St John Ambulance has recently launched a LinkedIn group, St John Ambulance First Aid at Work (FAW) Training to help local business people with workplace first aid and health and safety issues.

Experts in first aid and health and safety such as Richard Evens, Commercial Training Director, and Clive James, Training Development Manager from St John Ambulance will be on hand to provide free advice to members of the forum.

Chamber members should note that the LinkedIn forum is very much an information service and provides an opportunity to discuss and ask questions about health and safety.

To join the forum you should have a LinkedIn account, and once logged on to the LinkedIn site, just apply to join the St John Ambulance FAW Training forum.

Chamber of Commerce members are entitled to a 10% discount off all St John Ambulance business training courses in the North West. (Terms and conditions apply). Call 0844 770 4800 or visit sja.org.uk/training

Yes, it’s time to run around Liverpool city centre with hundreds of people dressed exactly the same as you…time to don the red trousers and itchy beard to go Santa Dashing!

Following the success of the 2010 team you are invited to take part in this years 5KM fun run on Sunday 4^th December. Why not Join in with the chaos and raise some money for CALM in the process? As ever, the CALM helpline is receiving hundreds of calls from men and women going through a tough time. With many feeling the pinch it’s more important than ever to continue to support the regions young people and drive down rates of suicide and depression. It’s a rare opportunity to show your support in a Santa suit! 

http://santadash.runliverpool.org.uk/ 

Blind and partially sighted people in Merseyside who want to find out more about the basics of using a computer are invited to attend a free training course.

The Mobile I.T. training sessions are being run by Henshaws Society for Blind People, one of the main providers in the North of England of expert support, advice and training to anyone affected by sight loss and other disabilities.

During the 12 weekly sessions, visually impaired adults in Merseyside will acquire all the computer skills needed to get up and running. All of the computers will be equipped with specialist magnification or speech-based ‘access technology’ which means that the course will be open to anyone who has experienced sight loss.

The training sessions will also provide Internet and email tuition to enable people to send emails and browse the internet.

The sessions last for 2.5 hours. They are taking place in the following community venues:

• Birkdale Library, Liverpool Road, Birkdale  on Wednesday morning and afternoon
• Bootle Library, Stanley Road, Bootle, on Monday morning
  Knosley (Bradbury Centre until New Year) Yuens Way on Thursday afternoon
• Ashville Lodge, Ashville Road, Birkenhead  on Thursday morning
• St Helens Millennium Centre, Corporation Street, St Helens,  on Tuesday morning and afternoon and Thursday morning and afternoon

Bill Milner, the charity’s Merseyside Area Manager, Said: “These training sessions will be an ideal starting point for visually impaired people, even those who have never used a computer before.

“Being able to use a computer and surf the web is just as important for blind and partially sighted people as it is for anyone else. Whether it’s to look for a job, shop online or keep in touch with friends by email, these sessions will give people all the skills they need to use their computer with confidence.

“Over the years, our staff have built up considerable expertise of providing computer-based training to visually impaired adults. It may sound daunting at first, but I’d urge people to come along and give it a try. The sessions are very relaxed and everyone receives plenty of individual tuition.”

Anyone interested in booking a place or finding out more, can do so by phoning Neil Kynaston, Henshaws I.T. Training Manager on 0151 708 7055.

More information about Henshaws society for Blind People is available online at www.henshaws.org.uk

Here’s a special event coming up from St Joseph’s Hospice (Jospice):

Liverpool’s own answer to The Last Night of the Proms is coming up on Saturday, 4th February. The high spot of the Jospice Golden Jubilee Year will be a night to remember – a Gala Concert at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir and some magnificent soloists.

The programme will include many well-loved favourites, from the delicate duet from The Pearl Fishers to Zadok the Priest –that powerful Royal Wedding music - of and, of course, will end with traditional flag-waving and Land of Hope and Glory that Brits do with such style!

There is a tradition of celebration concerts at Jospice.  Twenty five years ago, in 1987, Father Francis O’Leary, the founder of Jospice and one of the first people in the world to identify, in 1962, a need for the specialised nursing and care that a hospice provides, chose to mark the Silver Jubilee of his organisation with a concert at the Liverpool Philharmonic.  One of the stars of that occasion was a young local singer who achieved world-wide fame on the opera stage. Her name is Rosa Mannion and she is coming back to the Phil to direct this Golden Jubilee concert.

