Liverpool Life issue 9 by Steve Harrison

Pg 7

Homecoming Maloney gig tickets go in half an hour

Pg 3

Council supports landlords to put empty houses to use

Pg 10

Chile’s own Everton gets promoted to top ﬂight

TOM, SO MANY PEOPLE WILL MISS YOU Tributes paid after missing bar worker is found dead

by Adam Davies

Tributes have been paid to a Kirkdale man who was found dead in Stanley Dock yesterday, after being missing for over two weeks. The body of 25-year-old Thomas Burns, known as Tom, who worked in a city centre bar, was discovered in the early hours of Monday morning. Condolences from Twitter users who have been trying to raise awareness to try and find Tom under the hash tag #findtomburns, have expressed their shock and sorrow at the discovery. Tom went missing from his Kirkdale home over two weeks ago after leaving his mobile phone and his wallet there. His sister was the last person to see him at around 5am after he had returned home from a nights work at City centre bar Popworld. His father Danny and sister Caitlin organised a Twitter campaign that attracted the attention of hundreds of people across Merseyside in the hope of finding Tom and getting him home safely. Local band The Tea Street Band were quick to offer their condolences to Tom’s family on Twitter. They said: “So sad to see they’ve

Tom Burns found yesterday found Tom Burns. Puts everything into perspective. RIP & thoughts to his family.” The Farm singer, Peter Hooton, who is a friend of Tom’s father, Danny, has also expressed his upset at the discovery of Tom and tweeted: “With the terrible news of the body of Tom Burns being found in Stanley Dock this morning I won’t be on Twitter for a while #TomBurnsRIP.” X Factor finalist, Scouser Christopher Maloney, who first tweeted to raise the profile of the search for Tom, expressed his condolences yesterday. He tweeted: “To the family of Tom Burns. Have just heard. I am truly very sorry to hear the sad news. All my love and

prayers with you at this time.” Condolences are also being offered by not only people who knew Tom and his family, but also fellow Everton supporters, as Tom was a lifelong Everton fan. One user, @EvertonArentWe, said: “R.I.P. Tom Burns. Our thoughts are with your family and friends. Once a blue always a blue x” Staff and friends at Popworld put up pictures of Tom and even used the interactive screens in the club to advertise the hashtag #Findtomburns. One member posted on the Popworld Facebook group: “RIP Tom!! You were by far the best bar man in that place! Always had a big happy smile.. So many people will miss you mate! My love goes too all his family at this horrible time!! xxx.” Merseyside police say that Tom has been formally identiﬁed and his family have been informed of his death. A postmortem will also be carried out to determine the cause of death. A spokesperson for the Police did however say that the cause Tom’s death is not being treated as suspicious. Additional reporting by Scott Rumsey

On your marks, get Santa,GO!

Runners get ready to hit the Liverpool streets at the starting line of the 5K Santa Dash on Sunday PICTURE: Rory Kelly

Life/News/2 Merry Christmas from Liverpool Life Welcome to the ﬁnal 2012 edition of Liverpool Life. This newspaper is produced by third year Journalism and International Journalism students. We write, design and produce the paper all in one day. Thank you for following us over the last nine weeks. We have covered hundreds of stories, many of them exclusive and brought you news of the city as well as the people of Liverpool and its surrounding areas.

We are now all about to begin out work experience which will mean the next issue of Liverpool Life will be in February. During that time we are going to work as journalists for the at a variety of placements including: Juice FM, The Liverpool Echo, LFC TV, The People, Granada, Radio City, The Week, The Independent, T3 Magazine, Little Black Dress.com, Chocolate PR in Leeds, Paversmith PR, My Secret Voucher PR,

Irish Daily Star, Kent and Sussex Courier, North Wales Pioneer, Derry Journal, Irish Central.com in New York, Grazia magazine in Sydney and 442 Magazine. Thank you for following us, have a lovely Christmas and a happy new year and we will see you on the 5th February 2013.

Maddi Cornforth,

Editor

Beware backwards step after Leveson by Joshua Nevett

The chairman of the Society of Editors has warned that Politicians could be on a ‘slippery slope’ following the publication of the Leveson Report. As the debate over press regulation rumbles on in Parliament, Chairman of the Society of Editors, Bob Satchwell spoke to Liverpool Life to offer his opinion of the recent reports controversial recommendations. Mr Satchwell has been executive director of the society since its foundation in 1999 and has been one of its leading voices on matters of self-regulation and media freedom. He enforces that undermining a free press with statutory regulation, puts Britain in a very dangerous situation. The report, which was published last Thursday, revealed Lord Justice Leveson’s plan for a reformed system of press regulation underpinned by statute. This recommendation has since caused dispute between members of the press, victims of press intrusion and politicians as opinion was divided between Prime Minister, David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg dur-

ing parliamentary debate. The Prime Minister stuck to the line that the introduction of statutory regulation would compromise the freedom of the press, while most parties have been in favour of an independent regulator devoid of press influence and party politics. Bob Satchwell suggests that some politicians are stepping on a very slippery slope. He said: “The difficulties surrounding this are that clearly some level of expertise needs to be put into the process of judging how newspapers work. “You get perverse decisions by people who don’t know how the industry works. “No other profession, trade or industry has completely independent complaints machinery or regulatory machinery; you need to have people who know how the industry works. “It’s very difficult to find enough people who are interested in the great and the good who would represent all newspaper readers.” Since, Labour leader Ed Milliband has threatened to pull the plug on cross-party talks if the Prime Minister fails to show leadership and encourage press proprietors to find a serious solution to press regulation. David Cameron this lunchtime

Liverpool

Life Team

Editor Maddi Cornforth Deputy Editor Sarah Bold News Editor Joel Richards

Features editor Sam McDonnell Features Jamie Allen Sophie Marsden Daniel Farrell Sports Joshua Killner Sanna Zahid Picture editor Eivind Kleiven

News Emma Callum Kate Molyneux Katie Croft Copy Editors Jessica Etherington Danielle Baldwin Elisha Storrow

met with newspaper proprietors and warned them that they must act ‘urgently’ if they are to set up an independent watchdog, although a transparent time scale is yet to be unveiled. David Cameron said on Twitter: “I’ve just spoken to newspaper editors in No.10 - telling them they need to set up an independent regulator urgently.” Leveson outlined in his report that the current system of self-regulation is wholly inadequate and that press behaviour, at times, has been ‘outrageous’. Mr Satchwell believes this country has been moving towards press freedom for 300 years and increased regulation would be a backwards step. He said: “Governments and parliamentarians have lectured other countries around the world about the need for press freedom. “To start going backwards and introduce legislation would be hypocritical; it would send a very bad signal around the world. He continued: “No one is arguing that the press shouldn’t be responsible, remain well behaved and uphold a good ethical code,. “But the idea of controlling the press is something that no British politician who presumably believes in our democratic system should ever want to do.”

LJMU fellow Lord Leveson published his report last week

Calls to standardise cigarette packaging by Rachael Leitch

Nearly 63% of UK adults support the proposal to standardise all cigarette packaging. The survey, carried out by Cancer Research on 2000 people, shows that many would be in favour of the removal of bright coloured packaging. The Government is currently considering the move with the aim of protecting children. If it is given the go-ahead, all cigarette and tobacco packaging would be a standard shape, size and design, and only feature photos of smoking related illnesses. According to Cancer Research UK, every year around 157,000 children aged 11-15 years old start smoking. It is hoped that if the standardised packaging is achieved, it will deter young people from smoking as eight out of ten adults start smoking before the age of 19. Dr Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, said: “These results highlight the huge level of public support for standardised packaging, along with the backing for efforts to bring down smoking rates. “It’s important to remember the scale of harm caused by tobacco. It’s the single biggest preventable

Play raises abuse dangers

by Rachael Leitch An Aigburth scriptwriter has tackled the issue of domestic violence in her most recent play. The production “Straight Up” produced by Pull Up a Chair Productions, highlights the dangers of dismissing domestic violence and addresses the role drug and gang violence plays in the lives of young people in Merseyside. Scriptwriter and Co-Director of the non-proﬁt production company, Carol Cullington has produced material for Eastenders, Brookside and BBC series, The Accused. Carol wrote the play following the deaths of family friends; 17 year old Kelsey Shaw, from Speke, who was murdered by her boyfriend in April last year and 30 year old Lisa Hoolahan, also from Speke, who was murdered by her partner in March. The play will be touring Young Offender’s Institutions and Youth and Community Centres across Merseyside this month. Carol said: “Our piece focuses on young men and women becoming involved in the culture of drug dealing and gangs, as a means to escape the deprivation found by many young people in Merseyside today. The piece looks to explore and challenge the image of a ‘glamorous lifestyle’ and a ‘brighter future’, which young people can mistakenly believe this lifestyle will provide. “The play does deal with domestic abuse (in terms of emotional bullying, control etc) as an undercurrent, as the female character becomes involved with the local drug dealer.” Performances are free of charge and anyone over 12 years old is welcome.

An itchy problem by Karina Galli

cause of death from cancer - causing more than a quarter of all cancer deaths and killing around six and a half million people in the UK over the last 50 years from

cancer and other tobacco related diseases. With so many children starting to smoke each year, the Government must show strong leadership.”

