| Here’s what’s changing between 20 - 26 July 2014: |
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Help us to help you! |
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The Giants are coming… |
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There are no planned changes taking place this week. You can download all current and future bus timetables here. Buses are sometimes diverted due to roadworks or events. We show all planned diversions and explain how your services are affected on the Travel Updates page of our website. |
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City Line: no planned changes this week. Wirral Line: don’t forget, with the Open Golf Championship taking place at Hoylake, some Wirral Line trains are changed until 22 July. Click here for full details. If you travel on the Wirral Line, please check your travel plans in advance by visiting www.nationalrail.co.uk or calling 08457 48 49 50. West Lancashire Line: trains between Southport and Manchester are running to a special timetable from 19 July – 31 August. Click here for full details. You can download current and future rail timetables from our website. |
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The Queensway (Birkenhead) Mersey Tunnel will be closed to all traffic during the following times, whilst the Memories of August event takes place in Liverpool: 2200 on Thursday 24 July through to 1200 on Friday 25 July; Traffic will be diverted through the Kingsway (Wallasey) Tunnel, which is expected to be busy, particularly through the morning peak period. Please plan your journey in advance and allow extra time to make your journey. |
| There are no planned changes this week.
You can view the Mersey Ferries timetable here. |
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| If you need any more information, or need some help planning your journey, call our Traveline team on 0151 236 7676. They’re open from 0800 – 2000 every day. |
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| August 2014 marks the centenary of the start of the First World War – a turning point in world history. Liverpool will host one of the UK’s landmark commemorative events – a poignant and spectacular piece of street theatre which will once again see giant visitors embark on an emotional journey around the city. Taking place between 23 – 27 July 2014, the city will welcome back the creative tour de force that is Royal De Luxe who will undoubtedly deliver a jaw-dropping visual feast. It comes just two years after Liverpool came to a standstill for Sea Odyssey which paid tribute to the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic. Sea Odyssey saw over one million people converge on the streets, taking in the awe-inspiring sight of three beautifully crafted giants which roamed the city on a heart-rending tale of love, loss and reunion. Those three days in April 2012 have become some of the most unforgettable in Liverpool’s history and this new event is expected to join Sea Odyssey and become etched in the hearts and minds of everyone lucky enough to be part of the event. As a result of this amazing piece of street theatre, roads will be closed and diversions will be in force, meaning there will be major planned changes to public transport. Here’s a guide to how your buses, trains, Mersey Ferries and Mersey Tunnels are changing… |
| Roads will be closed and diversions will be in force, meaning there will be major planned changes to bus services throughout the event.
Please remember though, roads throughout Liverpool are expected to be very busy so whatever service you are using, please allow extra time for your journey. |
| On Saturday afternoon, Stagecoach will be running a special bus service to take you from the Liverpool Cruise Terminal to the Giants at Clarence Dock. The service runs very frequently between 1600 and 1800. Regular return buses will depart Clarence Dock between 1930 and 2100. Journey time will be 5 minutes. A flat fare of £1.00 for adults and 50p for children will be charged – no passes will be accepted. |
| For safety reasons, James Street station will be closed on Saturday from 1600 to 2000 and on Sunday from 1100 to 1500. Your nearest stations are at Moorfields and Liverpool Central.
For the latest train running information, visit www.merseyrail.org for Northern and Wirral Line services |
| The Queensway (Birkenhead) Mersey Tunnel will be closed to all traffic during the following times, whilst the Memories of August event takes place in Liverpool:
2200 on Thursday 24 July through to 1200 on Friday 25 July; Traffic will be diverted through the Kingsway (Wallasey) Tunnel, which is expected to be busy, particularly through the morning peak period. Please plan your journey in advance and allow extra time to make your journey. |
| Mersey Ferries will be a great way to get to and from the event with extra services running throughout the weekend.
