LETTERS TO EDITOR:- "BECK FAMILY HISTORY HELP REQUIRED"

"I am trying to find descendants of 2 members of the Beck family who moved from Hebburn on Tyne to the Liverpool area in the early 1900’s.   WILLIAM HERON BECK was born in Jarrow on Tyne in 1877. He married Emma Florence Taylor of Hebburn and they moved to Birkenhead between 1907 and 1910. Their family was Henry, born 1900, Thomas George, born 1904, William Harold, born 1907, all born in Hebburn on Tyne. Harold Roland was born in Birkenhead in 1910. The address in 1911 is 43 Bidston Avenue, Birkenhead. William Heron Beck had a brother THOMAS BECK, born in Jarrow on Tyne in 1881. He married Mary Agnes Pratt and they had Leslie, born in Birkenhead in 1910 and Edith, born 1911. The address in 1911 is 9 Rosedale Road, Birkenhead.  My connection is that I am the grand daughter of their sister Catherine Ann Beck, who married William Frederick Denny. Catherine died in 1923, aged 40, leaving a husband and 7 children. The family was split up and my father, Thomas (named after his grandfather and Uncle) was sent to live for a while with his Uncle Tommy in Birkenhead, as he was a similar age to his cousin Leslie.  I would be extremely grateful if any descendants of the families could contact me, as I will be visiting Liverpool in June, hoping to find out more information." Many thanks, Dorothy Edward.

Fairness Commission to start work

THE Liverpool Fairness Commission will investigate poverty in the city has now started its work.  The Commission will look at the main causes and effects of poverty, identify inequalities and challenges, and aims to better understand the problems faced by communities in order to develop clear long term plans to make Liverpool a fairer place to live.   It is being chaired by Claire Dove, Chief Executive of Blackburne House, a successful social enterprise charity.  Claire Dove said:- “It is very important that organisations work together to help tackle poverty in Liverpool.  Although progress has been made in creating jobs and improving life for people, the latest data shows poverty is still a major issue.   No single body has all the answers and we need a co-ordinated approach with fresh thinking so we can deal with it, particularly in the light of the public sector spending squeeze.”

The latest indices of multiple deprivation - published last month - show Liverpool continues to be the most deprived local authority in England.  However, the number of neighbourhoods classed as the most deprived 10% in the country has fallen from 56% to 51%and Speke no longer tops the list.

The Fairness Commission will include representation from all political parties on the council, trade unions as well as universities, business, housing and the independent and voluntary sectors.  It will consider issues including health, housing, social care, education, employment and crime using an approach taken by Islington Borough Council, which set up a similar body last year to improve the life chances of residents.

The evidence will be used to guide the work of the city council and its partners to improve life for everyone in the city. 

The first meeting of the Fairness Commission at Liverpool Town Hall at 11am on Monday, will hear evidence from Professor Richard Wilkinson, who chaired the Islington initiative.

The terms of reference for the Commission will be set out, as well as the steps it will take to gather evidence.

Consultation on future of library service

A CONSULTATION on the future of Liverpool’s library service is underway.  The service needs to save £2m (about 29%) from its 2011/12 budget and difficult decisions about how this will affect the current provision need to be made.

The city council is asking residents to fill in the online questionnaire which is designed to explore the views of customers and give them the opportunity to have their say on what savings should be made.  Some of the options include having fewer libraries, only opening venues on certain days of the week, changing hours of operation, encouraging volunteers to help run the service or have organisations other than the city council responsible for the running the libraries.

Liverpool City Council’s Head of libraries, Joyce Little, said:- “Due to the savings which have to be made, we will not be able to continue to operate the service the way it is run now.   We need to look at ways in which we can make the library provision much more efficient and reduce the cost and are already streamlining back office services to help achieve essential savings.  It’s essential we have as much input as possible from residents to find out key information such as which libraries are visited the most, what times of day or week are they used and would members of the public be willing to pay for any services such as the internet.  I encourage as many people as possible to fill out the questionnaire to help us shape the future of the city’s libraries.”

The questionnaire can be found online and will be available until Friday, 22 April 2011. Some paper copies will be available in libraries.  All the feedback will be analysed, and proposals will be drawn up during the summer. 

The service currently operates Central Library, 20 community libraries, a mobile service and a home delivery service. It offers a service which involves providing a wide range of materials including books and DVDs, giving free public access to computers and organising special events for children and adults.

Merseytravel launch Art on the Network Competition 2011

MERSEYTRAVEL has launched its 3rd annual Art on the Network competition, giving artists across Merseyside the chance to showcase their work to thousands of commuters, with the winning entries being displayed on the transport network.  This year’s competition focuses on the ‘Poster’ as one of the most powerful forms of media, dating back over 200 years. During the golden age of the poster in the 1920s and 1930s it was responsible for recognising and promoting the talents of artists such as Edward Kauffer McKnight, who went on to dominate the British poster art field.  This year entrants are being asked to design a unique poster which is clear, bold and striking and portrays their chosen theme in a positive manner. Judged by senior representatives from Merseytravel’s Public Arts Steering Group and leading professionals from the art and design community, four winning designs will be chosen. Each winner will receive a £500 cash prize and their artwork will be displayed in a number of different formats on and around the transport network. Neil Scales, chief executive of Merseytravel said:- ”Over the past two years we have had a tremendous response to this competition, so we are looking forward to seeing the ideas that come forward this year.  The competition is a great way of involving local people; it’s a natural extension to our Public Art strategy and another way of enhancing the journey for people travelling on Merseytravel’s transport system.” The competition is open to all residents or professionally based people in Merseyside aged 16 and over, and each entrant can submit a maximum of two original designs. Further competition details are available on the Merseytravel Art on the Network website or from Emma Lawrence, Public Arts Officer, Merseytravel, 24 Hatton Garden, Liverpool L3 2AN. The closing date for the competition is 17:00 hrs on Thursday, 1 September 2011.