Tracey Dunn Reports.
Sadly,I have just found out in the last hour that one of my extended family in North London,where I was born, has been stabbed to death.
Ben Kinsella was the 16 year old brother of ex Eastender actress Brooke Kinsella.
In the week where I pitched my 10 minute screenplay about youth gun crime in front of actress Cathy Tyson and Channel 4 are running a week of programmes called 'Disarming Britain' about youth violence; it seems fitting to be writing about healing.
On Saturday 28th June 'Alternatively Better' of 556-558 Aigburth Road, Liverpool presented a 'feel good day for mind, body and soul' at St. Mary's Church Hall, also in Aigburth.
'Alternatively Better'
e-mail: enquiries@alternativelybetter.co.uk
www.alternativelybetter.co.uk
Holistic Health Centre & Shop
556-558 Aigburth Road,
Grassendale
Liverpool L19 3QG
Tel. 0151 494 2277
It covers a wide range of complementary and massage therapies including acupuncture, chiropody, food sensitivity testing, homeopathy, hopi ear candles, hot stone therapy, hypnotherapy, indian head massage, remedial/sports massage, reflexology and reiki.
The centre also produces it's own range of products which may treat the menopause, hormonal balance and sensuous exotic massage and bath oils. They also have their own angel protection spray. I was very kindly given a back and head treatment by Helen Turner who also practices reiki and reflexology.
Laura Kemp has been a licensed manufacturer of herbal products including essential oils, tinctures, carrier oils and creams for 6 years. I was especially impressed by her rose geranium cocoa butter heart. Laura buys most of her ingredients from an organic farm in Somerset. Laura aims to be a herbal consultant in the future.
You too could gain help, healing yourself by contacting Jennat or Laura just two of the several North West therapists I met on the day:
Holistix herbal products.
Tel. Tel. 0151 734 1919
W: www.holistixherbs.co.uk
Hypnotherapists:
W. www.moonscapehypnotherapy.co.uk
Sarah Halliday Tel. 07719716382
(Sarah's mother makes beautiful murano glass and bead jewelery (www.everydayjewellry.co.uk)
www.liverpoolhypnotherapy.co.uk
Kerry Needs Tel. 0151 494 2277
Alternatively Better
www.empoweringsounds.com andwww.wholescience.net
Joseph Clough Tel. 0151 283 1801
www.primedirectives.co.uk
Joseph also teaches Neuro linguistic programming,personal development, being your potential and manifesting your dreams.
He's holding a special training day on 16th August 2008
Homeopathy:
www.homeopathliverpool.co.uk
Hilary Hampel. Tel. 0151 931 4116
Hilary has been practising for 19 years and also sells non toxic eco friendly products.
Hilary's machine scans the body against 9,000 homeopathic remedies and brings up what the body needs i.e.nutrition,spiritual or emotional issues and then treats you! Bach flower therapist and 'SCIO' (super consciousness interfacing operating system) machine operator: Tel. Michelle McVey 0151 722 9605
Crystals and holistic courses:
Tel. 01695 725501 or 07711909207
E-mail enquiries@innerwisdom.net.
1 Ben Lane cottages, Ben Lane, Bickerstaffe, West Lancashire L39 OHL
W: www.inner-wisdom.net
Dawn Kirkham is a reiki master from outside Ormskirk who also sells singing bowls, crystals, angel cards, pendulums, incense, smudging sets, crystal spheres and wands.
Dawn runs courses on connecting with angels, psychic development, introduction to crystal healing and is also running a holistic retreat from 3-5 October 2008.
Food sensitivity testing:
Zillah Stevens. Tel. 0151 356 1578 or 07721450693
A 'vega' machine carries out food intolerance testing. It is done by placing glass vials with different foods into the machine to carry out a reading.
Aloe vera products:
Rachael. www.rachaelearl.com Tel. 01952 820642 or 07977047291
Rachael promotes 'forever living' products who grow 80% of the world's organic crop.
The drinking gel is the best selling product followed by aloe and propolis which is from bees and good for skin conditions like eczema.
