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Liverpool, UK Sport and
British Gymnastics are to bid to host the 2022 World Gymnastics Championships
Photos by David Munn
LIVERPOOL City Council's cabinet is set
to endorse British Gymnastics' bid to the Federation of International Gymnastics
(FIG), on Friday, 15 December 2017, which if successful would bring together 500
gymnasts from over 80 nations for 10 days of exhilarating action, generating an
estimated 15,000 bed nights and a ₤6m boost to the local economy.
Last held in the UK in 2015, when Glasgow attracted a worldwide audience of 665
million viewers, the 2022 championships has an added cache as it will be the 1st
event for nations to qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Liverpool is seeking to host what would be its biggest ever international
sporting event at the waterfront based Echo Arena complex, which has annually
hosted the British Championships since 2012 and will host the BBC Sports
Personality of the Year Awards this Sunday.
And as part of the bid, British Gymnastics have announced the Kings Dock venue,
which has held Davis Cup ties and many other major sporting events, will
continue to host these championships until 2022.
The move is designed to underpin a capacity building and audience development
programme, as well as providing the GB team with the best possible opportunity
to qualify as one of the top three nations for Paris.
The World Championships would also be a lasting legacy of the work undertaken by
Liverpool for its 2022 Commonwealth Games bid, which had aimed to base the
gymnastics element in the same venue.
Mayor Joe Anderson said:- "The World Gymnastics Championships in 2022
would be a huge sporting occasion for Liverpool and a unique opportunity to
showcase the City to a global audience. Liverpool has a fantastic track record
in nurturing gymnastic talent like triple world champion Beth Tweddle and we've
fostered a great relationship with British Gymnastics by hosting its
championships since 2012, so a 2022 World Championship would be great way to
celebrate a decade long journey. A lot of hard work remains to be done, but our
exciting bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games undoubtedly boosted the City's
reputation for its ability to host prestigious sporting events. We have world
class facilities, brilliant partners in the City and in British Gymnastics and
UK Sport, and we have the x-factor in our passionate crowds who are second to
none, so I can guarantee we would give the sport of gymnastics a World
Championships to remember."
Both UK Sport, which will support the bid through National Lottery funding, and
British Gymnastics regard Liverpool's ability to co-locate all competition and
training facilities at the Kings Dock as a huge asset; with on campus hotels
requiring minimal transport requirements for athletes, coaching staff and
judges.
A UK bid is also strengthened by the
fact that British Gymnastics is held in high esteem by the FIG for its ability
to stage world class events, having held three World Championships, the most
recent of which in Glasgow was widely acknowledged as the best ever, as well as
the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2012 Olympic Games.
Legacy will be another key element in the bid and British Gymnastics is already
working collaboratively with the City Council's Sports Development Team to
assist with the establishment of a community development programme to build
participation across the City up to and beyond the championships.
Matthew Greenwood, Events Director at British Gymnastics, said:- "We are
delighted to partner with Liverpool City Council and UK Sport on the bid for the
2022 World Championships. We have a rich history of working together and staging
magnificent events in the City. To bring the World Championships back to the UK
ahead of the Paris Olympic Games and host it in Liverpool would be fantastic."
Esther Britten, Head of Major Events of UK Sport, said:- "Bidding for the
World Gymnastics Championships forms part of our ambitious strategy to invest
National Lottery funding to maintain the UK as a world leading host of
innovative and inspirational international sporting events. 7 years on from
successfully hosting the 2015 Championships in Glasgow, we look forward to
working in partnership with British Gymnastics, City of Liverpool and the FIG on
the 2022 edition."
Beth Tweddle, Liverpool's celebrated Triple World Gymnastics Champion, said:-
"I lived, trained and went to University in Liverpool and, having won three
World titles, it fills me with a huge amount of excitement and great pride to
imagine these championships in our great City in 2022. The tournament would be
ideal for gymnasts given the compact nature of all the venues and hotels and
having competed myself at the Echo Arena know full well what an amazing
atmosphere our passionate fans can bring to the event. We also have sport in our
blood in Liverpool, and I know our passionate and friendly fans would ensure an
amazing atmosphere!"
The Federation of International Gymnastics is expected to announce the winning
bid for the 2022 World Championships at its next Council meeting in Istanbul in
May 2018.
