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Tri4Life members take to
open water for charity
MEMBERS of local community group
Tri4Life swam where pictured on Saturday, 18 April, on the Thurstaston Slipway
to West Kirby Sailing Club, as they started the Big7Swim Extreme challenge. 26 members will
now be completing 7 open water swims 'from Liverpool to North Wales' over the course
of the summer to raise funds for Stick 'n' Step and other local charities. The
challenge is the first of its kind locally.
The Big7 Swim Extreme will see a team of almost 40 people, including 26 swimmers
and 15 support staff, cover an estimated 40 miles of coastal waters (and a lake)
from April to September. As well as swimming across the Mersey, the group will
swim from Hilbre Lifeboat point to West Kirby Sailing Club, Mostyn to West Kirby
Sailing Club and cover a mile-long route around West Kirby marina during the
night. The biggest events include an 11 mile swim from Egremont to Hilbre
Lifeboat Point and a solo, one-way swim across Lake Windermere, which is around
10.5 miles.
Tri4Life was established by a group of friends and their families from Wirral in
2003, with the aim to encourage youngsters to keep fit and stay healthy through
exercise. Each year, the group sets its members a new fitness challenge, pushing
the boundaries of what's possible, to promote the importance of living a healthy
lifestyle. Challenges have included the USA Challenge, a 2800 miles cycle across
America from Washington to Los Angeles, the Enduroman Arch to Arc Relay, a
300mile triathlon from London to Paris, and the GB and Eire Challenge, a five
country triathlon involving four peaks and three lakes. This year is the turn of
the Big7Extreme.
Stick 'n' Step began in 2002 and Tri4Life has been supporting the charity for
almost as long. In 2012, when preparing for the USA Challenge, some of the
members visited Stick 'n' Step to see first-hand where the money raised goes.
One of those was Dave Walton, who has been volunteering at the charity ever
since.
Commented Dave Walton, Tri4Life member and Stick 'n' Step volunteer: "When
I first came to visit Stick 'n' Step, I was completely drawn in. There's a real
synergy between what the children here and those who are involved with Tri4Life
are working towards. The children are very reliant on this service and it's
helping them to push the boundaries of what's possible, which is exactly what
Tri4Life is all about. Since Tri4Life started, we've (literally) climbed
mountains and overcome so many obstacles. It's been wonderful to see so many
members achieve incredible personal fitness milestones, empowering them to push
on and keep striving. The key to this year's challenge is to overcome the
difficulty that swimming in cold, open shores brings, after only having had a
month of practice outdoors. But, I have no doubt that the team will work
together to do the best they can for both themselves and the charities that we
are supporting."
Commented Clare Ashworth, fundraiser at Stick
'n' Step: "Tri4Life has supported us for a number of years now. The amount
donated has already made a significant impact to the lives of children with
cerebral palsy, of which Dave is able to see first-hand as part of his volunteer
work. The support of community fundraisers has been pivotal in allowing us to
grow tenfold over the last 12 years. It means that 70 children with cerebral
palsy from the North West now benefit from free conductive education each week,
which helps them learn new skills such as moving around independently, sitting
unaided and walking. We wouldn't have been able to get to this point without
groups like Tri4Life and so we are incredibly grateful to them for their ongoing
fundraising and support."
As well as Stick 'n' Step, the group will be raising funds for Christ the King
Handicapped Children's Group (CTK HCG) and Tri4Life Charitable Fund. CTK HCG is
a North West charity run by volunteers who, each Easter, take disabled and
disadvantaged children away on the trip of a lifetime to Lourdes, France,
offering a week of respite for parents and carers. The Tri4Life Charitable Fund
aims to provide support for young people towards the realisation of their
potential in sport, arts, dance, drama and education, and to help other
charities and good causes.
To sponsor the Big7Swim Extreme team visit:-
JustGiving.com. For more information
about Stick 'n' Step, and how you can help, visit:-
StickNStep.Org
or call the centre on:- 0151 638 0888.
Next of kin appeal:-
"Stephen Joseph Wood"
LIVERPOOL Coroners' office are
appealing for the public's help in tracing the next of kin of a 56 year old man
who died on Sunday, 12 April 2015. Stephen Joseph Wood, 56, was found inside his
home in Sunlight Street, Tuebrook. We have been told that:- "There are no
suspicious circumstances surrounding his death." by Merseyside Police.