Chinese medicine including 'cupping' and acupuncture:
Andreas Feyler. Tel. 07733231726 or e-mail andreasfeyler@hotmail.com. www.cheshirenaturalhealth.co.uk
I was given a treatment by Andreas who lectures at the North East Wales institite of higher education. I had various glass cups placed on the top of my back and shoulders and air was suctioned out. This treatment invigorates and strengthens the immune system. The glasses were left for just a minute or so in case they left red marks although in London people like the actress Gwynneth Paltrow wear their red circles as fashion statements. I found the cupping (pronounced MHGM in arabic!) a very unusual treatment to rid tension.
zinc testing:
Wendy Rogers. E-mail info@rainbownutrition.co.uk. W. www.rainbow nutrition.co.uk
Wendy Rogers gave me a zinc taste test. All I did was swoosh a clear liquid around my mouth for 10 seconds. I had a good reaction due to the amounts of houmous and chickpeas I eat everyday. Zinc is also found in beans and nuts.
Body Fat Analysis
Laura Carter. Tel. 0151 494 4004.
David LLoyd leisure centre, Speke.
I stood on a machine like weighing scales to be analysed for my fat content. A gentle current was sent through my body to see how much I had. I had too much even though I am thin and it was recommended I drink more water and cut down on crisps. A healthier snack would be chopped cauliflower, carrots or broccoli with a dip of soy sauce, olive oil and basamic vinegar.
Feng Shui and Reiki Master:
Amanda. Tel. on 07788775706
W. mandajgordon@btinternet.com
Amanda gives advice and clears energy in buildings using reiki atunements. It is recommended that entrances are clear and bright.The shape of a buliding is important and mirrors are one way of improving an area by energetically extending the space.
Rosetta palmistry and tarot:
Tel. 07908732491
e-mail rosettapalmistry@hotmail.co.uk
Aura and chakra photography:
Tel. 0161 476 6176
W. Aspirit@btconnect.com
Many thanks to all at 'Alternatively Better' who organised a great day.Also a mention to the people from the church who gave me a stone to remind me always of my spiritual connection to the planet.
Monday 30 June 2008
Wednesday 4 June 2008
Why Anti-Violence Work is Dangerous for Women.
Marie-Eloise Hurley Reports for Toxteth08.
Heartbroken Paula Ogungboro, 51, explains what the loss of fellow Mother Against Violence, Pat Reagan, 53, means for their cause…
Pat Reagan, 53, was a mother of six who died ridding violence from Britain’s streets on Sunday. She campaigned without resorting to crime (two wrongs don’t make a right) but through education and political campaigning.
But last weekend, Pat her self was murdered, in an ironic attack by her own grandson, police think.
Pat Reagan founded Mothers Against Violence in Leeds and Paula, Mothers Against Gun Crime in Toxteth, Liverpool. Both women lost son’s due to the gun and knife violence, which has ripped apart inner city families for decades now.
Both women battled to raise their kids amidst inner city mayhem. This was hard enough but when Pat’s son Danny was stabbed to death in Leeds and Paula’s son Danny was shot in Toxteth, both committed themselves to anti-violence work, not just in their own neighbourhoods, but across Britain.
Paula reminisces with fondness: I met Pat six years ago in London. There were quite a few of us taking part in a DVD named ‘why’. We were mums from different cities whose sons had been shot and we wanted to know why.
I looked at Pat and she looked at me and I just said to my husband –I’m going to sit with her. I felt like I knew her. I said Hi, my names Paula and I’m from Liverpool. She said, Hi, my name’s Pat and I’m from Leeds. She told me about Danny what happened to him and I told her about Eugene, what had happened to him’.
To be honest, she was like a sister to me and I loved her like one. She’d say, ‘goodbye I love you’ and I’d say, ‘I know, I love you, Pat’.
Eugene’s murderer was found, tried and sentenced to life in prison but Pat never found Danny’s killer. And what she’s always wanted was justice. It was burning away at her.
I spoke to Pat just three earlier. She still wanted justice. She tried and tried but her son’s killers were never found.
‘Pat, if you’re out there I hope danny waited with his arms wide open. You wanted justice but you never got it.’
Continuing to campaign against violence, Paula recently took part in a new documentary for Channel4 which saw her showing Eugene’s blood stained shirt to expelled school kids.
‘It upsets me and upsets the kids but I reckon if it saves one life it’s worth it and I carry on’.
Paula also allowed Channel4 in to film her in the bedroom of murdered child, Eugene, which she’s kept untouched all this time.
The conversation shifts back to Pat.
