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RARE RUNIC STONE
FROM THE 9THC GOES ON DISPLAY AT PYRAMIDS SHOPPING CENTRE
A RARE ancient runic stone
which experts believe is the Wirral's most important historical
treasure is on display in a shop window. The Overchurch runic
stone, which dates back to the 9th century, is on display to the
public for the first time in a decade thanks to the Pyramids
Shopping Centre in Birkenhead.
It is all part of a 6 week living museum being hosted by Pyramids
Shopping Centre entitled Wirral Through The Ages, running until
Sunday, 30 March 2014. Shoppers will be treated to one of the most
exciting and comprehensive physical histories ever presented of the
Wirral and entry is free. It has all been created with the help of
Big Heritage, an award winning heritage social enterprise, who are
also based in Wirral.
Also on display are some of the 5,242 artefacts dug up with the help
of 328 local community volunteers who took part in Big Heritage's
"Discovering
Bromborough' archaeological dig last summer.
Part of the Pyramids museum will also feature 3 changing exhibits.
One is the re-creation of a Roman barracks showing a gladiator being
operated on, the second a Viking house and for the final 2 weeks, a
World War I trench.
Dean Paton, founder of Big Heritage and Archaeologist, said:-
"Wirral has such a rich heritage, but for me, no other single find
is as important as the Overchurch Stone. We're so pleased to be able
to give people from the Wirral a chance to enjoy it." Big Heritage project manager and sculpture specialist Joanne Kirton
explained more about the rare stone. She said:- "About a
quarter of the Overchurch runic stone survives, probably the slab
was about 1.2 metres by about 60cm wide. It could have lain on the floor or on top of a sarcophagus but it
was probably a monumental grave slab. A lot of these stone were
found in the Viking period but the Overchurch stone comes from the
earlier Anglo-Saxon time period, and is one of only three in
Cheshire (of which the Wirral used to be a part of) from this period
which means it is incredibly rare." A replica of the stone; also on display at:-
'The Pyramids'; has been
created by Liverpool 3-D design company Strange Case Collective.
Derek Millar, Commercial Director
for Pyramids Shopping Centre, said:- "We have been working
with Big Heritage to create our very own shopping centre museum and
our shoppers can be sure they will find some very special historical
treasures from the Wirral on show. The runic stone is just one
of an exciting array of historical artefacts of great importance to
Wirral's history. Our position as the Wirral's main shopping centre
makes us the ideal location to showcase it."
 Dean Paton, founder of Big Heritage, says the stone originally lay
in the grounds of Overchurch Church (near Upton) and was re-used
after its demolition to create nearby Upton Church. When this too
was demolished the runic stone was discovered with its inscription
still visible; translated as "The people erected a
memorial... Pray for Æthelmund."
Since the Wirral was in Cheshire at the time, the find was deposited
in the Grosvenor Museum in Chester.
Although Æthelmund's identity is unknown, he could have been a
magistrate, priest or wealthy local landowner, Joanne said what made
the stone particularly interesting is that this runic stone was
raised as a result of a group of local people rather than a single
individual.
The Overchurch runic stone and its replica are securely encased
within the Pyramids shop window, as are other exhibits including
Iron Age pottery from Irby (used for Cheshire salt), a Neolithic axe
head from Barnston and the post-Roman St Menas flask found at Meols,
which probably held Holy water. To find out more about the
Pyramids museum click
here.
CCTV images released after man
subjected to homophobic abuse on train – Sandhillls
ON 21 February 2014, the
British Transport Police (BTP) issued an appeale for information
after a man was alleged to have been subjected to homophobic abuse
while waiting on the platform at Sandhills rail station.
Officers from the BTP have released an image of a man they want to
identify and speak to following the incident, which occurred, at
9am, on Sunday, 19 January 2014. PC James Devereaux, the
investigating officer, said:- "The victim was a 20 year old
man from Liverpool. He was waiting in the shelter at Sandhills when
he made eye contact with a male, who asked him what he was looking
at. The man then followed this up with threats of violence, and
started approached the victim, continuing to make a number of
abusive comments and insults, some of which were homophobic in
nature." The victim then left Sandhills on a train,
fearing for his safety and reported the incident to staff, while the
offender remained at the Sandhills Station. PC Devereaux
added:- "If you recognise the man pictured please come forward
as we believe he has important information which could assist in
this investigation. No one should be subjected to any form of verbal
abuse or offensive comments while travelling on the rail network,
including those of a homophobic nature, and this deplorable incident
is no different. We have carried out searches at the station and
viewed CCTV of the offence, and we are now calling on members of the
public to help us." If you recognise the man in the
CCTV image or can assist the investigation in any way please call
British Transport Police on:- 0800 40 50 40 or text:- 61016 quoting
log:- NWA/B7 of 18/02/14 or the independent charity Crimestoppers,
anonymously, on:- 0800 555 111. |
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LEVY CUTS TO
HELP HARD-WORKING PEOPLE BUILD THEIR OWN HOME
UP to 3,000 mothballed
self-build homes are expected to get underway when changes that save
self-builders thousands of pounds come into effect this week.
