The restored splendour of Old Christ Church Waterloo

Today I had the pleasure of visiting Old Christ Church in Waterloo. This is an impressive mock gothic building which became redundant as regular place of worship.It eventually came into the ownership of the Church Conservation Trust who in partnership with the local Friends Group have done a magnificent job of conserving the church and opening it up for community use. (I shall be visiting the Beer Festival there in April).

  Today we were marking the completion of the latest phase of restoration. It was great to meet so many of the enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers, their partnership with the Church Conservation Trust has borne fruit. I also met the contractors who specialise in conservation work and carried out the work on Bootle War Memorial (which I was involved in re-dedicating) and the Observatory at Hesketh Park in Southport.

The church was built out of Bootle sandstone and covered with Westmoreland slates. (One of the volunteers told me that the quarry was at the top of Fenhill Rd in what is now the park). The architects were the leading Lancashire firm of Paley,Austin & Paley who were at the forefront of the later Gothic revival. Some of their decoration is said to verge on Art Nouveau and they had a penchant for adding Latin quotations over windows and doors

Laudate Dominum-Praise the Lord

Chair of the Friends and the contractors

First Mayoral Civic Reception for LGBT people

On Thursday evening I hosted the first civic reception for LGBT people in Bootle Town Hall. Members of Embrace- which is a network for all Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual (LGB) people who live, work or socialise in Sefton-attended including their Co-Chairs Dr Mike Homfray and Rach O’Brien. They were joined by Queer Notions a voluntary group that offers support, advice and information on mental health matters. I was particularly keen to host this reception as it marks an important stage  in a journey from exclusion to full acceptance.

The Town Hall is a venue for marriages and across England and Wales we have seen over 5000 same sex weddings celebrated since the passing of the Equal Marriage Legislation. Early this year I was privileged to open the General Assembly of the United Reform Church (URC) when they became the first mainstream Christian church in the UK to empower its local churches to conduct same-sex marriages.

Waterloo Primary School visit the Town Hall

It was good to welcome pupils from Waterloo Primary School to Bootle Town Hall. We have a well organised tour for young people including a quiz and a question and answer session.

The pupils were drawn from the School Council, Eco champions and anti-bullying leads. I always find that primary school youngsters are the most inquisitive. They ask the questions that come into their head. This makes for a much more interesting and challenging time.
As part of the quiz they have to identify things in the Council Chamber. To their credit this group out performed the question setter. When asked to identify all the birds in the room they noticed a whimbrel -one of our coastal wading birds -that we had missed !.And when they were looking for bees they noticed one on the stain glass window with the Burnley Coat of Arms that had also been missed.

After the tour of the council chamber we went into the Mayor's Parlour and the Mayoress's dining room and the pupils had the chance to dress up in Mayoral robes and ask lots of questions about the Maces and the moyoral chains. In the picture one of the pupils is carrying the Mace used by the former Crosby Council and another the silver oar presented by the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board the Bootle County Borough.

Visiting Foodbanks in the south of the borough

My first stop was at St Leonard's in Bootle where I met up with Debbie again. She had been nominated for an award earlier in the year by one of her volunteers. Most of the volunteers on the day that I visited were former firefighters. The centre also had a welfare rights adviser available.

Everything was very well organised in accordance with the Trussel Trust's good practice. The centre had just taken delivery of a new trolley,in the photo, donated by the staff at Maghull Lidl .

Next stop was the main storage site for the various foodbanks in the area situated at the Waterloo Town Hall. Gail, the manager, explained the various partnerships they have developed with supermarkets, local businesses and most particularly with the churches and schools. I was impressed by the professional organisation. All the volunteers knew the drill and it all seeemed to work very well. I was interested to learn that they produce a regular shortage list of products they need to make up the deliveries. I know myself that you are not sure what is needed. Each bag has a set variety of goods and sometimes the foodbank has to 'buy in' products to ensure they get the right balance of foodstuffs.

