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China in your
hands
LIVERPOOL'S Lord Mayor is
asking local residents to check their cupboards for china or clear
their kitchen of kitsch in a bid to give a new Veterans Centre a bit
of a lift.
The Veterans Welcome Centre will be based at the Port of Liverpool
Buildings, which has been kindly loaned to the Battle of Atlantic
70th Commemoration Organising Committee courtesy of Downing
Developments free of charge. It will be open on
Saturday, 25 May, Sunday, 26 May 2013 and Monday, 27 May 2013 from
12 noon to 4pm, to coincide with the Battle of the Atlantic
commemorations weekend.
Lord Mayor, Councillor Sharon Sullivan, will launch the appeal for
china cups and saucers at at the Town Hall on, Friday, 22 February
2013.
Councillor Sullivan said:- "This is a great idea, and will
hopefully give the veterans somewhere to go during this fantastic
weekend to rest their legs, enjoy a cuppa and have a chat with
fellow veterans. I hope to encourage as many people to go through
their cupboards and root out all their old china cups and saucers;
they don't have to be matching just in good condition and able to
hold a strong cup of tea!"
Battle of the Atlantic veterans Jack Brotheridge and Frank Holding
will be at the Town Hall on Friday, 22 February 2013, to hopefully
take collection of the 1st of many donations.
Jack was involved in 22 Atlantic Convoys, Malta Convoy, Secret
service operations and every invasion except D-Day being otherwise
engaged in the Anzio bloodbath. While Frank Holding, 91 was onboard
ships that were both sunk during the Battle of the Atlantic. Joining
them will be current serving Liverpool Sea Cadets and Arctic Convoy
Veterans, Arthur
Micklewright and Frederick Orme.
Anyone wanting to donate their old crockery can simply drop it off
at the Town Hall, High Street, Liverpool up to and including Monday,
8 April 2013, Monday to Friday from 9.00am to 5.00pm.
It is hoped that by having such a facility available veterans will
be encouraged to come into the City and enjoy the celebrations while
having somewhere to go, with their families, and take a break.
Liverpool Sea Cadets will be on hand for the weekend serving tea,
coffee and biscuits to veterans and their families from 12noon until
4pm each day.
The Veterans Welcome Centre is sponsored by the Seafarers UK, Royal
Navy and Royal Marines Charity and The Royal British Legion. Once
the Centre closes after the Battle of the Atlantic weekend, all
crockery will be given to the Liverpool sea cadets for them to
donate to local sea faring charities. |
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County Council
cuts threaten future of Lancashire's only professional orchestra!
17 years of high quality,
innovative music making and education could end if Lancashire County
Council (LCC) reduces Lancashire Sinfonietta's current funding
grant. The Sinfonietta is the county's only professional orchestra,
created to enable top classical players and stars from Lancashire
including Alfie Boe (tenor) and Amanda Roocroft (soprano) to return
and take great music into local communities. It has also been a
vehicle for inspiring a passion for music in thousands of children
and young people. LCC has had the imagination to establish and
sustain this unique orchestra as a major part of Lancashire's
cultural landscape over the past 17 years. Since becoming an
independent charity 6 months ago the orchestra has been encouraged
by LCC to seek other sources of funding. However, the news has come
that it could now face a 50% plus cut in its funding from LCC, and
the speed and severity of this cut means the Sinfonietta could face
closure by the end of June. Lancashire County Council has
significant pressure on its budgets arising from central government
cuts and the entire amount they have to distribute to the
Sinfonietta, and an estimated 20 other applicants, is roughly the
same as the orchestra received on its own last year.
Fiona Sinclair, General Manager at Lancashire Sinfonietta, said:-
"The Sinfonietta is a unique and precious resource. We support
the Council's strategic objectives in a special way; effectively
delivering a cultural, educational and social agenda for the people
of Lancashire through our activities. Although we appreciate the
County Council's support in establishing us as a company, there is
no way that we could set up alternative sources of funding in the
short time we have been given."
The Sinfonietta is a cornerstone of the brand new Lancashire Music
Education Hub, which is an important development for music education
in the UK and places the orchestra at the centre of musical learning
in Lancashire. The orchestra's family programme, The Sound
Playground, is also going from strength to strength, helping to
develop children's early learning and building audiences of the
future. This is all over and above the superb performances it brings
into the heart of communities in Lancashire; where no other
orchestras go; championing talent and inspiring audiences.
The Sinfonietta is appealing to
its valued supporters and members of the public to contact
Lancashire County Council and urge them to reconsider this decision.
To lend your support to this campaign, please contact:-
office@lancs-sinf.com or call:- 07967 091327 for more
details. |
