My summer course (GOALS) By Terry McCaig I recently par cipated in the G.O.A.L.S course run by crisis. I was a bit apprehensive at
first whether or not to take part. However my reserva ons and fears were soon allayed
in the first hour of this two day course.
All the other people taking part all had their own individual goals in life and had faced
many differing setbacks, yet we all come together on the course. All with the desire to
be er our futures.
We learnt where we may be going wrong in certain areas and given logical tools on
how to deal with these issues. We also worked on se ng goals and aiming for them.
Building confidence was also a big part of the course.
We discussed barriers we face on our quest for employment and the best ways to go
about achieving this. I spent a really worthwhile couple of days with some really nice
people. Overall I gained a lot out of taking the course and would have no hesita on in
recommending G.O.A.L.S to anyone that may feel at a crossroads in their life or just
looking to move forward.
GOALS is not just a quick fix. It will give you the basic tools you need to take
charge of your life and become the person you want to be. The course
takes two days and teaches 10 important keys to success.
If you are interested in GOALS, contact a member of the Crisis Skylight
team to express an interest on:
0151 218 7000 or email [email protected].
Computer classes
If you’re scared of breaking computers, you wouldn’t know how to turn one on, or you al‐
ready know the basics and just want to improve your IT skills, UK online is currently being
run at Crisis and you can do an entry level 3 City and Guilds qualifica on. Richard Loughran
went to a recent class and gained his qualifica on. He said, “I enjoyed the course. It was a
brilliant confidence booster mee ng different people and learning new things. It just
helped me get over my past alcohol problems with finding other things to do other than
drinking”.
If you want any more informa on, please contact margaret.al‐[email protected] or call
0151 2187015.
2
That dog is me
Empty, empty,
You see a shop, that’s empty,
That’s me,
You see a can of baked beans,
On a shelf in a supermarket,
On its Jack Jones,
That’s me,
You see a dog,
Tied with chains,
Locked with a padlock,
Against a lamp post outside,
He is sat shivering,
In the pouring rain,
Mangled, cold and hungry,
People walked on by,
Not caring,
Kicking it,
Stamping on it,
Like it was an object,
A piece of dirt,
Well its only a dog,
No Wait.
Hang on!
A Minute!
That dog is me
Don’t forget me
Don’t stamp on me
And kick me
I have feelings and a heart
Don’t leave me all alone out‐
side,
And isolated
Feed me and hold me
And take care of me
And love me
I don’t ask for much
You know
Because that dog is me
By Cathy Roberts
The Girl
She sits there, sits there
Day a er day
Bedraggled, alone
Crawling, yearning
for that addic on
to sa sfied (sic) her
emo onal hunger
To block her pain
To get that high
The come down
It's even greater
the problem is s ll there
So she sits there
Her long black hair
Is dripping over her face
Shivering and shaking
Her body is wet with the rain
Please don't pre judge her
On the way she looks
Coz you don't know
Nothing about her
All she needs is empathy
Love and understanding
Don't pity her
Don't look down on her
Coz she is the same as you
Remember she's a human being
and she has feelings.
So, it could be you, your sister or daughter.
Don't walk away
She's a human being like you and me.
By Cathy Roberts
I’m Just Being Me
I am what I am,
My Sexuality
it is a big thing for me
an important part of me.
Coz I am who I am.
You see, you could look at me
Pre‐judge me on
what I’m wearing
on what make‐up I have on
Coz I am what I am.
Don’t think you know me
or what I eat
or what size I am
Coz I am what I am.
Don’t put me in those
Stereotypes
GPs do it, shrinks do it
even the police do it
Coz I am what I am.
I may speak posh
and not talk a lot
but I’ve been through a lot
Coz I am what I am.
Only God can pre‐judge
he’s the master of the universe.
So people I’m not gonna change
to please you
I’m gonna please me.
Cause I’m gonna be me
You see that’s me
So get used to it
I’m just being me
I am what I am.
By Cathy Roberts
A day in the life of a volunteer By Steph Fraser
I was really looking forward
to volunteering with Crisis
but I did feel a li le appre‐
hensive. I had never been to
a hostel before and wasn’t
really sure what to expect.