Between 23 to 25 July a normal ferry service will be running. On Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 July, extra River Explorer Cruises (lasting about 45 minutes) will run: Cruises will operate every 30 minutes (two vessels will be in operation): A final service will depart Pier Head at 1800, calling at Seacombe at 1830, Woodside at 1840, Normal River Explorer Cruise pricing will apply to these cruises. On Saturday 26 July, an extra direct shuttle service will depart Pier Head at 1900 calling at Woodside and Seacombe only. Direct shuttle ticket prices will apply to this service. Services are expected to be busy due to increased visitor numbers and this may impact on timetabled services. Mersey Ferries will do all they can to run to this special timetable. Sorry – you can’t pre-book tickets for these cruises. |
| Have a fabulous time enjoying the Giants – the city is expected to be very busy, so please allow extra time to complete your journey. |
| If you need any more information, or need some help planning your journey, call our Traveline team on 0151 236 7676. They’re open from 0800 – 2000 every day. Our journey planner and mobile apps won’t contain diversion details for this event, so if you’re travelling to or from Liverpool between 25 – 27 July, please don’t use them to plan your journey – call our friendly Traveline team for help! |
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LEGO are rattled. First our video was removed from Youtube. Hours later, it was put back after thousands of us voiced our outcry! But LEGO are still refusing to meet us. So in 4 days, undercover LEGO agents will go to their Head Office in Slough to deliver every single name on the petition asking them to dump Shell.
If you haven’t signed yet, please consider signing via this link
: https://secure.greenpeace.org.uk/lego-petition LEGO has very senior managers based in the UK. They care deeply about UK sales figures and the reputation of their brand. Right now, that reputation is being damaged by their refusal to reconsider their partnership with Shell. In 4 days, Greenpeace volunteers will show up at their office in front of LEGO’s staff and the public with all the names of people who want them to dump Shell. It might just be the nudge the Chief Executive needs to pick up the phone to the CEO in Denmark, and tell him it’s time to end their misguided deal with Shell. So let’s make sure that number is huge. Share this email with your friends. When we work together we get results. From getting Jewsons to drop Amazon timber, to confronting Statoil near Bear Island, bit by bit we’re making companies behave responsibly. Together we can get LEGO to come over to the good side, too. Can you ask more people to join in and sign here? Thanks for all you do, Fran and the Arctic team PS: Yesterday, volunteers went to LEGO’s HQ in Denmark to try to deliver the names of everyone who has signed the petition to the CEO. But they were stonewalled. LEGO seem to think that if they carry on ignoring us, we’ll eventually go away. Let’s show them how wrong they are: https://secure.greenpeace.org.uk/lego-petition
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We don’t accept any money from companies or governments so we can be independent and challenge anyone who threatens the planet or peace. To help us keep fighting climate change, defending our oceans and protecting ancient forests, you can make a regular donation by direct debit. Thank you! |
Dear Supporter
Love Parks Week 2014 is fast approaching. Have you uploaded all your events?
This year the Love Parks Week runs from 25 July to 3 August 2014 and this year we want to exceed the number of events available to everyone, we can only do that with your help.
To upload an event you must be a registered user of the website, then you can add as many activities as you like!
Parks are for life not just summer
As we are building on the campaign, we would like to see more events that are taking place throughout the year. Through this activity and the continuous efforts of Friends Groups, Volunteers, Local Authorities and our campaign we can all play our part to raise the voice for parks and protect our green spaces.
So if you haven’t already, please upload your events today!
Thanks for your continued support,
Love Parks
©2014 Keep Britain Tidy | Elizabeth House, The Pier, Wigan, WN3 4EX
| The Friends of Hoylake and Meols in Bloom ‘Themed Floral Golf Bag” competition is now well under way.
The Friends are, as usual, planting and caring for all the wonderful floral displays throughout the village and, as a special event, during the Open Golf, are holding a competition in which 19 children’s groups, ranging from a dance studio group and pony school to the brownies, have decorated donated golf bags with flowers. Each floral golf has been decorated with a different theme, creating their own group’s masterpiece. All this is going on in the middle of Hoylake (next to Co-oP), 9am to 4pm each day, ending on 20th July , so come along to Hoylake, join in the fun and vote for your favorite and maybe see a bit of the Open Golf as well. |
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Council teams up with litter busting buccaneers to launch ‘Love Wirral’ keep New Brighton tidy message
Swashes were buckled and litter pickers brandished when Wirral Council teamed up with New Brighton’s litter-busting New Brighteners and the crew of the good ship ‘Black Pearl’ to launch a ‘keep New Brighton tidy’ campaign.
The campaign was launched at 12Noon, on Saturday, July 5, outside New Brighton’s Floral Pavilion Theatre, when the New Brighteners and ‘Black Pearl’ crew stormed the resort’s open-topped shuttle bus, newly decorated with ‘Love Wirral’ branding.
The free open-top bus service, operated by Stagecoach, was launched earlier this year and runs every weekend throughout the summer until early September. The bus has now been decorated with ‘Love Wirral’ branding and posters, designed in conjunction with the New Brighteners, whose volunteers are out and about picking litter in the resort all year long, helping the Council keep New Brighton spick and span.