Ian Tracey, who conducted the RLPO for Father O’Leary’s concert, will take up the baton again for this celebration evening and the compere will be local celebrity the writer Frank Cottrell Boyce.  Well-known tenors Paul Charles Clarke & Ashley Holland will top the bill of soloists and will be joined by Crosby’s own wonderful soprano Danielle Thomas.  Danielle has sung for Jospice on many occasions since she was 12 and is excited to be part of this great evening.

Rosa Mannion says:  “I felt honoured to sing in the Silver Jubilee Concert.  Having started volunteering for Jospice as a teenager, it was great to come back to Liverpool to take part in that concert.  Now to be directing the Golden Jubilee concert is such a joy and privilege and I can assure you of a wonderful evening.”

The Fund-raising Director of Jospice, Pat Murphy, explained “We wanted a concert for our special year that everyone would enjoy, hence choosing twenty of the best known classical great pieces of music.  Even if you do not know the piece by name, you will recognise it when you hear it.  Putting this concert together with Ian and Rosa has been a lot of fun and it will be an evening of real celebration.”

Tickets for the Jospice Golden Jubilee Concert, which is sponsored by Medicash Health Care and Maghull Developments, are now available direct from Jospice on 0151-924-3812 or at www.jospice.org.uk or from the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on 0151-709-3789 or at www.liverpoolphil.com.

There is a chance to get a taste of the quality of the soloists at the Golden Jubilee Concert in advance!  Rosa and Danielle will be singing at the annual Jospice Christmas Concert on Saturday, 3rd December, at St. Thomas of Canterbury church in Waterloo.  The Christmas concert begins at 7.30pm and tickets are available from Jospice on 0151-924-3812.

Merseytravel and Merseyrail – raising vital funds and celebrating family learning

Merseytravel and Merseyrail will hold a ‘Footie Focus’ family fun day and football match on Sunday 23 October, at PLAYfootball, Drummond Road, Crosby L23 9YP.

The event will raise money for their respective corporate charities, Clatterbridge your cancer centre and Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital and support the National Family Learning Festival.

The National Family Learning Festival is the biggest annual celebration of family learning in the UK with organisations across the country holding thousands of activities to bring families together for fun and informal learning.

The event is open to all, with a chance to join in the family fun activities and opportunities to develop skills on and off the pitch, including improving your football skills and entering the ‘cross bar challenge’. There are also competitions and quizzes with prizes to be won by producing a match report, collecting the game stats and completing the programme quiz, plus a charity raffle and tombola.

Neil Scales, Merseytravel Chief Executive said: “Merseytravel has a strong commitment to education with our award winning learning initiative, Merseylearn and a strong tradition of staff involvement in sport, so this is a great way of combining the two.”

Bart Schmeink, Merseyrail’s Managing Director said: “Merseyrail is an important part of community life in Merseyside and so is football. This “Footie Focus” day gives people an opportunity to help to raise funds for our respective charities, have fun whilst doing it and also sharpen their football skills. Who knows, we might even discover the next Wayne Rooney or Jamie Carragher.”
Kick-off is at 1.00pm with pre match activities from 12.30

For further information contact
Tony Norbury, tel: 0151 330 1269, tony.norbury@merseytravel.gov.uk;
Billy Bradshaw, tel: 0151 330 1856 billy.bradshaw@merseytravel.gov.uk�

Health and social care charity PSS are looking for a Trustee:

What is PSS?
PSS is a community, health and social care charity. It was formed in 1919 by, amongst others, Eleanor Rathbone, in response to the crushing poverty in Liverpool post World War One. Although formed in Liverpool, PSS now works across Merseyside, in Staffordshire, across North Wales and in central Scotland.

PSS has a rich history and innovation is part of the DNA. Over the past 90 years we have developed a number of organisations and ideas that are now household names in their own right. These include Age Concern (now Age UK in some parts of the country), Citizens Advice Bureau, Legal Aid, Marriage Guidance (now Relate) and one of the first housing associations in the country – Liverpool Improved Homes, now Riverside.

We have also developed ideas in areas where we continue to work. These include support for young carers and adult placement/shared lives (best described as fostering for vulnerable adults). As a result of these two ideas that were developed by PSS, each local authority in the country funds or directly provides these two services.

