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Vol 26 l Issue 12
Crime chief quits Labour - then her deputy steps down!
JUST WHITE • TIA
20 March 2019
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RSPB set to ruffle feathers with plan to charge motorists who park at Marine Drive wetland site
FOWL MOVE! by Danielle Thompson
Rob Alexander, Morrisons store manager; Gill Stephenson, SUAG Chair and Anna Ingram, Morrisons Community Champion, with two SUAG members who will benefit from the new minibus
Spinal patients’ charity given £10,000 boost towards minibus fund A SUPERSTORE’S donation of £10,000 will go towards a new minibus for patients with spinal injuries. The Morrisons Foundation gave the funds to the Spinal Unit Action Group, a local charity that supports patients and expatients of the North West Regional Spinal Injuries Centre
based at Southport hospital, as well as providing a residential home for people with severe spinal problems. The funds will go towards a replacement minibus that has been adapted to accommodate the needs of people who use the charity. Continued inside
VISITORS to the RSPB’s popular wetland site in Marshside face having to pay to park up and enjoy the facility, the Champion can reveal. The Marine Drive car park belonging to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has been free to use for motorists but under new proposals, fees will be introduced in the coming weeks. Although the organisation points out that the new parking fees will apply only to non-members of the society, other drivers will face having to pay from this summer onwards. The move to now charge will come as a bitter pill to swallow for visitors who simply want to park up for a short spell to enjoy the view, walk their dogs or have a picnic while admiring the Sefton coastline. To add to visitors’ misery, the car park will close at 5pm every day. The charges to be implemented will be on a ‘pay on arrival’ basis during the car park’s opening hours from 8.30am to 5pm and will cost £1.50 for up to two hours/£3 for longer. RSPB members can park for free by displaying their membership card in their windscreen. A barrier will be installed at the entrance to the well-used facility, which means noone will be able to enter after 5pm every day.
...but charity chiefs say fees will help them to ‘financially support and conserve’ area’s wildlife and habitat
The sign in the car park which tells visitors about the changes
A spokesperson for the RSPB said: “As a charity, we must maximise our opportunities to raise income wherever possible. This allows us to financially support our charitable purpose of conserving wildlife and habitats, while maintaining our visitor facilities and providing excellent, inspiring experiences for our visitors. “The income generated through car parking charges will contribute to the ongoing cost of running the facilities that visitors use at Marshside, including reserve entry for all those arriving in their
car and use of all visitor facilities - which include the car park itself, visitor centre, toilet, trails, hides and picnic areas. It also supports the vital conservation work we carry out here to help wildlife. “Visitors will be able to park for the duration of the car park opening hours, while RSPB members will receive free car parking as a thank you for regularly supporting our nature conservation work.” In a further blow to users, there will now be no overnight parking at the site.
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