If you are dismayed by the amount of

dog mess left on the streets of Kensington and

Fairfield, then you are not alone. Recently our three

local councillors in response to residents comments

and complaints about this problem have put this issue

at top of their agenda for change in the area.

Councillor Wendy Simon spoke exclusively to the Voice;

“We are always being contacted by local

people who are furious about dog fouling on

our streets. It only takes a few thoughtless owners who don‟t pick up after their dogs each

day for our streets and entries to become filthy. We have told the council that this is one

of our three main priorities for this year and we want to see a real push on tackling this, so we

are delighted with the Voice's campaign."

Although the problem is all about the mess that dog‟s leave on the streets and pavements the real

culprits in all of this are of course the anti social dog owners who let their canine charges poo anywhere and everywhere, without regard for

other people and don‟t even bother to pick it up

and put the bag in a bin, leaving the mess for

everyone to see and possibly step in. Its an even bigger problem if you

wheel a child‟s buggy out or are a wheelchair user. It‟s just not nice now is it?

Although there are fines in Liverpool for letting your

dog defecate in the streets and public places, the problem is the

enforcement, in 2008 Liverpool Council only collected £1200 in fines

(although this figure has now increased due to an

new enforcement teams being employed) As a

member of the public who witnesses any such anti social act there is very little you can practically do, without risking a fat lip from the owner.

Since the inception of the VOICE we have been running our very own cartoon strip “Kicking the Krap out Kenny” which we hope in a light hearted

and jovial way has highlighted, educated and encouraged people to be more responsible dog owners. It‟s not just the way mounds of dog mess

makes the place look bad there are also health issues, for example dog poo carries a range of bacteria including the highly dangerous

Toxocariasis, the eggs of the roundworm can cause blindness particularly in children and 12 cases of blindness are caused this way each year

in the UK.

In a new initiative The K&F VOICE have managed to procure 5000 dog poo bags via the councillors, from Liverpool City Council and the

Local Enforcement Team, which we are giving away exclusively to the readers of the VOICE.

The first 100 readers who call into the Kensington Community Learning Centre at 291 - 299

Kensington or Hall and Stevens 70 Prescot Road can each

have 50 high quality dog poo collection bags completely free of charge.

This fantastic free giveaway is all part of the VOICE‟s „PICK IT! BAG IT! BIN IT!‟ campaign to clear the streets and parks of Kensington and

Fairfield from dog mess. We want to make the streets of Kenny Kompletely Krap Free, wouldn‟t it be great if we were the first ward in the city

without this unsightly and dangerous menace littering our area.

Statistically speaking when the 5000 bags are all

used to pick up dog mess then this is removing

an unbelievable 125 kgs of Krap off our streets,

this equates to a pile of poo the height of the

entrance to our New Neighbourhood centre, now

there‟s something to think about.

CONTACT THE VOiCE: 075 320 310 46 KFVOICE@YAHOO.CO.UK WWW.KFVOICE.WORDPRESS.COM

Inside This Issue; Margi Ellison Shopping in

Costa Kenny, a kebab, a suntan and cheap booze... who needs a holiday?

Old Dick‟s The Fat Cats of

Kensington, myth, legend or just a load of old Furry Tails?

Jonathan Kay Why we

should all be getting our free eye test from our local optical centre

Kenny Pick It! Bag It! Bin It!

Keep on Kicking The Krap Out Of Kenny

The Kensington & Fairfield Voice is produced by

The Kensington & Fairfield Voice CIC Issue No. 10

September/October 2010

FREE! Your K&F VOiCE is supported by LCVS and the Cleaner, Greener, Safer Community Fund

We are sorry to inform our loyal foodie followers that sadly due to hazards of the job (i.e. A really bad dose of food poisoning i.e.

the squits i.e you really don't want to know anymore) the Mystery Scoffer is unable to contribute to this issue, or rather what he had

to contribute was unmentionable and certainly unprintable!!

We are expecting a full recovery for the next issue and we are sure you will join us in sending our best wishes, and a few extra loo

rolls if you can spare them?

