Maghull – New cycle track from Switch Island towards Maghull on A59

I have commented before about the narrow and completely inadequate cycle/footpath out of Maghull towards Switch Island and it seems someone has been listening as construction work on a much wider path has been taking place in recent weeks from Switch Island up to the pedestrian/cycle crossing just before the Maghull boundary.

I do hope that the highway powers that be Highways England and Sefton Council are going to keep the new path construction going to the junction with Liverpool Road South as there’s no point in stopping at the cycle/pedestrian crossing. This is view from the crossing towards the Liverpool Road South junction – still a very narrow path at present but I will have more news soon on it:-

Of course what Maghull and Lydiate really needs alongside the A59 Northway is a safe cycle route from Switch Island through to Robins Island and Lydiate Parish Council has acknowledge this need in its draft Neighbourhood Plan.

Click on the photos to enlarge them

Southport – New Tory MP in hot seat over leaflet

www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/merseysides-only-tory-mp-accused-14561067

The Liverpool Echo has the story on its web site – see link above

I saw a copy of the controversial leaflet last Sunday and what actually stood out to me about it was the fact that local head teachers were pictured in it. I know I would be having a word with any head teacher of a school I was a governor of if they appeared in a political publication – indeed I had to tackle a head teacher over this very type of thing a few years back. Of course they will all quite properly have their own political views but from my perspective head teachers need to be seen to be politically independent.

But yes a green (as in colour, not politics) leaflet from a true blue Tory is odd, maybe the Conservative brand is more than a little ‘damaged goods’ at present because of the May/Corbyn appalling Brexit and the equally appalling Windrush scandal.

And as another thought who paid for the leaflet, the Tory Party or Parliament? Odd that it has been delivered during the election period for Sefton Borough?

With thanks to Roy Connell for the lead to this posting.

Lydiate – ‘In Flower’ makes another 3 splashes of colour

I seem to be dividing my very limited knowledge of things horticultural between Maghull in Bloom and Lydiate in Flower these days and my latest trick has been to learn how to attach Gateway Planters to Lydiate boundary signs.

We put one up at either end of Southport Road/Myerscough Lane to start with a few weeks back and have now added another 3 on the Civil Parish boundaries with Maghull on Kenyons Lane and on both Bells Lane and Punnell’s Lane with Great Altcar. They are all now planted up like the one below at Punnell’s Lane.

The planting was done by other LinF volunteers who know far more about plants than I ever will. Don’t the Gateway planters look grand though…..

Clieves Hill – Beautiful views and huge potholes

Clieves Hill in Aughton provides wonderful views over West Lancashire and Sefton to the coast, views like this:-

But beware if you try to park your car in the viewing lay-by as there are some monster sized potholes in it:-

Note:- Lay-by potholes reported to Lancashire County Council 21 04 18

Click on the photos to enlarge them

The lead photo is also amongst my Flickr shots at:-

www.flickr.com/photos/86659476@N07/

Maghull – Frank Hornby Trust displays in Meadows Leisure Centre

Clearing out the Hornby display items at Meadows Leisure Centre

The Frank Hornby Heritage Centre within Maghull’s Meadows Leisure Centre is now temporarily closed pending removal of display cases from the ground to first floor of the Centre during a remodeling of the building.

Everything was safely packed away by Trustees today and information on reopening will be made available soon. It is anticipated that the closure will only be for a few weeks.

Meadows Leisure Centre & Library – Frank Hornby Trust Displays

If you live in the Maghull area you will have seen the headlines in this week’s Aintree & Maghull Champion about the contraction of the Town’s library into a space only about one third the size of what it was when the new library was opened in 2010.

The demise, reductions and contractions of public libraries is sad in any circumstance and it is a matter I have blogged about on many occasions. However, this particular posting is more about the consequences of the major changes at Meadows Leisure Centre and Library. In particular the remodeling of the Centre/Library is having a significant impact on the Frank Hornby Heritage Centre which is based within the building.

The Heritage Centre is run by the Maghull based charitable trust – The Frank Hornby Trust – and it helps celebrate the life and works of Maghull’s most famous resident. On display in the Frank Hornby Room on the ground floor of the leisure centre has been a large museum quality display case with many Hornby related artifacts within it. Here’s a photo of it:-

There are a lot of Meccano, Hornby Trains and other items on display and every one has to be carefully cleaned now and again.

But the Franky Hornby Room is being repurposed into offices for Sefton Council so our display cases are on the move. They are moving upstairs into part of what was the 2nd floor of Maghull Library and the move starts tomorrow Saturday 21st April when Trustees will be packing up the items ready for the display cases to be moved. This means that for a period of a few weeks, whilst the works are ongoing, there will be no access to the Hornby items.

The good news however, is that when the works are complete the display cases will be accessible whenever Maghull Library is open. This is a significant improvement on the present situation because the Frank Hornby Room has always been multi-use, so access to the displays has depended on other activities in the room.

Since Michael Portillo visited the Frank Hornby Room on one of his Great British Railway Journeys the Frank Hornby Trust has had many enquiries from folk across the UK who want to see the display of Hornby items:-

In the Hornby Room at Meadows Leisure Centre – Michael Portillo with Frank Hornby Trust Chairman Les French as seen on TV this year.

There’s much work to do over the next few weeks but the Trustees hope that following the move the displays will be back up and accessible for people to see towards the end of May this year. More publicity will follow.