THE PEOPLE’SPROTEST

Life www.jmu-journalism.org.uk

Liverpool

5th March 2013

By Karina Galli and Paul Collins

A fresh challenge has been launched against the government’s so-called ‘bedroom tax’, on behalf of disabled and vulnerable children.

The problem follows concerns that disabled people will be dispropor-tionately affected by the change in benefi t rules. It is thought that around eight out of ten people affected by the tax would be disabled.

Next Tuesday, March 12, a High Court judge will rule on the appli-cation to have a full review of the policy before it comes into effect on April 1st this year.

However, last week Prime Mister David Cameron said that he would look into “any individual case” as a string of opposition MPs lined up to attack the Government’s new plans.

A series of protests are being planned across Liverpool with the next one taking place on March 16th, organised by Labour Left, the larg-est Labour think tank in the United Kingdom.

Organisers are inviting people to gather in front of Liverpool Crown Court in Queen Elizabeth Square in protest against the bedroom-tax pol-icy.

Last week, hundreds of protes-tors turned up in Bootle to express their anger at the proposed tax.The demonstration was organised by the grassroots pressure group Stand Up in Bootle.

Ritchie Jones, a local resident and member of the group, said: “We are a group organised by the people for the people. Today has been brilliant - communities are working and stand-ing together.”

Protestors gathered at the offi c-es of the social housing association

One Vision on Caspian Place and then proceeded to parade on Stanley Road.

The procession of demonstrators received large support from pas-sers-by and drivers all along the way to the Sefton Plus One Stop Shop, where they stopped and expressed

their anger at the proposals.Martin Ralph, from the Liverpool

Trades Council, said: “We had a pe-tition in Old Swan, and some coun-cillors came asking us: have you got permission for this banner? One was asking us to bring it down but we just said that banner will come down when we say it comes down!”

Over the past week, there have been several cases of legal proceedings launched against the Government on the ground that the tax breaches the Human Rights Act.

Margaret Henderson, who lives in Bootle, said: “I am engaged with some of our colleagues in preparing legal test cases, if necessary, we’ll go to the European Court of Human Rights.”

Fury grows over room tax

TAKING TO THE STREETS: Protesters in Bootle gathering to express their anger at the changes

In the news this week...Wirral golfer tests the very limits of human endurance

More on page 13

The people who enjoy making drama out ofcrisis

More on page 11

Concerns grow over newMerseysidewaterfront plans

More on page 6

‘That banner

will come down when

we say it comes down!’

EditorJosh KillnerNews EditorJamie AllenNewsKatie CroftKate MolyneuxJoel RichardsSanna ZahidFeatures editorJess EtheringtonFeaturesDani BaldwinSophie MarsdenEmma Callum

Elisha StorrowSport editorSam McDonnell Sports Eivind Haugstad KleivenSarah BoldPicture EditorDan Farrell

LifeLiverpool

Team

Life/News/2

Asian dance helps dementia sufferersby Rachael Bentham

Dementia sufferers attended a per-formance of cultural Indian and Chinese dance in an innovative way to help treat the disease which affects memory loss in the elderly.

‘Fleeting Moments’, which took place at The Bluecoat, was run by North West dance company Cha-turangan who work with several partners to help those with disa-bilities thorough the art of South Asian dance. They receive fund-ing from Liverpool City Council and the Arts Council to carry out their projects.

The performance was used to enhance the health and wellbeing of people with early onset demen-tia. The artists’ worked with a fo-cus group of the target audience to help create the production that was held last week. Sensitive audience participation was encouraged as Indian, Chinese and contempo-rary pieces were performed with breaks in between.

Chaturangan Artistic Director, Bisakha Sarker said: “The dream

to produce this show came from the belief that every moment is precious and we can give people a chance to live in the present moment and enjoy that time. It is known that even if one cannot remember what happened they can still remember that they had a good time.”

Dr Richard Coaten, NHS dance movement psychotherapist called the performance “cutting edge”.

In 2010, the company held the fi rst ever national dance and de-mentia conference in Liverpool which included dance perfor-mances and fi lms teamed with ac-ademic papers to show how dance can help those with mental health problems including neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.

They have also worked with the families and mothers of children with disabilities to teach dance routines for them to perform.

Bisakha Sarker said: “I am try-ing to extend a helping hand to those living with Dementia and their companions. As opposed to

the condition dementia itself, it is giving them an opportunity to attend a dance and music perfor-mance, like any of us, to lift their spirits.”

“There is no claim to show it slows the process or cure it. How-ever, if someone who is living with dementia strongly believes that it slows down the process at

least that is how he feels.”The next performance of ‘Fleet-

ing Moments’ will take place in September. Tickets available from www.chaturangan.co.uk/

Indian and Chinese dancers perform for the elderly with dementia ©Simon Richardson

Worldwide fi lm fest due in Liverpool

by Philippa Probert

A Liverpool school may see its school day times changed after taking part in a sleep documentary run by Channel 4.

The University Academy in Dingle has been fi lming for the documentary since they were ap-proached by Channel 4 just before Christmas and the programme will study the sleeping patterns of stu-dents.

The school’s Assistant Principal, Emmett Clerkin, has said that the school would be willing to look into changing the times of the school day if this means an im-provement in students focus.

He said: “Channel 4 approached us last year but we turned down their offer but they came back again this year and we said yes because sleeping patterns are a major issue that we have within the school.”

The documentary will focus on seeing whether there is a link between children who have poor sleeping patterns and how they perform in school. The pro-gramme is due to be aired on 19th March this year and will run over a fi ve -week period.

Emmett Clerkin said: “Kids come into school looking tired so we are hoping to be able to look at the fi ndings and address the prob-lem. Children have poor progres-sion due to being over tired and hopefully from this we can receive expert advice and feedback.”

The documentary will have a huge focus on technology. In par-ticular, the impact that playing on an Xbox late at night could have will be looked into. Some of the school’s pupils have also had cam-eras installed in their bedrooms in the hope to follow them and their behaviour.

Mr Clerkin told Liverpool Life that the children’s parents were co-operative because they would like assistance in making their child realise that they need sleep.

by Rachael Bentham

An international fi lm festival is coming to a locally run cinema in Crosby showing a selection of action packed outdoor documen-taries.

The Banff Mountain fi lm festi-val has taken place in Banff, Cana-da every year since 1975 attracting fi lm makers and outdoor enthusi-asts. It then sets off on its world tour to 35 countries and 285 com-munities including that of Crosby in north Liverpool after fi rst com-ing to the UK in 2010.

Around eight short fi lms on the subject of active and outdoor ad-ventures and expeditions will be shown this year including ‘Cross-ing the ice’, about two Australians on a dangerous expedition from Antarctica to the South Pole and ‘Reel Rock: Honnold 3.0’ about a man who climbs mountains with-out the aid of ropes.

On their website, the Plaza cin-ema said: “We are overjoyed to be bringing back the Banff Moun-tain Film Festival this year with some of the most exhilarating and breath-taking documentaries from some of the most fearless and spectacular fi lm makers from across the Globe.”

Say no to teenage abuseby Rachael Laird

A campaign that is aiming to pre-vent teenagers becoming victims of abusive relationships is being backed by St. Helen’s Council.

The campaign, which is running until the end of April, encourages teenagers to re-think their views of acceptable violence, abuse or controlling behaviour in relation-ships and directs them to places for help and advice.

The campaign website; thisisa-buse.direct.gov.uk, gives teen-

agers the chance to discuss issues with their peers and get access to support and advice.If you need help either for being an abuser or a victim of domestic abuse then there are contact details.

Councillor Richard McCauley said: “Many people might not re-alise that they are in an abusive relationship, so hopefully the campaign will fl ag up some of the warning signs.”

To fi nd out more or for campaign material, including leafl ets and posters go to sthelens.gov.uk.

The Playground VIP lounge © adamjohns photography

Trial to let sleepy pupilslie in

by Andrew McKenna

The Playground, Liverpool’s ce-lebrity hotspot today faced a li-cence review due to illegal drugs being found on the premises.

The nightclub, situated in the Hilton Hotel was launched by George Panayiotou in Decemeber 2011 and has already sparked ru-mours of violence in the club ear-lier this year.

Liverpool’s licensing committee met today to discuss the license. Police have not called for the li-cense to be revoked although they have told the club to introduce drug-scanning technology includ-ing cocaine scanning systems on entry and also to carry out regular checks in the toilets. Any spokes-man for the club has refused to comment.

Drug scanners for city’s VIP club

Council set to approve multi-million pound site move for Walton schoolby Michaela Routledge

A Liverpool City councillor has today welcomed new plans to build a £17 million building for Archbishop Beck Catholic Col-lege.

The Liverpool school, which is currently situated on Cedar Road in Walton, will relocate to Long Lane and Friday will see Liver-pool Council’s cabinet give the go ahead for work to commence on the new site.

Eco-friendly features will be built into the structure including a solar-panelled roof and the project will also be green with all of the excess created in the construction being recycled.

The site is to boast a range of exciting facilities with new dance studios, a basketball court and a theatre. Cabinet member for ed-ucation and children’s services,

Councillor Jane Corbett said that she is excited to see the fi nished product, which is to be unveiled next year.

She said: “The new Archbishop

Beck College building will be a beautiful, sustainable and inspir-ing educational space for all the young people and all the staff and will also be of real benefi t to the wider community.

“This has been a long time in the planning and while the gov-ernment are putting more and more families under pressure with

their cuts and causing more pov-erty, the Liverpool Council and the Mayor are determined to keep our young people safe and keep their hopes and dreams alive to do the very best and this building is proof of that.”

The new proposal is part of a bigger plan to rebuild 12 lo-cal schools over four years and comes after the government’s de-cision to cut the Building Schools For The Future (BSF) project which looked to renovate 26 Mer-seyside schools.

Assistant headteacher, Bruce Hicks, told The Liverpool Echo: “It will offer a 21st-century edu-cation for the whole community.

“There was tremendous dia-logue with the whole communi-ty, including parents and pupils whose opinions were sought and acted upon in terms of the de-sign.”

Life/News/3

Hillsborough campaigner Marga-ret Aspinall has been named Mum of the Year at a star-studded cere-mony at the weekend.

Margaret, whose 18 year old son, James died at the 1989 Hills-borough disaster is the chairwom-an of the Hillsborough Family Support group.

Over the last 12 months Marga-ret, families and their supporters have seen the truth of the Hills-borough disaster come out and they continue fi ghting for justice of their loved ones.

Former Spice Girl Mel C col-lected the Celebrity Mum of the Year award at the ceremony, which she attended with her mum Joan O’Neill.

The chairwoman was a guest of honour at the event in London’s Savoy Hotel on Sunday where she accepted the Tesco Campaigning Mum of the Year award on behalf of the families who have been fi ghting for justice over the past 23 years.

Tesco judges said: ‘‘Margaret’s utter determination to seek justice and her unbelievable strength in the face of such a tragedy make her a true inspiration.’’

The accolade was not just rec-ognition of the huge strides made following the Hillsborough In-dependent Panel’s report in Sep-tember, but of Margaret’s tireless campaigning work since the 1989 tragedy, said Tesco bosses.

After receiving the prestigious award, Margaret said: “We can’t get our loved ones back, but we can get what we achieved – which is the truth.