WHATS ON In Kensington and Fairfield

September/October

L‟Arche Lockerby Road:

All welcome St John‟s Congregation meet here every Sunday also Community Space to hire. They also have a great craft shop The Bridge next the Post Office on Prescot Road Offering volunteer placements for anyone wish-ing to learn new skills or add to a cv and appeal-ing for translators from BME community to assist with translation of information into as many lan-guages as possible Contact Stella for details on 0151 260 0422 Tuesday 6-8pm -PHAB @ L‟Arche

A youth group for the disabled and non-disabled Saturday 5-6.15pm Winners Chapel—Satellite Fellowship @ L‟Arche Sunday 10.30am-St Johns @L’Arche

Kensington /Fairfield

Councillors Surgeries

Every Friday night from 5.30pm - 6.30pm

at the Fairfield Centre, Sheil Road,

*1st and 3rd Saturday of the month from

11am - 12pm at the Labour Party offices,

108 Prescot Road

*1st and 3rd Thursday of the month from

10am - 11am at Kensington Library

(children's section)

*2nd Thursday of the month from 5.30pm

- 7.00pm at Central Youth Club, Walker

Street. Councillors contact details

louise.baldock@liverpool.gov.uk wendy.simon@liverpool.gov.uk liam.robinson@liverpool.gov.uk Central Ward (Kensington Fields)

christine.banks2@liverpool.gov.uk, 225 2366 nick.small@liverpool.gov.uk, 707 0243 sharon.sullivan@liverpool.gov.uk,

225 2366

Labour Group Office: 225 2366 Picton Ward (Edge Hill/Wavertree Road)

ian.Jobling@liverpool.gov.uk 707 2977 andrew.makinson@liverpool.gov.uk, 733 0839 laurence.sidorczuk@liverpool.gov.uk

225 2354

Liberal Democrat Office: 225 2354

Adult Learning Services Newsham ALC offers a wide range of courses, including ESOL, counselling etc Contact 0151 263 5153 Healing Space Offering a range of complimentary therapies. 111 Prescot Road , L7 Contact 0151 264 8500

Kensington Community LearningCentre

Offers wide range IT and other courses including PC maintenance/security, digital photgraphy/video editing, desk top publishing, e-mail internet and communications plus skills for life courses. Contact centre for more info. 291-299 Kensington L7 Contact 0151 260 1006

info@kclc.co.uk

Well here we go again, another Kensington and Fairfield Voice plops through your letterbox and again we hope you all enjoy it. We try to fill the pages with useful, entertaining and informative articles and also give the opportunity for small local businesses and enterprises to promote and market themselves cost effectively. WE hope we also present a realistic image of the area we live and work in. After all image is everything and people pay large sums to promote and market themselves, the dearly departed and sadly missed Kensington Regeneration used to spend sums in excess of £200,000 per annum (that‟s a grand total of over £2 million over its‟ 10 year life) telling us how good things are getting in the area. Many people (none from Kensington mind you) have recently made comments to me on “how good the place is looking!”, when really what they are saying is “they‟ve knocked down all the eyesores”. By eyesores

what they actually mean are the obvious examples of the systematic failure by Liverpool City Council and Government in strategic socio economic investment our community. But just knocking down the eyesores and building something to replace them (with exactly what?) will suffice for the amount of time it takes for novelty of the new to wear off. It all reminds me a bit of dental health in the UK, fifty years ago the solution to bad teeth was to take them all out and replace them with plastic replicas, sometimes prospective Brides would even get a new set of gnashers for the wedding photos. Image again. Nowadays education and knowledge are used to fight tooth decay, the underlying problems of eating rubbish is addressed, thereby stopping the rot before it takes hold, The analogy also follows that the solution to the tooth decay problem can only ever be in the hands of the individual not in the dentist‟s, and the regeneration of an

area should be in the hands of the community itself not in the bureaucrats in the Town Hall or Westminster, obviously with some financial help and assistance. Bureaucracy, consultants and marketing is expensive, but it

shamefully does look to the outside world that you‟re dealing with the problem successfully. “Community Investment and Action” isn‟t expensive and doesn‟t come with all the expensive bureaucracy, the problem is although you may be dealing successfully with a community‟s problems, there‟s no way the community would want to waste £2500 of their funds on a billboard poster telling people how well they‟re doing when that money could be better spent on staffing or rent or electricity. Luckily you don‟t have to spend anything on your VOiCE so put the kettle on, get yourself comfy and enjoy!

Editorial Big Society, Small Spend?

The K&F VOiCE always loves to hear from our readers so if you have something to say

you can contact us at

kfvoice@yahoo.co.uk 07532031046

Contact Your VOiCE

Company No. 06894023

WIRELESS WIRELESS WEEK

In a departure from previous projects KVFM provided the area with a week‟s worth of wireless community radio over the Internet. From late June to early July KVFM‟s Studio in the Stables on Gardners Drive buzzed with excitement. Local schools and members of the community produced a wide range of engaging and entertaining community radio programmes. The weeklong festival of community voices kicked off at the Newsham Park Arts Festival on 26th June. Highlights of the week included a version of Cinderella in six different languages performed by pupils of The Academy of St Francis of Assisi, a live performance by Jazz clarinetist Mike Jackson and daily „Horroscopes‟ from KVFM‟s own house mystic Madam Jargolina.

