IN BRIEF
KIRKBY ’ S CHRISTMAS CRUSADE AIMS TO COLLECT OVER 7,000 SELECTION BOXES FOR KIDS THIS YEAR
FROM HOYLAKE TO HOLLYWOOD , DANIEL CRAIG HONOURED WITH STAR ON THE WALK OF FAME
The team behind Kirkby ’ s Christmas Crusade is aiming to collect more than 7,000 selection boxes to give out to kids as part of this year ’ s event .
Andrea Roberts , Franny Briggs and Jay Murray organised their first Santa sleigh tour around the streets of Kirkby over four nights in the run up to the big day in 2020 .
With children ’ s characters on a decorated truck , they handed out thousands of selection boxes to youngsters – far more than they ’ d expected . So much so that , after just day two , they had to set off around the north west on a mission , searching the shelves to find supermarkets which hadn ’ t sold out . The reaction from local families was so huge that they ’ ve already started planning for this December and Andrea is hoping the local community will rally round to help them stock up ready .
“ Due to the success of last year , which was far bigger than any of us had expected , we ’ re reaching out to people now for donations about two months earlier than we did in 2020 ,” she explains .
“ Last year was massive , we started off with 4,000 boxes – 1,000 for each of the four nights – which was our target , but by the time we got to the second night we had none left . We had to ask for more donations to be dropped off , we had companies sending money to Franny so we could go and restock , and we even travelled up to Southport , to St Helens and Wigan , anywhere that had any , because there were no selection boxes left in Liverpool . In total we went through 7,000 selection boxes and just over £ 600 which covered all our event and public liability insurance , so this year that ’ s our minimum target and if we could get more then that would be amazing .”
Andrea , Franny and Jay launched Kirkby ’ s Christmas Crusade with the idea that no child in Kirkby would have to miss out on seeing Santa . “ It can be expensive for families to take children to a grotto , so we wanted to take away the worry and make sure everyone could see Father Christmas without having that cost ,” says Andrea .
With a team of volunteers making sure youngsters didn ’ t run in front of the sleigh , Kirkby ’ s Christmas Crusade visited 28 roads last year , taking in Tower Hill , Northwood , Southdene and Westvale over four nights .
The 2021 Kirkby ’ s Christmas Crusade will be over four nights again , the week beginning December 13 , with a slightly amended route to take in Field Lane . It will set off at 6pm each night , finishing at around 9.30-10pm , with the route shared on social media .
8 merseylife . com
Daniel Craig ’ s name has been added to the world famous tourist attraction .
Daniel Craig joked it would be an “ absolute honour to be walked all over in Hollywood ” as his Walk Of Fame star was unveiled .
The outgoing James Bond actor joined the illustrious names on the world famous Los Angeles tourist attraction during a rare evening ceremony . Craig ’ s star – the 2,704th – was unveiled at 7007 Hollywood Boulevard , a nod to the super spy ’ s famous nickname and only yards from that of Sir Roger Moore , who played Bond in seven films . Before the cover was taken off his star , Craig , wearing a smart pale blue suit , said : “ To Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli , I thank you from the depth of my heart . Without you I would not be here today , thank you for those lovely words . Thank you to Rami for those beautiful , beautiful words . I never thought I would hear myself say this , but it ’ s an absolute honour to be walked all over in Hollywood .”
Craig , whose final Bond movie No Time To Die has enjoyed a blistering opening at the box office , added : “ If happiness was measured by the company we keep , then me being on this pavement surrounded by all of these legends makes me a very , very , very happy man . So thank you very much .”
Oscar-winner Malek stars as supervillain Safin in the critically acclaimed No Time To Die , which has been praised as a fitting end to Craig ’ s run as 007 .
Speaking during the ceremony , Malek told of his delight at starring opposite Craig . He said : “ We all know he ’ s a superb actor , he ’ s dedicated , he can handle all his own stunts with one hand tied behind his back and the other holding a Negroni . But he ’ s as fastidious about his craft as he is about his empathy for everyone around him . He has this ability to hold these two potentially opposing things at the same time – an incredible amount of talent and responsibility and an incredible warmth and acute awareness of what those around him need .”
The first stars on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame were unveiled in 1958 . They cost 50,000 dollars (£ 37,000 ) apiece , the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce said , with the money used to pay for the creation and installation of each star as well as maintenance of the wider attraction .