Please follow & like us

RSS
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
YouTube
Instagram

Author: John McCabe

Young leaders are Champions of mental health

9 August 2017
John McCabe
No comments
Categories: Latest News, Young People

 

Young people from Sefton and Liverpool are leading the way towards better mental health for them and their peers. 

Those age 13-18 years make up the Neurochampions – a group who recently delivered an eight week mental health workshop to their peers with support from leading scientists, youth workers and researchers.  Young leaders tackle mental health

The workshops covered the full spectrum of well being and mental health support, taking a closer look at young people’s brains, emotions, wellness and behaviours. 

The group gained new experiences and skills in digital and traditional media, along the way learning practical production and digital skills to create their own videos, animations and more!

Each session drew on their own personal experiences and developed their confidence and leadership skills.

Cllr Trish Hardy, Cabinet Member for Communities at Sefton Council said:

“The Neurochampions have helped young people from lots of different backgrounds to learn something about themselves. 

“The variety of those taking part reflects the way that mental health can affect us all. Working with experts and developing digital skills for their future has clearly given these young people aspirations, which I hope will lead to further success” 

Neurochampions is a programme that equips young people with the knowledge and skills  to become effective leaders in mental health. 

Abbie was one of Sefton’s young people who took part in the Neurochampions workshop:

To find out more about the work of the Neurochampions, visit their website. 

To find out more about services to support young people age 11-21 years in Sefton, visit the Sefton Youth website 

 

Young carers successful in new libraries pilot

14 July 2017
John McCabe
No comments
Categories: Latest News, Young People

Young carers from Southport recently took part in a unique pilot to help them meet challenges they face in their everyday lives. 

The initiative from Sefton Council’s library service and Sefton Carers Centre, will enable young carers with a love of reading to indulge their passion while learning new skills. 

Twelve girls from Greenbank High took part in the pilot at Formby Library, where they were introduced to the library service’s e-lending service, Borrowbox, so that they do not have to worry about fines for late returns, while being able to reserve many more book and audio book titles. 

Apprentices at Formby Library, who have developed their videography skills through the pioneering Chapters apprenticeship scheme with Sefton library service, passed on their knowledge in workshops they delivered to the young carers.

 Supporting the apprentices was Louisa, a  library assistant in Formby Library, who herself has been a young carer.  The workshop was a huge success, culminating in a young carers book review, which you can watch at: 

Cllr. Trish Hardy, Cabinet Member for Communities said:

“It is very heartening to see these young women grasp the opportunity presented to them with such aplomb. It is also pleasing to see our libraries and Sefton Carers Centre working together to make a real difference to young people’s lives.

“Sefton’s library service is consistently delivering new and innovative programmes tailored to our communities, helping them to tackle a wide range of issues, from social isolation to joblessness and much more besides”

“If you have not done so already, visit your local library. You will find they are vibrant places with a world of information, advice and help in a welcoming, fun environment.”

 

Andrea Watts, Head of Communities at Sefton Council said: 

“For many young carers, reading books can be about escapism when they cannot meet their peers outside of school. Introducing them to the e-lending service is such a simple but brilliant idea – I hope this is the start of something special. 

“Young carers juggle lots of different worries that can affect their mental well being, so we should not underestimate bringing the girls together for this pilot. It enabled them to socialise and have fun around their love of books and meeting apprentices and staff at the library.

“That their first book review was so composed and polished, is something that both they and the library apprentices should be very proud of.”

If you know a young carer who struggles due to their caring role, tell them about Sefton Carers Centre. You can contact Sefton Carers Centre on 0151 288 6060. You can also discover support for young carers by asking at your local library.  

Sefton to Love Parks for national celebration

14 July 2017
John McCabe
No comments
Categories: Latest News

Sefton Council is asking local residents join the rest of the UK and be part of 100 million visits to UK parks during Love Parks Week. 

 Love Parks Week takes place 14-23 July and is now in its eleventh year. It is Britain’s biggest celebration of these valuable spaces. The local authority is joining the celebration, and encouraging everyone to share why they love their local park. 

 Using #LoveParks, Sefton residents are being encouraged to take photos, videos or simply describe what they love about their parks while tagging the local authority on social media as they visit their parks. 

 Using this tide of public support, with people sharing how much parks matter to them and why, environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy will campaign to secure the quality of parks for future generations to enjoy. 

 In Sefton, the following parks and organisations will be taking part:  

 Southport – Botanic Gardens Community Association; Lord Street IN Bloom Volunteers; Friends of Rotten Row and Friends of King’s Gardens (all Southport). 

 Crosby and Waterloo: Friends of Moorside Park, Friends of Waterloo Seafront Gardens.  

