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Evensong service in Liverpool will commemorate HRH The Duke of Edinburgh

15 April 2021
Ollie Cowan
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Categories: Essential Sefton, Front Page, Latest News

Liverpool Cathedral’s Evensong service on Sunday 18th April will mark the life of HRH, The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

The service, which is invitation only and starts at 3pm, will be attended by community representatives and political and civic leaders from across Liverpool City Region.

The service will be led by Dean of Liverpool the Very Revd Dr Sue Jones with the Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside, Mark Blundell. It will include personal reflections from Dame Lorna Muirhead, who held the role previously.

There will be prayers from the Archbishop of Liverpool – the Most Reverend Malcolm McMahon – and the Bishop of Liverpool – the Right Reverend Paul Bayes, along with representatives from other Merseyside faith communities each leading a prayer in their own tradition.

Attendees will include the Lord Mayor and Mayors of local boroughs, military and ex-service representatives, organisations including the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Royal Mersey Yacht Club, Merseyside Scouts, Boys Brigade and local forces cadets.

The Cathedral is the fifth largest in the world which means there is ample space for the congregation to be safely accommodated and to observe Covid-19 regulations, such as social distancing and the wearing of face coverings.  

Well-wishers are asked not to congregate outside the Cathedral – but to watch the service online – via the Cathedral’s Facebook page and YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgTSAfIhhA0. The service will also be streamed by local authorities across their channels.

Lord Lieutenant, Mark Blundell, said: “The Service of Commemoration is a chance for representatives from communities across Liverpool City Region to come together and remember HRH Prince Philip.

“The Duke was a regular visitor to our area over many years, most recently in 2016 when he accompanied The Queen to the International Festival of Business and the opening of both the new Exhibition Centre and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

“During his decades of devoted public service, he touched the lives of many thousands of people, whether it was accompanying The Queen on engagements or his active involvement in many charities, organisations and causes close to his heart.

“Like Liverpool, he was tremendously proud of his close association with the Armed Forces.

“He leaves an incredible legacy, not just as Consort to Her Majesty, but also his work on the groundbreaking Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme which has helped the personal development of so many young people around the country over many decades.”

Sefton’s businesses and their customers asked to stay considerate and follow requirements to protect their safety

15 April 2021
Martin Driver
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Categories: Front Page, Health, Latest News
People eating and drinking outside in Southport

With the first weekend since the easing of national lockdown restrictions approaching, Sefton Council’s Environmental Health Team is urging the Borough’s businesses and their customers to follow the guidelines.

Preparations

Peter Moore, Sefton Council’s Head of Highways & Public Protection said: “Since the restrictions eased on Monday, we have been working with Sefton’s businesses to provide help and advice and we have been pleased to see the thorough preparations the vast majority of them have made.

“With a busy weekend expected for our popular hospitality sector, we are asking business owners and managers to ensure they are familiar with the latest regulations.

“But we are also asking their customers to be considerate and to follow the requirements that are there to keep both them and the people serving them safe.”

Latest requirements

Among the latest requirements for people visiting bars and restaurants that are open because they have outdoor facilities, is the need for them to be seated while drinking and eating. The volume of any music or TVs should be kept to background levels so people don’t have to raise their voices to chat.

Also, the national regulations now mean everyone visiting a bar or restaurant needs to ‘check in’ by scanning the QR code at the entrance, for Test and Trace purposes. Previously, it was just one person from each group.

Threat

Mr Moore continued: “Despite the easing of restrictions and the good progress of the NHS vaccination programme, COVID-19 is still very much with us and while around a third of people, will show no symptoms, it can still present a serious or even lethal threat to some.

“Everyone is, therefore, required to scan in with the QR code so that they can be traced should any cases of coronavirus be detected.  This can help prevent them from passing on the virus accidentally.”

Details of how businesses can create a QR code for their premises are at www.gov.uk/create-coronavirus-qr-poster

Distancing

As well as these specific requirements, Sefton Council’s Environmental Health officers have been reminding local businesses about the need for continued distancing, wearing face coverings, maintaining ventilation where possible and washing their hands thoroughly and frequently.

Help and support for businesses available from Sefton Council’s Environmental Health team who can be contact at ETSContact@sefton.gov.uk or by calling 0345 140 0345.

Also, the Government has produced 14 guides to help businesses keep their employees and customers safe They cover a wide range of different types of work and workplace, which can be found at http://gov.uk/workingsafely.

Considerate and conscious

Mr Moore added: “We want people and businesses to have a good and successful weekend and to enjoy their new-found freedoms, but we would also ask everyone to be considerate and conscious of their own safety and the safety of those around them at all times.”

Sefton Council is urging people who are out and about, going to a work environment or who will be returning to take regular rapid tests for coronavirus.

Sefton Council encourages parents to collect their free BookStart pack for under 5s

13 April 2021
Bridie Finnan
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Categories: Front Page, Latest News

Sefton Council is encouraging all parents of pre school children to contact their local library to receive a free BookStart pack.