‘Pat was on a mission. And that mission began when her son Danny was murdered. She wanted to go out and educate kids against gun and knife crime and that’s what she did. She was a real woman. We were so alike. What u see with us is what u got. She was warm hearted, with a lovely aura. Despite all her kids and grand-kids she still got out and ran workshops in other cities.
Says Paula:
‘Something like this makes families react in one of three ways:
1. Familes come together and deal with things.
2. Families split-up –Paula has seen a lot of this.
3. Families take things into their own hands –Pat and Paula tried to do this'.
Paula says she’s already encouraged Pat’s oldest remaining son, Danny, to keep things going now that his mother’s gone.
Adds Paula: There aren’t many people I can say this about but Pat was like a sister to me. We were both light skinned, curly haired, black women –she with green eyes, me with brown. Me tall –she smaller. Pat would say she didn't feel so welcome elsewhere. She’d walk right in, open the fridge and put the kettle on'.
Yet something went wrong. Pat failed to gain trust from her community.
Admits Paula:
‘I’ve been threatened myself. Not long ago the police knocked and told me somebody wanted my life. I’ve lived in Toxteth since I was twelve years old but suddenly I’m a snitch.
And we don’t get paid for what we do. We’re voluntary. I never thought I’d get an office but I might lose it if my funding is refused this year. The paper work’s too much for me’.
Paula lacks formal qualifications and is reluctant to gain admin skills. She began with six workers but says, ‘they weren’t getting paid and hadn’t lost a son themselves so they left me’.
But because Paula knows four other Toxteth mothers who have lost children the same way, she persists on.
'I still blame the British government. my son's murderer got fourteen years. In the states, life means life and that's as it should be'.
Last year Paula advertised for an admin assistant but had to withdraw the offer due to a funding crisis –and so despite national support, this Mother Against Gun Crime remains poverty trapped. And now that her ‘town centre’ office is threatened by funding losses she’s in real danger.
Back on the streets, money is at stake, as well as reputation or street ‘cred’. The Home office knows this but delivered little preventative matter to protect either women. Like Pat, Paula is a brave female campaigner, surely deserving the protection that our police, territorial army, and even voluntary police force are accustomed to.
Pat Reagan left children behind. What Paula needs to defend her family against these ongoing attacks is finance.
M-E Hurley.
Heartbroken Paula Ogungboro, 51, explains what the loss of fellow Mother Against Violence, Pat Reagan, 53, means for their cause…
Pat Reagan, 53, was a mother of six who died ridding violence from Britain’s streets on Sunday. She campaigned without resorting to crime (two wrongs don’t make a right) but through education and political campaigning.
But last weekend, Pat her self was murdered, in an ironic attack by her own grandson, police think.
Pat Reagan founded Mothers Against Violence in Leeds and Paula, Mothers Against Gun Crime in Toxteth, Liverpool. Both women lost son’s due to the gun and knife violence, which has ripped apart inner city families for decades now.
Both women battled to raise their kids amidst inner city mayhem. This was hard enough but when Pat’s son Danny was stabbed to death in Leeds and Paula’s son Danny was shot in Toxteth, both committed themselves to anti-violence work, not just in their own neighbourhoods, but across Britain.
Paula reminisces with fondness: I met Pat six years ago in London. There were quite a few of us taking part in a DVD named ‘why’. We were mums from different cities whose sons had been shot and we wanted to know why.
I looked at Pat and she looked at me and I just said to my husband –I’m going to sit with her. I felt like I knew her. I said Hi, my names Paula and I’m from Liverpool. She said, Hi, my name’s Pat and I’m from Leeds. She told me about Danny what happened to him and I told her about Eugene, what had happened to him’.
To be honest, she was like a sister to me and I loved her like one. She’d say, ‘goodbye I love you’ and I’d say, ‘I know, I love you, Pat’.
Eugene’s murderer was found, tried and sentenced to life in prison but Pat never found Danny’s killer. And what she’s always wanted was justice. It was burning away at her.
I spoke to Pat just three earlier. She still wanted justice. She tried and tried but her son’s killers were never found.
‘Pat, if you’re out there I hope danny waited with his arms wide open. You wanted justice but you never got it.’
Continuing to campaign against violence, Paula recently took part in a new documentary for Channel4 which saw her showing Eugene’s blood stained shirt to expelled school kids.
