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An update made to its systems by our software provider has resulted in a problem with online payments for our bulky items service, which means it is currently unavailable.

We have been in touch with the supplier and have requested that they reverse the changes that have caused this problem until a solution is found.

“We apologise for any inconvenience but would also like to remind people that we do suggest that items which are of good quality could be donated to local charities such as Emmaus, Sefton Helping Hands and British Heart Foundation. In some cases, free collections of preloved items can be can arranged by charities.

You can find more information here.

Sefton Council will be holding an event to launch its Childhood Poverty Strategy on Thursday, 1st December, in Bootle.

Several prominent guest speakers will be in attendance, including council, public health, and NHS representatives. Invitees will then be welcomed to give their views on the strategy.

The Tackling Poverty Strategy explores the drivers of child poverty and its impact on children and families. Almost 8,000 under-16s in Sefton (almost one in six) were living in poverty last year. The cost-of-living crisis is making that situation worse. Poverty has no longer-reaching impacts and can harm children’s health, education and future prospects.

Running up to 2030, the new Strategy sets out a blueprint a local approach to tackling child poverty in Sefton, with actions linked to people’s finances, prospects, and places.

The Strategy says that Sefton Council is committed to increasing opportunity in employment and education and supporting the most vulnerable members of its communities. Sefton Council will continue working closely with partners in the voluntary sector, health, employers, further education facilities and community groups.

Cllr Trish Hardy who is Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing said: “Tackling childhood poverty is key to us achieving all our priorities and should be squarely at the centre of everything we do, and this is the next step in the work we have been doing since 2015 on welfare reform and anti-poverty.”

Research has shown that living in poverty can lead to poor health in children, and this effect can last into adulthood.  It can also lead to poorer educational results which in turn effects young people’s opportunities for the rest of their lives.

When Sefton’s new Childhood Poverty Strategy was agreed by the Council’s Cabinet in October, Cllr Hardy said:

“We know that all of the life expectations of children in poverty are limited by their experiences which they have no personal control over.

“As a council we can’t change it, but we can do our damnedest to minimise the impact of poverty on the children we have a responsibility to in this Borough.”

After a fantastic response last year, Southport Eco Centre’s Christmas campaign is back.

The Centre’s Education Service has once again teamed up with The Atkinson and the cast of the upcoming pantomime Aladdin to help spread some Christmas cheer and some important eco messages about how we can all reduce, reuse and recycle over the festive period.

The campaign is supported by an interactive online competition running from the 1^st to 12^th December, which has been designed and created by the Eco Centre teachers.

Participants are invited to visit www.southportecocentre.com and open a stage door on every day. Behind each door they can learn from the cast members, including actress Patsy Kensit and local radio presenter Claire Simmo, the ways we can all be more eco-friendly.

Participants can download the entry form and use the facts revealed by the cast members, to be in with a chance of winning a family ticket to the show. Shopping vouchers supporting Southport BIDs shop local campaign are also up for grabs. All entrants will also earn learning credits towards Children’s University.

The campaign supports Sefton Council’s climate emergency declaration and the call for positive action.

Darren Lloyd, resident teacher at the Eco Centre and designer of the campaign said:

“We know Christmas is a fantastic time for our children, but it is also a testing time for our planet due to amount of waste generated during the period. Our young people have very real concerns about the impact we are having on our planet and this campaign gives them an opportunity to engage in a fun way while helping spread some extremely important messages.

“The response to last year’s campaign was phenomenal so we hope our schools and communities will get behind it once again.”

The campaign is part of the centre’s longstanding partnership work with the Merseyside Waste and Recycling Authority.

Cllr Tony Concepcion, Chairperson of MRWA said:

“The amount of waste created often rises around the holiday period, but Christmas doesn’t have to cost the earth.

By planning before you buy, only purchasing what you need and recycling everything we can, we can all make Christmas a little bit greener.

We’re proud to support the Southport Eco Centre’s campaign to show people the importance of ease of having an eco-friendly Christmas.”

Cllr Paulette Lappin, Sefton Council Cabinet Member for Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Services said:

“This is a great opportunity for young people in Sefton to learn some important eco-messages that are touched with the magic of Christmas.

“And for them to win the chance of a family trip to Aladdin at The Atkinson at the same time.”

People can find out more at www.southportecocentre.com