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All Together Now!
August/September 2009
www.alltogethernow.org.uk
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NEW bench – with the same name as your favourite All Together Now! magazine - has been installed in Merseytravel’s Queens Square Travel Centre. The bench was designed by Colin Powell, one of three winners of a European Capital of Culture creative challenge, called Benchmark, for members of the public to create a piece of public furniture. His All Together Now bench was chosen from more than 550 entrants. Benchmark was run under the Open Culture banner, a project that aims to get more people creating culture, rather than just consuming it. Open Culture is led by Phil Redmond who said: “We set a creative challenge – it wasn’t just to be a simple bench. It’s a cultural resting place, something to sit on, reflect, read, or just watch the world go by.” The Benchmark project aimed to uncover and profile local talent, with the winning entrants being offered the unique opportunity of seeing their bench designs become a reality, adorning Liverpool as a lasting legacy of 2008.
SITTING COMFORTABLY: Left to right, Colin Powell, Cllr Mark Dowd, Phil Redmond and Neil Scales
A chair to share! Colin’s concept is playful and celebrates the positivity, humour and camaraderie of the people of Liverpool, hence its title, “All Together Now”.
The design uses recycled plastic for the seat, with profile cut stainless steel figures for the legs. Colin said: “After working within
the constraints of the design industry for many years I saw the competition as a fantastic opportunity to give a simple piece of furniture a sense of fun and
playfulness and some real personality, something which I think I have managed to achieve. “I really wanted to focus on the great characteristics of the people of Liverpool. They have a great sense of humour and a great sense of togetherness. So I hope people sit together on it and smile.” Councillor Mark Dowd, chair of Merseytravel, added: “The legacy of Capital of Culture year is alive through our public art programme and we are continuing to do what we can to make people’s journeys that bit more interesting. “The fact that this was a public competition and we have helped turn someone’s creative ideas into reality is even more special.” Neil Scales, chief executive and director general of Merseytravel, said: “As an organisation we recognise the importance of art, culture and accessibility to the city. We were delighted to support this project and, through our public art programme, we are looking at a number of ways we can bring more life and creativity across the transport network.” B Rourkes and Co Ltd, a Lancashire based manufacturer, constructed the All Together Now bench.
Merseytravel is making sure that Public Transport on Merseyside is easy for everyone to use. We care about the accessibility of our buildings, vehicles and information. All of our staff are trained to be courteous and considerate, particularly when our customers have special requirements. Whether it be automatic door-openers in our head office, availability of textphones for main points of contact, or producing timetables in large print, we want to make public transport easier for everyone to use.
Among our services and facilities are: UÊÊ Merseylink – a door to door fully accessible transport service for people who are mobility impaired. UÊÊ ree concessionary travel for over 48,000 people with disabilities. U Modern, low floor, fully accessible buses, which are developed in partnership with local authorities and bus companies. UÊÊ Information in a variety of formats, including the Merseytravel Access Guide – containing access details for all bus and rail stations on Merseyside.
0871 200 22 33 Calls cost 10p per minute from land lines, mobiles may vary
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Textphone users can dial 18001 then 0871 200 22 33 for a typetalk assisted call.