Spring Activities

ALL SESSIONS REQUIRE PRE-BOOKING SO GET YOUR TICKETS AT portsunlightvillage.com/whats-on/

If you have any access requirements or questions, contact our community engagement officer, Claire, on 07592 035 923 or at c.bates@portsunlightvillage.com

£ - see website for prices | * - pay what you can afford

Spring walk and talk, with nature art and a mindfulness session

It’s the first day of spring, so pop your boots on and join us for an uplifting walk. The walk is short and includes a nature art activity and a guided meditation.

Monday 20th March, 10.30am-12.30pm from the Church Hall *

Make your own herb butter

Learn how to create your own tasty herb butters in this short workshop. You will need to bring your own chopping board, kitchen knife and apron.

Tuesday 11th April, 10.30-11.30am at the Church Hall £

Reduce plastic - make your own wax food wraps

Keep your food fresh and reduce plastic waste with a great alternative to cling film. In this workshop you will create your own bees’ wax food wrap to take away and use.

Friday 21st April, 1-2pm at the Church Hall £

Curator talk by James Hayes: Port Sunlight’s allotments

This free talk by PSVT’s James Hayes will reveal the little-known history of Port Sunlight’s community allotments.

Tuesday 25th April, 5.30-6.30pm at the Church Hall £

Reduce food waste - save the seeds!

Want to reduce your carbon footprint? Try growing some of your own fruit and veg. Learn how to make your own newspaper plant pots, before being shown how to save and sow seeds from fruit and veg found in your own kitchen.

Saturday 29th April, 10-11.30am at the Community Allotment £

Change what you eat - grow your own Bring along an old ice cream tub, soup container or yogurt pot and we’ll show you how they can be used to grow salad on your own windowsill!

Wednesday 17th May, 6-7pm at the Community Allotment £

Mindfulness in nature - Port Sunlight to the River Park

Join us for a gentle walk to the River Park and back – it will take at least an hour. All abilities welcome.

Thursday 25th May, 10.30am-12 noon, meet outside the Church Hall £

Herbs and their uses - create your own herb planter

Tuesday 13th June, 6-7pm at the Community Allotment £

Nature art

Thursday 22nd June, 11am-12 noon at The Dell £

The Community Allotment needs you!

If the lengthening days have got you thinking about doing a bit of gardening why not consider joining the Port Sunlight Community Allotment? This jolly band of gardeners meets every Monday from April until October (except bank holidays) at 10.30am-12.30pm at the allotment behind Corniche Road.

Monday 27th March marks their first session back on the allotment after winter, during which they’ll hand out free seeds for you to grow at home. You’ll also be able to see what they get up to and can decide if allotmenteering for you. No gardening experience is needed - just enthusiasm and a pair of gardening gloves!

Sunlighter Of The Year Awards

Nominations are open for you to recognise people you feel have made outstanding contributions to the village through volunteering. There are two awards: the Maggie Sparks Sunlighter of the Year Award recognises the achievement of an individual while the Team Award recognises the contribution of a group. This could be anything from a family to an organisation. The deadline for nominations is 31st March 2023.

Details and nomination forms can be found at portsunlightresidents.com. You can also contact Charlie Dean at volunteering@portsunlightvillage.com or drop into the Church Hall at 9am-12 noon on Tuesdays for a chat.

Port Sunlight Tennis Club

Port Sunlight Tennis Club has announced a new partnership with Padel United and the addition of some great new sports facilities in the area. First up is the installation of five outdoor Padel courts (a form of tennis played on smaller, walled courts). Then the club will begin working with Wirral Council to create an indoor Padel venue which will boast a 10m+ ceiling and a show court with space for top level matches.

The outdoor courts will hopefully open in May. In the meantime, details and free access to the courts can be found here padeluniteduk.com/calling-all-tennisclubs-players-in-the-wirral-area/

The Port Sunlight Ice Breakers

Are you looking for day trips, group meals, fun, friendship, charity fundraising and laughter? Then why not join the Port Sunlight Ice Breakers? This group of lively men and women of all ages meets 11am-1pm every Tuesday in the Bridge Inn. If you are interested then email Barbara at greatbarb@live.co.uk or pop along to the Bridge Inn any Tuesday - you are guaranteed a warm welcome.

Port Sunlight Players

The Players’ long-awaited Centenary Show takes to The Gladstone Theatre stage on Friday 31st March and Saturday 1st April at 7.30pm. It is a showcase of popular songs from 100 years of Port Sunlight Players’ productions, with something for everyone. Tickets from The Gladstone Theatre at gladstonetheatre.org.uk or 0151 643 8757

And if you fancy treading the boards yourself - maybe in the Players’ forthcoming Dolly Parton musical, 9 to 5 - why not audition? Dates and details on their website. portsunlightplayers.co.uk

River Of Remembrance

Can you knit, crochet or sew? Debbie Stott from Christ Church and PSVT’s Claire Bates are looking for help in creating a community textile installation to commemorate fallen soldiers this November. They are appealing to local groups, clubs and schools to take part in making thousands of poppies and will be running fortnightly open workshops from April 4th at 12 noon-2pm at the Church Hall. For details email c.bates@portsunlightvillage.com or call 07592 035 923.

Dates for your 2023 diary

Wirral History Fair

Saturday 25th March, 10am-4pm Wirral History and Heritage Association brings the Wirral History Fair to Hulme Hall. Join more than 70 stallholders to discover historical societies, family history, new and second-hand books, and much more. Admission is free.

Easter trail

Friday 7th and Saturday 8th April, 10am-4pm

Join us on an Easter-themed trail to help Little Bo Peep find her sheep and claim a chocolate Easter egg reward. Take part in spring family activities on the Museum Green too.