Justice campaigner is mum of the yearby Rachael Laird

by Joel Richards

Margaret Aspinall (centre) with Mel C and her mother Jean O’Neill

“I think it’s a good legacy to leave behind because this can nev-er be allowed to happen again.

When Margaret Aspinall found out that her son had died, her world changed for ever.

She said: “It was the worst day of my life and I knew I had a fi ght on my hands to uncover the truth.”

“This award I not only accept on my behalf, but on behalf of all the families within our group because they have all done a wonderful campaign for the past 24 years”.

She said: “It was the worst day of my life. I knew I had to fi ght to uncover the truth.”

Margaret has never missed a meeting and she was on the com-mittee for 16 years, before becom-ing Vice Chair and then Chairman four years ago.

She said: “Everything was new to me. I’d never dealt with the law or the police. I was a part-time cleaner and stay-at-home mum and couldn’t even drive a car. I wouldn’t have ever thought I was capable of lobbying high-profi le MPs and celebrities and speaking out on TV – but I was determined to get justice for James and I knew that was what needed to be done for the 96 who were lost.”

The efforts of Margaret and the group paid off when the Hills-borough Independent Panel Re-port stated that the fans were not to blame for the disaster and that some fans could have been saved if the correct procedures had been in place. It was an emotional mo-ment for Margaret.

She said: ‘I know I’ll never get my son back, but I’ve fi nally got the truth. We’ve made sure that nothing like Hillsborough will ever happen again.”

A long-time Hillsborough cam-paigner has expressed her con-cerns after a top police offi cer accused Hillsborough families of lying about the tragedy in a leaked email to colleagues.

South Yorkshire police Chief Constable David Crompton apologised last week for the email, in which he claimed the campaign group represent-ing families, had their own “version” of the events which occurred at the stadium in April 1989.

However Sheila Coleman from the Hillsborough Justice Campaign believes the timing of the email, just days before the release of the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s report, showed a contingency plan for the force.

Speaking to JMU Journal-ism, she said: “He would have known what would have been levelled at South Yorkshire Po-lice and it was a sense of action.

“There was also a real crit-icism of the Justice Campaign and he said they’ll have their version of events.

“What was concerning was I sat behind him a month later while he gave evidence where he accepted the fi ndings and apologies. The issue is what made him change his mind so quickly? And what does he think is the truth?”

The email, made public fol-lowing a Freedom of Informa-

The daughters of a Hillsborough disaster victim have taken to Twit-ter to campaign for the men that helped carry their father away on a stretcher.

Sisters Claire and Amy McGlone were just two and fi ve years old at the time their father, Alan McGlone, died in the 1989 Hillsborough

They have uploaded a picture which shows Alan being carried across the pitch by two paramed-ics, two police offi cers and two fans.

Claire, who is now 26, is appeal-ing for the two men that carried her dad, who was 28 at the time, to come forward.

Claire and Amy do not know whether Alan was alive or not at

Police chief apology rejected by families

Sheila ColemanDaughters seek unknown heroesby Emma Kemmery

Surgery plan to tackle obesity crisis in the cityby Sara Ainsworth

More people will be entitled to gastric band surgery to tackle the obesity problem in Liverpool.

Figures published last month highlight the issue of the eating epidemic in Merseyside as obesi-ty is a particularly big problem in Knowsley, which has the highest rate in the North West and affects more women than men.

Being overweight puts strain on the body and can increase the risk of long-standing illness and cause high blood pressure.

Body Mass Index is the most accurate way to measure obesity; no specialist equipment is needed so it is an accurate way to deter-mine whether a person is over-weight by adding their height and weight calculation together.

People with a BMI of more than 40 are entitled to help on the NHS.

In January two supercentres were opened in Countess of Chester and Fazakerley hospitals which are unique to the UK.

As many as 3,000 people in Merseyside are in need of help on the NHS, but currently only one in 300 people are entitled to surgery.

The two hospitals are now hop-ing to increase the operations, giving 1,000 people access to the surgery.

Three out of four gastric band operations are a success, but sometimes complications can in-clude internal bleeding and even death.

Being very overweight can in-crease the chances of developing side effects.

Health Minister Dr Dan Poulter said: “We are already taking the lead to help people make healthier choices — by working with indus-try we have helped to reduce fat, sugar and salt in foods and thanks to the Change4Life campaign we are targeting more and more children and families with infor-mation on how to eat well, move more and live longer.

“From April, local authorities will be given a ring-fenced budget of £5.4bn over two years by the Government to help tackle public health issues such as obesity in their communities.

“But this is not just a matter for Government — we look to industry, health professionals and voluntary groups to work jointly to help individuals improve their diet and lifestyles.”

Last week it was revealed that Merseyside hospitals have collec-tively invested £300,000 on bari-atric beds to cope with the rise in obese patients.

The Liverpool Convention Bu-reau recently announced that they will be hosting the European Con-gress on Obesity (ECO) in May which will discuss the latest sci-entifi c developments in the treat-ment and prevention of obesity.

More than 3,000 scientists, clinicians and health profession-als will attend the four-day event which will bring in approximately £5million to Liverpool.

tion request, also said: “I just have the feeling that

the media ‘machine’ favours the families and not us, so we need to be a bit more innovative in our response to have a fi ghting chance otherwise we will just be road kill.”

Ms Coleman revealed the HJC’s lawyers have put a formal complaint to the In-dependent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) after they decided not to take any action against Crompton. However the group’s spokeswoman has ex-pressed her dismay at the police watchdog’s decision.

She told JMU Journalism: “The thing is, it’s really disap-pointing when the IPCC can criticise it but not take action because once again, offi cers like him who are willing to communicate and apologise, we then fi nd that they’re still of the mind-set that they didn’t do anything wrong.

“It’s very distressing and there needs to be action taken especially as he’d only just tak-en up that position and he came from West Yorkshire Police where he worked with Norman Bettison!”

South Yorkshire police and crime commissioner Shaun Wright had reported the matter to the Independent Police Com-plaints Commission and the Home Secretary.

He said he was “disappointed” at Mr Crompton’s remarks.

In a statement Mr Wright ac-knowledged that the email has ‘serious implications for public confi dence’ but noted that the IPCC said a formal referral was not required:

“As previously stated, I have raised my concerns and disappointment with the Chief Constable but I have now ac-cepted the apology he has issued and I believe I have taken all appropriate action at this stage to deal with the matter.”

IPCC Commissioner Nicholas Long said: “The IPCC has considered the content of these emails and documentation carefully.

“The majority of it raises no issues, but there was, howev-er, one email from the Chief Constable which caused me concern.

It referred to preparing what “amounts to the case for the defence” and stated that the “Hillsborough Campaign for Justice’s…version of certain events had become the truth even though it isn’t”.

the time of the picture, and are looking for information on why he was not being carried straight to the morgue.

Alan was one of 96 fans that were killed in the Hillsborough disaster which followed the FA Cup semi-fi nal match between Liverpool FC and Nottingham Forrest.

The release of the Hillsborough Independent Panel report last Sep-tember revealed the true extent of the disaster and has given the fam-ily a new desire for answers about their father’s death.

If you have any information, Claire can be contacted on Twit-ter via @claire_mcglone and Amy can be reached at @amyjft96. Al-ternatively, email david.bartlett@liverpool.com.

Liverpool will host their fi rst St George’s Day festival on Sunday April 21st in a day-long event to promote the city’s St George’s Quarter.

The Plantagenet Medieval So-ciety will be providing entertain-ment as they look to recreate the action involved with medieval combat.

Children can attend in fancy dress and will be able to join in with the events as part of the fes-tivities. This would include taking part in medieval arts workshops, costume dressing and a knight’s trail.

National Museums Liver-pool will go to the High Court next month seeking more than £3.5million in compensation from architects following design problems with a new building.

Manchester based fi rm AEW Architects and Designers Ltd have denied the claims of any wrongdoing or professional neg-ligence when working on the £72million building.

The trial will take place on April 22nd when NML will try to claim back what it cost to rectify the damage they believe AEW were at fault for.

A new scheme aimed at saving more lives has been launched by Merseyside Fire and Rescue ser-vice as they announced plans to put defi brillators in fi re engines.

Automatic External Defi brilla-tors will be located in all 26 sta-tions across Merseyside and all other fi re service buildings across the region for use on staff and members of the public.

The Fire and Rescue Service have worked closely with the British Heart Foundation, North West Ambulance Service and the NHS to ensure that these life-sav-ing services can be provided.

Fire engines to carry life-saving devicesDesign rowGeorge’s day

Campaign launched to stop drink-drivers on Merseyside

by Adam Davies

Drivers in Merseyside are being reminded about the dangers of drink-driving as well as the fi-nancial implications if they are caught for the first time.

Merseyside Police are work-ing with the Government’s latest Think! Campaign, which has been launched this month, to deter drivers from drink driving this spring. As well as warning motorists about the dangers of drinking before getting behind the wheel, drivers are being asked to also consider the financial implica-tions of being caught.The financial costs of drink

driving have been calculated by the campaign to be at an estimat-ed £20,000 to £50,000 if they are caught for the first time. Chief Inspector John Hogan, head of Roads Policing said: “We will not only crackdown on irresponsible drivers but also educating people about the dan-gers and personal cost of drink driving.“We all know that drink driving risks lives but as the THINK campaign highlights there is also a hidden cost amounting to thousands of pounds reflecting fines, rise in insurance premiums and possible job losses faced by those convicted. “Do you know that you could be

£400,000 revamp for Croxteth Hall Rare bird spreads its wings A wing of Croxteth Hall will be restored to its former glory after being damaged by a fire over 60 years ago. The Queen Anne or south-west wing was hit by a catastrophic blaze in December, 1952. The exterior of the hall was retaining, however, the interior was badly damaged and has remained out of bounds ever since. A £400,000 programme has now been put in place to bring two of the damaged rooms next to The Old Dining Room back to life. The programme, funded by the Croxteth Estate Endowment

Trust Fund, will allow the rooms to be available for public use once more. The rooms will not only be re-stored to their former glory with elegant décor but an extra toilet and bar area will also be added to the hall. The idea behind the restoration and added toilet and bar area is to make the Hall’s Library and Old Dining Room with the new-ly restored rooms available to be hired out for functions such as weddings receptions. The work, which has been ap-proved by English heritage, is expected to begin in spring and be finished by this summer.

by Karina Galli

One of the world’s rarest spe-cies of bird has been released back into the wild - with the help of Chester Zoo. The Bali Starling was under threat of illegal poaching and reduced the native population to just six birds back in 2001. But with the help of Ches-ter Zoo four pairs of the rare birds, which have been classed by conservation organisations as critically endangered, have been released into a carefully selected area in the heart of the Indonesian island. Over the past few years con-servation breeding efforts have

seen a small recovery of be-tween 50 and 115 of the birds, which is why the release back into the wild marks a signifi-cant step forward for the long-term survival of the species. Dr Roger Wilkinson, Chester Zoo’s Head of Field Conserva-tion and Research, said: “This stunning starling is critically endangered because it has an extremely small range and a tiny population, which is suf-fering from illegal poaching for the cage-bird trade. “However, a lot of hard work by dedicated people who care enough to try and save this wonderful species has now seen us reach this momentous

moment where we’ve been able to help release eight birds into the wild. “The area they were released was specially picked as it was well protected and had staff able to monitor the rare birds. “Quite a crowd turned out as most people local to the area had never seen a live Bali Star-ling before.” Chester Zoo are known for being one of the most popular Zoos in the UK and have pro-vided expertise and funding for a breeding centre in Bali for these birds. They will be working along-side the Begawan Foundation and Jurong Bird Park, assist-

ing in the breeding and release programme and monitoring of wild populations. Andrew Owen, the zoo’s Cu-rator of Birds, added: “This is really great news but it’s only the start. Whether or not they now go on to reproduce and ensure that youngsters survive and the colony expands is the next significant step. “There’s an awful long way to go but things now look a little brighter for the future re-markable species.”

