Liverpool acting legend joins local people to launch WW1 project

Event by invitation only Please book a press pass in advance by contacting Clare Doran, Press and Publications Officer, Liverpool John Moores University 0151 231 3004 [email protected] For interviews/photos/filming Date: 10.45am Monday 24th February, 2014 Location: Central Library, William Brown Street, Liverpool, L3 8EW Paul McGann, school children and local interviewees submitting their memorabilia will be available from 10.45am Merseyside residents are being given the chance to upload their memories and memorabilia, telling tales of bravery and sacrifice during World War 1, as Liverpool John Moores University’s ‘Merseyside at War 1914-1918’ project officially launches on Monday 24th February at Liverpool Central Library. Acting legend, star of cult films and the eighth Doctor Who Paul McGann, will be back in Liverpool to add his own family history and demonstrate how people can scan in diaries, letters, photos, poems, war records and birth and death certificates of loved ones who were involved in the war. School children from St Nicholas Catholic Primary School will also be attending, in advance of their trip to France, to learn more about the history of World War 1. The project lead is acclaimed historian Professor Frank McDonough, together with colleagues Dr Mike Benbough-Jackson and Dr Emma Vickers to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the Great War. “This site is exciting because it gives everyone a chance to engage in their own history,” says Professor McDonough. “It isn’t about academics writing the history of the First World War, this is about the people of Merseyside writing their own history.” Some of the initial contributions can be viewed by visiting the site at http://merseyside-at-war.org/ where you can read fascinating accounts of the lives and experiences of the men and women of Merseyside at the time. Clare Doran, Press and Publications Officer, Liverpool John Moores University, T: 0151 231 3004 [email protected] Founded in 1825, LJMU is a modern civic university delivering impactful research and scholarship that form the foundation for its interaction with industry, business and the community. Ranked in the top 100 new universities in the world, the University has around 24,000 students, recruited from over 100 countries, who are enrolled on a wide range of undergraduate, postgraduate taught and research degrees as well as continuing professional development programmes. LJMU is one of the UK’s leading research active contemporary universities, with world- leading and internationally recognised research taking place across the institution. It also continues to be one of the UK’s leading higher education institutions for its interaction with business and the community. This interaction informs both teaching and research at the University and impacts positively on graduate employability, with 92% of graduates being in work or further study within six months of leaving the University.