The Council has also provided a new double bin at the pirate ship ‘Black Pearl’ to accommodate increased visitors to the artwork on the beach near the Tower Grounds. The crew of the much-loved attraction have been doing their bit to keep New Brighton tidy by keeping the sands around the ‘Black Pearl’ spick and span, and encouraging visitors to take their litter home.
Dave Peddie, New Brighteners’ organiser, said: ‘When we were asked to work with the Council to help come up with ideas for a range of posters and publicity, we were delighted. We spend all year out and about on the beaches. Summer is our busiest time, and we’re well placed to know the type of litter and rubbish that really poses a problem.
‘Among our pet ‘hates’ are polystyrene food and drink containers, dog waste, nets that hold plastic toys, and the plastic toys themselves that we find discarded on the beach, plastic bottles and bags, drink cans and fishing tackle that people leave behind. They are a real menace to marine life, and we are delighted to see the Council take a pro-active stance on encouraging people to take their litter home, or dispose of it in a bin.’
Cllr Rob Gregson, Chair of Wallasey Constituency Committee, said: ‘Co-ordinated by Wallasey Constituency Team, we are delighted to be working in partnership with the New Brighteners and the Black Pearl. It demonstrates the strength of positive local feeling toNew Brighton, and our commitment to the resort.’
Wallasey’s Constituency Team has been working with businesses, local agencies, and voluntary groups, to ensure that visitors see New Brighton in its best possible light. The Team is run and managed by Wirral Council, which co-ordinates a multi-pronged approach involving Council staff, Councillors, Police, and local businesses, including Neptune Developments Ltd, owners of Marine Point.
Along with the free shuttle bus, a number of other contingencies are in place to make sure visitors to New Brighton enjoy the resort at its best. This includes an extended street cleansing schedule in place throughout the season, with bulk waste bins and barbecue bins located at 10 key sites including the Dips, Perch Rock access road, Perch Rock Car Park and Marine Promenade.
There are also new measures to ensure that all cafes with outdoor seating clean up food waste on pavements, and the Council will be working with the New Brighteners to encourage food vendors to use recyclable food packaging.
Summer 2014 will feature a number of new initiatives under the ‘Love Wirral’* banner, such as litter picks and beach clean-ups.
And to encourage dog owners to clean up after their pets, the Council’s dog fouling team will be joined by Police Community Support Officers this year, with Fixed Penalty Notices issued to dog owners who fail to clear up their dog’s mess. The New Brighteners are also going to be helping the Council to drive home the message that dog owners can dispose of bagged dog waste in any bin, not just in specially designated bins.
Last year was New Brighton’s first full season since the redevelopment of Marine Point. The next phase of New Brighton’s regeneration will be work later this year to open up access to Victoria Road from the promenade end, encouraging more people to visit bars, restaurants and businesses in the Victoria Road area.
As well as the Black Pearl and New Brighteners, organisations such as the Momentary Art Project are joining together to engender real community spirit in the New Brighton area.
PHOTOS SHOW: Members of the New Brighteners and Black Pearl aboard the newly-decorated shuttle bus.
Follow Wirral Council on Twitter: www.twitter.com/WirralCouncil
. A message from Manisha. Another call out to all Litter Pickers. The Egremont Festival is less than a month away. So far have 5 people who have said they can definitely help and 8 maybes. I need to firm things up soon, so any updates on availability would be great!
Come on gang… don’t make me call the Birkenhead YMCA to help out again Any help is very much appreciated.
Contact Manisha via: [email protected]
News
Neptune are delighted to announce that construction has started on the final phase of the New Brighton regeneration masterplan,
The Development located adjacent to the Floral Pavilion Theatre, was re-designed in 2011 to ensure every apartment had its own secure parking space, and newly added enclosed ‘Winter Garden’ Balconies which will allow owners to comfortably enjoy Sea Views throughout the year.
The Scheme will now comprise of 24 apartments, ranging from 1 and 2 bedrooms on the ground and first floors and 3 and 4 bedroom duplex penthouses.
Neptune have also secured the rights to offer purchasers the use of Governments Help To Buy Scheme. The Newly Launched Scheme allows purchasers to acquire the apartments with just a 5% deposit, with the government offering a loan that is interest free for 5 years and will cover 25% of the purchase price. This will mean purchasers can apply for Mortgages for the remaining 70% of the asking price.
