ATN Autumn 2025

New help points at train stations

Stars shine on festival

CHESTER’s annual Kaleidoscope Festival won fans and friends across the city.

The week of community-led events celebrating neurodiversity and disability ended in grand style with the Kaleidoscope Disability Awards, which recognise the contributions of people with learning disabilities across Cheshire West, Wirral, Flintshire and Wrexham.

n All Together NOW! is a registered charity set up to provide a tip top news service for anyone whose life is affected by disability, long-term health condtions or age.

n

Editor: Tom Dowling 0151 230 0307

email: news@alltogethernow.org.uk

Editorial Support: Gerry Corner IT Support: Ken Almond

Advertising/sponsorship 0151 230 0307 sales@alltogethernow.org.uk www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Gary Hodkinson, who has been a volunteer at the Dial West Cheshire community cafe for seven years, won the the Shining Star Award.

The Rising Star Award, which recognises individuals who are developing their skills and

careers, went to Adam Blackburn, a Brio Disability Champion and assistant coach at Winsford Swimming Club.

The Sparkling Star Award, celebrating those championing wellbeing through community activity, went to James Oddie, who started a “walk & talk” group at LIVE Charity and is now working to expand it to support even more people.

The Lions Bakers, a group delivering homemade treats to supported living residents, running a community cafe, and providing a delivery service with professional training and teamwork, won the Shooting Star Award.

The ceremony also featured a powerful tribute to Chester’s

tireless campaigner for disability rights, Patricia Hutchinson, who died this year aged 60. Her legacy as a fierce advocate and friend was honoured through a special memorial film.

The festival was produced by Storyhouse in collaboration with a disability-led steering group and supported by partners including Live Cheshire and Pettypool College.

Nicola Haigh, communities manager at Storyhouse, Chester’s theatre and arts complex, said: "It’s been fantastic working with the Social Action Group from LIVE! who have been volunteering as the focus group for this year’s festival.”

KEEP fit fan Hazel Walker completed the Zumba version of a marathon to help homeless people escape life on the streets.

Hazel, from Liverpool, set herself the goal of covering at least 26.2 miles in a month, by adding up her Zumba dancing steps.

She smashed her target, completing 47.8 miles and has so far raised more than £900 for homelessness charity Emmaus Merseyside.

She said: “This is the first time I have ever taken part in a marathon challenge, and I have enjoyed every minute of it!

“The Emmaus community has been so supportive throughout, sharing my stories of progress and donation link.”

Hazel, who was spurred on by family, friends, workmates and fellow Zumba dancers, added: “When the going got tough trying to clock up those dancing miles –especially after a long day at work – what kept me motivated was

raising funds for such an impactful charity, dedicated to people who have experienced homelessness.”

Emmaus Merseyside is an award-winning charity that provides a home, training, work opportunities and individual support to people who have experienced homelessness. Hazel took on her challenge to help with the purchase and renovation of two new move-on homes for people supported by the charity.

NEW facilities to give disabled people the confidence to travel by train have been installed at dozens of stations across the North of England. Passenger Assistance Points have been introduced at 31 stations, including Warrington Central, Newtonle-Willows and St Helens Central.

Each point is located close to the ticket office, where customers need to check in first. They are then invited to take a seat in the designated area so a member of staff can meet them when their train is due.

As part of a trial, another nine Meeting Points have been installed at unstaffed stations. Disabled customers can wait in the marked area so they can be seen by a conductor when a train arrives and then be offered assistance.

Northern’s Accessibility User Group (NAUG), which represents people with a wide range of disabilities, worked with the operator to develop the project.

NAUG chair Mark Cutter said: “I am particularly interested to see how the new Meeting Points work in unstaffed stations. I hope they will give more people the confidence to travel.”

n Northern’s Passenger Assistance Team. Tel. 0800 138 5560, or via text relay 18001 0800 138 5560.

l Passenger Assistance Points installed at: Poulton-le-Fylde, Morecambe, St Annes, Burnley Manchester Road, Barnsley, Meadowhall, Worksop, Rotherham Central, Mexborough, Bridlington, Beverley, Halifax, Ilkley, Windermere, St Helens Central, Chorley, Warrington Central, Skipton, Keighley, Shipley (Yorks), Harrogate, Newton-le-Willows, Whitehaven, Workington, Bradford Forster Square, Bradford Interchange, New Pudsey, Hexham, Morpeth, Hartlepool and Alnmouth.

l Meeting Points at: Headingley, Horsforth, Burley Park, Weeton, Pannal, Hornbeam Park, Ashington, Seaton Delaval and Newsham.

CLASS HERO: Hazel, kneeling right, with fellow Zumba lovers

HAVING BLAST: The festival. Inset, award winners Gary Hodgkinson (left) and Adam Blackburn

Join the Dales trail

WHEELCHAIR users and those with mobility issues are being urged to take part in a fully accessible guided walk in the Yorkshire Dales.

The walk – on September 24 –is part of the Youth Hostel Association’s annual Festival of Walking programme.

As part of its commitment to inclusivity, the YHA has partnered with Access the Dales, a not-for-profit

organisation dedicated to making the outdoors available to all.

Highlights of the festival, running from September 12 to October 12, include guided map and navigation walks for beginners, and accessible routes for wheelchair users.

n Take a look at the full programme: www.yha.org.uk/festival-ofwalking

THE WILL TO MAKE THE WILL TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE . . . A DIFFERENCE . . .

SMALL charities like

All Together NOW! are struggling to find the funds to continue their work.

The cost-of-living crisis continues to bite and competition for grants has never been as tough.

Fortunately for readers of our free newspaper, renewed support from United Utilities and recent grants from the PH Holt Foundation, Geoffrey and Pauline Martin Trust and Duchy of Lancaster Benevolent Fund should get us through till next spring.

But how much longer the publication – now a lifeline to huge numbers of vulnerable people – can survive depends on how much we can attract in the coming months. It’s all worrying and frustrating.

Support from philanthropists would certainly help. A windfall from from a will would also make a huge difference for many grassroots organisations like ours.

Solicitors tell me it’s a fairly easy thing to set up. But it seems complex red tape is deterring many wealthy families from doing so – despite increasing desire to do so.

A report from Liverpool-based Rathbones, one of the UK’s leading wealth managers, says a survey of rich families found that more than two in five claimed legal and financial complexity is the main reason stopping them from including charitable giving in their estate plans.

Almost as many cite a lack of knowledge about non-profit options, says Gemma Gooch, head of Charities Distribution at Rathbones. “Legacy giving is a vital lifeline for charities, yet our study shows many high net-worth individuals are held back by complexity and a lack of guidance.”

Some good news, however, is that 53% of those surveyed have increased charitable donations in the past two years, with twothirds expecting to give more in the next two.

To help families wanting to support charities, Rathbones has set up its Donor

l APOLOGIES for anyone who found it hard to get hold of a copy of the sizzling summer edition during a few weeks in July.

l The reason? Our normally reliable delivery vehicle was in need of some urgent repairs.

l Great to report that it’s all sorted now and our drivers Peter Wellings, pictured, and Denis Sharp are raring to get more than 60,000 copies of this issue out and about over the next few months.

l We’ve also some great news for people living on the Wirral ... ASDA Liscard is now stocking the paper.

Advised Funds (DAF) scheme, a flexible, tax-efficient way to enable people to donate and support causes they care about.

I hope you enjoy this edition. We’re back in December with a Christmas cracker!

Thanks for all the support

TOM DOWLING, editor

DISABLED people relying on care and support were “ignored by design” during the pandemic, the Covid inquiry heard.

More than 43,000 deaths involving Covid-19 occurred in care homes across the UK between March 2020 and July 2022, the inquiry was told.

But no figures were given for how many disabled people died in their own homes while receiving care services.

The inquiry also heard during the first two peaks of the pandemic people with learning difficulties were seven to nine times more likely to die of a Covid-19-related death than the rest of the population.

Barrister Danny Friedman highlighted how the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), which provides advice to government during emergencies, stated in May 2022 that no UK country was able to “routinely identify who is resident in care homes, who is receiving social care at home, and who works in or visits a care home or a person’s home”.

These data weaknesses meant the “recipients of care, the way they live, and the way that many of them died, was ignored by design”, said Friedman.

The inquiry continues into next year.

THE 10 winners of United Utilities’ water butt competition: Mrs Anne Dutton, Warrington; Mrs S Dootson, St Helens; Mrs Doreen Murray, Runcorn; Mrs Maureen Clarke, Chester; Rev George Palmer, Wallasey; Lynne Farrel, Liverpool; Margaret Guy, Liverpool; Jim Campbell, Liverpool; Mrs Doreen Taylor, Elton; and Helen Makin, Southport.

SELECTED pharmacies in Merseyside and Lancashire are offering a vaccine to help protect older adults and babies from serious respiratory illness.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a common virus that causes coughs and colds. While it usually gets better on its own, it can cause life-threatening illnesses. Those eligible include adults aged 75 to 79 and pregnant women.

Ask your phramacy or go to the NHS website to book an appointment. n www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/rsv-vaccine.

See

City MP Byrne one of 28

strongest allies to disabled

LIVERPOOL MP Ian Byrne is among a pool of 28 MPs who have shown themselves to be the strongest allies to disabled people when voting on crucial disability rights legislation.

The list, compiled by Disability News Service, examined the voting records of MPs on the assisted dying bill and the universal credit and personal independence payment bill earlier this year.

Last year, Mr Byrne, pictured, was one of seven MPS suspended by the Labour Party after backing an opposition amendment over child poverty.

n The full list: Diane Abbott (Labour); Dr Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour); Richard Burgon (Labour); Ian Byrne (Labour); Marsha De Cordova (Labour); Mary Kelly Foy (Labour); Mary Glindon (Labour); Chris Hinchliff (Labour); Imran Hussain (Labour); Ian Lavery (Labour); Brian Leishman (Labour); Emma Lewell (Labour); Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour); Rachael Maskell (Labour); Andy McDonald (Labour); Abtisam Mohamed (Labour); Grahame Morris (Labour); Margaret Mullane (Labour); Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour); Marie Rimmer (Labour); Jon Trickett (Labour); Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru); Shockat Adam (Independent); Iqbal Mohamed (Independent); Apsana Begum (Independent); Zarah Sultana (Independent); Ayoub Khan (Independent); and Adnan Hussain (Independent).

Change SEND system

A “COMPLETE shift in thinking” on how disabled children are educated has been called for by campaigners fighting for inclusive schooling.

Education, health and care plans (EHCPs) are not working says the Alliance For Inclusive Education.

ALLFIE chair Navin Kikabhai said the current system was broken and fragmented and was desperately requiring a radical rethink and shift in practice.

He said: “Why should a disabled child or young person need a plan to go to their local school or college alongside non-disabled peers, their friends, siblings and neighbours?

“We need a complete shift in thinking and practice.”

Right help, right time

AN ONLINE guide to providing better support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has been launched.

The SEND Graduated Approach Toolkit, produced by Liverpool City Council, aims to ensure the right help is in place at the right time. It is available on the Liverpool Family Information and SEND Directory – where there is also a short online training module.

HELPED FROM HELPED FROM THE WORD GO THE WORD GO

HUNDREDS

of thousands of people with long-term health conditions will receive extra help and support from expert charities under a new service.

Diagnosis Connect aims to ensure patients are referred directly to trusted charities and support organisations as soon as they are diagnosed – providing personalised advice, information and guidance to help them manage their condition and feel more in control.

Guided to support at time diagnosis

The support, which is intended to be in addition to, not instead of, their usual NHS care has been welcomed by many of the charities concerned. Due to be launched next year, it will support a quarter of a million people in its first two years and focus on areas like diabetes, mental health and lung conditions. It will be scaled up to reach hundreds of thousands more over the coming years.

The initiative – welcomed by leading charities –has been developed by the Richmond Group, a collaboration of charities that focuses on

Carers

face daily attack

THOUSANDS of care workers have suffered violent attacks on the job, a shock survey has found.

Assaults include being bitten, headbutted and choked while at work, an investigation by the GMB union shows.

A separate Freedom of information request by the GMB to the Health and Safety Executive reveals that in the past five years care workers have suffered 6,469 injuries serious enough to prevent them from doing their job for at least a week. But the real figure will be much higher, the union warned.

In 2023/24, violence accounted for 39% of all reported workplace injuries in the residential care sector, compared to 9% across the whole workforce in Britain.

The GMB survey also showed two thirds (66%) of respondents had been verbally abused.

GMB national officer Will Dalton said: “When attacks happen, care workers need to be taken seriously and backed to the hilt by employers – that’s why GMB is calling for better risk assessments and tougher sentences for those guilty of attacking care workers.”

supporting people with multiple longterm conditions.

Health and Social Care Secretary

Wes Streeting said: “Being diagnosed with a long-term condition can be overwhelming. People are often handed a leaflet or a phone number and left to find help themselves – right when they’re feeling scared, confused and unsure where to turn.

“We’re changing that. Just as people with cancer or dementia are often guided to well-known charities for specialist advice and support, this new service will make sure patients with other long-term conditions are directly referred to trusted organisations from the moment they’re diagnosed.

“It’s about making it far easier to give people the emotional support, practical guidance and confidence they need to manage their condition and live fuller, more independent lives.”

As the programme expands, a digital referral system will allow NHS teams in all healthcare settings – including hospitals – to connect patients to a broad network of voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations.

e-bikes for everyone

CLOSING the gap between the many disabled people wanting to use electric bikes and scooters and the few who get the chance is the aim of a new North-West project.

The year-long initiative, being carried out in Salford by Cycling UK, aims to help disabled people access flexible, sustainable modes of transport like e-bikes and e-scooters.

James Scott, from Cycling UK, said: “We are proud to be supporting a project which aims to break down barriers to cycling, opening up the benefits of shared micromobility to disabled people.

“We know that cycling, in all its forms, can be a powerful tool for independence, health, and freedom –but too often disabled people are excluded.

“Our work has already shown how transformational cycling can be when it’s made accessible.”

‘Time to ramp up robocab plans’

MAKING all self-drive taxi pilot schemes accessible to disabled people would be “counterproductive” and take too long, a transport minister has claimed.

Lord Peter Hendy was responding to disabled peer Baroness Sal Brinton, who feared the Government was planning to allow companies to launch self-driving taxis and minibuses even if they were not accessible.

She told fellow peers the launch of driverless vehicles was a “once in an era moment”, and that contracts with providers should ensure that ramps and audio and visual announcements are “designed in right from the start”.

Lord Hendy told her the Government would be subject to equality laws in deciding how granting a permit could “improve understanding of how these services should best be designed for and provided to disabled and older passengers”.

And he said permits could enforce certain conditions, while “accessibility considerations” would be set out in guidance.

But he added: “It would be counterproductive to specify detailed requirements in regulation for innovative new services.”

He said it was likely that the first driverless vehicles would be “the same sort of vehicles” already used for taxis and private hire vehicles.

He added: “In the medium term, clearly there will be new designs, and there are already some that are suitable for wheelchairs and people with disabilities.

“We have to acknowledge that automated vehicles are part of an exciting future, but they have to be implemented safely, and she is right that they have to be implemented to benefit all parts of the community.”

But Conservative Lord Kevin Shinkwin pointed out that deputy prime minister Angela Rayner had spoken of the importance of getting disabled people into work, and he questioned how “the retro, ad hoc inclusion of disabled people facilitates the realisation of that worthy goal”.

Smooth operators

WHAT are you to do when cobblestones are historic and attractive but a nightmare for wheelchairs, buggies and bikes?

