Many of you might know I’ve worked closley with Gee Walker and the Walker foundation for 3 years now. Gee Walker being the mother of the school boy Anthony Walker who was so senselessly murdered. Gee is a phenominal lady, I do believe she is our own Nelson Mandella. Me, like many others have been moved by the way she has been able to take the pain of her son’s brutal murder and turn that pain in to a positive force for change. Her daughter Dominique as well as Gee go to schools and work with children spreading their positive message against violence, bullying and racism.

Gee along with myself, the Anthony Walker Foundation and the Echo started the Anthony Walker Citizenship Award that rewards one youth every year who has been an outstanding citizen.

Tomorrow night – Gee, Chief Constable Bernard Hogan Howe, me and many others are meeting as part of the Save Our Streets campaign arranged and organised by The News Of The World.

Why are we all coming together ?- because we believe a movement is urgently needed,  a movement starting on the streets, lead by local communities to stop this ugly rise of senseless violence. Too many young lives have been cut short, too much pain has been felt by too many families. We know there is no simple solution but equally we know that by working together we could help come up with solutions.

In attendance will be families affected by voilence, community groups, action groups, politicians, accademics and those interested in change.

Together we are stronger.

Click here to see the panel in Liverpool and more information on the SAve Our Street Campaign

St Michael and All Angels Church, Pensby, celebrated in style last  Sunday. Literally 100’s of people from the local area came together to celebrate the church’s official opening and 50th Birthday. Bishop Geoff Turner lead the service and celebrations.

If you’d like to send a birthday message to the NHS click opn the link below

www.happybirthdaynhs.co.uk <http://www.happybirthdaynhs.co.uk/>

Last Thursday William Hague came to Wirral – much lauded as a great modern day political figure – and voted as the most trustworthy politician in a BBC survey – he met with local business people and local residents – answering the concerns that many had and offering Conservative solutions to many of the problems the country is facing now, from petrol price increases, tunnel toll increases, violence and pensions.

Dear Mr Brown,
  
I am 94 but I remember a quiet Sunday morning in September 1939 when my family and I listened in silence to an announcement over the radio by Mr. Neville Chamberlain.

It wasn’t a particularly inspiring speech but it sent immediate shock waves through the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

Less than one hour later, I was standing with 20 to 30 other young men outside the local army recruiting office.  It was closed, of course, but the Sergeant Major lived over the shop and responded by throwing open an upstairs window, thrusting out his head and roaring “Sod Off! The bleeding war will still be on tomorrow”.

You may well ask what we were doing there in the first instance.  The answer is really simple.  It was because that is what the people of this country have always done when faced with a threat to our freedom and independence or that of our friends and allies.

There were 7 of us in my group of school friends.  Four did not come back; one was in a P.O.W camp for nearly 5 years; one spent 15 days in an open boat adrift in the Atlantic.  I had the honour of serving with the RAF for 6 ½ eventful years.  Many proud memories – some happy, some not so happy.  Were the seven of us, together with thousands upon thousands of other men and women throughout the country, just stupid?  Were we sheep?  Had we lost the plot?  Well now, Mr B, what do you think?

These days, under your stewardship, the people and the media are deeply concerned with teenage stabbings, drug taking, binge drinking, happy slapping.  All of this unacceptable behaviour, together with overall violent crime, arises from a loss of authority, of respect and discipline and responsibility.  The old formula – stick or carrot no longer works because the stick is subject to so many mandatory restrictions and the biggest problem of all is that we all have Human Rights, including convicted criminals, murderers and terrorists. 

Just what is the current role of the police, the judiciary, teachers, parents and yes, what about you Mr P.M and your 600 odd (no pun intended) members of Parliament?  You and your slippery predecessor have voluntarily handed over the final decision on so many important issues to the bureaucrats of Brussels that ‘Great’ Britain is destined to be an off-shore region of the United Republic of Europe with less authority than a minor County Council.

The stark truth, Mr Brown, is that you are rapidly making yourself redundant and on another day in a different era you might have found yourself in the Tower facing charges which I scarcely dare to mention. 

