the address.

Learn how to grow your own.

A new project is underway to teach local people how to grow their own and transform derelict land in Knowsley.

Knowsley Adult Learning Partnership (ALP) has been given £150,000 from the Government to teach adults how to grow vegetables, plants and flowers.

The Growing Places students will work on disused land across the borough in a free course that will last around six or seven months.

It is part of the Government’s Learning Revolution, to encourage adults to learn for pleasure rather than just for exams and in a relaxed setting.

“The students will learn how to grow things they can eat, exhibit or sell,” said Cllr Graham Wright, Knowsley’s cabinet member for Children and Family Services.

“Some of the students might simply be interested in turning a local eyesore into something better.

Festive Family Fun in Knowsley

Get into the Christmas spirit and enjoy some festive family activities in Huyton, Kirkby and Prescot.

To mark the start of Knowsley’s festive season special celebrations are planned for the Christmas light switch on events.

Children will be able to enjoy an ice rink, fairground rides, there will be special guests, and of course a visit from Father Christmas! For adults, there will be music and entertainment and a Christmas craft fair.

The fun starts at 3pm and the lights will be switched on at 5pm.

• Thursday 19 November Huyton Town Centre
• Friday 20 November Kirkby Town Centre 
• Friday 27 November Prescot Town Centre

Don’t forget your Christmas shopping while you enjoy the festive fun. Knowsley’s town centres and Kirkby market are once again serving up a bumper yuletide shopping offer with extended shopping hours and entertainment for kids.

In addition to the usual Tuesday, Friday and Saturdays, Kirkby market will be open all week from Friday 18th December providing plenty of chance to stock up on Christmas gifts and essentials, many at hugely reduced prices.

Free parking is available in all Knowsley town centres at Christmas time and all year round, or you can easily use the bus or train, making your Christmas shopping trips hassle free.

Trustees needed to support services for families

Home-Start Knowsley are seeking people from the local community to get involved as Trustees supporting a well respected family support scheme in Huyton. 

Chris O’Hare, Chair of Home-Start Knowsley, says “we particularly need local people with a good understanding of financial issues and in particular, human resource experience.  We are looking for a number of Trustees; if you have other transferable skills and have some time to spare, please get in touch.”

A potential Trustee would need to have some flexibility around availability to attend meetings during the week and some evenings.  If you are interested, please contact the scheme on 0151 480 3910 and an application pack will be sent out to you.

“Our work is very important, to families with young children we also work with other agencies to ensure our families receive all the help and support they need. Home-Start Knowsley has helped hundreds of families in Knowsley for almost ten years. Our Team of Staff, Volunteers and Trustees, work together to ensure we are able to deliver this valuable service”, says Gillian McKinnon, Scheme Manager.

Home-Start Knowsley supported 200 families and over 400 children last year.   

Civic welcome to The 33rd Lancashire and Cheshire Regiment

A British Army Royal Signals Regiment is to parade through the streets of Huyton this weekend.

The 33rd (Lancashire and Cheshire) Signal Regiment (Volunteers) will march through the town centre on Saturday 26 September. The Regiment was awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Knowsley in 1980 and is now exercising its Right of Entry.

The parade, by 100 volunteer soldiers from the Regiment, will begin at 11am and will follow Archway Road, turning into Poplar Bank, concluding with a salute at the steps to the Huyton Suite on Civic Way at 11:15am.

The Regiment will then be greeted by the Mayor of Knowsley, Cllr Dave Smithson, before a private Right of Entry reception and presentation inside the Huyton Suite.

Cllr Smithson said: “I am delighted that 33 Signal Regiment is exercising its Right of Entry to parade in the borough.

“The Regiment has a long tradition of close links with the council and the local community in Knowsley and this is a great opportunity for us all to pay tribute to the work and sacrifices of these volunteer soldiers.”

Lieutenant Colonel Ian Hunter, the Regiment’s Commanding Officer said: “It is an honour for the Regiment to parade through Huyton. The support of, and recognition by, the local community is always appreciated, especially when the Regiment’s soldiers are deployed on Operations – particularly in Afghanistan”.

Pupils make the news.

Pupils in North Huyton made the news themselves when they took control of a local magazine.

The nine and ten year olds became interviewers, photographers, designers and editors for the latest edition of ‘Reach for Success’.

It is the magazine of the North Huyton Learning Collaborative (NHLC) - a partnership of local schools and agencies to improve educational achievement.

Selected pupils from each NHLC primary school were invited to a Young Journalists Workshop run by the Knowsley design agency Acme Art, who produce Reach for Success.

They discovered “tricks of the trade”, including how to create eye-catching photographs and attention grabbing headlines.

After the event, NHLC and Acme Art staff helped them develop their stories and at the end of the project, pupils were presented with ‘Young Journalists Awards’.

Cllr Graham Wright, Knowsley’s cabinet member for Children’s Services, said: “The children have produced a cracking magazine – packed full of lively news and stories for the area and great photos.

“This has been a great learning experience for them but they have also created something that local people will really want to read.”

To view a copy of the magazine, visit www.northhuytonlc.co.uk. Hard copies are also available at the Huyton One Stop, Education Offices and at the River Alt Resource Centre..

Plans for the new state-of-the-art leisure centre in Huyton on view

Residents are being given the chance to view plans for an exciting new development in Huyton.

The proposals are part of Knowsley Council’s £25m leisure facilities strategy, which will see a brand new state-of-the-art leisure centre and also a youth facility, as part of My Place, Big Lottery Award for £5m, on the site of the former St Thomas Beckett School in Huyton.

The event, which will give local people the opportunity to meet the architects who put together the plans, is being held on Wednesday, 16 September at Mosscroft Community Centre, Longview Drive, Huyton between 2pm and 6pm. Residents are welcome to drop-in any time during the event to view the proposals and share their thoughts on the exciting plans for their area.

Due to open in autumn 2011, the new leisure centre will boast swimming pools, a state-of-the-art health and fitness suite, spa facilities and a multi-purpose sports court as well as adult day care services. There will also be an opportunity for the centre to host performances, shows and events.

The OurPlace youth centre will provide amenities for young people aged 13 to 19 years. It will include spaces for sports and arts activities, media facilities, a dance studio, snack bar and catering training area, advice and training rooms, a BMX/skate park, as well as a multi-use games area and allotments.

These exciting plans demonstrate the commitment of Knowsley Council, NHS Knowsley and its partners to improve leisure and youth facilities in the borough.

Cllr Eddie Connor, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Community and Cultural Services says, “This is a fantastic opportunity for Knowsley, providing something for the whole community to enjoy. It will hopefully encourage more people to take up sports and physical activities, thus promoting healthy living and exercising, as well as providing stimulating facilities for our young people.”

Cllr Graham Wright, Cabinet Member for Children and Family Services, added “Knowsley Council and it’s partners is investing in developing talent across all generations, both young and old, and the new facilities will give them the opportunity to develop and showcase their talents. Residents are being invited to view the exciting plans which will transform their community, and we are eager to hear their views.”