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Appeal to find information on Sefton’s World War One heroines

9 April 2018
Ollie Cowan
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Categories: Business and Economy, Essential Sefton, Front Page, Latest News, WW1 Centenery Year

Sefton’s Library Service are appealing for help to find information on nine local heroines of World War One.

As part of the Beyond The War Memorials Project, Sefton Libraries are creating a special tribute to the men and women who are honoured on war memorials across the borough.

Now the team behind the project are appealing to local historians, families and the wider community to find out more about the heroines who gave their lives for their country.

Andrew Farthing, Sefton Council’s Libraries Development Manager, said: “There are a number of women listed on Sefton’s civic war memorials but very little is known about them.

We want to highlight these brave ladies who gave their lives during World War One for the freedom from oppression that we enjoy today.

Throughout the Beyond The War Memorials project we’ve been compiling information and photos on our heroes and heroines but we need the public’s help in delving deeper into their background. Information and particularly photographs of these women have proved difficult to locate.

The information will go towards creating a massive online biography for most, if not all, the heroic Sefton residents who are listed on our Civic War Memorials.”

Anyone with any information about Sefton heroines of World War One is asked to email Lesley.davies@sefton.gov.uk or call 0151 934 4920.

The nine women found listed so far on Sefton’s Civic War Memorials are:

Southport
Munitions worker Mary Jane Gartside-Tipping joined the Women’s Emergency Canteens Service in 1917 and served on the Western Front. Four months into her service she was shot in the head and killed by a deranged French soldier. She was posthumously awarded the Croix De Guerre and buried with full military honours. 

Sister Janet Lois Griffiths volunteered for active service at the outbreak of WW1 and served in Alexandria, Egypt. She narrowly avoided being killed when a medical lorry she was travelling in collided with a train. Sadly during the rescue operation to save her fellow nurses, Janet was killed.

Ainsdale
Delamere Road resident Stella Rose Boue-Blandy (1896-1919). At the outbreak of war, Stella joined Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Nursing Service, serving in France, Egypt, and Palestine.

Seaforth & Waterloo
Stewardess Agnes B Hird of Woodland Road, Seaforth left behind two sons when, at the age of 40, she was presumed lost at sea with her ship, the SS Ava, having been sunk by Axis forces.

Waterloo resident Elizabeth Kennedy and Seaforth’s Florence Jones are also listed on the Waterloo memorial, however little is known about either heroine.

Bootle
Nurse May Wylie died at the age of 20 at a Military Hospital after serving faithfully with the Queen Mary Army Auxiliary Corps. She was given a military gun-carriage funeral at Anfield Cemetery.

Stewardesses Eleanor Dodwell and Christina Campbell-Rennie both served on the ill-fated RMS Lusitania which was sunk by a German U-boat in 1915. Both their names are also inscribed on the Tower Hill Memorial, London.

Aintree Festival to launch with Grand Opening Ceremony

9 April 2018
Ollie Cowan
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Categories: Essential Sefton, Front Page, Latest News

For the first time, there will be a ceremony to open the Randox Health Grand National Festival on Grand National Thursday (April 13).

The ceremony will begin at 12.30pm, with the Scots Guards parading from the racecourse entrance and marching past the Parade Ring and in front of the Grandstands.

The Scots Guards form part of the Guards Division, and is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army.

From 1pm, a parade of past Grand National Champions will be on show in the Parade Ring including Bindaree, Neptune Collonges, Silver Birch, Mon Mome and Pineau De Re with commentary by Gordon Brown and connections of the horses.

The Red Devils are a world famous British Army parachute display team that exists to recruit for the British Army and at 1.25pm 6-8 jumpers will be landing in front of the Grandstands displaying the Randox Health flag, an Aintree Racecourse flag and the Union Jack flag during their descent.

As the Red Devils land near the winning post, they can then be seen handing over the brand new Randox Health Grand National Trophy to Aintree and Randox Health representatives.

Sporting Soprano and Aintree ambassador for a third year, Laura Wright will perform Land of Hope and Glory which will mark the end of the opening ceremony, and the start of what is a spectacular day of racing.

For more info visit www.randoxhealthgrandnational.co.uk

Important Travel Information: Aintree Festival

9 April 2018
Ollie Cowan
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Categories: Business and Economy, Essential Sefton, Front Page, Latest News, Merseytravel

Sefton is preparing to welcome thousands of visitors to the borough as part of the three day Aintree Grand National Festival which starts on Thursday (April 12).

Sefton Council is one of the many agencies that will help thousands of festival goers get to and from Aintree Racecourse as smoothly as possible this week.

Working alongside Merseyside Police, Merseytravel and several other partners, the Council’s traffic management team helps coaches, cars, limousines and even horse boxes get to the right place at the right time.

They also help residents who aren’t attending the festival to go about their daily business with as little disruption as possible.

A number of diversions and traffic management measures will be in place throughout the festival’s three days (Thursday, April 12 – Saturday, April 14) including temporary closures.