One city has come up with the perfect compromise – historic cobbles have been filed down to a smooth path, preserving their character but making them accessible to all.

The work was carried out by the walking, wheeling and cycling charity charity Sustrans and Leeds City Council at the

Temple Newsam Estate, on the outskirts of Leeds, as part of the first phase of a new accessible walking, wheeling and cycling route between Temple Newsam and nearby Rothwell.

Sarah Bradbury-Ewen, from Sustrans, said: “The cobbled path was identified as a major barrier for many disabled people and families with buggies.

“We worked closely with Temple Newsam Estate to ensure we maintained the character of the cobbles, while creating a smooth path for everyone.

“Improving a route like this one means

Film focus on eye care

DISABILITY charity SeeAbility has launched a new short film to raise awareness of how people with learning disabilities can get support with eye care.

The charity works to remove the barriers to eye care for people with learning disabilities, who are 10 times more likely to have a sight problem.

Rebecca Lunness, SeeAbility’s North West eye care champion says: “Part of my work is making sure there is lots of easy to read and accessible information about eye care for people with learning disabilities, so we can make sure no one misses out on support for their vision.

“The film is a great way to raise awareness, and it is brilliant to have CBeebies presenter George Webster ending with our main message – Everyone deserves an equal right to sight and support!”

n The film,10 Times More Likely, can viewed at www.seeability.org/10times

17-month wait to be seen

THE waiting time for an autism assessment in England is now 17 months, with over 236,000 people waiting to be seen.

Tim Nicholls, assistant director of policy at the National Autistic Society, said:

“We are seeing the number of people waiting for an assessment levelling out, but the average waiting time is rocketing.

“The problem isn’t that more people are seeking an assessment, but rather the efficiency and capacity at a local level. The case for more funding from central Government is crystal clear.”

He added: “Getting an assessment shouldn’t be this hard. Autistic people and their families face a constant fight for support and far too often this starts with long waits for a diagnosis.”

more people get to access nature, exercise and enjoy independent and sustainable travel along a beautiful route.

“It’s part of our national programme across the UK to improve the National Cycle Network and make our vision of a traffic-free, more consistent and accessible network for everyone a reality.”

The new route currently runs from Temple Newsam House to Pontefract Lane to the south and connects to National Cycle Route 66 in the north.

n Find out about the charity’s Paths for Everyone work at www.sustrans.org.uk

pilot

SMARTPHONES should be considered as vital to the independence of disabled people as wheelchairs.

That’s one of the conclusions of a report from the influential Royal Society, which also warns that digital assistive technology must be affordable if it is to be useful.

Tech companies, researchers and governments should do more to remove barriers and engage disabled people in the design of tools and services, they say.

Among the recommendations made by their Digital Technology report is that governments should not consider smartphones as any less a form of assistive technology than hearing aids, manual wheelchairs, or white canes.

A BILLION people across the world lack access to medical aids they desperately need.

The high cost of products is among the factors preventing people getting what they need, the Assistive Products Market Report 2025 found.

Import duties on glasses can be as high as 108% in some low and middle income countries, and shipping costs can account for 15 to 40% of product expenses – costs commonly passed on to users.

ON THE LEVEL: Shaved cobbles on the new route. Pictures: Chris Foster/Sustrans

Government ‘must

do more on travel’

A “WEAK” response by the Government to MPs’ damning criticism of access to transport has been blasted by campaigners.

One organisation representing passengers said a lack of action from the Department for Transport put disabled people’s right to travel in “grave danger”.

The Access Denied report, from the Commons transport committee of MPs, called on ministers and the industry to “urgently” recognise the “regularity and severity” of public transport access failures as a human rights issue.

But disabled campaigners say the Government’s response suggests anything but urgent action on the issue.

The Government did promise a review of laws on accessible transport, but refused to draw up an inclusive transport strategy.

Transport for All, the disabled-led campaigning organisation, said the Government’s response was weak and lacks commitment.

The Association of British Commuters said the response showed disabled people’s right to travel was in grave danger.

Accessible transport activist Sam Jennings, who runs the campaigning website Disabled By the Railway, was also highly critical of the Government.

She said: “Enough is enough. Successive governments have had three decades to put this right since the first Disability Discrimination Act, and we are still screaming into the void about the basics.”

Railways way off track

THE rights of disabled passengers to “turn up and go” at train stations continue to be overlooked by rail operators across the UK.

Figures from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) showed one in 10 disabled passengers is still not even being met at the station after booking help.

And the proportion of passengers who received all the assistance they booked remained static at 78% in 2024-25

This was even lower for passengers with a “learning, concentrating or remembering disability” (73%); with mental health conditions (72%); those who are neurodivergent (72%); and passengers with a communication impairment (73%).

Northern Trains was the worst performer, with only 70% of disabled passengers who were met at the station going on to receive all the assistance they had booked.

Transport for Wales (74%) and West Midlands Trains (74%) also performed poorly.

ORR said it was exploring with rail operators how to get a better picture of the experience of passengers who request assistance on demand.

The regulator added that Northern was making “good progress” on an improvement plan.”

MAKING FLYING FAIRER FOR ALL

AMAJOR report on air travel accessibility, called for by the Government, could make a “tangible real-world difference” to disabled flyers.

But a member of the Aviation Accessibility Task and Finish Group (AATFG), which produced the report, also warned there was currently no budget to carry out its recommendations.

Way laid out – but where’s the cash?

Chaired by peer and activist Tanni Grey-Thompson, herself a wheelchair user, the group included disabled people with expertise in accessible transport, plus representatives from across the air travel industry.

Their report made 19 recommendations to make the experience of flying experience more inclusive.

Among them:

l All airport and airline staff to receive basic disability and accessibility awareness training, co-produced with disabled people.

l Improved access to assistance throughout the disabled passenger’s journey through the airport.

l Clearer communication with disabled passengers about the handling of their mobility aids.

l Better oversight of the industry by the regulator, and improvements to its guidance to airports.

The report says the group found examples of “poor and inappropriate service, passengers being left onboard aircraft for long periods, damaged mobility aids, and discriminatory behaviour”, despite some advances in recent years.

Accessible transport adviser and disability rights advocate Tony Jennings, who sat on the group, said there was presently no money to implement the recommendations, and no plans for Government legislation, so progress was “dependent on the goodwill of the aviation industry”.

He said implementing the recommendations would place accessibility “at the heart of aviation” and would make a “tangible real-world difference” to the experience of disabled air passengers, as well as delivering much-needed cultural change.

Baroness Grey-Thompson says in the report that the experience of flying as a disabled person can be “ad hoc, inconsistent and sometimes catastrophic”.

But she added: “I’m grateful for the commitment the industry has shown to making change and breaking down barriers.

“I look forward to seeing these recommendations turned into action which truly puts accessibility at the heart of aviation.”

on the up and up . . . on the up and up . . .

DISABLED passengers’ experience of Liverpool John Lennon Airport has undergone a major improvement, the industry’s watchdog has found.

The airport received a “good” rating in the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s latest Airport Accessibility Report, which ranks the performance of airports on the assistance services they provide to disabled and less mobile passengers.

Meanwhile, Manchester Airport was among those retaining a “good” rating for its services.

Last year, airport chiefs in

Liverpool were told they needed to raise their game in terms of accessibility. At the time, LJLA operations director Paul Staples told the BBC they had made immediate changes in response to their “disappointing” ranking. Those changes have resulted in a better experience for passengers with mobility issues, according to the CAA, which assesses the performance of 28 UK airports with more than 150,000 passengers.

On the downside, London Heathrow, the UK’s largest airport and one of the world’s busiest, was rated as “needs improvement”.

Two Scottish airports, Edinburgh

and Glasgow Prestwick, were also told they needed to improve standards of accessibility.

In 2024, 5.5 million passengers requested assistance at UK airports, up from 4.6 million in 2023.

Selina Chadha, from the UK CAA said: “It is welcome that most airports scored positively, but there is clearly more to do from those found to be needing improvement.

“With demand for these services rising dramatically in recent years, all airports have a huge challenge ahead to ensure they continue to offer the assistance services their passengers deserve.”

THE Covid-19 pandemic may have aged people’s brains – even if they were never infected with the virus.

Researchers found that people who lived through lockdown showed signs of faster brain ageing than those scanned before it. The changes were most noticeable in older people, in men, and in people from more disadvantaged backgrounds.

But the ageing that took place may be reversible, and only people infected by Covid showed a drop in certain cognitive abilities, such as mental flexibility and processing speed, say researchers.

Experts say this may suggest that the pandemic’s brain ageing effect on its own – without the infection – may not cause symptoms.

Surprised

Dr Ali-Reza MohammadiNejad, who led the study at Nottingham University’s School of Medicine, said:

“What surprised me most was that even people who hadn’t had Covid showed significant increases in brain ageing rates.

“It really shows how much the experience of the pandemic itself, everything from isolation to uncertainty, may have affected our brain health.”

The research team looked at brain scans from nearly 1,000 healthy adults.

Dorothee Auer, professor of neuroimaging, added:

“This study reminds us that brain health is shaped not only by illness, but by our everyday environment.

“The pandemic put a strain on people’s lives, especially those already facing disadvantage. We can’t yet test whether the changes we saw will reverse, but it’s certainly possible.”

l The study was supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, and the Medical Research Council DEMISTIFI programme, and its findings published in Nature Communications.

Help when you need it most

Since launching in 2015, more than 400,000 people across the North West have now registered for United Utilities’ Priority Services scheme.

Steph Smith from the Priority Services team said: “Our Priority Services scheme is free to all our customers who may need a bit of extra support in life. This could be due to age, ill health, disability, mental health problems, 昀nancial worries or language barriers.

“By registering for our scheme, we can make sure you receive the right support from us during those times when we may need to switch o昀 the water to repair a leak, or if we need to visit you in your own home.

“Even if you don’t need this support, we all know someone who would bene昀t from these services - such as a friend, family member or neighbour - so please encourage them to get in touch to register.”

Services

• A dedicated team on hand to listen and help

• Braille, large print, ‘talking’ bills and text relay service

• Knock and wait service. If you tell us you have mobility needs and we have to visit your home, we will wait allowing enough time for you to answer the door

• Nominate a carer, family member or friend to check your bills and speak to us on your behalf

• Additional support if you have a medical need for water.

• Protection from bogus callers with a password protection scheme

• Notice of interruptions to your water supply

• Translation services

• Every two years we’ll check that your details are still correct

• are blind or partially sighted;

• have a chronic (long-term) or serious illness;

• have a condition that a昀ects their development;

• have dementia;

• rely on dialysis, feeding pumps or automated medication;

• are having 昀nancial diculties;

• are deaf or hard of hearing, or have speech diculties;

• have a mental health condition;

• have children aged 5 or under;

• are experiencing temporary life changes (including divorce or bereavement);

• are recovering after leaving hospital;

• have restricted movement making it dicult to answer the door; or

• may struggle to communicate because their 昀rst language isn’t English.

Scan the QR code to visit our Priority Services webpage, where you can click on ‘Accessibility Help’ to turn on text-to-speech or change the language used on our website.

MEDICAL NOTES

Take glaucoma test

A SIMPLE 30-second online quiz will assess your risk of developing glaucoma – which undetected and untreated can cause blindness.

Glaucoma can affect anyone, at any time, and is often symptomless.

Around 700,000 people in the UK have the condition, but 50% of them don’t realise.

Glaucoma UK – the UK’s only charity solely dedicated to raising awareness of and supporting people living with glaucoma – says its online quiz will help assess the likelihood of developing the disease, and provide advice and guidance to help manage eye health.

n Take the quiz at glaucoma.uk/risk

‘Diabetes discovery’

A “THRILLING” new discovery about how the body functions could help develop treatments for diabetes and obesity.

Scientists have unlocked new information about so-called receptor proteins, which allow cells in the body to communicate with each other and whose function is vital to our good health.

Researchers believe new, detailed information revealing how the proteins work could greatly assist in the discovery of new treatments.

Prof Graeme Milligan, from the University of Glasgow’s School of Molecular Biosciences, said: “We are thrilled with our discoveries.”

He added that their findings “could have enormous reach and possibility in the world of drug discovery”.

Bladder control

A HUGELY successful exercise programme to prevent falls – developed in the North West – may soon help tackle bladder weakness faced by older adults.

The Keep On Keep Up (KOKU) app was invented by Professor Emma Stanmore of The University of Manchester.

Now, academics at the University of Catalonia and Lithuanian Sports University believe it could also help manage bladder weakness.

KOKU, which is NHS approved, has since been translated into seven languages, has gained over 5,000 subscribers and is being used in trials in the USA and Germany.

KOKU Bladder is due to be ready for use soon.

Autism and the change

AN ONLINE guide is available for autistic people going through menopause or perimenopause.

Details of what to expect, and tips on what can make it easier, are included.

n www.autism. org.uk

Record numbers going private

RECORD numbers of people are paying for healthcare as the NHS struggles with waiting lists for surgery and scans.

Cataract surgery tops the list of common procedures patients are going private for.

Last year, 75,000 people used private healthcare for the operation to restore damaged eyesight, which is performed around 400,000 times a year by the NHS.

Upper GI endoscopies, knee replacements and hernia repairs also ranked highly among conditions to be treated privately, according to data from the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN).

The PHIN says the figures add up to a record number using private healthcare in 2024 – a rise of 3% (939,000 people) from the previous year.

‘Some incredibly tough times –but I wouldn’t change it’

The research also found a surge in people opting for private treatment for chemotherapy, up 9% – a further 6,000 cases – from 2023 to 2024.

TOP 10 PRIVATE PROCEDURE IN 2024:

n Cataract surgery: 75,045

n Therapeutics – chemotherapy: 72,175

n Upper GI endoscopy – diagnostic: 46,655

n Colonoscopy – diagnostic: 37,820

n Hip replacement: 28,540

n Knee arthroscopy: 24,335

n Knee replacement: 17,620

n Colonoscopy – therapeutic: 16,990

n Inguinal hernia repair: 14,055

n Bladder examination via cystoscopy: 11,545

A DOUBLE LIFE

FOR NEARLY 20 years, Jen Wharrier supported her husband Dave through progressive multiple sclerosis.

From daily routines to medical emergencies, she became not just a partner, but a full-time carer.

Two years after she lost Dave, due to complications from MS, Jen has been reflecting on the challenges, the love, and thehidden toll of life as a carer.

Jen met Dave online and knew from the beginning that their life together would involve navigating MS. “He disclosed that he had MS straight away,” she recalls

“He was already using a walking stick, and he didn’t want to surprise me.”

Soon after, she found herself helping him shave, planning transport for dates, and learning to live around his mobility challenges.

When she moved in with him, her role as carer intensified. “He had to quit work because of how advanced his MS had become,”

she says. “From then on, I was his main support.”

Jen continued working full-time until 2015, but each day began and ended with caring. “I’d set him up for the day before I left – lunch, urine bottles, anything he might need close by. When I got home, it was time to help him bathe, get to bed, take his meds.”

Some days were harder than others. Dave was 6ft 3in, and if he fell, Jen often couldn’t lift him. “We spent nights on the floor more than once,” she says. “I’d put down cushions and blankets and wait until he had the strength to get back up.”

The emotional toll was just as intense. “When you’re a carer, you’re not just living your life –you’re living someone else’s too. You’re always thinking ahead.”

Jen, who lives in Lancashire, relied on online carers’ groups for emotional support. “It was the only space where I could really talk openly. You could even joke about things like toileting without

judgement. That sense of humour got me through.”

