March 2007 Archives

BULLDOZERS have been hungrily destroying a popular Southport landmark this week.
The machines moved in on Wednesday to tear down the Lido building adjacent to Ainsdale Beach, and with it a concrete memorial to thousands of people’s happy memories from a multi-generation spanning 74 years.
Staff have also been saying goodbye to Southport Infirmary this week, with NHS workers who have been based there for many years now looking forward to new working environments at Southport and Formby DGH and Ormskirk Hospital.
There the difference ends. The end of the infirmary was, many will admit, inevitable. The building retains happy memories for many, though its passing will not be lamented by visitors to our resort.
The Lido however now adds its name to a growing list of monuments to Southport’s glorious seaside resort heritage which includes luminaries such as the former Palace / ABC Cinema on Lord Street, and the Sea Bathing Lake.
Worryingly, it seems few people in Ainsdale - not even the three ward councillors - were aware of the building’s impending demolition.
Despite suggested rescue plans over the past few years, none were successfully pursued and the structure was allowed to decay.
As Southport claims to be pursuing a ‘Classic Resort’ strategy, some may question whether buildings such as the cinema - the second oldest in the North of England - and the Lido should have been deemed expendable, or whether more should have been done to save, restore and preserve them.
Certainly, local people and their elected representatives should have been able to have had some say, or even prior warning, that such a notable local landmark as the Lido was about to be lost to Southport’s heritage forever.

A SCHOOLFRIEND of Paul Barton put it best in today's Midweek Visiter regarding the British personnel held captive in Iran.
Mohamed Zbaeda said the news his Birkdale High classmate was probably among the 15 military staff detained "brings it closer to home," and it certainly does.
We have featured a number of stories in our pages over the past couple of years about our brave lads setting off for duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
What readers don't see is the time a reporter spends with a soldier and their family before they set off.
It can be as little as half-an-hour in a sitting room, listening to a squaddie proudly talking about serving his country and looking forward to doing his duty.
Alongside them is a mum, wife or girlfriend, equally as proud, but there is always that uncertain tone to their voice. They burst with pride over the military man who sets off with his comrades, but it is a husband or father who may not be coming home.
It is those moments when a reporter gets an all-too-brief glimpse of the anguish a family goes through. That not-knowing, which is a cruel necessity of national security.
Until now we have had largely positive tales to tell of our lads out there, of Christmas parcels sent to the front line and Sandgrounders doing their bit to make sure the troops aren't forgotten.
There could be a positive resolution to this situation, let's hope there is. But this is the first time in a long time the real dangers of serving your country have been brought so close to home.
Our thoughts are with Paul Barton, and his family.

The home of one of the best flower shows in the country is soon to be the home of one of the biggest garden centres in the country.
Dobbies Garden World is a renowned and well established horticultural business whose centres boast not only a huge array of flowers and plants, but also a farm food hall and deli, a specialist aquatics department, an indoor range including a bath and cook shop and a large restaurant with conservatory.
We have yet to see the finer plans of the proposal, but it can only be 'blooming' good news for the local economy with the creation of a 'bunch' of jobs.
There is hardly anything more satisfying than writing about bungling burglars or would-be 'mastermind' criminals who hardly have two brain cells to rub together.
This week's Southport Visiter is therefore particularly rewarding as we reveal the story of two particularly backward bike thieves.
Attempting to steal a bike from a Birkdale cycle shop, this dumb duo broke the shop window and snatched the first mountain bike they could get their hands on. But as Bonnie and Clyde tried to make their speedy getaway, they realised the error of their ways. Not only did the bike have two flat tyres, it also didn't have any pedals. And to add insult to injury, or maybe to try and avoid it, the pair went back to the shop, risked decapitation by leaning through the broken window to steal ... a cycle helmet!
There's all this and much more in your favourite weekly read - the Southport Visiter.

Credit card fraud is a particularly devious crime, with victims not knowing they have been targeted usually until weeks after the event. The first you know is when your bank statement lands on your doormat.
Peter Sutton was the victim of such a crime. He now believes a gang is operating in Southport.
His account was raided by the thieves who went on a spending spree for items which included a diamond ring and even a bunch of Valentine's flowers.
Don't miss this week's Southport Visiter for top advice to avoid falling victim.
The Southport Visiter also exclusively reveals that top stars Lulu and Jools Holland are to perform at this year's three day Southport Summer Classics spectacular. The stars add their names to a growing list of performers who have graced the event which is quick becoming one of the highlights in the Southport social calendar.
We predict a sunny star-studded Southport summer!