Scientists estimate that around a third of all animal and plant species could be ex-tinct by the end of the century.

left with a bill of almost £5000 just in legal fees plus a fine of £5000 if charged with drink driv-ing.” Anyone caught over the legal limit, which is 35mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath, or 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood can be given a 12-month driving ban for a first time offence and three years for a second offence within ten years. As well as targeting drivers sus-pected of being under the influ-ence, the police are also trying to get their message across to young drivers by visiting schools and colleges across Merseyside. Dur-ing the Christmas and New Year period young drivers (between aged 17 and 29) made up around 38% of all drivers in Merseyside caught under the influence. Chief Inspector Hogan said: “Alcohol affects everyone dif-ferently and can still be in your system many hours after drink-ing. Even the smallest amount of alcohol will affect your com-petence behind the wheel, your ability to judge speed and dis-tance and will slow down your reactions.” Chief Inspector Hogan has also warned that although the upcom-ing warm weather will encourage people to have a drink, they need to be responsible and either use Public Transport of an evening, or have a designated driver.

Life/News/4

The Bali Starling bird has been released back into the wild at Chester Zoo

by Emma Kemmery

Life/News/5

A march through Liverpool will mark the 10 year anniversary of the unsolved murder of teenager Andrew Jones.

The 18-year-old, from Walton, was punched to the ground while walking home from a night out to celebrate his cousin’s birthday. The blow came from someone in a group of men and women, after he had bumped into them and apol-ogised.

His family believe the group in-volved have hidden behind a wall of silence to conceal the identity of his murderer.

The Crown Prosecution Service said it was not in the public’s in-terest to pursue this case.

The march will take place on Mothers’ Day; Sunday 10th March, and will see his mother Christine and father, Andy march alongside supporters through the city centre to the place where he was attacked on Hanover Street in 2003.

The group of campaigners will begin their journey by gathering in St John’s Gardens at St Georges Hall where they will lay fl owers at a memorial for murder victims before making the journey to Han-over Street.

Christine, 51, said: “I should be receiving fl owers from Andrew on Mothers’ Day, but instead I will be laying fl owers at the spot where he was murdered.

“My life revolves around getting justice for Andrew. I can’t settle

until I get that. We miss him so much every day it hurts.”

Andrew’s father, Andy, said: “I think if we keep pushing enough something has to give, they can’t keep secrets forever.

“Too many people were in-volved in something that has now become a conspiracy.”

When the march comes to an end on Hanover Street Merseyside Police and Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson will address the crowd.

At 4.30pm candles will be lit in remembrance of lost loved ones in Liverpool cathedral’s Lady Chap-el.

At 6pm lanterns will be released from Pier Head in memory of An-drew. Chrissy Rock, comic and I’m a Celebrity star and the pa-tron of charity Families Fighting for Justice, will release the fi rst lantern.

Anybody is welcome to attend the vigil. For more details, contact Jean Taylor at Families for Justice on 07740149899.

by Emma Kemmery

by Andrew McKenna

Police in appeal after shootings

Merseyside Police are appealing to anybody with information after a number of shootings have taken place across the city.

Earlier this week a man suffered leg injuries after being targeted and shot by a group of men in the Old Swan area, and reports from the police also suggest that there were shots fi red at a vehicle in the Halewood area.

In the fi rst incident a 23-year-old male who was out with his brother in Allenby Square, Old Swan, was approached by a gang and fi red at, in what was described as an un-known attack.

The incident took place just be-fore 8pm on Monday and although the brothers managed to fl ee their attackers.

One witness, who lived near Shelton Close, said: “They closed it all off so you couldn’t even get up the road.

“It looked like someone was injured and they took whoever it was away in an ambulance with a police car as well.

“I heard a bang like an air gun at about 7.30pm then the police turned up. It wasn’t very loud but it was loud enough that you could hear it.”

Detective Inspector Tom Ke-aton, from the specialist Matrix team, said: “We are in the early stages of the investigation and are trying to ascertain the motive for the shooting.”

In the second attack, offi cers were called to Baileys Lane, Hale-wood, just before 9.30pm on Mon-day after it was reported that shots had been fi red at a car in the area.

When police fi nally arrived on scene they were greeted by a man who claimed his 4x4 had been shot by a gang of youths in a dark Volvo.

Police cordoned off the area in order to conduct their enquiries and would urge anybody with more information to contact the Matrix team on 0151 777 5699, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

LJMU team help capture asteroid

A large meteor, which missed earth the same day one explod-ed over Russia, was observed by the Liverpool Telescope as it fl ew past.

The 50 metre wide asteroid known as 2012 DA14, came with-in 27,500km to hitting the planet and was watched with the tele-scope as it passed at 100,000km away to predict the next move-ments of it.

The early detection allowed it to be tracked and monitored result-ing in an image sequence of the moving asteroid being created by taking 50 frames through the tel-escope’s RISE camera and being sped up ten times. Images of the Russian asteroid have been pub-lished all over the internet. Foot-age from the Liverpool Telescope and interviews with staff from the LJMU Astrophysics research in-stitute who run it, were featured in a Channel 4 documentary over the weekend.

The program called ‘Meteor Strike: Fireball from Space’ re-volved around the meteor events of February 15th after fi lm crews fi lmed parts of the evening. It can now be viewed on 4oD.

Tragic Andrew remembered

by Scott Rumsey

Centre to commemorate murdered teen opens

Remembered: Mosaic being made of Joseph Lappin at the opening of the Joesph Lappin Centre, Old Swan.

by Rachael Bentham

‘Joseph knew exactly what he wanted’A new community centre has been opened in a tribute to mur-dered teenager Joseph Lappin. Friends and family gathered at the opening ceremony of the centre in Mill Lane, Old Swan on Saturday.

Joseph, a 16-year-old army ca-det from Old Swan was fatally stabbed outside an Everton youth

club in October 2008. The building, named the Joseph

Lappin Centre was opened by his mother and father, Toni and John Lappin.

The ceremony was also attended by Lord Mayor Cllr Sharon Sulli-van and Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson.

The centre will include junior and senior youth clubs from Mon-day to Friday.

It will also have a multi-use out-door games area for football and basketball, a meeting place for mothers and toddlers and a café offering low-cost healthy meals.

The sign outside the centre

reads, “Do Something with your life”. Joseph’s mother Toni told the Liverpool Echo: “Joseph knew exactly what he wanted to do, he had it all planned out but sadly he never got the chance to do it. Hopefully other young people in the area will get a chance.”

The teenager was a member of

the Liverpool Scottish Regiment, he had never visited the Shrews-bury House community centre in Langrove Street before he was fa-tally attacked.

Toni added: “It is so sad and of course we would much rather he was still here, but this is turning a negative into a positive.”

Chrissy Rock

Concerns have been expressed over the new multi-billion plans to regen-erate the waterfront which will alter the area which is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

The government and the council have approved the Waters scheme by Peel Holdings which will include a 55-storey skyscraper, 9,000 apart-ments, hundreds of bars, hotels, of-fi ces and a cruise terminal to take place near docks in the north of the city. Peel believes 20,000 jobs will be created.

There will be no cause for a public enquiry after a letter was sent from community secretary Eric Pickles approving £5.5 billion plans so that the decision whether to go ahead with them will be left up to city coun-cilors.

UNESCO has acknowledged this and put the heritage site on the ‘Dan-ger List’ last June, warning that the city may lose the title if it no longer has the same skyline and docks.

The world heritage committee said the redevelopments “fragment and

Commuters feel pinch as buses increase fares by 10p

Life/Focus/6

The doldrums of the daily commute have long been the source of com-plaint for the affl icted traveller, con-gested public transport, incompetent staff and expensive travel costs often result in unpleasant experiences and furious passengers.

As above infl ation travel rates con-tinue to increase across all modes of public transport in the UK, Liv-erpool’s commuters now face the gruelling reality of the annual hike in fares.

On Sunday, March 3rd Mer-seyside’s largest bus operator Arriva increased their fl at fares by 10p in another eye watering rise for passen-gers who continue to feel the pinch.

The new rates will see a 5% in-crease to the current fl at rate of £2 for an adult single within the Liver-pool Zone.

This increase will come into frui-tion across Liverpool, Wirral, Lanca-shire, Halton and St Helens as Arriva currently operates 69% of the bus services in this region.

Although this comes as grim news for many regular users of these routes, students in the area can breathe a little easier as Merseyside student and 16Plus fares remain un-changed at £1.70.

Currently the maximum adult sin-gle fare is £3.20, but Arriva insist that all fares higher than this will be reduced.

Howard Farrall, Area Managing Director for Arriva Merseyside said that in order to counteract the ris-ing costs of operating the service, increased fares have to be levied on passengers.

He said: “We continually review our fares and costs so we are able to deliver quality bus services for our customers and maintain a stable network.

“Over the past fi ve years we have invested £54million in new buses in Merseyside. We operate our services more effi ciently than we have ever done, but unfortunately rising costs mean that we do have to adjust our fares in order that we can continue investing in the area.”

The reaction from the public to this hike has so far been hostile, with many angry locals strongly opposed to such measures.

Dave Smith tweeted: “Arriva put up fares again and they wonder why nobody uses buses? Someone has to pay for the bus lane no one wants.”

While Jen Little tweeted: “Increas-ing bus fares and cutting bare servic-

isolate the different dock areas vis-ually.”

Development Director at Peel, Lindsey Ashworth, said: “A big thank you goes to the people of Liv-erpool who have been behind this project all the way.

“The weight of our argument has succeeded in overcoming signifi cant objections from both English Her-itage and the World Heritage Body UNESCO.

“Peel is proud to have worked in close partnership with the City of Liverpool – we believe it represents an exciting future for both.”

A spokesman from English Herit-age, the government’s statutory advi-sor on the historic environment, said: “We have always felt it would have been possible to develop a scheme which delivered jobs and growth and which enhanced, rather than harmed, Liverpool’s outstanding heritage.

“We are therefore very disappoint-ed that Peel failed to take this oppor-tunity and insisted that the current scheme was the one on which a de-cision must be taken.”

es, Arriva are a joke”. Howard Farrall insists that some

of Arriva’s fares have been reduced in attempt to ameliorate the public’s concerns over this new price plan.

He continued: "We have reviewed our fare structure, and alongside the fare increases, some of our single fares have been reduced - there is now a maximum £3.20 single fare in

Merseyside, with some fares being capped at £2.50 for a trial period.

“We are also trialling a promotional off peak fare of £1.50 in St Helens to encourage bus use, our Cross River single fare has been frozen at £3.20 and the student fare is unchanged at £1.70.

“We will continue to evaluate our fare structure and look at how we can

deliver best value to our customers, while covering costs and allowing for investment in services."

The fi rm came under fi re last March by Merseyside’s transport boss, Mark Dowd as he deemed their proposed 32% increase to child fares as “fundamentally unfair”.

