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An Ocean's 11
sail into City
LIVERPOOL'S Albert Dock
will be home to a small fleet of magnificent vessels this week. 11
Tall Ships of various sizes are sailing into the city as part of the
inaugural Irish Sea Tall Ships Regatta which officially takes place
from Friday, 31 August 2012 to Sunday, 2 September 2012.
Sailing into the city will be:- Black Diamond of Durham, Challenge
Wales, De Gallant, Johanna Lucretia, Kapitan Borchardt, Maybe,
Pelican of London, Prolific, St Iv, Tecla and Tomidi.
To celebrate their arrival a series of events will take place from
Friday when the crews of the Tall Ships will take to the streets in
a colourful and vibrant parade at around 2pm, before being presented
with the race and port prizes. The route will start outside the Echo
Arena, travelling around Salthouse and Hartley Quays before
returning to the arena.
Until Sunday, many of the Tall Ships will be open to the public from
11 to 5pm, although some vessels may close during lunchtimes. Across
the three days there will also be maritime merriment for the whole
family ranging from shanty songs, street theatre, dancing, craft
workshops, story telling, community choirs and a brass band.
There will also be a fantastic display courtesy of Yakovlevs
Aircraft Acrobatics, and at 2pm on both Saturday and Sunday the
Russian aircrafts will perform breathtaking high-speed aerobatics.
Please note, this activity is weather dependant.
On Sunday, the Tall Ships will take place in a very special goodbye
with a Parade of Sail starting from 10.30am. The vessels will muster
in formation around 1pm as they prepare to sail on the River Mersey.
Liverpool City Council's cabinet member for culture and tourism,
Councillor Wendy Simon, said:- "Our maritime events are always
hugely popular, and with this wonderful mix of majestic vessels and
family entertainment, I'm in no doubt this inaugural event will
attract thousands. The Tall Ships are always welcome visitors to our
city, and with three days non-stop activity on our iconic
waterfront, this will be an un-missable event which will round off
the summer holidays in style. I'd encourage as many people as
possible to give the ships an unforgettable send off on Sunday; it
really will be a spectacular sight to see the Tall Ships proudly
sailing on the River Mersey."
The regatta has been organised by charity Sail Training
International; the world's leading provider of races, events and
other services for the sail training community.
Chairman of the Irish Sea Tall Ships Regatta, Knut Western, said:-
"The fleet visited Liverpool as part of the Tall Ships Races
2008 and Sail Training International is looking forward to seeing
the vessels and crews around the city again. We know that the host
port committee has worked hard to plan a successful event and we are
confident Liverpool will give the crews a memorable welcome and
stay."
Sue Grindrod, Chairman of Albert Dock Liverpool, said:- "We're
thrilled that Albert Dock Liverpool is hosting Tall Ships. Albert
Dock Liverpool is the largest collection of Grade I listed buildings
in the UK and will provide a beautiful backdrop for the 11 Tall
Ships that will berth there. We're committed to supporting the
cultural heritage of Liverpool and by facilitating events such as
this will continue the cultural heritage and legacy of Albert Dock
Liverpool."
Cuadrilla seeks to extend use of
temporary site
CUADRILLA Resources, the
British company who are exploring for gas in Lancashire, is to
submit an application to Lancashire County Council to continue work
at a temporary site near Hesketh Bank. A 10,500 feet
deep well was drilled between August and November 2011 at the West
Lancashire site. After the well was completed, the company removed
its drilling rig and secured the site which has since seen a low
level of activity. Cuadrilla is set to ask for a 36 month extension
to the company to complete testing and analysis work in a gradual
and responsible way, as part of its exploration programme which
seeks to establish whether it is viable to recover gas trapped
within Shale rock deep beneath the surface. The existing
planning permission, which was granted in October 2010, allows
Cuadrilla to drill and hydraulically fracture a well at the site.