At this time of year they would love to receive Easter Eggs

The shortage Toiletries for this month are as follows:
• Shampoo
• Shower gel
• Washing up liquid
• Sanitary items
• Shaving foam
• Razors
• Deodorant
• Toothpaste
• Tooth brushes
• Wipes
• Nappies size  4, 5 & 6

•

Food

UHT Milk

• UHT Juice

• Coffee

• Jam

• Noodles

• Tinned Potatoes/Instant Mash

• Tinned Tomatoes

• Tinned Fruit

• Rice Pudding

If you have any queries please contact Gayle on 0151 934 3055/0151 933 1300

 info@southsefton.foodbank.org.uk

Many thanks to all the volunteers and staff who showed me around. I was very impressed by their work. They are all doing a very important job 

Visiting those who go down the sea in ships and occupy their business in great waters.

the new mega cranes

I have spent the day with the Liverpool Seafarers' Centre which is located in our borough at Waterloo where they provide recreational facilities for seafarers including access to the internet, subsidised international SIM cards, a library, bar, café, TV lounge and a chaplaincy.

The organisation has been on the go since 1856 and brings together the two main church organisations providing support to those who go down the sea in ships and occupy their business in great waters.

Unloading cocoa

The centre is well used and I met sailors from several countries including India and the Philippines. I was then taken to visit a couple of ships. The first one was carrying a cargo of cocoa beans from the Ivory Coast which was being unloaded. The Master of the ship showed us round and I was accompanied by Geoff Rafferty who is a trustee of the centre. In a previous life he was a pilot on the River Mersey and I met him first when the City of Liverpool conferred on the Pilots Association the Freedom of the city. 

We can sometimes forget how important merchant shipping is to us. 95% of the UK's imports arrive by sea. The new Port of Liverpool, also in Sefton, is taking shape. I was present earlier this year at the new Port of Liverpool Academy which is an excellent initiative of Hugh Baird college in Bootle to prepare local people for the new jobs that will come with the development. At present there is nowhere in the north that the new large container ships can dock. The furtherest north port for them is Felixstowe on the east coast. The new mega cranes, pictured at the top of this posting, were floated across from China and are already a landmark that can be seen as far north as Formby. As yet the new facility is not open for business. Many local people are concerned about the logistics of shifting the cargo from the port to a rail head or the motorway. It strikes me it is a job for a railway.  Of course the ships sail out of Liverpool with cargo and we saw rows of new Jaguar cars lined up waiting to go to China and the USA. The biggest export would appear to be waste metal which finds its way to China, the USA and Turkey.

The second ship I visited was a Greek owned and Bahamas registered vessel carrying grain from Australia. It had been 45 days at sea and many of the crew were finishing their contract in Liverpool and being flown home. The Master Dubovchenko Ievgen from Ukraine  showed us round. He was also being visited by representatives of the owners who had made a day trip up to the NW to see the ship. This being a Greek owned ship there was a Icon of St Nicholas which, I learned, is always hung on the bridge in Greek ships.

The Chief Engineer them took us below to the Engine room where we met more of the crew. The approaching Hurricane Doris may well hold this ship up in dock as it is not possible to unload the grain whilst it is raining. This may not please the owners but the crew were looking forward to visiting the city. Apparently one of the popular destinations is the large 24 hour supermarkets.

Merchant shipping is central to our economy. We are a trading nation. There are no doubt those who are keen to build walls but that is not in our interest. As the Master of the first ship I visited (which was crewed by people from Russia, Ukraine and the Philippines) 'we are all sailors here, citizens of the world. '

Rainbow Flags Flying at Southport and Bootle Town Halls

Rainbow Flags Flying At Town Halls

I am pleased to announce that Rainbow flags will be flying at both Bootle and Southport Town Halls today (February 1) to mark the start of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) history month.

 Notices will be displayed at the Town Halls explaining why the flag is being flown for the day.


 LGBT History Month is a month-long annual observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, and the history of the gay rights and related civil rights movements.

 In 2017 the month looks at Citizenship, PSHE  and Law to mark the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality in England and Wales.

