HUMAN AND CANINE CROWDS FLOCK TO MERSEYSIDE WAGGY WALK

ON Sunday, 18 October, over 300 attendees – human and canine – turned out for Merseyside’s first ever ‘Waggy Walk’ in Sherdley Park. By the end of the day so many feet and paws meant the route around the park was well trodden, and even those who put in training enjoyed a well earned rest. The walk was organised by Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity to help the thousands of rescue dogs in their care.

Aimee Best SRO at Dogs Trust Merseyside says:- “We were blown away by the level of support for our first ever Merseyside ‘Waggy Walk’. We had an idea of attendance before-hand from online registrations, but so many more people signed up on the day. It was also great to see all those people without canine companions who either brought a soft toy dog or had their face painted to resemble a hairy hound. Lots of people created online sponsorship pages, and this combined with cash sponsorship and donations means the Merseyside walk has raised an estimated £8,000 for our canine friends. This will really make a difference to the local Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre in Huyton."

Dogs Trust hopes to make Waggy Walks an annual event so keep your ears pricked for details and visit:- waggywalks.org.uk for updates.

 FLOCK TO MERSEYSIDE WAGGY WALK

MERSEYSIDE Police have released photos and serial numbers of laptops that were taken during a burglary at a school in Churchtown last month.

Between 6pm on Wednesday, 2 September and 7am on Thursday, 3 September a burglary occurred at Churchtown Primary School on St Cuthberts Road. During the burglary 53 Apple mac ibook laptops were stolen. Those laptops have not been recovered.

DC Tess Harper said:- "We are appealing for anyone who may recently have purchased a laptop in good faith to check the serial number to see if it could be one of those stolen in the burglary. I’d ask members of the public to be on the look out in case they are offered such items for sale either on the street or in pubs or see the items for sale on the internet. I would urge anyone with information to contact us immediately."

Anyone with information about the incident or about the items listed is asked to contact Merseyside Police on:- 0151 777 3165 or Crimestoppers anonymously on:- 0800 555 111.

To see the list of Make model and serial numbers please click here to open the .pdf file.

EU TAKES SHORT TERM APPROACH TO MILK SAYS CONSERVATIVE MEP

AS the European Farm Commissioner announced 280 Million Euros in aid for dairy farmers, Conservative MEP Sir Robert Atkins said now was not the time to propose even greater subsidies to dairy farmers. Speaking in Strasbourg this week he said:- "We recognise and sympathise with the plight of dairy farmers who have had to cope with very low prices in the past year. However, milk prices are showing signs of recovery and therefore now is not the time to propose even greater subsidies to dairy farmers. This, in conjunction with the other measures that the Commission has proposed, increasing the state aid level to 15,000 Euros and technical changes to the management of the quota system, sends the wrong signal to dairy farmers as to the future of the CAP. This will make it even harder for dairy farmers to cope with the removal of quotas. Europe should be preparing for a quota free milk sector that can truly respond to the opportunities the global market provides, not caving in to protesters in the short term."

NWDA unveils new guide to help boost the region’s £14bn visitor economy

THE Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) unveiled a new best practice guide which aims to help shape great destinations across the Northwest.

The Guide to Place Making was launched at the 2009 Visitor Economy Conference for England’s Northwest, held on Wednesday, 21 October 2009 at the BT convention Centre in Liverpool.

The Great Destinations conference examined the components which make a great destination, provided insights into visitor needs and perspectives and, most crucially, looked at what can be done to create great visitor destinations across the Northwest.

Speakers included James Berresford, Chief Executive of national tourism body VisitEngland, John Thompson, Founder-Chairman of The Academy of Urbanism and Marianne Klein, one of Rotterdam’s leading tourism policy makers. The day also featured case studies from across the Northwest including Chester, Southport, Carlisle and Liverpool.

The new toolkit aims to help senior people in local authorities, developers planners and businesses who have a role in creating places. It works on the principal that great places to live are also great places to visit and sets out a checklist of elements to consider.