She also found support through Encompass, a local carers’ organisation that offered counselling, assessments, and a small annual grant. “That £300 grant paid for visits to see my parents in Devon. It made such a difference.”

Jen’s advice to other carers?

Speak up. “There is help out there – but you’ve got to make yourself known. Build relationships with your GP, with social care, with the NHS teams around you. And if you’re struggling, say so. Even if it’s just asking for counselling or medication to help cope – do it.”

Her voice is clear but reflective.

“It wasn’t easy. There were some incredibly tough times. But I wouldn’t change the time we had together.”

n The MS Trust’s new book, Progression in MS, offers practical help for people living with progressive MS –www.mstrust.org.uk

Thousands benefit from hospital at home

MORE and more patients across Merseyside and Cheshire are receiving hospital-level care in the comfort of their homes.

Over 10,600 people were “admitted” to the region’s virtual wards in the last year, who would otherwise have needed to be treated as inpatients.

Just as in hospital, people on a virtual ward are cared for by a multidisciplinary team providing a range of tests and treatments. This could include blood tests, prescribing medication or administering fluids through an intravenous drip.

Patients are reviewed daily by the clinical team and the “ward round” may involve a home visit or take place through video technology.

Also known as hospital at home, virtual wards provide a cost-effective, communitybased alternative to inpatient care, while freeing hospital beds for patients that need them most.

Professor Rowan Pritchard Jones, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside’s Medical Director, said: “Being able to provide hospital-level care in the comfort of people’s homes enhances patient experience and helps reduce pressure on hospitals.”

One female patient from Cheshire was cared for on a virtual ward following an operation for skin cancer. Due to an infection, she was administered antibiotics along with blood thinning medication.

She said: “I was able to rest at home, look out the window at the birds, and have my treatment.

“I felt there was no pressure on me. Imagine if I was in hospital, frightened, not being able to sleep.

“I’ve been amazed by the excellent care I received; everything ran smoothly, and care felt joined up.”

DEVOTED COUPLE: Jen with husband Dave, who had MS

Ups and downs of dementia care

PEOPLE with dementia have very mixed impressions of health and social care services, a Care Quality Commission report says.

And a leading charity has warned the report’s findings show the need for an “urgent overhaul” of dementia care.

The CQC, which regulates health and social care in England, spoke to people living with dementia, and their loved ones, about their experiences

Their report found:

l Those asked did not always feel there was ongoing care for people with dementia, and they had had to seek out community charity support groups themselves.

l Health and social care staff do not always understand the specific personal care needs of people with the condition and how care environments, like hospital wards and care homes, sometimes do not support people’s wellbeing.

Jen Keen, from the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “We know that dementia care needs an urgent overhaul in the UK.

“This report paints a stark picture of longstanding issues which cannot be ignored including staffing challenges, a lack of dementia-specific training, and pressure on unpaid carers.

“It also highlights some shocking findings, notably a concerning disparity in the rates of abuse notifications in care homes where the

AN AI ALLY AT MY SIDE

YOUNG cancer survivors are set to have their wellbeing watched over by a caring companion –powered by artificial intelligence.

Researchers are working on a smart mirror device designed to prevent health issues that can develop after cancer treatment.

Known as an iCare Health Hub, the device tracks heart rate and other important health indicators in adolescents and young adults. It then uses Al to offer tips on exercise, diet, and stress relief aimed at improving the long-term health.

If the mirror spots a warning sign – like high blood pressure or elevated stress levels – it suggests checking in with a doctor. It is hoped that the innovation will lead to a 15% reduction in hospital visits related to heart issues.

Professor Nirmalie Wiratunga said: “I’m passionate about bridging a critical gap in healthcare for young cancer survivors, especially the long-term heart risks that often go unnoticed.

“By harnessing AI, we can provide a personal, empathetic health companion that helps people manage their day-to-day wellbeing.

KEY ROLE: From left, researchers Dr Ike Nksisi-Orji, Dr Mark Snaith, Professor Nirmalie Wiratunga and Professor Kay Cooper from RGU. Picture courtesy of RGU

majority of people were living with dementia. However, the report also highlighted:

l Good care for people living with dementia is provided in considered environments by well-trained, compassionate professionals who understand the person and how best to relate to them.

l People who had good support during their dementia diagnosis and afterwards described the positive effect this had on their wellbeing.

l When a GP provides support and shows understanding of concerns during an assessment, it can help improve the person’s experience and lead to a more timely diagnosis.

“We hope that by responsible use of AI, and through its continuous monitoring and personalised intervention, it can help reduce the risk of major cardiac events in young cancer survivors by 30%.”

While the smart mirror is not making medical decisions, it is there every day, giving tailored advice to help young cancer

survivors stay on top of their heart health and feel supported. Professor Wiratunga, from Aberdeen’s Robert Gordon University, which is is playing a key role in the groundbreaking £5 million research project, added: “We want to show how AI can be a force for good in healthcare by highlighting the importance of explainable and transparent AI.”

‘Barriers to the benefits of cannabis’

A UK medical cannabis clinic says legislation, limited NHS prescribing and misinformation are all denying cancer patients the therapeutic benefits of the drug.

The results of a huge global study has found strong evidence for the benefits of medical cannabis in improving quality of life and alleviating cancer-related symptoms. Yet patients continue to face major barriers

in accessing cannabis-based treatment, even where conventional therapies have failed, says the Mamedica clinic.

Despite its legalisation in 2018, access to medical cannabis in the UK remains vanishingly rare via the NHS.

Fewer than five NHS prescriptions have been issued for whole-plant cannabis products, leaving private clinics to meet a rapidly rising demand from patients left behind by the system.

Since launching in 2022, Mamedica has seen a huge increase in its patient base, with a significant number seeking relief for conditions that include chronic pain, anxiety, neurological disorders and cancer.

The clinic says it works with expert consultants to provide regulated, pharmaceutical-grade cannabis medicines to patients who have exhausted traditional options.

THE FIGHT TO FIND A SPACE

ORE than 50 Blue Badge holders are competing for every disabled parking bay in the UK.

And the dearth of suitable parking is aggravated by non-permit holders using designated Blue Badge spaces, research has revealed.

Meanwhile, the demand for accessible parking has surged, with a 31% increase in new applications for a Blue Badge between 2022 and 2024.

The figures were revealed by price comparison website, confused.com, which in response has created an online tool to help users find an available space, whatever their location.

While the Blue Badge scheme aims to assist those with disabilities, many struggle with finding available parking.

Research by Confused.com also found that out of the 2.8 million applications made between 2022 and 2024, for both new permits and renewals, 245,566 were rejected.

A total of 705,310 Penalty Charge Notices have been issued for improper use of Blue Badge parking bays.

A confused.com survey found 36% of Blue Badge holders have been unable to park due to a non-badge holder occupying the space. Similarly, 34% report a lack of accessible parking near their location.

You can now check the number of dedicated parking bays provided by each local council. A new confused.com tool allows users to locate Blue Badge parking through an online map:

n www.confused.com/compare-carinsurance/blue-badges

BIG IDEA: Report says the side road crossings are easy and cheap to install.

Picture: Chris Foster/Sustrans

Side road zebras key to staying safe

LEGALISING side road zebra crossings is one of five big ideas in a report that warns disabled people are in danger of being further shut out of society.

By law, all zebra crossings must currently include Belisha beacons, yellow flashing lights at either end of a crossing, and zig-zag approach lines.

But side road zebras, commonly used across Europe, are quick to install –and much cheaper.

The report, Transport Mobility –produced by the wheeling and cycling charity Sustrans and Transport for All –points to the success of a two-year trial of side road “zebras” in Manchester

which found that drivers give way 65% more times than when the road markings are not present.

The report highlights four other ways to help improve transport connections for disabled people:

l Set up paid access panels of disabled people to inform local transport policy and practice across the country, following Scotland’s lead.

l Rebalance street space, prioritising through traffic on some roads while reducing it on others.

l Reduce unnecessary car parking to free up public space.

l Develop a network of mobility hubs

to connect walking, wheeling and cycling with buses, trams and trains.

Tim Burns, head of research, at Sustrans said: “Disabled people want transport to change.

“The next 10 years will see exciting changes in the way we move around our cities, as local authorities respond to the UK’s economic, health and environmental challenges with visionary transport plans.

“To be truly transformative, these plans need strong local leadership to transform communities and to put disabled people at their heart.”

help kids miss misery I suffered

AMAN whose dyslexia as a schoolboy made him believe he was “thick” is on a mission to ensure young people avoid the same misery.

Jamie Wace’s experiences as a boy led to him developing an online assessment tool, allowing schools to screen entire classes for dyslexia quickly and affordably.

The entrepreneur now hopes the Talamo system can provide the solution to the UK’s broken dyslexia screening system.

In the summer a documentary by dyslexic celebrity chef Jamie Oliver highlighted the struggles faced by huge numbers of children whose condition goes undetected.

Government figures recently estimated that 870,000 schoolchildren in England have

dyslexia but fewer than 150,000 of them are diagnosed.

Hundreds of UK schools are already using the Talamo screening tool, developed by Wace, alongside partners Leo Thornton and Sophie Dick.

Self-worth

Designed for schools and parents, Talamo claims to be 95% accurate. It is being trialled internationally and aims to screen one million children by 2028.

Diagnosed with dyslexia at 13, Wace knows first-hand the toll undiagnosed learning difficulties can take on a child’s self-worth.

He said: “I hated school. I thought I was just thick. I had siblings who were academic,

and I was in the bottom sets for everything. Reading, spelling and working memory – I struggled with all of it. But looking back, what was really hard was the constant mental fatigue and self-doubt.”

It wasn’t until a teacher flagged the signs and his parents arranged a private assessment that Jamie was diagnosed. That clarity changed everything.

He said: “Understanding how my brain worked gave me the confidence to study in a way that suited me, and that changed everything. It set me on a path to earning a degree from LSE and even learning Mandarin.

“Dyslexia doesn’t mean you’re less intelligent, it just means your brain works differently. But too many kids are told they’re

STEALING

THE SHOW:

All eyes on Robbie, the all talking, all listening robot

lazy or slow, when really they just need the right support,” Jamie says.

Demand for dyslexia diagnosis is rising fast, with more families seeking answers as awareness and understanding grow.

Yet most local authorities still will not fund formal assessments, and many schools do not offer screening.

Outdated

Jamie and his team have partnered with the British Dyslexia Association, with whom they co-host the Talking Dyslexia podcast. He added: ”All dyslexia screening tools are outdated, inaccurate, or unaffordable. I wanted to change that. Talamo is fast, evidence-based, and built with the realities of a busy classroom in mind.”

Robbie the talking dog

ROBBIE the all talking, all listening RoboGuide was the star of the show of a future tech show.

The event was looking at how technology is transforming the lives of blind people.

AI-powered four-legged Robbie may never totally replace the guide dog but experts from the University of Glasgow believe he could be a great help to blind and disabled people – especially

getting around museums, shopping centres, and hospitals.

Dr Olaoluwa Popoola said: “Assistive technologies like the RoboGuide have the potential to provide blind and partially sighted people with more independence in their daily lives in the years to come.

Robots which use GPS to navigate, for example, can perform well outdoors, but often struggle in indoor settings, where signal coverage can weaken.

“Others, which use cameras to ‘see’, are limited by line of sight, which makes it harder for them to safely guide people around objects or around bends.”

But the RoboGuide system uses a series of sophisticated sensors mounted on Robbie’s exterior to accurately map and assess its surroundings, avoiding any moving obstacles.

And other software gives Robbie the ability to understand questions and “speak” back!

MISSION: Jamie. His Talamo system is at school featured in the C4 show

250,000 250,000

250,000

READERS . . . BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER READERS . . . BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER

All Together NOW! has been a real help to us. We’ve been involved with the paper since its launch in 2005 and always get a great response to our adverts. Here’s wishing the paper every success.”

—

Steve Curran, co-director, DaVinci Mobility

“All Together NOW! brings together so many people and organisations – there is no doubting the importance of this excellent publication.

“The newspaper makes a unique contribution to improving the quality of life of disabled people and their families.

“We are delighted with the huge progress the paper has made.”

– Steve Morgan CBE, chairman Steve Morgan Foundation

“OF ALL the marketing that United Utilities puts into the community, nothing generates as much feedback and response as All Together NOW!

“It is a great platform that’s helping us to get our messages to our vulnerable customers.”

— Louise Beardmore, Chief Executive Officer United Utilities

“All Together NOW! is a valuable link to hundreds of thousands of disabled people. We have used this free charity newspaper to promote the services of our mobility shops and the annual Disability Awareness Day and know that it is reaching huge numbers of people who otherwise would go uninformed.”

— Dave Thompson Warrington Disability Partnership

“WE HAD a brilliant response to your article about our Atrial Fibrillation Ambassador programme – and lots of people phoned us to find out how they could become an AF Ambassador. Thanks to All Together NOW! many more people with an irregular heart rhythm will now be detected, get the right medication and this will prevent them from having strokes.”

— NHS Innovation Agency

“WE’VE advertised in All Together NOW! for the past 14 years – and haven't missed a single issue. It's a fantastic publication that does a brilliant job of presenting disability interests and issues in a positive and inclusive manner. We get a great response to our advertising – and the team is always great to deal with.” – Donald Pow, MD, Allied Mobility

“WE HAVE proudly advertised in All Together NOW! for over 12 years. It is an excellent newspaper, with endless interesting and helpful facts for all readers.

“We alway receive great responses to our advertisements.

“The newspaper is freely available to so many people throughout the North West and is appreciated by so many.”

– Heather Maddox, A-Line Mobility

SEEING THE WOR SEEING THE WOR

ONE child in every classroom will be colour blind, yet in the UK little is done to identify or help them.

GERRY CORNER reports on a little understood condition that impacts every aspect of people’s lives.

Movie star Eddie knows the pain of colour blind children

OSCAR-winning actor Eddie Redmayne was laughed at by strangers in the street because of it.

Premier League football star Matt Holland had to check he was passing to a player on his own team because of it.

Both are among the estimated three million people in the UK with colour blindness, or Colour Vision Deficiency (CVD), to give it its more technical, less misleading and often preferred name.

For some it causes little trouble, but for many who have trouble distinguishing colours problems arise in all manner of everyday activities – gardening, sport, driving a car, video gaming, cooking, deciding what clothes to wear.

Many won’t know if they have cooked a piece of meat rare or well done, can’t see mould on food, can’t tell the difference between ripe and unripe bananas, between ketchup and chocolate sauce, and are surprised to discover that peanut butter is not green.

MOCKED: Redmayne

People with CVD face challenges or restrictions or even a total bar from numerous jobs – plumber, electrician, firefighter, film editor, web designer, train driver, pilot, pathologist, and many more.

Society has taken a long time to give serious consideration to the needs of colour blind people, and even now there is a tendency to believe it is not a “proper” disability or treat it as a joke.

Hollywood star Redmayne is glad he now has his wife to prevent him attracting the wrong sort of attention in ill-matched clothes.

But at school, the actor who played physicist Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, found himself a laughing stock among fellow pupils, who mocked his

“sh*tty green clouds”. His experience of being ridiculed is all too common for the approaching half a million children in the UK with CVD. Although schools now have a duty to identify and support colour blind pupils, in practice many go undiagnosed and receive little to no assistance. Without support, and frequently without even knowing they are colour blind, their confidence, ability to learn and exam results all suffer. Some lose confidence and struggle to cope, some are put off school, and some become unwilling to learn and can develop into disruptive pupils.

