Heswall • Gayton • Pensby • Thingwall • Barnston • Brimstage • Irby • Thurstaston • Caldy • Thornton Hough Our audited distribution, door-to-door CONTENTS to over 16,000 homes and businesses, is the largest of any Wirral magazine. 04 Back to Business After a Covid-19 enforced hiatus, we are delighted to be back! 04 Heswall Hall During lockdown, we have been working hard behind the scenes to further develop our digital audience and support 06 Ashfield Hall local businesses in any way we can through our website and social media channels. 12 Lockdown and Local Business However, the magazine’s greatest strength is as a printed publication, delivered free to over 16,000 homes and 18 The upside of the Coronacoaster businesses in Heswall, Gayton, Pensby, Thingwall, Barnston, Brimstage, Irby, Thurstaston, Caldy and Thornton Hough – the 20 George McGrath at Dale Farm highest door to door distribution of any magazine on the Wirral. We welcome your views 22 Cycling Advice for Beginners Please let us know what you would like to see featured. If 23 ONEOFTHE8 you enjoy reading Heswall Magazine please let your family and friends know: if not, let us know. 24 Local Windmillers Heswall Magazine welcomes contributions relevant to the local community from readers and we invite you to send 30 Wine Column your stories and photographs to us:* [email protected] 30 Shelf Indulgence or by post to: Jon Bion, Editor, Heswall Magazine, Whitfield Business Hub, 188-200 Pensby Road, Heswall, 34 All Things Auctioneering Wirral CH60 7RJ. Telephone: 07796 945745 For all other enquiries, including advertising, 36 Finding the Missing Peace [email protected] or telephone Mike on 07584 064288 or Jon on 07796 945745. 36 The Pet Column * Photographs and original material are submitted at the sender’s risk and must be accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope if you wish them to be returned. The publishers will not accept responsibility for loss or damage. 27 The Architect’s Column Views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the magazine. Cover image by Simon Leigh 38 Down, but (definitely) not out! OPEN AGAIN FOR HOME VISITS TV Engineer Providing personal service to the Wirral for over 20 years Bought new equipment? Need help? Confused? Please don’t pay for a rushed installation when purchasing. I patiently set up, Tune and Install TVs, Home Cinema, Sound Bars, Recorder Boxes, Catch Up, Hi-Fi, Cable Tidying, etc, etc Providing help for the non tech minded in plain English! Call Brian the TV man on: 07709 780 165 or 0151 625 3720 (Eve) ARE YOU STUCK WITH WELSH TV? Tuning Set Ups Problems Faults Heswall Hall A community hall that stands at the heart of Heswall is preparing Back to Business to reopen. Heswall Hall, which has been managed and run by Heswall Hall Community Trust since 2011, was forced to close its doors earlier with HDBA this year in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak. The small team of staff were furloughed and the dedicated team of trustees have Firstly, I would just like to say a huge managed and maintained the building since it closed in March. welcome back to all the local businesses But now the venue is getting ready to throw open its doors once now open again for business and well again on September 28 – and with a refreshed new look to boot. done for coming through the other side. While the team is looking forward to welcoming back familiar However, it is not over yet by a long faces from the wide range of clubs and societies for whom the way. March 24th 2020 might seem a Hall is home, there is plenty of opportunity for new groups to very distant memory for most of us, but come along. it is still the reality for many of you. The “It’s been a challenging time for everyone, but we are so last three months being in lockdown has looking forward to reopening,” said Jenny Stock, Chair of certainly taken its toll on the masses Heswall Hall Community Trust. around the country and our beautiful “The team are working really hard to make sure that all users Heswall high street is no different. can come along in complete confidence. We will be a Covid safe Before the lockdown, Heswall was home and secure environment. Thanks to all our customers who have to approximately 300 businesses of all different shapes and sizes been in touch thanking us for all the events and activities in the and whether it be through Covid-19 or not, many have suffered in past and who are so looking forward to coming back. We are their own way. The lack of footfall and lack of business/income has hoping to be able to restart some of our events in the autumn, affected us all and I am very sorry to report the closure of several all carefully socially distanced of course, and strictly following businesses in Heswall. This is a bitter pill to swallow as we see the latest Government guidelines. We have also used our time roughly 10% of our shops now empty with no sign of any other in lockdown to give the hall a planned, much needed spruce-up. businesses coming into the area to fill them. We’re really pleased with the results.” The Heswall & District Business Association or HDBA for short, is With an increased focus these days on ‘staying local’ the Hall an enthusiastic and positive-thinking organisation. We are here to prides itself on offering outstanding, flexible facilities, all Covid support you and your Heswall business and we strive to hopefully, secure, at competitive rates right in the heart of Heswall. bring some life back to our shops and back to our high street. So perhaps you’re looking for a space for a business meeting After a recent Zoom meeting with some of our member or you’ve set up a new group or club in the last few weeks? businesses, one of the biggest underlying factors that was Either way it’s worth exploring what Heswall Hall has to offer. mentioned is ‘communication’. We must keep in contact with each “The hall is a great social space and we’re taking bookings other – we have to share our news, our updates, our concerns and, now from September 28 onwards. We can’t wait to get started above all else, we have to look out for one another. again,” added Jenny. We face many challenges ahead, but as a group united we are Visit www.heswallhall.co.uk to see all the rooms and to make much stronger than a lonely individual. an enquiry by email or ring our Enquiry Line 0151 342 2614. If you are a business owner in Heswall or the surrounding district and have concerns and you think we could be of any assistance, even if it is just having someone to speak to, then please do not hesitate to get in touch. You can contact us via email on [email protected] Stephen Atherton MNAEA Chairman – Heswall & District Business Association (HDBA) 04 HESWALL MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2020 Do I really need a Will? Very few people consider their Will when it comes to thinking about the future, What Jackson Lees can do for you… often asking whether a Will is even that important. However, having an up-to-date • We offer free half-hour appointments for anyone who wishes to Will can make a real difference to your find out more about our services future and that of your loved ones. • Heswall office is open on a Saturday (book for an appointment) Sally Johnson, solicitor in the Wills, Trusts & Probate department at Jackson • Four local offices to choose from: Lees’ Heswall office, explains where you - Heswall 0151 909 8185 stand if you don’t have a Will: - Hoylake 0151 909 8183 In short, having a Will is vital. People do a - Birkenhead 0151 909 8186 lot of planning during their lifetimes, but - Liverpool 0151 909 2184 Sally Johnson they don’t tend to consider what might happen after they have died until much later, if at all. There are also a lot • We also offer assistance if you are in a dispute regarding inheritance of assumptions around how inheritance works, which can lead to some real upset down the line. • We offer free safe storage of any Will People often wrongly assume that everything will go to their partner if they • We can register your Will on Certainty’s national Wills database are not married because they have been together for many years. However, if you do not make provision for your partner in a Will and you are not • Minimise potential tax payable after you have died married to them, they could end up with nothing at all. • Divide business assets This is because, under the ‘statutory legacy’, if you die without leaving a Making a Will may seem like a daunting process but at Jackson Lees we Will, the first £270,000 of your estate will go to your spouse or civil partner, pride ourselves on being friendly and approachable. We will always listen to rather than your life partner. Furthermore, anything above that amount being any queries you have, what you want to include in your Will and provide you split equally between your spouse or civil partner and children. with the advice to make sure you make a Will that is right for you. This may be what you want to happen, but it could result in inadequate Since lockdown began, we have remained very much open for provision being made for your spouse or civil partner, a potential dispute business virtually and continue to handle all client cases and new if you are estranged from one of your children, or an avoidable additional enquiries as if we were in the office.