“Over the course of the week over 1000 people logged onto the KVFM website to listen online” stated KensingtonVision‟s Director Steve Faragher, who went on to say “We went out to prove that people will listen to Community Radio on the Internet instead of FM, and the response fully vindicated our decision to develop the station as an Online project which will address and narrow the Digital Divide”.

BIG LUNCH LAUNCH But there‟s more to come as KVFM as KVFM ONLINE will be producing a LIVE community week day programme, „The BIG LUNCH‟ starting at Noon on Monday 4th October and will be a mixture of community talk, community information, guests and music. You‟ll be able to email and text into the show with your views opinions and requests and if you miss THE BIG LUNCH the first time round then the

programme will be repeated at 5pm and then again at 10pm every day.

SO YOU WANT TO BE A RADIO

PRESENTER?

There will also be a new training course beginning in late September for local people to learn how to make their own community radio programmes for KVFM

Online. “The course is free and open to anyone locally who wants to make a radio programme, you‟ll learn something new, meet new people and gain confidence and self esteem, come along and have a go!” said Steve

Faragher. You don‟t have to live in Kensington, or even Fairfield, to get involved KVFM Online is Liverpool‟s only community led radio station and aims to cater

for and represent all communities around Liverpool and beyond. For more information on the training course, (start date and times), THE BIG LUNCH, or anything to do with KVFM then email

steve@kvfm.co.uk or call Steve Faragher on

07792854307.

Hello friends it‟s your old mate Old Dick

again, here to tell you tales about strange and giddy goings on in and around Kensington and Fairfield. This is a

dastardly tale of anthropomorphism and shenanigans in a pre new deal Kensington.

The story began in late 1999, when I was approached in my then local (the Sheil Park),

by an old friend who looked terribly worried, (for the sake of his family we‟ll call him Frank).

Frank a cat owner of many years told me of how his pet cat, Roman, was undergoing a strange transformation, for his feline

companion would go out each evening, and would not be seen again until 6am the next day ,when she would mew and scratch at the

back door. Frank would go down and let Roman into the house, Roman would stroll arrogantly past Frank, past last night‟s

uneaten meal and straight to her basket to sleep throughout the rest of the day. The other problem, which was actually more

obvious and foremost in Frank‟s mind was the fact that Roman despite not eating

regularly, was beginning to put on

vast amounts of weight and she began, day by day, to grow and grow, until Roman had become

one of the Fat Cats of Kensington!!!

Frank was determined to find the cause of his feline friends changes and so he decided to follow

Roman on one of her nightly promenades. That evening Frank dressed all in black and with torch

in hand followed Roman at a safe distance.

Roman headed left onto Kensington past the old Casino Bingo and down to the side of the Old Kensington Market on Lister Road. Frank

turned the corner following his corpulent cat but Roman was gone, he then noticed a large cat flap in the side of the building, which was

swinging, as Roman had just gone through. Frank stealthily made his way over, got down on all fours and pushed the flap open so he

could see inside, and the sight that met his eyes was an astounding one. In the basement of the old Kensington Market was a

Club for Fat Cats. The club walls were covered in book shelves

(filled with rows and rows of books with such titles as “101 Thing To Do With a Head Human” and “Overthrowing Mankind” by

Tiddles O‟Rourke) and fine William Morris wallpaper, and the cats sat around in miniature leather chesterfield high backed

chairs, drinking brandy glasses full of liquid catnip and smoking kipper flavoured cigars.

What was even more remarkable was the cats were speaking to each other in English, Frank found he could understand every word.

Apart from talking about the niceties, the Fat Cats also spoke of planning a take over of mankind, to “kill and enslave all humans” as

several of the cats chanted in unison. One Cat in particular stood out as he

marched up and down, in front of a large map of Kensington and Fairfield, banging the table with a clenched claw and stroking his moustache in an evil silent film villain sort of

way. This was “Spiv” who was obviously the

leader of the Fat Cats.

Frank felt something had to be done, so the following night he borrowed his mates illegal, hairless, pitbull cross dog “Baldy Loo” and

without warning on the chimes of midnight, he sledge-hammered in the cat flap and set Loo onto the cats who quickly scattered to the four

corners, finally Baldy Loo came out of the hole with a very dead “Spiv” in her vicious slobbering jaws. “That‟ll teach him” snarled

Frank finally, tossing the bald dog a treat.

Within a week or so Roman had stopped staying out and had began to return to her normal size and local hero Frank had foiled a

plot which would have significantly affected all of us.

