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The Kensington & Fairfield Voice is produced by
The Kensington & Fairfield Voice CIC Issue No. 15 April 2012
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BBC Cuts Good News For LCR
In a shock cost saving move Salford
based BBC bosses announced radical
changes to local radio output in
Liverpool from this April.
BBC Bosses already under fire for making
swinging cuts of over 20% to Radio
Merseyside’s budget have decided that rather
than “death by a thousand cuts” the trimmed
budget would be handed over to a local
Kensington and Fairfield based Community
Radio Station LCR.
Originally known as KVFM Online, the radio
station was set up by social enterprise
KensingtonVision CIC. But as a consequence
of the BBC decision, from 1st April 2012 KVFM
Online will be re-launching and calling
itself Liverpool Community Radio or LCR. From
Noon onwards BBC Radio Merseyside’s output
will be ceasing and the wavelength 95.8fm and
DAB channel will be handed over to LRC.
It is hoped the handover to the Holt Road LCR
studio will run smoothly and listeners will not be
too alarmed by some of the new programming.
The full schedule has not been announced yet,
but some old Radio Merseyside favourites will
remain, for example Roger Phillips Lunchtime
Phone In will still be broadcast but will be co-
presented by local Green Activist, cyclist and
Phillips phone in regular Michael Ryan. The new
topical programme will be called Mick the Cat
and Roger talk about Newsham Park and
Legalising Drugs. They will have a string of
regular guests, ex Lord Mayor, ex Councillor and
part time Army intelligence Officer Frank Doran
plus Kenny the Dog will be making a regular
appearance. Some of the new BBC/LCR
programmes planned include Old Dick’s Tales
of Haunted Merseyside, The Mystery Scoffer-
All About Eating Out Everywhere Cheaply, The
Radio Capers of Kenny and Max, based on the
award winning cartoon series Kicking the Krap
Out of Kenny, and finally, a new Soap Opera will
be launched in the Summer The Streats of
Kenny, an everyday tale of Kensington and
Fairfield Folk.
Old KVFM favourites the Reading Room, Tales
of the Unexplained, The Liverpool Jazz
Programme and The Orange Show will all
remain in their regular slots. Although the
rescheduled “Big Lunch” will go out two hours
earlier and will be renamed The Big Brunch.
No one from the BBC was available for comment
although one now ex-BBC Presenter who has
been asked by LCR executives to “Come on
Board LCR” was quoted off the record as saying
“One day I was happily presenting a
successful afternoon programme and had
been for forty years, just me, the Bradshaws
and Fascinating Steve, and the next thing
they’re asking me to do a Sunday Phone in
Quiz called “Hold Your Cumquats”, I’ve had
enough I’m gutted, Wally!”.
LCR Station Manager Wendy Miller, in an
exclusive to the Voice said “When the phone
call came from Lord Patten of Barnes (Chair
of the BBC Trust) I thought it was a wind up or
some sort of April Fool Prank, the sort of
thing a mate would do to you, but it all turned
out to be true. Of course the extra money will
come in handy too”.
If you require more information on the switch over
from BBC to LCR then call the Switchover
Hotline 0151
345 1290, where
a member of
staff will be able
to answer all
your questions.
We hope the wait is worth it, your beloved
Kensington and Fairfield Voice has been away
for the longest time, no we haven’t gone the way
of the News of the World, but without making
excuses, the reasons for our absence are many
fold, Alien Abduction, Rare Tropical Illness or
being sent on a “Slave Labour” stacking shelves
on a job creation scheme by The Dole. Of course
it was none of these, it was the unforgivable
crime of not having a enough time. So what’s in
your Soar Away Voice.
Well you’ll be happy to know that as we enter into
the second year of the Conservative/Lib Dem
Coalition MashUp, the start of April heralds a
plethora of earth shattering events in the area.
The area is often maligned and denigrated by
other more affluent areas of the City but it’s nice
to know that at least in the Government’s 20/20
Vision Kensington and Fairfield is more affluent
that the leafy but crime sodden ward of
Cressington. I’ve discovered this “factoid” after
finding out about The Government’s
Community First Fund, which is aimed at
pumping £30 million into the most disadvantaged
and poorest wards in the country. Surprisingly
when you put a K&F postcode in the website
(http://www.cdf.org.uk/web/guest/neighbourhood-
matched-fund) your’e informed that the area is
not eligible.
