News reports located on this page = 4.

Keeping it local - Southport 92 Degrees

THE new café venture, 92 Degrees, will take over the recently vacated café space at 365 Lord Street in Southport. 92 Degrees have been successfully trading for the past 5 years at 3 locations in Liverpool, where they have established themselves as a firm favourite amongst Liverpool coffee drinkers thanks to their enthusiasm for roasting, brewing and crafting exceptional coffee.

Jack Brewitt, Managing Director and Co-Founder of 92 said:- "we're so happy to be part of the community. We can't thank everyone enough as each and every person we have spoken to has made us feel so welcome and we hope to provide the best coffee around to the Southport residents and visitors."

The company opened their doors on Lord Street, at the beginning of November 2019, and have already built a strong rapport with the residents and businesses of Southport as providers of expertly prepared coffee with great customer service. 92 Degrees' arrival to the new site offers a full coffee shop with space to sit and meet friends, work, relax and unwind, whilst providing a full range of hot and cold beverages to be enjoyed either in the café or to take away. This will be complemented by a range of freshly made good to go food options and hand roasted retail coffee.

So what do you, our readers think of this venue? Do you like it? Please email us to:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com with your thoughts.

THE former TV Nature Presenter, Professor David Bellamy OBE, from County Durham, has died, aged 86, on 11 December 2019. For many years he was an inspiration to a nation and later the World. In Southport, he was known for attending as a Patron of the Southport Flower Show, often using his TV coined catchphrase:- "Now these things are very fascinating." He was highly respected by the exhibitors and the countless visitors to the annual show.

When he attended the Southport Flower show he was often pictured peering through plants, as he did when he was on TV, as the press took photos and often encouraging other to join in.  David Bellamy will be hugely missed as he was always an entertainer when at the show.
 
Southport Flower Show said:- "We are very sad to hear of the passing of the iconic presenter, botanist and environmental campaigner, David Bellamy OBE. A Patron of Southport Flower Show for many years and a firm favourite with all our visitors. Our thoughts are with his family at this very sad time."

He was a household name as a TV personality, scientist and conservationist, best known in the 1970's to late 1990's. David Bellamy, was born in London and his enthusiasm about the environment began when he was a child, leading onto a successful TV career. He started at the BBC as a Presenter and quickly became a house hold name, who was a larger than life character, who inspired a whole generation. He was a truly brilliant and broadcaster whose many catchphrases even inspired Sir Lenny Henry's:- "grapple me grapenuts."

Sadly, this achievement was to become over looked later in his life, thanks to his comments on the BBC Children's Show, Blue Peter about wind farms, back in 1996, then came the real damage, in 2004 with his comments on climate change. In an interview he dismissed client change as:- "poppycock," and this may have been behind the ending of his TV career. Since then, his work getting so many young people interested in environmentalism, though groups like the children's environmental group:- 'Watch' has become over looked. He should also be remembered for launching the Conservation Foundation, back in 1982.

The Conservation Foundation, 1 of them many gorips he helped to form tweeted:- "The Conservation Foundation is greatly saddened to announce the death on 11 December 2019 of Professor David Bellamy OBE, our co-founder, and President. The Foundation was very special to David and he was very special to us."

Our thoughts go out to his family, colleagues and friends.

1 of Liverpool's biggest festive events raised ₤10,000 and saw more than 1,600 people enjoy a festive concert in support of the NSPCC and Childline. Carols By Candlelight at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral is an annual highlight of the City's festive celebrations, and groups performed Christmas carols to families from around Liverpool with all funds raised supporting the incredible work of the children's charity across Merseyside. Beginning with a reading from Bishop Tom Williams and compered by 13 year old Ekene Hallam, the 2019's event featured performances by the:- Wirral Schools Concert Band, PopVox Choir, Artz Group, pupils from St Matthew's Roman Catholic Primary School Choir, members of Edge Of 17 from The Hive, and Teem Wership, along with a Gospel Choir featuring staff from the NSPCC's Liverpool Hargreaves Centre.

Janette Drew, NSPCC fundraiser, coordinated the concert, which was supported by 40 members of Merseyside Army Cadets and was sponsored this year by Home Bargains. She said:- "The eleventh annual Carols By Candlelight concert had a terrific atmosphere, and our generous audience meant we raised an absolutely incredible amount. The event really goes from strength to strength. As always, it was an incredibly moving event. It's not just a wonderful festive tradition, it's a genuine lifeline for young people around the region, and the ₤10,000 raised will help transform the lives of children around the region. Thousands of young people will suffer abuse this Christmas, and we want to help every one of them through their darkest hours. The NSPCC and Childline can only do that with the aid of public donations, so Carols By Candlelight is hugely important to ensuring children around Liverpool and the rest of the country can receive support when they need it most."

In 2019, the NSPCC's Christmas campaign aims to bring A Light For Every Childhood. The campaign launched in Liverpool when the Royal Albert Dock projected a unique animation and lit up green for 3 nights in November 2019.  On 11 December 2019, Liverpool's St George's Hall, Town Hall and World Museum was also light up green in support of the Christmas campaign.  To find out more and also to donate please visit:- NSPCC.Org.UK.

Did you know? 1 in 5 children in the UK suffer abuse, and every year, specially trained Counsellors within Liverpool and around the country answer calls from children suffering their darkest hour. Sadly, 1 in 3 calls to Childline this Christmas will go unanswered, and only through generous donations can our volunteers bring a light to every childhood. Also did you know that for every ₤20, it helps to answer 5 calls to the Childline service?