Researchers from Liverpool John Moores University have discovered that itching is so contagious that just seeing a photo of something we imagine would itch can cause you to scratch. The research tested whether visual cues could generate feelings of itching and provoke a scratch response. The test also looked into whether the content of some pictures such as pictures of ants or an insect bite conjured these sensations. Professor Francis McGlone, cognitive neuroscientist at LJMU and the study’s lead author, said: “The results of the present study confirm that visual cues pertaining to itch-related events are effective in transmitting the sensation of itch from the visual to the somatosensory domain and provoking a scratch response.” “Our findings may help to improve the efficiency of treatment programmes for people suffering from chronic itch translate to the physical.”

Life/News/3 Future plans for abandoned homes Cash box Landlords of empty homes in Liverpool will have the support of Liverpool City Council as they look to put abandoned housing back into use. They will be given the chance to advertise their properties using the Property Pool Plus scheme in an effort to make it easier to attract new tenants. The scheme will benefit local people as it makes it easier to find more affordable housing and express their interest in a property they might view as a suitable home. This is the first step made by the council to build on the positive relationships they have with many landlords across the city, as well as helping poorer landlords. Councillor Ann O’Byrne, Cabinet Member for Housing said: “We are fully committed to driving up the quality of Liverpool’s private rented sector. This initiative means that people are now able to bid on properties across the city rather than just in their area. The hous-

es available are a blend of social housing with housing associations such as LHM and private landlords.” Private landlords who wish to advertise their properties will however need to ensure that the homes meet the Council’s Landlord Accreditation Standards. This includes having up-to-date ﬁre and gas safety tests. In an effort to bring vacant properties back into use, Property Pool Plus is part of a 10 point pledge for landlords, allowing them to work closely with the council and raising interest in the properties they already own. Councillor O’Byrne said: “Property Pool Plus opens up so many opportunities for people with families. The aim of the scheme is to support families and maybe help with community cohesion. The pledge includes a free voluntary register for landlords to maintain better communication with the council.

by Jonathan Bridge

Clegg’s senior advisers. The Mayor of Liverpool has chosen not to come with me and make his case. “Liverpool has chosen to ignore the advice I gave in 2009 that we needed to restructure the way that the public sector works together. Instead of maximising efﬁciencies the council is maximising cuts. “For every £8 of cuts made by this government the previous Labour Government said they would make £7 of cuts.

criminals’ 7am raid

Lib Dems hit back at council cut claim The size of Government cuts in Liverpool is being contested from both sides of the city council ahead of Chancellor George Osborne’s Autumn Budget announcement tomorrow. Mayor Joe Anderson has written to the government highlighting the inequality of funding cuts between local authorities around the country. In a letter, leaked to the Liverpool Echo, Mayor Joe Anderson wrote: “In addition, we anticipate the impact of the changes in welfare reform to have a signiﬁcant detrimental impact on the economy of the city as there will be even less money in circulation than at present, thus compounding the effects of the above. This cannot be right and is simply not fair.” The Echo article states: 12,500% higher than the amount taken off North Dorset council, which is just £2 per resident worse off. However, Leader of the Liberal Democrats in Liverpool, Cllr Richard Kemp CBE, has hit back at the claims on the severity of the cuts. He said: “The comparison with Dorset is grossly misleading. It is a small district council with few services and a very small government grant. If you add in the County Council there the difference is nowhere near as big. “I will be visiting the Cabinet Ofﬁce on 19th December to meet Nick

“We are paying the price of their incompetence.” The last government overspent by increasing debt. We are now paying the price of their incompetence.” The City Council needs to save £32 million next year, and is consulting on budget options. In four years the council estimates that it will have to save a total of £143 million, on top of £141 million since 2010. The council has made cuts equivalent to £252 per head for every Liverpool resident due to government cutbacks, a ﬁgure which is four times the average loss to English councils. Last week The Bishop of Liverpool, Rev. James Jones spoke in the House of Lords to question the fairness of government cuts and urged the government to re-think the level of funding reductions being imposed locally.

Millions spent on flood risk defences £23 million flood defences are to be built to protect up to 2,000 homes and businesses in Warrington over the next three years. Warrington Borough Council is working in connection with The Environment Agency to construct a number of concrete flood walls and embankments along the River Mersey to help lessen the risk of flooding. The town is one of the top ten areas at high risk in the North West and suffered one of its worst cases of flooding in 1990. Waves spilled over the banks of the Mersey and flooded Knutsford Road and properties sur-

rounding the area. More recent flooding happened in November 2000, with further high risks in the years 2002 and 2006. The flood alleviation scheme, which began in August, will see the protection of the Latchford, Woolston, Padgate, Cinnamon Brow and Howley areas. The project will also create an upgraded entrance to Victoria Park. Flood risk manager at the Environment Agency, Mark Garratt, said: “The weather we experienced this summer highlighted how important it is to be prepared and this scheme will reduce the risk of flooding.”

Landlords will be given more help when advertising and restoring abandoned houses

Liverpool councillor number one at UN by Emma Kemmery

A politician has made history by becoming the ﬁrst Liverpool councillor to address the United Nation. Councillor Anna Rothery spoke last week about minority rights at the world governing body’s Switzerland base and described the experience as “an absolutely amazing opportunity”. Cllr Rothery, who represents Princess Park for Labour, said: “I come from Toxteth, and I am therefore local to the area that I represent, diverse communities have a lot to offer and without a political role, they will not have the opportunity to show this.” She made a historic presentation to the Fifth session of the Forum on Minority Issues on “Implementing the United Nations Declaration on Minority Rights: Identifying positive practices and opportunities”. Her speech, entitled “Liverpool – A Case Study on Minorities and

©ComgstoBrazil/Twitter/ CreativeCommons Effective Political Participation” was delivered to an audience of over 55 represented countries. Cllr Rothery who chairs Liverpool City Council’s Culture and Tourism

Select Committee, has been active as a city councillor in many events which promote the participation of BAME (Black and Minority Ethnic) in civic life. Cllr Rothery, said: “My initiative the reafﬁrmation to the original declaration on the rights of the persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities, signed by mayor Anderson on behalf of him and the city of Liverpool, was well received by Jane Connors the chief of Special initiatives Branch and has opened the way for the initiative to be rolled out across the UK and UN. “It brings a new dimension to the cause. “It is important to show the progress being made in minority groups.” When asked what it meant to be the ﬁrst Liverpool councillor to address the United Nations, she said: “I didn’t actually realise that I was, it was an honour to act as an envoy for Liverpool.”

Models hit catwalk for Red Cross by Katie Croft The British Red Cross held a ﬁvestar fashion show at Wirral’s Hillbark Hotel last week to raise money for the charity. Local fashion stores showcased their latest collections on the evening. The ﬁrst store to show was Trip, a small store in Parkgate. Guests saw a display of daytime jumpers and cardigans as well as glamorous evening dresses. Following this was Smudge in West Kirby, a trendy store which stocks ready-to-wear items for those Wirral fashionistas. In the short interval, dance group

Hype performed a show-stopping routine, then a rafﬂe was held giving away 17 prizes including a Chlobo bracelet worth £110, a spa day at the Hillbark hotel worth £500 and a vintage Gucci bag. Ina Schmidt, patron of the British Red Cross, who alone has raised £125,000 for the charity in the past ﬁve years, organised and designed the fashion show. She said: “The Red Cross is the biggest humanitarian organisation. Our country could not survive without the work my colleagues do.” Bringing an edge to the fashion show after the break was Alise Vintage, from Chester. Staff at the Hillbark Hotel modelled this col-

lection, sporting a range of vintage furs, silks and art deco dresses. The last designer was Opulence Bridal wear from West Kirby. The award-winning store showed an array of different gowns from bridal and prom dresses, to accessories and veils. The night was an overwhelming success for the charity, as 180 people attended, raising nearly £4,000 from tickets and the rafﬂe alone. Mrs. Schmidt added: “I put my heart, my soul, my brain into work because I know every penny is going in the right direction internationally, nationally, locally. “It’s been great to have all these companies in support of The Red Cross.”

A gang has escaped with a cash box one day after Merseyside Police launched a crackdown on cash-intransit robberies. Police were called to Hanover Street at 7am this morning following reports that two men wearing dark clothes had ﬂed with the cash box, containing thousands of pounds. The men made off in a dark coloured estate car in the direction of Paradise Street. A black cash box and brown paper bag were later found abandoned in nearby Campbell Square. Yesterday North West Regional Organised Crime Unit Titan announced it is working with forces and partner agencies to tackle the problem of cash-in-transit robberies and ATM theft. From November 2011 to October 2012 there were 10 cash-in-transit robberies in Merseyside, a decrease of 17 the year before and 20 in 2009/10. DCI Richie Salter, from Merseyside Police’s Matrix unit, said: “While cash-in-transit attacks are falling in Merseyside we are not complacent and are determined to ensure we see year on year reductions. “We want the message to be heard loud and clear that anyone thinking about getting involved in these crimes will be found and they will feel the full force of the law. “Those on the receiving end of these kind of attacks, which are often very frightening and involve the threat and sometimes the execution of violence, are left extremely traumatised.”

