Antony Morris Memorial Cup Game at Widnes - 8th January 2017

There’s an early New Year opportunity for sports fans to enjoy an entertaining evening out and support two very good causes as the annual Antony Morris Memorial cup ice hockey game is staged at the Silver Blades ice rink in Widnes on Sunday 8^th January 2017.

Antony (pictured left) was a recreational player with the Widnes Wildcats and he died after a fall on a night out in Liverpool in November 2015 aged just 29.

The game will be played between the two Widnes senior recreational teams, the Widnes Wildcats and the Riverside Raiders, and funds raised on the night will be split between the Ronald McDonald House charity which enables families to remain close by while their children are in hospital and the Cathie Stankevitch Foundation social inclusion charity. 

Admission to the event is free and face off is at 5.30pm.

There will be collection buckets on the door and a raffle. Other fundraising measures will be announced in due course and anybody interested in attending, donating a raffle prize or otherwise supporting the event can find out more information via the “Riverside Raiders (IHC) Widnes” or “Widnes Wildcats” groups on Facebook.

Ice Hockey Review 2016 NIHL Yearbook Available Now!

 

The new 2016 edition of the Ice Hockey Review NIHL Yearbook is now available to purchase!

This year's edition contains a huge, record breaking, 200 pages with lots of great colour photos throughout and is available at the same price as last year of just £8.50 with free UK p&p

The 2016 NIHL Yearbook features team by team and league by league reports and statistics of all teams that competed in NIHL North Moralee & Laidler Conferences, NIHL South Division 1 and NIHL South Division 2 East and West Conferences, with team photos as available and lots of great action photos.

There is also a selection of fascinating interviews and features.

NEW LATE ADDITION - WOMENS HOCKEY!

This new edition also has brief details of Women’s
Elite League, Women’s Premier League and National League 1 North & South
regular season and playoff competitions, with colour photos of the winning
teams at each level and some of the leading players.

For more details - or for overseas orders - visit the website at www.icehockeyreview.co.uk

 

Booths Supermarket Burscough Lancashire commemorating WW2 Fleet Air Arm Naval Base 'HMS Ringtail'

Hats off to Booths Supermarkets! Their stores are wonderful but the store in Burscough, Lancashire (near Ormskirk, between Preston and Liverpool) is truly amazing because it has been specially constructed to commemorate a Second World War Royal Naval Air Station – H.M.S. Ringtail.   The Fleet Air Arm air field was commissioned on 1^st September 1943 and had four runways, a three-storey control tower, 34 hangars and Nissen huts to accommodate personnel.

The last flying unit left Burscough in 1946 and the Royal Navy gave up the Station in 1957. The area reverted to agricultural use until 2014 when work began on a new retail park which is called Ringtail Retail Park to commemorate the WW2 use.  

Booths, a supermarket chain which is family-run and situated in the north west of the UK, had their flagship in Burscough store specially designed and built to resemble a WW2 Hangar.  The delightful café in the store has an HMS Ringtail theme with large photographs on the walls of the RN personnel at work during WW2.  A monument placed on the site in 2004 has been moved to a new location in a specially commissioned memorial garden outside the café.  This has been enhanced by the addition of a full-sized bronze sculpture of a Second World War Royal Naval Fleet Air Arm pilot and this was re-dedicated in a ceremony in October 2015.

Lawrence Critchley, a local historian who we were fortunate to meet on our last visit to the store, has produced information leaflets about the venture which are available in the café.  Lawrence has also set up a website www.hms-ringtail.org.uk and organised a Facebook Group – HMS Ringtail, RNAS Bursough https://www.facebook.com/groups/163580260324697/

Booths’ Burscough store also has collection boxes for the Navy Wings Supporters Club initiative, set up to keep the memory of Britain’s historic naval aircraft – see www.navywings.org.uk 

For more information about the Booths Store in Burscough – well worth going out of your way to visit – see http://www.booths.co.uk/store/burscough/

Booths Supermarkets Ltd.

Unit 1
Ringtail Retail Park
Burscough
Ormskirk
Lancashire
L40 8AD (for Sat Nav Please Use L40 7SS)

 

Well done Booths!

Photo:  Paul Breeze

Liverpool's Wild(e) Poet Richard Le Gallienne Exhibition at Liverpool Central Library - New Interview

At the exhibition opening are (l-r) Councillor Jeremy Wolfson,
Councillor Wendy Simon, Mark Samuels Lasner,
Head Librarian David Stoker, Margaret Stetz (Photo by Liverpool Express)

We were lucky enough to be invited to the opening a fascinating exhibition at Liverpool Central Library about Merseyside writer and poet Richard Le Gallienne.

Timed specially to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the birth of Richard Le Gallienne in West Derby, Liverpool, the exhibition has been co-curated by Dr. Margaret Stetz, who is Mae and Robert Carter Professor of Women's Studies and Professor of Humanities at the University of Delaware, and Mark Samuels Lasner, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Delaware Library.  

