Parent child parking bays causing confusion in the North West

DRIVERS in the North West are wrongly taking advantage of parent and child parking spaces, leaving mums and dads battling to find spaces with young children in tow. A new investigation by Confused.com reveals that more than 1 in 10 parent and child parking spaces, in the North West, are being misused. Researchers monitored dedicated spaces in supermarkets to find a shameful number of people misusing them; in fact, 11% of bays were being used by people without a child. And Confused.com isn't the only witness to this behaviour. Staggeringly, 73% of drivers in the North West have witnessed a parent and child parking space being misused.

This is an issue that is widespread across the UK, as the investigation revealed 26% of parent and child parking spaces are not being used correctly. Further research has found that there's confusion around the use of parent and child parking bays. Can you park in them regardless of whether you have a child with you? How old does your child have to be before you have to stop using the spaces? 16% UK drivers say the rules around parent and child parking bays are confusing. To clear up this confusion, Confused.com has compiled the guidelines for some of the top UK supermarkets so people can be confident they're adhering to the rules.

11% UK drivers who don't have children under the age of 12 and weren't travelling with a child at the time admit to using a parent and child dedicated bay. But confusion around the issue can't always be blamed, as many seem to have motivation for flouting the rules.

Top reasons for misusing a parent and child parking space:-

The misuse and confusion about parent and child parking bays is having a real impact on parents. Like disabled parking bays, parent and child parking spaces offer drivers with young children extra space and a spot closer to the store. This is to give them room to access car seats or buggies without the risk of smashing into the car next door, or to make crossing the road with young children that bit safer.

But despite this very valid reason for having dedicated parking, 32% of parents with a child under the age of 12 were forced to leave a car park because all of the dedicated parking spaces were taken. But when leaving isn't an option, parents have no choice but to find a standard parking space. In fact, 64% noticed someone misusing a parent and child parking space, which led to them having to park elsewhere.

To understand the impact this can have on parents, Confused.com has captured the frustration and struggles of having to park in a standard space in a short film. The video shows children struggling to get in and out of the car and a mum-of-3 having to gather her kids on nearby bank to keep away from traffic.

As shown in the film, not being able to use a space has forced parents into some very difficult positions. 55% of parents surveyed said they struggled to get their child out of the car due to a lack of space. But this isn't the only struggle they face when parking in standard spaces, as their child's safety can also be at risk. 24% of parents who had to park elsewhere witnessed a car speeding, which put their child at risk. 30% even had to carry their child across the car park because of traffic.

Given the seriousness of some of the situations struggling parents have faced, there are many drivers out there who want to see culprits penalised. In fact, 22% are confused as to why car parks don't fine drivers for taking advantage of parent and child parking spaces. A further 27% think all private car parks should issue fines to drivers who misuse a parent and child parking bay. However, the issue doesn't always lie with the culprits, as 50% of parents don't think the parent and children parking facilities in their local supermarket are adequate. And this is echoed in the fact that 27% have left a car park because there weren't any dedicated parking spaces at all in the car park.

Amanda Stretton, motoring editor at Confused.com, says:- "Parents face battles every day and trying to find parking at the local shop shouldn't be 1 of them. Although, given the number of people misusing parent and child parking spaces in the North West, no doubt that parents in the Region are left without a suitable place to park.  What is clear is if you aren't travelling with a child you shouldn't be parking in the dedicated spaces and instead save these for the mums and dads out there who need the space. For us parents, knowing the point at which we should be giving up these spaces is quite confusing. How old is too old for our children to be using a dedicated space? To help parents out, we've spoken to some of the top supermarkets on their rules to create a handy guide to parent and child parking. If you see someone wrongly using a parent and child parking space, you can report it using the details in our guide."

Full Programme Announced For Colours Festival Coming To Princes Park This Saturday

ORGANISERS of Colours, a new free family friendly festival coming to Princes Park this Saturday, have today announced the full programme. Live music, community organisations, street food, entertainment and attractions are on the line up, with a host of local talent and good causes promising to:- "celebrate what it is to be L8." Debuting for the 1st time at the ever regenerating Princes Park, this initiative is supported by:- The National Lottery Community Fund, Liverpool City Council's Mayoral Neighbourhood Fund, Steve Biko Housing Association, Austin Smith Fund and Torus Housing Trust. It takes place, on Saturday, 3 August 2019, from 12pm to 7pm, at Princes Park and is free to attend.

1st launched in 2016, as Lodge Lane Multi Cultural Family Fun Day, it proved hugely popular with locals and attracted hundreds of people annually, with a free day of activities for local children and their families during the summer holidays. Now, with over 12 months planning and a raft of support from local organisations and funders, organisers L8 Connections C.I.C. are re-launching bigger and better than ever before under a new name, Colours.

Colours promises a huge celebration of local grassroots music, food and community togetherness in the heart of the much loved green space with something on offer for the whole family.

There will be plenty to keep the kids entertained with a fun fair, DJ workshops, quad bikes, bouncy castles, an inflatable assault course, have a go workshops, and a chance to step into a Virtual Reality world.

The festival will also present Wake Up and Shake Up where local young people can learn about a whole range of opportunities for training, apprenticeships, volunteering and educational initiatives around the arts, sport, employability and much more.

The day also boasts a full programme of live entertainment on the Mandela8 Main Stage, featuring a stellar array of the area's best emerging talent. his include:-s headline performances from British urban artist Figure Flows and local hip-hop trio Nu Tribe.

Ditto Awards and GRM Rated Award winner Figure Flows was born in Liverpool and raised in East London. His unique blend of rap and grime tracks are drawn from influences across various musical genres from reggae to rap.

Nu Tribe have made waves in the industry, supported by Gilles Peterson and Arts Council England's Future Bubblers project; they are recognised for their unique, original style and huge stage presence.

