Liverpool Cathedral is offering one of the most unusual and original presents for this Christmas - the chance to adopt a pipe from its magnificent organ.

Liverpool Cathedral’s organ is the largest in the UK and with more than 10,000 pipes available for adoption there is plenty of choice. As a pipe adopter you get a unique certificate of adoption and your contribution is recorded in our commemorative book.

There is a range of pipes available for adoption which makes it a gift that can suit everyone’s wallet.

For a 2ft pipe and smaller the minimum donation is £2

A £4 donation will enable you to adopt a pipe of 4ft. £8 gets an 8ft pipe; 16ft pipes will be £16 and for £32 you can adopt a 32ft pipe.

You can also adopt a Bombarde Organ stop for £25 per pipe. The Tuba Magna, Trompette Militaire and the 64ft Resultant Bass are £50 per pipe.

Proceeds raised will go towards a £900,000 appeal to raise money to restore the Great Organ. 

Professor Ian Tracey, Organist Titulaire said “adopting a Cathedral Pipe must be one of the most unique presents you could hope to buy this year. It’s a novel gift which allows the adopter to have a real part in the future of this great organ”.

If anyone wishes to take advantage of the offer then they need to contact The Cathedral Organ Appeal, St James House, Liverpool Cathedral, L1 7BY.  Tel: 0151 709 6271. Email rosemary.barton@liverpoolcathedral.org.uk

Liverpool Chamber of Commerce member and one of the North West’s leading law firms, Gregory Abrams Davidson LLP, has established a London Office incorporating Rumke Joseph and Rabin (RJR Law) of Pearl House, Finchley Road, North London.

The firm has experienced great success in its 30 years in Liverpool, and has built a solid reputation throughout the region, and a loyal client base.

The new office was launched yesterday in the stylish Mercedes Benz Temple Fortune showroom, adjacent to the new GAD LLP location. 200 guests enjoyed champagne, canapés and entertainment to mark the special occasion.

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The Wirral TweetUp was inspired by groups of people asking Koogar and Cromwells when we were going to put on a @WirralTweetUp, so Koogar and Cromwells got together and have set a date as well as some other surprises for the people, businesses and charities who will be attending!

It’s about time Wirral had its own #TweetUp so the first event is going to be held on Monday 7th December from 5:30pm at Cromwells Restaurant in Irby, a free buffet will be put on by Kate and Kay at Cromwells (however you will need to buy your own drinks!). All we ask is that you buy at least one raffle ticket in aid of our chosen charity.

So….

Date: Monday, 7th December 2009

Time: 5:30pm onwards

Venue: Cromwells Restaurant, 19, Thingwall Rd, Irby, Wirral, CH61 3UA, including a FREE buffet!

Charity: Clatterbridge Cancer Research

Twitter: @Clatterbridge
Website: http://www.clatterbridge.org/

CCR are a charitable organisation committed to advancing the regional fight against cancer.

Raffle Tickets: £2.00 each, please go to our blog to see who is donating the raffle prizes!
http://www.wirraltweetup.co.uk/2009/11/donations-for-wirral-tweetup-dec2009/
Book your place: ONLY 35 places: http://twtvite.com/gfv9m7

You can only book one ticket per person!

We look forward to meeting you face to face! And YES we will be putting on more events too so don’t worry if you don’t get a place on this one…

Koogar has created the http://www.wirraltweetup.co.uk/ and it will also be filmed by Koogar. The event video promotion will be put onto the website once edited so other Twitters can see what we have been up to. Also, information of new dates will be published once our first #WirralTweetUp is complete.

Could you help with research in to the employment issues facing disabled people in the North West?

The research will highlight the opportunities available in the North West and the barriers and challenges faced by disabled people in gaining and sustaining employment that meets their aspirations.  The outcome of the study will be a series of practical recommendations and solutions to increase economic participation and inclusion in the region.

If you identify yourself as a disabled person and would like to take part in our research questionnaire please follow the attached link:  www.tinyurl.com/ylrqwnz. 

If you require any further information please contact Beth Innes at Breakthrough UK on 0161 273 5412 or email b.innes@breakthrough-uk.co.uk.  Please note that Breakthrough UK can provide the questionnaire in accessible formats and that you will be entered into a prize draw for £200 worth of vouchers for a store of your choice.  Please be assured that any information given will be completely confidential.

Chamber member Woodlands Hospice are appealing for people to help support them through their ‘Light Up A Life’ camapaign:

Christmas is a time for thinking about special people in our lives or remembering our loved ones.

Why not give thanks for the special people in your life, living or deceased, by dedicating a light on our Christmas Trees to them.  Your light/s can then shine out in the darkness, a symbol of your love for them.

If you dedicate a light or lights through our ‘Light up a Life’ celebration you are not only remembering someone you love but also helping us by giving a donation to the hospice.  Your support will help us to continue to deliver specialist palliative care to those suffering from a life threatening illness within your own community.

In this our special year when our new inpatient unit has opened we hope that more people will come on board to support our ‘Light up a Life’ initiative as we will need more lights to light up our Christmas Trees.

The financial pressures on the hospice to raise even more money now that the inpatient unit dream has become a reality are greater than ever to ensure the future stability of the hospice.   All money raised through our annual ‘Light up a Life’ initiative will go directly towards securing the overall services of the hospice including our new inpatient unit.  Care at Woodlands Hospice is provided free of charge and this extends to carers and family of patients as well as the patients themselves.