As soon as I walked in I real‐
ised how friendly everyone
was and instantly felt com‐
fortable being there.
The plan for the day was to
make food for packed lunch‐
es for the people taking part
in the treasure hunt the next
day. I love cooking so was
made up when I was asked
to make the sausage rolls. I
make them at home and
they’re so easy to do and
taste amazing. We were also
going to make flat bread
from scratch, rocky road
chocolate cake and oat bars.
All of the people who came
to take part were so enthusi‐
as c. A couple of people
liked the idea of making
their own sausage rolls but
some were a bit nervous of
ge ng it wrong. They soon
realised just how easy they
were to make and was roll‐
ing and cu ng out the pas‐
try. One learner who I was
working with was great at
construc ng the sausage
rolls and had them all made
in no me!
The flat breads were really
fun to make. Everyone made
their own batch of dough
and then shaped them into
thin circles, something that
Lauren had a bit of trouble
with! She stuck with it
though and managed to
make one that slightly re‐
sembled a circle. Once they
were all cooked we added
the fillings and wrapped
them up ready for the
packed lunches.
Ingredients
500g/1lb 2oz ready‐
made puff pastry
plain flour, for dus ng
1 egg, beaten
8 sausages, cut in two
salt and black pepper
Really Easy Sausage Rolls
Steph took inspira on from Lorraine Pascale’s recipe found on
the BBC Good Food website: www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes
Prepara on method
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. Roll the pastry out on a floured surface to a rectangle of about 48x32cm/19x12½in and bash the pastry with the rolling pin a bit.
3. Cut the large rectangle in half lengthways, then cut both smaller rectangles into eight equal sec‐ons. You now have 16 rectangles
in total. Brush one end of each rectangle with a li le of the beat‐en egg, lay a piece of sausage at the other end, then season the sausage with salt and pepper.
4. Roll the sausage up in the pastry to enclose and repeat with all the sausages. Put the sausage rolls in the fridge for 20 minutes for the pastry to harden.
5. Once the pastry is hard, remove
the sausage rolls from the fridge
and score the tops with a sharp
knife for decora on, or prick with
a fork. Brush well all over with the
rest of the beaten egg and bake in
the oven for 25–30 minutes, or
un l the pastry has turned golden‐
brown and looks crisp. Remove
from the oven and leave to cool
slightly before serving.
The Trip to Liverpool
Once there was a fella, and his heart was as old and as big as the castle on St Michael’s Mount. where the giant’s grave is. That’s me – Morley. I come from Cornwall, but one morning I decided to go to Liverpool to see a football match. I hadn’t got any other way of travelling, so I just walked. It killed me walk‐ing, because I’ve got a s ck and that, and because of my asthma – but I just walked a bit, then had a rest, then walked a bit more. Just kept going.
A er about five hours, I got to Exeter and the motorway. The road stretched away like a piece of string you could never get to the end of; and I stood at the bo om of the slip road, trying to get a li , with the rain com‐ing down hard like li le stones. I waited a long me for a li , and then only got picked up by people going a short way, so I got dropped off at loads of different service sta‐ons – I don’t even know how many – un l I
reached Birmingham.
By this me, the sun was se ng, and dark‐ness came sweeping in over the sky like an owl. I found somewhere to sleep, tucked in somewhere quiet with some big trees. But I knew I wouldn’t sleep for long – it was hard to sleep on the floor, hard for my back –so I
got up and walked around the service sta‐on, wai ng for morning.
It was 6 o’clock, and the sun was already up, when I thought I heard the sound of some‐one singing. I was so red, I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming it – but the music somehow made me think of my mum. She could play anything, my mum – guitar, mouth‐organ, drums – and she used to be in a band during the War. And something about the sound of the music made me think of her. So I fol‐lowed the sound of the music, outside and round the corner of the building, and there I found an old man playing a guitar.
This man was old. Really old. He looked like 113 years old. He had long hair, and I could‐n’t even see his eyes because of all the wrin‐kles. But he was really good. He was playing a country song, and it made me think of things I thought I had forgo en; like the songs my mum sang, and the flowers I used to put on her grave, things like that.
I gave him my last 10p. I just threw it in his bag, and he carried on playing and singing, and I waited ll he’d finished. Then he said Thankyou and God bless, and he shook my hand, and he looked me in the face and said, “You won’t have any more trouble now.”
