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Birkenhead’s working class history is being captured, catalogued and celebrated by one of our newest cultural champions - the Convenience Gallery.

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**Our favourite itinerant culture mavericks, Birkenhead’s Convenience Gallery can be found where you least expect them.** 

Birkenhead market is where it all started, back in 2019. We’ll be featuring them in our next issue. But, right now, they’re busy doing what we all should have done a long time ago: protect, and preserve the stories that make us who we are. The tales of where we’ve come from. 

Because, if we lose sight of that, how on earth can we map out where we go next?

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The Uncovering Birkenhead working class history project, a plank of Historic England’s everyday heritage project, is about championing local memories, stories and histories from the people - that’s us - living right here, right now.

“It focuses in on the last 80-100 years,” says Convenience Gallery’s Ryan Gauge.  “We started because we found a real gap here for easily accessible and people-led history. 

“We wanted to change that and build an archive of local history for everyone to access and add to.”

Co-founder Andrew Shaw believes now is the perfect time: “Birkenhead is at a pivotal point in its cultural development and we want to ensure the rich people’s history is a part of its future,” he says.

For the last few months they’ve been working right across the local area working with great spaces such as Wirral Deen Centre, the Stork Hotel, Spider, Future Yard and Wirral Libraries to name a few. Maybe you’ve seen them. Maybe you’ve spoken to them.

“Some of the major threads have been about lost community and clearances,” Andrew says. “Our research has landed on these stories a lot, with local people telling us about the spaces that used to exist here. 

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"Places where people lived, worked and enjoyed their free time. Hopefully through this project we’re making a start in telling the stories of these lost places and spaces.”

Stories about the market, the town’s music and arts and the indefatigable spirit of its people colour this unique archive: but it’s not over yet. You can still add your own story to the town’s singular history.

Head to the Convenience Gallery’s website and follow the links to the blog, and the interactive map with everyone's stories marked out across the region. 

“We want this archive of people's memories and histories to keep growing so please get in touch if you have a story to share,” says Ryan.

Stories of old Birkenhead? You can hear them any time you visit The Stork, or Gallaghers, or the market.

But storing them up for future generations? That’s a smart move, and it’s one we’re delighted the Convenience Gallery is curating for the rest of us.

[**Visit the Convenience Gallery website**](https://www.conveniencegallery.org/)

Birkenhead: A Town of Stories

Left Bank meets Dan Bentley whose photography project, Humans of Wirral, gives a fascinating insight into what makes our home such an interesting place to live.

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**Left Bank was created to tell stories. Not just about the great things happening on the left bank, but to give a greater voice to the inspirational people that make our home so interesting.**

Photographer Dan Bentley feels the same way, and set up Humans of Wirral on social media in March 2021 to give a cast of Left Bank characters their moment under the spotlight.

"My motive is to openly share, inspire and entertain whilst lifting civic pride and promoting self-discovery,” Dan tells us.

“After photographing portraits for a feature exhibition in the TATE Liverpool I wanted to continue storytelling and develop my own craft. As I met and spent time with people I was unsurprisingly humbled by the brilliance in everyone,” he says. 

Humans of Wirral was directly influenced by Humans of New York, according to Dan, to catalogue portraits and stories of the people on our peninsula.

Humans of Wirral features some powerful personal stories complemented by Dan’s sharp character-led imagery. Here are three of our favourites:

## The martial arts master

![Humans of Wirral - Left Bank Image 01.jpg](/uploads/Humans_of_Wirral_Left_Bank_Image_01_28112aac0d.jpg)

Dan captures the story of a man who was raised in China’s famed Shaolin Monastery from the age of six. He talks of a youth in poverty, and how he developed mental and spiritual fortitude through training with the chief warrior monk. 

Since 2006, he has been teaching Tai Chi, Kung Fu and SanShou on the Wirral, and is passing his incredible skills on to new generations. Oh, he also collects some nice antiques, too!

[Read his story](https://www.instagram.com/p/CQb0-PQj9pn/).

