Issue 4

issue 4 spring 2014

It Takes Two

It’s curtain up for Everyman

A New Beginning Answering the big question

Horses & Courses

Aintree and The Open swing into action

Walking Tall

Something massive this way comes

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Welcome

Do you know what you did last summer? Chances are it’s all a bit of a blur. This summer? We’re doing all we can to make it a year to remember. And the forecast’s looking good. The International Festival for Business, just months away, promises to be one of those game-changing events: the chance to connect with the world’s most exciting export markets without leaving the country. What you lose on Air Miles we guarantee you’ll gain in new contacts, new routes to market, new business thinking: even more so if you join the IFB Business Club, with its access-all-areas pass to the festival’s top table of international business gurus and brokerage sessions. For fifty days, the city will welcome the world. And, because we know there’s more to life than boardroom deals, we promise to put on quite a show. Actually, make that a giant show: as our French allies Royal de Luxe return to mark the centenary of the Great War with their fifty-foot friends. Throw in a multi-million pound reinvented Everyman theatre, The Open golf and the return of the UK‘s Biennial of Contemporary art and, as I said, it’s going to be a super-sized summer. And you’re invited.

Max Steinberg CBE, Chief Executive, Liverpool Vision

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A special thank you to all our partners at MIPIM 2014 Stand R33.14

CONTENTS

it’s magazine is produced by

itsliverpool.com

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Incoming Your instant briefing on the city

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It takes two Introducing the double act behind the new £28 million Everyman theatre

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IFB WELCOMES THE WORLD How IFB is steering a new generation of business

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It’s what we do With over 200 business events taking place during IFB, we map some of the inbound routes to the city

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Horses & Courses Two of the world’s greatest sporting events head to Liverpool city region this summer

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Big Science How Liverpool is leading the way on the fundamental question of life

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It’s all about the people How the Blues are building for the future

Twitter: @itsliverpool Front cover:

Gemma Bodinetz and Deborah Aydon.

Editorial Team: Mike Allanson, Peter Smith, Jonathan Caswell, David Lloyd, Caroline Hoppé, Paul Burnhill. Writers:

David Lloyd with additional features by Jonathan Caswell and Laura Brown.

Commercial:

Chris Adderley.

Photography: Everyman (Gemma Bodinetz and Deborah Aydon), Roy Castle (Paula Chadwick) and Liverpool Law Society (Kirsty McKno) by Matt Thomas EFC photographs courtesy of EFC Oded Hirsh, The Lift, 2012 © Jerry Hardman-Jones Craig Easton and Brigid Benson by Craig Easton ATLAS at CERN, Geneva courtesy of CERN Liverpool waterfront by McCoy Wynne Giants by Ant Clausen Published by: Liverpool Vision, The Capital, 39 Old Hall Street Liverpool L3 9PP Tel: +44 (0)151 600 2900 © Liverpool Vision 2014. All material is strictly copyright and all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of Liverpool Vision is strictly forbidden. Care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information in this magazine at the time of going to press, but we accept no responsibility for ommissions or errors. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of Liverpool Vision.

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Show Business Why the waterfront is about to welcome the world

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Art for our sake This summer, the Biennial will transform the city into a giant, open-air art gallery

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Walking tall Something big is coming: A tribute big enough to melt a million hearts

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A New Beginning A Liverpool charity’s pioneering research

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Fight for your rights Why one of Britain’s oldest law societies is harnessing the city’s past to shape a legal system fit for the future

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Work, Rest & Play Getting the balance right. It’s what makes a city a home

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WHO ARE Brigid Benson & Craig Easton? Profiles of Liverpool’s famous photographers

This document is printed on Essential Velvet, FSC, ISO 14001 accredited. Sourced from fully sustainable forests. Printed using vegetable based inks.

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CULTURE GET IN LINE

BUSINESS DRIVING ALL

FILM ALSO STARRING

NIGHT

Here’s an exhibition that’s definitely not for squares. Tate Liverpool presents a timely retrospective of Mondrian Mondrian and his Studios - to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the painter’s death.

Your instant briefing on the city...

Mondrian’s strident, architectural style was decades ahead of its time: informing much of the Modernist worldview that followed. This exhibition looks at how the artist’s abstract visions were informed by his studios, and the buildings that surrounded him.

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6 June – 5 October 2014, Tate Liverpool tate.org.uk/visit/tate-liverpool

It’s all systems go, and all shifts to their stations, as Jaguar Land Rover report sales - for the last three months of 2013 - up an impressive 27%. Jaguar Land Rover sold 112,172 vehicles in the quarter, with particularly strong demand for its made-in-Merseyside Range Rover Evoque model. The 300-acre Halewood plant site now employs some 4,500 workers - nearly twice as many as a couple of years ago - on a round-the-clock, three-shift system. “The plant has never been on three shifts before in its 50-year history,” says Richard Else, operations director. “The Evoque has created a whole new segment that appeals to both existing customers and to those who have never bought a Land Rover before.” jaguar.co.uk

Ready for your close up? Chances are, if you’re pounding the streets of Liverpool, you’d better be. As UK cinema goers enjoy the latest slice of Jack Ryan action, Liverpool audiences might be forgiven for experiencing a touch of deja-vu, as the Shadow Recruit’s Moscow-based scenes were actually filmed here, while Birkenhead doubled for New York. Yes, really. The crew were lured here thanks to the hardworking team at the Liverpool Film Office, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. And it’s not all edge-of-seat espionage - Victoria Wood filmed her TV adaptation Tubby and Enid in the city. Foyles War which is to be aired on ITV shortly is just another shot-in-Liverpool caper. All bases covered, then! Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, in cinemas now liverpoolfilmoffice.tv

TRAVEL ASK THE EXPERTS

Want unbiased, expert travel advice? Who you gonna call? You could do worse than consult the travel mavens at Rough Guides to tell it like it is. At the turn of every new January 1st, the title publishes its lists of ‘must-visit’ destinations. This year? It’s all about Liverpool number 3 in its ‘world top ten cities to visit’ list. “What began with the gradual redevelopment of the Albert Dock area has evolved into a full-blown cultural renaissance. Liverpool, once named the world’s pop music capital, has rediscovered its mojo. And guess what? It’s setting trends again…” Well, far be it from us to say… roughguides.com

EVENTS RETURN OF

MUSIC SHAKE THE

THE GIANTS

As the nation prepares to mark the centenary of the Great War, Liverpool is proud to have been named as host city for the UK’s biggest public commemorative event - as the Royal de Luxe Giants return to the city (23-27 July) for ‘Memories of August 1914’. As Helen Grant, Minister for Sport and Tourism, says, “2014 marks the centenary of the outbreak of a war which transformed not only this country, but the world forever. This is sure to be a truly powerful and memorable piece of street theatre which will shine a spotlight on an incredibly important period in our history.” 23 – 27 July 2014, Liverpool city centre giantspectacular.com

EVENTS CITY

It’s the UK’s largest urban celebration of music and digital creativity - and it’s back this May, bigger than ever before. Sound City promises over 360 artists in 25 city-wide venues, as well as a conference, keynotes from A-listers such as the Velvet Underground’s John Cale. This year, the festival blends music, fashion and football. A holy trinity made in Liverpool. 1-3 May 2014, Liverpool city centre liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk

GET SET TO ACCELERATE

Those critical early years could mean the difference between business success or back to the drawing board. That’s why Accelerate - the UK’s business start-up expo - was so warmly received when it debuted in the city last summer. And it’s back, part of the IFB activity - with its programme of motivational keynotes, inspirational incubator stories and unbeatable opportunities to network your business into the fast lane. Accelerate 2014 part of IFB 2014 promises a day that could, really, change your business for the better, with speakers including founder of international lingerie brand, Ultimo, Michelle Mone OBE and the man behind Red or Dead and now owner of HemingwayDesign, Wayne Hemingway MBE. 20 June 2014, ACC Liverpool accelerate2014.co.uk

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IT TAKES TWO They’re a double act that’s staged 38 world premieres over ten years. And now, with the opening of the new Everyman - their biggest production is about to begin. It’s magazine talks to Everyman Playhouse’s Gemma Bodinetz and Deborah Aydon.