 Bootle: North Park, Friends of Derby Park and Orrell Mount 

Cllr. Ian Moncur, Cabinet Member for Health and Well Being said: 
“In Sefton we have some of the best parks in the UK and we should rightly be proud of them. Unfortunately, we can take them for granted and not fully appreciate the fantastic resource we have that makes leisure time affordable for all of our residents whatever their background. It is great to see Love Parks Week come round again to urge us to celebrate and enjoy what we have.

“While it feels timely to celebrate our parks during the summer, I would urge local residents to beat a path to their local park throughout the year – they will be surprised at the sheer variety of activities they can enjoy, from park runs to open air cinemas and everything in-between.” 

 Paul Todd, Keep Britain Tidy’s Green Flag Award manager said, 

 “We believe that everybody, wherever they live, should have access to a quality green space. We are asking everyone to join us in showing how much they care and helping us to protect parks for future generations.”

 

To find out where your local park is in Sefton, visit www.sefton.gov.uk/parks 

 To tag Sefton Council in your #LoveParks posts use :@seftoncouncil (Twitter) / SeftonParks (Facebook) and @parksinsefton (Instagram).

Sefton’s para-triathletes aim high in the sunshine

22 June 2017
John McCabe
No comments
Categories: Latest News, Uncategorized, Young People

Young disabled athletes from Sefton and beyond recently lit up the Waterloo Festival as the sun shone on Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre.

 Taking place on Sunday 18 June, Sefton’s second para-triathlon for children and young people with additional needs saw over 30 competitors swimming, cycling and running through a challenging course. Cheered on by a strong crowd, the para-triathletes run a closely fought contest.

Matt Ashton, Director of Public Health at Sefton said:

 â€śI was really inspired by everyone who took part in the para-triathlon – at Sefton Council we never take for granted how challenging competitive sport can be for children with disabilities.

 â€śI am also really proud of the young people who came along to give them very vocal encouragement on the day.

“During the training programme at Litherland Sports Park, a group of local young people asked if they could use the bikes. Our children were wary of them but the team at Aiming High let them join in on the condition they also took part in the running practice with the group.

 â€śFriendships were forged with these young men and it was a wonderful surprise for the children to see them there to give them very vocal support on the day, and some of them even completed all three disciplines with their new friends.”

 

Cllr. John-Joseph Kelly, Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Safeguarding said:

“It is encouraging to see so many of our young people with disabilities pushing themselves to their limits and clearly enjoying comradery with their peers and new friends they have made.

“This event is the only one of its kind in the Liverpool City Region and I look forward to watching it grow and grow fulfilling the ambition to be the youth para-triathlon event for the region”

John Doran of Sefton Aiming High added

“This is another example of how disabled young people show society what they are capable of. Ability, strength and determination were here in abundance today and we should be proud of them all. I would also like to thank the volunteers from Aiming High and TEAM Sefton, and the organisers of the Waterloo festival for agreeing to let us showcase the athletes’ ability not disability”

Winners on the day were, Dylan Duke, Over 18 Male, Mild Learning Difficulty (MLD) category; Dan Harden, over 18 Male, Complex Needs category; Jim O’Keefe, Secondary Male, MLD category; Sam Lofthouse, Secondary Male, physical category; Sarah Bricklebank, Female over 18 MLD category and Jess McNally, Female Primary MLD category.

For more information on sporting activities for children and young people with special educational needs and / or disabilities (SEND), contact Sefton Council’s Aiming High for Disabled Children Service on 0151 288 6811 or by email:aiminghigh@sefton.gov.uk

You can find all information for children and young people SEND at Sefton’s Local Offer website: seftondirectory.com/localoffer

Take a peek at filming opportunities in Sefton

13 April 2017
John McCabe
No comments
Categories: Latest News

The new series of the hit TV drama Peaky Blinders will be returning to television screens later this year. 

Following on from the previous three series, Sefton residents will recognise scenes shot in the borough, specifically in the Bootle area. 

In Series 4 Cillian Murphy reprises the role of Thomas Shelby, head of the family and the Peaky Blinders. Tom Hardy returns as Jewish gang leader Alfie Solomons. 

A mysterious letter delivered on Christmas Eve is the catalyst for a dramatic sequence of events, where Thomas returns from his country spread to the tight knit streets of Birmingham’s Small Heath to commence a battle to save the Peaky Blinders.

This hit show is a prime example of the way Sefton Council works closely with Liverpool Film Office to support filming in the borough, whether for films, TV dramas or documentaries. 

The Local Authority also works with a wide network of production companies and crews in a treasure trove of unique locations. 

If you are looking to film in Sefton, please contact us on 0151 934 3917, or for larger productions, please contact Liverpool Film Office. 

Search Box