Turn up the volume at Central Library

MUSIC lovers will be swapping reading for rock in Liverpool's Central Library for a special gig in December.  The award winning national initiative Get it Loud in Libraries is coming to the City for the first time and will see an up-and-coming band perform in the newly restored Grade II listed building.  4-piece alternative rock band from North London Wolf Alice will be the 1st band to perform in Central Library on Saturday, 7 December 2013. They will be following in the footsteps of other acts who have played at libraries across the UK when they were starting their music careers; including Florence and The Machine, Adele, Jessie J, Ellie Goulding and Plan B. Liverpool City Council's Assistant Mayor and Cabinet Member for Culture and Tourism, Councillor Wendy Simon, said:- "One of our aims with the restored Central Library was to make it a venue that could be used for a wide variety of events; and a concert fits the bill perfectly!  It will be fantastic to see Discover, which is the children's area, taken over by a live band which isn't something you see every day in a library."  Plans are already being put into place for further gigs next year, along with workshops aimed at those interested in breaking into the music industry, with advice from professionals on the best ways to gain work experience, market and promote shows and understand more about event management.  Loud in Libraries Director, Stewart Parsons, said:- "Thanks to the Arts Council and Paul Hamlyn Foundation funding we are thrilled to be working with Liverpool's Central Library to bring great music to young people who may not have had the chance to see live performance in such a small, intimate space.  We're hoping to change their perception of libraries and in the future bring them opportunities to learn about rock journalism, gig photography, artist management and how to put on a buzzing event in a great venue."

Tickets are just £6 and can be bought online.  Doors open at 7pm.

Southport recycled newspapers back within a week

RECYCLED newspapers are now the single biggest source of material for new newspapers, a North West Euro-MP has been told.  Liberal Democrat Chris Davies has met with managers at the Shotton paper mill in North Wales to hear for himself how important recycling has become.  Shotton, which is owned by Finnish company UPM, employs over 300 people and is the world's biggest single line recycling centre.  More than 80% of waste paper collected across the North West of England is now recycled. Shotton deals with both separated paper and mixed waste, turning all the paper into quality newsprint that can be back in the newsagent within a week.  The 2000 tonne a day supply of waste paper is essential to the plant's business. Making paper from trees can cost 3 times as much as making it from recycled material.  Davies, who is the Liberal Democrat leader on environmental issues in the European Parliament, has been working with European paper manufacturers to try and prevent more waste paper being exported to China.  Empty ships returning to China already provide a cheap means of transport for the material, and lower labour costs in the country mean that it poses a serious competitive threat to paper mills in Europe.  The MEP is fighting a proposed change to EU laws on recycling quality standards that could lead to even more waste paper being shipped overseas.  His motion to reject the proposal has secured cross party support from the European Parliament's environment committee, but he now has to win the backing of the full Parliament in December.  Davies said:- "EU laws have done a huge amount to promote recycling in the UK and encourage investment here from companies like UPM.  This latest proposal from the European Commission is well-meaning and might encourage even more recycling, but the fear is that this could end up happening in China not here. There is a very good chance that MEPs will support me and reject the legislation next month. It would be a mistake to risk putting up paper prices and seeing paper mills in Europe close."