Live-fire and helicopter exercises taking place at Altcar

WARNING for beach users at both Formby Point and Hightown. Never go into the restricted areas when the RED FLAGS are flying on the sand dunes and around the Army Camp's grounds. The red flag means live firing is taking place or other military exercises are taking place that could result in you being shot or blown up! The Camp is 1 of the UK�s premier facilities for small arms marksmanship training and carries out training for military operations. Currently, a military exercise or war game is now underway at the base. It will mean some noisy day and night operations taking place, using Helicopters and also live-fire exercises. These will take place both day and night, with most of the night flying taking place up to 0330hrs, 17 July to 23 July 2021. This is essential training and the MOD apologizes to the local communities for any inconvenience caused. For more information about the historic base, please see:- Army.MOD.UK and NWRFCA.Org.UK. It is also worth adding that the site is used by regular, reserve and cadets units.

3 Merseyside women named in Cycling UK�s 100 Women in Cycling

3 women from Merseyside have been named in Cycling UK's 100 Women in Cycling. Shazia Chaudary, Louise Ryell and Naheed Tahir were all included for their work encouraging women to cycle. They join TV and film actress Maxine Peake, BBC Radio 4 presenter, Melanie Abbott and gold medal winners Katie Archibald and Elinor Barker in the cycling charity�s list recognising significant achievements in promoting women�s cycling. The women have all been recognised in celebration of the amazing work they have done to inspire other women to cycle, as part of Cycling UK�s Women�s Festival of Cycling which runs between 17 July and 1 August 2021. The list also includes less well known names of women who have been working tirelessly at grassroots level during particularly difficult times to encourage and support more women to ride, people such as:- Shazia, Louise and Naheed. Shazia Chaudary has been recognised for her work as founder of the Women on Bikes project in Liverpool. After only learning to cycle in March 2020, Shazia founded the group to teach other women to cycle recognising that there was a need for an activity to improve physical and mental health and to reduce isolation especially during the Coronavirus Pandemic. Louise Ryell has been a passionate cyclist since childhood and has cycled competitively. She has been an influential member of the Pride Out LGBTQ+ cycling club since its formation. She forms part of the initial club committee and leads rides in:- Yorkshire, Liverpool and Manchester. Naheed Tahir is a Liverpool Fit for Me health ambassador and ride leader for Cycle of Life. She only began cycling during lockdown and since then she has reaped the rewards. Now a ride leader she has become a role model for both her family and her community. To launch its annual Women's Festival of Cycling, Cycling UK has also released figures showing that more women have taken up cycling during the Coronavirus Pandemic. A survey found that 31% of women surveyed switched from a car to a cycle for everyday journeys, and those who cycled regularly reported improvements to their wellbeing. Although the number of women cycling increased during lockdown, men are still cycling nearly twice as much as women. Cycling UK is encouraging women to stick to the pedals and continue to replace their car journeys with cycling, and is highlighting women who are inspiring, teaching and encouraging others to do so. The Women's Festival of Cycling features a range of virtual events, local group rides and a social media challenge asking women to share pictures of their:- 'bicycle face.' Find out about events in your area and to see a full list of nominees, visit:- CyclingUK.Org/WomensFestival. Sarah Mitchell, Cycling UK chief executive, said:- "Congratulations to Shazia, Louise and Naheed for making it into our 100 Women in Cycling in 2021. It�s an incredible achievement and testimony to the tireless work they've done to raise the profile of women's cycling. Every woman on our list is a powerful ambassador for women's cycling, and many have done outstanding work supporting women to cycle during lockdown. But sadly, women remain underrepresented when it comes to everyday cycling. During this year�s festival we�re asking every woman who already cycles to find just one more woman they can help and inspire to get on their bike."

Live-fire and helicopter exercises taking place at Altcar

3 Merseyside women named in Cycling UK�s 100 Women in Cycling

Total UK cases Covid19 cases in and around Liverpool City Region