 Mayor of Sefton, Cllr Iain Brodie-Browne, said: "I have felt for a long time that we have failed to give the appropriate recognition in our borough to LGBT citizens and to the contribution that they make to our communities. It is very important to lend our support to LGBT history month and show that Sefton Council supports LGBT people.
“The Rainbow Flag represents the diversity of the LGBT community, many of whom are residents in our borough. I am delighted that the Rainbow flag will flown from our two Town Halls on February 1st."
 For more information on LGBT history month visit
www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/

Tale of Two graduations Prince's Trust Team 32 MFRS and University of Liverpool

Prince's Trust event at Fire Service H.Q.

The Team was Bootle & Netherton Prince's Trust Team 32.

Professor Phil Scraton

In one afternoon I attended two graduations; one for the University of Liverpool and the other with the Prince's Trust. I have to admit I found the Prince's Trust awards the most moving. These were young people who had finished their formal education and still were facing significant challenges. Everyone who attended the presentation that the young people put on to mark the end of the 12 week course was impressed.
The University graduation was significant because Professor Phil Scraton was awarded an honorary  degree chiefly because of his work on the Hillsborough miscarriage of justice.

The inspirational Prince's Trust Team 4 graduate at Hugh Baird

Photograph by Conrad Ainsley

I was delighted to be back at Hugh Baird College this week. I had been invited to the graduation ceremony for those members of Team 4 who had completed the Prince's Trust scheme.

The Prince's Trust Team programme is a 12-week course, run in partnership with Hugh Baird College, that offers work experience, challenging community projects and an adventurous five-day, team building residential trip.

We had a review of the scheme presented by the young people and then individual contributions from the students who had taken part. This was inspirational stuff. The programme had clearly made an impact on the participants who had visibly grown in confidence through the programme. The testimonials from the hosts of the community projects-including St Oswald's- confirmed that these young people had done a great job and were brilliant ambassadors for young people. Nobody could help but be moved by the commitment these young people had shown nor of the value of their contribution.  There can be no doubt that any employer looking at an application from these students would recognise that they had demonstrated that they would be worth seriously considering for a job.

Judging from the video presentation as well as the individual speeches that the students made the residential trip to Denbigh had been the turning point. Their team work skills and enjoyment were obvious.

The whole team should be proud of their achievement. I sincerely wish that some of the 'moaners' in our society who have a negative opinion of young people could have been present. It was a great evening.

Two events to commemorate Captain Johnny Walker UK's leading wartime submariner

The memory of Captain Johnny Walker is cherished in these parts. He was a real war leader whose innovative approach to hunting down U-boats in the Battle of The Atlantic made a real difference to saving allied lives and providing a much safer passage for the all important arctic convoys.

The day began with a service in Bootle Town Hall. Capt Walker was based in Bootle's Gladstone dock and when he laid up the flags from his boats including HMS Wildgoose, Starling and Stork along with other items he chose to do so in Bootle Town Hall. Generations of local school children have learned about his exploits. His grandson Patrick was among the naval personnel past and present who attended the service which was led by the naval chaplain Fether David Gamble.

Father Gamble, IBB, Patrick Walker an the RM Officer commanding HMS Eaglet

Most prized of all the memorabilia is the General Chase Flag. We tell those undertaking the tour of the Town Hall that it has only been flown three times in history, once by Sir Francis Drake, when he chased the Spanish Armada from the Channel in 1588, and again by Nelson when he defeated Napoleon’s fleet at the Battle of the Nile in 1798. In our version of history, the third time ever that the flag was flown was On 30 July 1943,when Walker's  2nd Support Group encountered a group of three U-boats on the surface while in the Bay of Biscay. Captain Walker signalled "General Chase" to his group and fired at the U-boats, causing damage that prevented them from diving. Two of the U-boats were then sunk by the Support Group and the third by an Australian flying boat. “General Chase” is signalled to release ships from a line of battle, or other formation, in order to pursue a retreating or beaten foe.  I have subsequently discovered that is not strictly true because, at the Battle of the Falkland Islands on 8 December 1914, Sturdee hoisted General Chase at the beginning of the action. I have to say as the day went on and I attended the Captain Walker Dinner on HMS Eaglet I discovered that quite a few of the 'facts' we impart on these tours are not strictly true.