Well was it all true? Was this the centre for a coven of genetically modified talking Fat Cats or was it more to do with Frank refusing to

take his anti psychotic drugs? I‟ll let you, dear reader, be the judge of that but if you have any supernatural Shenanigans going on in

your house, pets planning to overthrow mankind or anything else then drop my Polish Carer and Personal Assistant Marek Chleb a

line here marek@kvfm.co.uk or me olddick@kvfm.co.uk and Old Dick will come over and sort it out for you.

Remember you cant beat a bit of Old Dick in your life.

Hero Frank and Hero Frank and

Fat Cat RomanFat Cat Roman

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“If I don‟t stop shopping I‟ll end up a bag lady; a Fendi bag lady, but a bag lady!!!” Carrie from Sex and the City

Phrases v Phases They say „Happy Birthday‟ is the most frequently used phrase across the UK, here in Kensington I imagine the phrase comes a poor second to the one we‟ve had rammed down our throats since the end of the last millennium. We‟ve had it posted through our letterboxes, heard it on radio and TV, seen it on billboards and in the newspaper. I‟ve even spotted it doing thirty down London Road attached to the side of a not so comfy „comfy bus‟. „New Deal‟ rears it‟s ugly head yet again, but this time for a project both resourceful and worthwhile. The brand spanking new shopping centre is taking shape. Built for Kensington and the surrounding areas, the Beech Street complex will bring much needed hope, employment and revenue to a proud if slightly wounded community. Wow! Brilliant! Fantastic I hear you shout. My first thoughts exactly! I agreed with the many people who have missed

Kensington market since it was gutted by fire a few years ago. A new shopping centre was long overdue and most definitely welcome. This, I thought, could be the beginning of a major new phase in Kensington‟s lengthy history. Now however, I‟m not so sure. Platinum Millennium As well as the completion of the complex, a key part of Kensington‟s regeneration was to upgrade existing retail facilities with not only improvements to shop frontages, roofs, signs, windows and lighting, some also benefited from the introduction of customer parking, which was an immediate success. Definitely one cloud proudly displaying a silver lining. So much so in fact, the Venmore owned block of property directly opposite the centre incurred an unrealistic triple rent

increase. The family run business All Seasons Florists on Prescott Road, find themselves locked in a legal battle with the well known property giant. Doing It For Themselves Sisters Pamela and Sandra Chiocchi and their sister before them have leased the property for over forty years and during that time have amassed a

colossal amount of knowledge and experience. I asked what effect the Beech Street complex would have on their business. Immediately Sandra answered “Except for a cash point we have no idea what‟s going in there, but we do know competition wouldn‟t be the one to destroy us, the landlords triple rent increase would be the killer. We simply won‟t be able to afford it”. They work virtually round the clock trying to make a living doing what they love. Pamela laughed when she told me that although they are on first name terms with customers, they struggle to recognise their own next door neighbour. The girls are vibrant, open and friendly. On meeting them, I really didn‟t want to leave their company, they brought a sense of warmth as well as humour to a situation which is clearly unjust.

Venmore would do well to take a good long look at the sisters, their courteous yet polite warmth oozes customer service skill which would be an invaluable asset to the hard hearted firm. As far as I can see the regeneration team had the basics of good business, healthy competition equals a healthy, vibrant hub where people want to be. Can we really blame them for the greed of one landlord?

Impact Everyone wants a brightly lit, modern shopping centre, full of the latest gadgets, right up to the minute home decor and trends your teenager will promise to do a month‟s babysitting for. Kensington is very fortunate to receive this grand honour, but surely not at the expense of someone else‟s livelihood.

“England is a nation of shopkeepers.” Napoleon Bonaparte

Neighbourhood Centre Blamed For Triple Rent Increases Neighbourhood Centre Blamed For Triple Rent Increases

By Margie Ellison

Any business is a cut throat business. Risks taken, money made today, lost tomorrow, I can‟t begin to imagine the stress levels reached by the audacious people who take on such a task. We tend to think of a business as an inanimate object, which of course, it is. What we don‟t think about is the human force behind that object, the personal cost if that object fails. Empty Promises Empty Premises Kensington looks a lot tidier than it‟s looked in a very long time but most of the shops are still empty, how can this be when they are of immense significance in a community. Reasons I suppose are varied and many, but apart from the obvious convenience, I think a lot of people get the feeling of a sort of closeness, to be a part of something and know that you‟re not alone. My father in law has lived his life in Kensington and remembers the frantically buzzing shops. But back then people needed to shop daily not monthly. The Post Office was a great place to see your neighbours and talk of putting the world to rights, the bank being an alternative hub. Over the last ten years a huge amount of building has taken place. Apart from the complex, the focus has largely concentrated on new housing in the area. New houses, new people, this, coupled with the population of Kensington already at a figure of 14,729 surely requires a city planner to realise that the facilities of the area are in dire need of replacement. Right Here Right Now I decided to take a walk down Kensington and find out exactly what shops the area consisted of. We have: 10 Hair/beauty/tanning shops 10 Take aways 8 Pubs 6 Off Licences 4 Bookmakers And last but not least............. 4 Newsagents I found I was shocked, then I found I was shocked at being shocked (I could go on)! It brought me to the only conclusion I could possibly arrive at. „As long as you are a fat, tanned, alcoholic who likes a gamble you‟ll do okay in „Kenny‟.

