Council worker chosen to pick Treemendous gift for City

A Council worker whose last pre-Covid Christmas was shattered by the tragic death of her husband; has been given some festive cheer. Mum of 2 Jacki Howarth, whose husband died in December 2019, has been chosen to pick Liverpool's Official Christmas Tree after winning a Council staff competition. Jacki Howarth, who is a Private Sector Housing Enforcement Support Officer, penned a heart warming entry to claim the unique opportunity of choosing the tree. She travelled to a tree plantation, in the West Midlands, to select the 55ft Norwegian Spruce, which will light up the City Centre this festive season.

Dubbed:- 'Mission Christmas' the competition took place to find the most Christmassy colleague who wanted to take on this magical task. Kenny Brew, a LCC Streetscene Manager has chosen the tree for the last 14 years, but was happy this year to pass the responsibility on to Jacki. The tree will be delivered to Liverpool next month and will be on display from Thursday, 25 November 2021, until early New Year. Jacki's duties aren't yet complete, she will part of the switching on lights ceremony, alongside the Lord Mayor, Cllr Mary Rasmussen.

Jacki Howarth, Private Sector Housing Enforcement Support Officer, said:- "It was an amazing experience. All my Christmases had come at once! The tree I selected stood out by a million miles. I carried out the 'official' checks to ensure there were no gaps, brown areas, it was the right height and width. It was like choosing a new pair of shoes, you always go back to 1st pair you saw. When I signed the reserved tag 'Liverpool - Jacki's tree' I can't tell you how happy I was. I had completed my task. It's something that I'll never forget and neither will my children. I can't wait for everyone to see it."

Kenny Brew, Streetscene, added:- "Jacki was certainly the right person for the job. Her passion for Christmas is infectious and she knows a thing or 2 about Christmas Trees; she had done some homework before our trip! It didn't take Jacki long before she found the right one, when you know, you just know! Jacki's next mission is to ensure the tree is delivered and placed in its bespoke tree pit in November and that it sits perfectly straight when lifted into place with the help of our fantastic team of arborists from LSSL who make this look so easy every year. The only downside of the trip is that I may have done myself out of a job, as Jacki will now be Mrs Christmas when she gets lots of positive comments on her tree when its switched on."

Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Mary Rasmussen,also commented that:- "Our competition has been fantastic fun for our colleagues, and at the same time its raising awareness of 1 of the unique tasks which the Council takes responsibility for. It's also a great way to showcase the process of selecting a 'good' Christmas Tree which will stand proud on Church street for all to see."

Bill Esterson MP hails progress of dementia care facility in Maghull

BILL Esterson MP visited Parkhaven Trust in Maghull to discuss plans for a new Nursing home for people with dementia. Parkhaven want to modernise their facilities and have all Trust owned buildings on the same site. Developing a new Nursing home would bring together the Nursing care service, currently at James Page House, in Deyes Lane, and a day service for people living with dementia, already at the Willow Centre, in Liverpool Road South.

The proposed new facility at the Liverpool Road South site would have 36 Nursing beds and a day service for 15 people living with dementia. The development would be next to The Beeches and would mean all Trust buildings were on 1 site. This would concentrate skills and allow staff to work between different facilities more easily. It would also reduce buildings costs.

Sefton Central MP Bill Esterson met with Parkhaven Trust chief executive Kim Crowe. He said:- "Thank you to Kim Crowe at Parkhaven Trust for sharing your plans for a new Nursing home for people with dementia. Fantastic to see the support that Parkhaven are giving to my constituents. A big thank you to everyone working at Parkhaven. Some fabulous career opportunities from a real living wage employer and an example of how social care can be for service users and staff despite deep Government cuts. The new building would bring investment and jobs into Maghull during construction and help Parkhaven Trust to be a more viable employer in the longer term by improving the quality of the services available. This is good news for people with dementia, their families and the staff who care for them and who do such a good job. I am very impressed at the plans and am pleased to see that a good employer in our town is doing so well. Good luck Parkhaven."

For more info about Parkhaven Trust see:- Parkhaven.Org.UK.