Residents who are not attending the festival are advised to avoid the A59 Ormskirk Road from Switch Island through to the Black Bull junction.

Ormskirk Road, as well as Park Lane between Bridle Road and Ormskirk Road, will be closed between 4pm and 9pm on all three festival days.

Heavy traffic is expected on the A59 from 10am – 2pm.

During the closure, traffic will be diverted via Switch Island, Dunningsbridge Road, Netherton Way and Southport Road.

A spokesman for Sefton Council said: “The Aintree Festival brings thousands of racegoers, tourists and visitors to our beautiful borough and once again all eyes will be on Sefton as the home of impressive international events.

“We are working with partners to help keep the borough moving during the festival and to keep disruption to a minimum.

“People wishing to attend the race meeting itself are encouraged to use the Merseyrail network and alight at Aintree station.

“After racing finishes for the day buses will be operating from Park Lane into Liverpool City Centre and we would ask visitors who are in the region for a number of days to try and explore our wonderful borough even further.”

Mayor’s Musings: From football to Bootle’s Broadway

6 April 2018
Ollie Cowan
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Categories: Essential Sefton, Front Page, Latest News

Hello and welcome to the Mayor’s Musings! I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing Easter period.

It’s been a busy few weeks in the Mayoral offices and I’ve been delighted once again to be meeting so many diverse and interesting communities across our beautiful borough.

March 20

I welcomed seven lovely members of the EDDA Arts and Community Centre journalism group for a tour of Southport Town Hall. I happily took lots of questions on the history of the Sefton Mayor and the beautiful parlour within the town hall.

Shortly after that I was off on the road for a quick trip to the Ramada Hotel, Southport for the launch of Southport FC’s #OnePort vision. Here I was treated to a first look at the Yellow’s stadium plans, how they work with the community and their partnership with Sefton’s Year of the Volunteer celebrations.

To cap off a wonderful day I sat down along with 60 volunteers, community members and Sefton Library staff for the Human Library celebration meal at Bootle Library. I’m still full from it. Delicious!

March 21

I was delighted to have been invited to Halton Borough for a special Civic Heads day. Along with my fellow Mayors from across Merseyside, we were treated to a tour of The Brindley Theatre, Norton Priory, Runcorn Town Hall and the Halton Stadium.

March 23

I managed to deftly avoid the ‘Witches Curse’ of Ruggidore thanks to the incredibly talented acting troupe of the Crosby Gilbert and Sullivan Society at Southport Little Theatre. A wonderful production in a wonderful venue.

March 25

I attended the fantastic performance of the very apt ‘From Bootle to Broadway’ enacted by exceptionally talented young people from Bootle’s SPACE project at the ACC Convention Centre.

March 27

The Senior Road User’s event at St Helens Church, organised by Sefton Council and partners, was a fantastically educational afternoon.

It was a pleasure to meet with some of our senior residents and talk with them on road safety, healthy eating and healthy activities.

March 28

Sefton CVS’s Citizens For Good awards are an event I always look forward to with great delight. It’s amazing to meet so many community spirited and passionate residents from across Sefton.

 

 

 

March 29

I capped off a jam-packed two weeks of adventures up and down the borough with an absolutely delightful performance by the SONG theatre company who lit up the stage at the Atkinson in their performance of ‘All Shook Up’.

I look forward to even more civic visits very soon!

Cllr Dave Robinson
Mayor of Sefton

Residents should contact community officers over Aintree Festival concerns

6 April 2018
Ollie Cowan
No comments
Categories: Front Page, Latest News, Police

Merseyside Police is encouraging residents in Aintree and Maghull to contact their Community Policing Team with any issues or concerns they have ahead of the Aintree Festival which gets underway next Thursday (12 April).

With more than 150,000 race-goers set to attend the event across three days from Thursday, April 12 to Saturday, April 14, the community’s dedicated community officers want to make sure residents experience minimal disruption.

Despite the large crowds attending the festival, the vast majority of race-goers have a safe and enjoyable day and a multi-agency operation involving police officers from across the Force will once again aim to ensure this year’s event is no different.

Community officers will speak to residents living in some of the busiest streets around the racecourse to let them know who they can contact if they experience any problems with issues such as car parking, litter and anti-social behaviour during the event.

Community Inspector Ian Jones said: “The Aintree Festival puts Merseyside on the sporting map and the world stage. Thousands of visitors have a great time and we are very grateful to local residents for their patience and co-operation in helping us successfully police the event every year.

“We recognise that large numbers of people can have an impact on the local community and I want to reassure people that, as well as the policing operation for the event itself, my community team will be there to address any concerns residents may have.

“Not only will these officers be dedicated to responding to any calls about issues such as anti-social behaviour and disorder outside the racecourse, they will also be looking to speak to anyone living locally who may have experienced problems in previous years.

“We are particularly keen to hear from these people so we can talk to them and make sure those problems don’t crop up again so the event is a winner for all.”

Aintree and Maghull residents can contact their neighbourhood team by sending an email to aintree@merseyside.police.uk or call the non-emergency number 101.

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