I went back to the slip road to try and get a li . The sun was bright now, and it wasn’t long before a lorry picked me up, and he took me all the way to Liverpool. That a er‐noon, I went to the match. Liverpool won, 7‐1.
By Morley Cummings (produced in a Big Is‐sue In The North session)
Who do you think you are?
Today has been tremen‐
dous. Helping people to
create art in their own
li le way doesn’t need to
be great. It has been inspi‐
ra onal as I never thought
I could do it myself.
Patrick Grant
Members of Crisis Skylight Merseyside had the unique opportunity to work with The Walk‐
er and The Bluecoat staff to devise their own workshops. The sessions focussed on iden ty,
which was the theme for last term. Below are some examples of the brilliant work pro‐
duced in the sessions, along with some comments from the day. If you would like to join an
art class in September, grab a copy of the metable in a hostel near you, or call 0151
2187000.
I love it. I’ve had a good ed‐
uca on from Crisis, I’ve got
five cer ficates. You get to
meet new people and have
a good chat at the summer
schools.
James McQuilliam
I enjoy it, its fun doing things. It’s
not like teaching you to do things,
it’s just fun doing things/taking
I’ve loved it, brilliant. I’ve
never had a bad experience
with Crisis. I enjoyed doing
the masks. I didn’t think I
would finish it. I also made a
message of peace using a
page out of a magazine. I’m
made up with it.
Joe Gaskell
Helping Crisis with the art
table today has been really
enjoyable. Si ng around
the
table with people all com‐
ing up with ideas under
the iden ty
subject was interes ng.
I also enjoyed talking to
the public which is good
for confidence building.
Overall it was a good day
mee ng new people.
Terry McCaig
Above: a thought‐provoking
poem from Ged Taylor.
Throughout the day people used
their ideas to create different
masks.
What’s The Big Issue?
By Terry McCaig
One day a er spending my last quid on one of my regular £1 pizza’s in Bold Street. I wan‐
dered off through town tucking into my spicy beef and ham treat. A er consuming half my
lunch and feeling quite full I no ced a guy selling The Big Issue. I wandered whether he
would be offended if I was to offer him a slice. I decid‐
ed to go for it.
“Do you want a piece of pizza mate?”, I asked. He
looked at me cau ously almost as if he was expec ng
there to be an ulterior mo ve. “Are you sure?”, he
asked sheepishly? “Yes go on mate. Seriously take a
piece”, I replied. “Are thanks mate. Nice one for that.”
The apprecia on con nued as I walked off on my lunch
‐ me stroll through town. He had looked genuinely
surprised at me even giving him the me of day, never
mind offering him a bite to eat. The apprecia on I
received for such
a ny gesture
made the simple
deed worthwhile.
Out there all alone
You were out there in the cold,
No loved one there to hold,
Feeling sad and all alone,
Like a dog without a bone.
You watch the world go by,
Do they care if you die?
People look but walk away,
To the lord you sit and pray.
You ask for someone to care,
Almost in a dare,
And somewhere safe to stay,
Worth a try anyway,
A nice man stops and chats,
He talks about some empty flats,
That night you felt safe and
warm,
Outside there was a heavy storm.
By Terry McCaig
Who knew ? The power of pizza.
Clients at The Whitechapel
Centre got stuck into making a
buffet for the Crisis Quiz,
which was held in The
Neurosupport Centre. Watch
out Bake Off! We’ve got
cupcakes down to a T!
Just a selec on of the food
made by clients. They were
excep onally professional!
The Bedroom Tax by Lindsey Farrelly More people in Britain are heavily in debt
and risk losing their homes due to the bed‐
room tax. In the current climate, payday
loans and loan sharks which are a quick fix
for people and some mes the only way out,
only add to the pressures of modern society.
There are not enough organisa ons to help
people who are general long‐ term unem‐
ployed of a certain age range or those who
are disabled or suffer from addic on.
There needs to be a change to the way the
benefit system pays in arrears in order for
non home owners up and down the country
to keep up with their weekly rent. Some ten‐
ants under pressure from landlords and
le ng agencies will not be helped by the
benefit caps or some
councils who stop benefits four weeks previ‐
ous for people moving into work who s ll
owe rent.
