Newsletter issue 37 november 2013 colour

The Newsletter for your Community Issue 37: November 2013 See our website www.newferryonline.org.uk

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS TO SHINE AGAIN Following the success of the Classic Vehicle Day at the end of August which brought many people into the district centre, we have managed to secure funding from New Ferry’s Portas Pilot money to repair and install our Christmas lights.

Thanks to a small team of local volunteers who have each spent several days painstakingly replacing over 200 metres of rope lightbulbs, the lights (not seen since January 2010) will hopefully be up from early December. The team, who all now have very sore fingers, includes Stewart Finch, John Blainey, Anita Hassinen, Andrew Booth, Ashley White, Mark Anthony Craig; and Margaret Price at the Village Hall who kept them fortified with cheese on toast!

10% DISCOUNT DAY IN NEW FERRY DISTRICT CENTRE – SATURDAY 7th DECEMBER New Ferry’s shops and businesses are staffed by local people who want to offer a quality service equal or better than what you can find further afield at the larger supermarkets. Did you know that if you are prepared to take a look, you can buy so much in New Ferry at prices that will astonish you whilst getting your hair and nails done?

In order to encourage you to come and have a look at what YOUR LOCAL SHOPS AND BUSINESSES have and do, several of them have agreed to a special one-off event on Saturday 7th December where they will offer a discount of up to 10%. Only traders who can afford to take part will do this – and on the day they will display a yellow poster in their window to tell you they are taking part. Therefore, please respect those businesses who cannot take part and don’t hassle them. (Traders who need a yellow poster please ask Karen in Fresh Naturally).

In addition, the Bebington Sovereign Majorettes and others will be performing in the shopping precinct from midday, along with other attractions that will be announced nearer the day itself.

We also understand that Father Christmas will be paying New Ferry a visit – you can bring your children to meet him from 11am until 3pm inside the Co-op.

Published by New Ferry Residents Association, c/o New Ferry Village Hall, Longfellow Drive, New Ferry, Wirral, Merseyside CH62 5JS. Printed by Graphitek Ltd, 32-36 Carrock Road , Croft Business Park, Bromborough, Wirral CH62 3RA

NeFRA Newsletter: Issue 37, November 2013 – Page 2

INTERNET CAFE OPENS AT T-BAGS

USEFUL INFORMATION & NOTICES:

Wirral Farmers’ Market Dates The next markets will be held on: th Saturday 14 December 2013 (XMAS SPECIAL) th Saturday 11 January 2014 th Saturday 8 February 2014 Find out more at www.wirralfarmersmarket.org.uk

Bebington Youth Club

Since re-opening in the summer, T-Bags Cafe on Bebington Road has added a new attraction: to the rear of the premises you can now go online on the internet. Even if your computer skills may be non-existent, the proprietor will even show you how to surf the web – and it’s a lot easier than you may think!

Ideal for researching those things you have always wanted to.

WIRRAL COUNCIL SEEKING YOUR VIEWS ON BUDGET OPTIONS Councils across the country are facing major financial challenges. The Government is continuing to reduce the amount of money Councils are able to spend on services.

For the next financial year, Wirral Council needs to make savings of £27.5 million. The Chief Executive has published a series of options for how that money could be saved and now wants to know your opinion by Friday 6th December 2013.

You can find the budget options and comment on them on the Council’s website www.wirral.gov.uk However, if you prefer to write your comments on a paper copy, there is a limited number of printed booklets available at New Ferry Village Hall. Call in to get a free copy which you can then comment on and post back to the Council by the 6th December deadline.

GRANTS FROM £20 to £500 AVAILABLE FOR PROJECTS THAT WILL IMPROVE YOUR LOCAL ENVIRONMENT

Wirral will host the Open Championship in 2014. This is an exciting opportunity to allow the world to see what Wirral has to offer. With your grant you could: tidy up a play area / plant trees and baskets / renovate a pond / set up an incredible edible project / prune trees and hedges / paint fences / arrange a litter pick. The list is endless and up to your imagination.

Apply now at wirral.gov.uk/lovewirral

Bebington Youth Club offers a great opportunity for young people to get together and have fun, in a warm and friendly atmosphere with fully qualified youth workers. Please come along and see what is on offer and talk to the friendly staff. There are lots of activities such as Pool, Indoor Football, Table Tennis, Film nights, Music Room, Wii & X Box. Suggestions for any other activities are welcome.