Since Monday 24 February, self-builders have been exempt from paying
a levy which until now was placed on most new buildings over a
certain size.
The previous charge added considerable cost in some cases to the
expense of building a home. For example someone building their own
four-bedroom house that is 150 square metres in size could be liable
to pay £15,000 in Community Infrastructure Levy if a Council was
charging £100 per square metre for residential development in that
area.
The axing of the levy for people building their own home is part of
the Government's determination to boost housing supply and help
aspiring self-builders get their home off the ground. The
relief from the Community Infrastructure Levy will cover homes that
are owner-occupied and built or commissioned by individuals,
families or groups of individuals for their own use.
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said:- "Building your own
home is always a challenge and we are doing what we can to help
people realise their dream and provide a home for their family. This
change will save self-builders thousands of pounds and help many
more in the future. By boosting the numbers of people building
their own home we can help increase the number of new houses built
each year in this country and support local businesses. There are
too many levies and charges on housing. By cutting these, we can
help build more homes."
Ted Stevens, chairman of the National Self Build Association said:-
"It's great news that the Community Infrastructure Levy
exemption for self and custom builders is now being implemented. We
estimate that about 1 in 8 self-build projects has been 'mothballed'
over the last 2 years, because of the impact of this new charge. So
we anticipate the exemption will have a significant impact on
self-build starts, with 2,000 to 3,000 homes coming off the shelf,
and starting on site in the next few months. This is good news for the people who want to build their own
homes and it will also be good news for the supply chain and local
construction related businesses that support the self-build sector."
Extensions and family annexes over a certain size will now be exempt
from the levy and the Government also intends to consult on removing
Section 106 tariff charges from self-build properties too. In
addition from April there will no longer be a Council tax surcharge
on family annexes.
Exempting self builders from the levy is the latest in a range of
measures to boost the number of people building their own home. They
include:-
► Making is easier to get a self-build mortgage. Government has been
speaking to lenders and 26 of them are now offering self-build
loans. Gross self-build lending is predicted to increase by almost
half between 2012 and 2015 to £1billion a year;
► Freeing up more surplus public sector land for self-builders with
the Homes and Communities Agency to bring forward a range of sites
for custom build homes;
► Introducing a £30m Custom Build Homes Fund which makes available
repayable finance for larger multi-unit projects and grant funding
for community self-builders who can now apply for a share of
£65million from the Affordable Homes Guarantees Programme;
► Planning guidance that makes clear Councils should help
self-builders and establish demand in their area. This includes
compiling a local register of people wanting to build a home so they
have priority when new brownfield sites become available.
Merseyside
lawyer backs 'cup of tea' approach to custody disputes
A recent High Court
direction for feuding parents to settle their custody battle
amicably has been endorsed by a Merseyside family law specialist.
In the case, a warring couple ended their 10-year litigation and
decided to share custody after Mrs Justice Pauffley "talked tough"
to them and suggested they should make each other welcome in their
homes and sit down around the kitchen table to share a cup of tea
for the sake of their children.
Carole Brennan, a mediator and partner at Morecrofts Solicitors, has
welcomed this approach and says it demonstrates the need to focus on
the needs of children and avoid an acrimonious litigation wherever
possible. "When a couple goes through a divorce, their
experiences are deeply affected and driven by the emotional state
they find themselves in. Unfortunately, those emotions can often get
in the way of finding the best way to move forward.
Where children are involved, it's crucial that both parents try to
keep negative emotions out of the picture and ensure the needs of
their children remain at the forefront wherever possible. That
usually means communicating with each other calmly and remembering
they were once on the same wavelength.
Family lawyers are there to help make this happen. Their main focus
is to identify issues, gather the right information and provide
sound advice about how best to resolve them. Many couples now
use mediation or collaborative law, which are designed to give a
supportive, clear process and also make it a lot cheaper. This helps
the couple to make their decisions based on what is best for them
and their children in the long run."
Morecrofts Solicitors has 5 offices across Merseyside, in Woolton,
Allerton, Birkenhead, Crosby and Liverpool City Centre, as well as
an office in London. For further information, please visit:-
morecrofts.co.uk.
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