FILMS 1. Berberian Sound Studio (Peter Strickland, 2012) 2. The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012) 3. Cosmopolis (David Cronenberg, 2012) 4. Moonrise Kingdom (Wes Anderson, 2012) 5. Alois Nebel (Tomáš Luňák, 2011) - Dr David Sorfa, Head of Film Studies

Keep mo a little bit longer Even though Movember has come to an end, the facial fuzz in Liverpool continues on for a few more days. The first ‘Beerdfest’ is being held tonight, Liverpool’s first beard and moustache contest. The competition is being held in the Camp & Furnace, GreenlandStreet, and those who were taking part in Movember are being encouraged to hold on to their tashes for just a little bit longer. The competition, which begins at 6pm, is free to attend and take part in. Beerdfest was created by organiser Jodie Schofield after missing out on a trip to the UK Beard and Moustache Championships held in Brighton in September of this year. The winner will receive a Camp & Furnace hamper while the 12 best finalists will have their portrait framed and become part of the Beerdfest Calendar 2013.

Life/News/4

City Santas in dash for charity cash by Rory Kelly

With just over three weeks until Christmas and people all over the world getting into the holiday spirit, around 8,000 people dressed as Father Christmas descended on Liverpool for the annual Santa Dash. The bitterly cold weather did not dampen the spirits of the thousands of people donned in red hats and white beards. The five kilometre run started in front of the Liver Building and proceeded around the city, finishing at the Town Hall. Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle officially started the race, but did not run in it as she has a sporting event coming up next week. However, among the masses of Father Christmases were MP Steve Rotheram, Atomic Kitten’s Liz McClarnon and singer Esco Williams. Sporting a blue and white suit, McClarnon told the BBC: “It shows what Liverpool is all about, the fact that we are all here just to raise money. “It’s very early on a Sunday morning, it’s freezing, but everyone is here to have a laugh and raise money for charity,” she said. Local business owner Liam Butler, who completed the race in 24 minutes, echoed McClarnon’s sentiments, saying that the event showed how great a city Liverpool is. He said: “It really is a fantastic event to be a part of. For all these people to come out on a Sunday morning and try raise a bit of money for charity, especially when the weather is practically Baltic, really shows the character and great attitude of people in this city.” Various charity groups were represented including the OK Foundation, for which Oliver King’s

brother Ben completed the race, in turn raising enough money for the foundation to purchase another deﬁbrillator. The event, organised by Run Liverpool, was raising money for various charities throughout the UK as part of ITV’s Text Santa appeal. A ‘Mini-Dash’ also took place shortly after the main race, with children under 12 having a chance to dress up as Father Christmas and run a one kilometre course.

Santa Dash creator Alan Rothwell thanked the thousands of supporters and said: “Without a doubt this has been the biggest and best Santa Dash we’ve hosted. “Unfortunately we can’t claim the Guinness World Record this year, but we’ll be in a much stronger position to challenge in 2013.” The current record was set in 2006 in Derry, with over 13,000 Santa’s taking part, the previous record was in Liverpool in 2005.

First gay wedding Budget show visits arena cuts hit lights by Emma Kemmery

Liverpool Echo Arena will become host to the ﬁrst National Gay Wedding Show next year. Around 200 exhibitors from across the UK will bring a wide range of products and services to the event, which will take place on March 3rd at the BT Convention Centre from 10am until 5pm. The wedding market makes over £52 million per year, and after amendments made to The Marriage and Civil Partnership Regulations in 2011, 53,417 same sex couples have registered for a civil partnership. Exhibitors at the event include ice sculptors Glacial Art, Ullet Road Church, the ﬁrst church in

1.The Unseen by Nanni Balestrini 2.The Uprising: On Poetry and Finance by Franco Berardi 3.In Praise of Love by Alain Badiou 4.Train Dreams by Denis Johnson 5.Pity The Billionaire by Thomas Frank Ross Dawson, Senior lecturer, English

the UK to hold a civil partnership, and the Liverpool Cheese Company, who will make any wedding cake out of cheese. Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member Councillor Nick Small, said: “I’m delighted the UK’s first ever National Gay Wedding Show is taking place in Liverpool. We embrace diversity, and earlier this year we endorsed the Stanley Street Quarter as a gay village, recognising the vital contributions the LGBT community makes to life in our city. “Our award winning arena and convention centre is attracting some of the biggest and best new events to our waterfront and this will be the latest high profile success for the venue.” Laura Davies, Marketing and Events Manager for the National Gay Wedding Show, said: “This Wedding Show at the BT Convention Centre in Liverpool invites literally everyone to come along and enjoy what is set to be a wonderful day. Couples will be sure to find everything they possibly need in this wedding extravaganza being held in the perfect location. “Having organised Wedding Shows for over four years, this show promotes equality and simply supports all couples celebrating love.”

More than 8,000 Santas took part in the city to raise money for their chosen charities.

Hospital defends its record on patient death rates

by Lauren Murphy

by Lucy Baines

The people of Knowsley will miss out on the festivities this year as they will have hardly any Christmas lights. The budget has been halved from last year. Dale Milburn, Director of Business, Investment and Sustainability for Knowsley Council, said: “The council’s funding from government has been signiﬁcantly reduced, which has affected budgets available for items such as Christmas lights. In addition, some of our usual funders have not been able to contribute towards this year’s celebrations.” He added: “Given the reduced budget, we have still been able to provide a high quality Christmas lighting display in Knowsley’s three major town centres. The areas of Whiston, Halewood and Huyton’s Cavendish Walk shopping centre will be left in the winter dark as the frugal funds will be shared between Kirby, Prescot and Huyton’s town centres. Mr Milburn said: “Our decision to focus on maintaining the high standard of Christmas lights in our town centres rather than funding one-off events has been backed by traders.”

A local hospital has been named as one of 12 across the country with patient death rates higher than expected. Aintree University hospital in Fazakerley has been identified as falling short on two of four ‘mortality indicators’ last year, including deaths of patients admitted for minor ailments or “low-risk conditions” in a report published yesterday. Trust spokesman Fin McNicol believes deaths in low-risk conditions were measured solely on how a patient’s condition was first recorded by a doctor. A condition that initially seemed low risk on first assessment by a doctor could turn out to be something a lot more serious once further tests are carried out. He said: “All cases were reviewed and showed that the patients’ minor complaints were recorded but that they also had other much more serious conditions which led to their deaths.” The report, based on NHS data, outlines concerns that hospitals are increasingly focused on cost of care, rather than quality of care. The figures from the Dr Foster

Hospital Guide have sparked a campaign by chief nursing ofﬁcer for England Jane Cummings, who believes the report has provoked deep unease over the culture of care in the health service and that action must be taken to ensure the values nurses stand for are not betrayed. The new campaign is aimed at reassuring the public about concerns over reported neglect and abuse in hospitals, and following an eight-week consultation involving more than 9,000 nurses, midwives, care staff and patients. Ms Cummings will hold a conference in Manchester on how she plans to reinforce values such as compassion, communication, and commitment in public health care.

Wirral food fayre is success by Rachael Laird

The third annual Christmas food fayre brought together a little Christmas sparkle for the nation’s top chefs, families and friends to experience all the different foods and drink produces available at the event. Lionel Bolland, chief executive of Port Sunlight Village Trust, said: “It has been a great event. I think the chef demonstrations were successful and it has been a busy expedition of food.” The day was spread over ﬁve different venues giving visitors an opportunity to explore the village of Port Sunlight. Mr. Bolland said: “I have just come from Hulme hall which has been the busiest yet. A lot of people throughout the village are coming along to the stalls.” Port Sunlight welcomed back Chef Patron Cyrus Todiwala who hosted the fantastic Chef Demonstration stage with an exciting selection of Christmas favourites with a twist at the Leverhulme Hotel. Joining Cyrus on stage were Michelin star Chef Marc Wilkinson, local award-winning baker Ceri Newton and Award-winning head Chef of Leverhulme Hotel, Richard Fox. He also said: “The food fayre has been showcasing the abilities of chefs which have been great. So it has been a great day with great food and deﬁnitely interesting recipes. It has been a magical day for the village.”

Lapland pedal power by Katie Croft

Merseyside cycling clubs have travelled the distance from Neston to Lapland to raise money for the Northern Lights Charity. Northern Lights are a Wirral-based charity which has been fundraising to send seriously ill children to Lapland since 1987. The 2,235 mile ﬂight path between Neston in Cheshire and Kittila in Lapland was ‘cycled’ by volunteers over three days in Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet last week. The equivalent number of miles was pedalled by fundraisers on turbo trainers supplied for the event by the Bike Factory in Chester. Staff at Eureka Cafe, Parkgate Road, Chester, helped out on the day, making sure cyclists got to and from Cheshire Oaks. The cafe is a well known hotspot among cyclists and has been a regular stopping place since 1929. One hundred and eleven riders took part in the event, pedalling on the specially designed turbo trainers or their own bikes, and some took it in turn the ride the miles away on an exercise bike. Karen Jones, chairman of the Northern Lights Charity, said: “Thanks go to all the volunteers who gave their time to collect money in buckets during a very cold November weekend.” Overall 3,033 miles were travelled, breaking the record and raising in excess of £3,500 for the Northern Lights Charity.