You will be further surprised that the good people
of Cressington are eligible to apply for some
money from the fund. The Voice have made
enquiries and it seems the level of JSA claimants
is one of the main factors for eligibility and using
this yardstick Cressington has got poorer but
Kensington and Fairfield hasn’t. It makes you
wonder how poor we have to get doesn’t it. No
this is NOT an April Fools Prank, and no I’m not
laughing much either, maybe the people in
Cressington are though, all the way to the bank.
Cressington Park Poorer than here it’s official!
As a lover of good food, I do like to keep my
options open and try as a many local hostelries
as possible, you know the adage “variety is the
spice of life”
But if it happens you have a work colleague
visiting the city and have decided that you need
to take him somewhere you know would deliver
the goods, from an epicurean viewpoint, so the
sole course of action was to go somewhere tried
and trusted. The only place to take my Mossad
Handler Abe (if you didn’t already know I often
do freelance work for the Israeli Secret
Service), would have to be Kensington and
Fairfield’s own Jimmy’s Grill.
Abe and I entered “The Grill” and we were
warmly welcomed by Mohammed (“Don’t call me
Jimmy”) and his crack curry crew and we took a
seat at the rear, my companion insisting on being
able to keep an eye on the exit and the entrance
and his hand close to his Jericho Polymer
Framed Pistol. As a regular, Abe let me order for
both of us. I plumped for a sheesh kebab, lamb
madras, and a chicken bhuna, two freshly made
naans, plate of plain rice, a fresh salad and a
variety of sauces and chutneys all appeared as if
in a flash. The thing to say about the fayre at
Jimmy’s, it is spicey (so not for the feint hearted)
but not aggressively hot but the other USP about
the place is the price, this whole banquet came to
well under £20.
We ploughed through the meal, pausing only to
quaff on the beverages we had brought with us
(Jimmy’s doesn’t have an alcohol licence but they
are not averse to you brining your own, the word
corkage is not in their vocabulary).
Everything was so fresh, and oh so tasty, the
venue is visited by a wide and ethnically diverse
bunch of locals,
eating fine
Pakistani
cuisine, idly
watching
Bollywood pop
videos on the
enormous wall
mounted
plasma TV.
Jimmy’s Grill
in my humble
opinion
epitomises what a lovely culturally rich and
interesting place Kensington and Fairfield is.
You can find Jimmy’s Grill is at Prescot Road
Telephone 0151 260 6122
They take telephone orders but don’t deliver and
they close relatively early for a “takeaway”
10.30pm, so don’t leave it too late.
The Mystery Scoffer scores Jimmy’s Grill
5 Poppadoms out of 5
Maximum marks for Mohammed and his crew.
The World Famous Jimmy’s Grill
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Kensington and Fairfield
It’s now nearly two years since the late
lamented Kensington Regeneration New Deal
for Communities was wound up.
The question often asked is “Where did the
money go?” as apart from a Tesco Express,
Iceland, a row of new shops and large amount of
demolition, there isn’t a legacy of large numbers
of jobs and a gut feeling that real sustainable
regeneration had been achieved. Here at the
VOICE we’ve been able to find where over £2
million of the New Deal Money ended up and who
benefited from this huge sum.
It seems that a few local organisations were in
receipt of disproportional amounts and seem to
have been considered more favourable for grants
than other similar organisations in the new deal
area.
One example is Prospects 2000+ (a local
children’s holiday charity based in Marmaduke
Street - Charity number 1084535- received
between 2005 and 2010 a total of £422,606 in
direct grants from Kensington Regeneration.
Another local organisation, Parks Options
Charity number 1078076, owns the Job Bank
Building on Tunnel Road, which it rented out to
Kensington Regeneration from 2002 until 2010.
We haven’t been able to find out the amount of
the rent but it is likely to be in the hundreds of
thousands of £’s over the whole period of rental.
Finally, local charity HEAT (Heat Energy Advice
team charity number 1100705) based on Durning
Road, was given £1,975,842 in direct grants from
New Deal in its last five years.
HEAT Parks Options and Prospects 2000+
received grants and income before 2005 so these
figures are lower than what they actually
received.
With the help of the Charity Commission website
we were also able to find out who are the trustees
and Directors of HEAT, Parks Options and
Prospects 2000+, and two names in particular
appear quite regularly.
