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Author: Martin Driver

Twenty-one acts plus five films showcasing Waterloo will be streamed for Bank Holiday Virtual festival

27 August 2020
Martin Driver
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Categories: Borough Of Culture, Front Page, Latest News, Uncategorized

A unique virtual music festival will be streamed online over the August Bank Holiday weekend to replace the cancelled Waterloo Festival.

Nineteen of the bands originally booked for the June Festival, which could not take place owing to the coronavirus pandemic, have recorded a 30-minute set at a ‘Covid-secure’ studio in Bootle on a full-sized stage with special effects. Plus, there are two international bands, from Brazil and France, taking the total number of acts to 21.

Their pre-recorded shows will be streamed free of charge over three different sessions from this Saturday 29 August to Monday 31 August 31 and will be hosted by radio DJ Claire Simmo.

Find out more including how to watch the streams.

The Virtual Waterloo Festival also includes five short films produced by the organisers to help promote a positive image of Waterloo to an audience watching the internet streams in this country and overseas.

Councillor Trish Hardy, Sefton Council’s main Borough of Culture sponsor said: “Each year Sefton Council has supported the Waterloo Festival and I am delighted that this year it will be going ahead in this innovative format.

“The event will showcase our vibrant local music scene and the talents of our bands locally, regionally and worldwide via the internet as well as bringing together local people.

“Although sadly, we won’t be at the usual Waterloo site, I will be ‘going’ to this virtual festival online to enjoy the wealth of local talent.”

Festival organiser Steve McGriskin said: “Producing a virtual festival of this magnitude doesn’t come cheap and paying for it was a challenge.

“We used Crowdfunding which was not easy during a pandemic when lots of people were suffering real hardship. Because of lockdown there were no opportunities to promote the appeal in pubs and music venues or through organising fundraising events. However, with the support of Sefton Council, councillors representing Church, Victoria and Blundellsands wards, Spacehive, Waterloo Town Team, SYN AVS, Logic Estates and backed by more than 50 people, we successfully raised the money needed. It’s a big, big thank you to everyone who helped.”

Any surplus funds made from the event will be donated to Friends of Crosby Beach, Migrant Workers Sefton Community, Sefton Community Pantry and Liverpool Homeless Football Club.

Reminder to hospitality businesses and their customers about COVID-19 safety as busy Bank Holiday approaches

27 August 2020
Martin Driver
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Categories: Front Page, Health, Latest News, Uncategorized

As the Bank Holiday weekend approaches, Sefton Council is reminding local businesses and their customers of the importance of following the Government’s COVID-19 guidance.

For businesses in the hospitality sector such as pubs, bars and restaurants this means keeping a temporary record of their customers to assist the NHS Test and Trace should coronavirus cases develop. This is in addition to maintaining the distancing and cleaning measures required to help keep their clients safe.

For customers, this means following any of the measures in place for their protection and making sure they provide any Test and Trace information requested on arrival.

Cllr Ian Moncur, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “Pubs and bars should have in place a way of recording their customers’ contact details so that if there are cases of coronavirus associated with the premises, they can be traced, warned and instructed to isolate.

“These simple measures on arrival are for the protection of customers and staff but are also there to protect the hospitality sector and the wider economy by reducing the possibility of a wider COVID-19 outbreak and the potential need to introduce local restrictions, which would have a negative effect on everyone.

“Personally, if I arrived at a pub bar or restaurant that didn’t have tracing measures in place, I wouldn’t stay.”

Sarah Rodriguez from Southport BID said:“Business owners in Southport have worked incredibly hard since reopening to ensure their customers and staff are safe and have shown a great deal of respect for the social distancing guidelines as a community.

“We do back Sefton’s plea to ensure that we work together to ensure that these high standards continue across the busy Bank Holiday and beyond.  As a team, we are available for any support and resources to help you implement the measures are available on our website at southportbid.com .”

Sefton Council’s Environmental Health team has been working with businesses across the Borough to help them put in place the measures needed to keep employees and customers safe.

You can find the latest Government Guidance here

Information to help businesses of all types identify and manage coronavirus outbreaks, in the form of downloadable and printable Action Cards.  

Free junior golf membership worth ÂŁ80 now available to under 16s

21 August 2020
Martin Driver
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Categories: Front Page, Latest News, Uncategorized

We are now offering under-16s free junior golf memberships which gives them a year’s no-cost play at its Bootle and Southport courses.

To qualify for the memberships, which are worth ÂŁ80, under-16s need to register at the Bootle Golf Club or Southport Golf Links shops. They need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian and must provide proof of age.

Their free membership means that for the next 12 months they can then book a tee time and play as normal and it will cost them nothing.

Cllr Ian Moncur, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “Worth £80 each, these memberships providing under-16s with free golf at our Bootle and Southport courses, are excellent value.

“Golf is a sport that requires regular practise and training and the ability to play for free at any time might help one of our local young people emerge as the next Tommy Fleetwood.”

