CULTURE MINISTER IN LIVERPOOL

GOVERNMENT minister David Lammy is visiting Liverpool on Thursday to lend his support to a Culture Company conference.  The 'Art of Inclusion' event is drawing local authority representatives from all over the UK plus top officials from bodies such as the Department for
Culture, Media and Sport. It is to discuss activities at a grassroots level, as a response to independent research into the Liverpool Culture
Company's Creative Communities initiative.

Liverpool City Council leader elect, Councillor Warren Bradley:- "It's great to see that we're getting resounding support for this event from up and down the country, plus high level officials like David Lammy, who has expressed his love for Liverpool in the past."

The Art of Inclusion report was researched by DTZ Pieda Consulting, so is fully independent. It calls the Creative Communities programme 'exciting', 'bold' and 'inventive', as well as noting that evidence of increased local pride and ownership is already becoming obvious".
Researchers found that the programme genuinely involved thousands of ordinary Liverpdulians" and "...works for people and is truly owned by
them".

Head of Creative Communities, Claire McColgan, said:- "Bringing together great cultural minds like this will offer a fantastic exchange of ideas. It will also give delegates from around the country an insight into how Liverpool is doing so well, as illustrated by the independent report by DTZ."

Outstanding schools praised

THE Chief Inspector of Schools has named 2 Liverpool primary schools as among the best in the country.  Anfield Junior School and St Michael in the Hamlet have both been highlighted by David Bell in his annual list of outstanding schools.

David Bell said:- "I applaud the headteachers, staff and pupils of all the successful schools named in the list on their success and hard work in delivering such an excellent standard of education.  They have strong, dynamic leadership and excellent or very good teaching that results in pupils making progress and achieving very well."

Executive member for children's services, Councillor Paul Clein, said:- "This is fantastic news for both of these schools, and deserved recognition for the hard work of all concerned.  Over the last few years the support the city council provides to schools has improved dramatically, and this is helping them deliver improved teaching across Liverpool."

Executive director of children's services, Colin Hilton, said:- "This is an excellent result for both of these schools and they should be extremely proud of this achievement."

Headteacher of Anfield Juniors, Allan Lund, said:- "Anfield Junior School has been a very successful school for over 100 years and we are delighted that this has been officially recognised by OFSTED."

Headteacher of St Michael -in-the-Hamlet school, Paul Fleming, said:- "This is wonderful recognition for the all the hard work by staff across the school and we are absolutely delighted."

LIVERPOOL REMEMBERS LENNON

LIVERPOOL'S children lead a musical tribute to mark the 25th anniversary of John Lennon's death on Thursday, 8 December.  Pupils from John's former schools, Dovedale Juniors and Calderstones School,  laid flowers during a special Civic Service at Liverpool Parish church, Our Lady & St. Nicholas, opposite the Pier Head.

At the service, which began at 5pm, friends and musicians gathered to hear guest speakers recount their memories of the murdered ex-Beatle.  And after speaking of his influence on them they introduced Broughton Hall High School pupil, Michelle Strahan, 15, who performed Beautiful Boy as a solo. Michelle was followed by the Notre Dame Catholic College choir, singing All You Need is Love, In My Life and Happy Christmas/War is Over.
The service concluded with prayer and blessing by the Rector of Liverpool, The Reverend Steven Brookes.

Earlier in the day, from 1pm until 2pm, Knotty Ash School for the Deaf were paying tribute to John Lennon at Clayton Square by performing their own renditions of Beatles numbers in Sign Language.

After the Civic Service the church was opened between 6pm and 7pm so that members of the public can sign a Book of Commemoration. The book will then be moved to the 08 Place in Whitechapel.

Liverpool's Lord Mayor Councillor Alan Dean who introduced the Civic Service, said:- ''It is fitting that children will be leading our tribute to John by celebrating his greatest legacy, his music. His influence on his and future generations is immense. Not only did he help change perceptions of Liverpool around the world - he and the Beatles changed the aspirations of young working class kids all over the world, showing that if you've got ability you can go anywhere.  'Few people in his position used their fame to stand up against injustices and to spread the message of love and peace in the way he did. His political stances have influenced modern musicians such as Bono and Bob Geldolf and I'm sure John would be a great advocate for the developing world if he were still alive today.''

The focus then returned to Clayton Square from 5.30pm with live music by local musicians Steve Roberts and Santa Carla.  At 6.30pm this was followed by an exclusive screening of rare documentary footage - courtesy of digital radio station BBC 6 Music - featuring videos, interviews, performance and even John's poetry, under the banner of 'Lennon Remembered'.

Councillor Warren Bradley, Liverpool City Council's executive member for culture, said:- ''The loss of one of the world's greatest musicians continues to reverberate; most noticeably in the wealth of local talent who strive to match not just his success but the high standards he set in innovation and integrity.  'I think we are remembering John in the only way we know how - by reaffirming his lasting legacy, and offering a platform for the city's musicians to shine.''

Thursday's anniversary also marked the start of a special light show celebrating John Lennon's life. Until December 14, there will be a nightly projection of Lennon images onto George's Dock Building, between 4.30pm and 11pm.

Besides the music and Civic Service, there were a host of events in the city to mark Lennon's anniversary.