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Sea Odyssey
heads North
NORTH Liverpool will take
centre stage for the city’s biggest ever outdoor event. Giant fever
is set to hit Liverpool from 20 April to 22 April 2012, as the
world’s leading street theatre company, Royal De Luxe (RDL),
presents Sea Odyssey; a magical story of how the human spirit
triumphs over the Titanic tragedy; starring the 30 foot tall Little
Girl Giant.
For the first time in the city’s event history, around half the
action will focus on North Liverpool. It is hoped Sea Odyssey will
be a transformational event for this part of the city, beginning to
showcase its potential development and investment opportunities.
The event forms part of the Liverpool Plan which aims to change
perceptions of the city and have partners working together to
promote the city in a positive way. It also supports the high
ambition of the area set out in the long term development framework
for North Liverpool and South Sefton which seeks to unlock the
potential in the area, enabling it to flourish and once again become
a vital source of prosperity, enterprise and creativity.
It’s estimated the event will attract an audience of around 250,000,
and as a result engender pride among local residents, inspire
creativity and build community cohesion.
The star of the show will wander around areas including Stanley
Park, Walton Lane, Vauxhall Road, Everton and Anfield. On her
travels the Little Girl Giant will explore the areas around both
football clubs, reflecting the importance of sport to Liverpool.
And as North Liverpool is host to one of the most stunning vistas of
the city, the beautiful marionette will take in the view of
Liverpool from the brow in Everton Park.
Liverpool city council’s cabinet member for culture and tourism,
Councillor Wendy Simon, said:- "Sea Odyssey will be a seminal
event for the city. We want the occasion to not just be a huge
success for the city in April, but bring a longer lasting legacy as
a result of the area being placed in such a unique spotlight. Tens
of thousands of people visit the north end for football matches, but
rarely spend any more time there, so this is the perfect opportunity
to show off the area and its potential, and as a result, hopefully
encourage investment. Everton Park is a prime example of a
significant city asset in close proximity to the city centre which
some people, even Liverpudlians, may not be aware of; so it’s a case
of highlighting these hidden gems and transforming people’s
perceptions of the area. These will be the first steps towards
significant regeneration and investment and the event will prove to
be a real catalyst for positive change, not just for the area, but
for the entire city."
The free event takes place from Friday, 20 April to Sunday, 22 April
2012, and is set to be the most complex event Liverpool City Council
has ever staged. The full route and visited locations will not be
released until a few weeks before the event, but along with North
Liverpool, parts of the spectacular will also take place in the city
centre.
The Sea Odyssey team at the city council has been working with local
residents, businesses, cultural organisations and registered social
landlords in the area to discuss the event and find out how they can
make the most of the opportunities which will arise from the April
extravaganza.
Beautiful North, which represents around 40 organisations which work
together to encourage investment and job creation, has been involved
in the talks.
Erika Rushton, Neighbourhoods Director at Plus Dane Group, the
Liverpool based housing association which coordinates Beautiful
North alongside the city council, said that:- "North Liverpool
has many assets and hidden gems and through our North Liverpool Show
Your Beautiful Face campaign, Beautiful North partners have been
working together to highlight everything that’s positive and
beautiful about its people and places. Sea Odyssey is an unrivalled
opportunity to showcase the best of North Liverpool to the rest of
the city and beyond, and we’ll be working hard with North Liverpool
residents and businesses to make sure that it looks its best for the
event and makes the most of its moment in the spotlight. We are also
committed to ensuring that Sea Odyssey leaves a lasting legacy for
the area – Beautiful North is here for the long-term and our job is
to ensure that this event helps drive improvements that are
maintained and built on for many years to come."
Funding is in the final stages, but will be a mixture of public and
private investment. There is already support from the National
Lottery through Arts Council England and the European Regional
Development Fund and Sea Odyssey is the final event which will use
European legacy funding from the city’s Capital of Culture year in
2008.
Arts Council England has given nearly £200,000 for the event.