Is it any wonder visitors shun the area. I mean if you didn‟t live here would you actually go out of your way to travel here? Where did the greengrocers go? Where did the butchers go? The card shop must have disappeared in a puff of smoke! It dawned on me that seeing something day in and day out impairs the vision, you no longer actually see it.

Trippin‟ After picking my hugely shocked self up off the floor, I had an idea (must have been the shock of the after effects of the shock). I decided to take a trip on the bus (not, the not comfy bus) to see if there was anything in Kensington that would compel me to get off that bus and go in. Twilight Zone As I passed, it seemed to me that Kensington was a place easily forgotten. Nothing shouts out at you, nothing takes your interest, you can pass through in a blur and not even realise you‟ve emerged the other side. It‟s such a shame that a once vibrant community can today appear so lonely. I think you may have already guessed the answer to my question and.....yes! You are categorically correct. Zero! Zilch! Plain old Zzzzzzzz!

We are devoid of an attraction, a reason to visit the area. We need something that people can‟t do without, then we need something to entice their repeated return. Forum We know business is hard and we know of it‟s ability to turn as quick as the milk does in our fridge, that‟s why they invented the Business Forum Consortium. It teaches, it nurtures, it advises and it protects. A group of businesses standing together is a forceful presence with a voice that‟s heard, heard louder than one standing alone. My Dear Old Swanee Take a look at Old Swan for instance, a very popular place to shop and has been so for as long as I can remember, almost everyone‟s needs are catered for. We should be taking notes on its popularity and learning from its business forum. This course followed, I‟m sure Kensington will turn out to be the best, buzzing hubbub of a place everyone dreamed it would be. Onward and Upward If variety is the spice of life, I‟m sure Kensington will be the „Crème of the Crop‟.

So what do our readers think about Kensington shops or lack of them? Are we awaiting the new centre with bated breath or are we still going to be jumping the bus to the Swan?

Contact us on...

KFVOICE@YAHOO.CO.UK

075 320 310 46

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After a successful bid from The Heritage Lottery Fund, METAL Culture (working in

collaboration with KensingtonVision CIC) are establishing an Edge Hill Archive in its‟ Arts Complex which is part of the working

Edge Hill Station. In case you didn‟t know this area is steeped in

history, experiences and even a lot of world‟s firsts or world‟s biggest, for example the first working passenger railway station in the world

(Edge Hill Station itself). It is where the modern world as we know it

started in1830 and 180 years later things have come and gone, communities established and dispersed, businesses built

up and then knocked down. The recent regeneration only being the latest in long line of changes people have seen.

The archive is setting out to map the stories and experiences of local people and make them into a cultural archive, which will be

accessible online through an interactive website and also as a “live” experience in the station buildings.

Between September and March the

members of the Future Stations group at METAL and KensingtonVision will be going out

and about, building up the archive, which will primarily be made up from audio recordings, photos and

artifacts gleaned from the local Edge Hill Community.

The overall project title has been shortened for reasons of brevity to ”Ten Things” and the work

will centre on ten different elements or starting points for people to talk about. A good example would people‟s experiences of

the station itself, as an arrival or departure point, part of their work routine, etc. The Ten Things Project will also look at the likes of

Wavertree Road Shops, the Fruit and Vegetable Yard, Cinemas, Pubs, Workplaces, Schools, the Social Life of the area. The list is

endless, the ten things are merely starting points.

At the moment the Ten Things Project is looking for people who want to either take part or be trained on how to make the recordings

or for people who want to have their memories and recollections be recorded for archive.

So if you are interested in taking part in the project then contact Steve Faragher

07792854307 or 0151 261 9203 or email

tenthings@kfvm.co.uk.