Instead councils are bringing in voucher
schemes, which does nothing for the upkeep
of rent.
The idea is to replace Jobseeker’s Allowance
and other benefits with a single payment.
Aside from all these schemes credit unions
are the only real help for home le ers.
There are more shops like cash converters on
the high street than five years ago. Currently
and in the past job centres have stopped
benefits if clients on job seekers allowance
are not applying for a set number of jobs per
week.
In 2011 Iain Duncan Smith set up a work pro‐
gramme for the unemployed. Crisis is trying
to help its users get out of homelessness and
produced a report where 27 people from
across the country including 20 men and 7
women were surveyed to see how much
help they were receiving in terms of housing,
ac on plans and employment. There seems
to be no communica on and no care in ben‐
efits organisa ons who will stop the benefits
of people who do not turn up to interviews
or cancel on me due to unforeseen circum‐
stances bereavement health appointments
etc.
Disabled, homeless people and addicts do
not get enough support to be er their cir‐
cumstances via employment. Work Pro‐
gramme providers should be doing more to
help the unemployed.
Some organisa ons are helping the home‐
less and those at risk while other organisa‐
ons are looking a er their targets. The
Channel 4 programme How to Get a Council
House looked at how different councils deal
with giving council houses. All in all benefit
caps, social exclusion and the bedroom tax
have to stop or there will be an increasing
need for organisa ons like Crisis and employ‐
ment bridge‐builders in the future.
This newsletter is written and produced by and for members of Crisis Skylight Mer-seyside. The content is the personal views of the individual members and it does not represent the views or official policies of Crisis.
Redruth was always the best place to fish. You sit on the pier, and cast in, and next minute the float goes down. All the tourists used to stop and ask how I did it – and the trick is, you put a key on top of your hook, that’s all. It shines in the wa‐ter, and the fish see it, and – bam! A lot of people said I was crazy doing that, but it works.
If the fish could see the necklace round my neck, they’d go for that too, I reckon. It used to be my mum’s – it was a charm bracelet sort of thing. But now I’ve got it, I took all the charms off, and put them on a chain big enough to fit over my head so it doesn’t need a clasp. Safer like that. There’s a silver bu erfly, and the Cornish flag, black on white, and a li le silver umbrella, and a moon, and stars.
It’s started raining. Light, so rain. That’s good for fishing. And the big dark sky – I like night fishing be er, it’s quieter and the sea is calm, and there are stars. Some mes you can see figures in the stars, like the bear and all that – mum used to tell me about them when I was li le.
I’m thinking of her, and looking at the necklace that used to be her bracelet, and I’m singing a bit. I do sing to myself when I’m fishing, I know. And I’m thinking, so Dad lived quite a few years without her, in the end.
Dad always told me I’d get his medals when he died, his medals from the war. There’s ten of them, all told. I’ve not heard anything about that yet, though – I’m just wai ng.
by Morley (produced in a Big Issue In The North session)
Southport is What I Am
I am Southport; Southport is what I am.
I hear music and bands, and happy cheers
I hear the sound of the sea, like music to my ears
I hear your memories of other beaches, other years
I am Southport; Southport is what I am.
I see many colours, a kaleidoscope twis ng
I see the funfair, spinning and dancing
And do the people really dare?
I want you to choose me for your One Day A Year
I want the magic never to end
I want to be like Cornwall, such a fun place to stay,
I am Southport; Southport is what I am.
I hope to see you again one day;
I’ll try to stay as you remember me.
I know what I am. Southport is what I am.
By Emma and Morley (produced in a Big Issue In
The North session)
Things that shine
The root cause of homelessness can never
be pinpointed as there are lots of reasons
why an individual or family find themselves
homeless. However there is evidence to sug‐
gest that drug users are 7 mes more likely
to end up homeless than the general popu‐
la on.
If a person has a drug addic on, then his or
her life is going to be chao c at the best of
mes. Now add homelessness to that equa‐
on then their problems really escalate. To
overcome these problems and to minimize
similar future issues then we need to deal
with both their addic on and homeless
problems in unison.
