The Post

The poet, the playwright, the actress and the storm Tributes to Brian Patten and Dame Patricia Routledge, and a new play at the Capstone Theatre

And today's interview: writer Tayo Aluko on his new play premiering at BlackFest: Coleridge Taylor of Newtown. PLUS:

🥧 Griffiths reopens in New Ferry
🎬 The best of Fact's horror season
🎵 The Herbaliser in Birkenhead

And more: www.livpost.co.uk/the-poet-the...

Good morning and welcome to your Monday briefing. Top stories:

🖼️ Tributes pour in for poet Brian Patten and actress Patricia Routledge
🚌 Bus strike averted as Birkenhead Stagecoach drivers earn 10% rise
⚽️ Everton earn Hill Dickinson moment with last-minute winner 👇

Of car boots and kings: the surprising revival of Liverpool's markets David Lloyd bargain hunts through Wednesday bazaars and samples the wares of weekend souks

For your weekend read, David Lloyd went bargain-hunting around the markets that are, against the odds, struggling on. But how long can this last? Read on to find out. www.livpost.co.uk/of-car-boots...

And yet, sprigs of hope have begun to appear. The Greatie is expecting a cash injection, "Car Bootle" is still running, and Lark Lane's flea market lives on. Meanwhile, the stalls on Stanley Road provide flashes of colour on a grey "Septober" day.

To some, indoor or open-air stalls are a thing of the past, inevitably replaced by supermarkets or the convenience of online shopping. 👇

Merseyside's markets are a key part of the area's economy, culture and social history. Unfortunately, recent developments have not always been positive. Regular readers of The Post will know all about the rows over St John's and the debate around Birkenhead market. 🧵

We sent Laurence to drop questions on delegates and investigate the fringe events of Labour's conference. One left-wing panel was beset by technical problems, while another—featuring a MAGA favourite—promised a "blue" future for socialism and the city... www.livpost.co.uk/burnham-badg...

The latest on the "North Liverpool" new town, the planned urban area spanning from the city centre to Sefton. Shunned by Westminster, but picked up by regional authorities? Click below for a rundown. ⤵️

Also included: former councillor Gerard Woodhouse has been charged with harassment without violence after a woman — reported in August to be a Labour councillor — received insults and threats in the post. And: 👇

Welcome to The Post's new feature: a politics edition, in which we bring you the latest and most intriguing gossip from around the halls of local power. Link below for our Labour party conference special: 🧵

As the Labour Party comes to Liverpool, activists look to crash it Facing protests from both left and right, the governing party is unlikely to enjoy its conference at Liverpool ACC

As Labour's conference begins in Liverpool, the governing party has already found itself assailed by protesters both left and right. What exactly happened over the weekend? Is more unrest still to come? And why were demonstrators arrested? All that below. 👇 www.livpost.co.uk/as-the-labou...

It's Monday. Welcome to your Liverpool Post briefing. Today's headlines:

🚨 Merseyside Police appeal over historic Woodchurch slaying
🎶 West Derby Road vinyl store to receive blue plaque
🏖️ Chancellor pledges £20m for Southport Pier

And today's big story... 🧵

From Merseyside to the Middle East: Rae McGrath's mission to rid the world of landmines Operating out of a cottage in Cumbria, one man's war to disarm military zones

David Barnett @davidmbarnett.bsky.social Liverpool Post @liverpoolpost.bsky.social
From Merseyside to the Middle East: Rae McGrath’s mission to rid the world of landmines www.livpost.co.uk/from-merseys...

From Merseyside to the Middle East: Rae McGrath's mission to rid the world of landmines Operating out of a cottage in Cumbria, one man's war to disarm military zones

I did a long-read for @liverpoolpost.bsky.social on Rae McGrath, who left school with no qualifications and went from working as a Liverpool road tarmac-er to founding @minesadvisorygroup.bsky.social

www.livpost.co.uk/from-merseys...