‘It upsets me and upsets the kids but I reckon if it saves one life it’s worth it and I carry on’.
Paula also allowed Channel4 in to film her in the bedroom of murdered child, Eugene, which she’s kept untouched all this time.
The conversation shifts back to Pat.
‘Pat was on a mission. And that mission began when her son Danny was murdered. She wanted to go out and educate kids against gun and knife crime and that’s what she did. She was a real woman. We were so alike. What u see with us is what u got. She was warm hearted, with a lovely aura. Despite all her kids and grand-kids she still got out and ran workshops in other cities.
Says Paula:
‘Something like this makes families react in one of three ways:
1. Familes come together and deal with things.
2. Families split-up –Paula has seen a lot of this.
3. Families take things into their own hands –Pat and Paula tried to do this'.
Paula says she’s already encouraged Pat’s oldest remaining son, Danny, to keep things going now that his mother’s gone.
Adds Paula: There aren’t many people I can say this about but Pat was like a sister to me. We were both light skinned, curly haired, black women –she with green eyes, me with brown. Me tall –she smaller. Pat would say she didn't feel so welcome elsewhere. She’d walk right in, open the fridge and put the kettle on'.
Yet something went wrong. Pat failed to gain trust from her community.
Admits Paula:
‘I’ve been threatened myself. Not long ago the police knocked and told me somebody wanted my life. I’ve lived in Toxteth since I was twelve years old but suddenly I’m a snitch.
And we don’t get paid for what we do. We’re voluntary. I never thought I’d get an office but I might lose it if my funding is refused this year. The paper work’s too much for me’.
Paula lacks formal qualifications and is reluctant to gain admin skills. She began with six workers but says, ‘they weren’t getting paid and hadn’t lost a son themselves so they left me’.
But because Paula knows four other Toxteth mothers who have lost children the same way, she persists on.
'I still blame the British government. my son's murderer got fourteen years. In the states, life means life and that's as it should be'.
Last year Paula advertised for an admin assistant but had to withdraw the offer due to a funding crisis –and so despite national support, this Mother Against Gun Crime remains poverty trapped. And now that her ‘town centre’ office is threatened by funding losses she’s in real danger.
Back on the streets, money is at stake, as well as reputation or street ‘cred’. The Home office knows this but delivered little preventative matter to protect either women. Like Pat, Paula is a brave female campaigner, surely deserving the protection that our police, territorial army, and even voluntary police force are accustomed to.
Pat Reagan left children behind. What Paula needs to defend her family against these ongoing attacks is finance.
M-E Hurley.
Tuesday 3 June 2008
Murdered: Mother Against Gun Crime
Tuesday, 3 June 2008
Cahal Milmo and Mark Hughes
Independent.co.uk
A Mother who devoted her life to fighting knife and gun crime is murdered. Police have arrested the grandson of a mother who led a high-profile campaign against knife and gun violence on suspicion of stabbing her to death.
Pat Regan, 53, became a powerful voice in the lobby against gun crime after her 26-year-old son, Danny, a drug dealer, was shot dead inside his fortified Merseyside home six years ago. She attended a summit on violence at Downing Street last year held by Tony Blair and the then home secretary John Reid.
A life which had become defined by the fight against bloodshed in Britain's inner cities was ended early on Sunday when Mrs Regan, a mother of six, became the victim of a frenzied knife attack inside her maisonette in Hyde Park, a deprived area of Leeds. It was here that she had dedicated her time to educating young people on the dangers of gun and knife crime by visiting schools and helping bereaved families.
The body of Mrs Regan was discovered at about 7pm after a family friend went to the home in Marlborough Grange, a local authority-owned housing block. Family and friends, many of them in tears, gathered outside the flat to lay flowers. Last night the block remained cordoned off behind police tape and black plastic screens as forensic experts examined the scene.
Her grandson, Rakeen, 20, who had been receiving treatment for mental health problems, was being held last night in connection with the killing and a subsequent knife attack in Leeds city centre.
Police sources said that the grandson had been held at about 11am on Sunday following the stabbing of a worker at Leeds railway station. A 45-year-old member of the platform staff suffered a knife wound to the arm after he and several colleagues tried to stop a man who was trespassing on the tracks.
West Yorkshire Police said a knife recovered from the railway station by British Transport Police was being examined to see if it was connected with the attack on Mrs Regan, which took place prior to the rail incident. A police spokeswoman said: "A 20-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and is currently being detained pending further inquiries."