Daniel Hynd of Neptune said “We are delighted to be starting on the final phase of the Master Plan for New Brighton, It’s good to be building on the feel good factor that exists in New Brighton, and we hope this will continue the momentum and ensure there is even more investment into the area.”
“The new proposals are very much designed for the owner occupier, with fully glazed sea facing balconies, generous apartment sizes and secure parking.”
“The ability to offer the government’s Help to Buy scheme on the development is also a huge factor, it provides those looking to get onto the property ladder who maybe haven’t had time to build up a large deposit, the opportunity to do so with just a 5% deposit. The development will also be ideal for people wishing to downsize to a more secure property, without maintenance headaches associated with older houses.”
Sue Taylor of Almond Property, who will be negotiating the sales for Neptune, commented
“This luxurious development is something that discerning buyers have been awaiting for many years. With the re-development of New Brighton, they can now enjoy magnificent sea views with the assurance of having their homes built to the highest specification and all the time living within easy reach of local beauty spots, shopping and easy transportation links. Whether it’s a first hone for the young professional, the mature buyer downsizing, or even a home for part of the year, “The Prom, New Brighton” will create a fabulous lifestyle.”
Construction started on site on the 24th March will take 11 months to complete.
For more information and to register your interest visit www.thepromnewbrighton.co.uk
Now Open
We are delighted to announce that Pizza Express is the latest opening at Marine Point. The Unit opened on the 3rd of April, creating 30 new jobs.
Pizza Express expect to use An estimated 1,760 kilos of dough will be used in the first month as the team prepares to serve up 4,000 pizzas and 2,300 portions of PizzaExpress’ iconic Dough Balls.
New Brighton Community Centre
1a Hope Street
Wirral
CH45 2LN
Tel: 630 2626
WHAT’S ON AT YOUR CENTRE
New Brighton One Stop Shop– is open Monday to Friday from 11am till 3pm.This is a great service that provides invaluable help for local people right on their doorstep. It also includes a free phone facility and private rooms with a loop system for those that are hard of hearing. It provides assistance on all the Wirral Borough Council services including the Pension Service, Age Concern & the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) which also operates advice surgeries once a week for the Polish Community and offers them vital assistance.
Love your Business (The Women’s Organisation) – Invite you every Wednesday 10am – 12 no
on to find out about grants and support available to you!
Lunch Club -this provides a lifeline for those people & families on low incomes as well as elderly people. It is a great way for people to get to know each other and make friends in a very friendly environment. It also provides days out to places of interest; the latter is kindly provided by Wallasey Lions Club. Lunch is served Tuesday/Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 12.30pm and a 3 course meal is only £3.99 with a mug of tea or coffee. You can come in from 12noon and make yourself comfortable with a read of the free newspapers.
Credit Union – this offers people community loans which are a vital means of support in the present economic situation and are a very important helping hand for those people seeking work and on low incomes, particularly those struggling to survive financially. It meetsevery Tuesday 10am to 11am
Wirral Pathfinders – Mental Health/Self Help Support Group
This group was established in 1992 to support people, their family and carers, for whom depression, anxiety and mental health problems are part of everyday life. It has gone on to help hundreds learn to manage their problems, building up their self-esteem and confidence, helping them to remove their feelings of isolation. The club meets every Thursday – 7pm – 9pm and a very warm welcome awaits all those that come along. (Attendance 30)
UK Online Computer Suite – This service which started in 2002 offers local residents’ free internet and email addresses. It’s a valuable resource were residents can surf the web, search for jobs and relax in comfortable surroundings. They can also enjoy a cup of tea/coffee and seek the assistance of the ICT Facilitator should they have any problems or need advice. Residents can also scan documents, use the photocopier or fax.
A local NeighbourhoodPolice Surgeryis held every Tuesday morning 10-12pm for residents experiencing problems with anti social behaviour and other associated problems.
Computer Class the clubs aims to help people with all aspects of computing including smart phones and tablets. Every Monday 7pm – 10pm Sing Our Socks Off For all ages, singing classes every Thursday 1.30pm till 3pm Art Classes – Every Monday 1pm till 3pm. Accent on enjoyment rather than talent. Tuition at all levels, all materials provided. Phone Iris for more details on: 638 8472.