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Christmas spirit brings maternity
communities together
NHS maternity services, voluntary
support groups and local families across Cheshire and Merseyside came together
for a recent event to celebrate the launch of:- 'Maternity Voices.'
Hosted at Liverpool Central Library by the Improving Me Women's and Children's
Services Partnership, the event shone a light on maternity support available to
families across the Region, and aimed to encourage wider collaboration between
different organisations and services.
This collaboration will be driven by new Maternity Voices groups; teams of
health care professionals, commissioners and members of the public working
together to improve experiences for families accessing maternity services;
which have now been established across Cheshire and Merseyside.
Catherine McClennan, Programme Director for Improving Me, said:- "I'm
delighted that we have been able to launch Maternity Voices. This will ensure
that families can have their voices heard throughout the maternity system and
really be involved in a meaningful way. We had a great turn out and a
really diverse audience, which highlights just how important it is that everyone
can have their say. Our next step is to work closely with our maternity partners
to drive this momentum at a local level. I'd like to say a huge thank you to
everyone who joined us on the day."
In addition to its focus on partnership working, the event also included
powerful stories from local women about their maternity experiences, a
performance by local poet Terry Caffrey and a visit from Santa Claus himself,
who delighted attendees with gifts of books for children; generously donated by
the library.
Danielle Gillett, a mum from Southport who shared her maternity story at the
launch event, said:- "Events like this are great to show parents how to
get involved in ensuring maternity services are designed around them. Maternity
Voices partnerships are brilliant forums to enable your voice to be heard to
professionals at the heart of local maternity care. I thoroughly enjoyed the
day, I hope my story helps others tell theirs and gives them the courage to get
involved too."
Councillor Wendy Simon, Liverpool Assistant Mayor and Cabinet Member responsible
for libraries, said:- "Events like this are incredibly important in order
to give women and their families the support and advice they need, and I'm
delighted the event was held in the beautiful surroundings of Central Library.
It was a great turn out and we hope to host similar events in the future."
What is Maternity Voices?
Maternity Voices Partnerships (MVPs) are an innovative development based on an
updating of Maternity Services Liaison Committees (MSLCs) within providers of
NHS maternity services.
Maternity Voices groups take forward issues raised by maternity service users by
looking at aspects of the service in detail and making recommendations for
improvements. Service users, providers and commissioners then work together on
putting these into practice.
What is Improving Me? Improving Me is a partnership of 27 NHS organisations across Cheshire and
Merseyside aiming to improve the experiences of women and children. The
Partnership is 1 of NHS England's Vanguard New Care Model initiatives. To get
involved or to find out more about Cheshire and Merseyside Maternity Voices send
them an email to:-
Info@ImprovingMe.Org.UK.
or visit:- ImprovingMe.Org.UK.
Merseyside Police have
delivered presents across the Merseyside
MERSEYSIDE Police became Santa's
helpers for the day, on Friday, 15 December 2017, when they deliver presents
donated from their:- 'Christmas Tree Project' to children across
Merseyside. The project saw members of the public, Officers and staff
donate suitable gifts at various Police Stations, which have now been collected
and will be delivered to children between the ages of 2 and 17, in care homes,
across Merseyside. Each person donating was allocated a child to buy for, to
make sure each 1 gets the perfect present. The response from the public and
staff has been truly heart warming and Chief Constable Andy Cooke was joined by
his Chief Officers, at Police Headquarters this morning to gather the gifts
together before they are given to children across Merseyside to make their
Christmas special.
The Chief Constable said:- "I would like
to thank all of the companies, members of our communities and our staff who have
given their time to this amazing project. It is humbling to see the generosity
of people across Merseyside. This really is what Christmas is all about, with
every gift making this time of year better for those children in our communities
who might otherwise go without. We are happy to do our bit in ensuring the
children that we reach wake up on Christmas Day with a present, as every child
should experience the magic of Christmas."
Merseyside's Police Commissioner Jane Kennedy
said:- "This is such a simple idea, but 1 that will make the world of
difference to a child who may otherwise have been waking up on Christmas morning
with nothing waiting for them under the tree. Even a small gesture can make a
huge difference at Christmas and, thanks to the generosity and thoughtfulness of
the Officers and staff of Merseyside Police and all those who offered to buy
gifts, these children will instead be experiencing some festive cheer this year.
I would like to thank everyone involved with this fantastic project and all
those who gave so kindly; this is what Christmas is all about."
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