The commemoration of  Captain Walker moved on to a mess dinner in the evening. Instead of celebrating Trafalgar Day the University Royal Navy Unit (URNU) Liverpool holds a Johnny Walker Dinner. The senior student this year who presided over the meal was Chris Vroom. Between each courses, he called on one of his colleagues to tell the story of Captain Walker's exploits. In many ways it felt like a scene out of Beowulf. You could easily imagine sitting around the fire in the Mead Hall in Heorot listening to how Beowulf defeated the monster Grendel.

First up Chris Vroom set the scene

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Liverpool University Royal Naval Unit’s Captain Johnnie Walker Night Dinner. This evening we will share with you the story of the Battle of the Atlantics most successful anti-submarine warfare commander.


Convoy HG76 sailed from Gibraltar on December 14th 1941, 7 days after the attack on Pearl Harbour. Its 32 ships were arranged in the standard column formation, with the 36th Escort Group providing protection through HMS Stork, HMS Depthford and 7 flower class corvettes, with the then Commander F J Walker in command. Three destroyers and escort carrier HMS Audacity would join this force later. Against established routine, Walker arranged his ships in two screens, one close to the convoy and one much further out. This meant that for the first time, U boats would encounter the escorting warships before being able to close and attack the convoy. It was risky, but Walker was confident.

After the first course we moved on to the second installment of the story-which is where I discovered we were handing out 'duff' information to the visitors to Bootle Town Hall.This part was retold by Chris C

At 0900 hrs on the 17th December, an aircraft reported the U-131, 22 miles astern of HG76 and forced it to dive. The U-Boat was seen on the Stork's radar and Walker decided to test his so far unproven theory of offensive escorts. Taking HMS Stork and his 3 additional destroyers, he raced back along the convoy track towards U-131. Faulty hydrophones failed to inform the submarine of the approaching danger and the destroyers damaged the U-Boat with depth charges, but it remained submerged. 


Walker then formed a search line and began to hunt. About two hours later, the submarine surfaced and was immediately spotted. Walker ordered the attack. Sub Lt Fletcher in his Martlet aircraft dived on the U-Boat but was shot down and killed. His body was later recovered by Walker. After 20 minutes of shellfire U-131 abandoned ship. After collecting survivors, Walker had his first kill. That same afternoon a second submarine was sunk by the outer screen. Two U-Boats sunk and thus far, no losses.

Before part three I should pause to say that the food was excellent and the wine plentiful-but I was holding myself for the port.. Aoife Richardson told us of the night he sank four U-boats.

At 0400 hrs on December 19th; U-574 spotted and torpedoed HMS Stanley. Walker ordered his team to use a pre-arranged plan known as "Buttercup". As one they turned away from the convoy firing starshell, forcing the U-Boat to dive, hence allowing HMS Stork to pinpoint her on ASDIC and launch a combined ramming and depth charge attack, crippling the submarine.

That night HMS Audacity took up her night position away from the convoy and was torpedoed by U-751. Despite a desperate search the U-Boat was not found. However, HMS Deptford sighted a U-Boat on the surface and together with HMS Stork successfully attacked it with depth charges. A second submarine was also damaged.

By now the escorts were running low on ammunition and damage was mounting. HQ Western Approaches sent two destroyers and coordinated air cover to finally see the convoy home. In London the Admiralty was delighted; 4 U-Boats sunk and one badly damaged for the loss of 2 merchantmen, an escort carrier and a destroyer. 

Thanks to Walker's tactics, they now admitted a major rethink was needed in the Atlantic.

We now move to the more escoteric naval customs. A glass of port was poured and placed on the table next to the painting and bust of Johnny Walker. We then had the l

oyal toast-in these parts 'the Queen, the Duke of Lancaster.

No 1

Things then got very strange. Chris Vroom stood and declared: 'Can all those who have created vessels in honour of this evening please parade. Ladies and gents can you all please make note of the one you believe would be the biggest adversary to the U-Boats'

No 2

No 3

We were then asked the cheer for the vessel we favoured. It will come as no surprise to those who remember Boaty Macboatface that the small chaocolate swiss roll representing a torpedo (I presume) won.

