SCHOOL children from Linaker Primary School in Southport have raised over £300 for Children in Need after a visit from Pudsey, the nation's favourite bear. Linaker Primary School, which is part of the Endeavour Learning Trust, joined thousands across the country in supporting BBC Children in Need last month, and we were thrilled to welcome Pudsey into School. Pudsey is the iconic mascot of Children in Need, a charity that helps improve the lives of disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.  Pupils enjoyed a fun filled day of activities, from wearing spots and bright colours to taking part in fundraising challenges. Pudsey reminded pupils all the importance of kindness, generosity and helping those in need.  The School raised over £300 overall, with every penny raised going  towards making a real difference for children who need support the most. 

Mark Cunniffe, Headteacher at Linaker Primary School, commented on the fundraising. He said:- "Charity is a huge part of life here at Linaker with Empathy being a central School value. We're very proud to have played our own small part in the nationwide effort for Children in Need last month. With several hundred pounds raised, our pupils came together to make a real difference for disadvantaged children across the country. We're very proud of them."

LIVERPOOL Liberal Democrats are demanding action from the Metro Mayor as incoming timetable changes cut key Sunday services in ½ to 1 train every 2 hours.  From Sunday, 14 December 2025, Northern Trains will introduce a new timetable that Liverpool Lib Dem Councillor Liz Makinson has described as unusable for many passengers. She is calling on the Labour Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram to take action and prevent the massive cuts to the service.  The timetable changes are set to last for at least the next 6 months trains on three key routes into Liverpool.  The services, which had previously run hourly, will now run every 2 hours, making them less convenient for shoppers, sightseers, or anyone commuting to work. The services affected are trains running from:-

•  Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Airport via Newton Le Willows.
  
  

• Liverpool Lime Street to St Helens, Wigan and Blackpool.
  
  

•  Liverpool Lime Street to Warrington and Manchester Oxford Road line.

On average, 10 trains will be cut every Sunday, leaving most stations with a 2 hour gap for most of the day. Councillor Liz Makinson, Liverpool Liberal Democrat Councillor on the Merseytravel Committee, said:- "Let's face it, if your bus gets stuck in traffic or you can't find a space at the station, and you miss your train, are you really gonna sit on a cold platform in the middle of December and wait nearly 2 hours for the next train? No, of course not! It's the run-up to Christmas, the last thing our City's economy needs is reasons for people not to come to Liverpool. Northern's decision to cut these services between:- the two UK core cities is nothing more than short sighted and completely unacceptable.  Why have any of our Labour MPs or the Metro Mayor spoken out about this? They should join us in calling on Northern to maintain hourly train services on Sundays to Liverpool. These cuts are going to turn shoppers away, and that will have a knock on effect on Liverpool's economy, not just this December but well into the new year. In the past, privatisation has been to blame for Northern's poor performance. However, Northern Trains has been run by the Government for the last 5 years. We need a firm promise from Northern and Government ministers that this will be the last timetable that leaves Liverpool with a 2nd class service."