Liverpool has its fair share of sacred spaces. Two cathedrals. Two football grounds. Three graces. We don’t do things by halves here. But it’s the city’s twin theatres, the Playhouse and Everyman - crucibles of cutting edge and classic drama - where passions really run high. So when, this spring - after a £28million rebuild - the new Everyman opens its Hope Street doors all eyes will be on the top of the town, as one very special theatre starts its second act. “Yes, it’s new, but I hope it retains the essence of what it was,” says artistic director Gemma Bodinetz of the project, meticulously stage managed by her and Everyman Playhouse’s executive director Deborah Aydon. Together, Bodinetz and Aydon have helmed Liverpool’s intimate and much-loved theatres for a decade, a theatrical double act presiding over a modern day Renaissance which has seen record audiences, critically acclaimed premieres and a roster of thrilling new talent. A golden era recalling those heady days of the early ’70s when the Everyman’s alumni read like a who’s who of ‘actors most likely to’ - a springboard for Julie Walters, Pete Postlethwaite, Bill Nighy

and Jonathan Pryce. And a young playwright called Willy Russell. So to close the theatre for three years when its current crop of homegrown talent was firing on all cylinders, and touring companies were beating a path to its door, wasn’t a case of bad planning. It was more a statement of intent: the best is yet to come. “Those of us who loved the old Everyman, like me, couldn’t actually see past a miasma of love and memories,” Bodinetz says, “but new people saw it as it was. Saw that you needed a ladder to get on stage, that the chairs were ripped, and there were holes in the ceiling.” Now, it’s a state-of-the-art venue, with new workshop spaces, studios for the Young Everyman and Playhouse company, writers’ rooms and a fully kitted out ‘thrust-style’ auditorium seating 400. “But we’ve recycled the bricks,” Bodinetz points out, “It gives the space more humanity. It’s familiar but different…”

“Yes, it’s new, but I hope it retains the essence of what it was,”

Gemma Bodinetz, Artistic Director Deborah Aydon, Executive Director 9

The central auditorium has been rebuilt with 25,000 bricks, salvaged when the original Victorian chapel shell was knocked down – and the reintroduction of a balcony which was lost during a previous refurbishment in the 1970s gives the space added drama. The striking new building - with its roll call of ‘everymen and women’ raised above its Hope Street entrance - has been designed by Haworth Tompkins Architects, with funding from Arts Council England, the European Regional Development Fund, and Liverpool City Council. Set against straitened times, the city continues to support its culture houses: a fact that doesn’t go unnoticed with the theatre’s executive director.

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“We’ve all seen what culture can mean as a catalyst,” says Deborah Aydon. “It’s so encouraging that our council has nailed its colours to the mast. Their belief that culture can contribute, in real terms, to the city’s economy, mirrors ours. We’ve crunched the numbers, and the uplift we give to the city’s hotels, bars and restaurants is impressive…” “But it’s more than that,” says Bodinetz, “It’s the feel good factor, the fact that people can feel proud, that we trigger their imaginations. None of this can be measured against a bottom line, but it’s just as important.” But with a £28 million price tag, does Bodinetz - whose ability to hit the target with the most unlikely of subjects (famously refashioning the 17th century comedy,

We’re a forward thinking city. The Everyman is a forward thinking theatre. We’re a good double act Tartuffe, into box office gold, courtesy of a whip-smart retelling by Roger McGough) feel added pressure to get more bums on those newly upholstered seats? “Not really,” she says. “You have to go into it full bloodedly, thinking is this forward thinking, not sentimental. Does it carry something of the renegade spirit and ambition of the Everyman? You’re holding the past and trying to find things for the future. Find things that feel right for the city, and the time.”

It’s all about making the business end stack up so that the artistic side of the business can get on and do what it does best Still, a balance needs to be struck - and, in its debut season, the Everyman finds space for Shakespeare, new works, and collaborations with the ruthlessly inventive Kneehigh Theatre company, amongst others. It’s the same judicious programming that, Bodinetz hopes, will keep audiences stimulated, and the balance sheet spiking healthily into the black. “It’s been easy for us, we have the same taste; the same instincts,” Aydon says of the partnership. “We both have understanding of each other’s preoccupations. “It’s all about making the business end stack up so that the artistic side of the business can get on and do what it does best.” “But we can body swap,” Bodinetz laughs, “Sometimes Deborah’s trying to talk me into doing something really, really dangerous and I’m the one going what about the bottom line? There has to be pragmatism and dare involved. Too much of one or the other, and it will die. But because we love this city, and its theatres, we shuffle the cards and try to do both.” Together, the two share a vision - and passion - for theatre’s renewed importance, and its ability for creating magic - and medicine: a salve for our troubled times. All the world, after all, is a stage. “Liverpool’s a brilliant place for theatre in hundreds of ways,” Bodinetz says. “Every visiting company and director says we have this fantastic combination of freshness, openness and intelligence. We’re a forward thinking city. The Everyman is a forward thinking theatre. We’re a good double act.” With the Everyman back in business, in the city’s most cultural street, Liverpool once again promises theatre that reflects the city around it. A constantly unfolding drama that is transformational, honest and essential.  The stage is set. everymanplayhouse.com

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Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson OBE

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PLACE OF business: IFB WELCOMES THE WORLD Steering a new generation of business Can IFB 2014 deliver the same return for Liverpool’s business community as European Capital of Culture did for its creative sector? Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson OBE talks to It’s Liverpool’s Laura Brown about why being on the international stage means the opportunity is there to be seized for home-grown talent.

Liverpool’s business community has transformed in a generation. To consider how much let us draw you a simple picture, just one example of many; a stone’s throw from where Mayor Joe Anderson grew up there were once derelict warehouses and disused land. That has now been regenerated into Baltic Triangle, home to the city’s burgeoning digital and creative sector, serving global brands like Virgin, United Utilities and Penguin Books. There, a new generation of entrepreneurs is ready to take their role centre stage in the city’s

private sector resurgence. As 2008 inspired and championed the city’s culture, thus International Festival for Business 2014 will, it is hoped, do the same for the city’s corporate sector and creative industries, welcoming 250,000 visitors, hosting 200 events. Running across 50 days it is the largest concentration of global business events in 2014. Mayor Anderson is confident that the city will deliver something special, “Liverpool has a track record for delivering big, ambitious

international events. The International Festival for Business 2014 follows the success of European Capital of Culture 2008, Shanghai World Expo in 2010 and the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in 2012. It is something to be excited about.” Very much on the home stretch, with IFB 2014 just months away, the team is buoyed by the news of a strong private sector and the headline grabbing figure of the creation of 12,800 jobs between 2010 and 2012. According to Cities Outlook 2013, the

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annual health check of UK cities by thinktank Centre for Cities Liverpool ranks 8th nationally in terms of the growth in jobs. Mayor Anderson says the news reflects the fevered commitment to growing the private sector and strengthening it, of which IFB 2014 is a vital element. “One of my mantras is that Liverpool is open for business, so I am pleased that, in the face of the economic downturn we have been able to grow the number of jobs in the city. We are working really hard every single day to attract new firms and investors to Liverpool, as well as growing start-up businesses and encouraging entrepreneurs.” He added: “These figures do not include our recent success in securing around 1,000 new private sector jobs through bringing firms such as H2 Energy, BAC Mono, BT and Amey.” The resurgence and confident figures suggest that IFB 2014 will not simply aid the international firms looking to boost their networks and profits, but that Liverpool’s business community is ready to reap the benefit. Having the festival in the city recognises Liverpool’s position as a leading UK business destination and establishes its role in helping promote economic growth, locally, nationally and internationally as well as rebalancing the economy and doubling UK exports by 2020. “The calibre of our sponsors – BT, CNN, FT and Santander – is testament to the success of the city,” adds Mayor Anderson. Yet while Liverpool’s corporate sector is jubilant and rightly confident of its resilience, it does not exist in a vacuum. Just along the motorway are the northern powerhouses of Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield. Mayor Anderson has been vocal in his determination that major cities in the north need to work together, throughout the recovery and beyond. IFB 2014 is, he maintains, a UK festival and ensuring there is a legacy for other cities is at the heart of his strategy and ambition for it. In January, Mayor Anderson stood side by side with Sir Richard Leese, Manchester City Council leader and Sir Terry Leahy, an IFB Ambassador and the former CEO of Tesco, at the Manchester festival launch. The chair of IFB 2014 Max Steinberg CBE revealed Manchester will host three events, Graphene Commercialisation & Applications on 25 - 26 June, a seminar and exhibition at the University of Manchester; Aerotropolis EMEA on 8 – 10 July, a conference and exhibition; and the International Business of Sport Congress on 16- 17 July, a global event unlocking the commercial and social power of sport.