Richard Keenan is listed as a Trustee of Parks
Options, Norma Williams, on the other hand
appears as a trustee of all three and a Director of
Prospects 2000+. If these two names have a
familiar ring they should do as Richard Keenan
was the Chair of Kensington Regeneration Board
until 2006 and then becoming the Vice Chair until
2010. Norma Williams on the other hand took
over from Richard as Chair.
One of the mazin duties of the Board was to
decide which projects the New Deal money was
spent. We are sure that all the decision making
was above board
and people
declared their
interests at the
appropriate time,
but there does
seem to be a
disproportionate
amount spent on
projects Board
members were
directly
connected to.
Norma Williams
crowned her
reign as Chair of
New Deal by
being
unexpectedly
given the
“Champion of
Champions”
Award along with
Norma Lee at the
lavish final
Kensington
Regeneration
awards
ceremony at the Anglican Cathedral. This event
was rumoured to have cost over £45,000 too, so
we’ll just add this to our “Where Did All the Kenny
Regen Money Go?” spreadsheet we are
compiling.
If have any information about who got the rest of
the money or even if you know of a young person
who has been on a Prospects 2000+ holiday we’d
love to hear from you.
Email info@l-c-r.co.uk or call
07792954307
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It’s 7.30 on a cold Sunday morning, and I’m eating toast and drinking coffee in preparation for my visit to Botanic Park to watch this morning’s junior football matches in the Edge Hill Junior Football League.
The League was founded nearly thirty years ago and continues to nurture young football talent in the area. There are four separate leagues to cater for different age groups amongst the boys and girls living in the Kensington, Fairfield and Edge Hill areas of the city. There are under 8’s, 9’s, 10’s and u/11 leagues, with at least seven teams in each particular division. For those of you who are good at mathematics, you do the sums in terms of the number of children who descend on Botanic Park every Sunday morning. Add on a sizeable number of proud and passionate parents and officials, including referees, volunteers and the odd scout from Liverpool and Everton, and you begin to appreciate the popularity of the Edge Hill Junior League. The League itself was formed in 1982, and can claim to have nurtured the early careers of great footballers such as Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Ross Barkley and John Welsh…all four players having initially plied their trade in the Edge Hill Junior League. Jack Webster is a name that is well known in local football circles too, and the main changing room building, situated close to the Tunnel Road entrance to Botanic Park, stands as a tribute to his long standing dedication to the league. It was officially opened by then Lord Mayor, Steve Rotheram, on 20th September 2008, and is testament to the man’s hard work behind the scenes in promoting and supporting the league over the years. The legion of youngsters, managers and spectators who stride in Jack Webster’s footsteps at Botanic Park every Sunday would probably agree that a love of football is a pre-requisite for success. Greg Hoey, manager of Derby Saints, who travel from the Rocky Lane area of West Derby Road, is a case in point. ‘I’ve been up since 7 o’clock this morning,’ he reveals. ‘It’s
what I love doing, and it’s worth it when you see the boys and girls getting involved in the game.’ That last comment rings true as the enthusiasm of the children, not merely in turning up to play, but also in the way they apply their skills on the pitch is heartening and definitely contagious. ‘The kids all love playing football, and at this age that is a good thing because it gives the youngsters an opportunity of getting fit, developing their skills and making new friends,’ states Greg. ‘There’s a lot of behind the scenes work going on too, such as washing the kits and organizing training sessions in midweek. Luckily, we have a great set of parents who are happy to wash their child’s kit individually, rather than washing them in bulk! But the children love playing football, and it’s a pleasure to be involved.’ Kensington and Fairfield are represented by New Kenny FC, whose kit is sponsored by KVFM, our local community radio station, recently Robert J Harper, manager of the team, states: ‘I love football, and it’s great to get local kids from the area involved in the game,’ before adding, ‘I’ve been managing the team since earlier this year, when I took the reins for New Kenny’s Summer league matches, and it’s gone on from there. We have three teams in the Edge Hill Junior League, and even though it’s hard work, I do get lots of help from the parents and from my family.’ Unlike Derby Saints’ washing arrangements, the
New Kenny kits are washed by Robert’s wife, Marie, and fair play to her, because the colour of the kit, yellow tops, black shorts and yellow socks easily attract mud and grass stains, but according to Robert, she copes admirably. ‘It’s a real team effort, both on match days and during the week when preparations are made,’ he says. ‘My wife Marie is brilliant, as she always ensures that the team are turned out looking smart.’ Having watched lots of matches since the season commenced back in early September, I can testify that the kits are clean and the standard of football second to none. Robert agrees: ‘We sometimes have scouts from Liverpool and Everton coming down to Botanic Park to watch the matches. The standard of
football is excellent, and I wouldn’t be surprised if one or two of the players get picked up by one of our local clubs. In fact, one of our players is currently training at Liverpool’s Youth Academy as a goalkeeper. He’s only seven years of age, and I wouldn’t mind but he’s managed to score twenty three goals in five games playing outfield for us this season.’