No such extremes have been levied on parents in this year’s review as

children’s single fl at fares will only rise by 7p to £1.40.

According to a TUC study, the av-erage time spent commuting to work in Britain is 58 minutes for men and 47 minutes for women – and as tens of thousands of commuters across the country face big travel cost in-creases, the daily commute looks all the more bleak.

Heritage doubts over £5billion planned waterfront schemeby Rachael Bentham

An Arriva bus with the Runcorn Bridge in the background © of Arriva Travel Northwest via Facebook

byJosh Nevvett

Picture: Artist immpression of the new plans including theVictoria clock tower © of Liverpool Waters

Liverpool

Life25 years on, Phantom still wows audience

Music7th MarchThe Dovedale SocialAfter a whirlwind 2012 for the Ragamuffi ns, 2013 looks to be kicking off in fi ne style with the launch of the ‘Telling Tales’ EP.

8th MarchThe Echo Arena Ne-Yo will touch down in the UK next March for a monster tour; the Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter will headline a string of dates across the country. Featuring special guest Tulisa.

9th March O2 AcademyOne of the UK’s most compelling rock bands, The Enemy are back after releasing their third UK top 10 studio album, Streets In The Sky in 2012.

Theatre5th-7th MarchCamp and FurnaceAfter the success of Intimate, Young Everyman Playhouse (YEP) return to Camp and Furnace with a brand new show Papertown. A large scale production in collaboration with LIPA, Papertown brings together the different strands of YEP to create its most ambitious work to date. Tickets £6.

5th-9th March Unity Theatre - My Perfect MindA comic tale of a man not doing King Learc claimed actor Edward Petherbridge was cast as King Lear, when on the second day of rehearsals he suffered a stroke that left him barely able to move.As he struggled to recover Edward made a discovery: the entire role of Lear still existed word for word in his mind. Tickets £10

6th - 8th March Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts

Performed by student of different ages, Freckleface Strawberry the Musical looks at one girl’s journey to fi nally accepting herself. With live music and dancing, this show is one for all the family.Tickets from £4.

Family10th March The Lantern Theatre The Button Boutique is heading to The Lantern theatre once again, this time for A Mother’s Day Experience.Do something different this Mother’s Day treat your mum to a special day.Mother daughter/son ticket £20.

Fashion7th March Shipping Forecast Night Owl Vintage Shoppers will love the chilled out atmosphere of Late Night Vintage being held at the Shipping Forecast. Avoid the busy hustle and bustle of the High Street. 5pm until late - Free Entry.

6th March MetQuarterHead to the Metquarter for an exclusive fashion show, live entertainment, complimentary cocktails and more. There will be exclusive promotions from a selected number of Metquarter stores, plus amazing prizes all in aid of The Princes Trust.Starts 6:30pm - Tickets: £10.

Arts8th MarchSudley HouseCelebrating International Women’s day, Sudley House is hosting a guest talk on forgotten philanthropist Emma Georgina Holt and her work in Liverpool over the years.12-12:30pm.

From the instant the iconic chandelier rises to its former grandeur in the rafters, Cameron Mackintosh’s modern adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera remains as dynamic and captivating as its fi rst previews did more than 25 years ago.

With original production that dates back to 1986, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s West-End classic has broken box-offi ce records world-wide in countless sell-out productions. Although the fundamental plot-line, music and script are similar, this anniversary tour sees theatrical impresario Mackintosh teak the production to new awe-inspiring extremes.

Kudos goes to Paul Brown as the gothic splendour of the Paris Opera House (the location of where this story is based) and its surroundings are terrifi cally conveyed by a wide range of interchanging backdrops, each one more intricate in detail than the last. This gives you an insight into the dark underbelly of the Phantom’s baroque lair and the labyrinth of gloomy passages that lurk beneath the fi ctional Opera Populaire. The choreography of Scott Ambler also has to be commended who ensured these transitions were lucid and fl uent, which lent to transparency when discerning which scene was taking place.

The romantically affl icted Christine Daaé is played by the Katie Hall, who is probably best known as a boot-camp contestant for the BBC’s I’d Do Anything. Her voice is initially understated and frail as Christine auditions

‘Light Night’ host voting beginsTwo venues in Liverpool are com-peting against other cities for a chance to host two pieces of art by internationally recognised artists.

The Victoria Gallery and Muse-um and the Liverpool Cathedral are trying to gain the most pub-lic votes in an effort to host two different exhibitions on the 17th May, which will host Light Night, a one-night arts and culture festi-val.

The Victoria Gallery and Muse-um hope to beat off competition from three other venues to win the chance to host the work of artist Susan Forsyth and showcase her

What’s On...

Masquerade scene from Phantom © Michael Le Poer Trench and Robin

by Joshua Nevett

for the part of lead soprano - but she soon breaks into her stride for her triumphant opera debut (Think of Me) and the title song as she interchanges between delicate falsetto and powerful vocal shrills.

Earl Carpenter returned from his unexpected illness to star as the enigmatic Phantom, who poses as young Christine’s guardian angel of music. Once he emerges from his underground realm of secrecy, Carpenter’s silky, crisp mellow-tones portray the perturbed character as a misunderstood creature of the night longing

for Christine’s affections. His ability to unearth tenderness and maintain vocal control during candlelit ballad, ‘Music of the Night’ fully deserves the ovation it receives; some even think it necessary to stand to applaud his emotive bellows of anguish. He expresses the sensitivity and distemper required to play such a volatile role - and as the climactic fi nale approaches, he demonstrates his aptitude in theatrical dynamics.

The light-hearted quirks and remarks of irate theatre owners Andy Hockley and Simon Green

and the bolshie, ill-tempered outbursts of resident soprano prima donna, Angela M Caesar provide palatable moments of humour throughout. The Phantom may have a fresh look, but with its romantic musical subject and beautifully composed musical scores, it remains as timeless and as popular with fans as it did at the time of its inception over a quarter of a century ago.

The merits of high quality production values and fl awless casting holds testament to why Phantom is still the longest running show in Broadway history.

‘Zusammen Choir Procession’ in Liverpool.

The procession will feature swing band Big Band, Malay-sian drumming group 24 Festival Drums and the Capoeira Dance da Liberdade, but anyone is free to join in.

The Liverpool Cathedral is hop-ing to host work by one of the key fi gures in the Young British Artists movement, Mat Collishaw.

He has shortlisted the cathedral to stage his fi rst human zoetrope on Light Night.

A zoetrope is an early form of a motion picture projection that dates from the Victorian era. Stu-art Haynes, Director of Commu-

nications for Liverpool Cathedral said: “We’ve been keen supporters of Light Night for a number of years. It’s a great city wide event linking some superb venues and bringing a fantastic buzz to the city.

“Mat is an innovative, creative visual artist with a huge repu-tation. His human zoetrope is a fascinating concept for our mag-nifi cent building. We think it will make a stunning centrepiece at-traction for Light Night.

“We think the people of Liver-pool deserve to experience this piece of art. We are a cultural city and well known for a lively, inter-esting arts scene. Bringing Mat

will enhance our reputation and we believe attract many more vis-itors to Light Night 2013.”

For Liverpool to be able to host these events, both the gallery and the cathedral must gain the high-est number of public votes, beat-ing the other venues.

Charlotte Corrie, speaking for Open Culture, said: “Light Night is an incredible snapshot of Liv-erpool and its culture. If we won the public vote, it would be such a one off. If they came here it would help remind people on a national level just what Liverpool is.”

Voting closes at 5pm on Tues-day 5th March, to vote visit www.culture24.org.uk.

Popular Liverpool venues Leaf and FACT have teamed up to open an al fresco café and events space called The Garden.

The new eatery at FACT will host monthly events while its menu will consist of vegetarian snacks and Leaf’s renowned fairtrade tea.

The Garden will launch along-side FACT’s new exhibition, the The Art of Pop Video, which opens on Thursday, March 14 at Wood Street’s art centre.

The exhibition features a nos-talgic reel of over 100 music vid-eos, some more than 80 years old

Leaf opens cafe in exhibition centre

that document some of music’s defi ning moments.

Natalie Haywood, managing director of Leaf, cited FACT’s original café as the inspiration behind opening her own bar and restaurant.

She said: “We are excited to join forces with FACT and launch our new café concept, The Garden.

“The original FACT café was actually the inspiration for our fi rst LEAF venue. As a place we really loved, it feels right to host a café in this space now four years later.”

by Sarah Bold

Life/Style/7

LIVERPOOLLIVE

‘YOUR BIG GIG COMPETITION’ -

STUDENT GOES FOR THE TOP SPOTJMUjukebox

PALMA VIOLETS -180

Wedged between the prudish, lay-about charms of the Libertines and the whirling chaos of The Clash, Palma Violets debut album 180 is the visceral soundtrack to your disaffected youth. Anointed as the saviours of indie music, the buzz-saw guitars and bellowing vocals of lead single ‘Best Of Friends’ are as perturbing as a luke-warm can of Tesco value cider on a come-down. The heady reverb of ‘Highway Rattlesnake’ hisses while the disparate organ and swoony chorus of ‘Step Up for the Cool Cats’ confi rms that these fours lads from Lambeth do possess the strength in depth to live up to the seemingly insurmountable burden of expectation. - Joshua Nevett

YEAH YEAH YEAHS -SACRILEGE

“In our bed”, howls eccentric Yeah Yeah Yeah’s singer Karen O, just before the chorus erupts on the fi rst single that’s due to be featured on their forth studio album, ‘Mosquito’. Flecked with the trademark quirks of previous haunts Show Your Bones and It’s Blitz, the rampant ad-hoc guitar licks of ‘Sacrilege’ meander through a clunk of symbols and a melange of animalistic gasps. Then, the gospel choir erupts to achieve spiritual frequencies previously unreached by New York’s art-pop punks and throws down the gauntlet for another subversion of their brazen tapestry of fl amboyance. - Joshua Nevett

TAYLOR SWIFT- I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE

Loaded with more superfl uous post-relationship balderdash than a double-bill of Jeremy Kyle, there’s no decoder required for Taylor Swift’s latest single, as her next public swipe at yet an-other of her high-profi le ex-romantic affi liates isn’t exactly cryptic. Touted as Taylor Swift’s fi rst foray into dubstep, ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ is a little light on the rubbawubwubs, and only de-livers in self-absorbed bitterness. Other than the indeterminate augmentation of a few stray wob-bles during the chorus, Skrillex needn’t panic, no boundaries have been shattered here. - Joshua Nevett

Life/Music /8

Miles Kane andDjango Django taketo the stage atO2 Academy

by Joshua Nevett

The annual NME Awards Tour has typically served as a launch-pad for breakthrough acts to catapult themselves into the public’s con-sciousness. NME’s meticulous selection for this prestigious tour allowed them to unearth the likes of Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys and The Killers, taking it upon themselves to in-cubate the next, so-called fl ag bearers for in-die from atop of their lofty ivory tower. Now the current crop have been festooned around the nation, it’s only fair that Liverpool gets a taste of NME’s crème de la crème of 2013.

