Stories of the people, the place and the areas surrounding Formby. Formby is a coastal town with a beautiful beach, fabulous sand dunes, pine woods, red squirrels all managed by the National Trust. The town boasts an attractive village shopping centre where there's much to see, eat and drink. Because of its popularity, parking close to the beach is limited, often full and large queues form by noon at weekends and bank holidays.
Local Conservative Councillors have just announced their latest proposal for Formby Village.
As Sefton Councillors they have access to S106 monies (These are paid to local Councils by developers) to fund local projects of their own choice. In this case, the Councillors have apparently commissioned a local tree carver to utilise the tree trunk that remains after the recent tree felling controversy.
This is a preliminary model made by the artist and published recently on his Twitter feed.
Coming soon to a village near you(or me at least 😄) Rudimentary maquette for an on-site tree sculpture pic.twitter.com/97cCc0Rp1y
This was funded entirely by Harington Ward Councillors' S106 monies with no cost whatsoever to Formby residents. Thanks to @NTFormby and Formby Tool Hire for providing the fencing and scaffolding platform both free of charge. Excited to see the end result !!
Bike hire scheme Bike & Go are inviting Formby subscribers to go on a Valentine’s date with a difference thanks to a ‘buy one get one free’ offer.
Those signed up to the bike hire scheme – which costs £10 a year and allows users to rent two bikes as often as they like – can pay just £3.80 to hire two bikes and enjoy a bike ride between Thursday, February 14 and Sunday, February 17 this year.
Even if customers sign up to the scheme to take advantage of this offer alone, the deal still adds up to a great value Valentine’s date, with the annual membership and the rental charge totalling just £13.80 for 24 hours bike hire for two.
Couples can take to two wheels for a relaxing day or evening out, cycling to one of the region’s many beauty spots or enjoying a tour of the area’s most romantic attractions.
And with exercise widely accepted to act as a natural aphrodisiac, the Bike & Go team say cycling is the perfect activity for couples to enjoy on Valentine’s Day.
Suzanne Grant, Bike & Go director said:
“Cycling together offers couples the chance to have fun and to enjoy a genuinely romantic experience for what can add up to less than two cinema tickets.
“Just pack up a picnic and wrap up warm to create a very special date you’ll never forget.”
Here, Bike & Go their top five suggestions of where to head for a romantic bike ride date:
Another Place, Crosby Beach
Beaches aren’t just for summer enjoyment; and with Sir Antony Gormley’s world famous ‘Another Place’ sculptural installation on our doorstep, Crosby Beach is certainly a year-round destination. Park up the bikes and enjoy a picnic overlooking the haunting figures and the waters beyond.
Albert Dock/Pier Head
The Albert Dock and Pier Head is a great option for those who want to enjoy an evening ride, as the lights illuminating some of the city’s most stunning landmarks provide a beautiful backdrop to a romantic date. Add a drink and a warming blanket so that you can snuggle up and look at the lights and enjoy a date with a difference.
New Brighton
With its view of the Liverpool skyline that’s equally as pretty during the day as it is in the evening, head to New Brighton and take some couple-selfies for a date that’s as Instagrammable as it is romantic.
Clieves Hill, Ormskirk
Following rural backroads and boasting a panoramic view which, on a clear day, offers views of the Lake District, this is a ride best enjoyed in the daytime. Once you reach the peak, stop off for a picnic and bask in the knowledge that you’ve conquered an uphill cycle climb together.
Calderstones Park and Allerton Park Loop
Romance is at a premium at the beautiful Calderstones Park, with its mansion house, lake and extensive grounds. Follow the full route [https://www.letsride.co.uk/rides/43860] for a four-mile ride that also passes Allerton Tower Park and across Woolton Road into Clarke Gardens.
Bike & Go offers bike hire facilities from 22 participating train stations across the Merseyrail network, including Liverpool Central, Moorfields, Formby, Ainsdale, Aigburth, Southport, Ormskirk and West Kirby. There are also bike hire facilities at Seacombe Ferry Terminal and Leasowe Castle.
