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Sefton residents asked to take united COVID approach as old rivals meet

18 June 2021
Martin Driver
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Categories: Front Page, Health, Latest News, Sefton Council
Margaret Jones, Director of Public Health in Sefton
Margaret Jones, Sefton Council’s Director of Public Health

As the England and Scotland teams prepare to line up against each other tomorrow, continuing a long history of hard-fought rivalry, Sefton Council is urging residents and visitors to unite in following the COVID safety measures.

Celebrating or commiserating

Margaret Jones, Sefton Council’s Director of Public Health, whose Scottish lilt will have become familiar to many during the pandemic said: “Whichever side of the fence we’re this evening and whether we’re together celebrating or commiserating, it’s important we all do so in a way that protects ourselves and others.

“If you’re watching at home, remember the rule of six still applies and that it’s always safer to meet outdoors or in well-ventilated areas so maybe set up a screen outside or go to an outdoor event or a screening in a pub garden.

“And if you’re going to the pub, try to help staff by following the restrictions that are there for your safety. That means remaining seated when drinking and eating and wearing masks when moving around.

“And I know we’ll all be tempted to shout at the telly but let’s try to do so behind a mask and not in someone else’s face.”

Caution

Cllr Ian Moncur, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing said: “We want everyone to enjoy the Euros but to enjoy them safely which is why we are urging caution. Taking all the necessary steps will help to slow the spread of infections and help us avoid the need for any future local restrictions.”

Mrs Jones also stressed the importance of taking regular, free rapid home tests that help pick up the significant number of people who do not show coronavirus symptoms. And the need for anyone with a positive test outcome self-isolates and books a PCR test by dialling 119 or visiting www.nhs.uk/coronavirus.

Rapid home tests provide a result in as little as 30 minutes and involve taking a throat & nasal swab, dropping the sample into the container supplied and then checking for the result after 20 to 30 minutes.

Football on a grass pitch near line markings
Football on a grass pitch near line markings

Free home test kits

Free home test kits are widely available, from test centres, from all Sefton’s pharmacies as well as online from www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests.  They can also be collected between 2.30pm and 8pm, seven days a week, from walk-through Local Test Centres opposite Bootle Town Hall and at Crosby Library Car Park, Netherton Activity Centre and Southport Town Hall. No appointments are needed.

Rapid testing for people without symptoms is also available at Bootle Strand and Southport’s Splash World. The Splash World site is open from 8am to 8pm seven days a week. The Bootle Strand site, the former H Samuel unit, is open 8am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays.

And, people can also choose to have assisted testing at one of Sefton’s Rapid test sites, which are also open 8am to 8pm seven days a week and located at Bootle Leisure Centre and at Splash World in Southport.

Mrs Jones added: “Tomorrow night’s match will be a game of 90 minutes plus stoppages but if we all take care and do our bit to protect ourselves and others, we can all avoid any injury or illness time, which is what I call a result.”

Find out more about testing in Sefton.

Domestic abuse statistics, ugly reflection on beautiful game, says Sefton Council

17 June 2021
Martin Driver
No comments
Categories: Front Page, Latest News, Sefton Council
Red Card
Red Card (https://foto.wuestenigel.com/the-referee-in-red-card-gesture)

Sefton Council is reminding people across the Borough that domestic abuse – which spikes during football tournaments – is entirely unacceptable.

Shocking

Cllr Trish Hardy, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing said: “Incidents of domestic abuse during football tournaments have been seen to increase dramatically with spikes of up to 27% when England World Cup games and 32% when they lost.

“These are shocking statistics and an ugly reflection of the beautiful game, which is entirely unacceptable.

“In an emergency, people should always dial 999 but more information on domestic abuse and organisations that can provide advice and support can be found at www.sefton.gov.uk/domestic-abuse.”

Control

Cllr Hardy went on to say that domestic abuse can include emotional, physical and sexual abuse and other forms of coercive control.

She continued: “Leaving an abusive relationship can be difficult as the abuser can be very controlling, so it is important that friends and family provide support if they suspect someone is being abused.

Signs

“Tell-tale signs can include the person making excuses for their abuser’s behaviour, a high incidence of sickness absence or a nervousness talking openly when their abuser is around.

“If you suspect someone you know is being subject to domestic abuse you should encouraging them to speak to you or a professional about what is going on.”

You can find details of a a range of organisations that can provide support, advice and, in some cases, refuge to individuals and families suffering from abuse, here.  

It’s all aboard for second helping of beach bites following successful Sefton coast trial

17 June 2021
Martin Driver
No comments
Categories: Front Page, Green Sefton, Latest News

Sefton Council is looking to bring back a pop-up food and drink offer at Crosby Coastal Park later this summer following a well-received 28-day trial at the popular location.

Sefton-based owners of The Bus Yard took part in the trial, operating from a double decker bus near to the Marine Lake, overlooking the beach.

From fish finger butties to chocolate brownies and cocktails, the street food-style outlet has been incredibly popular with residents and visitors alike over the past four weeks.

Cllr Ian Moncur, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “Our Green Sefton Service is gearing up for a busy few months ahead and are proactively looking at ways to ensure our coast offers the best possible experience for all beach users.

“They’ve worked really closely with the local business who took part in the trial, as well as understanding community concerns about any adverse effects such as littering that might result from an offer like this.

“I’m really pleased to report that we’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback during the pop-up which finished at the weekend, so much so that we are exploring options to bring the bus back later this summer.

“The team at The Bus Yard even took part in a beach clean-up following the busy late May Bank Holiday, showing their dedication and commitment to working alongside the Council and volunteers to keep Crosby looking clean and tidy.

