- Former Mayor Breaks Civic Fund Raising Record
THE former Lord Mayor of Liverpool Councillor Ron Gould has smashed the civic fund raising record - thanks to some special teddy bears!
More than £125,000 has been raised for this year's Lord Mayor's Charities - four times more than ever before.
One of the biggest earners was the 'Buy a bear and show you care' appeal, the brainwave of 16-year-old fundraising guru, Francesca Darcy.
More than 3,500 of the teddy bears have been sold in the last year.
Councillor Gould who retired from office on Wednesday, said:- "I am delighted that I've managed to raise so much money for my charities in my year.
It has been a busy year with some fantastic fundraising events, but the 'Buy a bear' event was a wonderful success. Francesca has been inspirational,
with her help we have exceeded all expectations.
To be able to end this year on such a high is marvellous, and to know that four well-deserving charities are going to benefit from all the hard work is very rewarding."
The four lucky charities who will each receive around £31,000 each are The Alder Hey Appeal, Marie Curie Foundation, MIND and Stapely Nursing Home.
Francesca has been overwhelmed with demand for the bears. She said:-
"The bears are really unique and have been a hit all over the world.
I never imagined that they would be so popular and I'm so pleased that the charity appeal has done so well."
Other big money events that coined it were the Lord Mayor's Charity Ball which cashed in an impressive £31,000, the It's a Knockout tournament which brought in over £4,000 and a casino night proved to be lucky, raising around £8,500.
Chris Done, Fundraising Manager at Alder Hey Children's Hospital said:-
"We are absolutely delighted to have been part of this momentous year and it has been a privilege to organise events with the Lord Mayor's Charity Committee.
We are indebted to Ron and Tina for nominating Alder Hey as one of the beneficiaries of the appeal, and are overwhelmed by the final total raised." EMAIL
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Garden Celebrates Centenary
ST JOHN'S GARDEN, a green oasis in the heart of Liverpool city centre, celebrates its centenary this week.
To mark 100 years of one of the city's most popular parks it is hoped to set up a Friends Group to take an interest in the Garden and promote it.
Originally conceived in 1900 as a fitting setting for monuments and memorials to commemorate and celebrate Liverpool's economic, political and cultural life. The Corporation Surveyor Thomas Shelmerdine developed a garden, based on proposals by sculptor George Frampton, to be enjoyed by the community and honour the great and the good of the City.
The triangular garden, once an open heath, had been the site of St. John's Church and churchyard since 1784, where burials included many French prisoners of war. Following the building of St. George's Hall, and the later decision to locate a cathedral on Hope Street, the Church was closed and the creation of a garden approved.
Although it is now one of the most popular open spaces in the city the Garden was not always so treasured. Before it was formally opened in 1904, it was described as 'an appalling spectacle' and more a stoneyard than a Garden and later, in 1949, there were proposals to replace the area with a sunken plaza.
Today the grand stone terracing and walls are enhanced by mature trees. As well as statues honouring historic figures such as Gladstone, Fr Nugent and Major Lester, memorials and planting recognise more contemporary individuals and events, including George Harrison, and most recently, the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of D-Day - St. John's Garden was acclaimed as a Green Flag park in 2003.
Drivers told to think about drink
THE deadly consequences of drivers consuming even a small amount of alcohol are being depicted in a new advertising campaign.
The new 1.4million TV, radio and cinema campaign will reinforce the message that it's impossible to calculate alcohol limits.
Road Safety Minister David Jamieson urged people to rethink how much they drink before they drive
"Far too many people are killed and seriously injured in road accidents involving drinking and driving every year; If you need to drive then don’t drink.,"
he said.
In 2002, 560 people were killed in drink-drive related accidents and 2,820 were seriously injured. 20,140 people were slightly injured.
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