Bootle Remembrance

The Saturday of the Remembrance weekend is the traditional time for three short ceremonies in Bootle. We began by a simple cross near by the War Memorial where a dozen folk gathered quietly to remember. Prayers were led by the Vicar of Christchurch

We moved on to the Town Hall to lay two wreaths, one by the Roll of Honour for Council employees and the second standards that local regiments have laid up in the Town Hall 

These ceremonies do not attract the crowds that come on Sunday but the are important. Ir was good to have the support of local councillors

Curry Lunch at the R G Masters VC Barracks

After calling into the Comrades Club in Crosby after the Act of Remembrance at Southport Cenotaph I went to have a Curry Lunch with the Army Reservists. This event was held at the  Private R G Masters VC Barracks. Pte Masters was a Southport lad who won the VC in WW1.

First up I should say that both the curry and the company was excellent. It was only a fleeting visit but I was pleased that we had agreed to do it. Increasingly our defence capability relies on reservists and it is important we recognise their contribution.

I was impressed by the calibre of the people I met. I was introduced to two engineers whose day jobs were at Bentley in Crewe and at Jaguar Land Rover in Solihull. Their dedication to their army was impressive.

My visit to Safe Regeneration at St Mary's Hub Bootle

I'm not sure what the collective noun for a group of Community Interest Companies (CIC) is; an enterprise? an innovation? maybe they should call it a hope of CICs. My visit to Safe Regeneration at the site of the former St Mary's School in Bootle definitely filled me with optimism. CICs are social enterprises that want to use their profits and assets for the public good.

I met so many different projects housed in and around the canal side site.  I was shown around by Jane Johnson their development manager and Su Grainger from the Community Choir 'Sing your Socks Off' . I met artists, dancers, mosaic makers, joiners, gardeners, bee keepers and people who described themselves as technology nerds.

I was very impressed with the group set up for people experiencing early onset dementia. I don't think I have ever encountered anything as positive or as successful in this area of work. I spoke with family members and those with the condition and they were full of praise for the group called Natural Steps, and the two women who set it up and run it.

There was also a cluster of technology based CICs including The Nerdy Gift Company who had lots of innovative ideas and Little Sandbox who run a technology club for youngsters. They had a 3D printer and in preparation for Halloween they had produce a pumpkin! Personally I prefer the ones you can eat. You could really feel the energy and imagination that drives these companies forward

 Another of the  technology CICs was Periscope Productions who are film/video makers. They had taken on a trainee, a young man who supported Tranmere Rovers-one of the few teams Southport FC have taken a point off this season . They were turning out  high quality films and were successful getting work from a wide variety of organisations from the public and private sectors.

The Periscope film Makers

One of the other focuses for their work is around environmental issues. Their poly tunnel and raised bed were clearly very productive but I was taken by the honey making operation and was delighted when they gave me a jar made by Boss Bootle Bees .

Safe Green Dream and the Boss Bootle Bees

There is land attached to the St. Mary's hub that opens on to the Leeds Liverpool Canal and, not surprisingly, there are ambitious plans to develop it. I was particularly pleased to hear about their ideas for housing including self build and shared equity. As a nation we have failed to develop options that allow people without capital to get on the housing ladder and to own their own home.

The parcel of land also includes a former pub and they have plans to open it up again and to develop a new enterprises including hotel accommodation. I would not be at all surprised if in a few years the Carolina Basin had become the preferred stopping off point for canal users making their way through to the Albert Dock.

As I hope you can tell I was thoroughly impressed by my visit to the St Mary's hub.

Liz Short's 100 birthday party

It was great to be invited to Liz Short's 100 birthday party held at Bootle Cricket Club. Liz had five generations of her family present. My job was to present her with the telegram from the Queen and to join in the singing of Happy Birthday

Paul Newbery presented Liz with a bottle of Champagne on behalf of the Firwood  Bootle Cricket Club who hosted the event. Everyone I spoke to was very impressed with the club and the care it had taken over this event

Liz lives at the Willow Gardens, St Edmonds Rd, Bootle and other residents and staff had joined her family in celebrating her birthday.