Life/News/5 Crosby photographer documents town by Rachael Bentham A committed photographer has completed a blog where he took and uploaded a picture of Crosby every day for one year. The project, which is named Crosby365, is the work of photographer Andrew Hoban and contains 366 pictures which include crashing waves on the marina, Christmas lights in the town and the famous iron men of Crosby beach. The 32-year-old, who has lived in the town for over 20 years, is a keen runner and it was his knowledge of the area from exploring routes and side streets which helped him to come up with his idea. His hobby started when he was walking his dog one day and he began taking pictures with his mobile phone on the beach, it was then he discovered that he had an eye for photography. Married with a son, Andrew has had to ﬁt his hobby around his career working in IT and his family life. Popularity started to grow across social media networks Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook as more and more followers fell in love with the

A bus stop in the town of Crosby, one of 366 pictures taken by Andrew Hoban within one year

Store beats recession with a profit increase by Karina Galli Retail superstore, John Lewis has reported an increase in half-year profits after strong sales in stores across the country. The partnership has overcome the double-dip recession, making a pre-tax profit of £144.5m in the six months to 28 July, up 60% from a year earlier. Sales of electrical goods have improved by 31.8 per cent, boosted by purchases of TVs after the Government’s decision to replace the analogue broadcasting system with digital channels. Events such as the summer’s Olympic merchandise as well as the Queens Diamond Jubilee have also helped to increase the company’s sales, ‘Cyber Monday saw a huge rise in online shopping sales Charlie Mayfield, chairman of John Lewis, said: “For the year ahead, consumer demand remains fragile, but has stabilised and we continue to see opportunities to grow market share.” Online sales have become big business for John Lewis, especially as customers can pick up their items in store the following day with the click and collect service.

Christmas loan sharks misery by Rachael Bentham

Christmas is approaching and millions of children and adults alike will be anticipating their new top of the range smart phone, designer clothing or latest games wrapped and waiting under the tree. But for many this is a time of worry instead of excitement. In a time of recession the pressures of meeting the wants of families and friends can seem to be so important that people will go to great lengths to buy the perfect gift. But at what real cost? Lancashire County Council haswarned about the dangers of borrowing from loan sharks to tide people over for Christmas, along with a country-wide campaign Stop Loan Sharks, which is being run by the three Illegal Money Lending Teams across the UK. The illegal lending market in the UK is being used by approximately 310,000 individuals is a major cause for concern. So what exactly is a loan shark? The Liverpool Family Services Directory describes them as an unlicensed money lender, who operates outside of the law. It is likely that you will receive an extortionate amount of interest, be harassed for payments and be pressured into borrowing more from them to repay one debt with another.

Some 7 in 10 (68%) victims fear violence from their lender, 1 in 5 (20%) have been threatened with violence, 1 in 20 (5%) have been attacked, and 1 in 10 (13%) suffer sexual abuse. Tony Quigley, Head of the England Illegal Money Lending Team, said: “Loan sharks are a scourge on our communities, they may appear friendly at ﬁrst but they cause nothing but fear and misery. They will trap borrowers into a spiral of debt with many using violence, threats and intimidation to force borrowers into paying back far more than they can afford. We are continuing to crack down on this crime.”

The internet is ﬁlled with adverts promoting quick loans for people wanting to borrow money fast for Christmas, but at interest rates for loan sharks ranging from 100% to 131,000% it’s not a solution at all. The cost of borrowing from an illegal lender is about three and a half times that of the highest cost legal credit in the market. Victims borrowed an estimated £120 million in 2009 but repaid illegal lenders £450 million. Eight out of ten (82%) borrowers claim to use an illegal lender because they could not borrow elsewhere and some 90% of users say that they

would find it difficult or impossible to raise £200-300 in an emergency or to save the same amount for a special purpose. By law interest on loans from credit unions can be no more than 2% a month. Administrator at the Central Liverpool Credit Union, Paula Midghall said: “As a non-profit organisation we can offer loans at 1% compared to websites like Wonga, it’s a no brainer really. People can repay over 12 month periods and we offer different ways of paying back. It’s all made easy.” “We build a relationship with them too. High cost loaners are only interested in profit, we see the people and have a relationship with members. If people are going into debt for Christmas we would recommend they plan ahead for next year.” “There is a misguided view of credit unions. Our money stays in the community and members will see the benefit of that, it goes on our children whereas these high profit loaners have big second homes.” You can report a loan shark to the Illegal Money Lending Team in England on 0300 555 2222. If you are struggling for money and need a loan visit www.merseymoney.

pictures of their home town When asked about his own favourite photograph, he said: “It’s like choosing your favourite Beatles song really, it’s impossible! I love quite a lot of them. There was one I took the other day of a bus stop just on the Thornton border, , it was a few weeks ago in twilight and I really love that one one for some reason. It’s just the loneliness of the bus stop and it sounds dead simple but I really like that one.” “I just wanted to bring a new lease of life to it, maybe stuff they’ve never seen before or passed every day and not noticed and part of the point of it is to get people interested in where they live and I love Crosby and I hope a lot of other people will now love Crosby because of what I’ve done.” “It’s been great fun and I’ve never regretted it.” Andrew hopes to work in partnership with community group A Better Crosby to try and get his work displayed. You can view the full year’s photography blog at:

http://crosby365.tumblr.com/

Airline signs five-year contract by Emma Kemmery Liverpool John Lennon Airport has signed to keep airline Wizz Air for another five years. The low cost airline has been at the airport since 2004 after choosing it as its second UK base. They agreed the extended contract yesterday. The airline, which has become popular particularly with the Polish community in North West England travels to four eastern European destinations, Katowice, Gdansk and Warsaw in Poland and more recently to Vilnius in Lithuania. Around 1.3 million passengers have travelled with Wizz Air through Liverpool John Lennon Airport in the eight years it has been operating in the city and with the success of this year’s Euro Championships co-hosted by Poland, the airline are expecting passengers from the UK to Poland to increase further. Daniel de Carvalho, Corporate Communications Manager at Wizz Air, said: “Wizz Air delivers low fares combined with excellent customer service and we partner with airports that work by the same philosophy of low costs and good service. “Our partnership with Liverpool has stimulated low fare air traffic in this region connecting the North of England with exciting Central and Eastern European cities.”

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It won’t be lonely this christmas by Lauren Murphy and Josh Parry For many, Christmas is a time for indulgence, giving and most importantly, being surrounded by loved ones. But for some, it’s the time of year they dread the most. For some, 25th December is depressing, stressful and lonely. Many people in Liverpool, who are in unfortunate circumstances, spend Christmas alone. People who are homeless struggle terribly at this time of the year, as they have to face the problem of keeping warm on the streets. Others may have no family or close friends they can turn to and feel they have no choice but to be alone. Some have no choice at all, soldiers who are away from home have to sacriﬁce spending time with family and friends in order to serve the country. Being alone, hungry and cold is a daily struggle for people on the street and seeing people walking by with huge bags of shopping makes it ten times worse. Keeping them out of the cold weather is a must over winter. The Basement Advisory Centre on Parr Street is a charitable organisation which helps homeless people in Liverpool city centre. They have evening drop in sessions for rough sleepers and provide structured workshops as well as one to one support. The Basement makes sure that the homeless are catered for over the Christmas period, including them in the Christmas cheer. Tommy Ollman, manager at The Basement said: “We are holding a Christmas Party for the homeless people; we will have Christmas food, presents and a really happy environment. Our Christmas parties give a nice, warm environment where they’ll be met with a friendly

smile. We have up to 30 people in at any one time.” “We give out hats and gloves to the people who use our service as Christmas presents.” “It makes Christmas a lot easier for them, it is a very emotional time for them, we give them a lot of one on one therapy, and we can also help them get in touch with family members if they need to. We also offer free ﬂu vaccinations for homeless people.” Many people will have elderly neighbours who spend Christmas alone. People with no children often ﬁnd they have nobody to turn to when the winter months roll in. For some elderly people, the only human contact they will have on Christmas day is their carer, who will come to wash, dress and feed them, and some see no-one at all.

“The packages make an enormous difference; I have hundreds of letters sent to me from soldiers who are thankful for what we do.” The Salvation Army is a worldwide church and charity dedicated to helping those in need. The Salvation Army at the Hope Centre in Liverpool is open to anyone, whether it is over the Christmas period or just a regular day. On Christmas day the Salvation Army provides a traditional Christmas dinner, as well as a gift for anyone who wishes to come along. For the elderly they provide a pick-up and drop off service so that they can get there easily. Alan Roper, the Hope Centre co-ordinator, said: “We will take anyone in at all; it doesn’t matter

about their circumstances.” “We have volunteers who come along at Christmas every year so they must enjoy it and everyone always tells us that they have a good time.” Soldiers on duty have no choice but to be away from their loved ones over the Christmas period. Support our Soldiers is a registered charity which provides support for the British Armed Forces serving overseas. Their ‘Christmas Parcel Appeal’ allows parcels to be sent to soldiers who are away from their family during the holidays and spread the festive cheer. Without the parcels they don’t usually recieve any presents. Lynn Robinson, Regional Coordinator for Support Our Soldiers, said: “We send out care packages, as well as fundraising so we can buy key items to put into the care packages we send. Currently our Christmas Appeal boxes are being sent out, and these contain things like Shower gel, sweets, chocolates, underwear, hand sanitizer and jelly sweets.” STOCKING FILLER IDEAS... “Each month we send out around 50, however at Christmas time my area sends about 250. Nationwide, this Buy at... Christmas we £2.00 HMV or have sent out 12,000 in total ITunes and these will be sent to frontline troops over the next few weeks.” “The packages make an enormous difference; I have hunCharity single in aid of the dreds of letters sent to Hillsborough families’ legal me from soldiers who are costs in their ﬁght for justice. thankful for what we do. It boosts morale, and lifts spirits.”

