Headlines and reports on this page = 5 news items.    Page - 6.

Dark Tales haunt Bridge Cottage on Halloween night!

ON Saturday, 31 October 2015, Bridge Cottage, the 19th Century atmospheric home of the founder of Port Sunlight William Hesketh Lever, will become a dark, scary, spine tingling place full of folk tales and Halloween stories to make you shiver with fright!

The event is part of the Museums at Night initiative by Culture24, which invites all UK museums, galleries and heritage sites to throw open their doors after hours twice a year to showcase their treasures in unexpected ways.

Drawn from the sinister side of creepy stories filled with witches' tricks, betrayals, ghostly musicians and goblins and perhaps even including the former residents of the cottage, each performance will transport you into a world of darkness for an hour or so! Definitely not suitable for under 12's this night of fright will leave you with a sense of unease which lingers long after you return home to your cosy fireside and a comforting cuppa.

The evening will be hosted by Tom Hughes, a storyteller who has been sharing folk tales in castles, churches, and historic houses throughout the UK for many years. His interest is in the lesser known stories of the tradition and shorter tales rather than the epics, with Tom performing 6 or 7 tales within an hour. His storytelling style is full of local folklore and draws the audience into the action, often including tunes played on traditional instruments making this a truly immersive Halloween experience.

Professional storyteller Tom Hughes said:- "I am looking forward to telling my tales to those brave enough to come and join us in this unique house, steeped in history, in the beautiful village of Port Sunlight. It is a perfect setting for some unnerving and chilling stories and is wonderfully atmospheric. I am a firm believer that stories are not just for children and this show is aimed at adults and teenagers who will enjoy these thought provoking and sometimes unsettling tales. There is a great tradition of telling ghost stories during the long winter nights and what better time than Halloween?"

Amongst the creepy events of these tales, the audience will encounter boggarts, wishes gone wrong and the dead returning. This is not likely to be a cosy evening in a quaint cottage at all!

Tickets for Tom's 'Dark Tales in the Cottage' are available from Port Sunlight Museum, Adults £8.50, Concessions/12+ £7.50, booking essential. Performances at:- 6.15pm, 7.30pm and 8.45pm

For more information and to book tickets, call:- 0151 644 6466 or visit:- PortSunlightVillage.Com.

National Heart Charity calls for people in Merseyside to:- "Sing for their Hearts"

NATIONAL charity Heart Research UK is calling on choirs, singers and performers across Merseyside to flex their vocal chords and 'Sing for Your Hear' in the run up to Christmas.  Singing is good for your heart and recent studies have shown that the health benefits are both physical and psychological because it is an aerobic activity that increases oxygenation in the blood stream. The charity wants singers, choirs, music groups and performers will be running their own event in December 2015, to  raise money to help in the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease.

This year's appeal includes a call to local pubs in Merseyside to organise their own fundraising sing a long for the local community in the festive season. Heart Research UK has spent over £500,000 on research grants in the North West in the last 15 years and over £150,000 on healthy heart grants. Taking part in:- 'Sing for Your Heart' is easy.

All you need to do is:-

►  Choose a date in December.
►  Pick your venue.
►  Perform to an audience.
►  Raise money to help hearts near you.

Huyton based community choir:- 'Sing Along Aloud', took part in Sing for Your Heart last year and will be performing again this year, at Liverpool Central Station, on 11 December 2015, from 5pm to 5.30pm.

Linda Wooding from the choir said they really enjoyed taking part and helping hearts. "We're a community choir and we had such a good time last year doing Sing for Your Heart and a great response from the public. It was a brilliant event to do and I'd urge others to take part as you know you are also helping hearts too."

Barbara Harpham, National Director of Heart Research UK said the charity was calling on people to put on their own performance in the run up to Christmas. "Everyone can Sing for their Hearts, whether you're in a band, choir or just partial to a bit of karaoke," she said. "It's the perfect excuse to get together with friends, family and colleagues to have fun and raise money for Heart Research UK particularly in the run up to Christmas when everyone is feeling festive."

Singing is also shown to be good for your heart. Professor Graham Welch, Chair of Music Education at the Institute of Education, University of London, has studied developmental and medical aspects of singing for 30 years. He says:- "The health benefits of singing are both physical and psychological. Singing has physical benefits because it is an aerobic activity that increases oxygenation in the blood stream and exercises major muscle groups in the upper body, even when sitting."