The 02 Academy is suddenly shrouded in a dense smog of egotism. It’s source soon becomes apparent as the self-affi rmed mod maestro himself, Miles Kane is already laud-ing about the stage slithering around like an

insidious reptile administering it’s deadly

poison. “It’s nice to be home, thanks for the love,” he proclaims as the mosh-pit implodes for the sugar coated harmonies of ‘Quick-sand’, while Paul Weller’s urban-pop gleam with added grit is evident for new songs ‘Take it Over’ and ‘Don’t Forget Who You Are’ – set to feature on his forthcoming second solo LP. One prepubescent reprobate suddenly dis-perses from the melee and projectile vomits all over some innocent bystander’s converse – which is probabl unrelated to Kane’s vain-glorious antics back on stage, but no-one’s particularly sure. He fi nishes with the wailing ‘Come Closer’ for which there’s an impromp-tu sing-a-long from the bloke-rock brigade down front, somehow this swollen world of delusion seems to resonate well beneath his shiny winkle pickers.

Dressed in four matching shirts dolloped with mathematical symbols, Django Django convey the aesthetic of art-school drop-outs experimentally binging on rock’n’rolls rich contextual tapestry.

They weave with the modernised treads of psychedelic synths and glamorous funk while interlacing the yarns of 50s rock’n’roll to blur the lines between the linear and the sub-verted. “People of Liverpool, it’s Wednesday night, the new Saturday night, are you going to dance with us?” asks excitable frontman Vincent Neff, as Californian analogue feast ‘Hail Bop’ gives them good reason to recipro-cate en masse with the swoony roar of “yes”. Lead single ‘Default’ starts off timid enough

by Michaela Routledge

A student from Liverpool John Moores has reached the fi nal stages of Radio City’s ‘Your Big Gig’ compe-tition and will now battle it out with four other acts to become the winner. Niall Sexton, who is originally from Magherafelt, Northern Ireland, is currently in his fi rst year study-ing Broadcast and Media Production at the university and impressed the judges with his version of Bonnie Raitt’s ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’ He told Radio City, in his appeal to the public: “This is a really big thing for me, even getting as far as the top fi ve, because for the last four or fi ve years I’ve been really trying to break out and get my name out there, so I think that this could possibly be a lucky break for me. To be fundraising for a charity such as Cash for Kids; it would be a complete honour of mine. “Actually my brother had open heart surgery at the age of four weeks old in Northern Ireland and was ac-tually the fi rst to survive this so it would be a huge honour to help other kids that are in need.” Your Big Gig 2013 was set up to give talented singers and bands the opportunity to perform as a supporting act for superstar Ne-Yo, along with special guest Tu-lisa. On March 8th Ne-Yo’s arena tour hits the ECHO Arena, as this concert will help to raise the necessary funds for Radio City’s charity Cash for Kids. A number of judges sifted through many demo entries before selecting the acts which they believed to be the best fi ve and it has now been put in the hands of the public to select a winner.

until the staid power chords are unfurled and the blues riffs reel you into a hallucinogen-ic time-warp. It’s a one size fi ts all scenario, from Latino Jives (Love’s Dart) to percussive worldliness (Life’s A Beach), they throw one hell of a shin-dig and ride NME’s tailwind as the pick of the bunch. The western nu-rave of ‘WOR’ unshackles the party one last time as for tonight, and many nights hereafter, Django have been fully unchained.

Voting will close at 5pm on Wednesday 6th and each contestant receives one vote for every £1 they raise through donations for the charity. The public can vote online, where they are able to listen to each contestant’s song, as well as by post or even by text. Fundraiser for Cash for Kids, Katie Harrison, said: "The Judges had an extremely diffi cult deci-sion when choosing the fi nal fi ve as the standard of all of the entries was so high. All of the fi nalists are very worthy winners and are busy trying to raise as much money as possible for Cash for Kids while gaining votes for themselves at the same time. “Best of luck to all of the fi nalists, it's such a fan-tastic opportunity for them to perform live on stage

at the ECHO arena as support for Ne-Yo and special guest Tulisa!" Other fi nalists include Click22, who are an urban dance group ,featuring Nikki Belle, who have recorded their rendition of the hit ‘Superstar’ and Jennifer Jew-ell who performed her own song ‘Hurricane’. R&B group MiC LOWRY also made it to the fi nal with an original track ‘Restart’ whilst boy band The Valentine Brothers put their twist on Beyonce’s ‘Love on Top.’ These were the tracks that the eager fi nalists were judged on and are the songs they will perform if they win. The winner will be broadcast this Thursday on Radio City’s breakfast show, a day before the lucky act will take to the stage to perform in front of thousands.

REVIEW: NME TOUR @ O2 ACADEMY

Life/Style/9

Serving up some ScouseIt’s British Pie Week, but with last week apparently playing host to ‘Global Scouse day’, Joe Barnes takes a look at the city of Liverpool’s signature dish

Pie, a tradition and a delicacy to those that call Wigan their home, but what dish provides scous-ers with a claim to fame, and something to warm up with after a typical cold and windy day in Liver-pool?The answer you ask?For centuries, Liverpudlians have created and served up ‘Scouse’, a hearty dish com-prising of Lamb, potatoes and a helping of root veg-etables to seal the deal and ensure they have a hearty home cooked meal after a hard day’s work.Like a lot of things that you will now fi nd in Liverpool, it is an immigrant brought in by Eastern European sailors as the city’s port fl ourished and has since been taken in and brought close to the heart of every family cookbook passed down the generations. And the great thing about ‘Scouse’, or Labskause as it was originally named, is that every time it is served across the city, it comes in different shapes or has a different twist to it. Every chef or family has their own recipe with only the fundamental ingredients of Lamb cut into chunks – not minced, potatoes, car-rots, onions and beef stock

being standard of the dish.Some may say peas are a must, or swede should be included, others may sug-gest the only side to com-pliment the dish should be bread and butter to mop up the remainders left at the bottom of the bowl. Thick, thin, with or with-out red cabbage, the home-ly dish is sure to carry on adapting, with a special mention going to Cataloni-an establishment Lunya in Liverpool One, who special-ise in serving up a pan of Scouse with a Spanish twist of chorizo and blood pud-ding.So, after the whole heart-ed introduction to Scouse you may be wondering how to whip up a pan to warm yourself as the last of the winter weather blows through the city?

PerfectScouse

This version of the dish is brought to you by the love-ly people behind Scousers.com.First of all you will have to take a trip to your local shops picking yourself up:

•Half a Pound of Stewing Steak•Half a Pound of Lambs Breast•A Large Onion•1lb of Carrots•5lb of Potatoes•2 Oxo Cubes•2 Teaspoons of Vegetable Oil

•Worcester Sauce•Salt and Pepper•Water

And once you have these.Cut the meat into large cubes and fry in the veg-etable oil until lightly browned all over. You may wish to add some Worces-ter sauce at this point for added fl avour.

Transfer the meat to a large saucepan and add the onion that should have been chopped into large chunks. Follow this by chopping the carrot into medallions and place this on the meat. Peel and then fi nely dice 1lb of the potatoes and place on top of the carrots.Fill the pan with cold water until it is half full. Break up the Oxo cubes and sprinkle into the water. Add salt and pepper for seasoning. Let the pan simmer gently, stirring occasionally. The large pieces of onion will start to break up and the potato will become soft and will make the fi nal sauce thick.

Simmer for a total of two hours, and then add the remaining potatoes that should have been peeled and roughly chopped, along with a few splashes of Worcester sauce. Then sim-mer for another two hours.

Serve piping hot with red cabbage, beetroot, pickled onions and crusty bread. You may add Ketchup and

HP for fl avouring.

This is just one of many recipes, so remember in true Scouse spirit experi-ment and tinker with your recipe before serving it to warm up your friends and family.

The idea of Scouse is to use up food in the fridge which is close to its sell by date. Other possible ingre-dients can include cabbage, peppers, tomatoes, gar-lic, swede, and most other vegetables which are suita-ble for a stew-based dish.

Life/Style/10

With Mother’s Day coming this Sunday, now is the perfect time to go and get some last minute gifts for your mum or wife. ADAM DAVIES looks at the top 10 Mother’s day gifts this year that break the trend of Chocolates and fl owers. Ideas ranging from cheap and cheerful, to tasteful and expensive, there is something for mums of all ages

Q:What will studentsmiss when they leaveuniversity?A: Social life? Sleeping in? Jeremy Kyle?

RACHAEL LEITCH INVESTIGATES

For many third year uni students, graduation is now in sight and after three packed years of partying, excess amounts of alcohol and living on a budget (with a few lectures thrown in) the harsh reality of the real world is about to set in.With no student loan and

no more student discounts, those with the ‘life’s a party’ approach may be in for a rude awakening. But what is it that graduates will be yearning for when they are bogged down with job application forms and the stress of competing with other graduates?Jill McCorkell, a Primary Teaching student says: “I am really going to

miss the support I get at uni from my lecturers because when I get a job I am proba-bly going to be thrown into the deep end and that really scares me.” Oliver Banks, a Liverpool Politics student says: “I’ll miss the social life and the student day being midday until 5am. I’ll also miss double helpings of Jeremy

Kyle in the daytime when I have fi nally managed to drag myself out of bed after being out the night before.” But it’s not all about staying out until the rest of the world is going to work. Oliver adds: “I’ll really miss the nights where you stay in and end up having far too much fun with things you can make from the kitchen contents.” The task of searching for a new place to live can seem a daunting prospect. With many students already in over their head in debt, some choose to move back to the family home until they decide what and where their next move will be. Having to adapt into living with the parents can be harder than it sounds especially as some of the independence you gained at university is brought to an abrupt end. Separation from friends you have formed bonds with

over that shared tin of baked beans in your cold student house when you spent the last of your student loan on a night out in The Raz, may cause a few tears in the end. With everyone moving on, starting the next chapter of their lives and taking job opportunities that could see them moving halfway across the country or further afi eld, friendships may be hard to preserve. It is clear that many aspects of student life that are often taken for granted will be sorely missed, but is there anything that will certainly not be fondly remembered? Megan Chilvers, a Travel and Tourism student at JMU, says: “One thing I most certainly won’t miss is living with messy people. At least when I live back at home I can wake up to a clean kitchen and walk around in my bare feet with-out worrying what I might catch off the fl oors.”

10. Jo Malone Grapefruit home candle – Now a popular seller of fra-granced products, Jo Malone candles are up there with some of the most wanted home accessories in Britain. However, the closest shop is not very far away at all, residing in Liverpool’s Metquarter. Home candle: £50.05 from Amazon.co.uk or Jo Malone.

9. Tatty Teddy soft bear- If you want to surprise your mum with something cute and fl uffy then there is always a teddy bear. This gift would be great when accom-panied with some fl owers and a card. £20 Moonpig.com

8. Ted Baker ipad case If you are going to get a case for your iPad , why not do it in style? This iPad case from British designer Ted Baker proves a costly yet stylish protector for your tablet. £39.95 from Ted Baker or Amazon.co.uk

7. A mother’s day in paradise – gift set from Lush cosmetics.The set features three limited edition products which include Mumkin bubble bar, Madame Butterfl y re-usable bubble bar and Mum’s very own Secret Gar-den bath ballistic. With a supporting cast of shampoo, moisturising cream and scented soap this is surely one of the best gifts for this year’s mother’s day. £30.95 Lush cosmetics.

