Author: Bridie Finnan

Sefton Council has expressed great sadness following the death of Her Majesty the Queen.

Books of condolence will be available at Bootle Town Hall and the Atkinson, Southport for people to sign and remember the monarch who sadly died on 8^th September. Books of Condolence will be collated and archived.

An online book of remembrance has also been made available by Buckingham Palace and will soon be available via the Sefton Council website www.sefton.gov.uk

For Sefton residents who cannot access the online book of remembrance, printed Condolence Cards will be available from all Sefton Libraries and Family Wellbeing Centres. These can be filled in by hand and either returned to one of the libraries or family wellbeing centres or can be posted back to either Southport or Bootle Town Halls.  These cards will be collated and stored in Council archives.

As a mark of respect, all flags at Council buildings and assets across the borough will be lowered to half-mast as Sefton pays tribute to Her Majesty the Queen.

Areas outside Bootle Town Hall and the Princess Diana Memorial Gardens on Lord Street, Southport have been designated as places where residents can leave floral tributes in memory of Her Majesty the Queen. Residents are asked to remove plastic packaging before laying flowers to keep tributes compostable, and to avoid leaving non-floral tributes, such as soft toys.

Both Bootle Town Hall and The Atkinson in Southport will be open from Friday 9^th September between 09:00 and 17:00 for residents and visitors to sign the books of condolence. In the event of large crowds forming, a queuing system will be in place at both buildings.

Mayor of Sefton, Cllr Clare Carragher said:

“It is with great sadness that we have announced the death of Her Majesty the Queen.

“There will be an official ten days of mourning and during this period I am sure most of us will reflect on her wonderful life and think of any lasting memories of her majesty who was a great monarch and highly regarded across the world.

“While we all deal with loss differently, we can remember the Queen fondly and look back at the many occasions she visited our wonderful borough and touched the lives of so many.

“She officially made numerous visits to Sefton including a stop off in Bootle and Crosby in October 1954 and a tour of Lancashire which included a motor cavalcade driving through Southport in April, 1955.

“The Grand National at Aintree was attended by the Queen in March, 1956 and it wasn’t until December, 1962 that the Monarch returned to Bootle.

“Further visits to Bootle were recorded in June 1977 as part of her Silver Jubilee Tour and also in May 1993 when the Queen visited Bootle Town Hall commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic.

“Prior to that Her Majesty the Queen spent time in Southport in June, 1985 which included a visit to Altcar Training Camp.

“I’m sure so many people will remember these visits to Sefton with great fondness and contentment.”

During the mourning period and state funeral, some of the Mayor of Sefton’s engagements may be cancelled as a mark of respect. Other engagements during this period may begin with a period of silence to honour the Queen’s passing.

Floral tributes at both Southport and Bootle will remain in place until after the state funeral. These will then be sensitively collected and disposed of in an appropriate fashion.

For more information visit sefton.gov.uk or mysefton.co.uk.

/Ends

Sefton Council has expressed great sadness following the death of Her Majesty the Queen.

As a mark of respect, all flags at Council buildings and assets across the borough will be lowered to half-mast as Sefton pays tribute to Her Majesty the Queen.

Details regarding memorial services, books of condolence and the laying of floral tributes will be released shortly.

For more information visit the Sefton website 

In a first for the North West, Sefton Council was delighted to launch the Caring Business Charter today alongside local businesses, partners and care experienced young people – with 48 potential employers already signed up.

The Charter aims to improve visibility and access for care experienced young people to employment, training, apprenticeship, work experience and mentoring opportunities. Local businesses and employers have committed to offering these opportunities and support, and to guarantee job interviews where candidates are suitably qualified for a vacancy.

At the launch event today, young people had the chance to meet some of the local businesses already signed up to the Caring Business Charter and discuss what opportunities these businesses could offer them in future.

The list of signatories to date stands at some 48 organisations from the public and private sectors, covering a range of industries from construction and project management to hospitality and healthcare.

Cllr. Marion Atkinson, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Skills said:

“I have been blown away by the enthusiasm from our local business community in supporting and enhancing our offer for our care experienced young people.

“Not only does this provide an amazing opportunity for our young people but I am sure businesses will feel the benefit of working alongside some fantastic young people with bags of potential.

“Statistics show that young people with experience of the care system can be disadvantaged in the jobs market. However, we are determined to use our local connections and influence to buck the trend here in Sefton and give our young people all the tools they need to be a success in whatever they choose to do.

“This launch is just the start, we hope to have many more local businesses signed up by the end of the year!”

Cllr. Mhairi Doyle, M.B.E., Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care said:

“The launch of our Caring Business Charter is a North West first and is just the beginning of our drive and duty to support our young people into adulthood and help them to gain experience in whatever industry they choose to make their own.

“I have been so thrilled to see our young people chatting with businesses and showcasing their own huge potential. I know that our local business community will learn just as much from our young people as they will from businesses.

“I am so excited to follow the journeys of our young people as they make great connections with our local community and maybe find an opportunity that kickstarts their future.”

Mark Davies, Architect Director from K2 Architects said:

“Over the last 12 months K2 Architects have worked closely with Sefton Council on how to repurpose The Strand Shopping Centre and align this with the Council’s vision for people first, connected, resilient and green, reaching net-zero carbon for 2030. We have built strong interpersonal relationships with our partners at Sefton Council and wider stakeholders to gain a deeper understanding of their aims and objectives, increasing the chances of delivering successful outcomes.

“We respect the enormous passion and commitment that the Council has put into this process to drive real change to Bootle Town centre, and now the launching of the Caring Business Charter. When Sefton Council approached us to join this Charter, it was a very easy decision for us to back this great initiative, as there was an alignment of a shared values between us.

“This is about inclusivity, and as a caring business, we are committed to supporting the communities in which we live and work, ensuring opportunity is there for all and no one is left behind.”

The Make a Difference Care Experienced group said:

“When you have experience of the care system, it can feel like the odds are stacked against you but schemes like this open doors into industries that we might never have even considered.

“Meeting the businesses today at the launch event gave us so much confidence that people in Sefton want to make a difference and help people with our life experiences showcase our potential.”

If your business is interested in signing up to our Caring Business Charter, please go to our website https://www.sefton.gov.uk/business/caring-business-charter/

Sefton Council is launching a campaign today to promote positive relationships and reduce conflict within families. The campaign aims to encourage parents to take time to think about their relationships with other adults and the impact, good and bad, this can have on children and young people.

The Council have teamed up with Relationkit.co.uk to launch a brand new website with free online resources to give parents and carers some support with their relationship. It’s mobile-friendly and easy to use and parents in Sefton can start using the site from today. 

There are videos, mindfulness sessions and downloadable cards to help with some really common things like struggling to communicate well with your partner, raising kids together, and parenting after break-up.

The Council will also be promoting resources to help with communication, relationships, parenting and stress management all week on social media.

Cllr Mhairi Doyle, Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care said:

“I am so glad to see the Council promoting positive relationships this week and Relationkit is really valuable tool to understand how small changes in the way adults communicate with each other can have a big impact on our children and young people.

“No relationship is perfect and every family experiences stressful, emotional moments but there are great resources available to those people who may need support on how to navigate these situations.” 

To visit the site go to www.relationkit.co.uk

“Following reports of a smell of gas in the area, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service have been in attendance at Cambridge Road, Bootle.

“Staff and students from Cambridge Road Nursery and Bedford Primary has been evacuated as a precautionary measure so investigations can take place.

“All children and staff have been safely evacuated and parents have been notified, there have been no reports of ill-health as a result of this incident.

“Local residents are advised to close their windows and people should avoid the area until the situation can be resolved.