Sefton Council lit up Bootle Town Hall and Crosby Library in red last night, Wednesday 30 September, in support of the Global Industry Awareness Day for the Production Services and Live Events sector.
Buildings across the City Region were illuminated red as part of the event to highlight to the public and the government what the industry does and its huge economic and cultural value. It was part of a global campaign to draw attention and gain government recognition that the industry still urgently needs support. The campaign is supported by Sefton, who are the Liverpool City Regionâs Borough of Culture for 2020.
As part of the event, organised by #WeMakeEvents, 60 beams of white light were pointed into the sky across the UK, each beam representing 10,000 jobs at risk.
Cllr Trish Hardy Sefton Councilâs main Borough of Culture sponsor said: âThese âback-stageâ production-related industries are hugely important to our cultural life and to our economy but are largely unseen. We are proud to be the Liverpool City Regionâs Borough of Culture for 2020, despite the impact of current circumstances on our programme, and Sefton Council is pleased to be able to join this event and support them.â
Jane Dawe, Community Partnership Manager at SAFE Regeneration Ltd said: âLive music events are not just about the economic impact and how they contribute to the visitor economy. They can be optimised in order to achieve economic, social and cultural goals, by increasing social capital, encouraging public engagement and help create a sense of identity and belonging. They contribute to a thriving cultural environment, enhancing musical creativity, cultural vibrancy and developing and nurturing talent.
“They are the beating heart of a community and support for those directly and indirectly affected is essential.â
âAs Leaders of the Liverpool City Region, we all understand why further restrictions may be needed to halt the spread of Covid-19 in the communities we represent.
âCases are now averaging well over 200 per 100,000 people across our region â in some boroughs, much higher. Throughout the pandemic, we have always put the health of our residents first and we will continue to do everything we can to stop the spread of Coronavirus and keep as many people as possible safe.
âHowever, at the same time, we must be clear that any further restrictions will deal a hammer blow to our economy.
âOur region is an international destination, and our visitor economy is worth almost ÂŁ5bn to the city region economy every year, employing over 50,000 people. Over recent years, our hospitality and retail industries have been vibrant and growing. But, in the last six months, we have already seen many of these businesses go under in the face of Covid-19 and, without Government assistance over the past few months, many more would have followed.
âWhile we protect lives, and our NHS, we must act now to protect the businesses that provide the livelihoods and jobs upon which our 1.6 million residents depend.
âAnd we must also act to protect the public services on which our communities depend. Our public services have been on the front line of Covid-19 response, but this comes at a huge cost. In the last six months alone, our local authorities and Combined Authority have incurred losses of over ÂŁ350 million in costs and lost income.
âWe are already at breaking point. With new restrictions â and who knows for how long they might be needed â our economy and public services may collapse.
âIf we do not act now, we will see a legacy of unemployment and ill-health that will cost lives for generations to come.
âSo, today, we are calling on the Government to work with us.
âIf Government decide that new restrictions are required, they must also provide a comprehensive package of financial support for our economy and our public services.
âAnd to help us minimise the length of restrictions required, we must secure from the Government an immediate uplift in testing capacity, that matches testing resources to the high level of cases in our region.â
âWe are fully committed to working in partnership with national government, but we need the right support and resource to help us at a regional level. And we need it now.â
Responding today to speculation that the Government is going to announce further COVID-19 restrictions across Merseyside Leader of Sefton Council, Cllr Ian Maher said:
âAs a result of the continued rise in numbers of confirmed COVID-19 infections, both regionally and nationally, we understand that the Government is planning on imposing further restrictions across Merseyside.
âThis could mean that households will not be able to mix and we await clarification about any other possible restrictions. This is despite the further measured introduced across Merseyside on 22 September.
âWhile, along with other Merseyside leaders, I would have liked to have seen enforcement of current restrictions before new ones are added, I will support any measures that will protect vulnerable people in our communities.
âHowever, I have joined Merseyside leaders in writing to the Government to seek clarity on what resources they will make available for us and the Police to enforce these measures.
âWe want the Government to extend the furlough scheme, and to provide further financial support for our businesses and their employees, particularly in the leisure, hospitality and sport industries.
âWe will await the governmentâs guidelines on mixing and we have highlighted the potential effects of separating children from key workers in school and early years settings as we as stressing the importance of maintaining resilience in the health and public sectors to minimise isolation.
“Once again, I would like to thank Seftonâs residents and businesses for all the efforts and sacrifices they have made during the pandemic.