6. Hotel Chocolat- All about mum sleekster selection. Although chocolate is not a very original gift, Hotel Chocolat try and make it a whole new experience for the average chocoholic. The ‘all about mum’ selection is an overdose of praline, mousse and caramels. These special edition chocolates are literally all about your mum on her special day. Hotelchocolat.com £22.00

5. Lancôme youth activating gift set.Most women love skin care gift sets and you cannot get much better than what French cosmetic giants Lancôme have to offer. This youth activating gift set includes Mascara, lipstick, youth activating concentrate as well as a fragrance that has a fruity scent to it. Availa-ble from John Lewis in Liverpool. £50.40

4. Amazon Kindle paperwhite – The new Amazon Kindle paper-white is a great idea for a moth-er’s day gift as it would be the perfect present for anything from a holiday read to a quick read at bed time. The new screen has built in lighting so that it can be read anywhere as well as wifi to download books instantaneously. Amazon.co.uk £109.00

2. Bollinger Black Rose Champagne Gift Box with Set of two Glasses. £85.00 John LewisA very classy gift that any mother would love to receive, Bollinger is one of the most famous names in the world of champagne and this gift set is presented in a classic crested black box with two Bollinger glasses for your mum to share with whoever she wishes.

3. If you want to buy your mum a more refi ned gift than she may be used to, you can give her this gift from Red Letter Day which includes a two course meal at a Central London restaurant before heading off to the theatre to see a popular show.£99.00 John Lewis

1. Spa day –The number one choice for mum! If your mum needs a bit of rest and relaxation, why not treat her to a spa day where she can have treatments, relax in a hot tub, pool, sauna or steam room. There are several spas in Mer-seyside and Cheshire that provide excellent facilities from around £50. Available from Spabreaks.com

by Rachael Leitch

Life/Style/11

LOOKING THE PART: SPECIAL EFFECTS MAKE UPIn the earlier days of the Casualties Union, the founder, Michael McGuire was a First Aid Instruc-tor for the St John’s Ambulance Brigade.

The casualty would wear a label with the symptoms and inju-

ries they had received. As this wasn’t realistic,

Michael McGuire began to experiment with various products to try to recreate realistic wounds and blood.

They would mould Plaster of Paris to limbs

and paint it according to the person’s skin tone.

Now a days the make up is more advanced and tools such as plastercine and fake blood are used extensively in order to recreate wounds.

The plastercine, or wax

Clare Hardman spends her weekends being cut out of cars, rescued from burning buildings and even acting as a dead body in a hospital morgue.Ask anyone and they’d think

she was a stunt-double in an action movie, but in actual fact Clare is a volunteer for a little-known organisation called the Casualties Union.During the week, 47-year-old

mother-of-two from Cheshire is a Health and Social Care teacher at a local secondary school. However at weekends she volunteers for the Casual-ties unionFounded in the 80’s, the

Casualties Union provides volunteer actors for recreations of emergency situations which are used in the training of the Ambulance, Fire and Police Services. In order to make the exer-

cise worthwhile, all of the volunteers are specially trained to create realistic wounds and special effects make up.“A friend of mine who

belongs to the Red Cross told me it, and I thought it’d be a fantastic way to keep my own fi rst aid skills up-to-date. “We have to act out when

symptoms, and when they’re not treated properly our symp-toms have to get worse, so I thought it’d be a great way to improve my own skills.”As a Casualties Union mem-

ber of seven years, Clare has

been involved in her fair share of emergency situations. “One of my fi rst was when I

was trapped in a car. “The scenario was that there

had been some kind of road traffi c accident and people were trapped inside the vehicle. The police were there, fi re crews and an ambulance crew on the scene. “I was a passenger who was

having a bit of a hysterical moment, since it was my fi rst I only had minor injuries but I was escorted out of the car and be looked after by an ambu-lance paramedic,” she says.“If you’re lucky, you get to

play a conscious casualty. “If you’re unlucky, however

you have to play an uncon-scious one. “You’re just sat there in a car

with this wall of sound around you whilst the fi re brigade cut the car roof off, or smash the windscreen in.”As volunteers, members of

the Casualties Union donate their time for free; some may say they are crazy for doing it without getting paid however Clare insists it is worthwhile:“Let’s face it- it’s a girl’s

dream to get rescued by fi re-

of Blackpool airport!”Although all of the scenarios

are fi ctional, they are based around real life scenarios in order to give the best training to the emergency services. As an experienced volunteer, Clare has taken part in a huge range of scenarios, however some-times she is still shocked:“The one time I did get a bit

claustrophobic, was when I was a body in a temporary morgue. “The scenario was a fl u

epidemic which meant the hospital had more dead bodies than they had space for in the mortuary. “They had to construct a

temporary morgue and so we were all loaded into body bags, hoisted onto tables and then left on the fl oor in the bag for three quarters of an hour. They did leave it open slightly so we could breathe though, which was good of them.”As well as enjoying her time

being rescued by the emergen-cy services, Clare is keen to promote the vital work that the casualties union do. “If I ever needed the emergen-

cy services, I would trust them totally. I have seen them work and they are amazing. “As well as having a laugh, it

really is a massive privilege to get to work with them and be so involved in their training. “For me, it’s just a really good

way of doing my little bit.”

men every weekend, and we do have a laugh. It’s made me realise just how lucky we are to have such a fantastic emergen-cy services in the UK”Emergency situations can

range from more normal road traffi c accidents, to full scale operations involving helicopter and search and rescue teams. Some of the more bizarre

incidents include re-creating a temporary morgue complete with Casualties Union ‘bodies,’ and being dragged from a smoking building and left on a roadside. “As far as the acting goes- I

fi nd less is more! “I am a very bubbly person

in my day to day life, and so if anything alien happens to me I tend to be withdrawn and quiet, so I don’t do the hysterics. I do get involved in the roles a lot though.“One time I was at Blackpool

Airport where we re-created a plane crash. “The scenario went that I was

with my fi ancé. Obviously he wasn’t my actual fi ancé so I bought a ring and told him to put it on my fi nger. He got down on one knee and proposed to me in the middle

Josh Parry explores the world of the Casualties Union and how their weird and wonderful re-anactments help the emergency services save lives

material is applied to the limb, and then carved using a blunt instrument in order to make the injuries look realistic.

Fake blood is then liberally applied to the wounds to complete the gruesome picture.

If you would like to join or for more in-formation on the Casualties Union take time to visit their website at http://www.casualtiesunion.org.uk/ see how else they are helping to make your ser-vices better.

crash test mummy

Disaster scene is staged to help the emergency services prepare for future accidents © Casualties Union Furness

Clare Hardman plays dead as part of an exercise

5.4.

2.

1.

7.6.

3.

1. Black Rihanna thigh split cami maxi dress £60

2. Beige Rihanna knot back turtle neck crop top £35

3. Yellow Rihanna tied t-shirt dress £70

4. Black Rihanna cut out shoe boots £95

5. Black and white Rihanna striped bra top £30

6. Mid wash Rihanna zip back denim shorts £30

7. Black leather Rihanna tattoo pendant backpack £60

Life/Style/12

Superstar Rihanna’s highly-anticipated collection fi nally hits River Island, but shoppers will have to head to New Mersey Shopping Park in Speke if they want to grab the new must-haves, as the Church Street store is set for closure at the end of this week

until the beginning of June when it will re-open after a big renovation.Her fresh new collection mimics her own style with a selection of cropped tops and thigh-split maxi skirts. She adds a splash of colour to her range with a number of canary yellow pieces in an array

of textures, ideal for the summer, including silk and cotton. Her cut-out laced boots are not for the faint hearted as they are towering 14cm high, but would look good with any outfi t, and her quirky denim collection should prove a hit in the fashion-forward city.

“I’ve seen it on the website and I would

defi nitely buy some of the clothes. I think there are nice colourful pieces that would be nice for

holidays”Lauren Rattigan, 20 -

JMU Student

“I wasn’t that im-pressed when I saw her collection. Half of it is

too revealing to wear. It may be okay for her to wear but not for normal people to walk around the streets in” Rachael

Leitch, 20

“I love her collection. I can’t wait to go and buy loads. It’s a bit of a nuisance having to

go to Speke for a River Island but I probably

will when the other one closes” Cass Ward, 20 -

Shop Assistant

Life/Sport/13

IRON MAN

ANGUSWhen someone says Ironman to you what do you think of? Robert Downey Jnr? The Avengers? The old comic books maybe? Whatever it is, it probably won’t be a 47-year-old golf club professional.

The Brownlee brothers’ medal win-ning performances at London 2012 brought the triathlon back into the public eye. It was time for people to once again marvel at the sheer phys-ical exertion the sport entails and the incredible determination it must require.

Amazingly, the Ironman tourna-ments which Wirral Ladies Golf Club professional Angus Law com-petes in eclipse even the distances covered in the Olympics.

Imagine swimming 2.4 miles then getting out of the freezing open wa-ter onto a bike to race for 112 miles. How about tacking on an entire mar-athon to run at the end of that, 26.2 miles?

Those lengths are up to and above three times the levels that Olympic athletes cover, but while Angus is the fi rst to admit he is not at the forefront of the sport (if such physical feats can still be classed as mere sport), he does it in his spare time.

Not only that, but Angus is look-ing to start training in April towards a mind-boggling ‘double Ironman’ known as ‘The Brutal’ in September. To put that in perspective, he plans to swim the equivalent of 165 lengths of an Olympic-size swimming pool be-

fore cycling from Liverpool beyond London then running to Brighton.

Angus, who has been the Wirral Ladies golf professional for 18 years, has already completed fi ve Ironman tournaments across Europe, stretch-ing from Austria to Switzerland, France and Spain and here at home in the UK, but he is not one to court public attention from his ‘hobby’ – unless it’s in the name of charity.

“It’s a personal thing, it’s not to shout about it and say ‘look at me’. It’s nothing to do with that. It’s about going out and achieving. I’ve not really realised that people bracket me as Angus who does the Ironman stuff.”

The Dundee-born golfer, who lives in Wallasey, has raised thousands of pounds for various charities since he took up Ironman in 2007, but has added to his fundraising with a bike ride across the US, Mersey swims and the Liverpool Marathon, as well as fi tting in earning his black belt in Tae Kwon Do around his family and profession, which in itself is quite an achievement.

He said: “I’ve always tried to keep myself fi t and I have goals that I set myself in life. Becoming a PGA golf professional was one goal that I set and it’s always nice to get that little cherry at the end, whether that be a half mark or a full mark; a triathlon or an Ironman. Last year I felt I could look back at the year and feel I’ve achieved. I’d had a good year and had great experiences.”

His good year was notably marked

by his Washington to LA journey on a bike in September, only to come back and compete in an Ironman contest in Tenby in Wales, and then just three weeks later run the Liver-pool Marathon.

“Personally, it can take anything from four to eight weeks to recov-er. You can still train but you need to get over the harm on the body. A lot of the time you can catch colds and infections because your immune system drops when you do this stuff. When you catch a cold it can really go to your chest.”

The immune system is not the only part of the body Angus needs to take care of, after breaking bones in his face coming off the bike in train-ing, which he admitted can hit you psychologically when you get back

on two wheels that can take you to nearly 50mph when travelling down mountains. Even though Angus reck-ons without his helmet ‘he wouldn’t be here’ after that particular accident, he insists that this wasn’t the worst injury he’s suffered in his time.

