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Issue:- 20 December  2012

LITTLE ELLEN IS FIRST EVER MERSEYSIDE ELF CHAMPION

The Champion Elf of Merseyside. Ellen Burrell, eight, from Moreton. The Champion Elf Ellen Burrell is congratulated by her fellow elf competitors.

A SCHOOLGIRL from Moreton who helped her mum make her costume has taken the top title in the first ever Merseyside Elf Championship.  Ellen Burrell, 8, a pupil at Christ Church Primary School won the fantastic festive contest at The Grange and Pyramids Shopping Centre in Birkenhead on Saturday.

She was among more than 50 budding elves on their very best behaviour who entered the contest which was judged by Santa Claus, Derek Millar, Commercial Director for The Grange and Pyramids Shopping Centre and the Mayor and Mayoress of Wirral, Councillor Gerry Ellis and his wife Margaret.

Ellen said:- "It was very surprising to win and I am very happy to be the Champion Elf.  It has been really good fun and I am looking forward to telling my friends about it at school. I helped my mum make my costume and so I would like to say thank you to her for helping me win."

Mum Sharon said:- "It has been a lovely, festive and enjoyable event for the children to get involved in and really well organised.  I can't believe Ellen has won and it was lovely to see her face when they called out her name."

Champion Elf Ellen Burrell, eight, from Moreton with runner up Charlotte Hughes, nine, from Spital. Winner Ellen Burrell, eight, from Moreton with runner up Charlotte Hughes, (left) nine, from Spital with judges Santa Claus, Derek Millar, Commercial Director for The Grange and Pyramids and Mayor and Mayoress of Wirral, Councillor Gerry Ellis and Mrs Margaret Ellis.

9-year-old Charlotte Hughes from Spital took the runner up prize.  The Redcourt St Anselm's pupil said:- "My gran made my outfit for me and I decorated it so I am really pleased that I have got a prize and I think my Gran will be too.  I am very happy because I didn't think I was going to win anything."

The winning elves received a stack of prizes from the Early Learning Centre, Argos, The Perfume Shop and Max Speilmann.

Derek Millar, Commercial Director for The Grange and Pyramids Shopping Centre, offered his congratulations to the little elves who took part who all received a chocolate star and a certificate for entering.  He said:- "It was terrific to see so many families joining us for the championships and I can't tell you how difficult it was to decide on a winner.  We had such an amazing age range too from little baby elves to more grown up ones and they all played their part in making the championships a huge success."

Dad Khal Olaniyan from Wallasey with Gabriel, two, and Ezra, six months. Elf Connor Tinkler, 10, with Chief Elf Harriet Leah Preston.

Mayor of Wirral, Councillor Gerry Ellis, was also impressed with the entrants.  He said:- "We were delighted to be part of the whole experience and the children and their mums and dads went to a huge effort preparing costumes and were really showing their support for the championships.  It has obviously helped bring a big boost to The Grange and Pyramids and I think the whole idea is a wonderful, festive innovation for the shopping centre."

Head Judge Santa was delighted with the standard of the elf participants.  He said:- "The Grange and Pyramids Shopping Centre is the perfect venue for the first ever Merseyside Elf Championships and I have had a wonderful time.  I would like to thank all the elves for coming and being a part of the contest. There were so many talented elves here in Birkenhead today - I was really spoilt for choice. Many congratulations to Ellen and Charlotte. They were very well deserving winners."

Happy elf, Harvey Smith, six, from Wallasey. Oliver Dath, five, from Moreton.

For more information on late night shopping and festive deals at the shopping centre where it is only £2 for a full day's parking, go to:- grangeandpyramids.co.uk.

Southport Weekender 49 sells out!

DAVE and Alex are delighted that the 2013 Southport Weekender is again a sell out. Both told us that:- "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for trusting us to deliver the soulful highlight of the year! Because of the enormous demand for this annual extravaganza, we will no longer be compiling a cancellation list. However, from experience, there will be a small number of booking parties who, for 1 reason or another, will not clear their balances by the deadline of Monday, 4 February, 2013. At this stage we can't predict what will become available, but a likely couple of hundred places will go up for grabs on Wednesday, 13 February 2013 at 1pm GMT. These tickets will only be available to purchase online. Thank you once again for your overwhelming support and loyalty, we'll be back in the new year with our live artist announcement that is sure to cause some excitement! And if you have any loved ones you are still hoping to splash out on last minute, our SuncéBeat 4 festival tickets are still on sale here. We already have some awesome names confirmed for our 2013 festival, and we'll be announcing the full line up very soon!"

Triumph for Southport MEP

SOUTHPORT Lib Dem Euro-MP Chris Davies is celebrating news today that a funding mechanism he introduced will lead to over €3 billion being; put into new clean energy technologies across Europe.

The European Commission announced that financial support for 23 innovative projects has been agreed.

Money from a fund known as the NER300 scheme, steered into law by Davies, will put €1.2 billion into technologies to test renewable energy generation. The investment will lever in an additional €2 billion of private sector investment.

2 major UK schemes to test the viability of tidal power will be amongst the projects that will qualify for financial support.

Davies said that he hoped the massive investment by the EU to promote new technology would help secure energy supplies for the future and bring down carbon dioxide levels in the future.

He explained that the money would not come from the EU budget but from the sale of surplus allowances within Europe's emissions trading system.