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This Christmas as part of Oxfam unwrapped you can purchase a goat for a third world country, available at Oxfam Liverpool.

£25.00

©Mek22/Flickr

STOCKING FILLER IDEAS... At present aid, give something back this christmas with a gift of 20 fruit trees. These trees are sent to the poorest areas of Nicaragua.

£16.00

Volunteering on Christmas Day

Volunteering on Christmas day for people faced with spending Christmas alone, the greatest gift that they can receive is simply some company, or a few hours of someone’s time. At a time when charities are struggling for donations, the best way you can help is to donate a few hours of your time over the festive period. Whether you want to meet new people, to avoid spending time alone yourself, or simply want to help out for a few hours, there is plenty that can be done in our city.

The Basement, Parr Street 56-60 Parr Street Liverpool L1 4JN. Contact: 0151 707 1515

The Basement is a charitable organisation who helps homeless people stay safe on the streets. This Christmas, they are running a Donations Drive for warm clothing such as hats, gloves and underwear in order to give to their users as Christmas Gifts. Any donations can be dropped off at the centre on Parr Street. Contact the Basement for more information.

South Liverpool Food Bank Bridge Chapel Centre, Heath Road L19 4XR. Contact: admin@slfoodbank.org

UK Foodbanks, run by The Trussel Trust, provide non-perishable food that has been donated to people who are not in a position to buy food for their families. This includes a variety of reasons including Redundancy, illness and debt. The South Liverpool ofﬁce is seeking volunteers for the area.

Queenie’s ChristmasThe BlingBling Building, 69 Hanover Street, L1 3DY Contact: www. queenieschristmas.co.uk/

The Queenie’s Christmas charity runs a series of events for those who will be alone at Christmas. The ‘star on their Christmas tree’ is on Christmas Day itself, where a party is held for 300 people who would otherwise be alone at Christmas at the Adelphi Hotel. They need people to give their time this Christmas to help out.

Give a Dog a Christmas with the Manchester & Cheshire Dogs’ Home225 Knutsford Road, Grappenhall, Warrington WA4 3JZ Info: www.dogshome. net/xmas-foster-scheme.html Manchester & Cheshire Dogs’ home is running a scheme in order to get dogs out of kennels for the Christmas period. For many dogs, being kennelled can be very stressful, in an unfamiliar environment with lots of new sounds and smells. Giving them a foster

home for the Christmas period gives them a chance to relax and learn what it is like to be with a loving family. It is also a chance for ﬁrst-time dog owners to see what it is like to own a dog. If you would like to foster a dog for the Christmas period, visit the website for more information. For more information on volunteering in Liverpool, visit Liverpool Volunteer Centre at: www. volunteercentreliverpool.org.uk/

Life/Style/7

Mersey mania of #Maloneyfamily

What’s On... Music

Theatre

8th December:

Playhouse Theatre

Peter Andre: The ‘hardest working man in pop’ returns to get Up Close and Personal with fans on at the Echo Arena.

21st and 22nd Dec only:

Tickets range from £28.50 to £75.00. 10th December: Florence and the Machine: After a successful year and new sophomore album ‘Ceremonials’ Florence and the Machine return. Support will come from new US talent HAIM, who have been hailed by NME as a “tribute to the power of percussion and harmony.” Tickets are £29.50.

Comedy 11th-15th December: Mrs Brown Rides Again: Back by popular demand. Brendan O’Carroll takes his hilarious TV show to the stage.

Panto Liverpool Empire

‘Millie the dog loves you!’ Fans of Maloney have taken to Twitter to post pictures of their support for the Scouse singing star by Jonathan Bridge X-Factor fans in Liverpool are going Christopher Maloney mad as the singer returns home to the city today to sing at the Liverpool Empire Theatre. Maloney mania is sweeping across the city as the Kirkdale singer prepares for Saturday’s live final on ITV. He will be joined by his mentor on the show, Gary Barlow, to perform a special gig at the Empire tonight. All tickets for the event were snapped up by eager fans within just 30 minutes of being made available. A huge queue of fans snaked around the St. Johns shopping precinct in the city centre as Maloney’s supporters dashed to collect one of the 2,500 tickets from Radio City’s reception. The 34-year-old singer, who was Gary Barlow’s wildcard pick, is now the sole recipient of the Take That star’s guidance. An emotional Maloney dedicated his first semi-final song, ‘You Raise Me Up’ by Josh Groban, to his nan, Pat, who has been and still is the crooner’s biggest fan. Social media site Twitter was awash with support for the singer following his progression into the final on Sunday night, as the hashtag #maloneyfamily began to trend in the city. Whilst Maloney has been much

Liverpool goes wild for Scouse X-Factor ﬁnalist derided in the press and over social media, the people of Liverpool have taken to the singer even more fervently than before, standing up for the surprise ﬁnalist Scouser. @Mikeroberts5139 tweeted: “@ ChrisMaloney77 I don’t understand all the negativity towards you Chris, you’re doing so well and an inspiration to the city. #maloneyfamily” A popular retweet was a Maloney football chant with the words: “Theres only one Chris Maloney, One Chris Maloney, with a jacket an tan, and he loves his Nan, walking in a Maloney wonderland.” Maloney himself tweeted on Monday night when he arrived back in Liverpool. He said: “Ello guys, I’M BACK! just arrived at the Hilton in Liverpool 1. so happy I’m home. missed Liverpool so much. off to bed, na nite. :-) xx” He had previously taken a Twitter sabbatical after receiving death threats over the site, and many more disgruntled tweeters had aired their grievances at

One member of the ‘Maloney family’ holds a ﬁrelit vigil Maloney’s unexpected progression through the competition at the expense of supposedly stronger acts. The former cruise ship singer has been booed regularly on the show and has received plenty of criticism from judges, Nicole Sherzinger, Louis Walsh and

Tulisa Contostavlos. Axed X-Factor boy band Union J today voiced their support for the controversial finalist. In an interview with entertainmentwise.com, they said that Maloney is the one finalist out of the three acts that needs the win to fulfil his dreams and record the album he has always wanted. This morning he arrived by ferry at Pier Head, greeted by Lord Mayor of Liverpool Cllr Sharon Sullivan and around 30 screaming fans, before paying a visit to see his much-loved nan Pat and his former colleagues at a call centre. Maloney is 7/2 with most bookmakers to win the competition on Saturday night, making him the rank outsider behind his two fellow contestants James Arthur and Jahmene Douglas. Rumours suggest that fans who were lucky enough to get hold of one of the 2,500 tickets for the Empire show tonight will be treated to a rendition of the Dean Martin classic, ‘That’s Amore’, among other hits.

14th Dec- 6th Jan: Cinderella: the family favourite returns with an all-star cast Tickets £10-£29 The Liverpool Actors Studio Theatre 4th-18th December: The Gingerbread Man: Mrs Mufﬁn loves Christmas but hates being alone. One magical Christmas Eve she ﬁnishes her baking, places a spicy seasonal treat in her oven and makes her way to bed. But her fairy Godmother has heard her wishes for company..... Tickets £5 for preview performances and £10 for all other performances Liverpool Echo Arena 14th Dec- 6th Jan: Sleeping Beauty: Liverpool Waterfront is transformed into a captivating Christmas spectacular!

Twisted Christmas: Join a travelling band of misﬁts and wasters as they escape a bleak mid-winter night by breaking into the Playhouse Studio to entertain you with twisted tales of Christmas time and beg or borrow a penny or two from their unsuspecting audience. Tickets £5 aged 16 +

L1 1st-31st December: Late night shopping in L1: all shops open until 9pm 12th December: The festive celebrations will start early for fans at Liverpool ONE as Paradise Street will be transformed into a snowy, winter wonderland on Wednesday 12 December, complete with Christmas trees and festive helpers on hand to serve chilled Coca-Cola, Diet Coke and Coke Zero. The Coca-Cola Christmas choir will lead a selection of seasonal carols in a magical setting, led by Jay Kamiraz, winner of The Prince’s Trust Young Achiever Award 2012.

Food Blundell Street Supper Club Blundell Street Supper Club opened in Liverpool City Centre eight years ago and this cabaret restaurant is still as popular as ever. Housed in a converted spice warehouse opposite the Albert Dock and Echo Arena, the original industrial feel has been kept and a design very much inspired by the Sinatra era helps make Blundell Street one of the most striking venues in the city. Last Minute Xmas Deals at Blundell Street: Buble Tribute Night Dec 6 (includes 2-course dinner and DJ for £20) 1970s/1980s Disco Dec 10, 11, 17, 18 (includes 2-course dinner, £15) Live Music and DJ Dec 21, 22 (includes 2-course dinner £25). 0151 4382173

Family tickets available £47-£55

Do you have an event for our What’s On guide? Contact Liverpool Life on liverpoollifenews@gmail.com

Life/Style/8

Films of Christmas past brought to life by Scott Rumsey Hundreds of film fans are expected to flock to St Luke’s Church this December as a local charity has announced that they will be showing a series of classic movies in the famous building. Urban Strawberry Lunch (USL) have been operating on the site, which is more commonly known as the ‘bombed out’ church, since 2007. The organisation has used its vision of bringing arts to the masses in a unique setting to help turn the city centre building into a heritage site. Over the last few years USL, who formed in 1987 as a group of musicians, have become the ‘artists in residence’ at St Luke’s. Various projects such as open-air theatre and live music mean that they have started to see their events gain more and more in popularity and they hope this year they will beat previous attendances and welcome more than 53,000 through the gates. This December they are having a final push to break records by launching their Christmas film festival. The group will be showing a selection of festive and feel good films weekly on their outdoor screen in a bid to raise further money towards saving the building, all they are asking is that visitors donate £2 on the door to enter and bring a coat!