Whilst our history is important, we are aware that it is the work that we are doing now that has a direct impact on today’s society. We have ambitions to ensure that what we do over the coming period is as innovative as our past ideas and has the same level of impact. We take pride in our work on innovation and continue to develop new ideas. Each year we set aside money each year to allow us to do so.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bosses of some of Merseyside’s biggest companies have raised more than £10,000 after taking part in an ‘I’m Celebrity Get Me Out of Here..’ style challenge in the Lake District in aid of the Fairbridge programme, part of national youth charity The Prince’s Trust.

Sir Michael Bibby of Bibby Line joined John Syvret CEO of Cammell Laird and Chris Bliss Estates Director of Liverpool One together with Scott Bayne director of Deloittes, Clare Doran of John Moores University and Ben Pinnington director of Polaris Media for the ‘I’m a Committee Member Get Me Out of Here….’ event. The team spent two days living in the wilderness of Derwent Water undertaking a series of punishing challenges including bug eating, open water swimming, sleeping beneath the stars and abseiling.  Chris Bliss, an experienced hiker, excelled at all the challenges and was voted King of the Lakes by fellow committee members.

Jayne Wilson, manager of the Fairbridge programme in Merseyside, said the event was a tremendous success with all cash raised being ploughed back into Merseyside.

“The challenge was John Syvret’s idea and when he was bug eating I think he was regretting it!” she said. “But all the team were very game undertaking some really demanding and grisly tasks.”

Sir Michael Bibby said cash is urgently need to help the Fairbridge programme raise the cash to not only meet its £500,000 a year running costs but also move into its new premises.

“We need to raise £100,000 to enable The Prince’s Trust to move the Fairbridge programme into new premises,” he said. “The current building is unfit for purpose and cannot cope with the number of young people who need help. Moreover, the Fairbridge programme on Merseyside, needs funding to employ more skilled development officers.  So the next 12 months is going to be our most demanding and challenging yet.”

Pictured is Liverpool One Estates Director Chris Bliss crowned King of the Lakes watched by committee members.

Join our starlit waterfront walk

‘Clatterbridge your cancer centre’ in partnership with Liverpool Unites for Alder Hey, invite you to join hundreds of people for our first ever Mersey Walk of Hope. Anyone can take part in this starlit walk around the world-famous Liverpool waterfront, with a choice of 5k & 10k routes.

Starting at 8pm, we’ll be providing fantastic entertainment before and after the walk, with your night ending on-board the Mersey Ferry for a special midnight cruise, giving participants a unique opportunity to see our stunning waterfront at night.

The money raised from the Mersey Walk of Hope will help thousands of cancer patients and children at both Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, funding some of the life-changing appeals that make both hospitals so special in people’s hearts.

We already have hundreds of people registered to take part, join them today!

Visit www.yourclatterbridge.org.uk or call 0151 482 7948

Thursday 17 November 2011
7.00pm
City Rendezvous, Columbus Quay, Riverside Drive,
Liverpool, L3 4DB

The Merseyside Police and High Sheriff’s Charitable Fund was established in 1998 and provides grants to community groups in Merseyside to support community safety, crime prevention and security initiatives.

Tickets £35 per person includes a three course meal and two complimentary bottles of wine for each team of ten.

Teams will be made up of ten people. There will be fundraising activities on the night as well as a prize for the winning team.

To book tickets or for more information please contact:
Cat Kirkcaldy, Philanthropy Development Manager,
Community Foundation for Merseyside
Tel: 0151 232 2416
Email: cat.kirkcaldy@cfmerseyside.org.uk

The second Midnight Candle Walk will take place on Friday 11th November 2011 at Sefton Park, Liverpool.  Participants will be invited to meet from 11.00pm at the Samuel Smith Obelisk on the corner of Aigburth/Croxteth Drive to start the 5 mile walk at the stroke of midnight.

This year, we are thrilled to announce that we have joined forces with another local charity – Claire House Children’s Hospice. All funds raised on the night will be split between our two charities. By sharing the costs, even more money that you raise will go directly to support our work.

So, with the dark nights already on the way, we wanted the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce to be the first to know that this autumn Liverpool’s Sefton Park will once again glow with the light of hundreds of candles for our second Midnight Candle Walk and we would love you to join us.

Registration is just £10 and just like last year there is no minimum sponsorship but this year anyone who raises £50 or more will receive a commemorative T Shirt designed especially for the event.

We would be so proud if you would walk with us again in memory of loved ones we have lost, for those undergoing treatment and in celebration of those who have beaten cancer.

To register please go to www.midnightcandlewalk.org or phone 0151 343 4300