To hire a Bike & Go bike, users simply need to register their card details online, which they can do via smartphones, tablets, or at home, and pay the annual £10 subscription fee. They will then receive a user number via email which will allow immediate bike hire – usually charged at just £3.80 per 24 hours up to a maximum of 72 hours - while they wait for their Bike & Go membership card.
Sefton residents are being reminded they can get expert advice about any minor health concerns they may have from their local pharmacy, saving them a trip to their doctor’s surgery.
That’s the message from health commissioners in the borough as part of the latest phase of the national ‘Help Us, Help You’ campaign, focusing on the range of services and support available from pharmacies.
Pharmacy teams offer a fast and convenient clinical service for minor health concerns with no appointment needed and use of a private consultation room should it be required.
Susanne Lynch, head of medicines management at NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Southport and Formby CCG said:
"I urge everyone to make full use of their local pharmacist all year round; they use their clinical expertise together with their practical knowledge to give you the best advice.
“Health services can often become really busy and overstretched over winter. By visiting your local pharmacy with any minor health concerns, you will avoid waiting for an appointment.
“Our pharmacists can advise you on what over the counter medicines you may need in this cold weather and let you know about any side effects of medication so it is beneficial to ask their advice.”
According to NHS England, 27 per cent of GP appointments in England could potentially be treated elsewhere. You can simply walk into your pharmacy, without an appointment and they will be able to offer you advice.
The latest available attendance record of Formby Parish Council members as recorded on the FPC website are set out below. (Comment: In my experience, this is a patchy performance for a Council of this size.)
Councillor
Full Council
Sub-Cttees
Derek Baxter
6
9
Maria Bennett
6
14
Roy Broadbent
3
8
Dawn Brodie
5
6
Denise Dutton
Ceased due to lack of attendance.
1
0
Mavis Hearn
4
0
Dave Irving
6
10
Robert McCann
6
14
Siobhan Mulrooney
Newly elected May 2018
4
4
Gemma Peace
3
1
Bernie Prescott
6
7
Tony Price
4
8
Frank Stinner
5
10
Paul Wiencke
5
11
Liz Williams
3
0
Note:
Attendance at Full Council Meetings is by ‘Summons’, in other words, is a legal requirement, non-attendance leads to removal from the Council after a vote.
There are several sub-committees, generally, members are appointed to these at the AGM of the Council, members would normally be expected to attend.
Council members are not restricted in the number of sub-committees they become members of and are entitled to attend others with speaking rights but without a right to vote.
All the minutes of sub-committees can be amended, corrected or rejected in the subsequent full Council meetings. (Model Standing Orders NALC, every Council has to adopt and abide by standing orders).
FPC Councillor Attendance Records 2018-2019
The latest available attendance record of Formby Parish Council members as recorded on the FPC website are set out below. (Comment: In my experience, this is a patchy performance for a Council of this size.)
Councillor
Full Council
Sub-Cttees
Derek Baxter
6
9
Maria Bennett
6
14
Roy Broadbent
3
8
Dawn Brodie
5
6
Denise Dutton
Ceased due to lack of attendance.
1
0
Mavis Hearn
4
0
Dave Irving
6
10
Robert McCann
6
14
Siobhan Mulrooney
Newly elected May 2018
4
4
Gemma Peace
3
1
Bernie Prescott
6
7
Tony Price
4
8
Frank Stinner
5
10
Paul Wiencke
5
11
Liz Williams
3
0
Note:
There are several sub-committees, generally, members are appointed to these at the AGM of the Council, members would normally be expected to attend.
Council members are not restricted in the number of sub-committees they become members of and are entitled to attend others with speaking rights but without a right to vote.
All the minutes of sub-committees can be amended, corrected or rejected in the subsequent full Council meetings. (Model Standing Orders NALC, every Council has to adopt and abide by standing orders).
Posted on February 4, 2019 in Blog, Comment, Local Politics , Spotlight | Permalink