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Southport & Mersey Reporter® covering the news on Merseyside.

Date:- 01 October 2007

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MERSEYSIDE PRISON LEADS THE WAY ON LEARNING

MAGHULL based HMP Kennet is set to lead the way in reducing re-offending in Merseyside by implementing the LSC’s new integrated offenders’ learning and skills service (OLASS).  The service aims to break the cycle of failure and drive down re-offending by providing skills for employability, giving better access to employment on release. OLASS also aims to integrate offender education within mainstream academic and vocational provision to ensure offenders experience seamless provision in both custodial and community settings.

HMP Kennet is a male category C prison, accommodating 350 prisoners. All inmates are expected to benefit from OLASS, which will cover areas such as construction skills, media, catering, IT, numeracy and literacy.  Merseyside based training provider Mercia Partnership (UK) Ltd has been awarded the contract by the LSC in the North West to deliver learning and skills services to the prison.

Mercia Partnership’s Managing Director, Andrew Taylor said:- “Access to quality training dramatically impacts on the quality of life and the chances of employment offenders can look forward to when they leave prison and also on their rehabilitation. We are pleased to be able to deliver what will be a very specialist high quality provision of learning that will make a real difference to a great many people.”

Helen France, LSC Director of Area for Greater Merseyside comments:- “Since August 2006 the LSC has been responsible for offender learning and skills across England. In line with government targets the service aims to help reduce the re-offending rate by ten per cent by 2010. The North West was one of the first regions to deliver OLASS and Merseyside will be at the forefront of this innovative new service.”

The Governor of HMP Kennet, Steve Lawrence, said:- "This is the first public sector prison to open since 1996. I am looking forward to working in partnership with the LSC and Mercia Partnership (UK) Ltd. The regime at the prison is built around training and education facilities for offenders. If we get this right we should meet our targets for reducing re-offending.”

Energy Costs Go Through The Roof

DID you know that in a typical British home around 1/3rd of the heat produced by a central heating system is lost through the roof and walls? This means that for a poorly insulated property up to £1 out of every £3 spent on central heating is literally going through your roof and walls. In a bid to target this unnecessary waste of money and energy, the Heat Project, a long running nationwide campaign, actively aims to reduce householders’ energy usage and save them money.

The Heat Project is a hugely successful campaign that was established by the award winning firm of energy consultants, Enact, in 1997. The project has been endorsed by Local Authorities across England and Wales for 10 years, saving over 10 million tonnes of CO2 which has helped to significantly reduce householders’ own carbon footprint through the installation of loft and cavity wall insulation.

The Heat Project plans to target all households in the Lancashire region including Accrington, Blackburn, Burnley, Bury, Chorley, Formby, Ormskirk, Preston, Rochdale, Skelmersdale and Southport, over the next few months through a mail shot campaign intended to inform homeowners, private tenants and those on benefits of the grants and heavily discounted prices available to them for loft and cavity wall insulation. In some cases, insulation measures could be installed for free.

Providing potential energy savings worth up to £345 a year, the insulation measures available through the Heat Project not only make financial sense but also alleviate the green conscience of householders by drastically reducing their impact on climate change through the reduction of C02 emissions.  If you would like further information about the Heat Project in your area please call free on 0800 093 4050.

SWINGERS WANTED!

MANCHESTER based production company Juxtaposed Productions are holding open auditions for their forthcoming 2007/2008 season which will start off with Get Happya swing concert at The Bruntwood Theatre, which is part of the RNCM this coming November. The show will feature X-Factor babe Rowetta and The Kings of Swing Orchestra.

Juxtaposed are looking for strong vocalists from the age of 7 to 16 and adult singers aged 17+. Juxtaposed Productions are a leading theatre producer who are also producing Christmas on Broadwayat The O2, London in December staring Stephen Gately and Marti Webb. They are also producing a National Tour ofOh Happy Day in the new year which will feature the one and only Gloria Gaynor.

All auditionees could be considered for other projects, producer Daniel Wood says:- ‘We are initially looking for vocalists for Get Happy, however if we find the right person they just might find themselves on the O2 stage in London or on tour dressed as a nun!’

If you would like to audition and want to have a shot at stardom then you can attend the open auditions at The Royal Northern College of Music on Saturday 6th October 2007.  Call times as follows: Children aged 7-16 9.30am Adults aged 17+ 11.00am.  You should prepare a song of your choice to be performed unaccompanied and bring along a CV and photo if you have one.

Juxtaposed productions are committed to offer the people of the North West the same opportunities that are available for London based singers. Producer Daniel Wood says:- ‘Being a Manchester based company we always come back to Manchester to audition as well as auditioning in London, and we often find the best singers are here in the North West, I just hope we find some new artists at our forthcoming auditions!’.

So if you have what it takes then come along and have ago at the open auditions, you never know, you might just get in!  Get Happy will be performed on Saturday 3 November 2007 at 7.30pm at The Bruntwood Theatre. Tickets are £12.50 and £14.50 and can be purchased by calling 0161 907 5555 or in person at the RNCM. You can also book online.

Click on to find out more!

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