Running until 31st October 2016, the exhibition in the Hornby Library of Liverpool Central Library, has on display some rare items highlighting the life-long connection of Richard Le Gallienne to Oscar Wilde.  Drawing on original photographs, drawings, manuscripts, unpublished letters, Victorian magazines and first editions here you will find Richard's story as he goes from Merseyside to America via London.   Taken from private and public collections and local institutions such as the Liverpool Record Office, the material on show demonstrates the importance of Richard Le Gallienne in the literary scene of the late Victorian era.  The setting of the magnificent Hornby Library in Liverpool Central Library enhances the exhibition.

For opening times, please see Liverpool Central Library website http://liverpool.gov.uk/libraries/find-a-library/central-library/

You can hear what Lucy had to say about Richard Le Gallienne and the exhibition clicking on the sound file below:




Photo Courtesy of www.liverpoolexpress.co.uk

Charity Ice Hockey Match At Deeside In Memory of Bob Kenyon - 26th June 2016

A very special charity match will be played at Deeside ice rink on Sunday 26^th June in aid of two very worth causes.  The Bob Kenyon Memorial Shield game will feature former players from the Blackpool Seagulls, Deeside Dragons, Altrincham Aces, Liverpool Leopards and Blackburn Hawks in a match to celebrate the life of the former Seagulls stalwart who died recently.

Bob Kenyon was a player for the Blackpool Seagulls from the 1960s and took over as manager in 1970, and was one of the driving forces behind the forming of the new Southern League. He won the Southern League coach of the year award on two occasions and led the Seagulls to two English League North titles in 80/81 and 81/2.

Bob was instrumental in orchestrating the Seagulls’ campaigns in the Heineken League period and only stepped down in 1988 when the owners of the Pleasure Beach arena cut the team’s funding, forcing them to drop out of import hockey.  Kenyon’s influence continued, however, as the Seagulls carried on playing in the English Leagues until 1993 when the team moved to Blackburn. Even now, the Kenyon legacy continues as new generations of players and coaches around the North West benefit from those who had his coaching and support.     

The event is being organised by Bob’s son Darryl Kenyon who played in goal for the Seagulls and whose own daughter Jennifer is herself a promising junior netminder.           

The match faces off at 4pm and admission is £2 per adult with under-12s admitted free.  There will also be a bucket collection and raffle – any prizes will be gratefully received.

A full list of the players who will be turning out in memory of Bob Kenyon will be issued nearer the time. 
All proceeds will be split between the Christie Hospital in Manchester and Trinity Hospice in Blackpool, who both took care of Bob during his illness. 

Restaurant Review - Give Kitchen, Liverpool L3 4BQ

Sadly the restaurant closed down after just three months.  It will be greatly missed as it was a wonderful idea.

After a wonderful visit to the Wilfred Owen Story Museum in Argyle Street, Birkenhead, Wirral, we went to Liverpool’s amazing Watefront to find Give Kitchen for some lunch.  I’ve been following Give Kitchen on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/GIVEKitchen/?fref=tsand it is such a brilliant idea.  Their menu is full of the most delicious Vegan food imaginable and it is freshly cooked to order and so beautifully presented you almost don’t want to eat it.   We had Thai Green Curry of Aubergines, Peppers and Courgettes with rice and Falafael Wrap.  We also had some Sweet Potato chips which were delicious too. The portions were huge but we just had to try one of the deserts – Coconut Panna Cotta - and that was gorgeous.

There is also a shop selling organic and vegan products and Give Kitchen’s promise is to help homeless people every time you purchase something from them.   Definitely worth the trip and Liverpool is a vibrant city with loads to see and do.

Give Kitchen

Unit 5, Glacier Building, Harrington Road, Brunswick Dock, Liverpool L3 4BQ

https://givekitchen.com/give-eatery

 

Table Fundraiser, New Brighton, Wirral Sunday 3rd April 2016 in aid of Betty's Silver Linings community charity

We first found out about Betty's Silver Linings, the not-for profit, family-run company that helps Wirral-based communities, through seeing one of their vans.   Checking out the Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/BettysSilverLiningsLtd/ brought us closer to finding out what the company actually does. 

Then, yesterday, we had the chance to visit one of their charity shops (the one at 14 King Street, Wallasey, CH45 8EU - there's another one on Seabank Road, Wallasey) and it is absolutely fantastic.  They help all sorts of local people in need.    This is definitely a cause to support as they support a great many local charities.


On Sunday, 3rd April 2016 Betty's Silver Linings are holding a Table Fund Raiser (think 'Car Boot Sale') in Victoria Road, New Brighton so if you have the chance why not go along and support them and pick up a bargain.

Starts 9 a.m. - The Corner Pub, on the corner of Rowson Street and Victoria Road, New Brighton, CH45 2JF. To find out more, call 07490253230.

While you are in New Brighton, why not check out some of the amazing restaurants, cafes and tea rooms and finish up with an ice cream at Caffe Cream on the Promenade. 