Now Showing 06 December 2012 Classic Movies Outdoors BLITHE SPIRIT & NIGHT OF THE HUNTER 13 December 2012 Christmas Films Outdoors THE HOLLY AND THE IVY and JOYEUX NOEL 20 December 2012 Christmas Films Outdoor HOLIDAY AFFAIR, SCROOGE, THE JUNKY’S CHRISTMAS, CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY 21 December 2012 Classic Christmas Films Outdoors THE SNOWMAN, THE BISHOPS WIFE, MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET, AND IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE Classic Movies Outdoors BLITHE SPIRIT & NIGHT OF THE HUNTER Classic Christmas ﬁlms will be shown inside the church over the next few weeks

Picture: Eivind Kleiven

20 years of texting revolution by Jonathan Bridge It revolutionised the way we communicate with each other. It was a simple two word message that read ‘Merry Christmas’ between two friends. Twenty years on from the ﬁrst ever text message being sent by engineer Neil Papworth from his PC to a friend’s mobile phone, texting remains the most popular way to communicate with others. Used by four billion people around the world and with an average of 50 texts sent per week by individuals in the UK, the Short Messaging Service (SMS) certainly changed the way people keep in touch. However, the trend of texting may be starting to wane as it faces competition to be the favoured means of staying in contact. In 2011, the number of text messages sent in the UK peaked at 39.7 billion; however according to Ofcom’s research the ﬁrst half of 2012 has seen a steady decline in this number and is thought to

be down to the ever increasing use of alternative text based forms of communication such as instant messaging and social networking sites. With over 1 billion active Facebook users worldwide and over 500 million of us ‘Tweeting’ around the world some believe that texting will soon be replaced by other methods of communicating. James Rickett, Director of Research at Ofcom said: “When texting was ﬁrst conceived many saw it as nothing more than a niche service. “But texts have now surpassed traditional phone calls and meeting face to face as the most frequent way of keeping in touch for UK adults, revolutionising the way we socialise, work and network.” In its lifetime, texting has become the norm of speaking to friends and family, changing the way we write, with abbreviations such as ‘LOL’ and ‘OMG’ being introduced to the English language. Mr Rickett said: “For the ﬁrst time in the history of mobile phones, SMS

volumes are showing signs of decline. However the availability of a wider range of communications tools like instant messaging and social networking sites, mean that people might be sending fewer SMS messages, but they are ‘texting’ more than ever before” Gareth Romsden, 25, from Liverpool City Centre said: “I tend to speak to peo-

39.7 billion: The number of texts sent in the UK in 2011 ple more via Facebook rather than actual texts. It’s just a lot easier sometimes, especially given the chat function which Facebook has to offer now and most people tend to have the Facebook app on their phones anyway. “It’s also better for staying in touch

with people you’re not necessarily close enough to too have their phone number, or have only just met, so in that way it’s better than texting.” Texting has even been at the heart of some major news stories across the globe. No celebrity sex scandal or embarassing revelation is complete without the evidence of incriminating text messages these days. Earlier this year, Prime Minister David Cameron was criticised for an exchange of text messages between himself and former News of the World Editor Rebekah Brooks in which the pair’s extraordinary close relationship was exposed. In 2009, golfer Tiger Woods was embroiled in a huge scandal when a flurry of women he had been courting behind his wife’s back leaked numerous messages to American media outlets after his wife had discovered his infidelity. Julie Bremnes, 16, who was caught up in the horrific massacre of students on Utoeya Island by Norwegian gunman

Anders Breivik, alerted her mother to the awful events that day by text message. “Tell the police to hurry. People are dying here!” read the text which she sent to her mother as the pair exchanged a series of texts throughout the ordeal. Even the words ‘sexting’ and ‘textspeak’ entered the Oxford English dictionary in 2011. Also on that list of new words added to the dictionary was ‘cyberbullying’. The biggest ‘side effect’ to have come from the invention of text messaging. Giving a platform for bullies to intimidate, harass and torment their victims out of school, cyberbullying was certainly worsened by text messaging. So whether the text message is a dying art, idk, but it has certainly changed many ppl’s lives, making daily tasks and communication easier, easier but it is being challenged by news forms of messaging and it is yet to be seen how long texting will be used regularly by the UK and the world.

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Desperate Dan’s new digital adventure ... by Adam Davies The Dandy publishes its final print issue today. The comic has been well loved for 75 years, so much so that even Sir Paul McCartney - a lifelong fan - has had his wish granted of being turned in to cartoon form for the last issue, in which he leads 50 of the most famous The Dandy characters out to ‘Hey Jude’. The Dandy, which features characters such as Desperate Dan and Korky the Kat, was first published in 1937, but its circulation has plummeted to about 8,000 copies a week in recent years, from a peak of two million in the 1950s. Publisher DC Thomson has now launched the comic online, and as a smartphone and tablet app. The final print edition coincides with the title’s 75th anniversary, and includes a pullout reprint of the very first edition of the comic from 4 December 1937. The edition is expected to become a collector’s item, with several newsagents saying they have been inundated with pre-orders from nostalgic fans. Dundee-based DC Thomson announced in August that the weekly children’s comic would make the move into digital sales following dwindling sales in recent years. The website will feature old favourites Desperate Dan, Bananaman and Korky the Cat in new animated strips, with voice overs and sound effects. Users will also be able to play interactive games, watch videos and create and care for their very own virtual pet, the Dandy Dollop. Throughout its 75 years, The Dandy’s artists and writers have always strived to keep the comic’s characters and plotlines relevant. During World War II, Desperate Dan used his peashooter to bring down German aircraft and sink U-boats, in a strip called Addie and Hermy the Nasty Nazis; a satire on Hitler and Goering. There was also an outcry from fans in 1997 when Desperate Dan was supposedly retiring after heading off into the sunset with the Spice Girls; however DC Thomson later admitted the storyline had been a publicity

stunt to generate attention for its 60th anniversary. Dan caused more controversy when he gave up eating cow pies during the BSE outbreak, and a revamp two years ago saw some traditional characters replaced by celebrities including Simon Cowell and Cheryl Cole. With so much topical humour, it’s no wonder that The Dandy is one of the most loved comics of all time, and will continue to be, even in digital form. With the Dandy’s last ever printed version of the comic ready to give way to an online version, this will certainly not be the end of one of Britain’s best loved comics, read by generations. However, out of this arises an unavoidable question: Are traditional print publications such as comics, magazines and newspapers becoming less and less in the digital age? The Dandy, at the peak of its cartoon-laden powers, could sell a huge amount of comics: up to two million a week in the 1950’s! However, with more and more children focused on playing computer games, as well as logging on to the internet, comics have become an alien concept to most modern day kids. Telegraph blogger Harry Mount has said that the rise of ﬁlms, children’s television, online entertainment and computer games certainly were a major factor in the decline of one of the best loved British comics alongside the Beano, but not the only cause. Mount also says that including modern day celebrities such as Harry Hill in sketches defy the ‘fantasy’ elements of comics. There was plenty of reaction on Twitter with people expressing a nostalgic sadness that it was the last ever print edition of the comic. One user, @langhamherbs said: “It’s a sad day; ﬁnal print edition of the Dandy – farewell Desperate Dan and Korky the Kat. Comics like Dandy, Beano and Beezer had real charm.” Another user, @keithbwalters, was less than complimentary about Sir Paul McCartney’s appearance in the last ever edition of the comic, saying: “Why oh why does Paul McCartney have to come on and ruin the end of everything? #thedandy”, while @TheMattBarker

Last copy of the Dandy comic, RIGHT, new iPad app, ABOVE. tweeted: “gonna try and buy the dandy today…very fond memories.” Even avid readers of the Dandy’s main rival comic, the Beano, felt nostalgic upon hearing the news. One such reader, @weave8, tweeted: “Though I was a beano fan as a kid I may buy the #dandy today as it’s the ﬁnal printed version due to poor sales. End of an era. #sobs.” It is true that the Dandy lives on in online form, but there is still some scepticism as to whether the comic will actually succeed in a world that is rapidly adapting and changing into a world that the humble, nostalgic comic book is not fully prepared for.