We would like to share our facilities with our community in

Kensington & Fairfield, we are now able to offer room hire at competitive rates also opportunities to volunteer, supporting

people with craft work and gardening

Please see contact details below

“Building Communities with people who have learning disabilities”

L‟Arche Lockerby Road. Fairfield, Liverpool L7

The Bridge Shop Prescot Rd has a wide range of Hand Made, Festive Cards and Candles for sale

For information call Edna 0151 261 2445

or e-mail on edna.green@larche.org.uk

Room Hire

£10 per hour (Min £20)

Volunteering

Opportunities In your community

Vouchers with

„HEALTHY START‟ What is it? Healthy Start is a government initia-tive which targets pregnant women or mums with young children who are on income support, job seekers allowance or child tax credits and also young pregnant women under 18. FREE vouchers worth between

£3.10 and £6.20 a week can be

claimed, which can be exchanged for milk, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and infant formula milk. Why use them? Help contribute to your „five a day‟ with the fresh fruit and vegetables on offer. Young children often do not get enough vitamin A, C or D from their food groups and these vitamins are vital to promote growth, eyesight and help strengthen the immune system. Pregnant women are often lacking in Folic Acid and Vitamin D which is important for the mothers and babies health and wellbeing. Where can the vouchers be used? They can be used in most chemists, corner shops, food co-ops, green-grocers, market stalls, milk floats or vans and you only have to enter your postcode online to tell you what shops are available near you. Where can I apply? If you know of any one who could benefit from the above or you wish to apply for the vouchers yourself, please visit: www.healthystart.nhs.uk for more information.

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Everything you wanted to know about Edge Hill

Station and its environs, but were afraid to ask!

Jonathan Kay is a local, community focussed (no pun intended there) opticians, sited (or there) in the very heart (or maybe right in the bulls eye) of Kensington and Fairfield. Jonathan Kay was established over 45 years ago at their initial site on Sheil Rd, where the original railings can still be seen today, and are the longest established domiciliary opticians in Merseyside. Jonathan Kay himself retired 8 years ago but left the firm in the capable hands of his long term colleague Jan Rothwell. The firm has further outlets in Wavertree and Waterloo and is also behind the Jonny Goggles outlets in the town centre and Bootle.

The VOiCE spoke to Rachel Dutton, Shop Manager

and Sue Cook, Domiciliary and Corporate Manager, to find out what services Jonathan Kay offers, why we should all be having regular eye tests and exactly what „domiciliary‟ means.

It is without any doubt the personal, friendly service that Jonathan Kay provides its clients with that keeps them coming back. “ I really do get to know all the customers” Rachel told us “I love to talk and am always chatting away, I love meeting people and I get to know all about their lives and families over a coffee or tea, it helps for the clients to relax and feel comfortable.” “We offer a full optical wardrobe and have a huge range of designer spectacles to cater for all tastes. The difference just a change of style can make to someone‟s confidence and quality of life is amazing. We can advise our clients on suitability and practicality of different glasses for different activities and we stock a variety of sports/activity and designer spectacles and contact lenses for all situations. I am always honest with my clients so they know I‟ll tell them if their choice suits them or not. It is important to get the right pair for you, not just for your eyes but for your overall look. We are all very image conscious nowadays and your glasses are an important and permanent part of your wardrobe it‟s vital to get the right ones”.

Jonathan Kay introduced the domiciliary (home visiting) service when it was still a relatively new idea for the industry but the „home visits‟ have become an

important service to many housebound customers and take Sue all over the place to sheltered housing complexes, residential homes and varied companies who take advantage of the corporate services i.e testing in the workplace. Sue told us “we have over a hundred care homes on our books and we are very proud to partner Age Concern and test all their housebound members who require examination. A lot of my clients are elderly and many of them depend on the mobile service we provide. I do also visit businesses and companies to carry out work place examinations so I get around a lot and each day is different.”

“We do see ourselves as a part of the community and we support community events and work with local organisations, such as HEAT and C7” says Rachel. “We want to reach out to the whole community so we have had fun days in the shop with face painting, goody bags etc and free eye tests, of course. We want the community to know we are here providing a service for them and everyone and anyone is made welcome when they step through our door” “Most people go to the dentist for regular checks ups and preventative treatment but few people realise the importance of

regular eye tests” says Sue “We can get false teeth but we can‟t replace our eyes once they are gone, yet many people wait until there is a problem before visiting an optician” Everyone is entitled to a free eye tests and the test can detect changes early within the eye, often before the client themselves are aware of anything. Besides vision problems the eye test can detect many other health problems

such as glaucoma, diabetes, high cholesterol, high and low blood pressure, tumours and haemorrhaging, again often before the client themselves are aware. “We always refer people on to their doctors or hospital if we detect anything other

then sight problems. Not so long ago we had a mother come in with her children for eye tests and we persuaded her to get a test done herself, when tested a tumour was detected and she was referred to hospital. She had been totally unaware of it and would probably have remained so until it was too late but luckily early detection and treatment was a success, which just shows that regular eye tests are more important than people realise, they actually can save lives. ” So whether you have had problems reading this article, or not, all of you should be reaching for the phone right about now and booking your free eye test at Jonathan Kay for yourself and your loved

ones.