The BookStart programme gives free books to every child in England and Wales at two key stages before school, as well as free packs for children with additional needs, tips and guidance on reading together, resources and activities.

The baby pack includes two board books, a rhyme sheet and a booklet of tips and ideas for sharing books with children from a very young age. The toddler book contains two picture books.

The programme aims to encourage a love of books, stories and rhymes from as young an age as possible.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, packs that would have gone out via Health Visitors and Nurseries have not been distributed as widely as before.

They are available for all families to pick up – free of charge – from your local library now.

For children with a visual impairment, those who are deaf or those for whom English is a second language, additional Needs packs and dual language books are available – by simply emailing library.service@sefton.gov.uk  to request your pack.

Council successfully prosecutes hotels group after guest sustains life-changing injuries in rusted railings fall

13 April 2021
Martin Driver
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Categories: Front Page, Health, Latest News, Sefton Council
Image showing damaged railings
Damaged railings

Sefton Council has successfully prosecuted Britannia Hotels after a guest at its Prince of Wales Hotel in Southport sustained life-changing injuries due to falling through rusted iron railings.

Fiona Townsend, the Council’s Senior Lawyer told Sefton Magistrates Court that the railings to prevent people falling down the 6ft drop to the basement lightwells were missing in one location and badly corroded in numerous other areas. The Council had issued an improvement notice after the Company failed to make the area safe with suitable fencing over three weeks after the incident.

Hazard

She said: “Britannia Hotels could not demonstrate that a system was in place to check and maintain the iron railing regularly. Its risk assessments failed to address the hazard of a fall from height as happened to guest Deborah Henshall and did not refer to the iron railings.

“The company fell short of the appropriate safety and the systems it had in place were not sufficiently adhered to or implemented. It had failed to make appropriate changes following prior incident and had allowed breaches to continue over a long period.

“This led to the incident, which has had a substantial and long-term effect on the Ms Henshall’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities or on their ability to return to work.

Fractures

In a Victim Statement, Deborah Henshall told the court after a full body scan at Aintree Hospital she was told she had two spinal fractures, a broken left big toe and blood on her lungs due to the sternum and rib fractures. She had also sustained a head injury, concussion and trauma.

She said she was distressed over how her life has changed since the accident, before which she was working two jobs. In her statement she wrote that she had been off work since the accident had lost both jobs and is currently on Universal Credit and personal independent payments.

‘I am still suffering everyday with severe pain,’ she wrote. ‘I used to be a very outgoing and very social within my group of friends and family this accident has caused me so much pain and distress that I feel will never back to the person I was before this accident.’

Risk

Fining Britannia Hotels £80,000  and awarding costs of £6821.92, District Judge Wendy Lloyd said: “I take both Britannia’s previously good character and guilty plea into account, but others were exposed to risk of falling into the light-well, a number of people were potentially at risk.

“I extend great sympathy to Ms Henshall. This amount is in no way a representation of what I think her injury is worth. This is a fine on health and safety failings.”

Consequences

Afterwards, Fiona Townsend said: “Sefton Council is always keen to work with businesses to provide help and advice on how they can maintain health and safety.

“But, as this case shows, we will also take action where health and safety standards are not maintained, particularly when this failing has had serious consequences.”

 

Support available to help Sefton businesses keep staff and customers safe, as lockdown measures ease

12 April 2021
Martin Driver
No comments
Categories: Front Page, Health, Latest News

With restrictions on the opening of non-essential shops and other businesses from today, Sefton Council’s Environmental Health Team is urging everyone to continue distancing, wearing face covering, maintaining ventilation where possible and keep washing their hands thoroughly and frequently.

First steps

Peter Moore, Sefton Council’s Head of Highways & Public Protection said: “Today is a big day in starting to open up the Borough and take some first steps in the huge task of getting the local economy back on its feet.

“We appreciate the huge amounts of work that Sefton’s businesses have put into preparations for re-opening and making sure they have all the safety measures required in place.

“However, this is just the step and we all need to remain careful and continue to follow all the safety measure to protect ourselves and others.”

Help and support for businesses available from Sefton Council’s Environmental Health team who can be contact at ETSContact@sefton.gov.uk  or by calling 0345 140 0345.

Guides

To help businesses keep their employees and customers safe, the Government has produced 14 guides covering a range of different types of work and workplace, which can be found at gov.uk/workingsafely.

They include information for close contact services such as hairdressers, barbers, beauticians, for construction and other outdoor as well as factories, plants and warehouses.

Heritage locations, hotels and guest accommodation, laboratories and research facilities and offices and contact centres are also covered. And there is guidance for people who work in, visit or deliver to other people’s homes and the performing arts.

Advice and help

Mr Moore added: “We would advise that business owners and managers across Sefton check the Government’s latest guides to make sure they are operating as safely as they can, but the Council’s Environmental Health team is also keen to work with them and provide advice and help.”

Find out more about support for Sefton businesses. 

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