It is not too late.  Give us our Referendum.  Whatever the result you would emerge as a man of principle and you might even win the next election.

Yours sincerely,

Mr L B Silvester

Campaign with Esther

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 For just £5 you can become part of the winning team – Team Esther

 To receive regular email updates and be part of the team sweeping Wirral then send your name, address and email address along with your cheque to Team Esther, WWCA, 24 Meols Drive, Hoylake, Wirral CH47 4AN.

Cheques payable to ‘WWCA’.

 Be part of the winning team.

This story began at the end of the summer last year. Gerry Ellis our local councillor met with concerned parents in Meols about the state of their local park. In no time at all, I was involved and together we set up the Friends of Meols Park – Roy, Mike, Carol, Alma, Yvonne, Tom, myself (duly elected as chairman) and a team of local parent got busy raising funds, holding discussions with the local council officers as to the best way forward. We held a Christmas Fair, an Easter Attic Sale and did the Coastal Walk all to raise funds and later this year we’ve an all female team doing an abseil, 2 spaces left should anyone wish to join in….. From last Sept to this June the whole community has really worked together and achieved a great deal, culminating in our park’s open day last Saturday. Over 200 kids, parents and grandparents descended on the park, playing football, having picnics, and playing on the new equipment in the park.  Meols park is once again a wonderful thriving family park.

Phase one is now completed, but we’re about to start phase two – should you wish to help, get involved or know more about the Friends of Meols Park please go to www.friendsofmeolspark.co.uk

This week I had the great honour and pleasure to be working with Archbishop Ncube of Zimbabwe an outspoken opponent of the Mugabe regime as well as Archbishop John Sentamu – straight from his 13,000 foot skydive to raise money for the families of service men and women in Afghanistan. Both spoke candidly about oppressive regimes and the help and support that not only the church could provide but individuals could too.

Planting 75 trees in Arrowe Park to Celebrate 75 years of Birkenhead Soroptimists

It was a delight to speak at the Soroptimists 75th Birthday last Saturday. Over 100 ladies and a few brave gents attended the celebrations! Asked to speak about women and their accomplishments over the past 75 years I decided, amongst other things, to read out a few quotes from the book I’ve spent the last 2 years writing and compiling, Female Firsts. As the name suggests, it’s about Female Firsts, quite a few of whom were Soroptimists and all who’d come to the fore in the last 75 years. Rose Heilbron, a local girl and Soroptimist,  became the first ever female QC, who incidentally went to my old school Belvedere and was the reason I decided to study law. Her daughter Hilary also a QC wrote a wonderful article about her mother, describing her character, attributes and the challenges she faced.  I read too from the wonderful contributions of other outstanding women; Ellen MacArthur, Beth Tweddle, Mary Pickford and Mel C, detailing who and what helped them achieve. Good friends, good social groups and a helping hand, even from a stranger, can be the difference between success and failure.  Soroptimists International are one such group that offer good friends and a helping hand, not only to high fliers but also to those in most need.

Happy Birthday Birkenhead Soroptimists – and here’s to another 75 wonderful years.

 SI set up in the late 1920’s, Birkenhead Soroptimists was one of the first to be established in 1933.

The Big Hope – the biggest event of its kind in the world, with over 5000 youth delegates from 55 countries, international key note speakers from business – Stephen Green chairman of HSBC and Bryan Sanderson ex MD of BP to world religious leaders Archbishop John Sentamu, Rev James Jones, Cardinal Murphy OConnor and Dr Jonathan Sachs to Human Right Lawyers QC Cherie Booth to fair trade experts, Harriet Lamb, executive director of the Fairtrade foundation., to name but a few of the guests who’ll be speaking over the next week.

It’s an honour for me to be working with Professor Pillay – whose vision has made this happen, Professor Bill Chambers whose drive and determination has pulled it together, John McCarthy head of marketing and the whole of the Hope University Team.

The event lasts all week thebighope@hope.ac.uk and was launched yesterday with QC Cherie Booth, Cardinal Cormac Murphy Oconnor, Baroness Cox, Gee Walker  and over 1000 people from across the globe, pictured above on the steps of the Metropolitan Cathedral Liverpool.