Having taken part in six tourna-ments but completed fi ve, Angus de-scribed how the anti-fog solution he used for his goggles seeped into his eyes, so when he was on the biking section of the race he was blinded and in so much pain he was taken off his bike and taken to a Zurich hospital, where drips were put into his eyes and blood tests were taken. Only an eye specialist could diag-nose the problem and within four days, treatment meant his eyes had recovered but he rates that as the most severe knock-back in his time.

The golf pro enthuses that anyone can compete in Ironman tourna-ments, but it’s down to the individual to motivate themselves to take the best out of what the sport has to offer. But does it take a touch of obsession to succeed in all the sporting arenas that Angus has?

“Probably, yeah! It’s such a natural thing for me because I love sport. I played rugby at school and hockey, football, I’ve done boxing too. I love playing sport and I’m always think-ing ‘what’s next to have a go at’?”

And what would that be, for a black belt martial artist professional golfer who runs marathons, swims rivers and cycles across countries?

“Hang gliding,” he says.

Merseyside pro golfer goes for those extra milesby Sam McDonnell

Wirral Ladies Golf Club professional Angus Law on the 112-mile bike ride portion of the Ironman contest. At this stage he had already swum 2.4 miles and still had a marathon to look forward to after cycling

Olympic Triathlon

Ironman

Swim: 0.93miles / 1.5km Cycle: 26.7miles / 43km Run: 6.2miles / 10km

Swim: 2.4miles / 3.86kmCycle: 112miles / 180kmRun: 26.2miles / 42.2km

Iron

Man

(c) m

arve

llous

Rolan

d/Cr

eativ

eCom

mon

s/Fli

ckr

The real Ironman is a 47-year-old golf pro from Wirral

10. The King returns to Liverpool - 2011Dalglish returned to Anfi eld in Janu-ary 2011 to replace the outgoing Roy Hodgson after the club had made a poor start to the season, taking charge of the FA Cup third round tie against Manchester United.Although they lost the game, the return of Dalglish to Liverpool sparked a re-surgence that saw the team fi nish in sixth place, missing out on a Europe-an spot by just four points.

9. 3-1 win over Manchester United - 2011Two days after his 60th birthday, Liverpool took on Manchester Unit-ed at Anfi eld, winning 3-1 after a Dirk Kuyt hat-trick. Although the game itself was not that spectacular, it can be remembered for the fans on the Kop singing happy birthday to their manager, continuing the unwavering support that he has had since the 1980s.

8. League Cup Win - 2012Dalglish helped turn the club’s for-tunes around after six years without a trophy win by guiding his side to the 2012 League Cup Final, knock-ing Cardiff City out after winning a penalty shoot-out 3-2. Although he left at the end of the sea-son after defeat in the FA Cup Final, Dalglish had managed to return glory to Anfi eld temporarily.

7. FA Cup Final vs. Everton - 1989In the second all Merseyside FA Cup Final, Dalglish steered his Liverpool team to victory with a 3-2 win after extra time.

It secured his second FA Cup as a manager, thanks to goals from John Aldridge and Ian Rush.

6. League title win - 1988The Reds stormed to a title win in 1988 with a revamped team includ-ing the likes of Peter Beardsley, John Aldridge, Ray Houghton and John Barnes. They topped the table for the major-ity of the season, going 29 league games unbeaten before losing to lo-cal rivals, Everton.

5. Dalglish signs for the Reds - 1977When Dalglish fi rst signed for Liv-erpool in 1977 as a replacement for Hamburg bound Kevin Keegan, the impact he would have on the club could not have been predicted. By the end of his fi rst season Dal-glish would score 31 goals in 62 games, including the winner in the European Cup fi nal. He didn’t stop there, helping the club to gain a string of titles until his departure in 1991, fi nishing his fi rst spell with 32 trophies and 169 goals for the club.

4. MBE - 1985Aside from football, Kenny Dalglish made his way onto the New Year’s Honours list in 1985, being award-ed an MBE for his services to foot-ball. His wife Marina would receive an MBE in 2009 for her services to charity.

3. Third league title in charge of Liverpool - 1990Dalglish directed Liverpool to their

18th league title in 1990, setting a record that would not be broken until 2011.This would be Dalglish’s fi nal full season in his fi rst spell as Liverpool manager and his eighth and fi nal league title with the Reds, marking the end of Liverpool’s reign of domi-nance in English football.

2. Scoring the winning goal in the European Cup Final - 1978This was how it all started for Dal-glish.He scored the only goal of the game to secure Liverpool’s sec-ond European Cup victory. As a result, they retained the trophy against Club Brugge at Wembley, it was his fi rst major trophy as a Liverpool player and it laid the groundwork for a glittering career. This was the fi rst of three European Cups for Dal-glish marking a golden era in a red shirt.

1. Winning the double in his fi rst season as a player- manager - 1986Dalglish’s fi nest moment came in the 1985-86 sea-son, when the Scot won the double with Liverpool as player-manager, for the fi rst time in Liverpool’s history. Not only did he lead them to both trophies, he even scored the winning goal against Chelsea on the fi nal day of the season to secure the league title.

Life/Sport/14

by Lauren Murphy

A Liverpool golf club has won an award for its environmentally friend-ly policies.

Lee Park, based in Childwall Val-ley Road, has been awarded the pres-tigious Northern Regional Environ-ment prize out of 90 entries.

The club has been recognised for its continued use of sustainable golf policies and eco-friendly actions.

It fi rst launched its eco-drive in 2006 when it successfully applied for a grant from English Nature to pro-vide advice on what was needed to gain the coveted EGU Environmen-tal Award.

A visit by a leading golf course

ecologist from the Sports Turf Re-search Institute (STRI) resulted in a special report that highlighted sev-eral ecological and environmental opportunities which would provide an enhanced oasis for wildlife in the heart of a built-up Liverpool suburb.

Club offi cials conveyed a special development plan, which was put into operation over a two year period. In 2008, the course was the fi rst golf club on Merseyside to be awarded the EGU Environment Award.

In 2011 the club received a ‘High-ly Commended’ citation for its sus-tained ‘green’ policy.

It also achieved GolfMark status from the EGU six years ago in rec-ognition of its beginner-friendly and

junior approach and child welfare policies.

Within the 90 acre site, green-keep-ing staff have been able to maintain a beautiful setting for a golf course which is able to sustain a valuable area of habitat for wildlife.

Offi cials report that wildlife on the course has increased signifi cantly while the energy saving actions in the clubhouse are helping to reduce bills.

The award judges said: “The club recognises the savings that can be made by managing in a more educat-ed and streamlined manner.

Lee Park operates on normal budgets and by looking critically at each hole to see which areas could receive less intensive maintenance.”

Top Kop timesof King Kenny

Merseyside Golf Club praised for green scheme

As a man who has seen it and done it all in football, Kenny Dalglish is a legend at Liverpool Football Club. � e man has won league titles as a player and manager at the club as well as winning a league title with Blackburn Rovers in the early years of the Premier League. He stands as one of the leading performers in British football over the last 30 years, both for his work as a player and his

dedication to helping the families a� ected by the Hillsborough disaster. In honour of his 62nd birthday, Scott Fitzpatrick looks at his greatest moments as a player and manager for Liverpool.

Photo (left) © DupPhotos/Flickr

(below) © MichaelPickard/Flickr

by Paul Collins

Vikings U19’s Juniors wheelchair basketball team have qualifi ed for the National Junior League Finals for the second year in a row.

On the 6th of April, they will meet with seven other teams in Sheffi eld, to battle it out in the Lord Taverner’s 10 ft hoop Junior League fi nals.

This will be the chance for the athletes to get their revenge after last year. Sue Peel, Head Coach of the team recalled: “In the fi nal, we only lost by a basket. We will be playing two matches on that day.”

Vikings WBC claimed fi rst posi-tion in the Central League after win-ning their last match against Jaguars

by 50-14 last Saturday.The team grabbed 15 points, see-

ing off second Manchester Maver-icks by one point, with a total seven wins and only one loss.

The coach explained members of two other teams contributed to the success: “None of the teams have enough under-19’s players. We’ve had members of Carlisle Panthers and Leicester Cobras playing for us, I want to say thank you to all of them.”

She added: “It’s really good be-cause they don’t get to train togeth-er.”

The Vikings WBC was reformed in 2009. Based at Lansbury Bridge School in St Helens its club mem-bers are from all over the Northwest

including Liverpool, St Helens, Widnes, Warrington and Bolton.

Two players, Charles Fryer-Ste-vens and Billy Bridge, are now in France where they’re playing tomor-row in an international tournament for team GB.

This weekend, Vikings WBC will be holding a fundraising collection in Warrington at the IKEA store. They will be at the shop all day long, on Saturday and Sunday, in a bid to raise as much money as possible for the club but not only.

Sue said: “It also helps us get an awareness. We have actually man-aged to discover players this way who didn’t know about us and just came up and said: I want to play.”

Junior wheelchair team reach top basketball fi nals

Third years cruise through to the fi nalJMU Journalism’s third year students strolled into the fi nal of this year’s World Cup after a comprehensive 4-1 victory over the fi rst years on Sunday.

The third years, playing in their third tournament, banished the spectre of previous defeats, showing the organisation and determination under the tandem of manager Joe Barnes and skip-per Rory Kelly that had been lacking in previous years. This, coupled with weekly training session, would help the fi nal years to prepare for a classic en-counter.

The preparations for the fi rst years had been hindered by the diffi culty in getting a squad to-gether, resulting in them having no substitutes, although they did make history when Kaltun Abdillahi took to the fi eld, be-coming only the second woman in history to play in the tourna-ment. This was in stark contrast to the third years who, for the fi rst time ever had a fully fi t squad to choose from.

Despite their inexperience, the fi rst years put up a strong chal-

Wigan test for Moyes’ FA CupdreamEverton will be looking to seal their place in the FA Cup semi-fi nal for the second suc-cessive season when they meet Wigan at Goodison Park on Saturday.

The Cup could be viewed as Everton’s best chance of secur-ing European football for next season as their inconsistency in the league appears to have cost them a place in the Champions League for now.

Everton were knocked out in the FA Cup semi fi nal last year after a late Andy Carroll winner securing Liverpool a spot in the fi nal, making Everton even more eager to go through to the semi fi nals, being handed an-other chance to travel down to London.

Injuries could disrupt the pro-gress of the Toffees as they will be without the services of Phil Jagielka after he was taken off after four minutes against Read-ing with a severe gash on his an-kle after a challenge from Adam Le Fondre.

Although last time Everton made it to the FA Cup Final Jagielka was out injured, their chances might have been hit by the loss of one of their form players.

Everton manager David Moy-es was incensed about the chal-lenge by Le Fondre and claimed that his side should receive greater protection from referees after goalkeeper Tim Howard was buffeted for the majority of the replay against Oldham.

The Blues will also be sweat-ing on the fi tness of Howard, who missed the win over Read-ing after failing to shake off a knock. If he does not make it, Jan Mucha, who made his Pre-mier League debut at the week-end, is likely to deputise.

Wigan will be looking to make history after appearing in their second FA Cup quarter-fi -nal and will hope to bounce back from a 4-0 defeat against Liverpool to reach their maiden FA Cup semi-fi nal.

When the two North West teams met at DW Stadium in October, it ended 2-2 after goal by Nikica Velavic and a late equaliser on penalty by the steady left back, Leighton Baines.

At home at Goodison Park The Toffees managed to scrape a 2-1 win after goals by skipper Phil Jagielka and Leon Osman.