Unveiling Bootle War Memorial

photo by K Hodgson

On an extremely wet Saturday morning a large crowd came and stayed for over an hour for the rededicating of the restored Bootle War Memorial.

The work had been founded by a variety of sources including a large donation from the War Memorial Trust . This is one of the biggest grants made by the Trust.

Despite the rain everyone listened attentively as the memorial was dedicated. The ceremony was a recreation of the one carried out in 1922 with the laying of wreaths

I concluded the event by repeating the pledge made back then by the then Mayor that the council would look after the memorial. The vicar of Christchurch Bootle blessed the memorial and we sang familiar hymns including all seven verses of Abide with Me. (Who knew Abide with Me had seven verses? Well one older member of the gathering impressively sang all the verses from memory!). We were to accompanied by the Formby Band  

phot by K Hodgson

The order of service for the rededication describes the monument thus:

The design of the memorial is based on a suggestion from the War Memorial Committee that all three services should form an important part of the design and that the names of the fallen heroes should be recorded. The overall form and configuration of the memorial was proposed by Hubert Ernest Bulmer, ARCA (1874-1963), who was the County Borough of Bootle's Art Director and had previously been head of the Bootle School of Art (which was a predecessor to the Hugh Baird College of today).

a representative of the War Memorial Trust

The memorial is constructed from Forest of Dean sandstone and comprises a twelve-sided base on two circular steps, which have bronze panels with the names of those remembered inscribed between pilasters. Above this base is a triangular, concave-sided obelisk that supports a bronze depiction of a mother and child. Flanking the obelisk on three sides are figures of an infantry soldier, a sailor and an airman. The total height of the memorial is 20 feet.

The memorial sits within a wide paved landing and is surrounded by an outer ring comprising a dwarf wall with coping stones beyond which the landscaped setting includes a perimeter privet hedge and lawns.

There are 12 bronze plaques upon which are the names of 1007 Bootle men killed in the First World War. The bronze sculpture depicts a soldier, sailor and an airman, three laurel wreaths and a stature of a mother holding a baby.
The bronze sculptures are by Joseph Hermon Cawthra, RBS (1886-1971) and were cast by Mario Manenti (1885-1954), a bronze founder and an artist who ran a foundry at 416 Fulham Road, London between 1921 and 1928.

The inclusion of an airman is very unusual for a First World War memorial as air warfare was still very new and only a few war memorials of this age include an airman. He stands on the east side of the memorial and is looking up to the sky. The sailor and soldier figures are shown guarding a mother and child figure which symbolises new life and hope.

The sculptor Cawthra's later career was largely based on his reputation following Bootle War Memorial. Before they were installed on the memorial, his bronze figures were exhibited at the 1922 Royal Academy and received admiring comments with positive reviews recorded in contemporary accounts at the time. Critics praised the realism of the Tine colossal bronzes' with one critic praising the 'virility' of the airman figure and writing 'it is indeed a tonic to see these rugged warriors in place of the usual classical nymphs'. Later, Cawthra described the airman figure as one of his best works.
Construction work began in May 1922 and the completed memorial was unveiled on the 15th October of that year. The contractor was Harry Clegg from Chester.

The Bootle Times printed a very detailed account of the official unveiling ceremony which took place where we are now stood on 15th October 1922 and according to the article, 'this was attended by tens of thousands of onlookers and in glorious sunshine.

In 1948 permission was granted by the Council for the addition to the memorial of the names of servicemen killed in the Second World War. This consisted of alterations to the entrance steps to incorporate two additional bronze plaques and the addition of further names to the original stone boundary plinth. They also added a stone tablet commemorating the Liverpool Escort Force which protected the vast convoys of merchant ships which brought food and materials to this country via the docks, upon which so many people in Bootle depended.

Since the Second World War further names from subsequent conflicts, have been added, with the most recent being added earlier this year.

This Memorial is still very much a monument to the people who gave their lives, including those from our own generation and they will always be remembered.