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Lord Mayor out
on the tiles
ONE of Liverpool’s rarely
seen gems is being unveiled... The exquisite Minton Floor in the
Great Hall of St George’s Hall will be on public display from
Saturday, 7 January 2012 until Sunday, 22 January 2012, uncovered
for the first time since January 2009.
And for the first time in more than ten years, visitors who pre-book
a tour will be given special shoe coverings and get the opportunity
to walk across the floor.
Consisting of 30,000 beautifully hand crafted rare tiles, the
immaculately preserved surface depicts the city’s coat of arms, sea
nymphs, boys on dolphins and tritons.
The mosaic was covered in the 1860s to provide a more hardwearing
surface for dancing and has only been unveiled a handful of times
since.
Liverpool’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Frank Prendergast, will get a
sneak-peek on Wednesday 4 January when he joins a specialist
team to help them uncover the floor.
Councillor Prendergast said:- "Everywhere you go in St.
George’s Hall there is a stunning architecture or a stunning piece
of art on display, but the Minton tiles are particularly special as
they aren’t on permanent display so it’s a real treat to see the
beautiful detail of the floor up close. The Hall is one of
Liverpool’s greatest cultural assets and we want to do as much as we
can to encourage people to come and visit this Grade I listed
building. Many people don’t realise what a gem they have on their
doorstep, so we hope by unveiling the floor once again we’ll attract
thousands of new visitors who will come and experience the fantastic
culture and history the Hall has to offer."
The Hall will be open from 10am to 5pm every day, and although
booking isn’t necessary, there is a £1 admission fee for adults,
while under 16s go free.
In 2009, around 25,000 visitors came to the Hall to see the floor
when it was last unveiled.
For further information please see:-
stgeorgesliverpool.co.uk or you
can also book onto a tour by calling the Heritage Centre on:- 0151
225 6909.
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West Derby
Shooting on 25 December Update
A new national programme
which will focus on helping small and medium manufacturing
businesses to grow has officially launched, Business Minister Mark
Prisk and the Manufacturing Advisory Consortium (MAC) has been
announced. The new Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) is now
available to all manufacturing businesses across England. It will be
delivered by the MAC, which is comprised of Grant Thornton, Pera, WM
Manufacturing Consortium Ltd and SWMAS Ltd. It has been estimated
that the new MAS will help to generate £1.5 billion in economic
growth, 23,000 jobs and safeguard 50,000 jobs.
Businesses interested in finding out more about the programme can
find out more by visiting:-
mymas.org or by calling an
advisor on:- 0845 658 9600.
Business Minister Mark Prisk said:- "Manufacturing contributes
half of Britain’s exports and has much higher productivity than the
rest of the economy so it is essential to our plans for growth. That
is why we are taking steps to ensure our industrial base is thriving
as part of a strong and balanced UK economy. The new Manufacturing
Advisory Service will play a key role, providing tailored advice to
businesses helping them to grow and thrive, with a specific focus on
helping SMEs improve competitiveness and unlock their growth
potential."
Karl Eddy, Head of Government Infrastructure Advisory at Grant
Thornton and Head of MAS, said:- "This type of programme is
vital to support Britain's businesses and economy in growth. MAC is
driven by a passion for dynamic, innovative business and has proven
experience in delivering advice for growth. As we drive this
historically successful programme in to a new era we encourage
business leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs in the manufacturing
sector to contact a local advisor to find out more about how MAS can
deliver real benefits for their business."
Small manufacturing businesses will also have access to a new
initiative recently announced by the Government to improve the
global competitiveness of UK advanced manufacturing supply chains.
The up to £125 million fund will cover the whole of England and will
help to support the UK supply chain, encourage new suppliers to
invest in the UK and support economic growth.
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