Evertons league form havn’t been the best after their impres-sive start of the season, as they only got two wins on their last seven matches. The FA Cup clash with Wigan will therefore be a good oportunity to keep building on the important 3-1 victory over Reading,

Tranmere honour manager King with Prenton Park statue

Tranmere Rovers FC will honour the achievements of their greatest ever manager after announcing that a statue will be erected.The statue will be placed outside

Prenton Park as Rovers look to further commemorate his role as the most successful manager in the clubs history, adding to the stand that was named after King in 2002. King managed Tranmere in two

separate spells, guiding his side to three promotions and fi ve Wemb-ley appearances between 1975 and 1996, eventually becoming Direc-tor of Football as the club dipped in form. The project has been blessed by

the family of King and the club are confi dent that they will be able to raise the £50,000 needed to make the statue, which will be sculpted

by Tom Murphy, who also made created statues of iconic Liver-pool manager Bill Shankly and Everton’s record goalscorer Dixie Dean.The statue will be built in a prom-

inent place at Prenton Park so that fans will be able to enjoy the work done to honour the man who had the side challenging for a place in the Premier League in the early 90s.The work of King was under-

pinned by intelligent work in the transfer market, signing the likes of John Aldridge and Pat Nevin to bolster his squad as he looked to take Tranmere to new heights. He almost succeeded, losing out to Leicester City in the play-off semi-fi nals in 1994. However, it would not last, as when attend-ances started to dwindle, the club had to sell their best players, resulting in King eventually los-

ing his spot in the dugout to be ‘moved upstairs’ as Director of Football. This comes as a rare bit of good

news for Tranmere as their promo-tion push has been derailed as the squad is ravaged by injuries. A mixture of injuries and loan

contracts expiring has conspired to cost Tranmere top spot in League One after a fi ne spell at the start of the season, culminating in a defeat against Yeovil that has seen Tran-mere fall to a season low of sixth.That said, all hope is far from

gone for Ronnie Moran and his men as it’s only fi ve points seper-ating the top six clubs in Npower League 1. The club will be hoping that key

players start to return as they look to force their way in to contention for automatic promotion, starting with giant-killing Oldham. It’s all set for an exciting season fi nish.

by Scott Fitzpatrick

Everton want to repeat their 2009 FA Cup run

by Scott Fitzpatrick Irish Engine: Ryan McCann tore the fi rst years apart with his tireless forward runs

Life/Sport/15

More than a class: With a comfortable 4-1 win, the third years are through to the fi nal where they will meet either the second years or Alumni

lenge, warming the hands of Joel Richards in the third year’s goal, but were unable to cope with the power of the third years, even-tually falling to a defeat after goals from Ryan McCann, Kelly, Jonny Bridge and Adam Davies, with a penalty by Josh Kelsall serving as scant consolation.

The third years could have led early on but Kelly had his low shot saved in the 15th minute before Josh Killner sent a shot wide. They eventually drew fi rst blood after fi nding McCann out wide, who took one touch before volleying the ball past fi rst year captain Kieran Etoria-King. Nor-wegian hardman Eivind Haug-stad Kleiven could have seen red for a rough two-footed lunge but the referee gave him the benefi t of the doubt. The lead did not last long however, after the fi rst years were awarded a dubious penalty after Haugstad Kleiven was adjudged to have handled despite the vociferous protests of his team mates. Kelsall slot-ted away the spot-kick to bring his side back into the game on the stroke of half-time, moments after seeing his curling free-kick tipped past the post by Richards. The game was played in a tough,

but fair manner with both teams fl ying in and putting in full-blood-ed challenges.

It didn’t take long for the third years to get going after half-time as Kelly cut in from the left wing to curl a shot past Etoria-King before Bridge increased the lead with a surging run from the half-way line before rounding the goal-keeper and slotting in a cool fi nish.

The fi rst years were limited to chances from distance for the

latter stages of the second half, with their best effort sailing wide before David Williamson nearly scored from within his own half, but his clearance looped just over the bar.

There was still time for the third years to ensure a commanding win, as Davies lifted the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper after an exquisite lofted pass from French playmaker Paul Collins, although the opposition manager John

Mathews claimed there were sus-picions of offside.

Praising his side, captain Kelly said: “Credit where credit’s due. It was a great performance and an even better result.”

Whilst the fi rst years will nurse their wounds, the third years will march onto the fi nal on March 24th, where they will face the winners of the second semi-fi nal between the second years and the champions, the Alumni.

Prenton Park : King tribute Photo © AndyNugent/Flickr

by Scott Fitzpatrick

LifeSPORTLiverpool

05 - March - 2013

Liverpool John Moores Ladies Gaelic team were left disappointed this weekend after they missed out on the opportunity to make 2013 a double winner as they were beaten at this weekend’s British Champi-onships tournament.

LJMU, University of Liverpool, Hope University, St. Mary’s Lon-don, Queen Margaret University and Robert Gordon University met on Saturday in Huddersfi eld all with the intention of bringing home the most sought after win in Ladies Gaelic Football, the Divi-sion 1 championship.

After LJMU’s win against Uni-versity of Liverpool in December’s league fi nal, and their undefeated

Schoolboy boxers win chance to fi ght for England

record in the past six months the girls were going into Saturday’s tournament as one of the favour-ites to win the title.

Niall Jackman, organiser of the tournament, told Liverpool Life last week that he had high hopes for LJMU and that 2013 may be the year that the girls could fi nally win the championship.

The girls got off to a great start on Saturday morning beating 2012 champions 1-9 to 0-2 in the fi rst round.

However their second match against Edinburgh’s Queen Mar-garet University was not so suc-cessful. Two early goals in the fi rst half of the match for Queen Mar-garet meant that LJMU were in a very vulnerable position at half

IN THE REDby Jonathan Bridge reason for the rise. Charlie Adam,

Sebastien Coates, Jose Enrique and Craig Bellamy also arrived on Mer-seyside in transfer deals.

Additionally, paying off un-der-achieving players to get them off the wage bill is also cited as a reason. Players such as Milan Jovanovic, Christian Poulsen and Sotirios Kyr-giakos left Anfi eld on free transfers whilst a number of other fringe play-ers such as Joe Cole and Alberto Aq-uilani were allowed to leave on loan.

This squad rebuilding process in a time when the Reds were without

The latest set of accounts released by Liverpool FC this week for the 2011-12 season showed their debts have risen by £21.8m up to £87.2m.

The annual loss was down on the previous year, though, from £49.3m to £40.5m and the club insist fans should not be worried by the net in-crease in debt.

Those in charge at Anfi eld cite sig-nifi cant instalments due on the pre-vious transfers of Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson as part of the

Three Merseyside boxers are in the running to fi ght for England after each winning national champion-ships.

The national fi nals of the ABA Championships, held at Everton Park Sports Centre, showcased the coun-try’s top schoolboy boxers over two days of competition.

Merseyside and Cheshire had a strong total of nine lads in the fi -nals, although only three managed to come out on top.

Daniel Stringer of Rotunda, Birk-enhead Venture’s Freddy Young and Kieran Sutton of West Wirral are now up for the chance to box for England following their triumphs over the weekend.

The champion trio will now repre-sent their country at the Great Britain Championships later this year, which sees the best of England, Scotland and Wales battle for a title at a higher level.

Stringer was the fi rst of the three winners, who nailed a fi ne perfor-mance in his fi nal against Repton’s Patrick Ward.

The fi ght indicated the class of Stringer’s boxing skills, as Repton proved to be the big winners over the whole weekend with seven out of nine victories.

The rise of Freddy Young continues after the weekend saw the youngster claim his fi fth national title.

Having been the best in Wales, Young has since claimed schoolboy championships at Minor, Class One and Class Two in England and on Saturday won the Class Three crown.

Sutton made it a weekend hattrick when he won the decision over Will Cooper of Chalvedon with a vic-tory reward for the dedication the West Wirral schoolboy has shown throughout this season.

There was disappointment for the remaining six boys from Merseyside and Cheshire. Ryan Moore (Wild-card), Antony McKenna (Transport), Jake Harrison (Gemini), Connor But-ler (Kirkby), Anthony Quick (Rotun-da) and Callum Thompson (Tower Hill) were all worthy fi nalists.

Over the weekend, they joined in congratulating Stringer, Young and Sutton as they prepare to fl y the fl ag for Merseyside at Great Britain tournments later this year.

by Lauren Murphy

Classy victory: Daniel Stringer

£65m debt rise at LFC - but club insists fans have nothing to be worried aboutEuropean football has come to the fore in the accounts.

Liverpool’s triumphant success in the Carling Cup and reaching the fi nal of the FA Cup helped to offset the gap in revenue due to missing out on European football. Despite not being in the lucrative Champions League, Liverpool were still named in the Deloitte list of top ten Europe-an football clubs.

Liverpool FC managing direc-tor, Ian Ayre, said in an interview: “Liverpool were placed ninth in the Deloitte league table recently. Of

the top ten we’d be the only club not playing in the Champions League.

“But in these particular accounts we wouldn’t be playing any Europe-an Football so it shows that we have a very strong and growing business that sits behind the football club.

“And as we approach things like Financial Fair Play and that type of environment, which puts us in a very strong position.

“What we have to do - and we have always said this - is match our foot-ball performance with our business performance.

The Liverpool chief outlined the cohesion that club sections must have: “Everybody throughout the club is working towards that; cre-ating the right sustainable business performance to feed the football business and then the football busi-ness can deliver on its side.”

He added: “In some years, as in this year, we didn’t have European football to play but the business per-formance supported the football, as did our domestic cup performance. We had a fantastic performance in the Carling Cup and in the FA Cup.”

LJMU’s Gaelic ladies miss out on double in British Championshipby Lauren Kelly time and needed to quickly turn

things around if they were to keep up their clean undefeated record.

A new LJMU team arrived on the pitch in the second half with Cap-tain Aoife Montague scoring two points within fi ve minutes, howev-er once again, three easy goals by Q.M.U put the Scottish team miles ahead, with the fi nal scoreboard reading 0-4 to 5-5.

Despite their loss against Q.M.U, the LJMU team qualifi ed for the semi-fi nals of the tournament where they played Robert Gordon University who had already beaten fellow Liverpool teams, Hope and Uni of in earlier rounds.

The LJMU girls went into the game still with the hope that they may beat the Aberdeen team

and reach their fi rst ever British Championships fi nal.

The day’s earlier matches had clearly taken its toll on the LJMU team who were barely recognisable in the game compared to how they performed earlier in the year.

With several shots being hit wide by the full forward line and the defence’s inability to stop RGU from breaking through and scor-ing three goals in the fi rst half, the chances of reaching the fi nal were quickly slipping away from the girls who had only managed a one point score. After several switches at half time, a new LJMU turned up in the second half as they scored 2-1.

However, RGU’s earlier scores in the game meant that LJMU were

still playing catch up, and LJMU were beaten 4-5 to 2-2.

Nathan Deery, manager for LJMU Gaelic ladies told Liverpool Life:“The girls have came on leaps and bounds this year. Their league win in December proved this. I really am not sure where we went wrong because I really did think we had a very strong chance of winning the tournament. Regard-less, I am so proud of the girls and have loved coaching them this year and am so proud of them.”

The ladies’ success has not gone unrecognised by the rest of the uni-versity as they have been shortlist-ed for the Most Improved Award by Student Union along with free-style dance society and the Ameri-can Football team.