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Splash World Southport on course for 2022 reopening

23 June 2022
Ollie Cowan
No comments
Categories: Business and Economy, Essential Sefton, Front Page, Latest News

Splash World in Southport has taken an exciting step closer to reopening after Sefton Council’s Cabinet today approved an additional £270,000 towards essential repair works.

The popular all weather indoor water park, which normally welcomes thousands of families from across the North West of England each year, is on course to reopen later this year, with a provisional target date of October.

Splash World was temporarily closed in December 2019 in order for the building to undergo essential maintenance and refurbishment works.

However due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s huge impact on the construction sector, these works were set back.

Nevertheless during this time Sefton Council utilised the Splash World building to create a specialist SMART testing unit for COVID-19, with the centre playing a pivotal role in keeping thousands of residents and key workers safe from potential infection.

Works resumed in Summer 2021 and are continuing on schedule, with teams working hard towards a provisional target of reopening Splash World in October.

Cllr Ian Maher, Leader of Sefton Council, said: “Today (Thursday, June 23rd) Cabinet approved an additional £270,000 towards the completion of these essential works and I am delighted that we are getting closer to welcoming everyone back to Splash World.

“I would like to take this opportunity to place on record my thanks to our various teams and contractors, who have been working extremely hard to ensure these essential maintenance works have been carried out efficiently and effectively, so that we can all once again don our swimming trunks and enjoy this wonderful all weather facility.

“I’d also like to thank all of our Dunes Leisure Centre users who have remained patient and understanding while potentially noisy works have been carried out adjacent to where they exercise.”

The allocation of £270,000 is subject to approval at the next meeting of Full Council.

An announcement regarding the official reopening date of Splash World Southport will be made in due course.

/Ends

Sefton Council continues free school meal vouchers scheme for summer holidays

23 June 2022
John McCabe
No comments
Categories: Front Page, Latest News, Uncategorized

Plate, cutlery and assortment of vegetablesWith support from local schools, Sefton Council will again assist eligible families with free school meal vouchers during the long summer holiday.

In addition to the rollout of vouchers, worth £15 per child per week, the Council is encouraging as many residents as possible to find out from their child’s school if they are eligible so than claim the support, which can be used to buy food in supermarkets and online.

Cllr Trish Hardy, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing said: “With local families struggling to cope with the spiralling cost-of-living, I am pleased that Sefton Council, with support from schools to distribute, has again been able to continue providing these holiday vouchers.

“This additional £15 per week for each eligible child will help families manage over this difficult period but if people are experiencing severe hardship, a disaster or emergency over the long summer break, or at any other time.

“Details of our Emergency Limited Assistance Scheme can be found at the ELAS webpage.”

Sefton Families that don’t receive free school meals at the moment but think they might qualify should contact their child’s school or visit the Free School Meals webpage.

The vouchers, which the Council is providing through its Household Support Grant funding allocation from the Department of Work and Pensions, are for buying food and essentials only. They cannot be used to purchase alcohol, tobacco, lottery tickets, phone top-ups or stamps.

Cllr Hardy added: “In addition to the school meals vouchers, we have now paid out over £12.5 million of the one-off, £150 Council Tax Energy rebate payments to the almost 83,500 eligible Council Tax Band A to D households, which will also provide them with some help.

“And, over 20,600 households have responded to the letter we sent them by using the secure code to provide their details and register to receive the payment.

“I would urge anyone who has received the letter to register today, and if they have any concerns about the process to visit the Council Tax Energy Rebate webpage where they can find out more.”

From South Korea to Southport! Air Force roars into resort

23 June 2022
Ollie Cowan
No comments
Categories: Essential Sefton, Front Page, Latest News

Southport Air Show will play host to the first UK appearance by the world famous Republic of Korea’s Air Force in more than ten years.

The Asian nation’s Black Eagles aerobatic flight team, will be jetting into the resort for the iconic Southport Air Show on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th July.

News of the Black Eagles visit to Southport has already garnered headlines across the aviation world for this one of a kind display, which will see eight KAI T-50B planes, specially-painted in their trademark black, white, and yellow, take part in a series of jaw dropping and awe-inspiring aerial manoeuvres.