Please feel free to visit the club. We are open Mondays, Wednesdays & Thursdays 7-10pm. The age range is for young people who are in Secondary school.

RECORD BEATING YEAR FOR BUTTERFLY PARK New Ferry Butterfly Park attracted nearly 2,500 visitors this year and with a sunny summer nearly 1,500 butterflies were spotted; both the best records for the park so far. The park goes from strength to strength in terms numbers of visitors, volunteers involvement and butterflies recorded.

Improvements created with help from a ‘Your Wirral’ Council Grant has increased participation at the park and improved the visitor’s experience. Artists are busy creating yet more interactive observational fun games for visitors to be involved in too.

Although it is the winter season now, much work goes on to improve habitat for wildflowers and butterflies.

Recently, the Prince’s Trust Team 124 were enthusiastically involved in the park clearing out ponds, clearing back brambles, re-exposing railway ballast, and planting primroses. We thank them for their tremendous input.

There are winter workdays every second Sunday of the month until April 9.30 am till 4pm. No need to book, just turn up to lend a hand. The park is open to visitors on these work days. Contact Paul Loughnane on 645 8937 or email: jpl@liv.ac.uk Sunday 8th December - Planting a species rich hedge Sunday 12th January - keeping the hedgerows in trim and maintaining the hedges diversity Sunday 9th February - keeping the hedgerows in trim and maintaining the hedges diversity.

Sunday 9th March - Path maintenance, expanding the path width to make it more accessible for visitors in push chair or wheelchair. Plug planting of Betony, Common Sorrel and Red Campion to add colourful flowers and nectar sources to the park.

Sunday 13th April - Preparation for the May open day.

NFRAG Newsletter: Issue 37, November 2013 – Page 3

PERIOD PHOTO COLLECTION: TOLL BAR, BEBINGTON BEBINGTON ROAD/NEW ROAD/NEW CHESTER ROAD, ROAD, c1906 1906 This view is looking into Bebington Road from New Chester Road. The The building to the right, obviously built as a bank with its ornate brickwork was still operating as a bank (Nat West?) until the late 1980s but today is Shillings Bar The building to the left was relatively new when this photo th was taken. During the 19 century the toll building stood here. It had been erected when the new, long straight road (New Chester Road) had been built in the 1830s as a more superior link between Chester and the newly emerging town of Birkenhead. Anyone using the road had to pay a toll to do so, even walking their cattle and livestock to market! The new building that replaced the toll building (hence the name of the junction as “Toll Bar Crossroads”) was in use as a HSBC bank until a few years ago. Today it is occupied by Money Matters.

Matters.

The large lantern seed in front of the building stood in the middle of the road junction for many years and features in so many old photographs of this location which you can see on our website www.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO HELP DELIVER NEWSLETTERS We urgently need more people to help deliver our newsletters like this one. We print about 3 per year, and 100 newsletters can be delivered in less than half an hour.

Can you help? If you can, please fill in, then cut out this section and post it to us at our address shown below.

YES, I would like to volunteer to deliver newsletters.

NAME: ADDRESS:

EVENING CONTACT TEL: EMAIL ADDRESS:

New Ferry Residents Association consists of local residents and business people. We work together with officers from Wirral Borough Council, local councillors and our Member of Parliament in order to improve New Ferry. We are a non-political organisation.

If you have any community based problem which you think we can help you with, please contact us by writing to:

New Ferry Residents Association, c/o New Ferry Village Hall, Longfellow Drive, New Ferry, Wirral, Merseyside CH62 5JS Website: www.newferryonline.org.uk

Support your local businesses this Christmas. Come and see what we have to offer in New Ferry District Centre.

SATURDAY 7th DECEMBER 2013

*Participating businesses only. Look for the yellow posters in shop windows.

Published by New Ferry Residents Association, c/o New Ferry Village Hall, Longfellow Drive, New Ferry, Wirral, Merseyside CH62 5JS. Printed by Graphitek Ltd, 32-36 Carrock Road , Croft Business Park, Bromborough, Wirral CH62 3RA

Organised by New Ferry Residents Association together with the New Ferry Town Team Partnership