I think it would be a good idea to include
someone who has ba led addic on to come
along to the classes Crisis runs. Having them
mixing amongst other Crisis members and
maybe offer some of their wisdom and even
sign pos ng them to drug agencies and oth‐
er useful organiza ons could be really help‐
ful.
I know nobody wants to add more ugly
words called drug addic on to homelessness
but it is a fact. Also with the new Universal
Credit snapping at our heels we are going to
see more and more drug users becoming
homeless. The chao c lifestyle of many of
them leaves li le room for organizing their
budget.
The Crisis team in Liverpool are a really mo‐
vated and inspiring group of people who
make every individual feel they have some‐
thing to offer. The classes they run are an
ideal environment for those wishing to occu‐
py their minds and do something worth‐
while whilst solving their homeless and ad‐
dic on problems.
Homelessness and Addic on by Terry McCaig
Take your pick!
Annie rustled around under her desk to the deepest, darkest depths. She managed to
collect random objects (including a wig?!), put them in a bag, and off she popped to the
Library for a tour and to do a workshop in summer school with some clients.
Par cipants were asked to put their hand into the bag and pick a random object, which
they then had to write a new legend from. Morley picked some tape, and the rest is
history...
In Kernow a man went on a walk through a forest, where he stumbled across a derelict
shed. He went in and no ced a toolbox laying on the shelf. He looked in the toolbox and
found a roll of tape. He put it in his pocket and wandered back home. On the way home he
fell and broke his glasses. He thought that he was really lucky finding that tape. He tried to
repair them with the tape and something amazing happened. The glasses turned into the
latest model of Raybans. Turns out the tape turns things into a be er model upgrading
tape.
The life of a plas c bag is pre y mundane; it
gets filled with shopping, and then thrown
away. Learners at Crisis made their lives more
interes ng, using plas c bags to create ‘stained
glass’ panels. Each session used music as inspi‐
ra on for making the panels, and the panels as
inspira on for making music.
The results will adorn St Luke’s during the dark
winter months, bringing light, colour and life.
Sessions were led by i‐architect and Urban
Strawberry Lunch. Here are just a few of the
fantas c work produced in the sessions.
Do you know…
...what a member forum is? Well, on the second Monday of every month, people who go
along to Crisis classes get together in The Brink for the Member Forum. Feeling a bit lost
already? Read on and all will be explained!
You might wonder whether you’re a ‘member’ of Crisis, or what a ‘forum’ means. If you’ve
gone along to a Crisis class before, you’re a member. As for ‘forum’, it means a mee ng
where you can openly discuss what you think, but also if you don’t want to speak, you
don’t have to.
A few Crisis staff members go along, and we sit in the back of The Brink talking about
what’s going on in Merseyside and the world around us, sugges ons for the future,
amongst other things. One of the staff usually writes some ac on points from the
mee ngs up, and they take it back to the Crisis staff team. They then work to find infor‐
ma on, make changes where possible and come back and update us on their progress.
Appointments pop up, and not everyone can make every mee ng, so we have decided to
pop a few of the ac on points into Merseysiders to give you an idea of what goes on, and
what has changed since last me you came. If you haven't been in a while, just come along
and you’ll be welcomed back. If you haven't been before but you are interested in coming
along, you can either turn up on the day (dates below) or call 0151 2187000 for more in‐
forma on.
Member Forum—11:30‐1:30 The Brink, Parr Street, Liverpool, L1 4JN
14th October
11th November
9th December
Sugges on Ac on Progress
request for CAB rep to a end mee ng We have a new Member Forum Volunteer and will
be a ending the next forum mee ng. He will be
On‐going
Can we ask someone from Wirral Council (equivalent The contact we had has now re red and we are On‐going
Anne O'Byrne (Labour Cabinet Member for Housing
and Community Safety) to be invited to mee ng and
members given the opportunity to list issue they
Ann has been invited to our Client Conference to
address this.
Complete
Art & literacy classes are really absorbing and some‐
mes the me goes too fast. Is there any chance of
having 3 hours sessions?
We can look at this for January for Literacy. We are
also planning to extend our service further, and
start CW in Birkenhead, and there is a literacy ses‐
sion at The Basement. For Art, we can possibly
look at one session for those who are more com‐
mi ed at being longer.
