The July edition of the Sefton Community Newsletter, put together by Merseyside Police’s community engagement team, is now available to read online.
Highlights of this month’s newsletter include details on Hugh Baird’s Summer Fayre, the Sefton O.P.E.R.A Beating Loneliness project and the latest on a host of activities at the Netherton Activity Centre.
To read a digital copy of the newsletter click here: Newsletter
Community groups in Sefton which work to divert young people away from crime and anti-social behaviour are being invited to bid for grants for projects running during the autumn half-term, thanks to Merseysideās Police Commissioner.
Jane Kennedy has announced that she is once again releasing a round of funding from the Police Property Act Fund (PPA), which allows money raised from the sale of unclaimed stolen goods or property recovered by the police to be used for good causes.
It is the ninth time the Commissioner has asked community organisations, charities and groups to apply for a vital cash boost of up to Ā£5,000 grants for grassroots initiatives which are working to help young people to make the right choices.
A total of Ā£45,000 is available from the fund for one-off grants for organisations which are committed to improving community safety, reducing crime or supporting victims.
The Commissioner said: “I am pleased to once again open up the Police Property Act Fund for bids of up to Ā£5,000 to organisations which are working to make their communities safer and better places to live by engaging with young people.
āMany communities across Merseyside traditionally see a rise in criminal and anti-social behaviour during the autumn half-term, particularly around Bonfire and Mischief Night. Historically, it is also a particularly busy time for the police and the fire service. Through these grants, I want to help alleviate these issues and prevent local young people from making mistakes they may regret in the future.”
All applications must be submitted online via the Community Foundation for Merseyside by 5pm on Monday 14th September. Please visit their website http://www.cfmerseyside.org.uk/funds/police-property-act-fund to apply.
I had a quieter yet still enjoyable week this week in which I had the pleasure of attending 4 engagements which varied from attending the Annual Ceremony of Signing of the High Sheriff Rolls to attending the S.A.F.E Meeting in Southport.
Monday 23rd July (11:30): StedyChefs Visit
It was with great delight that I accepted the invitation from StedyChefs Learning Centre. It was very pleasing and eye-opening to see what the new Learning Centre entailed and how the Staff aid adults with learning disabilities as well as courses for Hospitality Training and Work-Essential skills. It was fantastic to see the positive impact the Learning Centre has on the community. It was intriguing to see what the students had to say about how much the Learning Centre has such a positive impact on their lives.
Monday 23rd July (19:15): S.A.F.E Meeting
The S.A.F.E. (Southport Access For Everyone) meeting was an engagement which filled me which much excitement and interest about what the meeting was about as well as finding out more about S.A.F.E as an organisation. SAFE is a small voluntary organisation working to improve access for disabled people of all ages to both premises and services in the Southport area. Ā The S.A.F.E meeting was to review any problems between the last meeting and this meeting. It was a pleasure to be there and it was also an honour to give them a little insight of what my Mayoral job entails.
Tuesday 24th July (09:30): Signing of the High Sheriff Rolls
It was a pleasure yet again to be invited to another ceremony in which the High Sheriff sings the roll of High Sheriffs of the county in front of the High Court Judge and the other Judges. It is always such an honour to be invited to these engagements as it gives me the opportunity to meet other Mayors of the Boroughs of Merseyside.
Wednesday 25th July (17:45): Princes Trust Team 36 Presentation Evening
The princeās Trust Team Programme is a 12 week personals development programme, this is delivered by the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service. Itās a great way for young people to build their confidence, and participate in work experience as well as to gain life skills. The presentation was to congratulate and celebrate all of the graduates who have completed the 12 week programme and it gave me the opportunity to congratulate and celebrate with the students as well as thank the staff for all of their hard work they have put in and to appreciate how much of a success this programme is.
School children from across Sefton have been learning about local health services as well as giving their views on the NHS.
Your Youth Health Day on Thursday 19 July saw pupils from Maricourt Catholic High School in Maghull and Southport’s Stanley High School work with Sefton Young Advisors, to learn which local NHS service is best for them if they are unwell or want some advice on their health and wellbeing.
The event was organised by NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Southport and Formby CCGsā joint Engagement and Patient Experience Group (EPEG) which brings together representatives from organisations including Sefton Council, Healthwatch Sefton and Sefton Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) to look at how the CCGs can better involve residents and partners in their work.
Health commissioners were joined at the Formby event by staff from Sefton council to hear young peopleās views about health care.
The event saw pupils taken through everyday scenarios, how to lead a healthier lifestyle, and which NHS service to consider for a range of medical issues, ranging from when to get advice from local pharmacists and the NHS111 phone service for minor conditions, to when to call 999.
Ryan McCarthy from Sefton Young Advisors, said: āThis event is about getting young people introduced to the health services they might have accessed or access in the future, looking at their knowledge and hopefully improve it by looking health scenarios which may affect them in the future.
āItās also about looking at their feedback around health services because itās really important because changes can be made from that and health services can be improved.ā
One pupil said: “I didn’t realise how unhealthy I have been – I do go to bed late, spend time on my phone and also don’t have breakfast. Those are things I’m going to change now.”
This has been the second dedicated young personās event organside by EPEG, led by Sefton Young Advisers and part of the CCGsā commitment to ensuring the āvoice of the childā is recognised in health services.
Graham Bayliss, lay representative for patient and public engagement at NHS South Sefton CCG, said: “The NHS is all about listening to all its patients, but the voices of young people can sometimes get drowned out by adults.
“It’s important we’re listening to young people and issues they have, as well as the areas of NHS services they’re not sure about.”
On what needs to change about health services, another pupil said: “I think one thing the NHS lacks is mental health support, especially for teens, so if that could be improved that would be really good.”
Gill Brown, governing body lead for patient and public participation for NHS Southport and Formby CCG, said: “They’ve really changed my views about how we communicate with young people, especially around social media.
“One thing that came across is that we need to do more about mental health service provision for young people, particularly in relation to abuse over social media and the impact that can have on young people.”
To watch a video from the event please click here: https://youtu.be/2sCZSRE7ZOI
To find out more about getting involved in the work of your local NHS, please email communications@sefton.nhs.uk or call 0151 317 8456.
Residents in Thornton and Thornton Parish Council are being informed about plans to improve traffic management in the local area.
Sefton Council has undertaken a detailed and extensive study of issues in the area and is now confirming the measures to be delivered in the next 12 months.
These include:
ā¢ the permanent closure of Edgemoor Drive at its junction with Moor Lane
ā¢ making The Crescent one way
ā¢ providing traffic calming in Southport Road and Ince Road
ā¢ pedestrian safety improvements at the Edge Lane / Moor Lane junction and the Green Lane / Park View junction
ā¢ a major change to the junction at Buckley Hill / Edge Lane / Gorsey Lane to divert traffic towards Brooms Cross Road away from Thornton
Cllr John Fairclough, Cabinet Member for Locality Services, said: “We promised the residents of Thornton that we would tackle their concerns about traffic and I am confident that the package of measures we will be delivering will have real benefits for the local community.
“This follows extensive consultation with our communities and some of the schemes outlined will start immediately.”
The update report of the Thornton Corridor Action Plan is available at www.sefton.gov.uk/thorntoncorridor.