Soap-making workshops

Saturday 15th April

Take part in fun soap-making workshops using botanicals and flowers inspired by the opening of the Flower Fairies exhibition at Lady Lever Art Gallery. Suitable for adults and children.

Pre-booking is essential via portsunlightvillage.com/whats-on/

Spring entertainment at The Gladstone Theatre

Book tickets for all of these events via The Gladstone Theatre Box Office on 0151 643 8757 or gladstonetheatre.org.uk

Easter Fun At The Gladstone Theatre

Friday 14th – Sunday 16th April

Coronation Community Event

Sunday 7th May

Come together for a fun-filled community event to mark the coronation of HRH King Charles III. It will all be in a spirit of sustainability and the environment, causes close to the new monarch’s heart. Details soon via our website and social media.

May half term

Monday 29th May – Friday 2nd June

Keep the little ones busy with family-friendly activities. Details soon via our website and social media.

Port Sunlight Road Race

Sunday 11th June

Runners from far and wide will soon take to one of the most picturesque running events in Britain. Follow the 5k, 10k or 15k routes through Port Sunlight’s leafy streets, or maybe the special 1k Fun Run for budding athletes of all ages.

To enter visit portsunlightvillage.com/whats-on

Look out for details of the route and road closures in the next edition of the Gazette.

Fancy getting involved as a volunteer during the Road Race? Register your interest by email: volunteering@portsunlightvillage.com

Leverhulme Hotel

The Grade II listed building, now the Leverhulme Hotel, celebrated its 115th birthday in November. The hotel was originally the Port Sunlight Cottage Hospital, built by Lord Leverhulme for his workforce and their dependents and opened by his wife in 1907. When opened, the hospital had an outpatients’ section, operating theatre, morgue and washhouse.

By providing free healthcare to his workers, Lever was following in the footsteps of William Wilson, a Wirral factory owner who had built a village for his workers in Bromborough Pool. Wilson understood that it made good business sense for workers to have sanitary living conditions, making for productive and reliable workpeople.

Summer open-air theatre

13th & 16th August

Join Folksy Theatre for its annual summer visit to Port Sunlight and enjoy open-air performances of The Ugly Duckling on Sunday 13th August at 2pm and The Merry Wives of Windsor on Wednesday 16th August at 7pm. Book at portsunlightvillage.com/whats-on/

Looking for something fun to do with the children this Easter half term? Why not join Alice as she takes you on a magical wander through Wonderland! Features pop songs, puppets and magic illusions.

THE COUNTERFEIT SEVENTIES

Friday 19th May

It’s time to get your glad rags on and boogie on down for a nostalgic trip back to the 70s. Expect hits from The Bay City Rollers, Slade, T.Rex and many more!

TWICE NIGHTLY

Saturday 20th May

It’s 1931 and Don and Madge are living the sweet life… until things turn sour and a night they can’t remember finds them in hot water! Celebrating the golden years of theatre, this homemade comedy will leave you wanting more.

THE KILKENNYS

Sunday 21st May

They’re one of the finest folk groups in the world and boast an array of instrumentation - including mandolin, whistle, guitar, bass and uilleann pipes – and an infectious energy!

THE GIANT’S LOO ROLL

Saturday 27th May

Oh Fe Fi Fo and Fe Fi Fum! Now what shall I do to wipe my Bumpety! Bumpety! Bumpety Bump! The villagers living in the town below the Giant’s house had better watch out - that loo roll has gone bouncing down the hill and straight towards them! Luckily, they find lots of uses for runaway toilet paper...

Welcome to Christ Church

HOLY WEEK AND EASTER SERVICES AT CHRIST CHURCH

Palm Sunday 2nd April at 10.30am

Maundy Thursday 6th April at 7pm

Good Friday 7th April at 10.30am

Easter Sunday 9th April at 10:30am

CORNISH CREAM TEAS

Our Bank Holiday Cream Teas are returning, starting on Easter Monday 10th April at 1-4pm. Join us for freshly made scones in the relaxed surroundings of Christ Church.

CHURCH STEWARDING

Christ Church is opening its doors to visitors from 3rd April to 29th September. Church Opening Stewards provide a warm welcome and valuable service for all our visitors - answering questions about the building, its founder and the United Reformed Church. If you can spare a little time and enjoy meeting people, consider joining the stewarding team. For more information contact the Minister, Val Young or any of the Elders.

BELL RINGING

Have you ever fancied trying bell ringing? Why not join one of our groups? Hand Bell Ringers practice 7:15pm every Tuesday in the church - contact John Lindsay - while the Tower Bell Ringers practice on Wednesday at 7.30pm in the bell tower. Speak to Sue Frowe or George Phillips.

Flower Fairies at Lady Lever Art Gallery

Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of illustrations from the Flower Fairies books by Cicely Mary Barker. To mark the centenary of Barker’s first book, Flower Fairies of the Spring, this exhibition features around 45 exquisite and botanically-accurate original illustrations, with digital projections and costumes inspired by the fairies. Explore the inspirations behind Barker’s paintings, as well as the flora and fauna featured in the work, through National Museum Liverpool’s botanical collections.

Flower Fairies is open 15th April until 5th November. Tickets are free, with a suggested donation. Visit liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/ flowerfairies

With the creation of the National Health Service in 1948, the hospital closed and the building was used as a Unilever training centre before becoming a nursing home. Following the home’s closure in 1998 the building lay empty until the present owners bought it in 2008 and restored it to its original iconic beauty.

For more on the fascinating history of Leverhulme Hotel why not book on one of the hotel’s guided history tours with refreshments?

To make your reservation call 0151 644 6655.