Call Rachel now on 0151 263 1100

Or call in at the store at

15 Prescot Rd, Fairfield

Free Sight Tests Free glasses if you receive Income Support JSA Pension Credits,

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Result!! Advertising in your K&F VOiCE

is cost effective because it works.

Strange as it may seem to some the

people of Kensington and Fairfield can

and do read, and some even read the

small print too! If you would like to take

advantage or our competitive

advertising rates contact us at

KFVOICE@YAHOO.CO.UK

Your VOiCE Your Letters

New Chops For Kenny

Dear Editor,

Decided not to recycle issue 8 of The Kensington and Fairfield VOiCE ala Frank

Brown‟s suggestion and perhaps ‟24 Hour Party Kenny‟ was part of the plan to „Keep Kenny Inebriated‟, so no one would notice

how little £63 and a half million has done over the last ten years to „Regenerate Kensington‟. Councillor Richard Kemp promised “a

regeneration like no other, truly community-led”. Councillor Kemp resigned not long after due to the „Boot Estate Debacle‟ to be

replaced by Councillor Flo Clucas. Kensington‟s Regeneration has gone much

the same way as British Tennis, millions of pounds invested without a single champion to show, nice work if you can get it! Perhaps now

that Kensington, and not forgetting Fairfield, have been turned into a ghetto, the plan is to use the areas as the city‟s begging bowl for

additional „deprivation grants‟, much the same as Toxteth was after the eighties, where more middle class ideas will be tried out on „working

class problems‟ employing a plethora of council retainers to off-set the council‟s wage bill.

Kenny is not dead yet, but it will be as long as those making the decisions continue to „cock

a deafen‟ as the expression goes. There are

non so deaf who don‟t want to listen, over to you Liverpool City Council.

Yours Sincerely, Bernie Hunt Kensington Fields

EDITOR: Its nice hearing from Bernie Hunt

again, Kensington Field Activist, Community

Guru all round Good Guy, But Bernie how are

things in the only area of K&F where one can

honestly say “I remember when all these

fields were houses and shops”.

If you were wondering why our loveable

Canine Character Kenny and his Master Max Pooh look a little different then wonder no more.

This issues “KKOOK” artwork has been provided

by our new (and we hope permanent) artist in residence Christopher Sharrock. Christopher

pictured below sporting an envious pair of Plus 4s comes with a great creative pedigree. Having been brought up in Kirkdale and attending Liverpool Art School in the 1970‟s, he gravitated towards London, spending several years in working in the world of illustration rubbing shoulders with the likes of Martin Handford (of “Where‟s Wally” fame) and Yvonne Gilbert (Yvonne did the cover illustration for Frankie Goes To Hollywood single „Relax”) until finally ending up as one of the sculptors of the “Spitting Image” Puppets from the infamous 80‟s TV series. He also wrote radio comedy scripts for the likes of Roy Hudd and Weekending before concentrating his talents on entering Higher Education, when he ran MA Illustration at St. Martins then BA Graphic Design and illustration at Brighton finally becoming Dean of Camberwell College of Arts more recently. His favourite band is Franz Zappa and during a Frank Zappa and the Mother of Invention gig in 1973 Christopher was accidentally ejected from the concert, alone and in tears on the steps of Liverpool Stadium Ruth Underwood (a Mother of Invention) befriended him and wanted to know “Why he was crying?”, he was soon whisked back into the gig under Ruth‟s protection, the rest is history. “Its been a real challenge trying to work out what

Steve Faragher is going on about in the KKOOK script, but I finally got to decipher his handwriting

on the 11th attempt”, said Christopher. The K&F Voice are proud to have such an

illustrious and famous son of Liverpool onboard as

our new artist we hope the relationship continues

and bears even more creative fruit.

To the Editor,

The advertisement we placed which sent health messages and appealed for

volunteers resulted in 3 potential volunteers making contact and they are presently undergoing the PCT volunteer process .

As an additional knock on effect, Tina Davies took part in a live discussion on air

with KVFM radio (the local community radio station for Kensington) on 28 June. Health messages for CVD and cancer were

reinforced with an additional appeal for volunteers.

Thanks Tina Davies, PCT

111 Prescot Road Fairfield L7 OLB 0151 264 8500

Aches and pains? Stress and strains?