Ladies triumph over rivals

By Lauren Kelly

Liverpool John Moores Ladies Gaelic team were crowned Division 1 league champions on Sunday as they hammered the University of Liverpool team 4-10 to 2-6. There were question marks over whether the match would even take place after both teams travelled to Manchester only to realise that the pitch was frozen over, and as a result unplayable. The Liverpool teams rushed back to Wavertree Park hoping to beat the clock before darkness took over the ability to actually play the game. Thankfully for both sides, Wavertree park was in much better condition, and there was plenty of time before the sun set. JMU dominated the first half with early points from county players Aoife Montague and Niamh Marley and a valiant defence line leaving the girls in a comfortable position with a five point lead. However the girls knew that there was no room for slacking in the second half remembering that two weeks ago both teams drew against each other despite JMU being up eight points in the first half. University of Liverpool returned to the pitch with a new lease of life scoring three points in the first 15 minutes, proving that the current British championship winners would not go down without a fight. Their attempts at trying to catch up on the scoreboard deserve commemoration as they managed to close in on the JMU girls with only a 2 point lead separating the teams with not long remainding before the final whistle. The strength and determination of JMU proved too much for the Uni Of side after goals from Lauren Kelly and Aoife Montague saw the chance of a win quickly slipping away from the opposition. Using every ounce of energy in their bodies, the JMU girls pushed it out to the bitter end until the whistle blew after 30 minutes. And as the JMU side celebrated with hugs and chants there was no denying by spectators or the opposition that this was a team deserving and worthy of the 2012 division 1 victory. Nathan Derry manager of the team told Liverpool Life on Sunday: “So proud of each and every one of the girls for their effort and commitment shown today! Just goes to show what we can achieve”. The two teams will meet again in March at the annual British Championships, and as JMU aim to make the season a double winner, Uni Of will also be fighting to retain their current title.

LIVERPOOL LIFE

1. Luis Suarez (vs Norwich City – 28/4/12) 2. Steven Pienaar (vs Aston Villa – 25/8/12) 3. Sebastian Coates (vs QPR – 21/3/12) 4. Leon Osman (vs Sunderland – 9/4/12) 5. Tim Cahill (vs Fulham – 28/4/12) Rory Kelly JMU Journalism

Picture: Eivind Haugstad Kleiven

Life/Sport/10

Chilean Blues earn top ﬂight promotion

By Adam Davies

While Everton lie in ﬁfth position in the Barclays premier league, there was much better news for their Chilean counterparts, who gained promotion back to the top ﬂight league in their country last weekend. Everton de Viña del Mar, who were founded in 1909 by a group of Anglo-Chilean teenagers are one of the most successful teams Chile and after being relegated two seasons ago, fought their way back to the top

division with a 4-1 aggregate win against University de Concepción on Sunday. The South American club inherited their name from Everton F.C. in Liverpool when the club, along with London club Tottenham Hotspur were invited to play a series of exhibition games against teams from Argentina and Uruguay in 1909. This meant having to undertake a three week ship voyage, stopping off at Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro amongst other places just to get there. News of the games spread and a group of teenagers founded their own

club and named it after Everton. The club however, is nicknamed “el ruleteros”, which translates as the roulettes, by their fans. This is because Viña del Mar is a famous gambling resort in Chile. The link between the two Everton clubs has become stronger over the past few years, which culminated in a historic match branded ‘the brotherhood cup’ between the two in 2010 at Goodison Park. Everton F.C. ran out 2-0 winners of the game, with goals from Jermaine Beckford and Russian midﬁelder Diniyar Bilyaletdinov. However, the result was overshad-

owed by the occasion itself as the link, which is over a century old, set a precedent for possible further relations between the two teams. As well as this, a group of Everton F.C. supporters have been trying over the past few years to further extend the links by travelling to Chile, to meet up with their namesakes and to watch a game or two at their home ground, Estadio Sausalito. In 2011, a memorial was unveiled at Goodison Park in remembrance of the members of both football clubs who fought and lost their lives in World War Two.

Both Everton de Viña del Mar and Everton F.C. are no strangers to domestic success. Everton F.C. has won the English domestic league title on no fewer than 9 times, the most recent being in the 1986-1987 season. Everton Chile has won their ﬁrst division title on four occasions with the last title being delivered more recently in 2008. Everton de Viña del Mar is the sixth most successful club in Chile and its biggest rivals are called Santiago Wanderers. Everton have won this ﬁxture more than they have lost, winning 55 times and losing 45 times.

Balague promotes new book in the city he started career By Ryan McCann

Sky Sports pundit and The Times journalist Guillem Balague told JMU Journalism that Liverpool fans and the club’s board must be patient with new boss Brendan Rodgers. Rodgers has experienced a disappointing start to his Anﬁeld career as Liverpool ﬁnd themselves in the bottom half of the league table, a massive 17 points behind league leaders Manchester United. The esteemed Spanish journalist, who studied at University of Liverpool and began his journalism career in Liverpool, was back in the city to promote his new book on former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola. After the event, Balague told JMU journalism how Liverpool fans must be willing to give new boss Rodgers time for his footballing philosophy to come to fruition: “Well he has just arrived and people are already talking about him as if he has been there a long time, which tells you a lot about the modern fan. You know, they just want instant success.

“This guy is trying to do something in Liverpool that hasn’t been done in a long time after years of confusion, so give him time.” Despite Rodgers’ tender age, Balague believes the former Swansea boss has all the right attributes to be

“If anything, what we have learned from either the Rafa or Hodgson era is that it depends on what money you have got.”

successful at Liverpool: ”The guy has been in Spain to learn his trade and he has worked very hard to learn his trade over the last few years. He has been given an opportunity, which perhaps his CV

didn’t suggest was the next thing for him, but obviously, given that chance you have to take it. “Their current form is showing signs of a team that is just being built.” Balague went on to discuss Liverpool’s short-term future, telling JMU Journalism: “Who knows what will happen this season? But there is this impression that everything that happens in a club is because a manager got it right or made a wrong decision at one time. “If anything, what we have learned from either the Rafa or Hodgson era is that it depends on what money you have got. And then, if you have little money, what you have to do is get the big decisions right. It’s very difﬁcult. Because you have to get the right players with the money that is made available to you. “I think what everybody has to do, regarding the Brendan Rodgers thing, and what is important for him, is to have an idea or vision and just follow that path. Just become one club with a shared philosophy. And we aren’t seeing that yet. I haven’t seen that anyway.”

Impressed: JMU student Ryan McCann meets Guillem Balague

LJMU helps young athletes by Joshua Nevett

JLMU have announced a unique partnership with ST Helens AC which will see postgraduate and master students from the university compete for sports orientated placements. During placements, LJMU students from the Faculty of Education, Community and Leisure and Faculty of Science will aim to improve the performance, long term development and general wellbeing of athletes as young as eight years old. This lucrative partnership will give third year students ﬁrst-hand experience of working with athletes of all ages and will be used as part of their ﬁnal assessments. The Centre for Sport, Dance and Outdoor Education and the School clubs. Colin Sparks, Chairman of St Helens Sutton AC said: “The partnership of Sport and Exercise Sciences hopes that this partnership will spur a long a fruitful relationship between the with LJMU raises the bar in terms of what we offer members. “The information, expertise and equipment that are now available to our athletes are something that previously only elite athletes had available. To be able to offer such facilities at grass roots level is something that we’re very excited about and we think that our members will really embrace the initiative.” Senior Lecturers from LJMU who have experience working with World Championship and London 2012 athletes will supervise each group of students. facilities will have access to the latest research and advice while offering students a real working environment.

Life/Sport/11

Derby defeat leaves bitter taste for Tigers by Joshua Nevett

The Mersey Tigers yet again suffered another defeat this time losing to rivals Cheshire Phoenix at the weekend in a derby showdown. The Cheshire Jets put Tony Walsh’s Tigers to the sword at Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park, comprehensively defeating them 92-65, to hand out their 12th straight defeat of the season. This continues a torrid run of results for the Tigers in their first season in the BBL Championship as they remain at the bottom of the table, with 0 points. The game lacked style and flair throughout as Phoenix looked to asset their authority under their newly acquired moniker. The Tigers defence lacked organisation without the leadership of talismanic captain, Josh McGinn who could only watch from the side-lines due to injury. Phil Brandreth broke the deadlock to give Phoenix the lead which they preserved until the final whistle.

Gabe Haskins was the figurehead of Phoenix’s attack throughout, netting an impressive total of 21pts. Tigers did not help their cause by arguing with the officials, but the absence of their skipper McGinn had detrimental effects on their performance. After the game, Phoenix head coach, Matt Lloyd said: “I think they missed McGinn tonight. He’s a great impact player who controls the tempo of the team and gets their offence and defence set up. “It was a good result for us. A good way to start under a new brand.” Top flight basketball was preserved in Cheshire last week after a local action group raised £50,000 to keep the club going. The future of the club was cast into doubt after previous owner; Haydn Cook had the Cheshire franchise taken off him, plunging the club into crisis. The Mersey Tigers now face One Health Sharks Sheffield on Friday in a crucial bottom of the table clash.