It’s Not All Jumpers For Goalposts, Eddie Cotton Lifts The Lid On Junior Football In Kensington
New Kenny FC Under 11’s
The Edge Hill Junior League is also well represented for officials, and John Waters is one of the Senior referees. He says: ‘You get some great football matches down here, though sometimes you need a strong referee, especially when it’s a local derby. I generally have a word with both captains before the game to ask them to get to their players before I do in case there are any arguments, but, you usually get a good, honest game.” The nurturing of young players is another positive aspect of Junior Football in the Edge Hill League, as John confirms: ‘You might give a bit of leeway on throw-ins because the players are learning the game, and you might have a word with a player when they’ve made a mistake in terms of the rules as the game is going on, but that’s all part of the learning process for them.’
John is also full of praise for the younger
referees, saying: ‘I can learn from the young
officials myself. They have a great attitude,
and though they receive a nominal fee for
refereeing matches (7.50), it’s not for the love
of money that they do it, but love for the
game.’
The games themselves are twenty minutes each half for under 8 & 9’s, and 30 minutes each way for under 10’s & under 11’s. As for the organizational aspect of the league, John Worthington is the man to speak to, as he is a key component of the backroom staff who help things run smoothly every Sunday. He says: ‘It’s a long day, having arrived here at 7.45 this morning to set up the cooking facilities and pitches. We do it for the love of the game, and for the kids, as it gives them a real opportunity of expressing their skills, making friends and getting fit.’ The changing facilities are second to none, based as they are in a purpose built building that contains changing rooms, a café selling subsidized food and drink, and toilets. Long queues were forming as I hovered in the background waiting for a lull in the queue for some nourishing food, attracted I presume, by the sweet smell of onions and hot dogs or hot buttered toast being served to the hungry children and parents. ‘All the money we take is ploughed back into the league,’ states John, ‘and it’s also a nice meeting place for people
to have a chat and get something hot to eat or drink.’ I can testify to that last statement, as those hot dogs especially, tasted delicious, especially on a cold and frosty morning. So, for all you football fans in the area, why not get yourself down to Botanic Park one Sunday morning and sample the football on offer. You won’t regret setting that alarm clock once you’re standing on the touchline witnessing some great football matches. It even makes you want to don a pair of Stylo Matchmakers and join the action yourself. New Kenny FC are currently looking for players, both boys and girls, and so if you fancy joining the team then contact Robert J Harper on 075446 34277.
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Under 9’s with Manager Rob Harper and Coach Ste Harper
Given the front page of this edition of the
VOICE, and the imminent take over of BBC
Radio Merseyside by LCR, I too have some
recollections and supernatural tales to add to
this current news.
In the early decades of the twentieth century
when even the idea of radio was new, Liverpool
was chosen as one of the first BBC locations for
this new fangled medium. So in 1924 John Reith
(later to become Lord Reith the first chairman of
the BBC) oversaw the setting up of 6LV the call
sign for the new Liverpool station by travelling to
up north to our fair City. 6LV finally closed on the
16th May 1931 when the BBC became a national
station.
No one knows the exact location of this early
example of local community radio, but some
suspect in may have been in the Kensington and
Fairfield area. Further credence was given to this
tale when I was told on the QT that the Crawfords
Biscuit factory chimneys on Edge Lane were the
location of a “Secret” BBC Radio Transmitters, it
stands to reason that the early radio station may
not have been too far from Crawfords.
A further tale was told to me by one of the
Directors of Liverpool Community Radio (who
wishes to remain anonymous but we will call
Steve), the tale occurred when the refurbishment
of the new studios in Holt Road took place over
the Christmas period 2009, one late night working
alone, the work had reached the stage where the
studio equipment needed to be
installed. He duly set about the
task, attaching plugs to
sockets, adjusting
faders, ensuring jingles played
out OK, the last job was to set
up the webcam which would
allow the world wide web to view the studio
goings at KVFM (as LCR was called then).
