The Range has
raised over ₤51,479 for the NHS
FOLLOWING months of
hard working and dedicated staff applying strict social
distancing measures in stores, The Range's staff have
additionally raised a collective ₤51,479.56 for the NHS. Through
fundraising, the store staff in all 175 Range stores across the
UK have collected the grand total to be donated to the much
loved National Health Service. With the added pressure of the
Pandemic, The Range has put social distancing measures in place
to protect staff and customers, ensuring the safety of all those
in-store. They have been praised for their dedication to
following the safety measures alongside their work in raising a
large sum of money for the NHS to help during the Covid-19
Pandemic. In line with current Government guidelines, additional
measures are in place to make it safe for staff and customers.
These include:- social distancing markers to help people stay at
least 2m apart, sanitising stations at the entrance and
contactless card payment where possible. Owner and Founder of
The Range, Chris Dawson states:- "I think our customers
will be proud to learn that we have raised a collective
₤51,479.56 to help our valued and loved National Health Service.
I am extremely proud of the effort store staff have put in to
achieve this, as well as keeping our social distancing measures
in place."
Sefton Coastal
Landscape Partnership issues plea to the public to respect local
beauty spots
A number of
organisations across Sefton are joining forces to remind people
to continue to be sensible and respectful if they choose to
spend time outdoors during the warm weather. The agencies who
make up the Sefton Coastal Landscape Partnership include:-
Sefton Council, Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire and Rescue,
British Transport Police, National Trust Formby, Natural
England, the RNLI and other key partners. On 4 August 2020 the
partnership has launched a campaign covering many of the issues
faced on the Sefton Coast. Since restrictions were lifted
allowing people to spend more time outside, we have seen a rise
in the number of people using local beaches, parks and beauty
spots including:- Formby Nature Reserve and many of Sefton's
beautiful beaches. The advice remains that everyone should
maintain social distancing at all times. People also should
check in advance of visiting places like National Parks and
beaches to make sure they are prepared for visitors. We are also
asking people to remain respectful and protect our public
spaces. During the recent nice weather, the partnership has
received reports of excessive littering and fires and BBQs being
lit as well as people parking illegally and inconsiderately by
blocking driveways and residential roads.
Mark Shaw from Sefton Council's Green Sefton service said:-
"Our beaches are tempting but they are not able to cope with
high level of visitors at the moment. For those few who do visit
our coastline at this time, they are advised that stringent
parking restrictions are in place, all rubbish must be taken
home and BBQs are strictly prohibited along the entirety of the
Sefton Coastline. At this time, we need people to think about
their safety and the safety of others, as well as the wellbeing
of our communities and Council staff."
Sefton Chief Inspector Mike O'Malley from Merseyside Police
said:- "We continue to work closely alongside our partners
to deal with all issues on Sefton's beautiful coastlines, and
this August; with many choosing to holiday in this country due
to travel restrictions; will be no different. We want all
visitors to enjoy a safe, relaxing and enjoyable time, and show
consideration for those who live in these areas. During spells
of good weather this year we have had reports of excessive
littering and fires and BBQ's being lit as well as people
parking illegally and inconsiderately by blocking driveways and
residential roads. Anyone acting antisocially should expect to
be dealt with by Police in a robust manner, and we will also
support other agencies in their work. I want to reassure those
affected by anti social behaviour, underage drinking and other
issues affecting the communities of Sefton that we will again
make a co-ordinated effort to prevent such incidents from
occurring. Throughout August 2020, Police Officers will be on
foot, in vehicles and on quad bikes across the Sefton Coastline
including:- Formby, Ainsdale and Crosby Beaches, as well as
parks and beauty spots including Formby nature reserve."
PC David Baier from British Transport Police said:-
"Everyone wants to enjoy this gorgeous weather and may head to
the coast, but it's really important that people continue to
social distance and wear compulsory face coverings when using
public transport. These may be strange times, but the same rules
apply regarding anti-social behaviour; we won't tolerate any
abuse of passengers or rail staff and we'll continue to take a
robust approach to anyone who breaks the rules."