AA – Alcoholics Anonymous – Every Tuesday morning 11am
…….For more information have a look at our website
or phone for more details
New Brighton Heritage Centre
90 Victoria Road
16th April Colin Dilnot Maritime Art of the Mersey
7th May Ken Clark Local History Talk
21st May Colin Dilnot Imagined German Invasion of New Brighton , 1913
4th June Ken Clark Local History Talk
18th June Colin Dilnot Submerged Forest of Meols
2nd July Ken Clark Local History Talk
16th July Colin Dilnot Wallasey in Art
6th August Ken Clark Local History Talk
20th August Colin Dilnot Burbo Bank in history
The Wednesdays for 30th April and 30th July have not been finalised.
Please arrive earlier to ensure a seat
Admission £2 including Refreshments, Raffle : £1
All Talks start at 2:30pmFor more information
phone the centre on 0151 639 3555
Family fun event provided by Friends of Egremont
To be held at
Vale Park Bandstand
On
Friday 30th May from 10am-4pm
Outdoor games for supervised play in bandstand area
Bouncy Castle Hoolahoops Interactive story telling Face-painting
On stage entertainment
Vale House Café will provide a gazebo where cold drinks and snacks can be served. The café will be open to offer picnic lunch bags and usual menu.
Way! Hey! And up she rises!
We are not sure if this is the 5th or 6th Black Pearl rising from the rocks by Dalmorton Road slip. Rising with the encouragement, support, skills and arm-strength provided by our most generous and enthusiastic community. There is much work to be done but the Black Pearl is already seeing plenty of action. An exciting and rewarding voyage lies ahead – subject, of course, to fair winds and fortune!
Along our way we expect that story-tellers will beguile us with wild and hair-raising tales of strange happenings in far-off lands. Poets will weave their words of magic to stir our blood. Singers will tear our heartstrings with haunting songs of joy, of love, of triumphs and sad losses. Maybe we will see the theatre of life played out upon the Pearl’s decks. Maybe we will sway to the exciting rhythms of distant drums that will speak to the old and mystic elements that lie deep within us all. It may not be all plain sailing. Indeed, there are rumours of an invasion! An invasion from North of the border – no less! Yes, iron men and maybe iron women plus the occasional brass monkey may be amongst us by late June. Be very afraid!
Of course it wouldn’t be a piratical voyage without a few bouts of carousing and merry-making along the way. And there may be the occasional, but fair and appropriate, need for some planks to be walked and some keels to be hauled, perhaps with a rousing shanty to help us through such chores.
Summer is coming and families will relax on the beach, children will play, dogs will be walked, visitors will come from near and far, tales will be told, voyages and adventures will be imagined and enacted, wonderful moments will occur, there will be talk, there will be laughter and there will be huge, piratical fun. There will be life and a bit of art thrown in here and there from us – the Pirates at Art – Life is an Art and Art is Life. Enjoy!
Stay in touch via “The Black Pearl New Brighton” on Facebook.
Events at Wallasey Central library:
Monday 19th May 6.30-7.30 Colin Dilnot talk ‘War Declared and the Fighting Men’
Thursday 22 May Wallasey Central Library Friends meeting 6.30-8 Please join at meeting.
Tuesday 27th May Film Night – details in library
Saturday 14th June times tba St Marys Swing Band Concert
Thursday 26 June Wallasey Central LIbrary Friends meeting 6.30-8 Please join at meeting.
REGULAR GROUPS
Mondays
WALLABIES FOR CHILDREN 11-12
CRAFTY CHATTY 1-3PM
GENERAL READING GROUP 1ST MONDAY OF THE MONTH (PLEASE CHECK IF SPACES)
MEDITATION CLASSES (further details in library)
FRIENDS OF RAKE LANE 1ST MONDAY OF THE MONTH
Tuesdays
BRIDGE 10-12AM
CRIME READING GROUP 6-7PM 2ND TUESDAY OF THE MONTH (PLEASE CHECK IF SPACES)
GET INTO READING 1.30-3
FRENCH 6.45-7.45
Wednesdays
WALLASEY ARTS 10-1
Thursdays
SPANISH 10-11
U3A CRAFT 2ND THURS 2-4PM
U3A ART 10-12AM EVERY 2 WEEKS
GENERAL READING GROUP 1ST THURSDAY 2-3 (PLEASE CHECK IF SPACES)
GET INTO READING 1.30-3
WALLASEY HISTORICALS 7.30-9.30 2ND THURSDAY
FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY ONCE A MONTH 6.30-8 (PLEASE CHECK DATES)
STORYTIME FOR CHILDREN 10-10.30
BABY BOUNCE FOR BABIES 2.30-3
Friday
PATCHWORK CLUB 10-1
WALLASEY LEISURE PAINTERS 10-12
FAMILY HISTORY (REFERENCE LIBRARY) 2ND FRIDAY 10-1
Saturdays
GENERAL READING GROUP 11-12 LAST SAT OF THE MONTH (PLEASE CHECK IF SPACES)
The first Wallasey Food Fair will be taking place on Saturday July 5th, 10am – 2pm at The Jubilee Centre, Hose Side Road.
