Don’t bin your Mathew Street Music Festival bands!

PEOPLE who bought wristbands for Liverpool’s Mathew Street Music Festival are being urged not to bin them, as they can also be used for the upcoming River Festival.

Thousands of the £3 ‘Band Together’ wrist bands were sold, giving access to special offers and discounts from retailers, restaurants, bars and attractions across Liverpool.

Now the city council has secured a deal which extends the offers over the River Festival – On The Waterfront, which is taking place from 8 September to 15 September 2011.

Anyone who wants to show their support can still purchase a wrist band from The 08 Place on Whitechapel, Merseytravel Travel Centres and the Liverpool One Information desk.

Offers include 25% off meals at La Tasca; 20 percent discount on tickets for the Queen musical We Will Rock You at the Liverpool Empire, 20% off at award winning restaurant Lunya in Liverpool ONE and the Yellow Boat Tour and 10 percent reduction on clothes from Resurrection on Bold Street.

The week-long event kicks off in majestic style with the inaugural visit from the new Queen Elizabeth cruise liner on 8 September, while the largest transatlantic ocean liner in the world, Queen Mary 2, will sail into Liverpool’s cruise liner terminal for the day on Thursday 15 September.

Another major highlight includes a FREE outdoor concert by the UK’s Queen of Soul, MOBO award winner Beverley Knight MBE at the Pier Head on Saturday 10 September at 7.30pm.

From 8 September 2011 to 10 September 2011, 11 Tall Ships, including ‘The Phoenix’ which was featured in an episode of 'Dr Who', called:- "The Curse of the Black Spot", will grace the Mersey giving visitors the opportunity to experience life on board. There will also be a chance to meet a young sailor from 100 years ago as he unpacks his sea chest.

Liverpool City Council’s cabinet member for culture and tourism, Councillor Wendy Simon, said:- "The wristbands have proved hugely popular and by extending this deal it means people attending the Mersey River Festival can save money on eating out and shopping while they are in the city. We are expecting hundreds of thousands of people to come into the city for the Mersey River Festival was always hugely popular. Since the last festival took place in 2005, our iconic waterfront has been transformed and is now looking more majestic than ever and the river festival will be a great occasion to showcase it to visitors from all over the world."

The Waterfront will also come alive with aerobatic displays, stunning street theatre, a bistro village and rustic farmers market, and swing and jazz sounds from the 1930’s will belt out from the Big Band stage; all adding to the bustling atmosphere across the Albert Dock, Pier Head and the Cruise Liner Terminal, bringing a taste of New York to the third On The Waterfront programme.

The new look festival will also have an added element of glamour and excitement as the city hosts the finale of the P1 SuperStock Championships. The Race to Liverpool will take place on 10 and 11 September and will see brand new racing boats hitting the River Mersey.

Other watersports on offer include wakeboarding, canoeing and on 10 and 11 September the historical diving club will be on hand at the Albert Dock giving an in depth demonstration of diving equipment throughout the ages. Other nautical surprises include performances from the sea shanty singing Pirates of Menspants, the Bathing Belles Betty and Flo and an illuminated lobster!

On Sunday, 11 September 2011, sit back and enjoy the sounds of the Mersey with Beatles tribute band, Made in Liverpool. Sunday will also see performances from Liverpool Shanty Kings and the seventy strong Liverpool Community Choir, who will be entertaining audiences with songs from the 1920s up to the present day.

To see the full programme click on here.

The wristband offers include:-

► 20% off tickets for the Queen musical ‘We Will Rock You’ at the Liverpool Empire.

► 20% off meals at Lunya, Liverpool ONE.

► 10% off accessories such as drum sticks and guitar strings, and all Beatles related music books and souvenirs at Dawsons Music.

► 10% off clothes from Resurrection on Bold Street (excluding sale items).

► 25% off meals at La Tasca.

► A free soft drink with any burrito bought from Barburrito, Liverpool ONE

► 3 for 2 on all treatments at Scin Beauty Salon, Liverpool ONE.

► 10% OFF at Menkind, Liverpool ONE.

► 10% OFF at PizzaExpress, Liverpool ONE.

► Free hair corsage with spend over £30 at Ollie & Nic, Liverpool ONE.

► Free CD (Laurel Collective/The Boxer Rebellion) with every purchase at Ted Baker, Liverpool ONE

► 10% OFF at Krispy Kreme, Liverpool ONE.

► Selected bottled beers and wines by the glass only £2.99 at Vinea Bar Shop & Deli, Britannia Pavilion, Albert Dock.

