On International Women's Day, The Girls Network is saving the future of young women across Merseyside

A national mentoring charity, which supports young women from the least advantaged communities across England, will be celebrating its success in saving the class of 2021, across Merseyside, on International Women's Day, Monday, 8 March 2021. With both School closures and cancelled exams, many young people in Merseyside will feel that their future is hanging in the balance. However, The Girls Network, who has remained fully functional throughout the Pandemic, has mentored more young women than ever before after experiencing a 30% increase in applications in 2020.

As a result of its tireless efforts to reach young women in disadvantaged communities across Merseyside and nationally, it reports that 98% of the girls matched with a mentor have said that the mentoring programme has helped to increase their confidence and feel more positive about their future. While 81% have reported that mentoring has helped them to focus on virtual learning and encouraged them to knuckle down on their Schoolwork.

Mentee, Hollie from Archbishop Beck Catholic School in Liverpool added:- "I feel like The Girls Network has helped clear my mind about future life and bring out my individual personality as a student. I am so grateful for the help. I'm like a new student, focusing on my revision a lot more as I feel more educated and informed on how to get where I want to be."

Another mentee, Laila, who was mentored throughout the Pandemic added:- "We are all in this Pandemic together and having a mentor, is having a friend you can talk to about how you're coping with these drastic changes. Working together with your mentor can help you to work around any issues and turn this situation into an opportunity."

Studies show the Pandemic has most negatively impacted women, young people, and those from the least advantaged communities, with teenage girls aged between 14 to 19 the hardest hit.

Amy MetCalfe, Senior Network Manager in Merseyside added:- "The programme across Merseyside has been a huge success over the past year, despite the Pandemic, and we've had more girls apply to join than ever before. It's so great to see the impact that mentoring can have on one individual and how it can help inspire and motivate them to realise that they can make their dreams a reality."

The Girls Network has remained fully functional during the Pandemic and quickly switched to virtual mentoring at the beginning of lockdown in 2020. The charity was inundated with applications to join and managed to match more girls with mentors than ever before. The results were been hugely positive.

Over the past 12 months The Girls Network has matched and mentored over 1300 girls from disadvantaged communities across England, recorded almost 3000 hours of virtual mentoring, run 16 virtual workshops and seen engagement increase by 100%.

Charly Young, CEO and Founder of The Girls Network said:- "Young people have had a really tough year. They have had to quickly adjust to virtual learning and life at home, without being able to spend time with their friends, and many have also felt worried and despondent about their future. We are really proud of how the programme has worked during the Pandemic and the impact it has had on the young women we have supported. We hope to see more mentors signing up to be involved in our programme so that we can continue to motivate and encourage young girls in the least advantaged communities to be ambitious for their futures, and to reach those ambitions."

The award winning charity is now asking for help to reach more girls, appealing for the public to Save the Class of 2021 this International Women's Day. On 1 March 2021 they are launching a provocative campaign playing on high School tropes with a dark edge:- scribbled out:- 'Fearbook' photos show pupil Sarah L. voted:- 'most likely to fall through the gaps in the system' and Amber A. as:- 'least likely to have a foot in the door...' unless they are matched with a mentor.

Southport MP Damien Moore appalled by 4.99% Council Tax rise in Sefton

THE Southport MP, Damien Moore, has gone on record saying that he is appalled by the:- "abominable" decision to demand an extra 4.99% in Council Tax from local families as they struggle to cope with the impact of the Covid19 Pandemic. The Labour led Sefton Council last night voted to pile more tax onto hard working local people, on top of the 4.99% increase they levelled last year. Much of the cash raised will go towards paying for the Labour Council's doomed purchase of the Strand Shopping Centre, in Bootle, which has lost ₤1.5 million this year. At the Sefton Council Budget meeting last night Labour voted for the 4.99% Council Tax increase while Conservative Councillors voted against.

Southport Conservative MP Damien Moore said:- "At a time when families are under huge financial pressure due to the Covid19 Pandemic, the decision to impose nearly 5% rises on people's Council Tax bills is truly abominable. This will mean an extra ₤72.44 a year for people paying a Band C Council Tax bill. This is particularly galling after this incompetent Labour Council bought the Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle at a cost of ₤32.5 million. This huge waste of money has lost ₤1.5million this year alone, so people in Southport are now having to pay for the mistakes of Councillors in Bootle. Between 2017 and 2019 the value of the Strand shopping centre fell by ₤5 million. I dread to think what it would be worth now; not very much. Local residents will be paying for this blunder for years to come. In Southport, the Labour led Sefton Council is destroying local businesses and livelihoods by taking away vital car parking spaces in Southport Town Centre by imposing unnecessary cycle lanes instead. The removal of parking spaces on Hoghton Street alone will cost the Council ₤137,000 in lost revenue each year. In contrast, this Government is investing substantially in Southport, with ₤37.5million this week announced via Southport Town Deal to bring new jobs, new investment and new hope. The Government also announced an extension of the furlough scheme; Restart grants of up to ₤18,000 to get our retail, hospitality, leisure and personal care businesses going again; the extension of the Business Rates holiday; continuing our Stamp Duty cut; extending Universal Credit and Working Tax Credits; a brand new 95% mortgage guarantee for prospective homebuyers; and many more measures too. For the Labour led Sefton Council in Bootle to demand an extra 4.99% in Council Tax from hard working local families this year to pay for their mistakes over the Strand shopping centre in Bootle and their incompetence over the cycle lanes in Southport shows just how out of touch they are with reality."

Sefton Conservative Group Leader Cllr Tony Brough was among Conservative Councillors who voted against the controversial Budget. He said:- "West Orchards shopping centre in Coventry that 8 years ago, when it was valued at ₤37 million, and was sold earlier this year for ₤4.9 million, setting alarm bells ringing among lenders, landlords and Local Authorities nationwide. The purchase of the Strand Shopping Centre by Sefton Council for ₤32.5 million, in 2017, reveals a very poor return on investment. Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors valued the Strand at ₤27.2 million, in 2019, ₤5m less than the purchase price 2 years earlier. That valuation when laid against the actual 2021 sale of the West Orchards Shopping centre indicates that the Institute's valuation to be grossly inaccurate. My investigations reveal that unrecoverable back rents and service charges for the Strand tenants are estimated by Sefton Council to be ₤2.9 million, and rising. The decision taken by Sefton's Labour Group to buy the Strand Shopping Centre has created an unnecessary financial burden for every Sefton Council taxpayer. The ₤1.5 million loss through the Strand shopping centre this year equates to a 1% reduction in Sefton's Council Tax burden; ₤1.5 million, that could have been spent on Children's Services; ₤1.5 million, that could have been spent on Adult Social Care. There is no justification in demanding higher Council Tax bills to fund commercial debt the losses attributed to the Strand. The fault lies quite squarely with incompetent management by a group of Labour Councillors who are quite clearly are out of their depth."