April Ryan

Halton’s Superheroes Rewarded with £500 Wellbeing Enterprises Grant Fund

If we have learnt anything at all from the past 18 months, it is that concentrating on our personal wellbeing pays real dividends to our quality of life. As community reporters in the region, we connect with individuals from all corners of our…

Southport Flower Show makes budding return in 2022 with BBC Gardener’s World’s Adam Frost

After last year’s cancellation and a tough 18 months of restrictions, the famous and fabulous Southport Flower Show is set to return in 2022, and organisers vow to ensure it is bigger and better than ever. The Southport Flower Show will take place…

A Bright Idea: Liverpool to ‘Light Up the Night’ for Cancer Research UK

The spotlight is on Merseyside residents this year, who are being urged to join an illuminating night-time walking event in aid of Cancer Research UK. Entries for Cancer Research UK’s 10K Shine Night Walk are now officially open, meaning Liverpool’s…

Talented Halewood Academy Actress Evie Kaufman Lands Debut Role On The Big Screen

A talented young actress from Hunts Cross is embarking on her screen acting debut in a drama set on the Liverpool homefront during World War Two. Halewood Academy pupil Evie Kaufman, 12, is set to take on a leading role in the upcoming film, Enemy of…

Radio Clatterbridge, one of UK’s first hospital radio stations, celebrates 70 years on air

One of the country’s oldest hospital radio stations will mark its 70th birthday tomorrow with a special day of programmes. Radio Clatterbridge began broadcasting in 1951 when members of Port Sunlight Boys Club took a record player onto the wards to…

Are vaccine passports key to eradicating COVID-19?

The UK government are considering vaccine passports. Are they the silver bullet we’ve been waiting for, or are they exclusionary? “Vaccination passports” – now there’s a phrase we never thought we would utter this time last year. Yet 12 months, three…

Suspect arrested after “unprovoked and callous attack” on New Brighton jogger

Merseyside Police has arrested a suspect after a jogger was attacked by two males with wooden planks in an “unprovoked and callous attack” along New Brighton Promenade this morning. The victim, a man in his 50s, has been jogging nearby New Brighton’s…

Wirral Emergency Food Hub provides ‘lifeline’ for vulnerable residents under third national lockdown

A local emergency food hub has teamed up with a Merseyside’s councils once again to ensure vulnerable people do not go hungry. Wirral’s Emergency Food Hub is a joint operation between Wirral Borough Council and Wirral Food Bank. Following a local…

Dovecot man in ‘serious condition’ after gunshot wounds to both legs

Police are appealing for witnesses after a Dovecot man is in a serious condition after being shot in both his legs last Sunday. Armed police discovered the victim, believed to be in his 30s, after they were called to an incident on Ashover Avenue,…

Tier three restrictions damaging Wirral dance studio

When gyms and health facilities on the Wirral were given the green light to reopen in July, the news offered a slither of hope to Feelin' Peachy, a pole dancing studio in Bromborough. Three months on, and 'tier three' coronavirus restrictions have…

Uncertain future for Wirral’s dance studios as Tier 3 lockdown looms

When gyms and health facilities on the Wirral were given the green light to reopen in July, the news offered a slither of hope to Feelin’ Peachy, a pole dancing studio in Bromborough. Three months on, and “tier three” coronavirus restrictions are due…

John Lennon ‘Imagine’ piano returns to Liverpool home in time for 80th birthday

The world-famous Steinway piano used by John Lennon to compose the song Imagine is set to go on display at the Strawberry Field exhibition this Friday. October 9th, 2020; just in time for what would have been the singer’s 80th birthday. With vivid…

Firefighter Simon’s career reaches “purr-fect end” after dramatic fire in Birkenhead

When firefighter Simon Swann, from New Brighton, joined the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service 30 years ago, he always imagined hanging up his coat one last time. Little did he realise just how purr-fect his final hour would be. Teaming up with Fire…

Meet the two Merseyside Police officers nominated for The National Bravery Awards

Two Merseyside police officers who risked their lives to save a suicidal woman have been nominated for The National Police Bravery Awards. PCs Liz Cargill and Mark Wilson, from Speke Division, were responding to reports of youths causing a…

Amazing Sydney cycling 150km for Alopecia UK

Sydney Caraher, an 11-year-old talented freestyle dancer from Upton, was just two years old when her hair started to fall out. Following an emergency operation to remove a piece of pen stuck up her nose, the little girl started losing strands of her…

Zip wire plan reaches end of the line as Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson speaks out

Plans for the installation of a controversial zip wire in the heart of Liverpool City Centre have reached the end of the line after Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson announced his opposition to the installation. Zip Work secured planning permission from…

Eiyuden Chronicle: The Suikoden ‘Spiritual Successor’ That Crashed Kickstarter

Nearly fifteen years have passed since a mainstream Suikoden title hit the UK’s shelves. Despite being heralded as one of the greatest roleplaying series of all time, Konami have shown few signs of reviving the cult-classic from the ashes, much to…

Face masks are a necessary evil in midst of the pandemic

. Rewind the clock to July 24th, 2020. After weeks of uncertainty, the UK government finally decided to make face masks mandatory in enclosed public spaces, including shops and supermarkets. A week later, they were enforceable by law. Many questioned…

Music to Manchester’s Ears After Gorilla and The Deaf Institute Are Saved From Closure

There was a welcome change of pace for Manchester’s music industry this week, after news emerged that both the Gorilla and The Deaf Institute venues will be saved from closure. Mission Mars, the organisation that runs Gorilla and The Deaf Institute,…

Theatre News: Equity Release COVID-Safe Live Performance Guidelines For Returning To Work

The theatre industry has never been more uncertain in the UK, but as lockdown gradually eases, creative union Equity have released guidance for those returning to work in the field. The new guidance, released earlier this month, runs in tandem with…