In the UK, the Government recognises that the condition can be a special educational need and a disability but provides no training, advice or support for schools, teachers or parents, nor are pupils screened for it.

Psychologist and researcher Dr John Barry carried out a major study into how colour blindness affected quality of life. The results showed CVD can have a significant impact on people with the condition, including their health (with some disease symptoms missed by colour blind people), career choices and emotions.

Kathryn Albany-Ward chief executive of campaign group Colour Blind Awareness said: “I founded Colour Blind Awareness in 2010 primarily to support colour blind children, their parents and teachers, having been horrified to realise how much information our then seven-year-old son would miss out on at school.

“As parents we were shocked to learn of his condition by chance. Once I discovered schools and teachers have no knowledge of the issues and children are no longer screened, I resolved to create a suite of online resources.

“Over the last 15 years we have sadly not made notable progress in raising awareness among teachers and schools, despite our best efforts, although we have at least been able to ensure GCSE and A Level papers are accessible even for undiagnosed students. But the fight goes on.”

‘No idea whic

SPORT is finally starting to catch up with colour blindness after years of fans complaining they could not tell teams apart.

Governing bodies have taken steps. In football, the Premier League has a process to ensure kits in all fixtures are “identifiably different colours”.

However, a scroll through social media soon shows that, in football at least, awareness is still very much a work in progress among clubs who can choose to ignore the advice even if it negatively impacts their own players.

Take this post on X: “Turned on Stoke vs Brighton on the telly. No idea which team is which.”

One man arriving at a match to find one team playing in white and the other in pale pink complained: “Driven five hours to get here and my son can’t even tell the teams apart.”

This year, for the first time in the history of rugby’s Six Nations tournament, Ireland and Wales were not both allowed to wear their iconic strips of green and red – the worst colour combination for most people

l We see colour through cells in eyes called cones. Three types o absorb red, blue or green light. T work together to show the full spe

In colour blind people one cone type does not function properly, s cannot see the full spectrum, and instead see many colours the sam l Famous names to have some colour blindness include tech billi Bill Gates, writer Mark Twain, act

with colour blindness. Instead, wore white to avoid the clash, t disquiet of some traditionalists relief of the many colour blind supporters of both teams.

But change does not always c willingly. In last year’s correspo fixture, played before the kit ch became compulsory, the Welsh Union refused to wear an altern despite knowing thousands of supporters would be affected.

COLOUR CLASH: Ireland and Wales can no longer wear their trad

CVD affects one in 12 boys and one in 200 girls

RLD DIFFERENTLY RLD DIFFERENTLY

side’s which’

Newman and cricketer Ian Botham.

our of cone hey ectrum. e cell so they d me. form of ionaire tor Paul

Ireland o the but the come onding ange Rugby native,

l The most common types of CVD are red and green, where people have difficulty distinguishing reds, greens, browns and oranges.

l CVD mostly runs in families, but it can be acquired from drugs, diseases such as diabetes, and through ageing.

l There is no treatment for inherited CVD, but some acquired forms can be reversed.

Meanwhile, other team sports including basketball and hockey have yet to produce their own guidelines.

It’s not just a problem for spectators, but players too. Republic of Ireland international Matt Holland, who captained Ipswich Town at the highest level, says: “Generally I was okay in games but occasionally struggled when the kits were quite close colour-wise.

“The biggest challenge was having

to take a split-second longer to make a decision on where I was going to pass the ball to make certain I was passing to a team-mate.”

In Parliament, MP Liz Twist highlighted the plight of many children turned off sport due to the difficulties they face with the colours of everything from kits to cones, training bibs and even the balls used.

Young footballer Marcus recalled how, prior to his diagnosis, he ran up to take a penalty and missed the ball completely because he could not see it.

“I felt really, really annoyed and embarrassed,” the then 11-year-old said on a video for an Football Association CVD awareness campaign in 2018.

Once Marcus’s club in Northumberland made a few simple changes to equipment, his frustration became a thing of the past.

Other clubs and organisations could do the same, but only if they are willing and, crucially, know that a youngster is colour blind.

l AS a sports commentator Olly Hogben has covered three Olympic Games including Paris 2024.

l His voice has been heard on the BBC, NBC, BT Sport and Eurosport.

l Here, Olly tells of the tears and the laughter that come with being colour blind.

Behind the scenes challenges of a TV sports commentator

What type of colour blindness do you have?

Red and green CVD. I suspect it’s genetic, but I never had the opportunity to find out because none of the men in the two generations above me in my family believed that colour blindness was real!

When were you diagnosed and how did it make you feel?

I was about five, so I’ve never really experienced life without knowing I’m colour blind. One of my earliest memories is being chastised by a teacher for drawing a hill I coloured purple instead of green.

When I was nine, I was given a 3D book and I couldn’t see the images. I remember crying and telling my Mum I was a failure. Did school take it seriously?

It simply wasn’t taken seriously. I used to dread having to identify colours in French or Spanish because I knew I would get it wrong and be laughed at.

My Year 9 business studies teacher made me, in front of my peers, redo a socioeconomic map of the UK because I used a slightly different colour scheme from the one asked for, even after I explained I was colour blind. I found his attitude so uncaring I decided I wouldn’t choose his subject for GCSE!

How does colour blindness affect your everyday life?

Outside of work, it manifests itself in quite mundane, and often genuinely funny ways. I once spent three years complaining I couldn’t find my brown sweater before finding it in a box in the loft. I triumphantly showed my then girlfriend, who said, “Ah, your green sweater”. She had put it there and had no idea which sweater I was talking about –for three years…

Does sport need to do more for colour blind participants and spectators?

I think we’re slowly becoming more aware, but it’s honestly taking far too long.

I commentate on a lot of football and can struggle hugely picking out shirt numbers, so I have to find other solutions – perhaps one player has pink boots, or their hair is a little different.

One governing body – the International Floorball Federation – actually consults me ahead of every match at a major championships to see if I think there will be any issues with the kits. It would be great to see more governing bodies taking this approach! Is enough importance attached to addressing CVD?

I don’t think colour blindness is still treated very seriously, and that makes me very sad.

I used to work for a university and once approached the person in charge of special educational needs to say I thought we

should make educating trainee teachers about colour blindness mandatory. I was stunned that she had absolutely no interest in it. How do you counter negative attitudes?

I often read comments on social media to the tune of, “if we make allowances for colour blindness we’ll have to make allowances for every disability and impairment”, to which I think, “correct! That’s exactly the direction in which we should be heading!”

I can’t understand how anyone could object to a society where impairment –whatever the impairment – is no longer a barrier.

Do you have a message for society?

I have to take control of being colour blind and develop my own strategies. However, what I do want is for children who have any form of CVD to be diagnosed so that they can be supported, and I want teachers to be trained to handle colour blindness the way they handle dyslexia.

The worst thing we can do as a society is make people feel stupid simply for living with an impairment beyond their control; colour blindness is real, enormously widespread, and can have a huge impact on a person’s life.

SHOPMOBILITY

n ALTRINCHAM

. Tel 0161 929 1714

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Tel 0161 339 9500

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Tel 01254 690566 or 07757 502217

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n TAMWORTH. Tel, 01827 709392

Rose the new Doctor!

ACTOR, author and TV presenter

Rose Ayling-Ellis has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the University for the Creative Arts.

The award is in recognition of her outstanding contribution to acting and campaigning for the deaf community.

Rose, who herself is deaf, graduated from UCA with a first class degree in fashion design in 2016. It was while studying there

that she acted with the Deafinitely Youth Theatre, before her breakout roles in BBC’s Casualty and EastEnders, and winning Strictly Come Dancing.

Earlier this year, Rose produced BBC documentary, Old Hands, New Tricks, in which she taught BSL to retirement home residents

TWICE AS GOOD

Euro title two years running

BRITAIN’S blind football stars have been celebrating their continued domination in Europe.

The Royal National College for the Blind clinched the European Blind Football League title for the second consecutive year in Germany.

Head coach Adam Bendall said: “I’m incredibly proud of the lads. To win this title once is special, but to defend it against a team as talented as Quartotempo Firenze, and go on to win it in the final game of the season shows the immense character and skill we have in this squad.”

The RNC is a still on a high after the women’s goalball squad returned from Finland with a silver medal at the Clubs World Cup, losing out to Brazil in the final.

The success follows their bronze at the European Goalball Club Association’s Women’s Champions League in Belgium.

Team member Megan SmithsonBooth said: “I hope it inspires others with sight loss to believe in themselves, whether that’s in sport or anything else in life.”

AT THE END OF A PHONE

CHAMPIONS: Eesa Amjid on the ball for RNC. Picture: EBFL

ON A HIGH: From left, Lihi Ben David, Georgie Bullen and Antonia Bunyan wearing the patches that go under their eyeshades to ensure every player plays at the same level

Picture: Goalball Clubs World Cup

Opening hours: 11am-1pm

Propel us to fame

THE UK’s only professional all wheelchair-user dance company is back with a series of new works and looking for bookings at festivals and other events nationwide.

Propel Dance spent much of the summer perfecting the short dance performances after winning a grant from Arts Council England.

The company creates ambitious, joyful, high-quality dance theatre that places wheelchair users centre stage –

blending contemporary dance with para dance sport technique.

Since launching in 2023, it has grown rapidly – producing its debut touring production, The Snow Queen, developing international partners and delivering inclusive projects across the country.

Amy Dalton-Hardy, Co-Director at Propel Dance added: “We’ve completed five original dance pieces and worked with a brilliant team of

artists who are bold, passionate and trailblazing.

“I haven’t seen anything like the work that we’re making performed anywhere before, and we’re excited to share it with the world.”

l Propel Dance is now available for bookings. Contact: info.propeldance@gmail.com

To find out more, to go: www.propeldance.uk/

688

477 716 n CUMBRIA Carlisle. Tel 01228 542 156

GIVE THEM ‘ELL!

THERE will be plenty of viewers cheering on Ellie Goldstein in the new Strictly Come Dancing shows currently back on the box.

None more so than disability campaigners, who are hoping Ellie’s appearances will lead to more disabled people being included in more hit TV shows.

For Ellie, it’s a dream come true.

“I’m absolutely over the moon,” said the trailblazing model, actor and influencer.”

“It’s a show I’ve loved watching for so long, and the chance to now be part of it feels like a dream.”

“I know it’s going to be challenging, but I’m ready to do it with the glitter and glamour and make some magic on that dancefloor. Let the Strictly journey begin!”

Meanwhile, James Watson-O’Neill, boss of the national disability charity Sense, said: “It’s vital that many more disabled people are included in the biggest TV shows.

“We look forward to watching Ellie smashing her dance routines – and demolishing the barriers that have stopped disabled people taking centre stage in life for far too long.

“When Chris McCausland won Strictly last

Charities cheer Strictly hopeful

year, it felt like a pivotal moment but we want to see the floodgates open now.”

l TWO years ago, Ellie made history as the first model with Down syndrome to grace the cover of British Vogue.

Her modelling career has also seen Ellie appear on the covers of Glamour, Elle, Mission Mag and Euphoria magazines, and she has featured in huge campaigns for brands such as Gucci Beauty and Adidas.

She also partnered with Mattel to launch the first ever Barbie with Down syndrome. More recently, her acting has taken centre stage, with a guest lead role in CBBC’s Malory Towers.

835 2995

n MORECAMBE Tel 01524 833456

n PRESTON Tel 01772 200173

n RUNCORN Tel 01928 580182

n WIDNES Tel 0151 257 9673

n SALFORD Tel 0161 833 0217

n SEFTON Tel 0151 288 6060

n ST HELENS Tel 01744 675 615

n STOCKPORT Tel 0161 442 0442

n WARRINGTON (WIRED) Tel 01925 633 492

n WEST LANCS Tel 01695 711243

n WIGAN & LEIGH Tel 01942 705959 / 486923

MIDLANDS

n BIRMINGHAM Tel 0121 675 8000

n SOLIHULL Tel 0121 788 1143

n WALSALL Tel 01922 610 810 NORTH WALES

n ANGLESEY Tel 01248 722828

n BANGOR Tel 01248 370 797

n CONWY Tel 01492 533714

n DENBIGHSHIRE: NEWCIS, Tel: 0845 603 3187

nDOLGELLAU Tel 01341 421167

n FLINTSHIRE: NEWCIS, Tel: 01352 751436

n WREXHAM CARERS SERVICE

Spotting ‘bogus callers’

Stay safe, stay con昀dent

We know that feeling safe - whether at home or on the phone - really matters. Unfortunately, there are people who use the United Utilities name to try and trick our customers into providing their personal details or get access to their home to steal items of value.

Since launching in 2015, more than 400,000 people across the North West have now registered for United Utilities’ Priority Services scheme.

• A dedicated team on hand to listen and help

The good news is that it’s relatively easy to turn the tables on phone scammers and doorstep criminals by following some simple advice

On the phone

Steph Smith from the Priority Services team said: “Our Priority Services scheme is free to all our customers who may need a bit of extra support in life. This could be due to age, ill health, disability, mental health problems, 昀nancial worries or language barriers.

• Braille, large print, ‘talking’ bills and text relay service

Support when you need it most

• are blind or partially sighted;

• have a chronic (long-term) or serious illness;

If a call feels suspicious, it’s always best to trust your instincts. For example, we’ll never call you from a mobile number asking for your bank or credit card details.

If in doubt, hang up. We’ll never pressure you to pay for services you’ve not requested from us.

• Knock and wait service. If you tell us you have mobility needs and we have to visit your home, we will wait allowing enough time for you to answer the door

• have a condition that a昀ects their development;

• have dementia;

• rely on dialysis, feeding pumps or automated medication;

We can all bene昀t from a bit of extra help at some stage in our lives. This could be due to age, ill health, disability, mental health problems, 昀nancial worries or language barriers. Registering for Priority Services is free and it means you will bene昀t from additional services to support your particular needs. Services include:

On the doorstep

“By registering for our scheme, we can make sure you receive the right support from us during those times when we may need to switch o昀 the water to repair a leak, or if we need to visit you in your own home.

• Nominate a carer, family member or friend to check your bills and speak to us on your behalf

Then call us on 0345 672 3723 to check if the caller is genuine. This advice also applies to text messages - if they look suspicious or are asking for bank details, don’t click on any links, call us to check.

• Additional support if you have a medical need for water.

• Protection from bogus callers with a password protection scheme

All our employees who visit your home will carry an ID card. So, if a person knocks on your door claiming to be from United Utilities saying they need to check your taps or toilet, ask to see their ID card.

“Even if you don’t need this support, we all know someone who would bene昀t from these services - such as a friend, family member or neighbour - so please encourage them to get in touch to register.”

• Notice of interruptions to your water supply

Then, ask them to wait outside and close the door while you call us on 0345 672 3723 to check they are genuine. We’ll always be happy for you to do this and will never pressure you to enter your home.

• Translation services

• Every two years we’ll check that your details are still correct

Protect yourself with a password

If you’ve not already registered for our password scheme you can do this online at unitedutilities.com/priorityservices. Then, when we call you or visit your home, we will quote your password so you know the person is genuine. It’s a really easy way to protect yourself from scammers and doorstep criminals.

• are having 昀nancial diculties;

• A dedicated team to listen and help

• are deaf or hard of hearing, or have speech diculties;

• have a mental health condition;

• Braille, large print, ‘talking’ bills and text relay service

• have children aged 5 or under;

• Knock and wait service if you have mobility needs

• are experiencing temporary life changes (including divorce or bereavement);

• Nominate a carer, family member or friend to speak to us on your behalf

• are recovering after leaving hospital;

• have restricted movement making it dicult to answer the door; or

• Additional support if you have a medical need for water

• may struggle to communicate because their 昀rst language isn’t English.