To be
reviewed
I was born in Liverpool in 1940 down by the docks. I
was the youngest out of three brothers and one
sister who were evacuated to Wales due to the
war. My earliest memories consisted of going to
the air raid shelters with my mum during the war.
My mum’s grocery store was bombed in 1941.
I had quite a fortunate upbringing compared to
many such as having shoes to go to school in when
my other school friends didn’t. Our school, St Al‐
bans, was also bombed which meant I had to move
school when I was 15 but before then I received
trials for Liverpool FC but was unfortunately too
small to progress as a goal keeper.
A er leaving school I became part of the American
Mari me with a company called Victory carriers as
a steward in the catering departments. This in‐
volved travelling to Iceland, New York, Cardiff and
returning to Liverpool on a periodic basis supplying
the American Army bases.
At only 15 1/2 I remember whilst in New York I
missed the ship which meant I had to spend 6
weeks basically living on
the beach finding odd jobs
to get me through. I even‐
tually managed to get back
on the ship ge ng back to
Liverpool. A short me
a er being a shore I ap‐
plied to join the Merchant
Navy Training School. I was ac‐
cepted for training and spent 6 weeks training in
Gloucester.
I spent seven years in the Navy before ge ng mar‐
ried at the young age of 23. I le the Merchant Na‐
vy and started work on the Liverpool Docks as a
train pu er‐out and also worked as a Hatch boss
and Store Keeper. I le the Docks at 28 to move
onto work with a Glazer and carried onto work with
Ford Motor Company (Halewood). I le a er 2
years and went working for a friend who was a
Glazer and carried onto work with for 8 years.
I then moved to No ngham working in all trades
from sand blas ng to acid cleaning, pain ng and
decora ng. I spent 9 years in No ngham in this
me my
marriage
broke
down. I
gave my
job up in
order to try
and build
up my rela‐
onship up with my family which didn't work and
led to my divorce. This is when my drinking started
to become a problem, this was both socially in pubs
as well as at home.
Alcohol took its toll, it changed me as a person, I
was becoming unsociable, fed up and know I need‐
ed to change my ways.
Eventually I went to see my doctor about my drink‐
ing. He advised me to go to LCAS
(Liverpool Community Alcohol Ser‐
vice). Here I was appointed a care
worker who managed to put me in
touch with Genie in The Gu er,
Liverpool.
Here I found the service very help‐
ful and it has since aided me in
overcoming my addic on with al‐
cohol. It has helped start to socialise with other
people who I share the same common ground of
addic on with. It’s helped me realise I’m not the
only one and that Genie is a great place for people
trying to overcome addic on.
I have been coming here for over 2 months and feel
with the support and help if Genie I’m ge ng
stronger week by week.
Patrick Grant—produced at Genie in the Gu er)
My Journey
The SS Linguist (ship I worked on). Image taken from
www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewgal.asp?id=18346
Gladstone Docks 1950 www.liverpoolships.org
Drinking
Drinking. Nothing more than Drinking
Trying to forget my addic on to drink
Lager spilling down on my face
Trying to replace my memories of love
DRINKING WO’O’O DRINKING
Feelings, for all my life I’ll feel it
I wish I’ve never had this drinking problem
I want to feel you in my arms again
I wish I’ve ever lost you girl you’ll never come
again
DRINKING WO’O’O DRINKING
Drinking like I’ve never lost you.
Again in my heart
Feeling for all my life I’ll feel it
Drinking I’ve got to stop my drinking
To have you in my arms again
DRINKING WO’O’O DRINKING
Drinking. Nothing more than drinking
Trying to forget my addic on to drink
Lager spilling down on my face
Trying to replace my memories of love
DRINKING WO’O’O DRINKING
Drinking like ‘ve never lost you
again in my heart
Feeling for all my life I’ll feel it
Drinking I’ve got to stop my drinking
To have you in my arms again
by Patrick Grant
Genie
Ho Genie, Genie in the Gu er
Helping all these people
With their addic ons
Trying to get them from
Nightmares onto a right track
So they don’t relapse again
Genie wo’o’o’ Genie
Keeping them on with
Thoughts of their family
Learning to use computers online
And keep their minds off their addic ons
Genie wo’o’o’ Genie
Come to Genie for
Help they give you
To keep minds from
dealers and the pushers
That ruin your lives
Genie wo’o’o’ Genie
Keep opening the doors
For people like me
I’m grateful for the help
You give other people
by Patrick Grant
Whole Again
If you see me looking at the sea
Staring at the sky, flapping my two wings
You just pass me by,
It s ll makes me cry because you’re looking
away again
And if you see me with another bird laughing
and joking doing what I can,
I won't put you down, 'cause I’m stuck to the
ground
'cause you can make me fly again.
