IN BRIEF
SEFTON LOLLIPOP MAN WHO ' PUT A SMILE ON EVERYONE ' S FACE ' WILL BE MISSED BY MANY
CROXTETH COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS CAN RECEIVE FUNDING FROM A £ 50K POT FOR PROJECTS WITHIN THE AREA
Tributes have been paid to a Sefton school crossing patrolman who has sadly passed away at the age of 87 .
Arthur Snellgrove , a long time welcoming face for thousands of pupils at St Benedict ' s Primary in Netherton , died peacefully at home in early January 2022 .
As well as serving as a Sefton School Crossing Patrolman for 23 years , Arthur was a local celebrity in his beloved hometown .
Chosen as the main guest of honour at the Netherton Activity Centre to kickstart a dazzling fireworks display in 2019 , Arthur proved he was just the right man to make Sefton sparkle again and again .
Later that same year , for the Sefton Borough of Culture celebrations , Arthur , with his trusty lollipop , officially switched on the Parabolic Light Cloud Installation in front of huge crowds .
" A credit to his profession and an officer who will be sadly missed by all those in the Operational In House Services team ," is how colleagues have memorably described Arthur .
A spokesperson for Sefton Council said : " Arthur started on his lollipop patrol in September of 1999 and without fail made the trip between his home and St Benedict ' s School for the next 23 years , four times a day . Not only will he be greatly missed by his family , friends and colleagues but there are generations of families in South Sefton who will fondly remember Arthur as the ever-smiling face of St Benedict ' s .
" There are parents in Sefton who Arthur will have helped cross the road safely back when they were in primary school and they will have since waved their children off to start their school day knowingly confidently that they were in Arthur ' s safe hands . Arthur was ever present with a wave and a smile to parents , children and motorists and was extremely popular with all who knew him . Even at the young age of 87 he would ride his bike back and forth to his crossing from home four times a day !"
Arthur will be sadly missed by all at Sefton Council .
Residents and groups in Croxteth are being urged to come up with creative and innovative projects that will support people living in their community before the February 14th deadline to avoid missing out on a share of £ 50,000 .
“ OUR CROXTETH ”, a community-led project aimed at strengthening community resilience by supporting local clubs and groups , which in turn helps to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour and support vulnerable members of the community , is ready to offer a pot of £ 50,000 for projects , made up of funding from Liverpool City Council , Mersey Care , Cobalt Housing and Merseyside Police ’ s proceeds of crime . Feedback from residents given at the L11 Festival and Communiversity event , has helped the group to identify key themes and issues facing the community and the projects people would like to see , including :
• Helping us feel safe – Reducing / addressing crime and anti-social behaviour , or supporting victims and / or prevention .
• Healthy residents and families – Improving health and wellbeing for local residents .
• Improving life chances – Supporting employability and access to jobs or training , reducing poverty .
• Bringing people together – Supporting community cohesion , reducing barriers between communities and activities to reduce social isolation .
The deadline for funding applications is Monday , 14 February . All bidders will also be invited to a community event on Saturday 19 February at 1pm at St . John Bosco Arts College , where they will deliver a short pitch / presentation about their project idea to the community working group / panel and other local residents . The community panel will then decide which projects they believe will have the biggest impact on their community and award the funds .
Nick Grubb , Head of Neighbourhoods at Cobalt Housing , said : “ We want this project to be truly community-led , with people in the community making decisions for the community , and we ’ ve been thrilled at the level of interest so far . Croxteth has great people and organisations doing good work for the community already , and ‘ Our Croxteth ’ gives a fantastic opportunity to build on that and encourage some new projects to start .”
The OUR CROXTETH team can help with all applications . To apply , to discuss ideas , presentations or further information on completing the forms please contact Zoran Blackie at Zoran . blackie @ merseycare . nhs . uk or 07977 562314 .
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