Mr Wood is believed to have children. Anyone able to offer further information
to help the next of kin be traced is to contact the Coroner Officer dealing,
Eddie Nolan on:- 0151 225 5061. |
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Employers in the North West
urged to recruit and support diverse workforce
BY 2020 the Office for National Statistics (ONS) predicts that a
third of the working age population will be over 50. With this in mind, the RICS
(Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) says North West employers who recruit
and support a diverse workforce; with measures to help parents return to work -
will gain a competitive edge and a wider pool of talent.
The RICS; a professional body which sets standards in the land, property and
construction sectors; says on top of our ageing workforce, the region's
property industry is also facing a skills shortage and the lack of qualified
candidates is causing many North West based firms to have problems recruiting.
The organisation says employers can improve such recruitment issues by hiring a
diverse workforce and ensuring staff receive regular training and opportunities
to upskill.
Richard Schofield, 65, Managing Director at Rider Hunt Management Services and
Chairman of the Rider Hunt UK Group said:- "No matter what your age,
ethnicity, religion or gender; there should be no barriers to anyone's
aspirations. We must attract and retain young talent, but we must not
forget about those with years of experience, including parents who took a career
break to look after their children. Their invaluable knowledge and expertise can
help address any skills shortages by encouraging young professionals through
training and mentoring initiatives."
The RICS believes that one of the reasons it has so few female members (15%) is
that women struggle to get back in to the industry at the same professional
level they left to have a child, unless they return to work within a year. The
organisation says firms that aren't willing to offer flexible working are
leaving some parents with no alternative but to leave the industry.
Chartered building surveyor, Rebecca Hailey of JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle) is a mum
of a 2 year old little boy. She returned to her role as Associate Director -
Project & Development Services after 13 months. "Where women opt to take a
career break, it is essential that they can re-enter the workplace at the
appropriate level. There is also a culture that if you are not seen to be at
your desk, then you are not doing your job. This attitude needs to change. My
employer is supportive of flexible working, but I know this isn't the case for
many working parents, which is why they may struggle to go back to work.
The property industry in the North West changes so quickly, so we constantly
have to develop our skills to adapt to the changing market. Parents, who return
to the industry after having a number of years off, may find it particularly
hard adapting. The same can be said of older professionals who return to the
industry after being out of work for years. Employers need to ensure that any
such staff has access to the relevant training and development opportunities to
refresh and improve their skill set."
47,000 of RICS' qualified members (chartered surveyors) are over 50 years old
and of this percentage, 94% are male, with the average age of a chartered
surveyor being 53.
RICS encourages older members to continue their careers, as experience is highly
revered and rewarded. It's not unknown for chartered surveyors to work beyond
their retirement age as they enjoy keeping up with the developing world and in
touch with others of a like mind.
The organisation has even launched a Senior Professional Route (SPR) to
membership, to help encourage greater diversity and recognise the career
achievements of those operating at a senior level within an organisation.
Chartered urban land economist and town planner, Louise Brooke-Smith, is the
first female President of RICS in the organisation's 147-year history. She
said:- "Our industry has typically lagged behind others in terms of making
the most of a diverse workforce, but we are now driving change to ensure we
attract and retain the very best talent for the future."
Sparrowhawks
hunting in Town Centre
IT is not your average thing to spot
in the back yard of your office, but this week our Editor spotted and snapped
these pictures of the Eurasian Sparrowhawk. This 'small' bird of
prey in the family Accipitridae is extremely adapted for hunting birds in
confined spaces like dense woodland, and also many gardens make ideal hunting
grounds for them, but surprisingly the pigeon population is also pulling them
now to the back yards of many offices and shops in and around Southport.
Thankfully numbers of these birds all over Europe are increasing, since being
driven dangerously low, due to persecuted by gamekeepers, in the 20th Century
and in the 1950's to 1960's, when numbers dropped even sharper due to harmful
organochlorine pesticides. If you live in or around Merseyside we can safely say
that these birds are still vulnerable, but sittings are increasingly more common
site over the Merseyside Coastline and Farmland. So keep your eyes open
for these amazing hunters when at work, but also that it is illegal to harm or
disturb them or their nests.
Fact File:-
The bird's length is around:- 28cm to 38cm
It's wingspan is around:- 60cm to 75cm
The male bird weighs around:- 110g to 195g
The female bird weighs around:- 185g to 342g
They fly around 10mph to 30mph due to their shorter wings that are designed for
more manoeuvrability at the expense of less speed.
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