“More unites than divides us”, explains Mayor Anderson, “the International Festival for Business is an example of how Liverpool and Manchester can work together for the interests of the North West.” In showcasing British industry, entrepreneurialism and strength, the North’s great cities will need to stand together, he says. “Northern city leaders, businesses and universities need to collaborate if we are going to sustain the national economic recovery and IFB 2014 is an opportunity to show off our business acumen and excellence.” The festival’s cultural programme and news that Royal de Luxe is bringing the ‘giants’ back to Liverpool as part of the UK’s WWI commemorations may have inspired many to start booking visits to the city, but with up to 200 events to choose from throughout IFB 2014 Mayor Anderson is clear that there is real opportunity for everyone in business. “IFB 2014 is just as relevant for start-ups as it is for some of the international names attending, he says. “. IFB 2014 gives small companies a global platform. Who knows, they could find themselves sitting next to a international CEO, or one of the smartest business minds in the world. It’s about making connections either at the IFB Hub or at one of the hundreds of events, conferences and seminars.” The IFB Hub is the heart of the festival and the city has chosen a stirring backdrop to encourage ideas and partnerships to flow. Located on Liverpool’s iconic waterfront, a World Heritage Site, it is a stunning location to welcome the international trade delegations and UK business. Firms and individuals can register to join the IFB Business Club ensuring they can use all the facilities for free, be welcomed to networking events and meet the

Who knows, they could find themselves sitting next to a international CEO, or one of the smartest business minds in the world. buyer opportunities. There is a Business Brokerage scheme matching UK companies with international business opportunities, all accessible though IFB2014.com “We are providing people with the framework and the infrastructure to do business” says Mayor Anderson, “but at the same time we want them to be able to customise their festival experience to match the needs of their own business.” As host city, Liverpool is confident in its ability to help delegates relax and refresh after a hard day of networking, learning and meeting. This is, after all, a city internationally renowned for its nightlife, bars, restaurants and clubs. The cultural programme for IFB 2014 runs concurrently to the festival. Along with the Giant Spectacular, Liverpool Biennial launches during the festival and the city’s major arts organisations also host their world- class cultural events, including the Mondrian exhibition at Tate Liverpool with the Walker Art Gallery exhibiting the exquisite Tapestries by multiple award-winning contemporary art legend Grayson Perry. Mayor Anderson added: “The festival is an unrivalled opportunity for UK businesses to grow and secure international contacts and partnership but let’s not forget, we’re welcoming thousands of visitors to the city throughout IFB 2014 and it is a real chance for us to show them what Liverpool has to offer.” ifb2014.com

Left to right: Sir Richard Leese, Mayor Joe Anderson OBE, Sir Terry Leahy, Max Steinberg CBE, Sir Howard Bernstein, Ged Fitzgerald, Mike Blackburn and Michael Oglesby CBE 14

ACCELERATE 2014 AEROTROPOLIS AIRPORT CITIES AFRICA RISING BIO CITY UK BRITISH BUSINESS EMBASSY FSB SUMMIT GLOBAL CITY LEADERS SUMMIT GLOBAL MANUFACTURING FESTIVAL GRAPHENE ULTIMATE ADVANCED MATERIALS HORASIS IBDE GLOBAL ECONOMIC FORUM INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS OF SPORT CONGRESS LIKE MINDS LIVERPOOL SCIENCE FESTIVAL MADE IN THE UK MARINE ENERGY FOR CITY REGIONS NUCLEAR UK OPPORTUNITY MIDDLE EAST REGEN EUROPE SHIPPING INNOVATION WEEK SONY WORLD PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION SOUND CITY DIGITAL TEDX THE SKILLS SHOW UNDERSEA DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY UK BUSINESS ANGELS AWARDS UK PROPERTY FORUM UK WAREHOUSING CONFERENCE WORLD CORPORATE GAMES...

Five of the best Africa Rising 9 - 12 JUNE 2014 at The Rum Warehouse Africa is on the rise. Africa Rising offers an unparalleled opportunity for businesses to unlock the opportunities and potential from Alexandria to Cape Town, as investors and companies wishing to do business in this emerging, incredible and exciting new market.

Regen 2014 25 - 26 JUNE 2014 at The Rum Warehouse A key event for regeneration practitioners from around Europe to listen, learn, discuss and debate the challenges facing our major towns and cities as they seek to emerge stronger from recent economic challenges. The Conference will look back on 35 years of urban regeneration policy and implementation, highlighting the key successes made in major European towns and cities, in areas such as city centre redevelopment and the development of the tourist industry, whilst at the same time, examining the challenges that now face European towns and cities, particularly in terms of economic development and local neighbourhood renewal.”

UK Property FORUM 1 - 2 JULY 2014 at Crowne Plaza What are the latest industry trends in the always-restless property market? The UK Property Forum will provide a national and international platform for property developers, investors, end users, agents professionals to come together at a critical time in the recovery of the UK and international market.

International Sport Business Congress 17 JULY 2014 at ACC Liverpool and 18 JULY 2014 at Etihad Stadium Liverpool and sport - it’s a relationship that borders on religion. Celebrating the power sport wields to bring together business, politics, media, brands and cities, International Sport Business Congress invites senior figures from diverse backgrounds to share ideas, forge new relationships and unlock the commercial and social power of sport.

Made in the UK 21 - 22 JULY 2014 at ACC Liverpool Blend business with pleasure at this unique social event celebrating the best home-grown success stories. Part awards dinner, part valuable networking session, Made in the UK invites 1,000 leading UK-based manufacturers, speakers and CEOs to offer inspiration, ideas and contacts to gain valuable new business in the UK and beyond.

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it’s

Liverpool is a city that loves to connect to all points across the globe. This year our reach is stretching even further as we play host to the International Festival for Business (IFB). With over 200+ business events taking place, we map out some of the inbound routes to the city…

WHAT WE DO Matchmaking is the name of the game at UKTI’s Opportunity USA event on the 26th June. UK businesses showcasing their products to delegates and buyers from across the pond. The event will also help USA businesses looking to invest in the UK.

More than 200 city leaders from all points north, east, south and west will come together in Liverpool on the 18th June for the BT Global City Leaders’ Summit delving into the hot topic of sustainable economic growth.

Held at the IFB Hub on the 19th June Benelux Day will look at the overseas investment opportunities in the Low Countries, helping to forge trading links with UK businesses.

Want the low down on business opportunities in China and Hong Kong? Then the UKTI Market Event is for you. Held at the IFB hub on the 4th July.

The host city for IFB. 50 days in June and July will attract business delegates and trade intermediaries from around the world.

Liverpool will host the UK’s flagship 2014 World War One commemoration event – and it’s going to be big. Well, giant to be precise. From 23rd – 27th July Memories of August 1914 will be brought to Liverpool by street theatre tour de force Royal De Luxe, based in Nantes, marking 100 years since WW1.

The ‘Africa Rising’ conference from the 9th – 12th June will give an insider’s view on trading - from Egypt to South Africa - for investors and companies seeking timely advice on building a working relationship with African-based companies.

Over 300 Indian business leaders will meet on the 22nd – 23rd June at the Horasis Global India Business Meeting in Liverpool. The meeting offers valuable insights into one of the world’s fastest growing markets. Roads, railways, airports and ports are on the agenda at the MENA Transport Infrastructure (Opportunity Middle East) event on the 17th June. Pick the brains of expert panellists and get involved with the matchmaking services mixing with high-level decision makers and VIPs.