Blackpool Jazz and Blues Festival 9 - 10th April 2016 - FREE

Stephen Pierre the wonderful entertainer from London who has done so much for the music scene in Blackpool is organising Blackpool's Jazz and Blues Festival 2016.  This will be held at the Winter Gardens from 9th - 10th April 2016 and entry is free.

For further details check out the website www.blackpooljazznbluesfestival.com

New Book: The Ice That Melted - The Autobiography of Marc Twaite (ice hockey, fishing, etc ...)

The Ice That Melted is the autobiography of Marc Twaite, the well known International Ice Hockey player and specialist big Carp angler which is to be shortly published by The Little Egret Press.

The first few chapters tell the story of Marc’s earliest angling adventures as well as his rise through the ice hockey ranks, culminating in his success as a professional player and his pride in reaching the pinnacle of professional sports by being selected to play internationally. It also details with brutal honesty the catastrophic injury which curtailed his ice hockey career, and the devastating effect that this had upon Marc’s life and well being, which he describes with his own powerful and poignant words.

The main body of this book details Marc’s carp fishing career, describing first hand the way in which Marc channelled his drive, determination and commitment from ice hockey into being a successful angler in the highly competitive world of big carp fishing. Chapter after chapter details Marc’s extraordinary angling skills and his ability to consistently catch big fish from many of the most iconic waters in the country, which are often under intense pressure from many other anglers. The book is full of full colour photographs of many of the largest and most sought after carp in the UK, with many of the photographs from his own private collection having never been seen before.

Marc is very honest about the fact that carp fishing saved him from the depression which followed the end of his ice hockey career and his story is an inspirational tale of overcoming adversity to find success within another endeavour. It is ultimately a triumph of human spirit and a fantastic read, with Marc’s positive attitude to life in general shining through on every page.

The book itself comprises more than 170,000 words and a multitude of full colour photographs. It is available in the following formats:

Limited edition hardback of only 500 Copies @ £29.95
Special edition hardback of only 25 Copies @£49.00
Luxury Leather Bound edition of only 10 Copies @ £195.00

Each format is available to pre order now at www.l-e-p.com  with the official release expected in April 2016.

Widnes Women's Ice Hockey Team Home Fixtures

The Widnes Wild women’s ice hockey team are competing in the EIHA Women’s Premier League for the first time, having won promotion last season, and would appreciate your support at their forthcoming home games at the Silver Blades Rink in Widnes (WA8 0GY).

They have already played 3 WPL games away this season so far winning two of them – beating Slough Phantoms 3-4 and Streatham Storm 1-3 and then narrowly losing to league leaders Swindon Topcats 1-0.

The Widnes womens’ home games are as follows:

Sunday 21^st February v Milton Keynes Falcons – 5.30pm
Sunday 28^th February v Slough Phantoms – 5.30pm
Saturday 5th March v Streatham Storm – 4.30pm
Saturday 26^th March v   Swindon Topcats - 4.30pm
Sunday 10^th April v Chelmsford Cobras – 7.30pm
Sunday 8^th May v Whitley Squaws – 5.30pm
Sunday 15th May v Nottingham Vipers – 5.30pm

Admission is free to all games.

You can follow the Widnes Wild Women’s Ice Hockey team on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/WidnesWildWomen

Mikron Theatre Company announce 'Canary Girls' a play about WW1 women munitions workers - April 2016

Those wonderful people The Mikron Theatre who tour in Narrow Boats on the Canals of Britain, are touring with a show about two sisters who become munitions workers in the First World War. 

 ‘Canary Girls’ is the title reflecting the nick-name given to the munitions workers of WW1 because the chemicals involved in the making of the ammunition turned their skin yellow.    Written by Laurence Peacock with music composed by O’Howley and Tidlow, designer Kate Morton, directed by Marianne McNamara, the show promises to be fantastic.  Performances begin on 23^rd April at Marsden Royal British Legion at 7.30 p.m.

For details see http://www.mikron.org.uk/shows

Talk on the life and work of Eleanor Rathbone - Liverpool's 'unsung heroine' - 14th January 2016, St. George's Hall, 5 pm

Eleanor Rathbone (1872 – 1946) – British campaigner and feminist

Susan Cohen will be giving a free talk about the life and work of Liverpool’s unsung heroine Eleanor Rathbone at St. George’s Hall in Liverpool – opposite Lime Street Station on Thursday, 14^th January 2016 at 5 pm.   Entre free.  If you plan to attend this, you may just be in time to catch Liverpool's poignant 'Weeping Window' WW1 commemoration at St. George's Hall, which uses ceramic poppies from last year's display at the Tower of London.

Further details from https://rememberingeleanorrathbone.wordpress.com/events

From early January until March 2016 there will be an exhibition about the life and work of Liverpool’s Eleanor Rathbone at Liverpool Central Library, William Brown Street, Liverpool L3 8EW entitled ‘The Making of Women The Life and Campaigns of Eleanor Rathbone’.

And an exhibition about the life and work of Eleanor Rathbone will also run at the University of Liverpool Library from 8^thJanuary until 11^th April 2016.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Rathbone