Sarah Maxfield, Regional Director of Arts Council England,
commented:- "We are very happy to be supporting this event and
enabling this world renowned company to bring their work to
Liverpool. We applaud Liverpool City Council's vision and ambition
in recognising the benefits that the arts can deliver to communities
and to the economy and we are pleased to be working in partnership
with them to ensure those ambitions are realised. Liverpool is at
the forefront of outdoor performance events in the UK and Sea
Odyssey promises to be an extraordinary, spectacular and - given the
links to the Titanic anniversary - a moving experience." The Sea Odyssey website will go live at the beginning of February (giantspectacular.com),
but in the meantime please ‘Like’ the Giant
Spectacular page on Facebook or follow Giant Spectacle on Twitter.
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Have you got a
head for heights?
THE British Red Cross are seeking local dare
devils to take part in a charity 101ft charity abseil down Leasowe
Lighthouse, in Moreton Wirral, Merseyside. Taking part will give you
the opportunity to see amazing views across the Wirral Estuary on
Sunday 25 March 2012 along with making a difference for the World’s
largest humanitarian organisation. Come and join us for this
incredible abseil down Leasowe
Lighthouse. Built in 1763, the
lighthouse is believed to be the oldest brick lighthouse in Europe.
After climbing 130 steps up 6 floors you’ll reach the dizzy height
of 101 foot right to the top of the lighthouse. You're next step is
take the rope in your hands and abseil down the outside of the
lighthouse to land at the base and be greeted by friends, family and
of course Red Cross volunteers.
All abseilers will receive a comprehensive fundraising pack, expert
fundraising support from your local fundraiser, a post-event
certificate and refreshments plus the opportunity to purchase
professional photographs of yourself 'going over the edge'.
All we ask is that you try and raise £101, that's
just £1 for each foot you’ll scale down and pay £10 to register.
The British Red Cross are encouraging both individuals and local
businesses to enter a team to take part. Entering a team, is an
ideal way to demonstrate to customers, staff and competitors YOUR
businesses commitment to helping support the local community showing
corporate social responsibility by supporting the British Red Cross.
Senior Fundraiser Alexis Fairclough from Liverpool said that:-
"Leasowe Lighthouse Abseil is a fantastic way to raise money for
the Red Cross whilst overcoming your fears, and makes an ideal team
building exercise for companies wishing to drive forward their
teams! So come on and take part, you’ll be amazed at what you’ve
achieved!"
Register online at:-
redcross.org.uk/leasowelighthouse.
International Slavery Museum cash
boost
THE International Slavery
Museum has received funding of £80,000. This bid was to the DCMS/Wolfson
Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund and as it has been
successful, it means the museum can embark on plans to expand into
the adjacent Dock Traffic Office building. The "Freedom Live"
project will see the Dock Traffic Office opening to the public as
early as this summer. It will offer new spaces that complement the
existing International Slavery Museum with new flexible displays for
collections and exhibitions as well as community and educational
areas. This is the first stage of a longer term plan to link the
Dock Traffic Office building with the existing Slavery Museum via a
glass walkway. This development work is subject to further funding.
Dr Richard Benjamin, Head of the International Slavery Museum,
said:- "This initial funding is both great news for National
Museums Liverpool and the city. It means we can move forward with
our plans to expand the museum. Since opening in 2007 the museum has
grown in strength and influence. In order for us to keep momentum as
a campaigning museum our aspiration is to expand and evolve. By
opening the Dock Traffic Office to the public we hope to encourage
more community involvement and engagement with collections,
exhibitions and campaigns."
The International Slavery Museum is based on the third floor of the
Merseyside Maritime Museum at Albert Dock. It welcomes more than
400,000 visitors a year. Entry is free. At present, the Dock Traffic
Office houses National Museums Liverpool staff. The Grade 1 listed
building was built in 1848 and in recent years was the home of
Granada TV. The Slavery Museum is the only museum of its kind, and
it looks at all aspects of historical and contemporary slavery, as
well as being an international hub for resources on human rights
issues. In 2010 it received an Honourable Mention as part of the
prestigious UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of
Tolerance and Non-Violence. For more information click
on
here. |