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THE CRABBIE’S GRAND NATIONAL Aintree Racecourse, Sefton | 3 – 5 April 2014 Raced annually at Aintree Racecourse, the Grand National is the nation’s favourite horse race, popular with young and old, from families to dedicated racing fans. Last year the three-day meeting saw the main Grand National race offer record prize money of £975,000. It was won by Sue Smith trained Auroras Encore, ridden by Ryan Mania. This year, the prize fund will be £1million. The world wide audience Broadcast in the UK by Channel Four and seen by around 600 million people worldwide in 140 countries. How many spectators will be visiting

How it benefits our economy With the average spend per racegoer of £186, the benefit to the Liverpool City Region economy is estimated to be over £30 million this year. John Baker, North West regional director of the Jockey Club says “The Crabbie’s Grand National Festival is one of the biggest sporting events in the world. Being at Aintree Racecourse, it is also an event which belongs to the people of Liverpool and brings great benefit to the city. Over the three days it attracts huge numbers of visitors and gives a significant boost to the regional economy.” aintree.co.uk

The event is attended by 150,000 people over the three days.

Broadcast in the UK by Channel Four and seen by around 600 million people worldwide

3600 metre course length 7,000 bottles of Champagne £520 million bet on the Grand National 150 tonnes of spruce branches cover the fences 75,000 cups of tea & coffee 11,500 hospitality meals

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HORSES

&

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THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP Royal Liverpool, Hoylake | 13 – 20 July 2014 How many spectators visiting

The Open Championship is golf’s oldest Major. Played on British links golf courses since 1860. This will be the 12th time that the Wirral’s Hoylake has hosted The Open Championship. Last held at the course in 2006, it was won by Tiger Woods achieving back-to-back champtionships.

There will be in the region of 200,000 spectators visiting the event this year. There is also free entrance for Juniors (under 16 years of age) on any day of The Open. For further details, go to The Open website theopen.com.

The world wide audience For one week each year, the pursuit of the famous Claret Jug trophy is the focus of the sporting world. The event will be followed globally by 500 million households. The nationalities represented The Open Championship is the game’s most international Major Championship with 14 qualifying events in nine countries on five continents as players on the world’s leading Tours bid to qualify.

The event will be followed globally by 500 million households.

How it benefits our economy Organised by The R&A, The Open delivers an annual economic benefit to its host region, while the Championship’s commercial success supports the development of the game, worldwide. The Championship will be worth £75 million to the Liverpool City Region economy. This includes £30 million spent in the local economy by an anticipated 200,000 spectators, plus an estimated £45 million from global television exposure of the week-long event. theopen.com

7300 yards of championship course 156 golfers qualify for The Open 550 journalists and photographers. 700 hospitality staff will be on duty 80,000 hot drinks

COURSES

50,000 portions of fish and chips

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ATLAS at CERN Laboratory, Geneva 20

BIG SCIENCE It’s comforting to know that, when it comes to the fundamental questions - the really knotty stuff like ‘where did we come from?’ - Liverpool is leading the way… Whether buried deep beneath the foothills of the Alps, or perched on a mountain top in the Canary Isles, made-in-Liverpool science is helping to breakdown, rebuild and move forward our understanding of our place in the universe. How far does Liverpool’s scientific vision reach? To the ends of the universe, and to the very beginning of time itself. But it starts right here, at the top of town, in Liverpool’s industrious Knowledge Quarter: home to the labs and workshops of Liverpool University, and Liverpool John Moores University. It’s a two-pronged attack, with Liverpool scientists looking at the very large (the darkest corners of the cosmos) and the impossibly tiny (the subatomic particles that make up everything within it). So let’s start at the beginning - 14 billion years ago, to be precise (give or take a couple of microseconds), and the ongoing search to find out just where, exactly, did we come from? For forty years, the 27 kilometre ring beneath the CERN laboratory in Switzerland has been on the hunt for the mysterious particles that make up the universe - its stars, galaxies and, ultimately us.

Liverpool University’s Professor Tara Shears

Higgs Boson, the ‘God Particle’ said to give the universe its mass. Liverpool University’s Professor Tara Shears is just back from a year spent deep in particle physics forensics at CERN. Leading a team of world-class physicists, Shears has been in CERN’s driving seat, conducting experiments that use Liverpool University’s world-class particle detectors. Experiments that are forcing us to reconsider everything we know.

This much we know: the stuff we can see only makes up a tiny percentage of the known universe. The rest, the so-called ‘dark matter’ is still, frustratingly, elusive.

“When particles from the two beams collide, in a very tiny area of space and time, we recreate the very hot temperatures that the universe last had fractions of a second after the Big Bang,” Shears explains.

But, inexorably and excitingly, Liverpool is peeling back the curtain - helping to confirm the existence, just last year, of the

“Matter, then, didn’t consist of atoms - but of fundamental particles: the ingredients of matter. When we get a collision, these

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particles fly out and we get a snapshot of what the universe was made of billionths of a second after it was born. When, we think, nothing had mass.” CERN’s Large Hadron Collider shoots two beams of photons around its circular track - one in one direction, one the other. But it’s made-in-Liverpool equipment that analyses the data thrown out when these photons collide. “The detectors are incredibly precise,” Shears adds, “and can detect anything going through them to a tenth of the thickness of a human hair.” “We’re known internationally for the quality of our particle silicon detectors,” Shears says, “most of the detectors at CERN were made here, just off Oxford Street. Liverpool University has Class 100 clean rooms, which means that they’re only allowed to have 100 particles of dust within one cubic foot of air,” Shears explains. “That’s exceptionally clean.” Liverpool, says Shears, has always pushed this technology forward - a technology that’s seen spin-off benefits in cancer research, with proton beams focussing treatment to tumours far more effectively than ever before. CERN itself, with its network of research stations, is responsible for giving the world the internet. “Particle detectors are like gigantic 3D cameras, with the silicon detectors taking the images that we need to understand what’s going on when photons collide,” Shears says. And, in temperatures colder than deep space - just 1.7 degrees above absolute zero - Liverpool is taking the pictures, helping Shears and her team on the hunt for dark energy, dark matter, and theories that could explain away the biggest mysteries still facing science.

making these tiny incremental steps that will lead to a new model of the universe.” But what of the universe we can see? Liverpool John Moores University, the only UK university with its own research telescope, is busily mapping out some of the most cataclysmic events ever observed. It, too, is engaged on the ultimate quest: the universe’s real origin story. For the past ten years, the University’s two meter-wide lens of the LT scope, high on a hill in La Palma, Canary Islands, has been cataloguing exploding stars and distant galaxies. “The expertise that’s built up with the first telescope is immense,” says Project Scientist, Dr Chris Copperwheat, one of a team of 60 delving into the depths of space, and maneuvering the telescope from their control centre, 2,500 miles away, in Liverpool. Now the University’s set its sights on a replacement - the huge LT2 Telescope - a massive four metre scope which, when operational in ten years’ time, will be the world’s biggest remotely operated robotic scope (Liverpool’s current model is the world’s biggest). Being robotic has its advantages when it comes to observing the ever-restless universe. “Robotic scopes can align themselves to any point in the sky much quicker than manually operated ones,” Copperwheat tells it’s. That’s why Liverpool’s at the forefront of observations requiring split-second observations of some of the cosmos’ most fleeting - and most interesting - events: the ‘gamma-ray’ bursts of dying stars at the very edge of the known universe. “The earlier you get onto these the better, and our telescope gets there earlier than any others. We’re the fastest in

“Our understanding is in a holding pattern right now,” Shears says, “It has to break down sometime. And that breaking point is coming.” The work that Shears and her team does in CERN has been likened to the voyages of Christopher Columbus: they’re setting sail towards unknown horizons. Journey’s end? A new map of the universe, and our place in it. “Liverpool is playing such an important role,” Shears says, “We’re designing pivotal parts of the experiments, analysing the data,

Liverpool’S EXPERIMENTS FORCE US TO RECONSIDER EVERYTHING WE KNOW

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Liverpool John Moores University’s LT Telescope

WE’RE MAKING STEPS THAT WILL LEAD TO A NEW MODEL OF THE UNIVERSE the world. Everyone else is in our dust,” Copperwheat says. “We’re actually observing the most energetic explosions in the universe. And we’re inching closer to an extreme state of physics. Closer to the most fundamental questions of all, like what is the universe made of. What is dark matter, and what future does the universe have?” The deeper into the cosmos it looks, the further back in time the Liverpool Telescope peers. “We’re looking back to the earliest times, just 300,000 years after the Big Bang,” Copperwheat says. “The difficulty is that the further you look back, you reach a point where the universe becomes optically black. Then you simply can’t see anything.” And, Copperwheat says, when it comes onstream, the next telescope will be even faster still. Who knows what secrets that’ll unlock? “We look at the universe and, philosophically, we think it’s this vast, stately firmament. But everything’s changing and evolving in microseconds. And time-sensitive observations are where the Liverpool telescope is world beating. We’re a real discovery engine.” Looking for answers to the really big questions? Over the coming decade, Liverpool’s got all bases covered. liv.ac.uk/physics telescope.livjm.ac.uk

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It’s all about the people After a decade of steady stewardship, something is stirring at Everton Football Club, one of world football’s biggest and most famous clubs. They may no longer be regarded as the ‘Mersey Millionaires’ of yesteryear, but even in the era of overseas oligarchs and glitzy new stadia it’s a club abundantly rich in other areas.