The eight Black Eagle pilots will be thrust to the back of seats, experiencing G-force nine times greater than Earth’s gravity in their supersonic jets.

Famed for their pinpoint accuracy and sophisticated flying displays, the Black Eagles will stun visitors to the Southport Air Show with their jaw dropping aerobatic display.

The team’s supersonic trainer aircraft are being brought to the UK for just three shows this year.

Cllr Marion Atkinson, Sefton Council’s Labour Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Skills, welcomed the news, saying: “To have Southport Air Show as the first stop on a 2022 UK tour of the Republic of Korea Air Force is an incredible feat and goes to show how huge our event is in the calendar.

“The Black Eagles display is one that cannot be missed and will compliment a fantastic roster of displays already announced including the return of our very own Red Arrows, the RAF Typhoon and the emotive Battle of Britain Memorial Flight display.”

Tickets for general admission to the Southport Air Show are £10 and for the first time under 16s are free.

Visitors can also purchase exclusive tickets to watch the show from the Pier. These tickets are subject to limited availability.

For more information visit www.Southportairshow.com or call the ticket hotline 03445611816.

 

Sefton Council supports RLSS Drowning Prevention Week campaign

22 June 2022
Amy Hitchmough
No comments
Categories: Front Page, Green Sefton, Latest News

The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), have launched a brand-new animation to encourage children to get learn more about water safety as part of their national Drowning Prevention Week campaign.

Over 400 people die each year in the UK and Ireland from accidental drowning.

In a recent survey, only 30% of parents surveyed said they are ‘very confident’ that their child knows how to stay safe in and around water, which leaves a lot of parents less confident that their child would know how to stay safe around water. As well as this the survey showed that of those surveyed only one in five children have had any formal water safety education at school in the last year, showing that there is a gap to be filled for children when it comes to understanding water safety.

Even for parents of children who can swim, there is still much to be done, as research conducted by RLSS UK shows that despite 88% of parents whose children have swimming lessons being confident their child knows how to stay safe in and around water, the statistics show there is still a concern for swimmers. In RLSS UK’s analysis of 76 accidental drownings of 8-18 year-olds in the UK, 61% were described as swimmers.

Lee Heard, Charity Director at RLSS UK said: “With June, July, and August proving to be the months with the most fatalities, it is vitally important that everyone has an understanding of water safety, especially during the summer months, and we believe it is never too early to start learning about water safety.

“We have seen a rise in the number of drownings over the last few years, with peaks during the summer. In July 2021, there were 49 accidental drowning fatalities in the space of just two weeks in the UK, and we know that with the right water safety knowledge, accidental drownings are avoidable.

With this in mind, for Drowning Prevention Week this year, RLSS UK have launched a brand new animation which is freely available to watch on YouTube to give parents the opportunity to engage their children in learning about water safety in a fun way.

For more information on the campaign and tips to keep yourself safe this summer, please visit the RLSS website

Sefton Council to hold retrofit energy open day

22 June 2022
Alex Jones
No comments
Categories: Front Page, Latest News

Sefton Council, in partnership with ECOGEE, are holding an open day on Saturday 25th June between 10am – 1pm in Ince Blundell Village Hall, L38 6JE. The Council is encouraging Sefton residents to come along on the day and ask any questions they may have.

The Council has recently completed works in a nearby property where residents will get the chance to visit and see the installation works for themselves, meet the retrofit team and get more information.

Energy Efficiency OPEN DAY! Saturday 25th June, 10am - 1pm, Ince Blundell Village Hall, L38 6JEThe Sefton Council Retrofit Scheme will make homes cheaper to heat, more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Residents will benefit from their homes being warmer in winter and cooler in summer. People will be eligible for the scheme if their household income is below £30,000 and live in a difficult to heat home that meets the eligibility criteria. More information on the scheme can be found here.

The works will be fully funded for eligible owner occupier properties and eligible private rented properties (which will need a contribution from the landlord).

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