A more recent study was carried out at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden into music and wellbeing which showed how musical structure influenced the heart rate of choir members. Bjorn Vickhoff, who led a study, said:- "Singing is good for your health. Our research indicates that it may even be good for your heart. Further research in this field is much needed, such as the long term effect of choir singing."

You can also follow Heart Research UK on Twitter: @heartresearchuk or become a fan of our Facebook Page.

Dome of Home - Restoring our past and building our future

A new film, funded by Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) as part of the Dome of Home restoration project, will be launched at a special event, at 1.30pm. on Saturday, 7 November 2015, at The Hollins Hey Hotel in New Brighton. The film is of great interest to the local and academic community, and students of history and architecture in particular. This Grade II listed, Basilica styled landmark, nicknamed by mariners in WWII, is completing its second phase of works.

Born of the vision of a singularly determined cleric in 1935, the church of Ss Peter, Paul and St Philomena was rescued from closure in 2012 and has embarked upon an ambitious series of projects funded by HLF, to breathe life back into the building. HLF are keen to engage a wider variety of people, and funded the film to appeal to a professional and student audience.

Historians will be interested in the on going collection of oral histories from past parishioners within the film showing the development for a once significant faith community from the mid-20th to early 21st Century. This collation will ensure an accurate historical record is complied for future generations. Architecturally, the conservation work to this early, 1930's built, concrete church is interesting, in view of the comparatively modern, innovative construction at the time. 

The Church is served by a young Roman Catholic order, the Institute of Christ the King, based in Florence, Italy. Rector of the church, Canon Montjean, a French man, commented:- "We are keen to involve students and young people who may seek work in history, art or architectural fields in the future."

The film will be preceded by 2, 10 minute presentations; one by Peter de Figueiredo, an eminent, local architectural historian; and the other detailing the conservation work carried out by conservation architect, Adrian Swain of IBI Group. There will be an opportunity to ask questions followed by a tour of the restoration work.

A trailer of the film:- "Dome of Home – Restoring the past and building our future" can be viewed here.

Tickets are free of charge and reserved on a 1st come 1st served, basis on Dome of Home EventBrite Page.

This project is very much in the hands of a community dedicated to securing the past history of the place as well as its future, thus indelibly linking past, present and future.

Charity hopes for hair raising Halloween

LEADING UK meningitis charity hopes to 'fright' the disease this Halloween with a host of spooktacular fundraising events.  31 October 2015 is just around the corner and Meningitis Now is urging local communities to get in the 'sprit' and host 1 of their frightening fundraisers. 

Event's organiser, Lydia Reed said:- "With half term and the buzz of Halloween just weeks away, it's a great time to let you imagination run wild and carry out your very own spooky fundraising activities.  We have some great ideas and resources on our website to get you started, including a special Halloween cupcake recipe and spooky masks for dressing up." 

Putting a ghastly spin on the much loved family 'Toddle Waddle', the charity are encouraging parents, or anyone who looks after children, to create creepy costumes and take their little monsters out for a ghostly walk.  The sponsored event, which is all about being imaginative and having fun, is free to take part in and easy to organise.

To take part, register with Meningitis Now and download your 'FREE' activities, pick a date and time that suits you, and raise as much sponsorship as possible.

 For those who would rather stay indoors, why not invite family and friends to join you for a:- 'Terrifying Time 4 Tea'. Pop the kettle on and serve creepy cupcakes, candy apples, pumpkin pie, potion punch and cauldron cake, all for a donation to the charity.  Lydia added:- "Every year people come up with some really creative and unique ideas. I'm really looking forward to what our supporters come up with this Halloween.  All monies raised by these events will help us to support those affected by the disease and enable us to undertake vital research into crucial vaccines and increase awareness of meningitis and its symptoms. Together we can beat meningitis." 

Meningitis Now is the UK's leading charity working to save lives and rebuild the futures of people affected by meningitis through research, support and awareness.  

To find out more about our Halloween fundraisers, please call:- 0345 120 4530. Also for more information on Meningitis Now and the disease, you can call:- 01453 768000 or visit:- MeningitisNow.org.