From Merseyside to the Middle East: Rae McGrath's mission to rid the world of landmines Operating out of a cottage in Cumbria, one man's war to disarm military zones

Rae has since dedicated himself to ridding the world of mines. That journey has taken him from Liverpool to Sudan, Afghanistan and Iraq. In your weekend read, David Barnett travels to Iraq to catch up with MAG, and finds out what still motivates Rae. www.livpost.co.uk/from-merseys...

Serving in areas contaminated with WWII explosives, Rae was trained on landmine removal. He had a talent for it, and soon he was running training courses himself. In 1988, retired from the army, he set up the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) charity from his Cockermouth home. ⤵️

Rae's family moved across the Mersey to Birkenhead. He left school without qualifications and became a labourer. “A couple of smart guys working the roads said, you need to get out of this, otherwise you’ll end up like us." So at 21, he walked into an army recruitment office. 👇

Raphael McGrath was born on Bonfire Night 1947. But if that was a portent, it wouldn't become apparent for many years. Rae grew up with 7 siblings in a 3-bedroom house, not realising Dovecot was rough until he realised a documentary he was watching was about his home town. 🧵

A Tale of Two 'Sons: Is Everton's stadium move helping or hurting the city? From Goodison to Hill Dickinson, we speak to pubs, cafes and punters about the future

For today's Answers in The Post, Laurence Thompson
heads to both Vauxhall and Walton to find out if Everton Football Club's stadium move is win, loss or score draw for the city so far. www.livpost.co.uk/a-tale-of-tw...

The hope for the north docks is that the Hill Dickinson will help regenerate the area. The corresponding fear for Walton is that the men's team departing Goodison will prove the death knell for many pubs and cafes. But is this bearing out?

But when we visited the then Everton Stadium back in March, we found it in an area of the city’s dockland long-since economically deprived and undeveloped. Whereas Walton, for all its problems, is replete wih cafes, takeaways, and pubs for Goodison Park's match day fans. 👇

From a footballing standpoint, the Hill Dickinson Stadium has been a success so far. Everton’s enormous new home on Bramley-Moore Dock has seen the Toffees unbeaten in competitive fixtures, with victories over Brighton and Mansfield Town and a draw with Aston Villa. 🧵

👆 PLUS: A day of panels and workshops around housing in Birkenhead; a football kit festival at Fabric Studios; rare videos of historic Liverpool at Mossley Hill Parish Church; our photo of the week; and a very kind mention of The Post by @georgemonbiot.bsky.social www.livpost.co.uk/the-tiktoker...

The TikToker taking on Liverpool Council over parking fines New FOIs reveal the local authority is issuing a fine every three minutes during new parking hours

✍️ The feud between a TikTok star and Liverpool city council has unearthed some interesting figures regarding the new city centre parking restrictions. The Post speaks to the council about an alleged potential revenue of £163,750 in a single month. www.livpost.co.uk/the-tiktoker...

🚨 Merseyside Police's “sexist and racist” officer finally sacked
🇨🇳 A new Chinatown market hoping to reinvigorate the area
📢 Southport's town crier one of the country's finest

And today's big story:

It's Monday. The weekend may be over, another contentious Merseyside derby may have concluded, but The Post is here to provide you with plenty of reading material. Today's headlines: 🧵

Why 'Brookie' matters The bleeding-edge Scouse soap broke hearts and set records. But can it still be relevant in 2025?

For your weekend read, critic Laurence Thompson delves into the history and social impact of Brookside, speaks to alumni such as Louis "Mick" Emerick and
and @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social, and asks if the soap can still be relevant in 2025. www.livpost.co.uk/why-brookie-...

But later seasons were criticised for prioritising sensationalism over story, trying to draw ratings over raising awareness. The show was cancelled in 2003. But next month it's back — for a special one-off crossover episode with Hollyoaks, with many of the cast returning. ⤵️

"Brookie", as it was known, broke barriers, featuring the first openly gay character, broadcasting the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss, and dealing with difficult subjects such as rape, class war and racism. At its peak, it drew between 6 and 7 million viewers. 👇

THREAD: In 1982, Brookside burst onto television, hoping to distinguish itself from other soaps with a brash combination of Scouse wit and confrontational themes and storylines. Set and filmed in Croxteth, it presented working-class Liverpudlian life to British audiences. 🧵