Chorus
Looking back on when we first met,
I can not escape and I can not forget,
Birdy you’re the one
If only you weren’t s ll gone
You can make me tweet again.
Time is cking to the beat of my heart
Seems I've got too much of it since we've been
apart,
My friends make me smile if only for while,
You can make me soar again.
[Chorus]
For now I'll have to wait,
But, birdy the clocks say it’s already a er eight
'cause I just can't go on,
It's already been too long,
But you can make me sing again.
Cooooooooooooooooooooooo
[Chorus x2]
Ooh, birdy you're the one,
You s ll turn me on,
But you can make me happy if you don’t go to the
pub again
Morley and Jan working hard on the Atomic Ki en remake!
Crisis Alterna ve Dic onary
A group of crea ve wri ng learners, along with
some members of the public did a workshop in
the library recently. During this, they tried their
hand at making up some new words!
creapo ‐ A cut price creep!
Capero—Scary
Cropat—What you have to avoid near a rook‐
ery!
Tozed—When you’re warm and dozy in a bor‐
ing mee ng and not taking anything in
Gemma’s dream
By Emma Folan
Once upon a me not long ago there was a young lady called Gem‐
ma. Gemma was a very good fairy. She lived with her older sister,
brother and dad. Her mum had passed away they lived in a forest.
They lived in a lovely co age every morning when Gemma opened
the blinds of the window she saw the sun shining and the birds sing‐
ing in the trees. There were lots of flowers which Gemma loved.
There was only one road in and out of the forest, not that many cars
or things went there.
Well, let me tell you about how her mum passed. Every night Gemma tried her very best not to go to
sleep. She was a really good fairy and when Gemma finally went to sleep she really did go sleep. This hor‐
rible fairy appeared in the dream. Let me also tell you it is not a nice dream as it is about how her mum
passed away. Her mum was out picking flowers and out of nowhere this red car came. The driver was a
bad wizard he wore a pointed hat that was black with yellow stars. He also has a dark cloak and long grey
hair and glasses. Anyway back to the car crash, like I said before their mum
was in the garden picking flowers. When she looked around there was not a
car, then there was. Gemma and her sister, brother and dad were inside.
They heard a scream: her sister looked out of the window to see their mum
flat out on the path. They did not know if she was dead or alive. Their dad
went out and picked her up and took her in and put her on the se ee think‐
ing she was alive. Gemma’s sister and brother ran in and saw a bad fairy.
They knew it was bad is because it also had black clothes on. Her sister saw
it had green teeth .
Gemma was not really sure if it was a dream or not un l she asked her sis‐
ter. Her sister told her that it was true: their mum was hit by a car. When
Gemma’s sister told her that it was true she burst out crying and screamed.
No, no, no, it’s not true! Their brother came in to Gemma’s room; by this
me Gemma was fran c she was kicking and screaming, please tell me it’s
not! Her brother got hold of her and cuddled her saying I am really sorry it is, our mum was hit by a wiz‐
ard in a car! Their dad heard what was going on up stairs and went running up there to find out what was
wrong. Gemma brought her head up and he saw tears run down her pre y face please tell me it’s not
true! She said. He then got on his knees and said I am really sorry but it is true. Gemma then said why are
there bad fairies in the dream too? Their dad then looked at all of them with shock and said don’t be silly
there is not any bad fairies as they have all gone many years ago. The head of the good fairies told them
to get out of the forest as they are not welcome anymore so with a puff of smoke they had gone up and
nobody knows where they had gone and nobody knows where they are! Gemma wiped her eyes and says
I am ok as I know they have gone they will never come back and I hope I can have happy, funny dreams.
Then she looked at her dad who winked at her and says I can promise you they won’t come back.