• Protection from bogus callers with a password protection scheme

• Notice of interruptions to your water supply

Scan the QR code to visit our Priority Services webpage, where you can click on ‘Accessibility Help’ to turn on text-to-speech or change the language used on our website.

Remember – never feel under pressure to provide personal information or bank details to someone at your door or on the phone without checking with us 昀rst.

• Translation services Register at: unitedutilities.com/ priorityservices or call: 0345 672 2888.

Sep 12-Oct 18: Derby Days. Royal Court, Liverpool. Signed, Sep 30; audio described, Oct 1

Sep 12: Saving Grace. Empire, Liverpool.

Sep 12: An Evening with Katie Price and Sep 13-Oct 4: Romeo & Juliet. Everyman, Liverpool. Captioned Sep 18; signed Sep 27; audio described Oct 2.

Sep 13: Thank Abba for the Music. Theatre Royal, St Helens. Tribute show.

Sep 13: Oh What a Night. Venue Cymru, Llandudno. The music of Frankie Vallet.

Sep 13: Mersey Beatles. Floral Pavilion, Rhyl.

Sep 13: Suzi Ruffell: The Juggle. Playhouse, Liverpool. Comedy.

Sep 14: Susie Dent – Word Perfect. The Lowry, Salford.

Sep 15-Oct 4: Snake in the Grass. Theatr Clwyd Weston, Wrexham. Darkly comic thriller. Signed Sep 20, Oct 2; captioned Sep 24, Oct 4; audio described Sep 25, Oct 3. Sep 15-16: Showstopper! The Improvised Musical. Theatr Clwyd, Mold. Sep 15: Chris McCausland: Yonks! Lyceum, Crewe.

Sep 16-20: Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell. Playhouse, Liverpool. Dance theatre. In 1930s London, people emerge from cheap boarding houses nightly to pour out their passions, hopes and dreams in the pubs and fog-bound streets of Soho and Fitzrovia. Audio described Sep 19.

Sep 16-18: Rambert X (LA) Horde. The Lowry, Salford. Dance. Audio described/ touch tour Sep 18.

Sep16-17: Austen’s Women – Lady Susan. Shakespeare North. Based on Jane Austen’s first full-length work from 1794, this is Austen as you’ve never seen her before!

Sep 16: The Greatest Love of All starring Belinda Davids Concert. Theatre Royal, St Helens.

Sep 17: An Evening with Katie Price and Kerry Katona. Theatre Royal, St Helens.

Sep 17: The Ripper Files! Brindley, Runcorn. Spine-tingling whodunit.

Sep 18-20: Wagatha Christie. Brindley, Runcorn. Smash-hit play about the courtroom battle of the footabllers’ wives.

Sep 18-20: Uncanny – Fear of the Dark. The Lowry, Salford.

Sep 18: RUSH – Sisters with Soul. Theatr Clwyd, Mold.

Sep 18: The Poldark Show presents El Mistico. Brindley, Runcorn.

Sep 18: As We Were. Theatre Royal, St Helens. The history of Oasis and beyond.

Sep 19: Josh Jones: I Haven’t Won The Lottery So Here’s Another Tour Show. Storyhouse, Chester.

Sep 19: Black is the Colour of My Voice. Theatr Clwyd, Mold. Inspired by the life of Nina Simone, and featuring many of her songs.

Sep 19: The Secret Histories of Rome with Mary Beard. The Lowry, Salford. Sep 19-20: Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story. Lyceum, Crewe.

Sep 19: Diana Reigns Supreme. Brindley, Runcorn. Tribute show.

Sep 20: Holding Back The Years. Brindley, Runcorn. Simply Red tribute show.

Sep 20: Buffy Revamped. Theatr Clwyd, Mold. Funny, satirical and bursting with 90s popculture references.

Sep 21-Oct 12: 13 Going on 30 – The Musical. Opera House,

Eddie’s taking on the Bard . . .

PREVIEW

TOct 4: The Bohemians – Queen’s Greatest Hits. Rhyl Pavilion.

Oct 1-2: Eddie Izzard’s Hamlet. The Lowry, Salford.

Oct 11: Playhouse, Liverpool.

Manchester. A feel-great reminder that being yourself never gets old.

Sep 21: Harry Hill – New Bits and Greatest Hits. The Lowry, Salford.

Sep 21: The Illegal Eagles. Lyceum, Crewe.

Sep 21: Nik Kershaw – Musings and Lyrics. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Sep 22-27: Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. The Lowry, Salford.

Sep 22: Omid Djalili: Namaste. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Sep 23: Hello Again. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton. The music of Neil Diamond.

Sep 23-27: SIX – The Musical. Theatr Clwyd, Mold. From Tudor Queens to Pop Princesses.

Signed Sep 25; captioned Sep 27.

Sep 23: Fiddler on the Roof. Empire, Liverpool. Musical.

Sep 24: Dragged to the Musicals. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Sep 24: Queen of the Night. Floral Pavilion, Rhyl. Whitney Houston tribute show.

Sep 26-Oct 4: Agatha Christie’s Death on The Nile. The Lowry, Salford. Captioned Oct 3; audio described/touch tour Oct 4.

Sep 24-27: The Woman in Black. Storyhouse, Chester. Spine chiller.

Sep 25: Elis & John – That Feels Significant Live! Venue Cymru, Llandudno. Britain’s youngest podcast-first broadcasters on tour.

Sep 26: Scott Bennett: Stuff. Storyhouse, Chester. Tale of a lawyer obsessed with a curse that he believes has been cast over his family.

Sep 26: Henning When – Acid When. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Sep 27: The Night Sky. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. Astronomer and author Adrian West.

Sep 27: 80s Live. Floral Pavilion, Rhyl.

Star of stand-up

Oct 8: Jason Mountford: A Manford All Seasons. Storyhouse, Chester.

Sep 28: Kerry Ellis – Queen of the West End. Brindley, Runcorn.

Sep 30-Oct 18: The Book of Mormon. Empire, Liverpool. The outrageous musical comedy. Audio described, Oct 4; captioned, Oct 17.signed, Oct 11.

Sep 30-Oct 4: Blood Brothers. Theatr Clwyd, Mold. Willy Russell’s legendary musical. Captioned Oct 1; signed Oct 2.

Sep 30-Oct 4: King Arthur. Octagon, Bolton. Camelot is in trouble.

Sep 30: Saving Tinderella. Brindley, Runcorn. Alex works as an outreach mental health nurse who is searching for a partner.

Sep 30: Level 42. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.

Oct 1-2: Eddie Izzard’s Hamlet. The Lowry, Salford.

Oct 1: The Drifters. Venue Cymru.

Oct 1: Tom Robinson: Then and Now. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Oct 2-5: Castaway presents Shrek the Musical. Storyhouse, Chester.

Oct 2-4: Uncanny: Fear of the Dark. Playhouse, Liverpool.

Oct 2: Ravel La Valse. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Oct 2: I Like It. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton. Gerry Marsden tribute show.

Oct 2: The Jerseys Live. The Brindley, Runcorn. Frankie Vallet tribute show.

Oct 2: Sweet and Sour: The Ultimate Tribute to Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo. Lyceum, Crewe.

Oct 3-25: The Tempest. Shakespeare North Playhouse. Music, mayhem and mishaps! Relaxed/audio described, Oct 23.

Oct 3: The 80s Show. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Oct 3: The Magic of Motown. Rhyl Pavilion.

Oct 4: Anything for Love – The Meat Loaf Story. Venue Cymru.

Oct 4: Grace Petrie: This is no Time to Panic. Storyhouse, Chester.

Oct 4: Celebrating Celine. Lyceum, Crewe. Tribute show.

Oct 4: The Sound of Music. Philharmonic, Liverpool. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Oct 4: Hannes Langolf – How About Now. The Lowry, Salford.

Oct 5: Nigel Planer – Young Once Live. The Lowry, Salford. Afternoon show.

Oct 5: Kae Kurd: What’s O’Kurd. The Lowry, Salford.

Oct 5: Joanne McNally: Pinotphile. The Lowry, Salford.

Oct 5: Hundley Street Country Club. Lyceum, Crewe.

Oct 6: Junyan Chen. Theatr Clwyd, Mold.

Oct 6: Stewart Copeland: Have I Said Too Much. Theatre Royal, St Helens.

Oct 7: Graham Nash – More Evenings of Songs and Stories. Philharmonic, Liverpool. Special guest – Peter Asher.

Oct 7: Adam Frost: Storyhouse, Chester.

Oct 7: Reckless Sleepers: Binary Opposition. The Lowry, Salford. Dance.

Oct 8-11: Black Sabbath – The Ballet. The Lowry, Salford. Birmingham Royal Ballet.

Oct 8-9: National Dance Company Wales –Surge. Theatr Clwyd, Mold.

Oct 8: Far Gone. The Lowry, Salford. Northern Uganda. When Okumu’s village is attacked by the Lord’s Resistance Army, he and his brother’s lives are changed forever.

Oct 8: Jason Mountford: A Manford All Seasons. Storyhouse, Chester.

Oct 8: Al Stewart. Philharmonic, Liverpool. Celebrating his 80th birthday.

Oct 8: The Illegal Eagles. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Oct 8: It’s a Beautiful Noise. Lyceum, Crewe. Tribute show.

Oct 8: Dirty Dusting. The Brindley, Runcorn. Oct 9: Freak Out! The Brindley, Runcorn. The world’s biggest disco hits.

Oct 9-10: Something About George. Playhouse, Liverpool.

Oct 9: Broken Chair Improv Present: The Films That Never Were. Everyman, Liverpool. Oct 9: The Phantoms starring Lea Mead. Lyceum, Crewe.

Oct 9: Michael starring Ben. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Oct 9: Nick Helm: No One Gets Out Alive. The Lowry, Salford.

Oct 9: Sophie McCartney. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Oct 10-18: Sunny Afternoon. Palace, Manchester. The story of the Kinks.

Oct 10-11: An Evening Shared with Jasper Carrott and Alistair McGowan. Theatr Clwyd, Mold.

Oct 10-11: Balletdancehall. Shakespereare North Playhouse. Comedy about not getting to choose your family, and growing up in rural Ireland.

Oct 10: Pet Shop Boys, Actually. The Brindley, Runcorn..

Oct 10: Stan Boardman – My Life Story. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Oct 10: Sleeping Beauty. Storyhouse, Chester. Dance.

Oct 11: I Like It. Theatre Royal, St Helens. The Gerry Marsden story.

Oct 11: Jack Dee: Small World. Storyhouse, Chester.

l Continued from p19

Oct 11: London Symphonic Rock Orchestra. Rhyl Pavilion.

Oct 11: Eddie Izzard – Hamlet. Playhouse, Liverpool.

Oct 11: The Ultimate Class Rock Show. Lyceum, Crewe.

Oct 11: Dead Ringers – The 25th Anniversary Tour. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Oct 11: WNO: Tosca – Puccini. Venue Cymru.

Oct 12: Bootleg Beatles in Concert. Venue Cymru.

Oct 12: Griff Rhys Jones: The Cat’s Pyjamas. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Oct 12: Tim Peake’s Astronauts. Storyhouse, Chester.

Oct 12: The 80s Show. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Oct 12: Listen Very Carefully: The Allo Allo Podcast – Live! The Lowry, Salford. Afternoon show.

Oct 12: Dead Ringers: The 25th Anniversary Tour. The Lowry, Salford. Oct 12: Josie Long – Now is the Time of the Monsters. The Lowry, Salford.

Oct 12: Ardal O’Hanlon – Not Himself. Lyceum, Crewe.

Oct 13: Tim Peake – Astronauts. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Oct 13: Daniel O’Donnell. Venue Cymru.

Oct 14-18: Lost Atoms. Playhouse, Liverpool. Frantic Assembly return.

Oct 14-18: Little Women. Storyhouse, Chester.

Oct 14-18: Inside No.9 Stage/Fright. Opera House, Manchester.

Oct 14: Shon Dale-Jones: Stories from an Invisible Town. Theatr Clwyd, Mold. A fond tribute to childhood.

Oct 14: Francis Rossi. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Oct 14: Tim Peake. Astronauts. Venue Cymru. Oct 15-25: Pride & Prejudice. Theatr Clwyd, Mold. Captioned, Oct 17; signed, Oct 22; audio described, Oct 24.

Oct 15: Dragged to the Musicals. Venue Cymru. Starring Divina De Campo. Oct 15: Tom Ball. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Oct 15: Iain Stirling: Relevant. Lyceum, Crewe.

Oct 15: Rick Wakeman. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Oct 15: Martha Tilston. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Oct 15: Dirty Dusting. Theatre Royal, St Helens.

Oct 16-17: Romeo a Juliet. Theatr Clwyd, Mold. Two families, two languages and a pair of young lovers who are ready to risk everything. Oct 16: The Christians & The Blow Monkeys. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Oct 16: An Evening with Sir Jimmy Anderson. The Lowry, Salford. Oct 16: Black Power Desk. The Lowry, Salford.

Oct 16: Andy Fairweather Low & The Lowriders. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Oct 16: Northern Live. Lyceum, Crewe. Oct 16: Elkie Brooks. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Oct 16: An Evening with Paul Merson. Theatre Royal, St Helens. Oct 17: Chuckl St

Your guide to some of the best treats

BOX OFFICE CONTACTS

BOLTON

Octagon: 01204 520661

CHESTER

Storyhouse: 01244 409 113

CREWE

Lyceum: 01270 368 242

LIVERPOOL

Empire: 08444 999 999

Everyman & Playhouse: 0151 709 4776

Philharmonic Hall: 0151 709 3789

Royal Court: 0870 787 1866

Shakespeare North Playhouse: 0151 433 7156

Unity: 0151 709 4988

LLANDUDNO

Venue Cymru: 01492 872000

Helens. Theatre Royal, St Helens.

Oct 16: Max Boyce. Venue Cymru.

MANCHESTER

Opera House: 0870 401 9000 Palace: 0870 401 3000

MOLD:

Theatr Clwyd: 0845 3303565

SALFORD

The Lowry: 0843 208 6000 Access line: 0333 320 2838

NEW BRIGHTON Floral Pavilion: 0151 666 0000

RHYL: Pavilion: 01745 330 000

RUNCORN

The Brindley: 0151 907 8360

ST HELENS:

Theatre Royal: 01744 756000

Oct 17: Sing the Musicals. Venue Cymru.

Oct 17: The Country Hits Live Show. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Oct 17: Russell Watson – The Evolution Tour. Lyceum, Crewe.

Oct 17: Rumer. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Oct 17: Roy Orbison and The Travelling Wilbury’s Experience. The Brindley, Runcorn. Tribute show.

Oct 17: Man of the World: The Music of Peter Green. The Brindley, Runcorn.

Oct 17: Tony Christie – The Great Farewell. Rhyl Pavilion.

Oct 18: The World Famous Elvis Show –Chris Connor Live. Rhyl Pavilion.

Oct 18: Timeless Soul performed by Chantel Cole. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Oct 18: Huw Chiswell and Cor Y Pentan. Theatr Clwyd, Mold.

Oct 18: Wet Wet Wet. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Oct 18: How Sweet It Is. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton. Greatest hits of Motown.

Oct 18: An Evening with Nigel Owens MBE. Venue Cymru. An evening of rugby tales.

