Press release - 11 July 2011                      

Green fingered pupils ready to grow!

Primary school pupils from across Merseyside will come together this Wednesday (13th July) to launch their own city centre market.

The children, from 10 Merseyside schools, have all been taking part in Liverpool’s Big Go and Grow campaign which was organised by St Johns and Clayton Square Shopping Centres, City Central Businesses and Arriva buses.

The initiative saw schools from across the county nominate themselves to say why they should each receive gardening equipment and seeds for their school as well as professional mentoring in setting up an allotment in their schools’ grounds.

Since March the pupils have all been busily tending to fruits, vegetables and flowers which they will sell in order to raise funds for their schools at the market which will take place in Williamson Square from 12.30pm to 3.30pm.

The children will all have the chance to dress up as street traders with special aprons and hats and Liverpool's street traders will be on hand to offer support and advice on how to sell goods to the public.

Lord Mayor of Liverpool Councillor Frank Prendergast will also pay the children a visit to see the results of their hard work and to present a number of prizes for their efforts.

One school will win a competition which has been run by Arriva buses challenging children to think about how travelling by public transport can help the environment. Pupils were tasked with designing a green themed artwork for the back of an Arriva bus which will be seen travelling around Merseyside..

Finally, Clas Ohlson will be doing live gardening demonstrations and the area will be brought to life with two performing Preying Mantis on stilts and  face painters.

Ian Ward, centre director for St Johns and Clayton Square, said: “We hoped that this campaign would help children to learn more about the environment and how to grow their own produce.”

“We know that the children have really enjoyed the process of raising their own vegetables and flowers from seeds and can’t wait to see the results of their hard work on Wednesday.”

Ged Gibbons, Chief Executive of City Central BID, which has chosen the environment as its key theme for 2011, said: “’The Big Go and Grow has been a huge success and has brilliantly linked lessons on the environment and business together. The school’s garden market on Wednesday is a great example of how the private and public sector can make a difference and how a city centre can be animated by new ideas.

“It should be a great experience for the pupils and will hopefully give them an appetite to learn more about where food comes from and how to sell products. Judging by the amazing feedback from the teachers and school children it’s something we should look at growing with our partners for next year.’’

Debra Mercer, marketing and communications manager for Arriva North West said: “All the schools involved in this project have been so enthusiastic, and the pupils have had great fun learning about the environment and how to be green.”

The full list of schools that have taken part in the Big Go and Grow is as follows:

Blessed Sacrament Infants, Fazakerley

Our Lady of Assumption, Belle Vale

Anfield Infant School, Anfield

Princes School, Liverpool

Anfield Juniors, Anfield

Barlow’s Primary School, Fazakerley

St Albert’s, Knowsley

St Sebastian’s, Fairfield

Broadgreen Primary, Old Swan

Bedford Drive Primary, Birkenhead

For more information visit www.juicefm.com/goandgrow  or www.stjohns-shopping.co.uk

-ends-

For more information contact: Elizabeth Murphy, Beattie Communications, 0161 212 1755, elizabeth.murphy@beattiegroup.com

 

Lewis’s reveal Fifth Floor Treasures for the last time….
Date: 06 May 2010 - Source: Lewis's Ranelagh Street

PRESS RELEASE    5.5.10

 

Lewis’s reveal Fifth Floor Treasures for the last time….

 

Due to massive public interest Lewis’s, Liverpool’s Original Department store will open the doors to its famous fifth floor during May to give the general public the opportunity to view many of its hidden treasures for one last time.

 The Fifth floor, which at its peak housed three restaurants and a hair salon was closed to the public in the mid eighties. Since then it has become something of an enigma with its 1950s fittings and décor making it a favourite venue for local creatives, in recent years the floor has been used as a location for film and music videos, numerous fashion shoots and more recently it was the subject of a photographic exhibition by Stephen King, which is currently running at the Conservation Centre in Whitechapel.

