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- LFC players turn out to spread some Christmas cheer
THE Liverpool FC squad and manager Rafael Benitez took time out from preparing for tomorrow’s crucial match with Manchester Utd to visit Alder Hey Children’s Hospital for their annual Christmas visit to sick young patients.
The players, who personally pay for the presents they hand out, split into groups and visited all the wards in the hospital so no child missed out.
Favourites including Fernando Torres and Jamie Carragher spent an afternoon signing autographs and chatting to the children.
“This is something we do every year and I think it’s really important that the lads come here and do what we can for these kids at this time of year,” said Irish defender Steve Finnan.
“Obviously some of them will get out before Christmas but others will be in hospital over the holiday period and it’s nice that we’ve been able to come here today and put smiles on their faces.
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“It’s a difficult time for them being in hospital but if us coming along and giving them a present from the club cheers them up and makes them happy then that makes it all worthwhile for us.”
Alder Hey’s fundraising manager Christine Done said the appearance of manager Rafael Benitez went down particularly well with the children as it was the first time he had made a festive visit to the hospital.
Pepe Reina and Harry Kewell also proved favourites.
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To see a picture gallery from the visit - click here - Liverpool begs Government for culture cash help
Liverpool City Council is calling on the city’s MPs to help it to borrow £20m to pay for the 2008 Capital of Culture celebrations.
The plan is to borrow the money against public assets such as buildings or land in a process called Alternative Financing Mechanism (AFM).
But the council needs permission from the Government because it is illegal for local authorities to take out mortgages.
Council bosses will meet with Garston Labour MP Maria Eagle, Peter Kilfoyle, Labour MP for Walton, Louise Ellman, Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, and Wavertree’s Labour MP Jane Kennedy.
A council spokesman said no buildings or plots of land have yet been chosen for either sale or mortgage.
He added that a formal application will be made to the Government before the financial new year.
He said: “The meeting is to discuss cross-party support regarding the funding of the council’s budget next year.
“It is part of our ongoing dialogue with the Government about the financing options that have been put forward for 2008-09.”
One of the conditions of winning Capital of Culture status is that, while the several runner-up cities are provided with Government funding for their celebrations. The actual winner has to pay its own way.
Ms Eagle said: “I am sure the Government will do all it can but it is not going to hand over a blank cheque.” - Wanted: the thugs who ruined Xmas
VANDALS wrecked a charity fundraising Christmas lights display twice in a fortnight.
Every year, grandmother Maureen Fitzpatrick, 61, creates a festive wonderland outside her home in Kirkby.
But callous yobs have wrecked the Christmas display twice – causing hundreds of pounds of damage in the garden in Harleston Road.
Reindeer heads were smashed, fairy lights ripped down and a giant Father Christmas and snowman stolen. One of the yobs even kicked off the head of a model of Father Christmas.
Mrs Fitzpatrick repaired the display and replaced damaged decorations after the first attack on December 1.
But just a week after the new decorations were put up, the vandals returned and damaged an illuminated train and taxi and broke a Santa sleigh.
Mrs Fitzpatrick’s four grandchildren, aged five, 10, 14 and seven months, have been left devastated by the incidents.
Mrs Fitzpatrick told the ECHO: “I was so upset when I saw what they’d done, it made me feel sick.
“I can’t believe anyone would be so heartless, especially when they know the display is for the children at Christmas.
“Every year, a group of disabled youngsters are taken on a bus and are always driven past our display.
“They really look forward to it and it’s terrible that they might be let down this year.”
The family collect donations for a diabetes charity.
Mrs Fitzpatrick has been putting up her popular display for the last 12 years and people come from all over Knowsley to see it.
A bucket is also left for people to leave money in.
As well as going towards the diabetes charity, this year the money will help towards a performing arts studio in Kirkby and a new children’s sport centre. - LIVE TV BOOSTS PROFILE
THE national spotlight on Liverpool’s televised Nativity tomorrow could be worth millions in good publicity.
Tourism bosses said the live Christmas production, coupled with Liverpool’s home game against Manchester United on Sunday, would give the city unparalleled exposure.
It comes on top of the Royal Variety Performance and Turner Prize, both broadcast from Liverpool last week, and ahead of the Capital of Culture launch in January.
The Nativity will be broadcast live on BBC3 and repeated on BBC1 on December 23.
The rights to the show have also been sold to Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Finland, Poland and the Czech Republic.
Martin King, director of tourism at the Mersey Partnership, said: “Prime-time national broadcasts are coming thick and fast.
“This weekend is another fantastic opportunity to showcase the city to a huge audience.
“The value of this type of network coverage is almost impossible to calculate, and with the programme in place we’re sure to see Capital of Culture events beamed far and wide.”
The Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Rev James Jones, and Archbishop Patrick Kelly, have both been involved.
Bishop James said: “The Liverpool Nativity is just like one of the old Mystery Plays that acts out the stories of the Bible on the streets with the people. It’s a great way of bringing home the story of Christmas.”
Kenny Thompson, whose Joseph is a refugee looking for asylum, said: “The story is about people put into extraordinary circumstances. The human aspect is when it comes to life.”
Cathy Tyson, who plays a female Herod, said: “Who can’t empathise with that couple – poor, on the run and pregnant?”
The Liverpool Nativity is a retelling of the Christmas story using Liverpool songs, including All You Need is Love, My Sweet Lord, Beautiful Boy and There She Goes.
Cast members include Geoffrey Hughes, Jennifer Ellison, Joe McGann and Paul Barber.
Around 8,000 people witnessed the BBC’s Manchester Passion last year and organisers hope thousands will turn out for the Nativity.
It starts at 8pm on William Brown Street and spectators are advised to bring a torch. - LFC: Reds rubbish 'stadium scrapped' reports
LIVERPOOL FC today rubbished reports they had pulled the plug on plans for the new Anfield.
Certain media outlets reported the club were set to scrap plans for their new £400m stadium because funding for it has been hit by the crackdown on worldwide credit markets.
It was claimed the volatile financial situation was going to force American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett into taking on a smaller loan and see them ditch the revised plans for a 70,000 seat arena in favour of the original 60,000-capacity project.
The reports also stated the project would cost around £700m.
But Reds chief executive Rick Parry has today moved to assure fans there is nothing in the reports and the Stanley Park scheme is still on-track.
Parry told the club website: “'We remain absolutely committed to the building of a new stadium which will improve on the original design inherited by Tom Hicks and George Gillett when they came into the club.
“It will have a capacity of around 70,000, be higher quality and have a substantially increased Kop which will form the centrepiece of the new plans.
“Ever since the original designs were unveiled, we have been continuously revising and refining with the intention of delivering the best possible solution to our future needs.
“The situation in the credit markets has not affected our design, programme, or implementation of building our new stadium.
“The priority has always been to build a winning team on the pitch and everything else we do is geared towards that.”
The ECHO exclusively revealed the proposed look for the new stadium back in July.
It will be built next to a community partnership centre, club museum and shop, club offices and a conference and banquet centre.
LFC also want to build a car park for 970 vehicles together with a hotel, commercial offices, retail outlets for food and drink, and housing on the existing Anfield site.
The unique glass and steel dominated structure will ultimately be cap