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No Pain No Gain for this Liverpool supporter Wirral By MOLLY COPOC
PAIN: This Liverpool supporter Niall will face the needle later this month for a great cause © Niall Byrne
A Liverpool fan has shocked friends and families with the idea of getting a Man United crest tattooed on his leg for charity. Niall Byrne raises money for Autism units in Arklow, County Wicklow, Northern Ireland, throughout the year. Recently, he came up with the idea that if he raised 1,500 Euros in donations he would get his rival team crest tattooed on his leg. Niall spoke to Liverpool Life about his inspiration for fundraising: “My daughter Freya was diagnosed with High Functioning Autism (HFA) when she was three. “We were just lucky for her to get a place in the units
and to see the progress she has made in the past four years is nothing short of amazing.” After witnessing the work the teachers, Special Needs Assistants and pupils themselves do, Niall made a promise to himself that he would do anything he could to raise funds for the units. All proceeds raised will go to the school, St. Joseph’s National, Arklow. Niall has always been a keen fundraiser. He holds charity football tournaments every summer alongside other parents. The tournament brings in great success every year, raising in excess of around 2000 – 2500 Euros. He claimed the idea of the tattoo is probably the craziest, wackiest and probably
most stupid idea he could think of. It seems to have paid off as he has smashed his target of 1500 Euros. When asked if he will continue fundraising, Niall said: “Absolutely, when I see what the funds raised over the years have contributed to it gives me a sense of pride that I played some part in that. “Don’t get me wrong, other parents do fundraising as well but I’m the only volunteer for this mad cap idea.” Representative for Irish Autism Action, Niall Murphy, told Liverpool Life about the benefits of autism units: “An Autism unit provides the opportunity for students to follow the curriculum at an appropriate pace.”
Family’s campaign to tell mum’s story By ISABEL EATON A student has set up a Facebook page documenting her mum’s journey with Alzheimer’s. Carol Miltiadous’ main carer is her partner, Panicos, who is working alongside their daughter Ellisha to highlight the struggles of having a family member with the condition. Ellisha and her dad hope that their group will educate people on what Alzheimer’s is and outline the fact that it is not just about memory loss. The 22-year-old graphic design student, said: “I think people forget how hard it is on the family. There are seven stages of Alzheimer’s and my mum is in the sixth stage, which is severe decline. Every morning my dad wakes up to her screaming, he will check on her and she won’t even know what he’s talking about.” The symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease progress slowly over several years. Carol was diagnosed when she was 48 and is now 52. Both Ellisha’s parents live in
Liverpool whilst Ellisha studies and lives in London. Ellisha said: “I don’t live with my mum but I do get to see a lot of it, I FaceTime my dad every morning and evening. When I get the chance, I go home every month so my dad can have a break. I admire him so much, he runs a full time business as well as looking after me and my 18-year-old brother and he also cares for my mum full time.” Ellisha said that the family do not receive much support, even from family and friends. In the later stages of Alzheimer’s disease, the symptoms become increasingly severe and distressing for the person with the condition, as well as the people around them. Hallucinations and delusions can come and go over the course of the illness, but can get severely worse as the condition progresses. Sometimes people with Alzheimer’s disease can be violent, demanding and suspicious of those around them. Speaking of her mum’s hallucinations, Ellisha said: “The
New Brighton Seaside market © Wikimedia Commons
Spring will bring a festival of fun to New Brighton, following the announcement of a three-day event in May. Orb Events will bring the first large scale seaside festival of its kind to the area. It will be held over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend.
By RHYS EDMONDSON Health bosses in Wirral have decided to stop offering cosmetic surgery to patients in a bid to cut costs. The move, decided by the Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group yesterday afternoon, forms part of a plan to balance a budget deficit of £9m. This means both male and female patients in the borough will no longer be funded by the NHS for operations such as breast reduction surgery. The decision also affects funding for IVF fertility treatment. It has now been reduced from three cycles to two cycles. Thresholds on hip replacement surgery have also been introduced and hip injections will be encouraged instead. Knee replacement surgery was one of few procedures to have its funding remain intact.
Illegal drone near-miss By SACHI KONDO
AWARENESS: Carol Miltiadous’ partner and daughter have set up a Facebook group to highlight the reality of dealing with Alzheimer’s other day my dad called me and told me he took my mum out for coffee and bought her new clothes and bedding. When I was on FaceTime to him, my mum started accusing him of hitting her. “If anyone else heard that
they would wonder what was going on. If she has mood swings it’s hard to calm her down.” Ellisha’s parents have been together for 25 years but she says it is a struggle for them both to get out of the house:
“At this stage he physically can’t be out of the house, there’s a lot of things stopping them from going out. She added: “It is mentally draining for my dad trying to take her out; it’s like a job with no reward.”
Seaside Festival set to spring into New Brighton By AMY SHIRTCLIFFE
to halt cosmetic surgery
The New Brighton Seaside Festival promises entertainment, family activities and a host of seaside-filled attractions. Orb Events has been behind huge Merseyside projects in the past, including Liverpool Loves and Farm Feast. Live music from a range of local acts will be on through
the weekend. The line-up will include Marc Kenny, Eleanor Nelly and Sing Me Merseyside Choir, just to name a few. Children attending the festival can enjoy the activity program that will take place every day, with a Vintage Funfair, puppet shows and exciting workshops from Jun-
ior Chefs Academy. Orb Events has also catered to the foodies, bringing in enough street food and activities to fill a long weekend. The festival will also have a gin garden and artisan market The diverse program by the events management company is expected to be a huge success.
A drone nearly collided with an EasyJet plane heading into Liverpool John Lennon Airport on Sunday. The near collision occurred five miles from the airport, according to a report from the pilot of the flight coming in on an Airbus A319 from Lisbon. It has been described as ‘absolutely unacceptable and highly dangerous’. In a video clip uploaded to YouTube by air flight channel AviationUpClose, the flight captain was heard spotting the drone that was ‘close enough to see’ when the plane passed it. “On our left, just to our left, a few hundred meters, there was a white drone about DJI Phantom size at the same altitude we were,” he said. Within the European Union, it is illegal to fly drones or unmanned aircrafts higher than 500 feet.
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