## The NHS nurse from Trinidad

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This lady moved from Jamaica to Liverpool in 1968, she tells Dan, at a time when the Beatles were riding high in the charts. She describes how she began her career in the NHS as a student nurse, starting in Myrtle Street, to her time now as a paediatric nurse.

She recounts the challenges she has faced and the things she has seen over the decades - from meningitis deaths in the 80s to racial discrimination, and how her culture has helped her through it all. 

[Read her story](https://www.instagram.com/p/CPi6vHAj_V1/).

## The mental-health advocate

![Humans of Wirral - Left Bank Image 03.jpg](/uploads/Humans_of_Wirral_Left_Bank_Image_03_b0d131b5db.jpg)

Dan discovers a part-retiree who had previously worked in mental health services at a senior level for over 25 years. His approach to life is ‘focus on what's strong, not what's wrong’ and he likes to lead by example by swimming around Left Bank’s coast as much as he can.

He talks of his love of swimming and his greatest achievement (at the time of posting) - a 22.7 mile swim from New Brighton to Wales and back. He also carried the olympic torch in 2012. Getting active, he says, is the best medicine. 

[Read his story](https://www.instagram.com/p/CM9jW87D0f4/).  

## Are you Human?

Humans of Wirral hits some real editorial heights, covering stories of entrepreneurial spirits breaking out to start their own businesses to more thoughtful tales of people changing their relationship with their mental health. 

It’s one of our favourite creative projects to come out of lockdown. “Wirral in this together,” Dan adds. You could be a Human of Wirral, too, if you drop Dan a line.

[**Humans of Wirral on Facebook**](https://www.facebook.com/HumansofWirral)

[**Humans of Wirral on Instagram**](https://www.instagram.com/humansofwirral/)

[**Dan Bentley Photography**](https://www.danbentleyphotography.com/)

Humans of Wirral

What is it about this place, anyway? David Lloyd meets the Left Bank people tapping in to the history, energy and restless spirit of life at the sharp edge.

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**I’m walking along the beach at Egremont, the sand-fringed strip of Left Bank I call home.** 

A sea fret has settled, stubbornly, over the Mersey. Liverpool has vanished. Even the tops of those supercranes have been swallowed up by an all-enveloping tsunami of coastal fog.

It’s a meteorological condition we’re well used to around these parts. The cool sea air has pushed the moisture out of the warmer air above, forming tiny spheres of water which pillow into rolling banks of maritime mist.

I resist the urge to show Instagram that Liverpool has been wiped off the map.

The other side of the water is still there. And we’re still here. Because let’s get things straight from the get go. We are, and we always will be, this side of the water. No matter what the taxi drivers, the Echo, or your friends in south Liverpool will have you believe.

We are not the other anything. An overspill, a counterweight, a second fiddle. Perspective is everything. And right now, from where I’m standing, there is nowhere else in the world but here.

At the sharp edge of the Wirral, sea and sky shape us as much as the ground beneath our feet. Shops, schemes and shipyards might ebb and flow, but the restless tides of the Mersey, the great yawning mouth of Liverpool Bay, and the widescreen skies over the Irish Sea are our constant companions.

But what is it about this sliver of land that shapes us too? Why here, when there’s a perfectly reasonable Wirral Line escape route to Crosby?

I’ve lived here all my adult life, save for a foolhardy couple of years in Manchester. But I’m stubborn, hate big cities, and love my mum’s roast dinners, so maybe my opinion doesn’t count for much. Or maybe it does. Maybe that’s exactly the point?

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For business owner Kurt Beaumont-Jones, who runs Vigo IT in Birkenhead, the answer is simple. Being here is about having it all. 

“When I started my business 15 years ago, everyone was focused on Liverpool, so we slipped under the radar,” he says. Now, his company has a £2 million turnover and employs 20 local IT magicians.

“People said I wouldn’t be able to attract the talent,” Kurt says. But, as we so often and enjoyably like to prove around here, the prevailing wisdom was wrong. “Not only have I found them, they’re sticking around too,” Kurt says, “despite companies from Liverpool and Manchester regularly trying to poach them. 

