Man dies after a collision with bus on Lord Street

A local Arriva Bus was involved in a tragic accident on 21 October 2019. Just after 8am, the bus collided with a male pedestrian, on the Lord Street, near the Town Hall. According to residents and also local businesses, the bus was taking children to school. Emergency services quickly attended and the road was sealed off for until around 3pm that day. Sadly the male was pronounced dead at the scene. We are told that number of School children were reported to have been on the bus at the time of the incident and have since spoken to Merseyside Police Traffic Officers, including the bus driver. We are told that investigations surround the incident continuing and anyone who witnessed the collision, especially anyone who might have dash cam footage, are being asked to come forward.

Confirming the tragic news a Merseyside Police spokesman said:- "We are appealing for information following a fatal collision in Southport, on 21 October 2019. A report was received shortly after 8.10am that a collision had taken place involving a bus and a male pedestrian, on Lord Street. Police, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and the North West Ambulance Service attended and the man was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. Anyone with information is asked to contact Merseyside Police via calling:- 101, quoting incident reference number:- 199 of 21 October 2019."

Sadly at the time of running this report, the male has not been formally identified and efforts by Merseyside Police are ongoing to identify him and inform his next of kin.

If you where involved or witnessed this incident or have been affected by a similar trauma that is affecting you, please don't suffer in silence. Witnessing any accident can be traumatic, so don't hesitate to reach out. It is ok not to be ok. If talking to friends and family is not helping, suggest that you talk with someone like your GP, who can refer you to specialises in helping people cope with traumas you have witnessed. You can also call Samaritans on:- 116 123.

A new social club to bridge the generation gap and help fight loneliness is among the good causes in the Allerton area of Liverpool set to receive a slice of a ₤10,000 community fund from Redrow. Speech and language therapy for children with additional needs, Scout hut maintenance, a school community garden project, South Liverpool food bank, a walking group for parents and toddlers and the Marie Curie Hospice are the other beneficiaries of the voluntary fund linked to the Allerton Gardens development.

Since 2016 Redrow has gifted more than ₤100,000 to community projects across the North West via voluntary community funds launched alongside its new homes developments. The company has also offered practical assistance and materials, including helping with renovations to community centres.

Beneficiaries of the new Allerton Fund include:-

► Circus Starr.
► Down Syndrome Liverpool.
► Springwood Heath Primary School.
► 13th Allerton (all Hallow) Scout Group.
► Cornerstone Church Liverpool.
► Liverpool Cares.
► South Liverpool Food Bank.
► Quarry Athletic FC.
► Yummy Mummies and Little Bunnies.
► Marie Curie Hospice.

Liverpool Cares will use its share of the funding to set up a social club programme in the Allerton area, bringing young professionals and older neighbours together.

Rachael Forde, from Liverpool Cares, said:- "I was so overwhelmed when I heard our funding request was successful that I cried! Liverpool is a wonderful place, with music, laughter, personality and spirit at its core. But the City we call home is growing and changing at double speed, leaving many young professionals feeling anonymous and isolated, and many older neighbours feeling left out and left behind. We bring these 2 groups together through social clubs where younger and older neighbours share stories and explore the City together. With Redrow's help we'll be setting up a social club in the Allerton area, which is designed to bring people together to enjoy social time, swap stories and collaborate to learn new skills."

The voluntary ₤10,000 community fund is in addition to Redrow's statutory obligations linked to the 100 home Allerton Gardens development.  Jason Newton, sales director for Redrow Homes (NW), said:- "We introduced these voluntary funds to celebrate the spirit of the neighbourhoods we operate in and to give something back to the communities. We had a great response to the Allerton Fund and received a good mix of applications from worthy causes in the local area. With only ₤10,000 to share the panel had tough decisions to make and tried to distribute the funds to reach a good cross section of the community."

Almost ½ of Allerton Gardens' 33 acres will remain as green space, with 10 acres of publicly accessible parkland, plus informal footpaths and meadow grassland for informal play and enhanced biodiversity.