News reports located on this page = 2.

1st investment for film fund

A brand new BBC family adventure series has become the 1st recipient of the Liverpool City Region (LCR) Production Fund. The Snow Spider, an exciting 5 part fantasy drama, is being produced by Liverpool based company Leopard Pictures which submitted a bid for financial support from the production fund following its launch back in March 2019. The fund is aimed at attracting small and large filming projects to the City Region, and as a result create more jobs, develop training initiatives and boost the local economy.

Leopard Pictures received funding towards the highly-anticipated series, and over a 6 week period filmed a number of scenes in locations across Wirral, with additional filming in Wales. These included filming along the coastline and using a vacant School as a temporary studio. They worked in partnership with Liverpool Film Office to source the locations, crew and to ensure all the relevant filming permissions were in place.

Managing Director of Leopard Pictures, Kristian Smith, said:- "Leopard Pictures is committed to making content and telling stories from the North. Liverpool is the perfect home for us. With many of us in the Leopard team having strong links to Wirral and Liverpool, we are determined to continue to grow our Liverpool base, with new people joining the team through 2020. We're incredibly grateful to Liverpool Film Office for helping us make our latest drama series."

As part of the funding agreement, Leopard Pictures, which is part of the Argonon Group, took on 6 trainees to give them on set experience, assist in camera and lighting, make up and work in the production departments. They also committed to growing their Liverpool base for as many projects as possible, and using City Region based organisations in the post production process, rather than taking that element of the work to London where it has traditionally been carried out. For The Snow Spider they partnered with Liverpool based special effects experts Sparkle VFX.

Based on Jenny Nimmo's bestselling book trilogy, and adapted for television by BAFTA award winning Owen Sheers, it will be aired on CBBC and BBC Wales in 2020.

Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:- "Liverpool City Region has long been 1of the UK's creative hubs so it was absolutely right that as a Combined Authority we invested ₤2 million in this Film Fund. It's great to see it start coming to fruition through projects like this. By attracting even more productions to film here, we can help to develop the kind of creative ecosystem that delivers highly-skilled jobs for local people, and opportunities for local businesses to grow."

Liverpool Film Office manages the LCR Production Fund and has received more than 40 formal expressions of interest since its launch in 2019. The fund was launched to mark the Film Office's 30th Anniversary.

Did you know? In 2018, the 366 film and TV projects filmed in Liverpool and the wider City Region brought in ₤16.1million to the local economy?  Also, did you know that the LCR Production Fund is supported by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority through its Strategic Investment Fund?

Police Commissioner asks victims to have a say in punishment of offenders

MERSEYSIDE'S Police Commissioner wants to hear the public's views on how people who commit Anti Social behaviour and nuisance crime should be dealt with outside of Court. Jane Kennedy has launched a consultation on the Community Remedy, which provides a list of appropriate actions for dealing with perpetrators of crime, without Court proceedings.

The consultation aims to give members of the public and victims of crime a greater say on what they think the most effective punishment is for a person who has committed such a crime. The survey, which is available here, is part of the Commissioner's work to improve the services on offer to victims of crime by asking for their views and experiences. By listening to the voices of people across Merseyside, Jane wants to improve the support they deliver to victims in the future. Your views will be taken into consideration to inform the final list of actions available as Community Remedies which will be agreed by the Commissioner and the Chief Constable, Andy Cooke.

Jane said:- "I want people across Merseyside to tell me how they think offenders who commit nuisance crime and Anti Social behaviour should be dealt with out of Court. This consultation is about empowering people to have a greater voice in the punishment of those who commit crimes against them.  By taking part in this survey, people will have a direct say in what punishments are included in the list of community remedy options that the Chief Constable and I agree and are used in the future. This is all about involving victims in the criminal justice process and trying to find ways that offenders can put right some of the harm they have caused."

The Community Remedy was introduced as part of the Anti Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 and is intended to give victims more say in the range of punishments offenders may face. Community remedies only take place in circumstances where victims are happy to be involved and in certain types of cases, such as those committed by 1st time offenders who have shown genuine remorse or where an Out of Court Disposal would be more appropriate than formal Court proceedings.

All the actions in the Community Remedy list are designed to be appropriate and proportionate to the types of offences that are committed. Depending on the crime or incident that has occurred, a Police Officer will make the final decision if a community remedy is suitable. They will discuss this with the victim and the perpetrator to make sure they both agree with the approach before using the community remedy list with the victim to determine the best action to take.

If the offender fails to comply with the action determined they can face Court action for their behaviour.

Jane added:- "Community remedies are designed to reduce reoffending by encouraging offenders to face up to the consequences of their Anti Social or criminal behaviour, to take responsibility for their actions and to appreciate the suffering they may have caused.  That is why it is so important people get involved and share their views with me. I want to hear from as many people as possible over the next 3 weeks."

Jane is asking people to share their views on these punishments through a quick online survey . The survey is open until Monday, 25 November 2019.