West Kirby Today #93
Opening date revealed for Ring O'Bells | Hoylake family launch blood cancer appeal | Financial services firm expands to West Kirby | Hoylake and Meols Christmas lights switch-on to take place
Letter from the Editor
Welcome to our newsletter, with the latest news for West Kirby, Newton, Caldy, Hoylake, Meols and Thurstaston.
You know the festive season is getting closer when the Christmas lights are switched on. Congratulations to West Kirby Christmas Lights for their work in making the town sparkle, and to the team in Hoylake and Meols whose switch on takes place this weekend (details below).
West Kirby Today is provided free of charge, and we hope you find it useful. We would be extremely grateful if you could contribute a small donation to help cover our running costs by buying us a virtual coffee here.
Without further ado, let’s get into the latest news stories.
Paul Johnston - Editor, West Kirby Today
Opening date set for new look Ring O’Bells
The Ring O’Bells in West Kirby has announced it is taking bookings from 15 December.
The pub has been closed for almost four years, and has been refurbished by Stange & Co. Read more.
Hoylake family launch blood cancer appeal
The family of a young man from Hoylake who died from blood cancer earlier this year have launched a £50,000 appeal to help fund research into the illness.
Charlie Allen passed away in June, just three weeks after being diagnosed with Burkitt’s Lymphoma – which is a very rare and aggressive form of cancer. Read more.
Financial services firm expands to West Kirby
Parker Kelly Financial Services has opened a brand-new office in the heart of West Kirby.
The firm has been operating in Liverpool for almost 30 years, and has taken over a site on Sandy Lane. Read more.
Make a date for Hoylake and Meols lights switch-on
Hoylake and Meols Christmas Lights switch-on takes place on Saturday 26 November.
The build up starts at 4pm, with the ceremony at 6pm. Read more.
COLUMN | Yoga for balance and stability
Our monthly columnist, local yoga teacher, Kate Knowles, has been teaching yoga since 2004, and aims to offer classes that allow people to feel better after class than they did at the beginning.
What goes wrong with our balance?
Sadly a great number of people find that their balance isn’t as good as it used to be, either through injury, ear or eye problems, neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s or MS, or a condition like Meniere’s disease. Lack of balance and stability can result in a loss of confidence, serious injury or death resulting from a fall. Worldwide, falls are a major cause of death, so the more we can do to prevent falls the better. None of us are getting any younger, so now is a good time to start improving balance, because it’s a good predictor of how long we will live and how healthy we will be.
How do we balance?
Like most things, our balance is something we take for granted until it goes wrong. Balance is governed by an intricate co-ordination between our sense of sight, our vestibular system within our ears, and what we can feel within our body. Kate has struggled intermittently with inner ear problems, so understands very well how difficult it can be when balance goes wrong.
How can yoga help?
All of Kate’s yoga classes feature movements to improve balance, through improving strength, flexibility and co-ordination. A regular yoga practice can bring real improvements to our balance and stability. Often people will discover that they can balance better on one side than the other.
Class attendees are encouraged to hold onto a chair or the wall while they begin practicing balancing, and improve their strength. Yoga poses where we stand on one leg such as tree or eagle are great for building balance. Kate often includes dynamic balance sequences in class. The time when we need our balance in daily life is usually when we are moving, so it’s great to bring movement into our balance practices in class. Balancing on an uneven surface in class challenges and improves our balance even further, helping with our sense of proprioception – awareness of where we are in space.
Balance every day!
Research shows that balance is linked with longevity, so the more we can practice balancing the better.
Balancing is something we can all do on a daily basis. Here are a few ideas to implement:-
Try balancing on one foot when you’re brushing your teeth (hold onto the sink for extra support!). Swap from foot to foot every so often.
Imagine you’re walking along a thick tightrope, taking small steps, heel to toe. Your arms can be outstretched for additional balance, or hold onto a chair as you do this. For extra challenge, try doing this backwards, or if you’re feeling confident have a go with your eyes closed!
Have a go at standing and balancing as you put your socks and shoes on, rather than sitting down to do it.
Try walking barefoot outside as long as it’s safe to do so. Walking on uneven ground is great for our sense of connection to the earth.
There are loads of great balance exercises suggested on the NHS website.
Regular yoga classes and Better Balance training
Kate offers a variety of regular classes in West Kirby, Hoylake and Thurstaston. Kate also offers a special one day training event in Better Balance. Please contact her for more information – 07708 496645 or visit www.yogawithkate.org.
The above content is a paid partnership.
Santa outfits at the ready!
West Kirby Santa Dash takes place on Sunday 3 December.
Entry is £5 per adult and £2 per child, including a free Santa hat!
There are 10k, 5k and 2k runs - or you can simply stroll.
Register in advance at Home Instead on Grange Road (cash only), or contact Fiona Hanik on 07769 674718 for further information.
Proceeds are going to West Kirby RNLI.
Things to do - what’s on!
Hoylake Christmas Frost Fair is on at the Ship Inn on Saturday 25 November from 11am - 4pm.
West Kirby Christmas market takes place on Saturday 9 December from 10am - 3pm at St Andrew’s Church Hall.
West Kirby Today’s latest numbers
Our readership figures for October 2023….
westkirby.todaynews.co.uk was visited by 11,000 people and had more than 26,000 page views. Our posts on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) reached 150,000 people, and we are also on Threads! More than 1,250 people now subscribe to this weekly newsletter.
Join the growing number of local businesses taking up advertising and sponsorship deals! You could write a column, promote exclusive deals and offers, or we come and review your restaurant.
Here’s what two of our recent advertisers have said:
“Advertising with West Kirby Today has been really helpful in spreading the word about the yoga classes and courses that I offer. A lot of people told me they’d seen my article, and class numbers have increased” - Kate Knowles, Yoga with Kate
“We received a 20% increase in enquiry numbers when our sponsored article and social media posts went live. We will definitely advertise with them in the future” - Pauline Quirke Academy
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