News reports located on this page = 2.

National Lockdown Forces Date Change For BTR Virtual Liverpool Santa Dash

THE latest Coronavirus national Lockdown has forced a date change for the BTR Virtual Liverpool Santa Dash this December 2020. Organisers BTR Liverpool announced in September that the annual festive spectacular would this year change format to become a virtual event due to the ongoing global pandemic and strict social distancing guidelines. However, as the country in now in it's 2nd Lockdown, the BTR team find themselves having to adapt the event once again. The BTR Virtual Liverpool Santa Dash will now take place on Sunday, 20 December 2020.

The Santa Dash pop up shop which was due to open in Williamson Square mid-November has now also been postponed to December 2020. The shop falls into the non-essential retail category and is therefore not permitted under Lockdown rules.

The shop will now provisionally open, on Wednesday, 2 December 2020, through to Saturday, 19 December 2020, providing Lockdown restrictions have been lifted. The shop will be open daily and give participants two weeks to collect their Santa suits, run number and bespoke medal, as well as giving others a chance to register in person.

This year, BTR has also introduced a postage service. Everything can be sent out direct to participants for a small charge when registering online. More than 1,000 Santas have already registered, including entrants from across the world; making it an international virtual event.

Overseas entries will include:- Santas dashing in Australia, Denmark, Dubai, Germany, Ireland, Isle Of Man, Sweden, and the United States of America; who will all run in their own community.

Highly regarded as the city's kick start to Christmas, this year's event marks the 17th consecutive year of the Liverpool Santa Dash.

Due to the size and scale of the Liverpool Santa Dash in its usual guise, instead of cancelling like most other running events in 2020, BTR felt that changing the event into a virtual run this year would still allow Santas to dash wherever they are located while maintaining social distancing; enabling them to still get their festive fix.

Eight charities will benefit 1st hand as the official event charities, and BTR Liverpool has pledged to split the Santa Dash profits equally between the group of good causes.

BTR Liverpool has joined forces with:- Alder Hey Children's Charity, Claire House Children's Hospice, Clatterbridge Cancer Charity, Marie Curie, North West Air Ambulance Charity, Nugent, Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, and Wirral University Teaching Hospital Charity.

BTR Liverpool has also created an online Snowflake Wall, another new festive addition to the Santa Dash for 2020.

The digital message board is open to everyone. People are being encouraged to post good wishes for anyone they know taking part, charities, or a message from themselves as a dashing Santa.

The Snowflake Wall can be found on the BTR website by visiting:- BTRLiverpool.Com/SnowFlake-Wall.

The BTR Liverpool Santa Dash was created by BTR Race Director Alan Rothwell and was 1st staged in 2004. A separate 1K Mini Dash for under 12s was added in 2007, and blue Santa suits were introduced 3 years later.

BTR Race Director Alan Rothwell commented:- "We are living in the midst of a global pandemic so when guidelines change, we must all adapt. We're working hard to ensure that everyone has a positive virtual Santa Dash experience, and we're ready to get going and open the pop-up show once we're given the green light. Every entry really does count as we're splitting the profits between our eight very worthwhile and inspiring charities. Charities have been hit extremely hard by the pandemic so let's give them a boost. Participants will be making a massive difference simply by registering; the more Santas we have the more the charities will benefit from funds to help continue their vital work. We may be going virtual this year but on Sunday, 20 December 2020, we can all still dress up, dash, take on our own personal 5K, earn a brilliant new medal, and know that we are making a significant contribution towards the work of eight incredible charities. It will be different but let's still make it special. Pull on your trainers, belt up that Santa suit; and walk, jog, or run the BTR Virtual Liverpool Santa Dash wherever you can."

BTR Liverpool is the leading independent organisation for creating, managing and delivering headline race events across Liverpool City Region. Its growing portfolio also includes the BTR Liverpool Skyline Half Marathon; BTR Mersey Tunnel 10K; BTR Port Sunlight 5K and 10K; and 52-mile BTR Tour Of Merseyside. To register for the BTR Liverpool Santa Dash visit:- BTRLiverpool.Com.

Sefton libraries publish WWII booklet in aid of Poppy Appeal

SEFTON Council's Library Service is marking this year's 75th Anniversary of the end of the 2nd World War with the publication of a special booklet that unearths incredible stories from across the Borough during the war years. The new publication Sefton, at War: World War 2, has been created by library staff who searched through the archives to discover more about Sefton's role during this period. Created to coincide with Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day, the booklet is now available to buy online. The booklet will cost ₤3 (plus postage) with ₤1 from every sale going to the Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal. Readers will discover how World War II came to the docks, streets, beaches and rural fields of the area that would later become Sefton. Cllr Trish Hardy, Sefton Council's Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing said:- "During such a poignant year that commemorates 75 years since the end of the Second World War, I am proud to see that Sefton Library Service has brought together this compelling booklet, which pays tribute to the service and sacrifice of those who served and lived through the conflict."

Contained in the booklet are stories of Crosby's coastline defences and the Polish airmen who made the ultimate sacrifice defending our skies. It explains how Maghull and Aintree welcomed American Servicemen and the families of Polish military personnel and tells how Southport played host to Government departments forced out of London by bombing in the capital. And it reflects on Bootle's resilience withstanding some of the worst destruction in the country and on Formby's remarkable civilian endeavour in drawing the enemy's fire and taking in evacuees. Every School in Sefton has been gifted a copy of the book for their School Libraries so that children can discover the Borough's important wartime history. A grant from the Heritage Lottery fund enabled Sefton Libraries to produce the booklet. Find out more about libraries across Sefton here:- Sefton.Gov.UK/Libraries.