Then Gemma saw a very nice smiling fairy si ng on his shoulder whispering in her dad’s ear. Gemma has
seen the good fairy with her own eyes now she knows it is true…
The Warm Home Discount Scheme by Sue Kay For winter 2013‐2014, some people may be able to get a discount on their electricity bill through the Warm Home Discount Scheme, but you do have to qualify for the scheme, and not everyone will be able to get it. If eligible, the money is a one‐off discount, and no money is paid to directly to you. It is possible to qualify for the discount if you use a pre‐pay or pay as you go electricity meters. Full details can be accessed at www.gov.uk/the‐warm‐home‐discount‐scheme/eligibility.
I felt that the informa on provided wasn’t very clear. The above website s pulates that if you
receive certain elements of pension credit then you may be eligible for the discount scheme. It
is also men oned that some suppliers can offer the discount to vulnerable people, for example
those on a low income, and each supplier has its own rules on this ‘broader group’ of people the
discount can extend to. The website advises that you should ‘check with the supplier if you
meet their rules for broader group help and how to apply for it’.
Below is a list of energy suppliers who are part of the scheme (taken from above website on 15/09/13). To find out if you are eligible, check with your supplier and ask them how to apply. If you go to the above website, there are links to the informa on for these suppliers.
Atlan c, Bri sh Gas, EDF Energy, E.ON, Equipower (Ebico), Equigas (Ebico), First U lity, Manweb ‐ see Sco shPower, M&S Energy, npower, Sainsbury’s Energy, Sco sh Gas ‐ see Bri sh Gas, Sco sh Hydro, Sco shPower, Southern Electric, SSE, SWALEC ,U lity Warehouse
I successfully applied for the discount last year and I have reapplied this year.
If you think you are eligible, apply. Don’t miss out. Energy bills are ge ng higher and higher.
Remember “If you don’t ask you don’t get” !!!
And then…
Wri en by lots of people who visited the library on 1st
August 2013, ‘And then…’ is the tle of a collabora ve
piece of wri ng.
The cowardly lion took a hardworking stance from the su‐
perb fountain that has an ancient curse. A piercing
scream of terror came from the nearby dungeons. The lion lost control of his mind. The li‐
on felt so alone but as he walked along the path he met a unicorn.
The lion asked him to dine with him. The cowardly lion is not very brave and needs to eat
some biscuits to stop crying. He won’t eat biscuits though because he finds them repul‐
sive. But un l he eats those biscuits he won’t be considered immense. One frosty morning
he went to Old swan and indulged in a cake and met a friend at the fountain of youth.
What an imagina on!
Myths and Legends
Whilst in the library, we went around and asked members of the public for their local
myths and legends. Here are a small collec on of what we found out on the day!
Albert Dock
Children in the Albert Docks were kidnapped!
They were taken on board ships to work. They
were plied with beer so they could work!!
St Oswald’s Church
When they built St Oswlad’s Church in Old Swan
in 1841, the builders found a burial site under‐
neath. The local archaeologists and vicar
thought it was a plague pit and a couple of workmen died of bubonic plague as not all the
germs had died. I think they reinterred the bodies. Then during the blitz the bodies were
all moved one night and taken away leading to rumours that a lot of people had been
killed and the authori es were covering up the amount of the casual es.
Hope Street
In a house in Hope Street, they found dead bodies which they were selling for medical use.
With mes being tough, they were shipped to Leith.
Rodney Street
There is a man who walks along Rodney Street in a top hat and tails with a walkig s ck with
a silver top from the Victorian age.
St George’s Hall
There are dungeons in St George’s Hall and there are all kinds of stories about people be‐
ing held down there.
St James’ Cemetery
In St James’ cemetery there is fresh water and no‐one has any idea about where is comes
from. People thought it had healing quali es.
Leeds‐Liverpool Canal
There is a story that on the Leeds‐Liverpool canal there is a pike in there called Big Bertha
and it has taken many people’s lives. It is meant to be about 20 mes the usual size and if
you try to catch it then it will pull you into the water, drown you and then eat you quickly.
Big Bertha has lived there many years as far as we know we don’t mess with them because
he might get a big gang/school of fish to eat you alive.
Beware of Big Bertha!