“Who wants to drive two hours to Manchester every morning and back again anyway?” Kurt adds. 

For Kurt, big cities are fertile territory when it comes to clinching contracts. But as we’re all starting to realise post-pandemic, being there isn’t a prerequisite to working there. “Tech can be done remotely. Most things can these days,” Kurt says. “And when I’ve finished, I’m home, or on the beach within half an hour.” 

But, Kurt believes, choosing to locate here offers something more fundamental than opting out of the pull of the big city.

“Other businesses treat staff like a resource. It’s about how much they can squeeze out of them. Maybe I’m biased, but that’s another thing about this place. You don’t start each day stressed, looking for parking, fighting the peak hour traffic, so you have more time for people. 

“Being here, you tend to have space in your head to think about the important stuff, and perhaps even be kinder,” Kurt says. Not all of us can build up a business with a seven-figure turnover, though. For many, the Left Bank offers a chance to reconnect. Space to think.

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Creative director Scott Jones and his family have just moved over from Liverpool to Rock Ferry’s Egerton Park. 

“Our two young daughters love going in the garden and the rest of the park, spotting wildlife and birds,” Scott says. 

Attracted to the area’s open spaces and sense of possibility, Scott sees the move as a chance to recalibrate the way he plugs into his own sense of purpose, having just finished an MA in experimental communication at the Royal College of Art. 

“Egerton Park’s a microcosm of Wirral in many ways,” Scott says. “Everything is churned up together. Big, rambling houses, 1970s estates, social housing and rich heritage assets all coexist within virtually the same street.” 

For Scott, who’s designed sleeve artwork for the likes of She Drew The Gun, The Coral, and Arctic Monkeys, it’s this rich stew of cultures and communities that most excites him. 

“I want to explore ways we can connect, and build smarter and more sustainable communities,” Scott says. “In Liverpool everyone tends to be quite protective of their piece of the pie, whereas on the Wirral it feels like people are more aware of the need to support each other in order to galvanise change.” 

The move to this side of the water, Scott says, is a chance for him to look at the world afresh. A way to throw light on unexpected places, at unexpected angles. 

“I get a real sense that there’s a willingness, here, for people to cross cultural and social barriers,” Scott says. “For me, that’s how regeneration starts.” 

It’s early days - Scott’s only just arrived - but already he’s speaking about schemes such as a community pavilion in Egerton Park, inviting his newly-forged friends and neighbours to have a real say in what happens next. 

“There’s been a residents’ committee in Egerton Park since 1850,” Scott says. “There’s a real appetite for people to come together and make change, tidy the area up, and create their future. It’s a really exciting time to be a part of that.”

It’s this deep connection with the area’s heritage and history that inspires Cathy Roberts, who runs New Brighton’s Literally bookshop with partner Peter Grant. 

“As a child I loved the train journey from Liverpool,” Cathy says. “The sudden revelation of the bay as the train cleared the houses never failed to impress me. It still does, even though I make that journey nearly every day.” 

For Cathy, New Brighton always meant fun: “When a shop came up just opposite the station we knew we could present a great welcome greeting to the resort,” she says. 

“Life on the coast is sometimes calming and often challenging – but ultimately it makes you realise you’re part of something much greater,” Cathy says. 

There’s a perception, Cathy believes, that the seaside is a place to retire and slow down. But New Brighton’s never really been like other seaside towns: a genteel place to while away your golden years, and not make a fuss. 

There's a restless, rebellious energy here that runs way deeper than the energetic paint splashed on the buildings of Victoria Street.

It was always so, at the sharp end of the Wirral – and it’s something Cathy is proud to be a part of. “New Brighton is full of life and energy,” she says, “but the area needs to stand up for itself more than ever. 

“Our community remains fiercely proud of this special place. Every decade brings promises and threats. We don’t need any more consultants, we just need to ensure we’re still here for future generations. 

“Literally living on the edge presents an entirely different perspective full of possibilities. You never know what the tide will bring. This coastline – with its wayward westerly winds – is charged with vitality. It’s a creative spark plug.” 