However, the company has said that it cannot carry out the
fracturing process without the approval of the Department of Energy
and Climate Change. In a letter to residents living near to
the site, Development Director Mark Miller said:- "Extending
the existing planning permission would not change the fact that the
site will be returned to its original condition once operations are
complete." Residents interested in the application or
Cuadrilla's operations generally have been advised to contact the
company on its Freephone Information Line, which can be called on:-
0800 170 1115 (Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.30pm), or to visit:-
cuadrillaresources.com for
detailed information about all of the company's operations. |
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BUSINESSES
CELEBRATE 800 YEAR HISTORY
OVER 3,000 people will be
taking part in a historic celebration of more than 800 years of
business in Preston, on Saturday, 1 September 2012, from 11am.
Businesses ranging from small enterprises to global brands will be
taking part in the Preston Guild Trades procession that celebrates
the City's commercial vitality. Preston's Guild originated in 1179,
when King Henry II granted Preston the right to have a Guild
Merchant. The Guild was an organisation of traders, craftsmen and
merchants. Traders and craftsmen held processions to demonstrate the
power of the Guild. By the late 18th century the displays became
increasingly elaborate. In 1802, the cotton industry was involved
for the 1st time and by the end of the 19th century it had become so
important to Preston's economy that it had its own procession. Last
century, as the cotton trades declined, new trades appeared with
businesses from aerospace, construction, nuclear power, and
electronics being well represented.
Preston City Council has entered 2 floats, 1 of them a tribute to
local hero Nick Park, creator of Wallace and Gromit. The float has
been constructed by gardeners Alan Rampling and Brian McNeill. Nick
Park will be speaking at the Conversations in Creativity event on
Monday, 3 September 2012, at 6pm, at the Spiegel Tent on Miller
Park, advance tickets are £6.
Councillor Carl Crompton, Guild Mayor said:- "Ironically the
Guild had a monopoly of trade in the city, something that would be
frowned upon today, but it was an incredibly powerful organisation
and new members were not admitted lightly. Although there is a lack
of confidence in the economy at the moment, it is heartening to see
that our city and its people can celebrate the rich variety of
businesses which help generate employment. Preston and Lancashire
has a long tradition of innovation and this has helped prepare us
against tough times. We are people that have a can-do attitude and a
sense of entrepreneurialism, meaning we are responsive to change. It
would be wrong of me to say that we've not escaped the recession but
we have seemed to weather the storm better than other towns and
cities."
The Trades Procession will start at:- 11.00am from Adelphi
roundabout; the full route can be found on the
website.
Consultation over transport policy
LIVERPOOL City Council is
set to start consultation over a proposed new policy for people who
get Council Transport to Social Care Services. At the moment,
Social Care assessments assume that everybody who travels to support
services, for example, a day centre, needs transport to get there.
This is regardless of whether or not they are able to use public
transport or have access to a mobility vehicle. Under the new
proposals, transport will only be provided where an individual is
deemed eligible following an assessment, and after public transport,
concessionary passes, motability vehicle and Disability Living
Allowance (mobility component) have been considered and deemed
inappropriate. It will bring the city council into line with
many other neighbouring and comparable local authorities who have
done, or are doing, the same thing. All of the existing 800
services users will be reviewed, but no transport service will be
removed without a social worker fully reviewing their individual
circumstances. Full support and training will be given to people
where necessary.
Assistant Mayor and Cabinet member for adult social care, Councillor
Roz Gladden, said:- "This is about making sure that we
consider everyone's individual circumstances rather than simply
imposing a universal service on them. We have a situation at the
moment where we simply treat everyone the same. In some cases we are
providing transport for them to get to social care services when for
the rest of the week they are using mobility vehicles or public
transport. We fully appreciate that any suggestion of a change to
the current system will inevitably cause some concern among some
services users and their carers, but they should rest assured that
we will not be withdrawing the service unless they are able to use
an alternative form of transport. We know that service users can
benefit massively by making their own way to and from services as it
gives them a huge sense of independence. It is essential we target
resources at those people who actually need it."
The report will be considered by the Mayor's Cabinet on Friday, 31
August 2012 and if approved, a 3 month consultation will start with
those people affected, with the aim of reassessing all service users
by October 2013. |
