Always a School day for businesses in Liverpool

A key driver in the success of Liverpool's economy, is providing the best possible education for our children.

The seminar held at the Museum Of Liverpool and The Liverpool Promise welcomed over 40 business owners, heads of 6th Forms from across the City and a presentation, by students, at Cardinal Heenan Secondary School.

The Liverpool Promise is the Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson's initiative to raise the quality of education in Liverpool and improve exam results.  It includes:-

► A challenge to Schools to improve, alongside commitments from everyone in the City to play their part in a network of promises to give Liverpool children more opportunities.

► An important element of this is the involvement of business in the City to provide information about possible:- careers, work experience, mentoring, help with work readiness and inspire young people to consider careers and working here in Liverpool.

Cllr Nick Small, cabinet member for Schools and Education said:- "We are delighted to be able to offer business owners the opportunity to engage with Schools and students about the benefits of working in Liverpool and the endless career opportunities that the City has to offer them. It's also great to hear how businesses could work with Schools and cover the practical steps any business can take to invest in the future of our City."

Running for the community in Liverpool

A new scheme where runners combine getting fit with supporting older people and working on community projects is to launch in Liverpool later this month, and is looking for runners across the City to sign up. Instead of running for miles on a treadmill or lifting weights, GoodGym Liverpool runners will channel their energy into a workout that benefits people in their community, as well as their own health.

GoodGym group runs take place each week and involve a short run led by a trainer to support a community organisation with a task such as:- planting trees, shifting earth, or clearing derelict land. As well as the group runs, GoodGym runners can also choose to be paired with an older person, aged over 60, and run to see them for a weekly social visit, called coach runs, before running home again.

Runners can also help older people with 1 off household tasks that they can't do themselves, such as fitting new lightbulbs, moving heavy furniture or some gardening. These are called mission runs.

Signing up is easy. Just visit:- GoodGym.Org. Runners who want to take part in coach or mission runs must provide 2 references, take part in online training and will also be DBS checked. GoodGym will then pair them with an older person.

GoodGym, which started in London, has been proven to reduce isolation and loneliness and to improve well being for both runners and the older people they visit.

GoodGym Liverpool has been made possible by a partnership with Liverpool City Council.

Deputy Mayor, Cllr Ann O'Byrne; herself a keen runner; said:- "This is a fantastic scheme which not only helps people keep fit but also helps them give something back to the community.  We know that social isolation affects both people's mental and physical health and with an ageing population we need to encourage as many ways as possible for people to remain connected to their communities. In recent years, we have had to scale back our preventative services such as good neighbour schemes due to cuts in Central Government funding. GoodGym has the potential to makes a real difference to our older people. People in Liverpool are famed for their willingness to help others and there is already a vibrant running scene in the City. I'd encourage runners to sign up with GoodGym and use one run a week to make a difference."

Ivo Gormley, founder of GoodGym, said:- "GoodGym is a really easy way to integrate doing something for your community into your exercise. If you're already running then it can only take 15 mins to change your route and drop in to visit an isolated older person. If you've never really considered running before, or lack the motivation, then the community that GoodGym provides and the different reasons to run can be a really easy route in."