You can peer into the future from New Brighton. If you stand on the promenade, you’re looking 200 miles into those prevailing weather systems. You can see the storm approaching; prepare for what’s coming next. It makes us nimble. Resourceful. Inventive and unpredictable. 

Maybe that’s why we’re still here – it pays to be one weather front ahead of the competition.

The View From Here

A paddle boarder, kite surfer and swimmer went into the water. Fiona Shaw dives in to find out what
happened next in our Left Bank long read.

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**From the window all I can see is the swell of a sand dune, the sway of marram grass and a blue, blue sky. Metallic masts jink. My heart thinks I’m on holiday. My head – and my phone – tell me it’s a Tuesday morning in the first week of March. Dogs potter about under the tables, the sand is swept from the floor and steaming tea arrives in mugs.**

West Cheshire Sailing Club has been in business since 1891. But now, the sailors are joined by an influx of new members: the kitesurfers. Adam Crouch’s vision is of a laid back beach community, with European surf vibes. 

Kitesurfing has been popular here for the last 15 years; “there’s flat, shallow-ish water,” says Adam. “An on-shore wind from the north west. It’s pretty safe.” 

The ‘kites’ are pumped up to hold their shape, with riders braced against the force of the wind to surf the shallows – flying along in a whirl of adrenalin, sea spray and a 20-knot tailwind.

Wirral’s 22 miles of coastline is dotted with beaches that are now cleaner than ever. Wallasey is a Blue Flag beach, meeting strict standards for water quality, environmental management and safety, whilst West Kirby, Meols and Moreton are rated ‘excellent’. 

We’re at Wallasey, where this long, low, wooden clubhouse is now the HQ of Wallasey Beach CIC, a growing local community of sailors, surfers and swimmers. 

It’s here that Adam found a home when, as the UK emerged from its first lockdown, he was searching for a place to kitesurf.

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“I was a construction project manager building hospitals. And then I had a mental breakdown, left my job, and went kiting,” he says. Having found his spot – but no local kite school – he set up his own, and Northern Kites took shape.

Whereas once sailing was the only way to enjoy the gentle waves round here, now kitesurfing, wing foiling, paddleboarding, open water swimming and pump foiling are just some of the activities you’ll see along this stretch of the coast. 

“When I first came here, there were around 30-35 people – now we’re around 180 members and the kitesurf community is 300 people.” 

It’s one that’s only set to grow: April sees Adam start offering wingfoiling lessons – a new sport, listed for potential Olympic inclusion in five years’ time. Northern Kites will be the north west’s first hub for wingfoiling, and is keeping an eye on other new, emerging sports.

If kite surfers fly, paddleboarders glide. Stand-up paddleboarding – or SUP – uses long, inflatable boards that look a bit like surfboards – and are more rigid than you’d think. 

Sarah Smith founded SUP Wirral having seen paddle boarders in Cornwall, and it’s fair to say she became something of an aficionado. In just her second year of paddleboarding, Sarah started racing and finished fourth in the UK. 

“I had the best mid-life crisis,” she laughs. She went on to win gold medals paddleboarding in New Zealand, and became the UK Endurance Champion in 2018. 

“And after that, I just decided to relax. To build the business. Every year you have to reinvent yourself, so we brought SUP polo to Wirral – it sells out all the time – and SUP yoga on the boards. And our indoor session at Europa Pools every Sunday is the only one in the country right now.”

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Starting the club at New Brighton, she now holds the lease for Birkenhead’s Morpeth Dock – its towering walls buffer an inland shelter for training, socials and race practice at the fast-growing club. 

Peel has big plans for the top-heavy hydraulic tower next door; the other side of that, the Stena Line ferry docks, dwarfing everything and everyone.

Sarah coaches people from 12 to 70-something and talks animatedly about how this elegant activity changes lives. 