Oct 19: Victoria Firth: Batty! Storyhouse, Chester.

Oct 19: Nina Conti: Whose Face Is It Anyway? Opera House, Manchester.

Oct 19: Gordon Giltrap and John Etheridge. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Oct 19: Jack Dee: Small World. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

SOMETHING SCARY

HERE’s your invitation to a festival with a difference –inspired by the rich traditions of Mexico’s Día de los Muertos! So, dress in your most dazzling Day of the Deadinspired costumes and dance the night away to vibrant live music and DJ sets. The event is raising funds for young deaf people in Merseyside. l Nov 1: Day of the Dead: Family Festival. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Musical journey of Bob Dylan.

Oct 20-Nov 1: Fiddler on the Roof. Palace, Manchester.

Oct 20: James May: Exporers – The Age of Discovery. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Oct 20: Strange But True Crime with Jennifer Ross. Opera House, Manchester.

Oct 20: Sherlock Holmes & The Sign on Four. The Brindley, Runcorn.

Oct 20: Myra’s Story. The Lowry, Salford. Direct from the West End. Myra has fallen on hard times and is living on the streets of Dublin.

Oct 21-25: Breaking the Code. Playhouse, Liverpool. The tragic story of Alan Turing, famed for cracking the Enigma code at Bletchley Park.

Oct 21-22: Stewart Lee vs The man-Wulf. Storyhouse, Chester.

Oct 21: Dreamcoat Stars. The Brindley, Runcorn. All the hits from the great musicals.

Oct 21: David Ford. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Oct 21: Rosie Jones: I Can’t Tell What She’s Saying. Everyman, Liverpool.

Oct 22-26: Slava’s Snow Show. Opera House, Manchester.

Oct 22-25: Oliver! Lyceum, Crewe.

Oct 22: Ruth Lyon. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Oct 22: Nick Mohammed is Mr Swallow –Show Pony. Royal Court, Liverpool.

Oct 19: UK Pink Floyd Experience. Theatre Royal, St Helens.

Oct 19: Wet Wet Wet plus special guest Heather Small. The Lowry, Salford.

Oct 19: Simply Dylan. The Lowry, Salford.

Oct 23: James Acaster: Work in Progress. Everyman, Liverpool.

Oct 23: An Evening with Mary Beard. Storyhouse, Chester.

Oct 23-25: Black is the Colour of my Voice. The Lowry, Salford.

Oct 23-25: The Signalman. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton. Extended adaptation of the Charles Dickens’ nerve-tingling masterpiece.

Oct 23-25: English National Ballet – The Sleeping Beauty. Empire, Liverpool.

Oct 23-25: Les Miserables School Edition. The Brindley, Runcorn.

Oct 23: NT Live: Mrs Warren’s Profession. Theatr Colwyn. Imelda Staunton joins forces with her real-life daughter Bessie Carter.

Oct 24-25: Looking For Me Friend – The Music of Victoria Wood. Grand, Blackpool.

Oct 24: Ukelele Orchester of Great Britian: 40th Anniversary. Storyhouse, Chester.

Oct 24: Rohan Roy Collective. Philharmonic, Liverpool. Indian classical music.

Oct 24: Simply Dylan. Philharmonic, Liverpool. The songs of Bobb Dylan.

Oct 24: Two P’s in a Podcast Live – Let That Be a Lesson. Rhyl Pavilion.

Oct 24: The Billy Joel Songbook. Venue Cymru.

Oct 25-31: The Wizard of Oz Autumn Panto. Theatre Royal, St Helens.

Oct 25-26: Pirates Love Underpants. Storyhouse, Chester.

Oct 25: Defying Gravity – West End Women. Rhyl Pavilion.

Oct 25: Mersey Wylie. Philharmonic, Liverpool. Liverpool-based singer songwriter and her band.

Oct 25: Haunted Halloween Party. Lyceum, Crewe.

Oct 25: Bjorn Again. Venue Cymru. Abba tribute.

Oct 26: Flowers and Friendship Bracelets –The Ultimate Pop Concert. Lyceum, Crewe.

Oct 26: The Australian Pink Floyd. Empire, Liverpool.

Oct 26: The Nutcracker. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton. Imperial Classical Ballet.

Oct 26: Dallahan. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

IRISH comic Jimmy Cricket celebrates his 80th birthday with a star studded gala show all in aid of Francis House Children’s Hospice. l Nov 1: The Lowry, Salford.

in store at theatres across the region

SOMETHING SPECIAL

“All Things Must Pass”, they say. Well, George Harrison’s name will live on forever.

Something About George –

The George Harrison Story, the musical biopic tribute about the so-called “quiet” Beatle is back. West End actor and musician Daniel Taylor tells the story.

l Oct 9-10: Playhouse, Liverpool.

l Oct 31: Brindley, Runcorn.

l Nov 1: The Atkinson, Southport.

l Nov 16: Grand, Blackpool.

Oct 26: Jack Dee: Small World. The Lowry, Salford.

Oct 26: This Flight Tonight: The Songs of Joni Mitchell. The Lowry, Salford.

Tempted . . ?

l Oct 3-25: The Tempest. Shakespeare North. A show filled with music, mayhem and mishaps! Relaxed/audio described, Oct 23. Autumn’s here

Oct 27-Nov 1: The Smeds and The Smoos. The Lowry, Salford.

Oct 27: Jason Byrne – Head in the Clouds. The Lowry, Salford. Oct 27: Rude Science. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Oct 27: Dinosaur Adventure Live. The Brindley, Runcorn.

Oct 27: Justin Hayward Forever Autumn plus special guest Mike Dawes. Venue Cymru.

Oct 28-Nov 1: Top Hat. Empire, Liverpool. Musical based on the classic 1935 film.

Oct 28-Nov 1: The Signalman. Theatr Clwyd, Mold.

Oct 28: The Enchanted Princess Ball. The Brindley, Runcorn.

Oct 28: Justin Hayward Forever Autumn. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Oct 28: An Evening with Susia Wolff. Storyhouse, Chester.

Oct 28-Nov 1: The Gruffalo’s Child. Playhouse, Liverpool.

Oct 28: Jack Dee: Small World. Lyceum, Crewe.

Oct 28: Princess Live! Rhyl Pavilion.

Oct 28: Chris Smither. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Oct 28: Hans Zimmer and Film Favourites Illuminated. Venue Cymru.

Oct 29-30: Garth Marenghi – This Busted Earth Tour. The Lowry, Salford.

Oct 29: The Simon and Garfunkel Story. Venue Cymru.

Oct 29: Steve Bracknall. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Oct 23: NT Live: Mrs Warren’s Profession. Theatr Colwyn. Imelda Staunton joins forces with her real-life daughter, Bessie Carter.

Oct 29: One Night in Dublin. Lyceum, Crewe.

Oct 29: An Evening with Trevor Horn. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Oct 29: John Lydon: I Could Be Wrong, I Could Be Right. The Brindley, Runcorn. An evening with the Sex Pistols icon

Oct 30: Lipstick on your Collar. The Brindley, Runcorn. Back-to-back hits form the 60s.

Oct 30: Too Much Too Young. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton. The smash hit Ska spectacular.

Oct 30: Jimeoin Pandemonium. Lyceum, Crewe.

Oct 30: The Dinosaur That Pooped. Storyhouse, Chester.

Oct 30: The Spare Rib. Everyman, Liverpool. A night of spine-tingling sexiness.

Oct 30-Nov 1: Even More . . . Ghost Stories by Candleight. Shakespeare North Playhouse.

Oct 31-Nov 1: Murder Mystery: City of Curses – A Murder Mystery by Trial. Everyman, Liverpool. Afternoon tea special.

Oct 31: Nosferatu: A Halloween Special with Live Piano. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Oct 31: Walk Right Back: The Everley Brothers’ Story. Rhyl Pavilion.

Oct 31: Something About George. The Brindley, Runcorn. The George Harrison story.

Nov 1-2: Peppa Pig’s Big Family Show. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Nov 1: The Bends: A Tribute to Radiohead with Mike Ryan & The Street Spirit Band. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 1: The Amy Winehouse Band. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 1: Tom Gates Epic Stage Show. Storyhouse, Chester.

Nov 1: Rat Pack – Swingin’ at the Sands. Venue Cymru.

Nov 1: ELO Again. The Brindley, Runcorn. Tribute show.

l Oct 27: Justin Hayward Forever Autumn. Venue Cymru, Llandudno.

l Oct 28: Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Nov 1: Day of the Dead: Family Festival. Noon. Blue Lounge, Floral Pavilion, New Brighton. Vibrant and unforgettable festival inspired by the rich traditions of Mexico’s Día de los Muertos!

Nov 1: Dr Richard Shepherd: Time of Death –More Unnatural Causes. Lyceum, Crewe.

Nov 1: Jimmy Cricket’s Big Birthday Gala Show. The Lowry, Salford.

Nov 1: Sometging About George. The Atkinson, Southport.

Nov 2-16: Victoria Wood’s Acorn Antiques The Musical. Opera House, Manchester.

Nov 2-8: Mischief Theatre: Christmas Carol Goes Wrong. The Lowry, Salford.

Nov 2: Ardal O’Hanlon: Not Himself. The Lowry, Salford.

Nov 2: Rosie Jones: I Can’t Tell What She’s Saying. The Lowry, Salford. Nov 2: Fairport Convention. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 2: Chris Difford. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 2: Russell Kane. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 2: Dara O Briain. Empire, Liverpool.

Nov 2: Big Night of Musicals. Lyceum, Crewe. In support of the Alzheimer’s Society.

Nov 3-Nov 22: The Red Rogue of Bala. Theatr Clwyd, Mold. Fast-paced comedy set in 1913 in the heart of Denbighshire. Signed, Nov 8, Nov 13; captioned, Nov 18, Nov 22; audio described, Nov 12, Nov 20.

Nov 3-8: The Bodyguard – The Musical. Regent, Stoke.

Nov 3: An Evening with John Cleese. Storyhouse, Chester.

Nov 3: Francis Rossi. The Brindley, Runcorn. Songs from the Status Quo songbook.

Nov 3: Josh Widdicombe: Not my Cup of Tea. Venue Cymru.

Nov 4: Magic of the Bee Gees. Venue Cymru. Nov 4-15: Miss Saigon. Palace, Manchester. Musical set at the end of the Vietnam War.

Nov 4-8: Little Women. Playhouse, Liverpool. Anne-Marie Casey’s new adaptation.

Nov 4-8: The Shawshank Redemption. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Nov 4- 8: Fawlty Towers – The Play. Opera House, Manchester.

Nov 4: Frankenstein. The Brindley, Runcorn. Macabre storytelling at its best.

Nov 4: The Everleys & Friends. The Brindley, Runcorn. Tribute show.

Nov 4: Josh Widdicombe: Not My Cup of Tea. Storyhouse, Chester.

Nov 4: Jim Jefferies: Son of a Carpenter. Empire, Liverpool.

Nov 4: Gareth Malone – Sin g-a-long-aGareth: 50 Years of Song. Lyceum, Crewe.

Nov 4: Mark Radcliffe & Dave Boardman. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 5: Maximum Rhythm and Blues with The Manfreds. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 5: Horse – The Same Sky 35th Anniversary Show. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 5-8: Sherlock Holmes: The Hunt for Moriarty. Shakespeare North Playhouse.The great detective is back for another adventure in this world premiere production.

Nov 5: Uncanny: Fear of the Dark. Theatr Clwyd, Mold.

Nov 5: Uptown Girl: The Billy Joel Collection. Lyceum, Crewe.

Nov 6-7: An Evening without Kate Bush. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 6: George Lewis. Storyhouse, Chester.

Nov 6: Two Pints Podcast Live. Empire, Liverpool.

Nov 6: The Drifters. The Brindley, Runcorn.

Nov 6: Sara Pascoe: I am a Strange Gloop. Lyceum, Crewe.

Nov 7-Jan 17: The Scouse

Christmas Carol. Royal Court, Liverpool. Signed, Nov 25/Jan 6; audio described, Nov 27; captioned, Jan 14-17. Nov 7: Thank Abba for the Music. The Brindley, Runcorn. Tribute show.

Nov 7: The Chicago Blue Brothers. Rhyl Pavilion.

Nov 7: Ocean Film Festival. Venue Cymru.

Nov 8: The Big Pants Party. Rhyl Pavilion.

Nov 8: Joanne McNally: Pinotphile. Empire, Liverpool.

Nov 8: The Princess Proms. Lyceum, Crewe. Nov 8: The Hive. Philharmonic, Liverpool. New semi-staged opera.

Nov 8: Adam Ant. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 8: The RAH Band. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 8: Nik Kershaw: Musings and Lyrics. Storyhouse, Chester.

Nov 8: Miss Americana – A Tribute to Taylor Swift. Venue Cymru.

Nov 9: The Stylistics. Venue Cymru.

Nov 9: Jon Ronson: Psychopath Night. Storyhouse, Chester.

Nov 9: David Olusoga: A Gun Through Time. Storyhouse, Chester.

Nov 9: Nathan Carter. Philharmonic, Liverpool. Ireland's top entertainer returns to his home city.

Nov 9: Josh Jones: I Haven’t Won the Lottery so Here’s Another Show. The Lowry, Salford. Nov 9: The Wittering Whitehalls: Barely Alive. Lyceum, Crewe.

l Continued next page

l Continued from p21

Nov 9: The Psychology of Dogs. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton. Tips from dog whisperer Paula O’Sullivan.

Nov 9: Justin Moorhouse: The Greatest Performance of my Life. Opera House, Manchester.

Nov 10-11: Illegal Eagles. The Brindley, Runcorn.

Nov 10: Sir Simon Rattle and the BRSO

Nov 10: David Olusoga: A Gun Through Time. The Lowry, Salford.

Nov 11-15: Frantic Assembly – Lost Atoms. The Lowry, Salford.

Nov 11-15: Fawlty Towers – The Play. Empire, Liverpool.

Nov 11-15: Midsomer Murders: The Killings at Badger’s Drift. Storyhouse, Chester.

Nov 11-12: A Christmas Carol. Lyceum, Crewe.

Nov 11: Walk Right Back. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton. The Everly Brothers’ story.

Nov 11: Ross Noble. Opera House, Manchester.

Nov 11: Grayson Perry: Are You Good? Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 11: The Nutcracker. Venue Cymru. A lavish ballet for the festive season.

Nov 12: Crown Ballet – The Nutcracker. The Brindley, Runcorn.

Nov 12: Alan Davies: Think Ahead. Opera House, Manchester.

Nov 12: Russell Watson: The Evoloution Tour. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 12: Anton du Beck at the Musicals. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Nov 12: Sleeping Beauty. Venue Cymru. Spectacular fairy-tale ballet.

Nov 13: The Illegal Eagles. Venue Cymru.

Nov 13: Johnny Cash Roadshow – 20th Anniversary Tour. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Nov 13: Sara Pascoe: I am a Strange Gloop. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 13: Country Superstars Theatre Tour. Rhyl Pavilion.

Nov 13: John Shuttleworth: Raise The Oof. Playhouse, Liverpool.

Nov 14-15: Dara O’Briain: Re:Creation. Opera House, Manchester.

Nov 14: An Evening with John Illsley. Philharmonic, Liverpool. The extraordinary story of the ex-Dire Straits bass player.

Nov 14: Elvis: Viva Las Vegas! Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 14: Tiny Tim’s Biggest Adventure. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Nov 14: Garth Marenghi: This Bursted Earth. Lyceum, Crewe.