The

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Why not try our range of affordable complementary therapies, workshops, yoga and meditation & discover how much better you can feel

Healing Space

This Bloke is the „Spitting Image‟ This Bloke is the „Spitting Image‟

of Christopher Sharrockof Christopher Sharrock

In the days that followed Krapman and Kenny solved several Krap Krimes, but sadly their super powers were only temporary and soon they were left relatively normal. BUT you don‟t need to have superpowers to solve the problem of unfettered and anti social dog mess in our area. If your dog dumps in the street then just PICK IT- BAG IT-BIN IT

(then wash your hands)

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 to the K&F VOiCE production team then contact us in one or all of the following ways

Contact details: Email KFVOICE@YAHOO.CO.UK Tel: 07532 031 046 Blog/online version: WWW.KFVOICE.WORDPRESS.COM

Established 25 years

Prescot Rd Car Sales

157 Prescot Rd

220 8810

Cars from £500 to £5000 all with full MOTs

Quality cars at affordable prices

Utilities

Scottish Power Manweb 0845 272 2424 Gas Transco 0800 111 999 United Utilities Leaks 0800 330 033 Water 0845 746 2200 British Telecom Customer

Service 0800 800 150

BME Refugee Action 0151 702 6300 Asylum Link Merseyside 0151 709 1713 Merseyside Refugee Support 0151 702 6972 Liverpool Volunteer Centre 0151 707 1113 Polonia Merseyside www.merseysidepolonia.com

Advice and Guidance CAB Wavertree 0151 522 1400

Tax Credit Helpline 0845 300 3900 Age Concern Information line 0800 00 9966 Environmental Health/Trading Standards 0151 233 3000 Liverpool Community College 0151 252 1515

Crime & Emergency Services Kensington Police team 0151 777 4300 Merseyside Police HQ 0151 709 6010 Merseyside Fire & Rescue HQ 0151 296 4000 Liverpool ASB Unit & Neighbourhood Services0151 233 3018

Medical

Central Primary Care Trust

0151 285 2800

Walk In Centre Old Swan 0151

285 3565

Alder Hey Childrens Hospital

0151 228 4811

Royal Liverpool Hospital 0151

706 2000

NHS Direct—0845 4647

Schools

Kensington County Primary Infant School Brae Street Liverpool L7 2QG Tel 0151 263 6429 Kensington Juniors Brae Street Liverpool L7 2QG tel 0151 263 1911 Email kensingtonj-ao@kensington-jun.liverpool Phoenix Primary School Birchfield Road Fairfield Liverpool Tel 0151 228 3831 Email phoenixp-ao@phoenix-pri.liverpool.sch.uk Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Hall Lane Liverpool L7 8QT Tel 0151 709 1782 Email sacred-ao@sacredheart.liverpool.sch.uk St Sebastian‟s Primary School

Holly Road Fairifield Liverpool L7

0LH Tel 0151 260 9697 Email

sebastians-ao@st-

sebastians.liverpool.sch.uk New Park Primary School Butler Street Liverpool l6 9EU 0151 263 4447 Email newpark-ht@newpark.liverpool.sch.uk St Michaels Catholic Primary School Guion St Liverpool L6 9DP 0151 263 8460 Saint Francis of Assisi Academy Gardners Drive Liverpool L6 7UR 0151 260 7600 Email sp@st-francisofassisi-

liverpool.org

The VOiCE DIRECTORY

Community L‟Arche 0151 260 0422 liverpool@larche.org.uk Central Youth Club 0151 263 3856 Edge Hill Youth Club 0151 263

2921 Junior YIP 0151 260 3768 Kensington Fields Community Association 0151 708 9107 kfca@talk21.com Edge Hill & District Credit Union 0151 263 9353 HEAT 0151 263 2620 heat@onetel.net

ADVERTISE IN THE VOiCE

Hall and Stevens Pharmacy

Free Prescription Collection and Delivery Service (We visit all Local Surgeries)

For free advice and a professional, friendly service please call in and talk to Steven and his Staff

Free counter medication for minor ailments on Care at the Chemist**

70 PRESCOT RD L7 0JA Tel 0151 263 3864

**free for those receiving free prescriptions - call in for list of remedies.

If you would like to advertise your company or organisation in the VOiCE then we offer a very cost effective way of getting your message across. The VOiCE is distributed to 5000 homes in the K&F area and a further 500 are available from public places, shops etc. Advertising rates start at only £25 for the smallest ad (this includes the artwork too!) . To discuss your requirements call Sheila on

075 320 310 46 or email

KFVOICE@YAHOO.CO.UK

New Pharmacist Starting 1st September Hall and Stevens would like to thank all their customers

for their continued support