 

Angela Murray, Marketing Director said:

 

“ The Fifth Floor of Lewis’s has always generated a great amount of interest, we last opened the floor in 2006 as part of our 150 year anniversary and we were overwhelmed by the response at one point we had over 300 people on the waiting list for the tours!  We did a lot of reminiscence work with former members of staff who worked on the 5th floor in its  ‘hey day’ and they really brought the floor to life for us. Everyone who visited the fifth floor had his or her own memories of the store. To lots of Liverpudlians a trip to Lewis’s Red Rose Restaurant was a real treat. We had always planned to reopen the floor for one last time before the store sadly closes in June, and with recent appearances on the BBC’s One Show, interest has almost reached fever pitch!”

 

“This time around we are displaying more memorabilia from the Lewis’s archive and for the first time in almost two decades we have unveiled the amazing mosaic columns and carved panelling which charts the history of Liverpool in what was The Mersey Room”

“ Although this is a really emotional time for everyone associated with Lewis’s we could not let the store close without giving our customers one last chance to step back in time and share their memories with us about the bygone days in what has always been a Liverpool institution.”

 

 Places on each tour are limited and entrance is strictly by ticket only which are now on sale at customer services on the second floor.

 

 

 

For further press information please contact:

Angela Murray 0151 707 4027 or email  angela.murray@vergoretail.co.uk

 

 

Notes for Editors:

 

-         David Lewis arrived in Liverpool during 1839 aged sixteen and served his apprenticeship with a firm of tailors Benjamin Hyam & Company of Lord Street.

-         Lewis founded his first small shop at 44 Ranelagh Street in 1856 selling men’s and boys clothing.

-         Soon outgrowing the Ranelagh Street store he acquired additional premises in Bold Street.

-         In 1878 David Lewis established Bon Marche in Basnett Street

-         After continuous expansion when David Lewis died in 1885 not only was his Ranelagh Street store the largest in Liverpool but also he had established new branch stores in Manchester, Sheffield and Birmingham.

-         The store suffered a major fire in 1886 and was virtually rebuilt following major damage during the Blitz in May 1941 after both events the store continued to trade within a matter of days.

-         Lewis’s store is a City landmark famous for its risqué Epstein statue ‘Liverpool Resurgent’ known locally as ‘Dickie Lewis’  which caused uproar when it was first unveiled back in 1956.

-         Throughout the intervening years Lewis’s has had several owners including Owen Owen.

-         Lewis’s celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2006.

-         Vergo Retail announced in February 2010 that the lease under which it operates the famous store was not in a position to be renewed by landlords Merepark and the store commenced a closing down programme.

 

 




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Welcome to the City Central news area.

Below is a list of news articles from City Central, please click the link to see full details.

18/05/2012 - Forever 21 constructor appointed

McLaren Construction has won a £4m contract to build the new Forever 21 retail outlet in Liverpool.


Three City Central businesses win customer care award
16/05/2012 - Three City Central businesses win customer care award

Utility, Boudoir Boutique and The Italian Club have each won the Customer at the Heart award...


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St Johns Shopping Centre is inviting primary schools to join in its Diamond Jubilee celebrations...


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As visitors prepare to enjoy a Friday night with a difference with City Central BID.


15/05/2012 - Brazilica Goes Global!

Acts from as far away as Singapore to converge on Liverpool for carnival weekend 13-15 July


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Welcome to the City Central news area.

Below is a list of news articles from City Central, please click the link to see full details.

18/05/2012 - Forever 21 constructor appointed

McLaren Construction has won a £4m contract to build the new Forever 21 retail outlet in Liverpool.


Three City Central businesses win customer care award
16/05/2012 - Three City Central businesses win customer care award

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16/05/2012 - St Johns Jubilee design a crown competition

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Carrying a regal £1,000 first prize, courtesy of Queen Square Car Park and City Central BID.


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03/05/2012 - Northern cities experience tourism boom

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