Nov 14: Kerry Godliman: Bandwidth. Playhouse, Liverpool.

Nov 14: Rave On. Rhyl Pavilion.

Nov 14: Opera North: Susanna. The Lowry, Salford.

Nov 14: That’ll be Christmas. Venue Cymru. All the Christmas pop hits.

Nov 15-Jan 17: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto: Jack and the Beanstalk. Everyman, Liverpool. Signed, Nov 20; Dec 19; captioned, Dec 12; relaxed, Jan 6; audio described, Jan 8

Nov 15: Northern Soul & Modern Soul. Rhyl Pavilion.

Nov 15: The Crooners Christmas Show. Lyceum, Crewe. Nov 15: Josie Jones: Now is the Time of the Monsters.

Get your Steps in

ANEW musical from hit dance-pop group Steps and Pete Waterman promises to have you laughing in the aisles. Welcome to seaside superstore

Better Best Bargains, where it's Friday night, the vibe is right, and everyone's dancing.

But when Caz discovers the shelves are stocked with lies and betrayal, the

Playhouse, Liverpool. .

Nov 15: Cirque de Celine. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Nov 15: Rob Lamberti presents Perfectly George. Philharmonic, Liverpool. George Michael tribute show.

Nov 15: Steve Knightley & The Winter Yards Band. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 15: Radio GAGA. Venue Cymru. Queen tribute show.

Nov 15: Lottery Winners plus Special Guests. Venue Cymru.

Nov 16-17: Cirque: The Greatest Show Reimagined. Venue Cymru.

Nov 16: Buddy Holly Lives – The Music Never Died. Theatre Royal, St Helens.

Nov 16: Stephen K Amos: Now We’re Talking. The Lowry, Salford.

Nov 16: Adam Ant. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 16: Ashley Campbell. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 16: Something About George. Grand, Blackpool.

Nov 16: Uptown Girl – The Billy Joel Collection. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Nov 16: An Evening with Harry Redknapp. Lyceum, Crewe.

Nov 17-18: A Fairytale for Christmas. Opera House, Manchester.

Nov 17: An Evening with Janina Ramirez. Storyhouse, Chester.

Nov 17: ABC: The Lexicon of Love. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 18-22: The Talented Mr Ripley. The Lowry, Salford. Tom Ripley is a nobody— scraping by in New York, forging signatures, telling little white lies—until a chance encounter changes everything. Audio described, Nov 21.

Nov 18-22: The Addams Family Musical. The Brindley, Runcorn.

Nov 18-22: Inside No.9 Stage/Fright.

TRock ‘n’ Roll Panto. Theatr Clwyd, Mold.

Audio described, Dec 6, 14, Jan 10; signed, Dec 13, Jan 9; captioned, Jan 3, 15; relaxed, Jan 14

Nov 22: Myra Dubois: Cosmic Empath. Playhouse, Liverpool. Comedy.

Nov 22: Mersey Beatles. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Nov 22: Suzi Ruffell – The Juggle. Lyceum, Crewe.

Nov 22: A Fairytale for Christmas. Rhyl Pavilion.

summer of love she and her friends dreamed of suddenly feels like a tragedy.

Have they all lost their chance of a “happy ever after”?

With Caz, Vel, Neeta and Robbie around, who knows what love has in store.

l Nov 25-29: Here & Now – The Steps Musical. Empire, Liverpool.

Empire, Liverpool.

Nov 18-22: Blood Brothers. The Lowry, Salford. Matinees, Nov 19/20. Signed, audio described, touch tour, Nov 20.

Nov 18: Neil Bryden. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 18: Ray Quinn Christmas Show. Theatre Royal, St Helens..

Nov 18: Gareth Malone. Venue Cymru.

Nov 19: The Australian Pink Floyd. Venue Cymru.

Nov 19: Gareth Malone. Storyhouse, Chester.

Nov 19: A Country Night in Nashville. Lyceum, Crewe.

Nov 19: An Orchestral Tribute to Tim Burton and Dark Fantasy by Moonlight. Opera House, Manchester.

Nov 20-21: A Christmas Carol. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Nov 20: Wolf and Owl Live. Opera House, Manchester.

Nov 20: 80s Live. Theatre Royal, St Helens.

Nov 20: The Nutcracker performed by The Crown Ballet. Lyceum, Crewe.

Nov 21-Jan 10: Cinderella. Shakespeare North Playhouse. Tia Larsen takes the title role in the fairytale favourite with a very special Prescot twist. Relaxed, Dec 19; Relaxed and audio described, Dec 22; signed, Dec 23

Nov 21: Paul Merton and Suki Webster’s Improv Show. Storyhouse, Chester.

Nov 21: Sky Full of Stars. Lyceum, Crewe. Coldplay tribute show.

Nov 21: The Kings of British Blues. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 21: Fast Love – The George Michael Tribute. Grand, Blackpool.

Nov 21: Sam Avery: Thunderstom. Playhouse, Liverpool. Comedy.

Nov 22-Jan 17: Cinderella: The

Nov 22: The Sensational 60s Experience. Venue Cymru.

Nov 23: Suzi Ruffell: The Juggle. The Lowry, Salford.

Nov 23: The Spice Girls Experience. Lyceum, Crewe.

Nov 23: The Dr Hook Songbook. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Nov 23: Jim Henson’s Labyrinth in Concert. Empire, Liverpool.

Nov 23: Go Your Own Way – The Fleetwood Mac Legacy. Opera House, Manchester.

Nov 24: Milton Jones. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton. Comedy.

Nov 24: The Elvis Years at Christmas. Lyceum, Crewe.

Nov 25-Jan 3: Tina – The Tina Turner Musical. Palace, Manchester.

Nov 25-29: Top Hat. Opera House, Manchester. Musical based on the 1935 film starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Nov 25-29: The Red Shoes. The Lowry, Salford. Audio described, Nov 29.

Nov 25-29: Here & Now – The Steps Musical. Empire, Liverpool.

Nov 25: Christmas Memories Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.

Nov 25: A Fairytale for Christmas. Venue Cymru.

Nov 26-29: Nativity! The Musical. Grand, Blackpool.

Nov 26: Katie Nicholas. Philharmonic, Liverpool. Great sounds from the city’s award wionning si nger songwriter.

Nov 26: The 80s Show. Lyceum, Crewe. Nov 26: Step into Christmas. Venue Cymru. Feel-good show.

Nov 27-29: A Vicar of Dibley Christmas. Theatr Clwyd, Mold. The second coming...

Nov 27-28: Rachmaninov with Sir Stephen Hough. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 27: The Elvis Years at Christmas. The Brindley, Runcorn.

Nov 27: Tom Allen and Suzi Ruffell – Like Minded Friends. The Lowry, Salford. Nov 27: Fisherman’s Friends. Venue Cymru. Nov 28-Jan 11: Dick Whittington –The Christmas Panto. Theatre Royal, St Helens.

Nov 28: Genesis Connected. The Brindley, Runcorn. Tribute show.

Nov 28: Two Pints Podcast Live. Venue Cymru.

Nov 29: Ben Portsmouth – This is Elvis. Venue Cymru.

Nov 29: The Stylistics. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 29: The Wittering Whitehalls: Barely Alive. The Lowry, Salford. Afternoon show. Nov 30: Count Arthur String’s A Christmas Carol. The Lowry, Salford.

Nov 30: Richard Durrant: Songs of the Solstice. Theatr Clwyd, Mold.

Nov 30: Down in Laurel Canyon. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Nov 30: Josh Widdicombe. Philharmonic, Liverpool. l Continued p27

HOW PLANTS GOT THEIR NAMES: CLEMATIS TIP OF THE SEASON

THE clematis mentioned elsewhere on this page are among many hundreds of species and varieties from across the world –Asia, Europe, the Americas and as far as New Zealand.

The name comes from the ancient Greek word “klematis,” meaning a climbing plant or vine.

Many species are named after plant hunters or breeders.

Clematis armandii, producing scented creamy-white winter flowers, commemorates Father Armand David, a 19th-century Jesuit missionary and plant collector in China.

Clematis drummondii, also whiteflowered, honours Thomas Drummond, a Scottish naturalist who collected specimens in the

southern United States in the early 1800s.

Only one species is native to the UK, Clematis vitalba, often seen scrambling over hedgerows, first with many small white flowers in summer, then with untidy white seedheads giving rise to the nickname old man’s beard.

However, it is better known as Traveller’s Joy, a name given by John Gerard whose 1,484-page “Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes,” published in 1597, became a best-seller.

Gerard was born at Nantwich, became a leading surgeon and herbalist and cultivated a large garden in Holborn, long swallowed by the spread of London.

l PLANT spring bulbs such as crocus, daffodils and hyacinths from October. Leave tulip-planting until November so that the young shoots do not emerge too early next year and become damaged by frost.

l Planting later also reduces the threat of bulbs becoming infected with the fungal disease tulip fire, which damages and can kill them.

Plant tulips well placed in welldrained soil to reduce the risk.

SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL

THE good thing about small gardens is that they are easy to manage.

The bad is that there’s never enough space for all those favourite flowers.

But a small garden can still be beautiful –and can appear bigger – following these dos and don’ts.

Autumn is the best time to start the conversion.

4 PUT eye-catching features such as a gorgeous great pot of blooms at a distance to draw the eye.

4 SOFTEN straight lines by giving borders

a curved verge and growing small plants to overhang path edges.

4 DISGUISE plain sheds and fences by growing manageable climbers such as Clematis montana or one of its varieties like Elizabeth (pictured) on trellis or netting.

8 CRAM in too many plants, ornaments and other features. Cluttered gardens look smaller.

8 PLACE large plants or objects near the main viewpoint, whether it is the kitchen window or a garden chair. They impede the

rest of the view and, again, reduce the apparent size of the space.

8 HAVE too much of the same ground surface such as decking or concrete. A variation of paving, pebbles and grass, for instance, is more interesting and gives the impression of a larger area.

There are other tricks to give the impression of distance where it does not really exist.

A corner too gloomy for plants can become home to an ornament like a bird bath, small statue or a little pool.

Adding plants to the pool and a few small, bright fishlike comets, or a fountain or waterfall, is even more effective.

Shaded areas can be brightened with lightcoloured blooms or bright foliage – clematis

like light blue Alice Fisk or pink and carmine Dr Ruppel or the Mexican orange blossom, Choisya ternata Sundance (lemon leaves and white flowers), or the ivy Sulphur Heart aka Paddy’s Pride (gold-splashed foliage). Anything which divides a garden into sections creates the illusion of more space. An arch does the trick but a low barrier such as a lavender hedge also works.

Finally, secrets and surprises . . .

A path can look as if it leads somewhere mysterious even it does not and a pot of flowers or an ornament tucked into a boring corner makes all the difference to a blank brick wall.

But too many features make too much clutter so, if in doubt, leave it out.

IN THE PINK: Clematis montana, native to Asia

LIGHTEN UP: With, left, Choisya ternata. Right, Clematis Dr Ruppel

Can you find the celebrity name hidden in this Starspot Crossword? Complete the crossword in the normal way then make a note of the letters contained in all the squares which are marked with shaded stars. These letters will make an anagram of the name you are looking for.

The Accumulator Quiz

Each question has four possible answers and is worth from one to 15 points. Circle your chosen answers and keep a record of your points total. Maximum total points 120.

1. Ovation (8)

5. Maple tree (4)

9.

(5)

(4) 19. Muslim salutation (6) 22. Protruding stomach (6)

24. Dandy (4)

26. Flat (5)

27. High estimation (6)

30. Paddle (3)

32. Trunk (5)

33. Promiscuous (7)

34. Show excessive love (4) 35. Grasped tightly (8) 1

1. Sparkling wine (4) 2. Small fairy (5) 3. Berkshire racecourse (5)

4. Subtle (anag.) (6)

6. Warning (7) 7. Trashy (8)

8. Respiratory disorder (6)

13. Beverage (3) 14. Crippled (4)

16. Detached (8)

18. Musical work (4) 20. First-year hare (7) 21. Flowering (6) 23. Yorkshire river (3) 25. Antenna (6) 28. Lure (5) 29. Foxhole (5) 31. Sleigh (4)

QUESTION 1 – for 1 point:

What name is given to soldiers who fight on horseback?

A Infantry

B Fusiliers

C Cavalry

D Artillery

QUESTION 2 – for 2 points:

What was swallowed by the crocodile in Peter Pan?

A Alarm clock

B Egg timer

C Kettle

D Frying-pan

QUESTION 3 – for 3 points:

Why are drainage inspection covers usually round?

A It is the only shape which cannot fall down the hole

B To enable rotund workers to enter more easily

C They take less metal to make

D They can be rotated

QUESTION 4 – for 4 points: What is an abacus?

A A snake

B A musical timing device

C A counting frame

D A Roman battering-ram

QUESTION 5 – for 5 points:

Which artist painted The Scream?

A Edvard Munch

B Vincent van Gogh

C El Greco

D David Hockney

QUESTION 6 – for 6 points:

English actor Idris Elba plays which brooding, troubled TV detective?

A Morse B Luther

C Lewis

D Sherlock

There is just one simple rule in Sudoku. Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9, and so must each 3 x 3 box. This is a logic puzzle, and you should not have to guess.

QUESTION 7 – for 7 points:

In which country is Lake Taupo the largest lake?

A Mexico

B Chile

C South Africa

D New Zealand

QUESTION 8 – for 8 points: Which capital city is called Baile Atha Cliath in its native language?

A Edinburgh

B Dublin

C Belfast

D Cardiff

QUESTION 9 – for 9 points:

Who was the first emperor of Rome?

A Julius Caesar

B Claudius

C Augustus

D Nero

Fill in the blank squares in the grid with numbers so that each horizontal or vertical line adds up to the total given in the box either to the left or above it. Horizontal totals are given in the top right corners of the shaded boxes; vertical totals in the bottom left corners. You can use the numbers 1 to 9, but may not use the same number more than once in any run. The number may be used again, however, in the same row or column but as part of another run.

QUESTION 10 – for 10 points:

What is the stage name of Marvin Lee Aday?

A Meat Loaf

B Elton John

C Bruce Springsteen

D Eminem

QUESTION 11 – for 11 points:

Who succeeded Nelson Mandela as president of South Africa?

A Mangosuthu Buthelezi

B Thabo Mbeki

C Dullah Omar

D Desmond Tutu

QUESTION 12 – for 12 points: Who wrote the novel Lolita?

A J.D. Salinger

B Jack Kerouac

C Vladimir Nabokov

D Truman Capote

QUESTION 13 – for 13 points: Who won the Academy Award for best director in 1996 with the film The English Patient?

A Sam Mendes

B Barry Levinson

C Mike Nicholls

D Anthony Minghella

QUESTION 14 – for 14 points:

In which country are the Burakumin an ethnic group?

A Russia

B China

C Japan

D Indonesia

QUESTION 15 – for 15 points:

Of which African country was President Omar Bongo head of state from 1967 until his death in 2009?

A Gabon

B Senegal

C Gambia

D Benin

English actor Idris Elba. See Question 6

Each number in our Cross Code grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. You have three letters in the control grid to start you off.

Enter them in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters should go in the missing squares.

As you get the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and control grid. Check off the alphabetical list of letters as you identify them.

P 123 I 45678910111213 14151617181920212223 S 242526

MISSING LINK

Each pair of words has a missing word between them that acts as a link to both (e.g. FRONT – DOOR – MAT). The initial letters of the six answers (reading downwards) will spell out a container for liquids.