Southport
Weekender Festival Postponed until 4 September 2021
IN a statement the
organisers of the Southport Weekender have said that:- "We
are very sad to be bringing you the news today that we have
taken the decision to cancel this years Southport Weekender
Festival, just over a week after announcing is was all systems
go. It will now take place from 4 September 2021. We cannot
apologise enough for giving everybody false hope; the general
opinion from the end of June was that the virus was rapidly
receding and that by the end of August we would all be in a
better place, but unfortunately during the last week or so it
appears that progress has stalled a bit and we're going to have
to hold on for a bit longer before we can contemplate putting on
large shows again. We had spent many weeks making careful plans
to deliver a safe event in conjunction with the local
authorities, but in the light of recent developments we
reluctantly think it best to postpone to next year now. We
always said safety was our NO 1 priority and this has to be the
case above all else. The most important thing is we all do our
bit to get rid of this thing so we can enjoy better times ahead.
We had an absolutely brilliant line up of artists from across
the UK and Europe lined up and a good few of our American family
as well, but the dream is not to become a reality. Things will
get better, but just not now and 5 September 2020 is just a
little bit too soon. We cannot thank everybody enough for your
wonderful support from both yourselves and the many people in
the industry hoping we could pull this off for the sake of
something we all love. We gave this a right go to get things
moving but alas circumstances have moved against us after things
were looking so positive a very short while ago. With regards to
refunds, thankfully we are in a position to offer these, because
at least we have had a little time to plan, but it goes without
saying that if you can support us by rolling these over until
2021, it would help us enormously. Anyone who has been given
complimentary tickets from Bognor will of course have these
honoured, and these will be 100% applicable for next year. For
Southport Weekender 2020 Refund Request Form
online."
Covid-19:
Liverpool's 'proactive response'
LIVERPOOL City Council
and its partners continue to take proactive community focused
steps to control the increase in positive Covid-19 cases in the
city. There has been a significant increase in confirmed cases
in Liverpool. 37 cases were confirmed, from 20 July to 27 July
2020, with 71 cases confirmed, from 28 July to 3 August 2020.
The confirmed cases continue to be centred on communities in the
L8 postcode. As well as an extensive social media campaign, the
council is partnering with community champions, community
leaders, faith leaders and volunteers to engage with people face
to face.
The Council has also taken the following steps:-
► It has enacted its outbreak control
plan and set up a daily incident meeting to manage the outbreak.
► 2 walk in testing facilities are now available in the
community, located at Princes Park Health Centre's Car Park,
Kinglsey Road, L8 0SY, 9am to 4pm, and from Wednesday, 5 August
2020, at the:- PAL Multicultural Centre, 68A Mulgrave St, L8
2TF, from 10am to 4pm. There is no need to pre-book an
appointment.
► Community buildings have been advised to remain closed for 14
days, and all upcoming gatherings and events are also suspended
for 14 days.
► Additional public health advice and guidance has been issued
to:- cafes, bars, and restaurants in the area.
► People who have been shielding up until 31 July 2020, have now
been advised that they need to continue to protect themselves
from risk by staying at home as much as possible and minimising
their social interactions in locations where the virus could be
circulating.
► People have been asked not to visit other households unless
the visit is essential. If the visit is essential, people have
been reminded that they need to stay at least 3 metres away from
anyone from a different household
► People have been advised not to stay overnight in another
household.
Also:-
► Care homes in the Princes Park ward and the neighbouring areas
of Picton and Greenbank have been asked to close to visitors and
to non-essential staff visits for the next 14 days
► 3 of the Council's Children's Centres in:– Granby, Wavertree,
and Picton; have also temporarily stopped delivering face to
face services, but will continue to provide support for families
over the phone as well as outreach services to vulnerable
families.
Public Health Liverpool will continue to monitor the data of
confirmed cases and the measures being taken will be continually
reviewed to ensure they are keeping the City's communities safe
and well.
The Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, said:- "We have been
blown away by the commitment of the communities to look out for
each other in Princes Park and nearby areas. These are proactive
measures that we have developed with the community in order to
save lives and I want to offer our biggest thanks for everything
they have done to help protect our City. I make no apology for
our City being bold with measures like these, so that we can
avoid situations like those that have developed in Greater
Manchester and Leicester where there are more severe lockdowns.
We are keeping a close eye on the situation so that we can react
fast, and locally, to help the whole City. We will all need to
work together to look after each other."