"Energy bills and carbon dioxide emissions are a giant worry to people in Southport and innovation will eventually bring energy prices and climate change under control.  There are very few people in public life who can claim to have secured nearly £1 billion of investment to develop technologies for the future. I know that this is the greatest achievement of my political life."

NER300 funding is based on the income of the European Emissions Trading Scheme in which the sale of the 300 million allowances (which each provide the right to emit one tonne of carbon dioxide) forms the New Entrants Reserve.

Local family's ‘Christmas Charity Shop' raises money for local cancer care facilities

A family from Merseyside raised nearly £1,500 for local cancer care facilities by selling Christmas cards, decorations, toys, clothes and household goods.

In the run up to Christmas, Rose and Keith Fairhurst added to the season's festive cheer by setting up a Christmas Charity Shop. The shop in Wallasey, raised funds for people suffering from Cancer and Crohn's Disease and Colitis, a subject very close to the hearts of Rose and Graham.

Keith said:- "We have been fundraising for many years, after our son Graeme lost his battle with cancer in 2009 at the age of 30. Graeme also suffered from Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis which affected his social life and meant Graeme often spent long periods of time in hospital."

Working closely with the Royal Liverpool University Hospital and consultant gastroenterologist John Rhodes, the family have established a charity called ‘3C'. Their aims are to raise awareness of people living with the 3C's; Cancer, Crohn's Disease and Colitis and also to funds for a new centre in the Royal for young patients with either of the 3Cs'.

Keith said:- "We want to provide modern facilities for young patients living with Cancer, Crohn's and Colitis to receive treatment in more comfortable surroundings. We want to help them lead as normal a life as possible, improving their social experience with a new facility for the new Royal, kitted out with a recreation area with comfy sofas and laptops."

To date the family have raised around £23,000 towards their target of £40,000.

Rose said:- "We want to thank the people of Wallasey for their support, they have been fantastic once again! We would also like to thank everyone who has donated goods to us, we truly couldn't have done it without you. We are looking forward to work starting on the new Royal next year and continuing to raise money in memory of our dear son Graeme."

For more information please visit:- cancercrohnscharity.com.

Counterfeit Alert

THE UK Border Force have issued a warning over web bargains after they have seen a massive rise in counterfeit goods being sent into the UK over the run-up to Christmas. The UK Border Force said reported to the UK press that it has seized 58,000 parcels and packets at the International Postal Depot in Coventry, since the start of October 2012. They also said that "almost all of the sized items were destined for individual UK addresses." Border officers added that:- "These items are most likely to have been sent to people trying to buy Christmas presents at a bargain price. Among the goods seized so far have been were fake Armani and Cartier watches, jewellery and counterfeit clothing and footwear, including Ugg Boots, Louis Vuitton Handbags and Nike Sportswear." After seizing £12 million in counterfeit goods in the UK Border Force as told the media that "all the counterfeit goods that have been sized are destroyed. We are not responsible for telling the buyers their goods have been seized and the buyers are likely to lose their money." However, the Border Force does sometimes pass on the buyers' details to the brand-name companies whose goods they ordered, so they can then be given the chance to buy the genuine article instead. Border officers are permanently based at the UK's massive national postal distribution centre and use scanning equipment to sort the fake goods from the genuine goods. Ria Baxendale, Border Force assistant director at Coventry International Hub, said:- "It is easy to think you are getting a bargain, but our message is that if something appears too good to be true, it probably is. You could end up out of pocket - but even worse, you could end up with a fake product that is inferior and could be harmful or unsafe." Home Office minister Mark Harper said cheap counterfeits were a threat to the British economy, and at worst unsafe. "Shoppers should take great care when buying online to avoid being ripped-off, and further fuelling this illegal trade."

Hillsborough developments - statement from Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson

AFTER the by the High Court, on Wednesday, 19 December 2012, to quash the original Hillsborough inquest verdicts and an announcement that a fresh Police investigation is to be held into the disaster, Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said:- "This is a watershed moment on the road to justice for the families of the 96, and I share their overwhelming relief that, after 23 very painful years, the inquest versions have been quashed. It is the only right and proper decision that the High Court could make in the wake of the overwhelming and compelling evidence uncovered by the Hillsborough Independent Panel. We must all keep up the pressure that has driven the momentum over the last few months to make sure that the families get the justice they deserve. I also welcome the new police investigation, which we all hope will result in those that played a role in causing the disaster and the monumental cover up are brought to account."

CHRISTMAS CHEER AT HAYDOCK PARK AHEAD OF THE LAST FLING OF 2012

HAYDOCK Park stages 2 more popular jump racing fixtures before the bells ring in the New Year. The racecourse hosts Blue Square Bet Tommy Whittle Chase day on the Saturday before Christmas and the popular Last Fling day on Sunday 30 December which always attracts many families over the festive period. The focus on 22 December 2012, is very much on the quality of the sport, with the principal race being the £32,500 Blue Square Bet Tommy Whittle Chase run over 3 miles. The meeting on 30 December includes The Last Fling Steeple Chase. The race is sponsored by Classic Lodges Limited, run over three and a half miles and commemorates one of the most popular horses to race at Haydock Park. Northern trainer Sue Smith; who trained The Last Fling; has a good record in the race, having saddled 2 of its winners. Racing starts on Saturday, 22 December 2012, at 12.10pm and on Sunday, 30 December 2012, at 12.20pm. Admission: Premier £45; County Stand £30; Tattersalls £20; Newton £13. All accompanied under 18s are admitted free of charge. More information about racing at Haydock Park can be found online where tickets can be purchased online.

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