Cycling Legend Urges People in Merseyside to Saddle Up

LEGENDARY cycling commentator Phil Liggett MBE is urging riders in Merseyside to cross the county borders and take on British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) brand new Manchester to Blackpool Night Bike Ride.

Phil, who was born on the Wirral, is universally referred to as ‘the voice of cycling’. As well as commentating on the Summer and Winter Olympics, the Commonwealth Games and the Tour de France, Phil has received numerous accolades and written for a range of cycling publications.

He said:- "I am delighted to support the BHF’s Manchester to Blackpool Night Bike Ride and I really hope cyclists out there will get involved and support the nation’s heart charity in its 50th year. Although I am unable to take part myself, I think the event sounds fantastic and I love the idea of riding through the night. It will be a great experience and a wonderful challenge for any cyclist taking part and I urge people to sign up."

More than 450 people are now signed up to the 60 mile event on Saturday, 17 September 2011 and Sunday, 18 September 2011, which is part of a series of new Night Rides across the UK launched by the nation’s heart charity to raise vital funds for the Mending Broken Hearts Appeal. Money raised will fund pioneering stem cell research and developmental biology to work out how to repair or replace damaged heart muscle to literally ‘mend broken hearts’ in as little as 10 years time.

Entry is £30 per person and participants must be 18 or over. To enter go to:- bhf.org.uk/m2b.

League of Friends donations benefit outpatients at Ormskirk

THE League of Friends at Ormskirk and District General Hospital have generously donated money for equipment in the outpatients department.  The donation totalled around £3,500 and was used to fund a phlebotomy chair, to help patients feel more comfortable while having blood tests, and 6 patient care trollies. The new equipment has improved the services for patients who attend outpatients at Ormskirk.  Kim McNeil, Sister in Outpatients at Ormskirk District General, said:- "It is thanks to the generous donation from the League of Friends that we were able to purchase this new equipment to benefit our patients.  The League of Friends have also been extremely generous in the past having purchased other pieces of equipment for the department. I’d like to thank them for their continued support and kindness." The majority of money donated by the League of Friends is raised through the tea bar at the main entrance to Ormskirk hospital. The tea bar is run entirely by volunteers with all profits fed back to the hospital in the form of donations. The League of Friends also hosts fundraisers throughout the year including an annual bingo night.

Invitation to a night with professional Music Photographer William Ellis

ON, Thursday, 1 September 2011, from 8pm, William Ellis will provide a talk about his work as an international music photographer, who has worked front of house and backstage at some of the world's legendary clubs and festivals. His work has been exhibited at international festivals and galleries in the U.K. and throughout the world including The Royal Academy of Arts London, Amsterdam, Bremen, Cape Town, Havana, The Hague, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York City, Orlando, Toronto and Utrecht. The talk will be held at the Formby Christian Fellowship Centre on Church Rd, Formby (L373NB).  Admission is just £2.

For more information about the photographer go to:- william-ellis.com and for information about the club go to:- formbyphoto.com.