âI would also stress how important it is that people stick to the current guidelines and any new regulations, not just to avoid the heavy fines they could face but to protect our communities, our vulnerable, our economy and our future.â
Sefton businesses need to create and display test & trace QR codes
Sefton Councilâs Environmental Health Team is reminding some of the Boroughâs businesses that they need to create a QR code for their premises which people can use to check in on the national COVID-19 app.
Council facilities such as community centres, libraries and village halls are also covered as are places of worship, community organisations with a physical location and events taking place at a specific location.
All of these businesses and organisations need to use the Governmentâs simple process to create a unique QR code required for their premises. Visitors can then scan the QR code with the COVID-19 app when they enter the premises, as part of the drive to trace and help prevent the spread of coronavirus.
To complete the process, they will need their email address, the physical address of each location plus an email address and phone number for the manager of each.
Applicants will receive their QR code poster or posters by email soon after submitting their information. They should then print the poster and display it prominently where visitors can see it upon arrival.
Businesses without a printer should show the QR code on a display screen, such as a TV or tablet, making sure itâs within reach so that visitors can scan it with their mobile phones.
Supermarkets, where customers generally move around the space rather than congregate, and are expected, by law, to wear face coverings, are not required to display QR code posters.
Cllr Paulette Lappin Sefton Councilâs Cabinet Member for Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Services said: âCreating these Test and Trace QR code posters is a vital, yet incredibly simple way of helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection and we need the businesses across Sefton displaying them now.
âDisplaying posters, will be protecting Seftonâs businesses and their customers by enabling them to receive important public health messages and keep a digital diary of the places they’ve visited.â
Seftonâs Early Help team are delighted to help an inspirational young person, who struggles with a communication disorder, to make her voice heard and support others through her own website.
Sixteen-year-old Ellen from Crosby has been diagnosed with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) which is a type of speech, language and communication need that affects the way children understand and use language. It is more common than autism with up to two children in every classroom having the disorder.
Living with DLD has meant that through her life Ellen has struggled to express herself and process complex sentences and to feel heard, preferring to communicate by writing words down or making videos.
Hannah Howard from Seftonâs Early Help team said: âLike many other young people with a similar condition, Ellen feels that she is not heard because she can’t communicate easily, and peopleâs patience, belief in her and understanding is varied and often limited.
âThis has had an effect on her education as well as her social and emotion
Ellen’s website ‘This is DLD’ gives help and advice to people who have difficulties expressing themselves.
al wellbeing, however Ellen has said that having the support from people who have really listened has made a massive difference.â
âI have been absolutely inspired by Ellen. As a professional I have always strived to listen and put every child at the centre of what I do.
âEllen has reminded me of the importance of us all taking the time to increase our understanding and knowledge around individual needs and that taking extra time to ensure a child has a voice is paramount.â
Ellenâs mum Roisin said: âEllen has received support from Seftonâs Early Help team who have been there to help stop us getting to crisis point and their support has been immeasurable.
âThe way they put Ellen first shines through, and they always come back to âwhat does Ellen wantâ. They have been Ellen’s voice and she really feels they have enabled her to be heard.
âWe have also received amazing support from the Venus Centre in Sefton (which provides counselling), her head teacher at Holy Family Catholic High School and Speech and language therapists at Alder Hey Childrenâs Hospital.
âThey are helping to empower Ellen so she can achieve her full potential by continuing to promote communication and give practical advice and encouragement while    putting Ellenâs voice at the centre of everything they do.â
With her support network on board, Ellen has used her own experiences to help others by developing a website.
âThis is DLDâ, not only gives a personal insight into Ellenâs experience of living with the disorder but also gives help and advice to people who have difficulties expressing themselves.
The website contains videos and pictures giving advice to practitioners and teachers on how they can help a child with DLD, such as taking enough time to respond and using pictures sometimes instead of words.
Ellen said: âWhen you struggle with communication life can be hard for you and your family as you need words for everything.
âOften, I have felt invisible. However, over the last year I have had Alison from Sefton Speech and Language therapy, Paula from Venus and Hannah from Early Help supporting me and my family.
âThey listened and followed things through. They believed in me and helped me find my voice and speak out about the things that mattered to me.
âI wanted to help give a voice to all those children and families in the same situation as us. It is important that they too are seen and heard, so with my Uncleâs help I have created a website to try and get the message out to the right people so things can change.
âI want people to understand what it is like growing up in a place without a voice and how they can help make life easier. None of this costs money, only time. Everyone deserves a fair chance.â
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Sefton Council lit up Bootle Town Hall and Crosby Library in red last night, Wednesday 30 September, in support of the Global Industry Awareness Day for the Production Services and Live Events sector.