“I teach a girl who has autism, and we take it as fast and slow as she wants to go; there’s a young lad who’s 11, whose mum wants him to have more confidence. And a young boarder with cancer. ‘You have no idea how much you and paddleboarding have changed this family,’ her mum always tells me.” 

There’s clearly something about the mastery of the board, and its gentle motion, that calms and converts. 

“I’ve even worked with an ex-serviceman (I’m ex-military) who lost both of his legs in Afghanistan,” says Sarah. “By the end of the hour he was up paddling the length. It’s accessible to absolutely everyone. 

“As soon as you get on the water, it just takes one paddle stroke to relax,” she says. “For mental health and stress, everything just floats away. Once they’ve got it, you can see how amazed they are with themselves. We don’t have many places where we get that self praise these days; that satisfaction.”

Both Adam and Sarah are careful to stress the safety elements of their sports; taking lessons to learn in a safe environment, listening to instruction and respecting the water. Committing to learn, to earn the fun. But open water’s not for everyone. 

Deborah Aydon’s dad swam at New Brighton’s lido on Sunday School trips in the 1930s. She swims every day and has become a huge advocate for lidos, championing a ‘People’s Pool’ for the City Region. 

“Wirral has a long culture of public swimming,” she says. “There were eight lidos here. The story about the Exmouth pool that went viral recently – the one powered by a computer data centre – well, Port Sunlight was heated by waste from the Lever Brothers factory. We had that here in 1902.”

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In spite of Wirral’s embarrassment of riches for those looking to get out on the water, she’d like to see lido swimming make a reappearance. 

“When we’re talking about sport and physical activity, a lot of the dialogue is from people who’re really sporty, and the majority of the population aren’t – and I include myself in that,” she says. 

“Traditional sporting facilities don’t always cater for people who want to exercise for play, pleasure, peace, or to be sociable. Lidos are much more fun, much more relaxed. 

“If you’re training for a triathlon you can thrash up and down in a wetsuit; if you want to swim a kilometre a day to keep everything moving; if you want to swim up and down slowly and have a chat; dive bomb your teenage mate, if you want to do that; and if you want to sit by the side with a mocktail all day, you can do that too… 

“It’s more open to a wide range of people, with a wider range of reasons for being there.” 

Wirral’s lidos were built to support the public health of the whole population and often by unemployed labourers – a job creation scheme of the time. New Brighton’s lido was the largest in the world, and all were “beautiful and distinctive,” says Deborah. 

“It was the sheer joy of them – they weren’t cookie cutter municipal pools – they were really ambitious.” 

Now, post-Covid, it’s notable that we’re having the same conversations about public health and wellbeing. We’ve come full circle. Options abound.

**Take the plunge yourself:** 

[**The Northern Kites website**](https://northernkites.co.uk/) 

[**The People's Pool online**](https://peoplespool.co.uk/) 

[**SUP Wirral on the web**](https://www.supwirral.club/) 

[**Find out more about Wallasey Beach**](https://wallaseybeach.org.uk/)

Stories of the Sea

Left Bank Issue Three: We Made This is out now! We explore the Left Bank to find the makers and creatives making a difference throughout the Wirral and beyond.

Issue Three: We Made This - Out Now

Wellington Road Art Studios is hosting their Christmas Open Studios this weekend (25 and 26 November), featuring full-coloured fabulousness and gifts aplenty.

Made For Christmas

Adam Fenley is on a mission to get us supporting local traders through Wirral Spend Independent, opening up exclusive offers and discounts via his snazzy cards.

Wirral Spend Independent

Dan Hoolahan’s Utology creates some of the most strikingly simple and beautiful furnishings you’ll find. We find out how he went from garage to hotel chain.

Table Manners

Wirral Unplugged has been nominated for a national Fantastic for Families award in the Best Family Arts Activity category. CEO Dr Diana Powell tells us more.

Wirral Unplugged Nominated For Fantastic For Families Award

You may know Marie Louise Williams, founder of Oxton's Wellington Road. What you may not know is her story, and how it all started with the weaving of a basket.

Birkenhead: A Town of Stories

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Birkenhead: A Town of Stories

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