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This season under the youthful and liberating philosophy of new manager Roberto Martinez, The Blues’ expansive and exciting football has been turning heads while turning them into a force to be reckoned with. According to Robert Elstone, who joined Everton in 2005 and became chief executive in 2009, challenging for the Premier League title is again a realistic ambition. The financial muscle of other clubs supported by wealthy benefactors or huge stadia infrastructure that provide commercial income way in excess of Everton’s current capability is a huge challenge, he admits, but it has to be met in the right way, the Everton way. “I presented a list to our shareholders of every club that had been taken over in the last 10 years and identified where they were then and where they are today and the vast majority had gone downwards. Of course, two owners have absolutely transformed the league, Abramovich and Sheik Mansour. Both have changed the financial landscape, but aside from those two there aren’t many owners who are throwing cash at a club to make it work.” He added: “If you look at the top four in English football they probably have wage bills that are three to four times Everton’s so the investment you need to take the club into the Champions League, given the amount of competition, is substantial. Even then, I’m not sure it guarantees a top four place. “The one thing I’d say against all of that is that we have a manager who really believes he can buck that trend, he can out-compete, out recruit and out-coach clubs with significantly deeper pockets and he relishes the challenge, determined to prove that football isn’t all about money and that those challenges aren’t insurmountable.”

The Blues’ expansive and exciting football has been turning heads. Elstone, who helped to develop top flight rugby league in the UK, is a money man though. A former accountant with Deloitte he has a clear vision of how the club can provide the manager with the best possible resources to make a mark on a Saturday afternoon. They are based on a clear, easy-to-understand strategy embedded across the club and focusing on four areas of collaboration and priority. Known internally as ‘the four pillars’, Elstone has teams working on: Knowledge (an in-depth and accurate insight into the hearts, minds and habits of supporters); Ownership and Participation (the sense of ‘club’); Being easy to buy from (working on sales channels); and, Memorable Matchday (19 occasions to shine and 19 opening nights). It’s part of a three layered approach that includes: “the critical success factors that we have to get right that largely happen around the club’s training ground and in the chairman’s office - outperforming our rivals in all footballing matters; and working on the ‘game changers’ looking for the right investment to take the club forward and a new stadium.” But while he believes that Everton continues to perform well in two of the above, the club is not just going to throw in their lot with any suitor. “Every decision that the chairman (Bill Kenwright) has made is focused on advancing this football club. He has invested a large part of his life into it and has worked tirelessly to drive the club forward and I think the most important

thing to him now is handing it on to someone who will cherish it and take it to the next level. He needs to know the club will progress, but the truth is the economics of that – the investment in the playing squad and infrastructure to guarantee progression, are challenging.” The focus of meeting those challenges rests more at home than overseas. Dubbed ‘The People’s Club’ by previous manager David Moyes, Robert Elstone argues that it “is both a philosophical and geographical statement.” “I could be accused of being myopic but my priority is growing, nurturing, cultivating, making a more loyal fan base within 15 miles of Goodison Park and there is still so much more we can do on that.” Everton of course undertakes a clear international strategy based on sports marketing opportunities and has the longest running partnership in the Premier League with Thai drinks company Chang, which has sponsored the club for more than 10 years. Everton also exports its greatest successes - the ground-breaking and award-winning ‘Everton in the Community’ which has just celebrated its 25th anniversary and its lauded elite player development programmes, but Elstone is firm in his belief that the foundation of the club is local.

I could be accused of being myopic but my priority is growing, nurturing, cultivating, making A more loyal fan base within 15 miles of Goodison Park and there is still so much more we can do on that.

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Robert Elstone, Chief Executive

“The marketing philosophy here is that we have a £95 season ticket for kids and when they come in for their first game I want their jaws to drop seeing the Gwladys Street come alive and make them think that’s where they want to be for the rest of their lives. “It’s about cultivating a sense of occasion, a special occasion every matchday and what happens between 1pm and 3pm is fantastic now, great theme days, junior days, retro days, remembrance days. The challenge now is to bring it inside the stadium and so we are going to learn best practice by going to (Borussia) Dortmund and look at how they do it, the role the fans play and the way the club stimulates it. Of course, that links our ‘pillars’ well, if fans take ownership of matchdays.” What Everton shares with their German counterparts is an emphasis on unity and to make everyone proud to wear their colours. It’s underpinned by the club’s motto, ‘Nil Satis Nisi Optimum’ – nothing but the best is good enough. That may not have always been the case, but the re-energising of traditional values is already bringing dividends on and off the pitch, only one week outside the top seven in 2013 and halfseason tickets sales trebling year on year. “In my nine years I don’t think I’ve ever been quite so positive about the future, because of the combination of a very positive, good new manager, an influx of young players into the first team squad, a rosy pipeline of young talent, the seed of a new stadium development and the way in which our four pillars are starting to bed into the club.” Clear goals and vision married to established values, the bedrock for any organisation striving for long term success. It’s business. It’s football. evertonfc.com

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How do you get from windblown carpark to world-class events space in six years? Build it in Liverpool. Add a UNESCO World Heritage Site waterfront as a backdrop, and foster a can-do team of ambitious management and we’re back in the game. Back at the top table of international events, A-list concerts and headline-grabbing political conferences. In its first year, ACC Liverpool attracted more than 665,000 visitors to 269 events, generating an economic impact of £207m to the city region. Since then, it’s attracted almost 3.8 million visitors to 1,330 events and generated £760m in economic benefit for the local economy. Hotel beds, taxis, wine (delegates are a notoriously thirsty bunch), and networking brunches - ACC Liverpool might be the hub of a regenerated conference offer, but its tendrils, and its economic impact reaches deep into the city region. So why stop there? The neighbour now arriving alongside ACC Liverpool is the £40m Exhibition Centre Liverpool. In its first year it’s expected to

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host about 50 events and attract some 250,000 visitors. Some might stay in the four star hotel adjacent to it. Others might fan out into the waiting city beyond. “It’s an exciting time,” says commercial director Tim Banfield as it’s takes a hard hat tour. It’s hard to believe, we say to him, that in just over a year’s time, this gravelly tumble of girders and JCBs will be Liverpool’s latest state-of-the-art facility. “It will be here,” he says, with the sort of confidence you only get when you’ve already created the ACC Liverpool powerhouse, which looms above us, silhouetted against the spring sunshine.

“the timelines are so far out you have to start warming the market up,” he explains. In a way, that’s what ACC Liverpool has been doing for these past six years: changing perceptions, adding a venue to - finally match the city’s welcome. “We’re hosting stronger and stronger conferences these days, and our repeat business is phenomenal. Word gets out…” Tim adds.

Back in the office, Tim’s team have already begun to book the exhibitions and conferences that will animate the huge halls:

In its first year, ACC Liverpool attracted more than 665,000 visitors to 269 events, generating an economic impact of £207m to the city region.

Tim Banfield, Commercial Director

SHOW BUSINESS We call Liverpool’s clutch of world class buildings at the waterfront the ‘Three Graces’. With the imminent arrival of the new Exhibition Centre Liverpool alongside the arena and convention centre, looks like they’ve got competition...