Everything seemed fine, he locked up pulled
down the shutter and set off into the cold snowy
evening.
Arriving home he turned his computer on and
decided he should check the webcam connection
before turning in for bed, all seemed well except
instead of an empty studio, sitting in the “driving
seat” was a man, a large thick set balding man,
with a very distinctive scar on his left cheek.
Steve was in a complete state of shock, how
could this? He then gingerly turned up the sound
to hear what was being said by the spectral
guest Announcer, only to hear a broad Scottish
voice announcing “Hello good evening Ladies
and Gentlemen and welcome to 6LV, the British
Broadcasting Companies Radio Station in
Liverpool, the real voice of the city and here is the
news for Tuesday 11th June 1924”.... shockingly
the same date as broadcasting started at 6LV.
Shaking with fear Steve drove recklessly through
the snow covered streets from his Fairfield home
covering the distance in record time. He burst into
the studio expecting this to be an elaborate prank
by his colleagues, only to find the studio as
empty as it was when he left earlier.
Empty that is except for a hand written note left
on the mixing desk, completed in a fine
copperplate hand, which had upon it a short
message, “Inform, Educate, Entertain, carry on
Reith”.
Steve closed up once more and went home to a
night of restless sleep, although he always felt
that the incident was a positive experience which
in some way was Lord Reith giving his approval
to the new radio station venture.
It is often thought that ghost and apparitions can
use radio waves to travel between the “Then” and
the “Now”, and who is to say that beings from the
spectral world have not found ways to utilise the
power of the internet to travel inter dimensionally
and through space and time.
Steve is adamant that the man he saw clearly on
the webcam reading the news was none other
than John Reith; the bald head, the double
breasted suit, the Scottish accent, the scar on the
cheek from being shot in the face while fighting
for King and Country in the Great War all seem to
back up his claims that the late great Lord Reith
visited LCR as a foretelling of things to come!
If you’ve had anything strange coming in your
ear, then please get in touch with me at LCR on
Holt Road, all in strictest confidence of course,
and remember you can’t beat a bit of Old Dick,
and watch out for my new radio programme “Old
Dick’s Tales of Haunted” Merseyside only on
LCR.
CONTACT:
info@l-c-r.co.uk
0151 345 1290
Carry On Says Lord Reith
STOP PRESS STOP PRESS STOP PRESS STOP PRESS
In a shock inter-species move the
VOICE’s own Kenny the Dog has
decided to stand as the elected Mayor
of Liverpool when the elections take
place on May 3rd.
In an exclusive interview to the Voice
Kenny stated that the idea came quite
out of the blue “I was out with Max in
Newsham Park and I’d just gone and
done one, I looked down and for some
reason looking down at the errr...stool,
I thought of all the politicians I’d ever
met and it occurred to me that there
was nowhere in the rules that said a
dog couldn’t stand for Mayor, after all
Hartlepool voted in a man in monkey
suit”. He paused wistfully and contin-
ued “I mean if me and Max can kick all
the krap out of Kensington then sort-
ing the Town Hall out shouldn’t be that
difficult”.
Max D’Poo Kenny’s campaign man-
ager then went on to outline what
there strategy would be to get Kenny
in power “Well er, l
like ye know, if we let Kenny off the
leash who knows what the future of
the city will be, he’s a clever lad, ah
mean two years ago I was a 19 stone
slob who let his dog crap all over the
streets and look at me now I’m only 17
stone and I don’t mind picking up
Max’s business”.
For more information about the may-
oral elections then visit http://
Liverpool.gov.uk/council/voting-and-
elections/eleted-mayor
And remember
VOTE FOR KENNY!
CUT OUT AND STICK IT IN YOUR WINDOW SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR KENNY
CUT OUT AND STICK IT IN YOUR WINDOW SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR KENNY
The views expressed in the Kensington and Fairfield VOiCE and the information contained therein are not necessarily those of The Kensington and Fairfield Voice CIC or our funders and we do not vouch for or necessarily endorse the views or guarantee accuracy, so if you feel like suing us don't bother as we’re skint and if something in this issue has so indisposed or irritated you then you need to grow up , get a life or even write us a letter or an article! If you would like to write to us, write for us, tell us about an event which is going to happen in the area, or become part of the K&F VOiCE production team then contact us in one or all of the following ways
Contact details: Email STEVE@l-c-r.CO.UK Tel: 0151 345 1290 Blog/online version: WWW.KFVOICE.WORDPRESS.COM
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