Speaking at the conference Felicity Goodey, Chair of Tourism England’s Northwest said:- “Tourism is a business that’s worth over £14 billion to the Northwest, but we can do better. By building on our strengths and developing new ones, we can continue to grow. We all know that the visitor economy is about more than our hotels and attractions; it’s about the whole package. And to grow it we need to create attractive places. It’s not just about creating attractive places for visitors, we need to focus on creating attractive places for our own residents too; places where people want to live are usually the places that people want to visit."

Nick Brooks-Sykes, Director of Tourism at the NWDA said:- “We’ve made great progress in shaping some fantastic destinations in England’s Northwest. We’ve seen huge improvements in the public realm, attractions, festivals and events as well as the quality and variety of visitor accommodation. Both Liverpool and Manchester have been transformed over the past decade and are now two of the most successful city destinations in Europe. We want to emulate that success across the rest of the Northwest and I hope this toolkit will provide some guidance to those responsible for shaping our towns and cities.”

Be An Eco Eager Beaver And Visit WWT Martin Mere

EAGER beavers wishing to make the most of crisp Autumnal and Winter days, should whizz off to WWT Martin Mere, near Burscough, in Lancashire, leaving the car behind.

The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Centre - visited by 340,000 birds a year and home to a family of beavers who starred in Autumn Watch 2007, has opened a new eco-friendly trail and cycle hire facility thanks to funding from Natural Economy Northwest, the Climate Change Fund and Groundwork.

The timing of the sustainable transport options is perfect, as children can now head to the Centre to see loveable baby beaver Wizzy. Having been nursed back to health following an attack by his family who rejected him, he is now out and about at 2pm to 4pm each day, in an exercise enclosure created just for him.

Whilst Wizzy and the other beavers are top of youngsters’ things to see, older visitors arriving on the new trail can now get closer to wildlife on the land around WWT Martin Mere, including grey partridges, lapwings, linnets, greenfinches, sparrowhawk and pink-footed geese.

Martin Mere will also soon be welcoming 1500 to 2000 Whooper Swans whose feeding sessions, from January 2010 to March 2010, (3pm and 3.30pm) is a stunning spectacle.

The new eco-friendly initiative enables visitors to travel in a sustainable manner, enjoy a walk or ride through the beautiful natural environment and get fit at the same time.

The trail runs from the train station at Burscough Bridge Interchange, which is on both the Southport to Manchester line and the Liverpool to Preston route. This makes it accessible to people in these towns, plus those en route, including Wigan and Bolton.

The trail, which links up with a WWT Martin Mere reed-bed walk, is well supported with signage at Burscough station and is publicised on the main local transport websites.

A new cycle hire facility has also been set up in conjunction with Jack Parker Cycles in Burscough Village.

Visitors arriving on foot or by cycle can benefit from reduced price admission and make the most of their freedom to explore the local area by stopping off at local businesses for perhaps a refreshment, or bird-watcher’s breakfast or bap.

Special pumpkin scooping events will be staged at half term (11am to 3pm) whilst this will be one of the first opportunities to see some of the Whooper Swans that have already arrived from Iceland.

Entrance to Martin Mere (with Gift Aid) costs £8.75 for an adult, £6.50 for a child and £23.50 for a family of two adults and two children aged 4 to 16. Prices without Gift Aid are £7.95, £3.91 and £21.36 respectively.

From 21 November to 22 November 2009 the Centre is staging the North West Bird Watching Festival, whilst floodlit swan evenings, offering a chance to hear a talk and see the birds, will take place on Tuesdays December 8 and 15 and every Tuesday in January at a cost of £7.10 for an adult, £3.70 for a child and £5.50 for concessions. Call:- 01704 891220 to book.

For more information about what’s on at Martin Mere visit:- wwt.org.uk/visit/martinmere.