Euro MP Hails New Hope for Greener, Cheaper Hydrogen Powered Cars

ARLENE McCarthy, Chair of the European Parliament's Internal Market Committee, hailed the draft law negotiated by her Committee to prepare Europe for hydrogen car production. Arlene said:- "at a time when petrol prices in Europe have doubled and with ever growing concern about the effects of climate change it is clear we need new hopes for future fuels. The new European wide law on hydrogen powered cars will pave the way for full scale production of these cars and provide European drivers with real alternatives in the near future"

Sale of alternative fuelled vehicles in the UK alone has grown from just a few hundred in 2000 to over 16'000 last year. Arlene added:- "sales of electric cars and other alternatives have soared but hydrogen cars are only on the cusp of large scale production. This new law will boost the development of these vehicles while ensuring they are reliable and safe".

Hydrogen provides a means to store energy and release it at a later point, and can provide an efficient power source for cars, with mass production now predicted to start in Europe by 2015 with this law. However, environmental benefits will depend on the energy source used to produce hydrogen. The Internal Market Committee has therefore negotiated requirements for the fuel to be produced in a sustainable manner and as far as possible from renewable energy.

Arlene said:- "Hydrogen powered cars will directly tackle the air pollution caused by petrol cars and our dependence on oil but it will only help tackle global warming if it is produced in a sustainable way. That is why I strongly back the Parliament's amendments to ensure hydrogen cars offer a greener transport option in every way"

Finally the Parliament secured a better identification system to ensure that hydrogen powered vehicles will be easy to detect if there is an accident.

Arlene said:- "Hydrogen powered cars are just as safe as those running on petrol, but in the event of an accident emergency crews need to know what they are dealing with. That's why this law takes a precautionary stance and ensures that vehicles will be readily identifiable by the emergency services" 

BLOOD DONOR SESSIONS TO BE HELD
IN THE SOUTHPORT AREA SEPTEMBER

ON Sunday 21 September 2008 a blood donor session is to be held at Holy Trinity Parochial Centre, Hoghton Street, Southport from 2.00pm to 4:15pm.   This is your chance to help save some ones life, so please come down and donate some blood.

24 Hour Yacht Race

THE weekend, of the 13/14 September will herald the West Lancs Yacht Club’s 42nd running of the only 24 hour race for sailing dinghies. The race takes place on the relatively safe waters of the Marine Lake on Southport’s Promenade; the first race which took place in 1967 and was inaugurated to celebrate the centenary of the Borough of Southport and support Liverpool University Sailing Club’s wish for an invitation race for university sailing clubs.

The race is open to teams from sailing clubs and universities and is for classic dinghies. The three classes of boat are the GP14, Enterprise and the Lark All are sailed by a crew of 2 and this has become very much, “a classic for classics”. All the types have won the race in the past with a GP14 taking the overall win last year.  

The race is sailed over a course laid out on the lake, starting at 12 noon on the Saturday and continuing for 24 hours finishing lunchtime on the Sunday. Each boat will be sailed by a team of any number the team decides, changing the crew of two whenever they wish. Last year, one team attempted to sail the full 24 hours with just 1 crew of 2 people and not only completed the full 24 hours but finished second overall. Last year’s race was contested by 70 teams and more are expected this year, although the entry is limited to 97 boats for safety reasons. The overall winning team in 2007 was Bolton Sailing Club (A) completing 84 laps representing a distance in excess of 100 miles. There are many other prizes awarded for fastest laps and special categories.

The event has a new main sponsor this year ‘Dinghy Sailing’ magazine, providing support for the event and entering a team themselves. Many other local organisations and businesses support the race including the Local Authority. Mailspeed Marine will provide on site chandlery and technical support for the whole 24 hours.

Members of the public will be able to get excellent views of the race from anywhere around the lake particularly the promenade, the Marine Way bridge and the area behind the retail park.

The official charity will again be ‘Sail 4 Cancer’; substantial sums have been generated for the charity by the race. ‘Sail 4 Cancer’ was set up by a group of keen sailors who have lost a close relative/friend to cancer in recent years. The Charity, which is run entirely on a voluntary basis, was set up to raise funds for cancer treatment/research through the organisation of sailing events. The Charity also provides sailing opportunities for cancer patients/their families with the aim of improving quality of life. Sail 4 Cancer is now a worldwide charity with operations in the UK, Ireland, Australia and soon the rest of Europe. ‘Sail 4 Cancer’ will also be presenting a new Trophy this year to the crew who raise the most money for the charity.

The event is a weekend of excitement, challenge and very much a social occasion, as well as a competitive race, with food and bars for the full duration and entertainment on the Friday and Saturday evenings, together with the opportunity to raise funds for an important charity.

Further information from http://24-hour-race.wlyc.org.uk/

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