Sure, I accept that not every CoC construction project is worthless, or a retrograde step. But there's plenty of good old buildings all over Liverpool that could have been renovated, rather than demolished and replaced, or simply left to carry on rotting...
And where are the free activity centres, youth clubs, sports facilities, music practice rooms, art centres? Just one of those built for some of our younger and poorer neighbours to make use of would go a long way to redeeming the CoC year for me.
In order to renovate empty buildings you have to stimulate the private sector which capital of culture will do. I agree more local and community arts based projects should be included in Capital of culture but looking at the site before I saw one in Huyton and others in similar areas.
Unemployed guaranteed interviews
Liverpool's £1bn regeneration project is staging a massive recruitment drive and guaranteeing interviews to the city's unemployed.
The Liverpool One scheme covers 42 hectares of the city centre and will include shops, offices and apartments.
It is creating about 5,000 jobs, from administration to security, with full training provided.
This week it is staging six events across Liverpool looking to meet potential employees.
On Monday the road show starts in Toxteth at the Kummba Imani centre on Princes Road and the local town hall.
Later in the week events will be staged at The Empire Theatre, Garston urban village, Walton sports centre and Kensington life bank
Just shows how 'ordinary' people are starting to benefit from private enterprise
I live in Bootle and it only took a little effort to see whats going on locally and not just in Lpool city centre
Sefton's packed programme of 2008 fun Jan 10 2008
by Lloyd Jones, Bootle Times
A PACKED programme of events and activities to celebrate Capital of Culture year has been announced by Sefton Council.
The borough has been preparing for 2008 through the Express Sefton! programme, which has launched a fantastic range of events and activities.
Express Sefton! was launched last January and has delivered a number of successful events and projects, including the Southport Comedy Week, Bootle Comedy and Music Festival, the Sefton Festival of Literature and much more.
Young people from across the borough enjoyed a summer filled with watersports activities in a bid to become one of six local people to take up the chance of a lifetime and be part of the Tall Ships Race in July.
The Sail Train initiative will give a select few the chance to spend six weeks on a Tall Ship in a trip from Liverpool to Norway and the Netherlands. Candidates for the experience will go through a rigorous selection process before embarking on a training scheme to prepare them for their ship trip.In addition, to Sefton's exciting line-up of existing events, such as the Southport Air Show, British Musical Fireworks Championships, Summer Classics, International Jazz Festival and the world-famous Grand National, the borough will host the 2008 golf Open Championship at Royal Birkdale course.
Another exciting event planned for 2008 includes the Sefton Schools Opera Project, which has seen a specially-written opera, ITOKU, by Lin Marsh. More than 500 young people from across the borough will perform the opera, which is expected to be premiered at Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral on February 27.
Peter Sandman, Sefton Council's events manager, said: "Express Sefton! has been designed to encourage people across the borough to get involved in a range of activities which will define the area's cultural identity throughout Liverpool's reign in 2008.
"Throughout 2007 we delivered a fantastic line-up of events and activities for the whole community to get involved with, including excellent new events such as the Bootle Music and Comedy Festival and the inaugural Sefton Festival of Literature, which is a two-year programme celebrating the written word.
"We hope that people will really get into the Capital of Culture 2008 celebrations and enjoy what Sefton has to offer during this unique cultural year, helping us to define Sefton's cultural identity."
Top | Back | E-mail to a friend | Printable version
Bootle Times Bootle News Article
Business booms in Capital of Culture launch
Jan 15 2008
by Neil Hodgson, Liverpool Echo
LIVERPOOL’S leisure industry enjoyed record takings for the Capital of Culture launch parties.
Some 50,000 people watched the spectacular People’s Opening at St George’s Plateau on Friday.
And 10,600 concert goers were at the ECHO Arena on Saturday night to watch Liverpool The Musical.
Nearby bars and restaurants reported record figures.
Although city centre hotels were not fully booked out, hoteliers said they welcomed far more guests than they normally would in the middle of January.
Tourism experts believe the influx of visitors and trade would increase as the city’s cultural programme unfolds over the coming year.
Albert Dock Company director Joe Edge said: “We enjoyed a momentous weekend during the city’s culture launch with guests visiting the Dock from Liverpool and around the world.”
He said visitor numbers across the entire Dock were up over Friday and Saturday.
Restaurants and bars in the city also reported brisk trading.
Japanese eaterie Sapporo, Italian restaurant Il Forno and Indian specialist Mayur, all in Duke Street’s East Village, were significantly busier than usual.
David Daly from the Liverpool Hoteliers Association said: “The weekend was not as buoyant as we thought it might be, although hotels in the immediate vicinity of the ECHO Arena did OK.
“The rest of the hotels had rooms available on both Friday and Saturday.
“But for a January weekend, when we are traditionally quiet, there was an uplift.
“But the best time to judge it will be in the summer and autumn.”
Tourism officials are also predicting great things for Liverpool on the back of enormous media attention at the launch weekend from all around the world.
Martin King, tourism director at the city’s Mersey Partnership tourist board, said: “The interest in Liverpool during the weekend and since has been phenomenal.
“Reports and images from the army of international media who covered the launch events have appeared all over the world. We picked up 443 stories from around the world in just 72 hours since Friday.
“In terms of raising awareness of Liverpool as a destination, we have seen a huge volume of coverage, which we are ready to translate into increased visitor numbers throughout 2008.”
A Liverpool Chamber of Commerce spokeswoman said: “Early reports suggest a great success for the city. The majority of city centre hotels were fully booked and licensees report a good weekend’s trading.”
Source: Liverpool Echo
Cheers for that positive info Howie,
We all knew it was a huge success but it's great to see it in writing. There have been one or two negative remarks about the opening but I believe that our shoulders are broad enough to bear them.
After my little chat on Radio Merseyside (and Plugs for Our Forum) I have been invited down to do a longer 'chat.'
I'm startingto get sick of the sound of my own voice.
Personally I made a substantial contribution to the good weekend’s trading for the licensees.
Hi Max.
Yep - I did countless pieces on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday about the opening weekend. I certainly mentioned who was on at the arena on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. I can only think you caught one of the short bulletins where we wouldn't have had time to go through all the artists. But I can assure you they did get mentions and we (quite rightly) gave 08 lots of airtime.
Cheers
Andy
Production work for 08 launch musical earns national acclaim
Monday, 21 January 2008
The production work undertaken by Mocha and Sparkle to stage 'Liverpool: The Musical' for the opening 08 event has, it seems, been well received nationally.
The two Liverpool companies between them created 90 minutes of film for the opening events for the European Capital of Culture celebrations and in parallel the launch event for the new Echo Arena.
The films featured a mixture of archive content and original film and animation and in some observers' opinion proved to be the most simulating aspect of the launch events.
The Stage magazine's review said: "The use of video footage as a backdrop to proceedings was especially emotive, delivering the city's message forcefully without ever forcing down anybody's throat" while the New Statesman tactfully referred to "…Arresting images."
The Times correspondent, Richard Morrison, was less circumspect with his comment that "What saved the show was its high-tech slickness, the visual element was brazen and breathtaking." He then proceeded to award the event 4 out of 5.
Phil Halpin, director of production at Mocha told How-Do that the films weren't available yet "for public consumption as yet but watch this space."
www.mocha.tv
www.sparklemedia.co.uk
Bookmarks