Explore club’s great history

I THOUGHT Phil Redmond’s column “Come on, you Blues” (January 25) very interesting. This, together with the sensational job he has done in what appears to be single-handedly rescuing the Capital of Culture Campaign, totally changed my perception of him.

In the past, whenever I’ve seen his greying mop, I’ve thought of Grange Hill, Mersey TV and the Reds. None of which interest me in the slightest.

However, this piece was a real eye-opener and gave me faith that the Reds all along “know our history” and the importance of Everton Football Club to the origins of football and the social fabric of our city.

As he said, a founder member of the Football League, more seasons in the top division than any other UK club, more goals scored than any other team and more points than any other team, etc.

I would, however, like to correct one point when he mentioned the “means to buy the France Collection.”

For the past 2½ years, along with Lord Grantchester, I have headed up the Everton Collection Charitable Trust. Our task was to raise the funds required to buy David France’s Collection and with the help of Everton FC, and their own archive, establish “The Everton Collection . . . the greatest collection of football memorabilia in the world,” relating to one club.

We achieved our initial task last December and now the collection is owned by the Trust and is in the Liverpool Record Office where over the next 12 months, it is being categorised, preserved and digitised so we will be able to show it to the world.

When ready, it will be displayed in the new National Museum Liverpool, the National Football Museum and at our new Exhibition Centre at Everton’s new stadium.

Football fans from all over the world will be able to view it on a website, too.

So the Trust has all the components to answer your question “what of Everton’s place in history?” If you, with your Capital of Culture hat on, would like to: “Explore what we could do to celebrate EFC’s place in our rich cultural tapestry”, please get in touch. We would be delighted to show you what Evertonians mean when they sing: “If you know your history”.

Tony Tighe, trustee, The Everton Collection Charitable Trust

Improving schools

MONDAY’S Daily Post headline “Hundreds leave school with no qualifications” masked a greater, positive reality.

The experience of Creative Partnerships Merseyside over the last five years has shown that schools in Liverpool, Knowsley and other Merseyside districts are absolutely passionate about and committed to improving performance.

They are doing this by challenging traditional approaches to classroom teaching and by exploring new and creative ways in which they can engage their pupils, raise attainment and involve children in their own learning.

We know it’s working because of feedback from the schools which took part in our initial programme.

In the coming months, we will be working with many more schools to help them improve key aspects of their own performance but it will take time for district-wide exam results to reflect this shift in approach.

In the meantime, however, do not doubt the energy and ambition that schools and education authorities across Merseyside share for radically improving the prospects for the region’s children.

Chris Finn, Creative Director, Creative Partnerships

Great memories

THE obituary on Wally Fielding (Liverpool Daily Post, January 23) brought back memories of Wally and some of the other players who played for Everton.

People like Wally Fielding entertained the people who came to watch them, they were honest athletes who put one hundred percent into entertaining their supporters.

I was one of the lucky ones who saw people like Wally play. I doubt if I could enjoy the modern game because I would feel as though I was watching 22 businessmen taking to the field of play.

Another memory I will always cherish was Tommy Eglington’s little grocery shop on Stanley Road, in Kirkdale. Tommy appeared to live over the shop and on the counter was a glass cabinet full of Tommy Eglington’s Irish international caps. Many a time you would have to shout to get service, because who ever was on duty would be in the back of the shop. Tommy’s international caps would still be on the counter because there was fear of them being taken by a sneak thief.

If my memory serves me right Tommy Eglington played for the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and often I would see Peter Farrell in Tommy’s shop. I would like to finish by thanking Wally Fielding for some wonderful memories.

Mike Kelly, via email

Transport funding

YOU reported on Friday that Cllr Mark Dowd, the Chair of Merseyside Passenger Transport Authority, and others have made a plea to the Government for extra funding for much needed local transport projects to support regeneration.

I agree that such extra funding should be provided.

However, it seems to have been forgotten that when the Government withdrew its promised £170m for Merseytram in November, 2005, we were informed in writing by the minister that some or all of that money could and would still be made available for suitable local transport projects.

So far, we have not had a single penny of that money despite a significant number of such “suitable” proposals in the latest Merseyside Local Transport Plan which has unanimous local political backing. Why not?

Cllr Paul Clein, Executive Member for Children’s Services, Liverpool City Council

Focus on patients

YOUR Tuesday headline regarding missed doctors appointments and associated chaos, is matched only by the chaos of visiting a GP.

Given market forces in our GP systems, and patient costs of tax, time, and the congestion of other ill people, GPs should think of patients as income-generating clients, and not problems. Failed appointments, imply the system is wrong, not the patient. There is also a paradox whereby GPs are mainly unable see patients on patient terms, yet require appointments to sustain income.

The average GP salary is £110,000; a figure beyond many top business managers. In our modern service economy, top managers define processes and mange the exceptions of the “customer journey; ” a psychic experience whereby service levels focus on customer needs.

Given GP salaries, and income sources, why can’t they manage?

Most surgeries have four to five GPs; thus a salary base of £500,000.

Surely this justifies customer-focused surgeries where the mildly ill can enjoy non-appointment and late/weekend clinics.

There would be no missed appointments and a fluid system. For the seriously ill, exception processes could evolve to serve deeper needs. This is not complicated. It’s a question of priorities

Colin Dyas, via email

Political reform

I READ Cllr Denis Knowles’s letter (January 25) with great interest.

We share his desire for real reform of the funding of political parties; the recent resignation of Peter Hain and the problems now engulfing Alan Johnson highlight the urgent need for this.

The Conservatives want to see an across-the-board cap on all donations whether from individuals, companies or unions. Labour have blocked this.

I agree that this is a matter of trust.

That is why we stand ready to resume the talks at a moment’s notice. But there can be no special treatment for the trades unions.

The Rt Hon Francis Maude MP, Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office and Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Crazy fashion world

THE crazy world of fashion seems more bizarre than ever these days. Recently, I saw a pair of denim jeans on sale in a shop priced at £79, and they looked as if they had been worn on a building site for 12 months.

They were torn and faded with designer grime pressed into the fabric for effect!

They were actually chained to a rack, and maybe this was to prevent them from escaping and returning to the building site.

Joking apart, it certainly seems that some folk have lots of cash to spend on absolute nonsense these days, don’t they?

WG Green, Lydiate

Youths’ behaviour

HAVING watched the Tonight show on ITV, I cannot believe the stance of Cllrs Bailey and Moffatt.

Although Shelagh Fogarty seemed slightly confrontational, this was no excuse for local youths to react in such an aggressive manner and bombard her with stones and bottles.

The city was portrayed in this manner for one reason, this is the manner in which the local youths had acted.

For local members to excuse this behaviour as “no different to anywhere else” sends out completely the wrong message to Liverpool’s youngsters.

The statements in the programme seem accurate, with reports being lodged with Merseyside Police, so surely our time would be better served addressing these issues, as opposed to acting hard done by.

It is the responsibility of every adult to ensure that our youngsters are in no doubt as to what is appropriate behaviour – councillors included.

Name and address supplied

Stir up trouble

HAS ITV (Granada) reached a new low taking a camera crew into the Croxteth Park estate hoping to stir up enough trouble to fill up some otherwise boring air time?

It’s nice to see that, alongside their colleagues in the BBC, they are doing the utmost to promote Liverpool’s year as European Capital Of Culture.

Allan Kershaw, via email