Another defeat leaves Merseysides Tigers rock Bottom. Picture copyright of hitthatswitch/ Flickr

Grand National sponsor deal ends by Joshua Killner

Gold rush for

Walkden by Joshua Nevett

World class taekwondo star, Bianca Walkden fought her way to her third successive gold medal in Paris at the weekend. The gifted 21-year-old martial arts specialist added the French Open title to her already glistening trophy cabinet as she already saw gold twice at the Swiss and Serbian Open earlier this year. Walkden brushed aside World silver medallist An Sae Bom of Korea in the semi-final to reach her third consecutive gold medal bout in a major tournament. She then eased to victory in the +67kg division against the former World and European Champion Rosana Simon in the final, waltzing to an unassailable 3-0 lead. Bianca missed the London Olympics after she suffered a career-threatening injury to her knee in the buildup to the games. Through rigorous training she recovered to surpass all of her rivals at the top level of taekwondo and claim gold for Britain. Her sights are now firmly set on another gold rush at the World Championships in Mexico in 2013. She said: ““I’ve had a tough year but I’m training hard and I feel I’m back on top. “Going into 2013 my aim is to win gold after gold. But I’d swap them all for a World Championship gold in Mexico next summer.”

FA Cup at Wembley- Picture copyright of Shelly&Dave/ Flickr

Merseyside teams learn FA Cup third round fate by Rory Kelly

With the draw having been made for the FA Cup Third Round last weekend, Liverpool will be the happiest team on Merseyside by far. All three remaining Merseyside clubs have been handed away fixtures, with Tranmere Rovers set to face the most difficult task of all. The League One leaders have been handed a tough tie as they will travel to Pride Park to face Nigel Clough’s Derby County. Ronnie Moore’s side overcame minnows Braintree Town in a televised tie in the first round, winning 3-0, before coming from behind to beat Chesterfield 2-1 on Saturday at Prenton Park. Goals from Cole Stockton and Adam McGurk ensured Tranmere’s passage to the next round, having gone behind to a Liam Cooper header. Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool side will face non-league opposition, having been drawn away to either Lincoln City or Mansfield Town in the third round. The two teams played out an enthralling 3-3 draw on Saturday, with Mansfield striker Matt Rhead nicking a last minute equaliser

to send the tie to a replay, due to be played on 12 December. The winners will be given the chance to host a large travelling support when they host the Reds in January. Everton may also face non-league opposition, as Blue Square Premier League side Hereford United played out a 1-1 draw with Cheltenham Town at Whaddon Round. Cheltenham, who currently lie in third position in League Two, will now travel to Edgar Street Athletic Ground for the replay, which will be played on 11 December. The ties will be played on 5 and 6 January. Meanwhile, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers will be hoping that his side can build some form of momentum from last weekend’s 1-0 win over Southampton, as they face Italian side Udinese in a crucial Europa League encounter this Thursday. The Reds will travel to Udine knowing that they must claim three points against the Italian side to guarantee qualiﬁcation to the next round of the competition. Currently, the Reds sit in second place in Group

A, three points behind Russian side Anzhi. Anzhi, Liverpool and third placed Young Boys can all still qualify from the group, so the Reds know they must pick up three points in Italy. Midfielder Lucas Leiva is expected to make the trip to Italy, having started Saturday’s win over Southampton. The Brazilian midfielder had been out since the start of the season, and is a welcome return for Rodgers’ side. Speaking on his return to the side, he said: “I was really looking forward to the game and the feeling against Southampton was the same as my first match for Gremio. “Everyone knows it has been a long journey for me to turn around the opinion of people but they really appreciate the work I do for the team and the passion I have for the club. It was a great day for me and I hope I have many more.” Luis Suarez is also expected to make the trip, as he is suspended for this weekend’s encounter with West Ham. Martin Kelly and Fabio Borini remain out with injury.

The Grand National is looking for new sponsors, after beer manufacturers John Smith’s decided not to renew its current deal after the 2013 meeting. The Yorkshire-based brewery has backed the Aintree festival since 2005 and is currently the biggest commercial sponsor of horse-racing in the UK, but a 10% drop in the ale market has forced the company to make significant cutbacks. Heineken, who took over John Smith’s in 2008, have already expressed a wish to explore other ways in which they can continue to be involved in the race weekend, outside headline sponsorship. Speaking on behalf of John Smith’s, brand manager Karen Crowley said: “The Grand National has been one of the jewels in our UK sponsorship crown and the decision to end the title sponsorship was difficult to make. “Working closely with the Aintree team, we’ve developed a number of innovative concepts which have helped return the race to the hearts and minds of the British public. We end our long association in the knowledge we have created a successful and significant sponsorship model that will serve Aintree and its new sponsors well in the future.”

The organisers at Aintree have had to deal with negative publicity following the deaths of two horses in each of the last two Grand Nationals. Despite this, John Baker, Regional Director for Jockey Club Racecourses North, which is responsible for running Aintree, believes the decision was made for financial reasons. He said: “It’s very much a commercial decision. Obviously it’s a lot of money to sponsor such a big event. The team at Aintree and indeed the whole of racing are indebted for the fantastic support we’ve received from Heineken and the John Smith’s team. “They have been instrumental in delivering exciting marketing initiatives and bringing the narrative of the Grand National to life. Throughout their time, through their invaluable contributions to the race meeting, we’ve seen prize money, attendances and viewing figures grow.” He added: “We are in the process of finalising our sponsorship strategy to ensure the event remains one of the crown jewels in the worldwide sporting calendar but our focus now is to ensure that in 2013 John Smith’s are given a fitting farewell to the sponsorship of the Grand National.” The 2013 John Smith’s Grand National meeting takes place at Aintree Racecourse over the first weekend in April.

Liverpool

LifeSPORT 4th December 2012

PRICE KNOCK OUT SETS UP TITLE BID Unbeaten boxer aims for world title in 2013

By Joe Barnes

David Price has successfully defended his Commonwealth and British titles – knocking out Matt Skelton in the second round – and is now aiming for the world title. Unbeaten, Price survived an early charge from Skelton to take full control of the fight going about his business strategically before picking off his Bedfordshire-born opposition, finally putting him to his knees with a vicious left hook to the body. The referee for the evening, Richard Davies, began the count but Skelton’s corner had already thrown in the towel, conceding the contest. After his victory Price, 29, explained how he dismantled Skelton: “I didn’t have time to think, he was right on me, I was shocked. “But that was never going to last, I was just going to settle into the fight before I started to get my shots off, so it didn’t really bother me.” Price’s victory has set him up with the opportunity to fight American Tony Thompson at the Echo Arena next February. Price believes a ten-week training camp will be sufficient to take him into what he believes is a world level fight and just the stepping stones onto his preferred fight in Tyson Fury, who called the Liverpudlian

Tributes paid to LFC legend Shankly’s predecessor and former Liverpool captain Phil Taylor dies aged 95 By Rosie Cameron

Tributes have been paid to former Liverpool player and manager, Phil Taylor, who died this Saturday, aged 95. Liverpool FC released a statement honouring the 1940s star following the news of his death, saying: “Taylor was one of our truly great servants and everyone at the club would like to offer their thoughts and prayers to his family at this time.” Others have been paying respects to Taylor on Twitter since Saturday, including senior producer at LFC TV, Mark Platt, who said: “Sad to hear that ex-LFC player, coach & manager Phil Taylor has passed away. He was last surviving member of 46/47 title winning team. RIP.” Times football writer Tony Barrett added to the tributes, tweeting: “Just heard that Phil Taylor, the former Liverpool player & manager and England international, has passed away. RIP.”

Taylor preceded Bill Shankly as manager between 1956 and 1959, after working his way up from half-back, to captain, to coach and eventually taking the hot seat as team boss. Liverpool FC described Taylor as “a teenage footballing prodigy” when he was signed to the club from his hometown team of Bristol Rovers in 1936.

Taylor’s Career Joined Liverpool in March 1936 Made 35 appearances as Liverpool won the 1946-47 season

“Taylor was one of our truly great servants.”

Retired in 1954 and became a member of the backroom staff

Alongside his football success, Taylor was one of the ﬁrst Liverpool players to sign up to the Territorial Army just before the start of World War II, where he served in the 9th Kings Regiment. He was also a keen cricketer,

making an appearance for Gloucestershire in 1938. Liverpool Football Club plan to pay respects to the late legend at their next home game against Aston Villa on December 15th.

Became manager in 1956

out after his 82-second demolition of Audley Harrison. Price said: “That is the only fight that makes sense at a British level, but the fight between me and Fury, when we do fight will be at a world level, it is going to be massive. “It is a fight that I am really longing for and it has to happen.” Fight promoter Frank Maloney

“By the end of 2013 David Price will be ready to fight for a world title, and win the world title.” announced in the post-fight press conference that he has awarded full marks to Price for his performance in 2012 and that he has earned a break after his busy schedule. Maloney went on to say: “He is now on the world stage, by the end of 2013 David Price will be ready to fight for a world title and win the world title. “The whole team are happy with the way 2012 has gone.”

Boxing club hosts event in memory of tragic teen By Joel Richards

A local boxing club recently gave amateurs the chance to step into the ring and raise money in memory of a teenager who died six months ago. Ellis White, 18, committed suicide at his family home in Belle Vale. No Limits boxing gym honoured the “fabulous and smiling” youngster who appeared to have a bright future ahead of him. Funds raised from the event last Sunday will raise money towards the Ellis White Foundation. The foundation, set up by Ellis’ father Mark, also aims to go into schools and talk about the possibilities that teenagers do get depressed. Speaking to JMU Journalism, trainer Daniel Withington admitted suicide and depression is not an easy subject to talk about but believes it’s something that ‘needs to be approached from a young age’.