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Living a truly sustainable way of life can be hard but BON Lifestyle's Beryl Beardmore is helping us get there. We find out more about her New Brighton venture.

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**After a career as a care worker, BON Lifestyle’s Beryl Beardmore decided it was time to care for herself.**

“It was my son telling me I needed to do my own thing,” she says. “Something that nurtured me.”

There was no doubt about it. It had to be houseplants.

“It comes from my grandmother – I picked up all my hints and tips from her. I just enjoy watching them thrive,” Beryl says, stroking the leaves of a particularly buoyant peperomia.

“Opening right in the middle of Covid wasn’t easy. But the community has been on board from day one. 

"We’re all here to support each other.”

**BON Lifestyle**

**130 Seabank Road, New Brighton, CH45 1GH**

**[Find out more about BON Lifestyle on their website](https://www.bonlifestyle.co.uk/)**

**Image credit: Jonathan Keenan**

C'est si Bon

Andy Saunders' Apollo Remastered is landing at the Williamson Art Gallery & Museum in April. Left Bank finds out why it's the perfect place to host his exhibit.

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**“What particularly impressed me about The Williamson is the huge amount of quality gallery space we can utilise - almost 4,000sq ft - so I knew we could put a huge exhibition on here.”**

Space is everything to Andy Saunders. Not just gallery space; the north-west native’s Sunday Times bestseller, Apollo Remastered, was an instant hit when launched, garnering global praise and smashing our own personal ‘top five coffee-table books’ list.

Apollo Remastered was propelled into the stratosphere in 2022 and also orbits the world as a celebrated exhibition. Andy’s restored images of the lunar voyages have recently been displayed in London, Scotland and the UAE.

Now, the exhibit’s landing at the Williamson Art Gallery & Museum between April and September, and we’re over the moon. We think it’s one small step to creating a whole new generation of lunar-tics on the left bank; kids and adults alike.

“I was especially keen to host the exhibition at a north-west venue,” Andy tells us. 

“The curators also really got the project and are as keen as I am to adapt the space as much as possible to really create an atmosphere suitable for these images and the subject matter. 

“From the colour scheme, to the lighting and even audio - I really want people to feel like they've gone back in time and are making the journey to the moon themselves.”

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For the first time in 50 years the original lunar voyage flight films (rather than duplicates) have been digitally scanned. 

Writer and image-restoration specialist Andy applied the latest digital processing techniques to these scans to produce highly-detailed, upscaled versions of the footage taken by NASA’s astronauts all those years ago.

So, we’ll be that guy. Which pic is his favourite? 

“It’s so difficult to choose a favourite image. I like so many for many different reasons. They took 35,000, so even whittling those down to 400 for the book was a near-impossible task. 

“There are images of historical significance; images that reveal something entirely new; images that instantly convey the awe-inspiring nature of human-space exploration… There are so many that are simply stunning.”

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Andy is also giving talks at the gallery on 12 May and 20 August, where he’ll likely provide a fascinating insight into the no-doubt extremely careful and delicate process of restoring and digitising NASA’s historical images.

For Andy though, it isn’t so much the voyages and the images that capture his imagination, but how NASA’s missions broke the boundaries of human achievement, and opened up a whole new universe of possibility for mankind.

“What better subject matter than fellow humans doing extraordinary things with the backdrop of 1960s spacecraft and scenes that are literally other-worldy?” he says.

“There are panoramic shots that show the scale and grandeur of the lunar landscape, but I think it’s the moments that capture the human side to the missions… these intimate, candid moments that I’ve managed to reveal.

“The Armstrong image [that was released in 2019] will be difficult to beat because of historical significance, but the photograph of Jim McDivitt on the cover of the book has it all.

“It's such an atmospheric, cinematic portrait and it's an image that was in such a bad state before. It was so rarely seen, and it’s a very historic moment.”

**28 April – 2 September 2023**

**Williamson Art Gallery & Museum, Birkenhead, CH43 4UE**

[**More information on the Apollo Remastered website**](https://www.apolloremastered.com/)

[**The Williamson Art Gallery & Museum website**](https://williamsonartgallery.org/portfolio_page/apollo-remastered/)

Apollo Remastered

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

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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

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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

WYLDE owners Jamie McIlhatton and Warren Norton have branched into Rock Ferry with a new bakery serving delicious treats. We find out more about their new home.

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**There’s nothing better than a good bakery, especially ones that don’t skimp on fillings. We nearly put a stone on just swiping through WYLDE Bakery’s pics on Instagram.**

Soft, plump jam and custard doughnuts? Check. Freshly-baked focaccia sandwiching savoury snacks? Sold. Triple-chocolate brownies sans gluten? See you there.

WYLDE Bakery opened its doors on Bebington Road, Rock Ferry, in January. It's also Team WYLDE’s latest venture, and the first of their locations to open on the Left Bank.

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The new bakery is the sister venue to Heswall’s WYLDE Coffee and LATERAL in West Kirby, and follows owners Jamie McIlhatton’s and Warren Norton’s mission statement to bring a bit more peace into people’s lives in a more sustainable way.

“We were given the opportunity to take over the previous bakery there by our friends Faye and Ben of Teacake Cakes,” Jamie tells us. 

“We jumped at the chance. With [the unit] previously being a Hurst’s before us, it already had a great little history of baking. 

“As soon as we began visiting the site, we realised how friendly local people were and immediately felt welcome to the area.

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The wider WYLDE philosophy is being channelled at the bakery by head baker and ‘Little Welsh Foodie’, Naomi Spaven. (She made her debut last year on the BBC Good Food website, check it out!)

All of these treats and more can, of course, be ordered alongside WYLDE’s selection of specialty coffees and brews, all locally-sourced. 

“We've got a coffee shop in Heswall and one in West Kirby,” Jamie adds. But, of course, we're especially drawn to their latest - Left Bank - adventure.

“We've always wanted to become community staples, and we’re getting there by offering local people high-quality bakes and coffee to collect, seven days a week.”

**WYLDE Bakery**

**220 Bebington Rd, Rock Ferry, CH42 4QF**

[**WYLDE Bakery on Instagram**](https://www.instagram.com/thewyldebakery/)

[**Find out more about WYLDE**](https://wyldecoffee.com/)

WYLDE Bakery

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.

C'est si Bon

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C'est si Bon

Related Articles

Apollo Remastered

Humans of Wirral

WYLDE Bakery

Editor's Picks

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Editor's
Picks