CRYSTAL

POINT

Telephone dialling pads combine several letters on one key. Here we have encoded several sets of words or items by using numbers rather than letters. Then we have divided them into groups of three characters and run all the names one after another to make your task a little more difficult. Can you crack the codes?

1. things found in a garden 786 342 512 473 228 416

762 636 825 176 631 466 631 762 537 912 729 917

284 641 737 465 214 733 646 873

Spaces and any punctuation marks are

PATHWORDS

Starting from the central shaded letter, move one letter at a time (up, down, right or left, but not diagonally) to find 25 currencies past and present.

TRANSFORMER

Add the given letter to the first word to make a new word. Clue: Put a single punctuation mark in order.

MAKE A DATE

In which year did all three of these significant historical events take place?

1. Louis XVI becomes King of France following the death of his grandfather, Louis XV.

2. The Irish poet, novelist and playwright Oliver Goldsmith, famous for his play She Stoops To Conquer, dies aged 43.

3. Chemist and clergyman Joseph Priestley discovers the existence of oxygen. WAS IT? a) 1714; b) 1744; c) 1774; d) 1804; e) 1834.

Here is an unusual word with three definitions, only one of which is correct. Can you identify the right definition? WORD WIZARD

SARPANCH

1) A greenishbrown seaweed, with air sacs enabling it to float on the surface of the water;

2) The elected head of a village council in India;

3) A Gaelic dance that is performed in a ring.

A = 4; B = 3; C = 1; D = 6; E = 2; F = 5. Missing Link ball; oven; top; trip; leg; easy. Container: bottle. Make a Date The year was 1774. Transformer Comma + ND = Command.

6. Fairfax; Vernon; Tilney; Darcy; Dashwood; Knightley; Thorpe; Elliot; Churchill; Bennet; Ferrars; Willoughby; Musgrove. Spot Check

5. ghter;refifi pharmacist; accountant; electrician; architect; veterinarian; lawyer; plumber; teacher; farmer; doctor.

4. judiciary; bail; settlement; writ; intestate; will; slander; solicitor; respondent; barrister; guarantor; injunction.

3. molecule; element; electron; solid; catalyst; liquid; acid; alkaline; bond; boiling point; gas; nucleus; solution; ion.

2. satin; twill; gaberdine; worsted; denim; lawn; seersucker; velvet; brocade; chiffon; moleskin; organza; voile; annel.fl

Word Wizard No 2 is correct. A sarpanch is an Indian village leader. Dialling Codes 1. sundial; birdbath; ornamental pond; gnome; rockery; crazy paving; pergola; greenhouse; vegetable patch; cold frame.

Star Name: LIV TYLER

A. Starspot Crossword Across – 1 Applause; 5 Acer; 9 Taxicab; 10 Squib; 11 Lot; 12 Mettle; 15 Haiti; 17 Atom; 19 Salaam; 22 Paunch; 24 Beau; 26 Level; 27 Esteem; 30 Oar; 32 Torso; 33 Immoral; 34 Dote; 35 Clutched. Down – 1 Asti; 2 Pixie; 3 Ascot; 4 Sublet; 6 Caution; 7 Rubbishy; 8 Asthma; 13 Tea; 14 Lame; 16 Isolated; 18 Opus; 20 Leveret; 21 Abloom; 23 Ure; 25 Aerial; 28 Tempt; 29 Earth; 31 Sled.

C;

All Together NOW! is helping and inspiring tens of thousands of people. But the charity needs to find ways to balance the books.

You can help in a big way by becoming one of our loyal subscribers. For a suggested £20 donation (more, if you can afford it!) we will send you the next SIX editions.

NAME

ADDRESS

Please send this coupon and a cheque payable to All Together NOW! to:

ON THE HUNT: The “Derby Mouse” is hiding on the Lord Derby monument in Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, beneath the Whispering Arch. Try and find him next time you are at the Cathedral

THERE’S A MOUSE IN THE HOUSE

Cathedral’s treasured resident

SPOTTED a mouse in Liverpool’s grand Anglican Cathedral recently?

Before anyone calls pest control, the mouse is not scuttling around the Lady Chapel… it’s one of many emblems to be found on the memorial to Frederick Arthur Stanley (1841–1908), the 16th Earl of Derby.

The stunning bronze memorial marks the life of an energetic, creative, ebullient and successful man who achieved much before his sudden death at 67.

Earl Frederick succeeded his brother to the title in 1893, only 13 years after Liverpool town had achieved city status, as befitted its place in the economy and culture of Britain.

In 1895, the Earl was elected as Lord Mayor of a still-expanding conurbation.

KEN PYE’s latest book, Liverpool: A Potted History, is now available with Quirky Wirral to follow later this year. All his books are available in all good bookshops or from Ken directly.

Tel. 0151 427 2717

Email: ken@discover-liverpool.com

He was also a great benefactor of Liverpool Cathedral and chairman of the committee that appointed the building’s architect, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, who was only 21 at the time.

The foundation stone was laid in 1904 by King Edward VII, the cathedral consecrated in 1924, and finally completed in 1948. Lord Derby made a personal donation of £10,000 (just under £1million today) towards the building costs.

His death came suddenly on June 14, 1908. Earl Frederick now lies buried in the family plot at St Mary’s Church in the village of Knowsley.

However, his memorial, designed by Gilbert-Scott, is in the Derby Transept of Liverpool Cathedral. The monument and life-size effigy shows Lord Derby lying in state.

It is placed beneath what has become known as “The Whispering Arch”, so named because if you faintly whisper into one end of the recess in the arch, you can be heard perfectly clearly at the other end.

There are many emblems of the Stanley family on the memorial including that of the eagle and child. However, children have great fun hunting for the tiny “Derby Mouse”, which hides somewhere on the carved effigy.

It has a highly polished nose because the legend says that once you have found it, if you rub the mouse’s nose you will have good luck!

The existence of the mouse does not appear to have any direct connection with Derby or his family and is most likely to have simply been a touch of whimsy by Gilbert-Scott.

ARIES (21 Mar-20 Apr)

If you’ve felt sluggish or blocked, physical movement could be the missing piece. And don’t forget to make time for whatever feeds your soul – music, painting, or just a moment of stillness in nature.

October: A quiet colleague could surprise you with just how much they know. Toward the end of the month, you’ll want results, not just ideas, so focus your efforts on completing that one task that’s been lingering too long.

November: Midway through the month, a bit of quiet reflection does wonders. By the end, you’ll feel braver and ready to embrace something new. Keep your actions intentional and your words kind.

TAURUS (21 Apr-21 May)

Creativity takes centre stage. What begins as a hobby could become something more significant, especially around mid-month. A little indulgence, like booking a pampering spa break or a peaceful escape, will do you the world of good.

October: Don’t let self-imposed limits hold you back. Mid-month reveals who’s truly there for you, and you might need to draw a line or two to protect your peace.

November: Breaking old patterns takes courage, but you’re ready. A relationship could reach a turning point, and honesty will be essential. Don’t shy away from the big conversations. Things might feel a bit shaky at home mid-month, so give yourself time.

GEMINI (22 May-21 Jun)

Family chats and thoughtful exchanges can bring surprising insights. Decisions made from a well-rounded perspective will prove the most rewarding. Patience and good communication are your secret weapons.

October: You’re bursting with energy and can’t bear to feel cooped up. Inject some fun into your days with a last-minute outing or a change of scenery. Getting away, even briefly, will do wonders for your mood.

November: You may feel stretched in several directions at once. Take a breather. If your body’s sending signals, don’t ignore them. You’ll spot an exciting opportunity later this month— but don’t rush in.

CANCER (22 Jun-23 Jul)

You’re itching to dive into something new, but before you chase adventure, there are practical matters to handle. Use this time to brush up on skills or gain a qualification – it’ll pay off. And remember, small steps now can lead to big doors opening down the line.

October: Soak up time with family while you can – someone close may be preparing to move away. And if an offer sounds too good to be true – it probably is.

November: Emotions run deep, and you’ll feel them more than most. Some friendships or old hopes no longer fit; let them go gently. Healthwise, small changes stick, and you’ll start feeling more hopeful as the month ends.

LEO (24 Jul-23 Aug)

A fresh fitness routine could be just what you need to clear your head. Money-making ideas are also buzzing about – take note of the ones linked to your passions. What starts as a scribble in a notebook could turn into something lucrative.

October: A project that once lit you up now feels a little stuck. That’s okay – take a breather and come back to it later. In the meantime, focus on your health. Small changes now can lead to big wins later.

November: Around the 14th, a few things may

get stuck or stall. Rather than forcing progress, let things unfold in their own time. By the end of the month, your creativity returns with a bang, and you’ll feel re-energised and inspired once more.

VIRGO (24 Aug-23 Sept)

Your urge to help others is strong, yet this month, you’re being nudged to prioritise yourself. Recharge with creative hobbies, time in nature, or a home makeover that soothes your soul. You thrive in calm, beautiful surroundings – make space for both.

October: If your heart’s not in a social event, politely bow out and do something that brings you joy instead. And be careful not to let others dump extra duties on your shoulders.

November: Travel or learning experiences could spark a new way of thinking. Hold off on major decisions mid-month and trust your inner knowledge. As the month ends, a sense of direction returns, clearer than ever.

LIBRA (24 Sept-23 Oct)

Make time for what matters and create boundaries between work and home life. Around the 22nd, an uplifting note from someone special will remind you that love is always close at hand.

October: Someone’s been pushing their luck and taking advantage of your goodwill – it’s time to walk away. Prioritise connections built on loyalty and warmth. Stay focused on long-term goals and avoid taking any reckless chances.

November: Mid-month might bring a few crossed wires – slow down and listen. A fresh opportunity to build trust and security will arrive before the month is out. You’re moving towards decisions that serve your happiness—not just everyone else’s.

SCORPIO (24 Oct-22 Nov)

Your focus sharpens and decisions feel easier to make. Organisation is your superpower now, especially when a major choice lands around the 25th. Keep this one to yourself for now – it’s not ready to be shared just yet.

October: You’re spinning too many plates and things may clash. If you can’t juggle it all alone, bring in a bit of help. Later in the month, opportunities arise for social fun, so be sure to include others in your plans.

November: Take your time and choose your words with care. By the 20th, the tide turns and you’ll be ready to take your next steps. You’re wiser than before, and more grounded too— trust that you’re on the right path.

SAGITTARIUS (23 Nov-21 Dec)

September offers fresh opportunities. Stay on top of your workload by double-checking details and keeping lines of communication open with colleagues. A simple act of kindness could land you an invite to a sparkling social do.

October: Your ideas will be well-received midmonth, especially by those who matter. You’re determined to see things through, and that determination is catching. Whatever your goal, you’ll find a way to make it stick.

November: This month brings a quiet check-in with your health and habits. If things haven’t been going well, this is your cue to make gentle changes. Around the 11th, avoid big decisions—there’s too much noise to think clearly. But don’t worry: your energy comes back with a flourish later in the month.

CAPRICORN (22 Dec-20 Jan)

The travel bug bites, but your wallet may be saying otherwise. If a real getaway isn’t on the cards, bring the world to your doorstep. Even if your feet stay firmly planted, your imagination is free to roam.

October: A local fundraiser or community event later in the month will lift your spirits and remind you of the power of giving. Sharing your talents – be it reading, cooking or crafting – will be more rewarding than you expect. November gives you the opportunity to review what – and who – brings joy to your life. Someone’s casual comment might bother you, but don’t take it to heart. A moment of clarity later in the month helps you reconnect with what matters most.

AQUARIUS (21 Jan-19 Feb)

A financial windfall brings a sigh of relief. Keep it under wraps or you might attract attention from someone with sticky fingers and shallow pockets. This is a good time to play the long game with money—think savings or investments.

October: Give yourself time to reflect and rest early in the month – your imagination needs room to roam. Mid-month brings the thrill of a fresh adventure or an exciting twist.

November: Big themes like work, direction, and reputation are up for review. Something at home or deep within might need tending before you push ahead. As the month ends, you’ll feel steadier and more aligned with where you’re heading.

PISCES (20 Feb-20 Mar)

You’re feeling more focused than usual and ready to tackle your to-do list with fresh resolve. A tidy workspace, a clear plan, and a bit of structure will do wonders for your peace of mind.

October: It’s time to speak up and put your needs first. You’ve been bending over backwards for others, and it’s beginning to wear thin. Set some healthy boundaries and stop letting guilt guide your decisions.

November offers a mirror to your thoughts and beliefs. Something you’ve been avoiding may come into the light—and it might surprise you. Wait before jumping to conclusions.

l continued from Page 22

Dec 1: Christmas by Candlelight. Lyceum, Crewe.

Dec 1: Love Actually in Concert. Philharmonic, Liverpool. The Christmas classic film and a full orchestra.

Dec 2: Llanast! Theatr Clwyd, Mold. What happens when two sets of parents meet up to deal with the unruly behaviour of their sons? Comedy.

Dec 2: Step into Christmas. Lyceum, Crewe.

Dec 3-Jan 11: The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe. The Lowry, Salford. Step through the wardrobe into the magic kingdom of Narnia where a world of wonder awaits.

Audio described, Dec 10/Jan 11; signed, Dec 13/Jan 7; touch tour, Dec 10/Dec 18/Jan 11; captioned, Dec 20.

Dec 3-Jan 3: Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein – The Musical. Playhouse, Liverpool. Grandson of the infamous Victor Frankenstein, Frederick inherits his family’s estate in Transylvania.

Dec 3-6: Nativity! The Musical. Regent, Stoke.

Dec 3: John Barrowman – Camp as Christmas. Lyceum, Crewe.

Dec 4-6: Murder Mystery: Murder at Hope Manor. Everyman, Liverpool. Afternoon tea.

Dec 4: All Killa No Filla: Live! At Christmas. Lyceum, Crewe.

Dec 5-Jan 4: Beauty and the Beast. Storyhouse, Chester. Audio described, Dec 21; relaxed, Dec 28; signed, Jan 3. Dec 5-Jan 11: Unfortunate – The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch. The Lowry, Salford. Audio described, Dec 18; signed, Dec 27; touch tour, Jan 3. Dec 5-Jan 4: Beauty and the Beast. Grand, Blackpool. Leading the all-star cast is Marc Baylis, best known as Coronation Street’s notorious bad boy. Audio described/signed, Dec 14/28; relaxed, Dec 28

Dec 5: Count Arthur Strong is Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol. Lyceum, Crewe.

Dec 5: Tony Hadley. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Dec 5: Lindisfarne. Philharmonic, Liverpool. Dec 6: A Feeling of Christmas with Rebecca Ferguson. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Dec 6-Jan 4: Robin Hood. Opera House, Manchester. Starring Jason Manford and Ben Nickless.

Dec 6-Jan 4: Sleeping Beauty. Floral Pavilion, New Brighton. Signed, Dec 13; relaxed, Jan 4.

Dec 6-Dec 31: Sleeping Beauty. Rhyl Pavilion. Panto time. Relaxed, Dec 29. Dec 6: Nana Funk’s Christmas Party. Everyman, Liverpool.

Dec 7: The Bootleg Beatles in Concert. Philharmonic, Liverpool.

Dec 9-21: There’s a Monster in Your Christmas Show. Theatr Clwyd, Mold. Dec 10-Jan 4: The Enormous Crocodile –The Musical. The Lowry, Salford. Roald Signed, Dec 17; audio described, Dec 18; captioned, Dec 21; relaxed, Dec 28; touch tour, Jan 3

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