There will be a fantastic selection of stalls selling a variety of fresh, local produce: fruit and vegetables, meat and poultry, breads, jams and chutneys, cakes, macarons, and more.
We believe it is important to provide local, easily accessible, fresh food for the community. This is a great opportunity to talk to the producers and find out exactly where your food is coming from, and we hope this will be the foundation of a true local fair that will be beneficial to everyone.
The Wallasey Food Fair will be a monthly event, to be held on the first Saturday of the month. At every fair we will be holding a raffle to raise money for a local charity. Our chosen charity for July is The Wirral Autistic Society, which provides a wide range of services and support for children and adults living with autism (www.autistic.org).
We will be giving away a free goodie bag to the first 100 customers, so write the date in your diary and get ready to shop local!
To find out more please email – [email protected],
or find us on Facebook – www.facebook.com/wallaseyfoodfair,
or Twitter @WallaseyFood
Interview – Graham Sale – RNLI New Brighton Operations Manager
Graham Sale has a background with the HM Coastguard and as a Deputy Launch Authority at the station, his role involves everything operational and crew orientated.
Q: What area does the station cover?
We cover the River Mersey from beyond Widnes Bridge and into Liverpool Bay as far as The Bar plus the Sefton and Wirral coastlines.
Q:What are your most common shouts?
People cut off by the tide or stuck in the extensive areas of mud on the Wirral and Sefton shores. The complimentary capabilities of our lifeboat and hovercraft enable us to deal with shallow water or dry land requirements which is where the hovercraft comes into its own. Its vital people find out about the tides and take notice of warning signs – the tides come in very quickly in this area and its easy to get caught out.
Another common shout is to craft with machinery or equipment failure and not infrequently shortage of fuel. Its important to take sufficient reserves to get you back home against a tide on the ebb. The Mersey has the second highest tidal range in the country and can flow in and out very fast.
Q: What was the worst call out in 2013?
I can answer that question best using three examples:
The greatest threat to life this year was probably in early June when a teenage girl who had gone swimming, late evening off from the Derby Pool and was in difficulty and being washed out to sea on an ebb tide. We managed to find her and when we got her on board the lifeboat she was shocked, cold and we gave first aid in response . We took her straight back to the lifeboat station to a waiting team of paramedics who treated her for cold and sea water intake and she was then taken by ambulance to hospital.
The most hazardous conditions for our crew was in October when our crew were called to assist the crew of the crane barge working on the sea wall in the Gladstone Dock area when its lost some of its gear and was dragging its anchor during high tide with a Force 7 storm blowing in from the North West. In the end the lifeboat stood off for several hours in very difficult conditions in case they were needed to get the crew off meanwhile two tugs managed to take the crane barge in tow and get it safely into Gladstone Dock. We were joined on that one by Hoylake’s lifeboat.
The most likely shipwreck was in July when a 60ft yacht with crew on board became grounded on the groyne by New Brighton lighthouse. The yacht was lying at an acute angle and the tides was on the ebb, when our helmsman and senior crew saw the situation they estimated that they had a maximum of 10 mins to get a line on the yacht and tow it off the groyne. It was a team effort with the Marine Fire & Rescue craft and a lifeguard jetski who had also reached the scene. We managed to pull it off stern first while the Marine Fire & Rescue pulled the bow clear. It turned out to be a very close call.
Q: What are the biggest challenges the station currently faces?
Our biggest challenge is achieving unhindered access to our main launch site at Victoria slipway in an emergency. This has become more of an issue due to the very welcome increase in popularity of New Brighton in recent years. We are working with the local authority and they have been very helpful and hopefully some of the plans in hand will help the situation.
Graham added ‘We would like to give a very big thank you to everyone who has supported us and helped us make a difference’
For more information see the stations website: www.newbrightonlifeboat.org.uk and follow us on Facebook & Twitter