Liverpool Director of Public Health Matt Ashton said:-
"The increase in positive cases in the L8 postcode has
underlined that the issues we are facing are not over. Although
we are working hard on the ground in 1 area of the City, the
messages remain the same for all of us: keep washing your hands,
wear a face covering if you are able, keep socially distancing
and if you have any of the symptoms get tested and stay at home
until you get the test results."
Metro Mayor
Welcomes ₤26 million Investment Towards Building Back Better
THE Liverpool City
Region's Metro Mayor, Steve Rotheram, has welcomed the
announcement of a ₤26 million investment in four key projects
expected to make a significant contribution to the City Region's
economic recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic. In mid June 2020,
the Combined Authority was asked to submit bids for funding for
capital projects that could deliver outputs such as jobs and
economic growth within 18 months. The Government has announced
today that it will fund all four bids from its Getting Building
Fund.
The 4 projects that will receive Getting Building Funding are:-
► Littlewoods Studios - ₤11m.
► Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) Capacity
Development - ₤2m.
► Glass Futures - ₤9m.
► Halsnead Garden Village - Employment Development - ₤4m.
Speaking about the announcement, Steve Rotheram said:-
"This announcement is good news for our region. These four
projects will create thousands of jobs and play a key role in
the 1st stages of our economic recovery after Coronavirus. While
today's funding is welcome, it is only the tip of the iceberg of
the support we need from Government. A fortnight ago, I set out
Building Back Better; our blueprint for that recovery. We are
asking for ₤1.4bn to unlock nearly ₤9bn worth of projects,
create over 120,000 jobs and help build thousands of homes for
local people. Devolution; and Combined Authorities like ours;
should be central to the Government's plans for recovery. By
taking powers and money from Westminster and giving them to
local people, we are able to shape a recovery that works for us,
as we are in seeing with projects like these."
The funding was also welcomed by other City Region leaders:-
Joe Anderson, Mayor of Liverpool, said:- "Littlewoods
Studios is a hugely exciting regeneration project and this
funding will ensure we can deliver the studios for the people of
Liverpool. With streaming services like Netflix booming during
lockdown, there's going to be more demand than ever for studio
space. While Liverpool has a blossoming digital and film
industry we want to capitalise on filming opportunities and the
economic benefits they bring. Littlewoods Studios is going to
change all that, providing Hollywood standard facilities that
will complete our world class offer. Now, more than ever, we
need to be looking to the future and focusing on major
regeneration projects that will deliver highly skilled jobs and
investment for the long term."
St Helens Borough Council Leader David Baines, said:- "St
Helens is a borough with a proud industrial heritage. We have a
magnificent legacy of industrial innovation, especially in the
glass industry. While we are proud of our history, Glass Futures
is all about innovation and looking to the future, and we want
our borough to be at the very heart of this exciting project. St
Helens Borough Council is committed to helping to make it happen
and this latest funding decision is very welcome. The Glass
Futures project will put St Helens on the regional, national and
international stage."
Councillor Graham Morgan, Leader of Knowsley Council, said:-
"Halsnead Garden Village is a highly ambitious project for
Knowsley and a once in a lifetime opportunity to create a new
unique settlement and make a major contribution towards the
region's economy. This funding will facilitate and support the
delivery of the Halsnead South logistics development which
itself will deliver hundreds more jobs and a further ₤20m per
year boost to the economy."
Professor David Lalloo, Director, Liverpool School of Tropical
Medicine, said:- "As the oldest institution of its kind in
the world, LSTM has been tackling global health challenges since
1898. We are currently facing one of the greatest public health
challenges we have ever seen, affecting the whole world, and
this funding will enable us to rapidly train a future workforce
capable of undertaking research and development on live virus
isolates such as COVID-19."
Total UK cases COVID-19 cases - update for Liverpool City Region
and surroundings
THE total number of UK
Coronavirus (COVID-19) infections that have been laboratory
confirmed, within the UK, has risen by 670 cases and the total
number now stand at 306,293, that includes tests carried out by
commercial partners which are not included in the 4 National
totals. Daily number of COVID-19 associated UK fatalities added
to the total, was sadly reported to be 89 according to the
Department of Health. The total number of deaths of people who
have had a positive test result confirmed by a Public Health or
NHS laboratory is 46,299. In England, there are a total of
264,219 confirmed cases. North West - total of 46,906 confirmed
cases.