So what is Exhibition Centre Liverpool? “When we’ve got a conference on, or there’s a concert at the Arena, there’s a real buzz here. It’s like the city itself is giving our customers a hug!” It’s one of our city’s great advantages - our compact, human-sized city centre. The waterfront (almost an island, when you consider the waterways of the inner docks) is at once easy to secure, and yet minutes from the shops of Liverpool ONE and the attractions of the city beyond. “One of the big advantages we have over our competitors is our campus feel,” Tim explains. “Everything a delegate could need is either on site, or just a short walk away. Many big European exhibition centres are placed way out in the sticks. That’s another reason why we exceed expectations - we offer something different than the usual conference experience. We offer the city.” Geography’s on our side when you consider Liverpool’s location too - market to businesses in Scotland and we’re right at the heart of the UK.

When we’ve got a conference on, or there’s a concert at the Arena, there’s a real buzz here. It’s like the city itself is giving our customers a hug. “We’ll offer a well connected, high quality, high spec brand. And we’ll offer it in a city that, time and again, people say they want to do business in, and to kick back and have fun in too,” Tim says, “so when our high value delegates come back, they make sure they bring their families too!” So does Tim have a prediction for us? “Yes,” he says, without hesitating, “I want this to be the best conference venue in the UK in five years’ time, and in the top ten of European conference and business tourism, competing and beating Barcelona, St Petersburg, Vienna…” Don’t bet against it. exhibitioncentreliverpool.com

“It’s basically a big box,” Tim says, “One 8,100 sq metre hall which we can divide into three smaller halls. The feedback we’ve got from the market is that it’s great to have 3,000 sq m size for regional markets, and business services, but that the flexibility to have a huge openended space for trade and consumer shows is important too. Connected via an enclosed overhead bridge to ACC Liverpool’s existing facilities, the campus will create 15,225 sq metres of flexible event space, with a new concourse area for public access with a glazed frontage overlooking the river, and a 216bed Pullman hotel. The venue will support around 1,300 jobs in the wider economy and contribute an estimated £40m per year to the city region. Surrounding it, a new hotel, cafes and bars will create an animated new quarter to an energised and exciting new riverside quarter.

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Sally Tallant, Biennial Director

ART FOR This summer, the Biennial sees Liverpool transformed into a giant, open-air art gallery. It’s true: we love making an exhibition of ourselves… Liverpool’s eye-popping exploration of contemporary art is going to be even more enjoyable this year. We know this without having even a glimpse of any of its exhibitors’ works. We know this because, for the first time ever, it’s being staged in summer. All of which means the event, masterminded by the Biennial’s director, Sally Tallant, is going to be a city-wide adventure that’s altogether kinder: hunting out the twenty brand new commissions, as well as existing work from the world’s A-list artists, and delving into spaces usually off-limits. And doing so while, quite possibly, the sun is shining. “I thought it was important to move this year’s Biennial into the summer, so that it coincides with the International Festival for Business,” Sally says from her Baltic Triangle offices: a flurry of activity, now the event is just months away.

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OUR SAKE “Liverpool is a nice place to be in summer!”.

shopping centre or a business park can.”

Not that fun is something you automatically connect with large scale arts events in these cash strapped times. The landscape for publicly funded cultural events is shifting with only the strongest surviving, and fewer still daring to make their canvas even broader.

For this year’s jamboree, the 8th edition, curators Mai Abu ElDahab and Anthony Huberman will oversee an event - for the first time ever without a theme - that invites global artists to come to Liverpool and create work that invites the world to experience art that is both universal, yet intimate and locally resonant too.

Not so in Liverpool. “Since the last Biennial we have become the UK’s official Biennial,” Sally says, “We’re the largest visual event in the country. The only place where you can see, for free, so many major new works of art from the world’s most exciting artists.” It’s in recognition of this that Sally was invited to the World Art Summit in Chile - a meeting of the world’s 21 leading Biennials - the only UK representative on a panel discussing where, exactly, art intersects economic development. And what does that nexus look like, from the artists’ perspective, anyway? “Art really has the ability to talk about anxiety, ideas and the challenges of our times, like nothing else can,” she says. “Through events like Biennials, a city can rethink what it produces. What it is - much more than a

“The message is, come to Liverpool, and see the world’s best artists responding to a backdrop of a post-industrial city, working out its new place in the world.” This is also a chance to see work by artists and curators in solo and group exhibitions and performances throughout the city, ranging from Liverpool’s constantly exciting Royal Standard to the national collection at the Walker Art Gallery. Family days, artist talks and weekend events offer plenty of ‘red circle’ events throughout the Biennial’s two month run. “We’ve always valued culture here,” Sally says. “We’re a forward thinking city. We’ve always harnessed a belief that, whatever happens, new possibilities will emerge…” biennial.com

WALKING TALL

Something big is coming: A tribute big enough to melt a million hearts.

We fell in love, in a big way, a couple of years ago. But it was a fleeting romance - no sooner had our wooden hearts melted, the Gallic Giants sailed away. Ships that pass in the night.

home in a spectacular, and moving way. And, because it’s the Royal de Luxe and Liverpool way of doing things, the event will be free for everyone to witness.

But something happened when Royal de Luxe’s super-sized family came to our city. Something that made us all walk a little taller. Something magical.

Culture that connects us all. That’s free for everyone to share. It’s a philosophy that unites us, intricately, with Jean-Luc and his spellbinding retinue of giants and minstrels.

Jean-Luc Courcoult and company came to town for just four days in April 2012, for Sea Odyssey, but their legacy left a very long shadow. The story of the diver and his niece, reunited 100 years after the sinking of the Titanic, saw just short of a million people gather, faces turned towards the heavens, along their route. More prosaically, it also saw a £32 million boost for the city’s shops, restaurants and hotels.

“It’s right that our shows are free,” he says. “It seems fitting and beautiful that Liverpool City Council and Arts Council money is dedicated to popular culture. By putting on the show in the public arena and free of charge I can reach people as they are, whereas in traditional theatres you only meet those who have dared cross the threshold. I want to contact everyone, adults and children, whatever their background.”

Now, as the country gears up to mark the centenary of the First World War, Royal de Luxe is set to return, and transform our

“Over three or four days I try to tell a whole town something intense which will be talked about everywhere, be it in the bakery or

Memories of August 1914 will be brought to Liverpool by street theatre tour de force Royal de Luxe and Culture Liverpool, from 23-27 July 2014 and will see the huge marionettes explore the city as part of a brand new moving and emotional story recollecting a time when Britain was preparing for war. This will be the UK’s largest commemorative event. the bar, on the pavement or in the office. I try to move people and this ambition will not be restricted by financial means or the audience’s culture. Therefore, I make popular theatre in the sense that I seek to gather together these people to tell them something poetic. I have seen adults crying as the giant leaves. They have obviously lived other things, sometimes difficult, and yet this makes them cry. Over several days, they have dreamt as adults and now it’s finished. Most adults have difficulty dreaming…” Liverpool, however, is a city of dreamers. Us and the Giants? We’re not too dissimilar after all. Apart from our shoe size, of course... giantspectacular.com

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A NEW

BEGI Not all cancers are equal. Some have to fight harder to secure the funding that, one day, might lead to their extinction. What’s troubling is that, currently, the cancer that kills more people in Britain - by some margin receives less than 10% of the UK’s research funding pot. Lung Cancer is, says The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation’s chief executive Paula Chadwick, a ‘Cinderella cancer’ - a cancer that, all too often, just doesn’t get the cash, or the education, it desperately needs. “We know a cure will come through research,” Paula says, “but currently, for every person that dies of lung cancer, £425 is spent on research, compared with £3,509 for every breast cancer death.” To that end, the made-in-Liverpool charity is ploughing millions into UKwide research - and its first £1million of research grant funding, to teams spread across the UK, has already started to unravel the secrets of this most pernicious of cancers. “We know that lung cancer affects the genetic makeup of our cells,” Paula says. “Early detection is the key for curative treatment so that cancer is stopped in its tracks.” Of all cancers, lung cancer’s development is the most damaging and most lethal. “Lung cancer kills 40,000 people in Britain every year. That’s one person every 15 minutes. But it doesn’t have to be a death sentence if it’s caught early enough. The problem is that people are diagnosed too late, often mistaking a cough Paula Chadwick, Chief Executive 32

INNING

Until recently, a lung cancer diagnosis has left little room for hope. Now, thanks to the pioneering research orchestrated by a Liverpool charity, the disease is beginning to give up its deadly secrets.

for longer than 3 weeks, for an infection, and so it goes unnoticed.”