► 10% OFF at Greenwoods, 33-35 Ranelagh Street.

► £10 eye test (normally £20.95) and 2-4-1 on glasses (inc free sunglasses) at Specsavers, 52 Lord Street.

► 1/3 OFF Radio City Tower tour at Radio City, St John’s Beacon.

► 20% OFF the Yellow Boat Tour, 32 Anchor Courtyard, Albert Dock.

► 2-4-1 Cocktails (Sunday to Thursday 4pm to 8pm) and 2 Cocktails for £10 (exc Saturdays) at Revolution, Atlantic Pavilion, Albert Dock.

► 25% OFF at Cafe Rouge, The Met Quarter.

The big wheel is back

SOUTHPORT has again got a big wheel, in fact it is a massive 140 foot one!  The ferris wheel is from Italy and will be sited on the Pleasureland site until the end of September 2011. It offers some fantastic views of Southport and it is hoped that it will remain at the site for longer. These are a few shots of the wheel being erected by Scotland's Theme Parks.

BRP's Evinrude outboard powers the P1 Superstock to end the season on a high

THE P1 Superstock, the largest ‘one design’ powerboat racing series in the world, which is powered by BRP, is preparing for the climax of the 2011 championship, the Liverpool Grand Prix of the Sea, 10 September to 12 September 2011, at the Albert Dock, Liverpool.

All the P1 Panther 28ft mono hull boats are powered by Evinrude 2 stroke 250 H.O. E-TEC engines, which can reach speeds in excess of 65 miles per hour. The division consists of eight racing teams all battling it out to end the 2011 season on a high.

Darren Hook and David John Harwood snatched the top spot from Pertemps last weekend in the Cowes-Pool-Cowes endurance race after the provisional leaders hit trouble in the rough conditions. Other boats also encountered problems, leading to a curtailment of the final lap. However, despite its fourth place the Pertemps team goes to Liverpool with a provisional 21 point lead.

Bernard Leblanc, vice-president and regional general manager for Western Europe, Middle East and Africa in BRP's International division, says:- "With the P1 Superstock becoming the world’s fastest growing marine motorsport, there is a strong synergy between the performance of the engine and the drivers. The completion comes down to the skill of the team, pilot and navigator making for an exciting and credible spectator race. The last competition of the season should be exciting."

Robert Wicks, Powerboat P1 chief operating officer, says:- "The Evinrude brand clearly sets the benchmark when it comes to the world of outboard engines and BRP's product is synonymous with dependability, durability, and the performance required in a race environment. We are committed to move the sport of power boating to a new level and believe the Evinrude E-TEC engine will help us achieve that goal."

BRP’s Evinrude two-stroke 250 H.O. E-TEC engine is known in the industry for its outstanding environmental credentials. BRP is the first and only outboard engine manufacturer ever to receive the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Air Technology Excellence Award in the US. The engine meets and surpasses emission standards of the EPA, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), and the European Union.

TIGERS ESTABLISH EBL TEAM

MERSEY Tigers have entered a team in to EBL Division 4 for the upcoming season, helping to create a player pathway between the club's academy and BBL outfit.   Formed on the back of the success of the Tigers academy based at Childwall Sports College, the new team will further enhance the club's development of young players, as it looks to provide the opportunity for academy players to eventually make it to the professional side.

Academy Head Coach Phil McLoughlin, who will also oversee the EBL outfit, said:- "The entry into the EBL leagues seems like a natural step for the club. The academy in my first year finished Under 17 national Champions. The goal for the players at the academy is to achieve academically but also have the opportunity to progress to the BBL team."

The majority of the EBL squad will be made up from the academy team, but will also feature some familiar faces from the senior squad.  A club spokesman added:- "The introduction of an EBL team to the club has firmed up our plans to develop a real player pathway and assist the development of basketball in Merseyside. With the establishment of junior teams in the pipeline, potential young stars can now start basketball at a young age, move on to play for our academy at Childwall, and then hopefully graduate from there to play regularly first in the EBL and then eventually in the BBL. It would be fantastic for both the club and the sport if we can start bringing through home-grown professional sportsmen, and who knows, maybe one day, we could boast a team of not only British players, but local British players."

The new EBL season kicks off on the first weekend of October, when Mersey Tigers II take on Rossendale Raptors.  The league also includes Bradford Dragons II, Bradford Maroons, Burnley College Blaze, Hull Wasps, Liverpool, Middlesbrough Lions, Mold Magic, Oldham Titans, Stockport Falcons II and Tees Valley Mohawks II.  Full fixtures and further information will be available via the Tigers official website, shortly.