To make a donation and light up a life, please email carole.riley@woodlandshospice.org

The BBC are looking for people with extraordinary life stories for a new TV series:

My Story is about finding remarkable true stories of ordinary people that could be turned into bestselling books.  We’re looking for extra-ordinary true life stories from all over Britain. They might be dramatic, heartwarming, funny or sad - as long as they’re true, we want to read them.

Within the business world, your story might be one of rags to riches, losing everything and starting again, inventing something incredible, overcoming great challenges and turning your life around, doing something inspirational within the business community or something entirely different.

Fifteen people’s stories will be told in a major new five part series to go out next year on BBC1.  Five of these people will win book deals plus a cash advance of £20,000.

My Story is not a writing competition as the winning stories will be ghostwritten by the publisher Harper Collins. But if your story is chosen, your name would appear on the cover of your own book.

Applications should be made via the website: www.bbc.co.uk/mystory and add a summary of your story in no more than 1500 words.  All applications should be written in English or Welsh.

If applicants don’t have access to the internet, please apply via post to My Story, PO Box 65655 London W12 2BG.

The closing dates for entries is 16th December 2009.

A UK - Jamaica Investment Forum is taking place in London Next February:

Background
On 5th February, 2009 over 150 delegates attended the First Jamaica-UK Investment Forum at Church House in central London. The Jamaican government, represented by its Deputy Prime Minister and several cabinet ministers, alongside several major businesses came to the UK for the purpose of engaging with the investment community from the United Kingdom and mainland Europe.

A number of specific investment sectors were discussed in detail with keynote presentations made by the Jamaican High Commissioner to the UK, the Caribbean Council, the Department for International Development (DFID) and parliamentarians. Private sector organisations who presented at the event included Digicel Group, Virgin Atlantic Airways and Grace Foods.

The event was immensely successful in highlighting Jamaica’s business opportunities and allowing for productive networking with a view to mobilising future investment. The attendance and level of attendees was well matched by an engaging programme with high-level speakers. The day’s activities portrayed Jamaica in a highly favourable light in terms of a destination point for FDI and greatly helped Jamaica’s profile within the business community in the UK and beyond.

The Jamaica-UK Investment Forum, 2010

Click ‘more’ for details…

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Visitors to Liverpool Chamber may notice some new works of art going up around the place.

The works are being rented from Chamber member Dot Art. We’ve brought them in to brighten up the old place, modernise the building’s decorations and highlight some of the many talented artists from the region.

The works range from the highly figurative through to the exclusively abstract, which will hopefully mean there’s something to suit everyone. Featured artists are Nathan Pendlebury, Val Robinson and Grahame Ashcroft.

We’ve got statements from the artists about their work. Click ‘more’ to read them.
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Youth charity Fairbridge in Merseyside, is running two music events this December, with all proceeds going towards supporting local young people to turn their lives around even if circumstances have led to them being homeless, unemployed or out of education and with no belief in themselves. The projects the fundraising will pay for aim to boost confidence and motivation and get these young people back into education, employment or training.

Christmas Carols and Mince Pies @ St Barnabas   

Tuesday 8 December 2009 - 7.30pm

Featuring Calderstones School Choir and Orchestra, The Liverpool Festival Choir and Greenbank School Choir. Conducted by Colin Porter.

Location
St Barnabas Church,
Mossley Hill, L18 1LZ

Doors open at 6.30pm for mulled wine and mince pies before the concert. Seating is unreserved.
Band Night @ Bumper  

11th December 2009

The Deal…£5 to see 5 bands (if you purchase tickets in advance) at a city centre location.

The Bands…

The Sterlings http://www.myspace.com/thesterlingsliverpool
Charlie and The Ghosts http://www.myspace.com/charlieandtheghostsuk
The Bo Weevils http://www.myspace.com/theboweevils
The White Labels http://www.thewhitelabels.co.uk/
The Mission Babies http://www.myspace.com/missionbabies

Tickets: In advance £5
On the door: £6 (does not guarantee entry as places are limited so booking in advance is advised).

Location
Bumper, 14-18 Hardman Street. Liverpool. L1 9AX

Doors: 7.00pm

Purchasing tickets for these events
Please contact clare.doran@fairbridge.org.uk  TEL: 0151 709 5881 (9-5pm Monday to Friday) or 07979737351.

Tickets for both events are being sold from the centre @ 36 Slater Street, Liverpool, L1 4BX 9-5pm Monday to Friday but please call or email to arrange alternative times/places to collect tickets.

Thursday 26th November is the last chance this year for visitors to experience breathtaking night time views of the city from Liverpool Cathedral tower.

The tower has been open to the public until 8.00pm every Thursday since October, thanks to funding from the North West Development Agency’s Heritage Tourism Improvement Scheme to install lighting.

The Tower Experience is a ‘must see’ for all visitors to the city – more than 41,000 have been up to the top of the tower in 2009, with the extended opening hours seen as an important factor in this.   

Although the Autumn late night openings will finish for 2009, they have proven to be so successful that there are plans to reinstate them in 2010.

Eryl Parry, Director of Enterprise for Liverpool Cathedral said, “A wide variety of people have come to the tower for late night viewings – people that want to take time out and reflect, those who can’t get to the Cathedral during the day, keen photographers and tourists. We wanted to allow greater flexibility of opening times and to give people the chance to experience the fantastic sight of the city at night. Those who have caught one of those spectacular sunsets over the river have said it’s something they’ll never forget.  We are delighted that we have had such a fantastic response and will are now looking at running late night viewings in 2010.”  

For press enquiries, please contact stuart.haynes@liverpool.anglican.org 0151 705 2150 0753 421 8122