- funding research teams outside Liverpool for the first time in its 20 year history.

The Roy Castle-funded LLP - Liverpool Lung Project - is looking into ways of detecting the disease’s earliest markers; looking for telltale molecular signatures, hunting out those subtle mutations in cell coding that can, left unchecked, develop into a tumour. The project also uses sensitive screening devices to spot abnormalities deep inside the tissues of our lungs.

“We have 12 research grants across the country, all doing something different, but all focussed on early detection or patient experience,” Paula says. “We award grants on two conditions: that they’re innovative, and that they’re world class. We know a cure will come from research, and we know it’s a long road. But we’ve made a start.”

“The importance of raising people’s awareness of the signs and symptoms of lung cancer can be demonstrated by the recent Department of Health Be Clear on Cancer campaign, which the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation lobbied for. The results show that the campaign made a significant difference with 700 people diagnosed early and 300 people receiving surgery, after presenting with symptoms to their GP. This has resulted in these patients being operated on in the very early stages, and we can honestly say we’ve prevented hundreds of deaths.” Elsewhere in the UK, researchers are looking at other markers, including those found in a single drop of blood, to zero-in on the disease’s early stages. “The mortality statistics of lung cancer haven’t changed since George VI died, over 60 years ago,” Paula says. “That’s just not acceptable. For too long, lung cancer has been seen as self inflicted, and therefore not really received the funding and publicity required. “But no one deserves lung cancer. Cigarettes are an addiction. We don’t judge people who have heart disease or colon cancer because of their diet. So why judge people with lung cancer.” These sobering statistics, coupled with a marked increase in cases in those who’ve never smoked, spurred the RCLCF to redouble its efforts, launching its Lung Cancer Open Grants

Grants are available to fund pilot studies to see if there is any merit in their research proposal, as well as grants to support more in-depth projects for two years or longer. “We know that research is a long road,” Paula says, “But we’re very results oriented and our researchers continually report back to us. The more answers we get, the quicker we will reach our objective to defeat this dreadful disease.” Suddenly, the world is watching. “It’s always been a vicious circle. Without money, you can’t award grants. Without funding, we don’t attract interest from researchers. Now we’ve set the ball in motion, our screening trials are showing encouraging results, and our researchers are presenting abstracts at conferences. All this generates interest, and encourages people into the field of lung cancer research.” Currently, despite its prevalence, lung cancer only receives 7% of research funding. That’s why, for charities like the RCLCF, fund-raising is so important. And why they’re meticulous about how they spend their money. “We’ve only been funding open grants for two years,” says Paula, “but, for the first time, the UK’s very best lung cancer researchers are working together, towards a cure. Our understanding of the disease is developing at a faster rate than ever. Who knows what we’ll find in the coming years…”

HOW IT ALL BEGAN The charity was founded as the Lung Cancer Fund in 1990 by Professor Ray Donnelly, FRCS, a thoracic surgeon working in Liverpool, to raise awareness of the problem of lung cancer, to promote an intensive research programme into the causes, prevention and management of the disease, to provide support for patients and their families during the course of their illness and to educate about the effects of smoking. The first lung cancer support nurse was appointed in Liverpool in 1991. In 1993 Ray Donnelly put together his ideas for an international centre for lung cancer research. At this time much loved UK entertainer Roy Castle was diagnosed with lung cancer. Roy gave his name to the project, and tirelessly campaigned - and fundraised - until his death. Ray and Roy’s vision was to beat the disease, and built the world’s first international lung cancer centre in Liverpool - the city with the highest incident rate in the UK. “With the generosity of Liverpool people, the £12 million was raised in three years, and we had the first research grant in 1998,” says Paula. “The people in this city are amazing. Without them, this charity - the only UK charity fighting for lung cancer’s eradication - would simply not have survived.”

roycastle.org

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CONFIDENT CONFERENCING IT’S LIVERPOOL CITY OF THE BEATLES, CULTURE AND SPORT, WORLD HERITAGE SITE AND HOST OF THE WORLD-FIRST INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL FOR BUSINESS IN 2014. FAST-GROWING, WELL-CONNECTED AND FAMOUSLY FRIENDLY, WE’RE CONFIDENT IN LIVERPOOL AND WE’RE CONFIDENT THAT YOU WILL BE TOO.

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FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS Why one of Britain’s oldest law societies is harnessing the city’s past to shape a legal system fit for the future. Kirsty McKno, Chair of the Dispute Resolution Committee

With age comes experience. And with eight centuries of trade comes a supporting cast of world class legal experts, ready to ensure the wheels of industry keep on turning. Liverpool’s global trade might have propelled the city to the top of the league - but with ships, cargo and personnel plying their trade to all points of the compass, the city learned that safe passage (and, more importantly safe working conditions) were as crucial as profits in steering a company to success. “Merseyside is uniquely placed to ensure that the working environment just works better,” says Liverpool Law Society’s chair of the Dispute Resolution Committee, Kirsty McKno. “We’ve a large proportion of excellent lawyers working in industrial industry claims, and our legal firms have built up an enviable talent base. We may be Merseyside-based but our clients are nationwide, global even.” But law, and ships, rarely stand still. Nor, for that matter, does Liverpool. When, at the turn of the century, McKno qualified as a solicitor, the profession was in the grip of a modern day legal goldrush. Compensation culture had taken hold and claims management companies began to mine a lucrative new revenue stream. Watching the developments with a forensic eye, the Liverpool Law Society began to make its voice heard - and help rehabilitate a profession reeling from a string of less-than favourable ‘ambulance-chasing’ anecdotes.

“Undoubtedly there were many firms that created bad press,” says McKno, who’s recently been elected as chair of the Dispute Resolution Committee at the Society, “but the Liverpool Law Society are doing a lot of work to try and overcome the fraudulent aspects of it.” In response, one of the Transport Select Com mittee’s proposals was to raise the small claims legal aid limit from £1,000 to over £5,000. “But the majority of claims are below £5,000, so it would have meant a huge raft of people left without representation,” McKno explains. Steered by McKno, Liverpool replied to the consultation - the only law society to do so and their response was published, signaling a made-in-Liverpool amendment, and a major victory for access to justice. Liverpool’s engineered many world firsts - but we’re proudest of the initiatives we’ve set up to secure the health, safety and well being of our people. And it’s all the more encouraging to see the city’s Law Society - formed in 1827 leading the charge, well into the 21st century. Currently, the Competition Commission is looking at the cost of making claims - trying to establish if insurance policies are too high. It’s a hot potato that, once again, only the Liverpool Law Society seems keen to grasp. “People don’t always know what their legal entitlement is when they’ve had an accident. The commission proposed creating a new

We’re a small city with a big voice. People in liverpool don’t sit down quietly in the corner. document, written by insurers, laying out the small print. “We didn’t think it was right that an insurance company, against whom you’re making a claim, should tell you what your entitlement is. We suggested that the Liverpool Law Society drafted a document that is unbiased.” With subtle, but fundamental changes, Liverpool Law Society is shaping a legal framework that is fair for claimant, defendant, small legal firms, and mammoth new ABS companies. “We’re focused on pioneering change in law, taking everything that we’ve built up through historical knowledge and moving it into the future,” McKno says. “We’re a small city with a big voice. People in liverpool don’t sit down quietly in the corner. We stand up and we fight for what we believe in. And that’s what Liverpool Law Society is doing. If we don’t respond to changes, who are we to complain about them?” liverpoollawsociety.org.uk

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WORK, REST & PLAY

Getting the balance right. It’s what makes a city a home. In Liverpool, we know how to keep things in perfect harmony.

WORK: GREEN The River Mersey’s seen all shapes of ship come and go in its time. But none has been quite as curious as the Friedrich Ernestine. The ‘ship on stilts’ is the first of its kind in the UK. Its job? To ferry wind turbines out to the new Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm in the Mersey Basin.

THINKING

Once in place, the vessel’s four towering pillars reach downwards to clamp onto the marine floor, and raise the ship above the waves. At 100 metres long and 49 metres wide, complete with a 1,000 ton lifting capacity crane, the vessel is one of the largest of its kind in the world, capable of transporting and installing up to three wind turbine foundations or four turbines in one operation.

