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THE OPEN
'PUTS' LOCALLY SOURCED FOOD TO THE 'FORE'
THE Romas
will conquer Chester Racecourse on 31 May 2014, in the return of its
popular annual Roman Day. Ideal for the whole family, the day will
celebrate the City's rich history with super stunts, Roman
re-enactments, family activities and plenty of Roman Legionnaires in
attendance to entertain the crowds alongside the day's racing.
Spectators can also enjoy horse drawn chariot races, as well as
jaw-dropping stunts by The Devil's Horseman. In addition to the
Roman spectacles, there will also be free family entertainment on
the open course, including face painting and balloon modelling.
Richard Thomas, CEO of Chester Race Company said:- "Our
racecourse is the oldest in Britain, with a rich history, and it's
great to celebrate that every year through this unique race day.
Roman Day has become one of our most popular fixtures in the
calendar, with over 20,000 attending year on year."
Roman Day is Chester Racecourse's
next race fixture and will take place on Saturday, 31 May 2014.
Tickets are priced from £12 (Open Course), Children aged 15 and
under go free. Group discounts available. For further information,
visit their
website or call:- 01244 304600.
"It's
Blooming brilliant" says Northern Rail
NORTHERN Rail, in a joint
venture both Serco and Abellio, has raised more than £15,000 for
this year's Marie Curie Cancer Care's Great Daffodil Appeal.
Northern created 50 'Daff trains', which reminded
those who saw them to donate and wear a daffodil. They travelled the
length and breadth of the Northern network to promote the Great
Daffodil Appeal that runs annually throughout March and April.
A series of fundraising days were held at stations across the north
of England, with Northern employees donating an hour of their time
to wear bright yellow hats and tabards and collect much needed cash
from commuters. A unique 'Text to Donate' number was
also set up for Northern and promoted on posters at 150 stations and
on 300 trains to encourage customers to donate to the charity,
resulting in almost 200 individual donations.
Alex Hynes, Managing Director for
Northern Rail, comments:- "I would like to thank our employees
and customers who have gone over and above to raise thousands of
pounds for a very worthwhile cause. Marie Curie is a fantastic
charity which offers vital assistance to families across our network
and we are delighted to have been able to help."
Peter Lee, Head of Corporate Development:- "The support of
Northern Rail throughout the Great Daffodil Appeal has been truly
fantastic. The energy and enthusiasm displayed by staff to donate an
hour in collections has raised a fantastic total that will help our
nurses and hospices to give free hands on care to terminally ill
people and vital support to their families."
Warning to those
Dog owner who leave Poop on our pavements
IN the areas managed by
Sefton MBC, we have been told a crack down will be taking place
targeting dog owners who let their pets leave deposits on our
payments. If not picked up and the owner is court, then that
owner can face prosecution and a fine of £1,000 or a fixed penalty
notice of £75. More information fines regarding faeces deposits can
be found on:-
sefton.gov.uk. |
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LIPA students
invite audiences into the creative mind of Doors frontman Jim
Morrison
STUDENTS from the Liverpool
Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) are inviting audiences on a
journey into the creative mind of troubled Doors frontman Jim
Morrison.
Devised dance show The End will use the medium to explore both the
artist's enlightened, spiritual side and the dark facet of his
character that fuelled his decline into alcoholism, which, in turn,
led to his early death. The show is inspired by Ray Manzarek's
book:- 'Light My Fire - My Life with The Doors.'
The musical backdrop is an original soundtrack that references some
of the biggest hits of the Doors, which became one of the most
controversial acts of the 60s because of Morrison's wild stage
persona and surreal, poetic lyrics.
LIPA music students have also produced new arrangements of hits
including 'Break on Through', 'The End',
'Mr Mojo Risin', 'Light My Fire' and
'Love Her Madly'. The show is performed by second year
dance students and music students. The End is the last in LIPA's
2014 Spring/Summer season of public performances.
Director Jacqueline Jones, Senior Lecturer in Dance at LIPA said:-
"Alongside revealing the turbulent world of Jim Morrison, The End
also explores his spiritual connection to native American Indian
culture, and his belief that as a child, the spirits of a family of
dead American Indians entered his body, thus creating the Shamanic
personality associated with his performance career."
The End is being performed at 7.30pm on:- 30 May 2014 and 31 May
2014 in the Paul McCartney Auditorium, LIPA. There is a 2:30pm, with
the matinee on 31 May 2014. Tickets are priced at £6.00 adults/£3.00
concessions and can be purchased via the Unity Theatre Box Office
on:- 0844 873 2888 or online via the events and public performances
section of:-
lipa.ac.uk. Please note,
when booking, that this show contains strong language, sexual
imagery and references to alcoholism.
Could 2015 see
the rise of 'Buy to Let' Pensioners in the UK?
WITH the recent unlocking
of rules on how people can access their savings in retirement, could
a new breed of 'buy to let pensioners' be ready to
enter the local property market?
Nationwide property lettings specialist, Belvoir, is advising
caution in the wake of the Chancellor's Budget announcement that
savers will be allowed to withdraw their entire pension fund from
the age of 55 or over, rather than take the money slowly as an
annual income, such as an annuity. "Since the last
Budget many financial commentators have speculated that following
the new rules; due to come into effect from April 2015; pension
savers could draw down some or all of their money to invest in
options such as buy to let property. With recent surveys reporting
that buy to let has outperformed all other mainstream investments
over the past 18 years, this could be an extremely attractive option
for anyone wanting to safeguard their capital and maximise their
income in retirement. Whilst this may be true, we believe that
anyone considering their first move into the sector should take
expert advice. Buy to let continues to offer great opportunities,
but potential investors must have a clear strategy, and it should
never be considered as a 'get rich quick' scheme." says
Martin Unsworth who owns the Belvoir office on Allerton Road in
Mossley Hill.
This year marks the 18th anniversary of the buy to let mortgage
initiative launched by the Association of Residential Lettings
Agents (ARLA). Tracker studies indicate that since its introduction,
buy to let investment has provided an average return of 16.3%; that
is considerably more than most other asset classes.
Over a third of Britain's 1.4 million private landlords already view
their buy to let portfolio as the main component within their
pension plan; with the relative 'safety' of bricks and
mortar investment coupled with regular rental returns as income,
making it an attractive investment choice.
Dorian Gonsalves, Commercial Director for Belvoir, comments:-
"The Chancellor's recent pension reforms have ignited a great deal
of interest in buy to let as a viable and attractive alternative to
more traditional pension plans. Market demand for quality, well
maintained, private rental property remains high and even before the
recent Budget announcement our offices throughout the UK were
experiencing a growing number of enquiries from people seeking
advice and guidance on how to enter this sector for the first time."
Some industry commentators are predicting returns of around 11% per
year over the next decade and a number of specialist, buy to let
lenders have also started to reconsider current age restrictions to
allow people up to age 70 to apply for long term buy to let
mortgages; subject to them meeting certain criteria.
Adam Rastall who owns the Belvoir office on Mill Lane in West Derby,
adds:- "With all the excitement generated by the new reforms
we would recommend that anyone looking to use pension savings to
fund a buy to let investment should; as a first step; take
professional financial advice and then sit down with a property
lettings specialist, such as Belvoir, to map out a strategy for
their future goals. It is important for first time investors to buy
property at the right price, in the right location and to identify
the type of accommodation that people will want to rent from them
both now and in the future. With our local knowledge we can look in
detail at potential property 'yields'; taking into account all
outgoings, such as maintenance costs; and provide novice investors
with a realistic expectation on returns. There are many legislative
and other issues to take into account."
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