CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS AT THE NSPCC’s LIVERPOOL CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT CONCERT 2010

CHRISTMAS is nearly here and its never to early to think about how your going to celebrate over the festive season. Why not enjoy the magic of Christmas this year by attending the NSPCC’s annual Carol’s By Candlelight concert, in aid of the charity’s Safe Place Appeal in Merseyside.

The special concert on Tuesday, 14 December 2010, will be held at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral and will see performances by the Wirral Schools Concert Band, The Liverpool Children’s Signing Choir and the Choristers of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral. It will feature carols, traditional music and singing in the beautiful candlelit setting of the cathedral. Doors open at 7pm and the performance starts at 7.30pm.

Tickets for Carols by Candlelight, are £8 for adults, concessions £5 and accompanied children under 16 are free. They are available by calling:- 0161 628 1209, or 07971291 323 or by email. 

The event, now in it’s 4th year, is once again being sponsored by Home Bargains and it is the perfect opportunity for family, groups of friends, or work colleagues to get together and enjoy the true spirit of Christmas.

Helen Gazzola, NSPCC fundraising manager for Liverpool said:- “Christmas is a time of great hope and anticipation for many children and their families, but we mustn’t forget that this time of year can also be the most difficult time of the year for some children. I want to invite everyone to join us to celebrate the festive season at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral while at the same time remembering a very important Christmas message, that this is also a time for thinking about some children across Merseyside who are desperately in need of help.”

The evening will raise money for Liverpool's Safe Place Appeal which funds the NSPCC's Hargreaves Centre in Everton. Opened in June 2007, the Hargreaves Centre offers help and support to the most vulnerable children in our community. As well as offering services to children and young people living with abuse, domestic violence and alcohol and substance abuse within their families, the building also houses Liverpool's first ChildLine base.

For more information about other forthcoming events or if you would like to support the NSPCC locally please contact:- 0161 628 1209 or log on to nspcc.org.uk.

John Lewis Partnership Chairman Appointed to lead UK Commission

BUSINESS secretary Vince Cable today announced that Charlie Mayfield, Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, has been appointed to lead and reform the UK Commission for Employment and Skills.  UKCES is the Non-Departmental Public Body tasked with helping to improve employment and skills provision across the UK.   The appointment follows the Cabinet Office’s recent report on Public Bodies and the ongoing review of the UK Commission led by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The review acknowledges that the independence of the UK Commission makes it a valuable source of expert advice to government, and that it should be slimmed down and refocused.  Charlie Mayfield succeeds Sir Mike Rake, Chairman of BT, who has chaired the UK Commission for Employment and Skills since its inception in 2008.

Dr Cable said:- “It is vitally important for any government to have access to high-quality, impartial advice and information. That is why I am happy to confirm the UK Commission for Employment and Skills will continue to advise Government on the country’s skills needs and demands, maintain its work in producing high quality labour market information and oversee both Investors in People and the employer-led Sector Skills Councils. Charlie has a wealth of experience at the very top of British business, in a company known for its exemplary motivation of staff, and this places him in a strong position to guide and lead the UK Commission. I would like to thank Sir Mike Rake for his tireless and visionary leadership and the immense contribution he has made to the UK’s employment and skills system over the past two and a half years.”

Charlie Mayfield said:- “I genuinely believe that the UK is a sleeping giant in respect of its skills and employment policies. There is so much potential to improve our skills, our productivity and our economy to create a fairer society. So I am looking forward to playing my part by leading the UK Commission for Employment and Skills in its goal to raise prosperity and opportunity by helping to develop world-class employment and skills systems.”

Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning minister, John Hayes, said:- “This Government has put together one of the most ambitious strategies for skills to date, and the work of the UK Commission will support the Government’s drive for growth in the economy and for rebalancing the relative scale of investment in adult skills being made by individuals, business and the State. Sir Mike has done a tremendous job in setting up the Commission and advising government on the delivery of skills and training. I am confident that Charlie Mayfield, with his experience at the top of one of the country’s leading business, will carry on this excellent work and play a leading role in refocusing the UKCES and the reform of Sector Skills Councils.”