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“The Ernestine is one hugely impressive vessel,” says Cammell Laird’s managing director, Linton Roberts, of the ship, which has been a regular visitor to the River Mersey, plying the choppy 18 kilometres between the Mersey shore and the wind farm’s Irish Sea site.

The ship marks a key moment in Cammell Laird’s history. A sea change, you could say.

The £70 million vessel was designed and built in both South Korea and represents a significant investment into the offshore renewables sector for the city region - with ‘green technology’ already a key growth sector for the city region.

“The project will support the wind farm throughout its lifespan of at least 25 years,” Roberts adds. “and it enforces the region’s commitment to the renewables market, and our leading role in Britain’s wind energy revolution.

To that end, last year, the Roberts announced a £10m investment in infrastructure upgrades to help transform the site into one of Britain’s prime hubs for the offshore energy sector. How do you ensure one of Britain’s most respected shipyards has a viable future? The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind. clbh.co.uk

REST: SLEEPING IN STYLE

It’s one of Dale Street’s most iconic buildings - the gold domed, romantically turretted Royal Insurance building is neo-Baroque architecture at its most eye-popping. Now the building, unused and unloved for thirty years, is undergoing an £18 million transformation to become a sleek and stylish Aloft hotel: the first in England, outside London.

Affordable, achingly hip and replete with all the mod-cons a cool city-hopper needs, Aloft have redefined the urban hotel as chic base to stay. And they’re bringing their interior design chops to the heart of the city. “It’s great to have the opportunity to regenerate a Grade II* listed building,” says Mark Ashall, director of Ashall Property, overseeing the development.

“This hotel is the culmination of two years’ work, and we thank Liverpool City Council for their belief in the project, and English Heritage for their continuing support of what’s been a challenging project to bring a much loved building back to life.” Aloft - a subsidiary of the smart US-based W Hotels brand - has earned a reputation on delivering state-of-the-art comforts, high-end tech and chic meeting spaces. Add their surefire touches to an striking city centre building and you’re looking at a new arrival that is sure to add drama to the city’s tourist offer. The 116-room Aloft Liverpool will feature the brand’s signature high ceilings, oversized windows, atmospheric bars and a restaurant/deli-to-go. Work is scheduled to complete late this summer. “At a time of inertia in the economy, we are taking the bull by the horns and doing things differently,” says Liverpool Mayor, Joe Anderson: “The Royal Insurance building has been empty for too long, and its rebirth is great news for our city, for our economy and for our hotel sector. We are protecting our past, as well as investing in our future.” starwoodhotels.com/alofthotels

be stupidly fun, but it represented a huge leap forward in how we interact with our gaming devices.

PLAY: OUR FRIENDS

“Me and the team here handled the visual direction and all artwork/CG, and all that lovely video CG work was done in house too,” says Firesprite Games art director, Lee Carus.

ELECTRIC

Lee’s hardworking team spun out from Sony’s much-praised Studio Liverpool: home of the fabled WipeEout and Formula One franchises. The team’s unique skillset meant that they were personally invited to work on the PS4’s multi-million dollar launch by Sony Japan. Sure, shoot ‘em ups are fun, and Grand Theft Auto’s a guilty pleasure. But all eyes are on Augmented Reality: the ability for our devices to seamlessly interact with the world outside our screens. A chance for us to supercharge our senses, and get a taste for what happens when the virtual and the real meet, head on. And at the intersection of this genrechanging new world is a made-in-Liverpool success story. Late last year, the gaming community went a little bit crazy at the launch of Sony’s

Playstation 4: it was, thrillingly, as big a deal as we’d hoped it would be. But it was the console’s bundled-in package, The Playroom, that really ignited the gaming forum’s message board, with it’s massively fun AR Bots adventure. Shake the console’s all-new controller and a mini-army of shiny, happy robots spill out onto your carpet: ready and waiting to work their way into your hearts. Or, should you feel so inclined, for you to drop-kick them into your pedal bin. The game might

“We’re pretty unique that we have such strong pre-vis/CG skills as well as our core game making ability,” says Lee. “It’s an exciting time to be in games,” he adds. “The launch of two new home consoles (PS4 and Xbox One) as well as the increasingly powerful mobile platforms means that there are definitely opportunities out there. Liverpool has a vibrant game development scene right now and publishers and partners are seemingly making good use of it! firesprite.com

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WHO ARE Brigid Benson & Craig Easton ? In October 2013 Brigid Benson and Craig Easton revealed the results of their latest big commission - four stunning images of Liverpool’s marvellous Victorian edifice by the sea, the Albert Dock. Although widely known and celebrated, not least because of the Dock’s link to the city’s 1980’s renaissance, there were no definitive images of the UK’s largest collection of Grade I listed buildings that could be used to promote to the world the wonder of Liverpool’s waterfront. With the working title of ‘Magic in The Air’, Brigid devised the creative concepts to reveal Albert Dock and the Liverpool Waterfront in a stunning new light: “I deal in big visual ideas that can present the client or their brand on the world stage. The idea was simple – to get the Dock to glow, it is often light on the outside and dark on the inside, we turned it around.” It took them four months to scout and test, before a week-long shoot. Craig said: “One of Brigid’s mad ideas was to bring the flagship ZEBU into the middle of the Albert Dock. We installed 50kW of floodlighting and 700 metres of festoon lighting around the Dock and on the ship, at times in extremely testing weather conditions.” The results are amazing, this is photography as an event, but then these two deal in amazing. Brigid creates the event, Craig captures it. Together they have worked for the likes of Barclays Bank, 3i PLC, Rick Stein and VisitBritain. The last was a series of pictures to ‘sell Britain’ in the lead up to the London Olympics 2012 and over 18 months travelling the length and breadth of the nation they put athletes in iconic places – the Angel of the North, The Giants’ Causeway, the White Cliffs of Dover, Stonehenge – and put the UK on the map. Liverpool-born Brigid has worked in media, theatre and television working at the Liverpool Playhouse Theatre, with the Royal Shakespeare Company and with the BBC in Manchester and London. She has worked with Liverpool FC on the

last standing Kop and also conceived an advertising campaign for Merseytravel’s 60th anniversary of the first Mersey Tunnel (Queensway), working with one of the world’s finest symphony orchestras, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, to create a “sonic experience deep below the River Mersey.” Wirral-based Craig, who began his career at The Independent newspaper in 1990, is now one of the most sought after photographers in the world. His accolades include the Cutty Sark Award for Worldwide Travel Photographer of the Year 2012; Best Commissioned Design Series in the Association of Photographer Awards 2012; and voted one of the Best 200 Advertising Photographers Worldwide by Luerzers Archive 2012/13 and 2014/15. His work is deeply rooted in the documentary tradition and he is recognised for his ability to combine wide, expansive landscape with intimate portraits: “I want to show not just how it looks, but how it feels.” Liverpool and the city region unites them. “Liverpool is a photogenic city, an iconic skyline with great industrial architecture. Having worked all over the world it was fantastic to shoot here and have the opportunity to show the city in a new light”, said Craig. Brigid added: “There is more we want to do here, there’s a big period of change underway in the city and Liverpool is open to the big ideas, people believe they can do it.” Brigid is also a writer and has published two travel books, ‘52 Weekends by the Sea’ and ‘52 Weekends in the Country’ and when she needed breathtaking landscape

photography, she didn’t have to look too far. The books are now award-winners. When Brigid Benson and Craig Easton come together there is magic in the air. brigidbenson.com craigeaston.com Favourite restaurant: BB: The Brink, Parr Street, especially the Bollywood; Sour Cocktail with warm cardamom; the Homebaked community bakery in Anfield. CE: Villa Romana, Wood Street, everyone’s lovely, food’s great Favourite place: BB: The lower bird’s nest in the west tower of the Liver Building, an awesome vantage point across the city, the river, Wirral and beyond to the mountains of Wales. CE: The Dock road and all around the Baltic Triangle, I love the industrial architecture of Liverpool. Favourite characteristic: BB: Unbridled passion for big ideas, from festivals to mighty dock warehouses, wandering giants, 18ft Liver birds and everything in between. CE: Scousers believe they can do anything, but without conceit

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