Albert Dock Springs into Action for Easter

ALBERT Dock has lined up an action packed Easter programme for all the family, so get down to the Dock and take part in a host of extra activities at the museums, galleries and attractions. Whether enjoying the breathtaking views of Liverpool’s very own UNESCO World Heritage Site or having an action packed day out, there is something for everyone at the Albert Dock.

If you fancy adding some creepy crawly fun to your Easter celebrations then head over to BugWorld Experience, where an Easter Cockroach is rumoured to be handing out treats. Throughout the exhibition there is a bug egg hunt, arts and crafts in the discovery zone and a bug-tastic interactive quiz on the smartboard with great prizes up for grabs on each session.

The Beatles Story has some fab workshops happening over the Easter holidays, on Tuesday 30 March 2010 and Thursday 1 April 2010 bring the kids along for ‘Stand up Beatles’ create your own stand up Beatles character – Hard Day’s Night, Sgt. Pepper or Help – you choose. On Tuesday 6 and Thursday 8 April there is a ‘Skiffle Workshop’ where you can have a go at making your own recycled instrument, see if you can jam along to some skiffle music inside the NEMS record store in the Discovery Zone, can you play like The Quarrymen? The workshops take place in the Beatles Story’s Discovery Zone from 2pm to 4pm. Entrance is £2, or free with a Beatles Story ticket

Over at Tate Liverpool, children from the ages of 0-12 years participate in exciting new free Family Activities during the Easter Holidays, from the 3 April to 11 April between 11am and 4pm, influenced by their current exhibition Afro Modern. Be inspired by performances from story tellers, poets and rappers, as well as a massive interactive stories and pictures wall where you can add your own images, videos, poems, raps and tales of journeys. You can also be filmed performing your story, poem or rap and have the video be projected onto the Tell Your Story Video Wall!

Easter is about getting together as a family and enjoying the spring sunshine, the restaurants and cafes at the Albert Dock have all come up with some fantastic family offers especially for Easter.

Vinea have free chocolate Easter nests for all children with any paying adult, which are handmade by all of the lovely staff at Vinea. You could also create an extra special Easter gift for a friend or loved one and create your own hampers from the great wine and deli selection. For the adults, on Saturday 3 April starting at 8pm, Vinea will be holding a live music and Spanish wine tasting evening; tickets are just £6.99 per person and include two fantastic wines with nibbles.

While PanAm and Blue are running the ‘kids eat free’ offer for Easter (with a paying adult) so taking the kids out doesn’t have to break the bank. If you decide to send the kids home with the babysitters to continue into the evening then Blue and PanAm have DJ’s Thursday to Sunday and Baby Blue have Comedy Central every Thursday to Sunday with live music in on a Friday night.

Jeremy Roberts Chairman of the Albert Dock Tenants’ Business Association said:- “Easter is always a great time to come down to the Albert Dock, the sun shines and the atmosphere is full of the joys of spring. The museums, galleries, attractions, restaurants and bars have all come together to create a fantastic family entertainment package. You can come along for the whole day and really enjoy what the Dock has to offer.”

 OFCOM MISJUDGES PUBLIC OPINION

LEARNING disability charity Mencap publishes the findings of a poll that shows that 64% people in the North West of England find the word ‘retard’ offensive. The charity is calling on Ofcom to reconsider its refusal to uphold a complaint about the use of the word on Channel 4.

64% people in the North West said they had never used the word ‘retard’ in conversation, or had stopped using it. 26% thought that banning the word was ‘political correctness gone mad’.

Mencap commissioned the poll following Ofcom’s rejection of a complaint by a mother of 2 disabled children about the broadcasting of the word ‘retard’ on Big Brother’s Big Mouth on 29 January. The independent regulator dismissed Nicky Clark’s claim that it was offensive, telling her: “we consider that this content, although clearly offensive to you, could be justified by the context” and that it wasn’t “entirely at odds with the established nature of this programme, which is known for its lively and outspoken content”.

In a 2nd letter, Ofcom quoted its own research from 2005, stating that the word ‘retard’ “effectively refers to a disability, but many do not see this as an issue.” This conflicts directly with the results from Mencap’s new poll, which found that only 6% of people in the North West of England thought the word ‘retard’ was ok to use as a joke. Ofcom also concluded in this 2nd letter that “the probable degree of harm and offence was minimal”, again contradicting the more recent poll.

Mencap is supporting Nicky Clark in her call for an on air apology from Channel 4, to relay the message that any use of the word ‘retard’, and particularly its use on a public platform, is wrong and offensive.

Lloyd Page, spokesperson for Mencap, said:- “As someone with a learning disability, I was disgusted and hurt to hear that the word ‘retard’ was used on Big Brother. We will never change people’s attitudes if this sort of thing carries on. I hope Ofcom will realise why we want this to stop.”

Nicky Clark said:- “Channel 4 has a commitment to ensure that diversity is fully and positively represented on its channel. If we are to have our faith restored in Channel 4’s suitability to broadcast the Paralympics, it needs to show that it regrets this incident by apologising on air.”

Mencap is also supporting the Special Olympics Great Britain’s global Spread the word to stop the word campaign to eliminate ‘the r-word’, which was launched last week and to which over 100,000 people have already pledged their support...

JOB LOSS FIGURES – UNISON RESPONSE...

COMMENTING on the job loss figures released Wednesday, 17 March 2010, UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis, said:- “The fall in unemployment is good news for communities and families. However, this trend must not be reversed by heavy job losses in the public sector. Many Tory councils are using the recession as an excuse to cut jobs – even though they have billions stashed away in reserves. Cutting jobs causes a downward spiral. Vital local services are hit, communities are left without the help they need and more people are forced to claim benefits instead of paying taxes.”