“I would urge anyone with further thoughts to get in touch to tell us what they feel worked well or perhaps didn’t work as well. We often get asked to provide more hospitality facilities at the coast, so your input on a trial like this is vital to ensure we get the right offer for everyone, balancing the needs of our people and our environment.”

Feedback can be submitted by email to the Green Sefton team greensefton@sefton.gov.uk

Andy Laird, The Bus Yard, said: ‘’We have had an amazing time at Crosby over the last month and its success has gone beyond our expectations. Feedback has been really positive from the local community and visitors.’’

Planning approval was recently received for another pop-up food and drink trial at Ainsdale beach.

Plans are still being finalised, but it is hoped that the shipping container units that will house the temporary offer will be in place by the middle of July, with a trial running there until the late autumn.

Feedback from both the Crosby and Ainsdale trials will be reviewed later this year, before considering how more permanent facilities might be arranged from 2022.

Sefton celebrates air quality improvements on Clean Air Day

17 June 2021
Bridie Finnan
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Categories: Front Page, Latest News

Sefton Council is getting behind Clean Air Day this year and urging people to take small steps to make a big difference to air pollution in Sefton.

Air pollution is damaging to the health of our population and can be particularly damaging to the health and development of children and young people. The national Clean Air Day campaign focuses on the impact of air pollution on children and how adults can make small changes to protect them.

The past year has been encouraging for Sefton in terms of air pollution, with all air quality monitoring stations seeing a significant reduction in levels of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2). This has been largely due to reduced traffic levels  in our borough as a result of the pandemic. In some areas, this reduction in traffic has been as high as 50% and this has translated into large improvement in air quality.

These good results come as lockdown restrictions begin to ease and road traffic increases. There are many alternatives to travelling alone in a car, particularly for short journeys. Changing how we travel is just one way that people can help to maintain the recent decreases in air pollution.

 

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

“Clean Air Day is an important initiative to raise awareness of the issue of air quality and prompt people to change their behaviour

“The pandemic changed the way we live and work and, in many ways, this has been good for the air quality in Sefton, but we mustn’t go back to normal!

“We cannot just think about clean air on Clean Air Day, this is something that matters to everyone, all the time. Everyone can make a small change to make our borough cleaner and greener”

 

Sefton Council is keen to maintain this progress in cleaning up our air and is using Clean Air Day to raise awareness of the small things people can do that will keep our air pollution levels falling.

Some top tips include:

  • No idling! If you’ve stopped your car, turn it off!
  • Consider Active Travel for short journeys – walk, run, cycle!
  • Consider a low emission vehicle.
  • Use public transport where you can!

You can find more info on air quality in Sefton at our website

 

Mikhail Leisure Group to run incredible Southport Market bar

16 June 2021
Ollie Cowan
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Categories: Business and Economy, Essential Sefton, Front Page, Latest News

An incredible feature bar will be the centrepiece of the new Southport Market crown after Sefton Council appointed a locally based leisure group to manage its day to day running.

Following a tender process last year, Mikhail Hotel Leisure Group, famous for the Bold Hotel, Lord Street Hotel and Punch Tarmey’s, have been revealed as the team Sefton Council have chosen to manage the feature bar at the revamped Southport Market.

The new look venue will officially open its doors soon, following the reveal of 9 incredible stalls and traders who will take up permanent residence in the building alongside the new bar operators.

Andrew Mikhail, owner of The Mikhail group, said: “Yet again, the great team at Sefton Council have had fabulous vision with their regeneration plans for the market.

“Not only creating jobs for locals but I am certain that this will bring people from far and wide to Southport.

“My team are fabulous at what they do and running great venues is what we are known for, which meant we were the obvious choice to run the bar, the impressive centrepiece to the market.

“The market is looking really impressive and we look forward welcoming those customers who are regulars at our other Southport businesses and to welcoming some new faces. ”

Finishing touches are being applied to the iconic market space as it undergoes a major transformation into a leading food, drinks and events space that will boost the local economic and tourism sectors, thanks to the hard work of Sefton Council and funding by both the Liverpool City Region & Southport Town Deal.

Aesthetics work will soon be completed to give the market space a sleek and modern look, while still combining elements of Southport’s proud seaside heritage.

Nine market stall traders have now been revealed; from artisan pizzas and Mediterranean delicacies to Canadian inspired poutine and spicy Mexican street food.

The full list of confirmed traders is as follows:

Blackhurst Butchers
600 degrees (Pizzas, Italian)
Hector’s Mexicana (Mexican street food)
Down and Oot (Canadian steaks, poutine, hot sandwiches)
King St. Bakery (Portuguese tarts)
Messy Moments (Desserts)
Birkdale Pie & Mash (Assorted pies)
Allotment – (American Burgers et al)
Pitamu (Greek & Mediterranean)

Alongside the brand new Southport Market space is a monthly Maker’s Market, taking place in the surrounding market quarter are of the town, including a mix of artisan craft and food stalls.

The £1.4m market scheme, which is a key enabler and an early part of Sefton Council’s Covid-19 recovery plan for Southport, will see 10 new locally based food units and a feature bar installed. This will be supported by a flexible events area able to host high-quality markets along with other events.

Cllr Marion Atkinson, Sefton Council’s Labour Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Skills, said: “It is incredible to see all our hard work nearing completion and I cannot wait to see the Market open for everyone to enjoy.

“We are absolutely delighted to have confirmed the Mikhail Group as our Market bar operators and look forward to working with them at what is an iconic location.

“Southport Market is a venue that is of considerable historic importance to the resort, which is why we have ensured the space is brimming with local touches and influences.

“Our amazing tourism team have been hard at work with The Atkinson to source old images of Southport to be used throughout the market and the excitement is really building for our big launch soon!”

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