Sefton Council has also been reminding golfers about their money-saving Twilight tickets for Bootle and Southport, which start from 4pm and cost as little as ÂŁ8.50.

Find out more about Sefton Council’s golf courses.

Sefton’s mobile coronavirus test site dates confirmed for rest of August

21 August 2020
Martin Driver
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Categories: Front Page, Health, Latest News, Uncategorized

Mobile coronavirus testing units are scheduled to be at locations across Sefton nearly very day in August.

If you have the COVID-19 symptoms of a high temperature, persistent cough or loss of taste or smell  – however mild – you should get a test.

Tests at mobile centres are available for anyone but they need to have made an appointment first at www.nhs.uk/coronavirus  or by calling 119.

Dates for the rest of August are:

Fri 21    Litherland
Sat 22   Litherland
Sun 23  Litherland
Mon 24 Southport TBC*
Tue 25   Southport TBC*
Wed 26 Crosby  TBC*
Thur 27 Crosby
Fri 28    Crosby
Sat 29    Southport
Sun 30  Southport
Mon 31 Southport

*One of the Mobile Testing Unit teams is a reserve team,  and may deployed to other Merseyside locations on these days.

Walk-through test centres, opposite Bootle Town Hall and at Southport Town Hall, are open from 8am to 8pm. You need an appointment from www.nhs.uk/coronavirus   or by calling 119 or the Council’s Contact Centre on 0345 140 0845.

Confirmation of August dates for the sites, which are supported by Sefton Council, NHS Southport and Formby CCG and NHS South Sefton CCG, follows on from a timetable that saw units deployed across Sefton Borough every day in July.

 

 

Exciting future ahead for Bootle’s landmark shopping centre

14 August 2020
Martin Driver
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Categories: Bootle Strand, Front Page, Latest News, Local Consultation, Regeneration

Sefton Council’s vision for the long-term future of Bootle New Strand Shopping centre continues to progress with the acquisition of adjacent sites and progression of soft market testing regarding options and opportunities for the future of the centre.

This is the first step in realising the Council’s long-term aspirations to redevelop and repurpose The Strand.

In 2017, Sefton Council bought The Strand and earlier this year it secured some of the neighbouring sites. This means the Council can now steer the regeneration of a wider area of The Strand and Bootle town centre.

With Bootle proving to be one of the towns in the UK hardest-hit by COVID-19, the council is reviewing a range of short-term, cost effective “meanwhile” uses for the site while the long-term plans are being considered.

Following the adjacent site acquisitions, demolition works will commence this year, as part of work towards making better use of the canal-side location.  There will be an emphasis on a distinct food and beverage offer next to the canal, and images have been released to show how the area could look like in the future. These interim, “meanwhile” uses will transform the area in the short term while longer term planning and public consultation and engagement with residents, businesses and customers takes place.

Introducing these “meanwhile” measures will mean decommissioning certain areas of the centre. This may contribute to a reduction in rental income, but the Council will work through the financial impact, alongside these exciting new developments.

Pleasingly, in the most recent financial year (2019/20), The Strand made an operating surplus despite the COVID-19 pandemic affecting all sectors of society, including retail.  This surplus has been added to previous balances generated and has made possible the investment of £1 million to help fund other Sefton Council services since the Centre came back into council ownership.

This proves that the decision to take the centre back into council control and away from the private sector was the right one for the regeneration of Bootle and the Borough.  If this hadn’t taken place, The Strand would be unsupported and would be in decline with a wide-ranging impact on the local community and wider borough.

There is no retail unit or shopping centre in the UK that has not been affected by the pandemic, as the economy has seen a significant decline leading to the country now being in recession, and The Strand, together with all shopping centres in the Borough, will be no different in experiencing financial challenges over the coming months and years.  Now more than ever, exciting plans such as these to transform a much loved and valued local asset have never been more important.

As part of the long-term vision for The Strand and Bootle Town Centre, Sefton Council plans to carry out widespread consultation with local residents and partners, including a “Festival of Ideas” in September 2020. The input and perspectives of the public will be key to the success of the centre in the future.

Cllr Ian Maher, Leader of Sefton Council, said: “Sefton Council has big ambitions for the future of The Strand and Bootle Town Centre. They remain central to the area’s regeneration and this is an opportunity to explore other uses for them.

“We want to transform the space so that it is be more open and integrated with the surrounding community. It will be a beautiful public space hosting a wide range of uses and facilities, including retail but also food and drink and leisure opportunities.  We will also evaluate a number of other potential uses to ensure long-term economic, social and environmental sustainability of the centre.

“In particular, we have an ambition to link The Strand to the canal, which can provide not only an attractive environment and space for leisure, but also ‘a green transport corridor’, for walking, cycling and travel by water. This would link The Strand with other parts of the borough and beyond, including the proposed new Everton football stadium at Bramley Moore Dock.”

The illustrations released today are artist’s impressions of how the area could look.

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