DJ Charlie Cee will take to the decks. Renowned in the City from Liverpool's club scene he will take audiences on a journey of classic soul, RnB, reggae, hip-hop and more. He will be joined by DJ Hannah Lynch, who holds down a host of local residencies; as well as DJ Harry Mc, a young artist who was recently on tour with Boss Night playing to tens of thousands of Liverpool fans on the road to the Champions League Final in Madrid.

Visiting from Sheffield, UK pop songstress Channy is proving increasingly popular on the festival circuit, with her powerful vocals striking a chord within the music scene. She's performed with the likes of:- Jess Glynne, Sigala, Olly Murs, Nathan Sykes, Scouting for Girls and many more also playing at:- Metro Radio Arena, Bents Park, O2 Arena London and selling out her own O2 Academy tour.

Local RnB artists:- 'La Femme' are an all female collective made up by:- Miss Deep, Nicola Jane and Iona Fazer; and are certain to sooth the crowds with their amazing vocals. Bringing up extra support for this genre is the excellent Shak Omar who's rated for his slick, well produced tracks.

During the day, a host of hip-hop artists will perform including:- 'The Lyricsmith,' a 20 year old artist. from New Brighton, plus Raven Radha; an international poet, recording artist, theatre and film maker. Born in India, she travelled the world; nurtured by multicultural environments she gained a unique perspective of our planet and its people. Past collaborations/commissions include:- The British Council, Unity Theatre, Everyman and Playhouse, Random Acts North, RTYDS, KOF Music, HOME Manchester and more; she's not 1 to miss!

Next, Liverpool born artist LeeTz or Oleta Omar brings her unique mix of RnB, spoken word and poetry. She writes about what it is to be a young woman in today's society, her lyrics reflect her life growing up in Liverpool.

Also on the bill, hip hop artist Royzy Rothschild who has an upcoming tour with numerous festival dates and is supporting stellar artists including:- Lunar C, Black the Ripper, Wu-Tang, Devlin, Bugzy Malone and many more.

Sophie Blood is a young 25 year old singer/songwriter with an RnB acoustic vibe. Sophie is currently working on her 1st EP, The Healing Process which will be out this year. Left Blank is a 21 year old hip-hop producer and MC who has been steadily working his way through local urban music communities and was recently labelled 1 to watch by RIDE Music.

Finally, Saint and Nicola Jane are a hip hop and RnB collective from Liverpool UK with multiple releases under their belt, with latest work The Prevolution EP revealed in early 2019 as a 6 track EP with an old School throwback.

Some of the Regions finest dance troupes will also take to the stage throughout the day.

SR Dance are 1 of the most popular dance Schools in the area, just sit back and watch the talented dancers take over the stage, demonstrating different styles of dance and suitable for all ages.

They are joined by the ever growing and successful MD Productions. Led by Creative Director Miguel Doforo, the troupe has performed on Sunday Night Live at the:- London Palladium and Michael Jackson's Killer Thriller Party. As well as becoming 3 times Britain's Got Talent semi- finalists in 2007, 2009 and 2013 and performing at the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix in 2016 and 2017.

Joining the dancers on stage are Liverpool girl band:- 'Girl Talk' made up of young stars:- Keira, Halle, Jasmin and Alex each bringing their own unique personality and style to the band, creating a vibrant blend of star quality.

Rounding off the main stage line up are a trio of top local artists: Gabby, a young performer and multidisciplinary artist who combines theatre, poetry, dance and physical theatre. Gabby has created a poem especially for Colours. The Voice Kids UK contestant T'Mya Fyffe, the 12 year old Soprano from Liverpool won her place on the 2019 series as part of #TeamWill. Finally, young singer songwriter Lottie. She has gone from strength to strength since winning Open Mic UK and presents a collection of her original songs.

The festival will also include:- a DJ stage by:- '1 A Penny Sound' featuring the legendary:- Fadda B, Valentino, DJ2Kind, DFresh, DJ Nauti, Los Secretos and special guest Keith Marley to soundtrack the day.

There will also be lots to whet the appetite with the finest selection of food on offer.  The Street Food Village will include a selection of the finest top quality festival traders and local independents serving up mouth watering tasty treats. Krukid Figgaz will be serving up their delicious curry goat smoker and MMMM Carribbean bring traditional tastes from the West Indies. Also bringing the heat, Curry Pot will be serving up Asian curries and snacks.

Prime burgers will be available from Hollywood Hot Stuff; and healthy salads and sandwiches come from Hotlog. Italian street food connoisseurs Fritto will be serving up tasty fried calzones:- 'Panzerotti;' plus, appetising spiral potatoes from Fairy Floss. For those with a sweet tooth Minot Group will be serving a selection of fresh crepes, ice cream and fruit.

A host of leading community organisations will also be present at the event; on hand to offer advice, support and connections to young people and their families, and providing information on exciting routes to higher education and careers.

Colours is proud to be supported by and to welcome:- Anthony Walker Foundation, Employability Solutions, Friends of Princes Park, HYPE Merseyside, LFC Foundation, Liverpedlaapool, Mandela8, MODE Training, Merseyside Youth Association, No More Knives, Plastic Tactics, Real Men Don't Carry Knives, Sanctuary, Shaping Futures, Steve Biko Housing Association and St Helens Chamber.

Visitors can learn about courses and programmes for employability, skills training, creative and commercial careers; plus:- sports inclusion, acts of kindness, getting involved in social action and volunteering for the benefit of their community (and a whole lot more!)

There will be information on available local jobs and apprenticeships; as well as how to aim for gaining Higher Education at local Universities. It's a 1 stop shop for shooting for success!

Colours promises to be the event to kick start your summer holidays. Visit the groups Facebook Page for more information.