Friends and fellow campaigners expressed their shock and dismay at the killing of a woman who had dedicated herself to helping others affected by gun and knife crime, as well as seeking to warn youngsters of the risks they faced by becoming involved with criminal gangs.
She set up Mothers Against Violence, which operated from a community centre in Hyde Park and had close links to allied groups such as Mothers Against Guns (MAG) and Mothers Against Murder and Aggression (Mama).
Mrs Regan became an impassioned advocate of grassroots action to tackle the increase in violence in low-income areas, lobbying interest groups from government ministers to vulnerable teenagers, after the murder of Danny in a suspected gangland hit in December 2002.
While accepting that her son's lifestyle selling class-A drugs was the reason for his death, she maintained that he had moved away from criminality to become a legitimate businessman when a gunman broke into his home and killed him at close range in the conservatory. He left two young children.
Speaking last year during an appeal for new information about the still unsolved murder, Mrs Regan said: "Danny knew the dangers he was facing and I was always waiting for the knock at the door. He came home in a coffin and his designer gear came home in big brown envelopes.
"It made me determined to try to stop this violence. I know it's too late to save Danny and persuade him to give up the lifestyle which led to his death. But it's not too late to save others and if the work I do can make another young man think twice, then perhaps Danny's life won't have been lost in vain."
Colleagues commended the grandmother, who would often travel to the homes of new victims of gun and knife violence to offer advice and comfort. Lucy Cope, the founder of MAM, said: "Everybody honoured Pat Regan for her courage, her devotion against gun crime and for peace in Leeds. Every single time another family went through the tragedy of gun crime in Leeds, Pat Regan knocked on that door and held the hands of mothers. She will never be forgotten, never."
Among those laying flowers, outside the building where Mrs Regan died was Lorraine Fraser, 43. She had first met Pat four years ago after her son, Tyrone, was killed in a knife attack. "She was a remarkable woman and she was our hero," she said.
Independent.co.uk
Cahal Milmo and Mark Hughes
Independent.co.uk
A Mother who devoted her life to fighting knife and gun crime is murdered. Police have arrested the grandson of a mother who led a high-profile campaign against knife and gun violence on suspicion of stabbing her to death.
Pat Regan, 53, became a powerful voice in the lobby against gun crime after her 26-year-old son, Danny, a drug dealer, was shot dead inside his fortified Merseyside home six years ago. She attended a summit on violence at Downing Street last year held by Tony Blair and the then home secretary John Reid.
A life which had become defined by the fight against bloodshed in Britain's inner cities was ended early on Sunday when Mrs Regan, a mother of six, became the victim of a frenzied knife attack inside her maisonette in Hyde Park, a deprived area of Leeds. It was here that she had dedicated her time to educating young people on the dangers of gun and knife crime by visiting schools and helping bereaved families.
The body of Mrs Regan was discovered at about 7pm after a family friend went to the home in Marlborough Grange, a local authority-owned housing block. Family and friends, many of them in tears, gathered outside the flat to lay flowers. Last night the block remained cordoned off behind police tape and black plastic screens as forensic experts examined the scene.
Her grandson, Rakeen, 20, who had been receiving treatment for mental health problems, was being held last night in connection with the killing and a subsequent knife attack in Leeds city centre.
Police sources said that the grandson had been held at about 11am on Sunday following the stabbing of a worker at Leeds railway station. A 45-year-old member of the platform staff suffered a knife wound to the arm after he and several colleagues tried to stop a man who was trespassing on the tracks.
West Yorkshire Police said a knife recovered from the railway station by British Transport Police was being examined to see if it was connected with the attack on Mrs Regan, which took place prior to the rail incident. A police spokeswoman said: "A 20-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and is currently being detained pending further inquiries."
Friends and fellow campaigners expressed their shock and dismay at the killing of a woman who had dedicated herself to helping others affected by gun and knife crime, as well as seeking to warn youngsters of the risks they faced by becoming involved with criminal gangs.
She set up Mothers Against Violence, which operated from a community centre in Hyde Park and had close links to allied groups such as Mothers Against Guns (MAG) and Mothers Against Murder and Aggression (Mama).
Mrs Regan became an impassioned advocate of grassroots action to tackle the increase in violence in low-income areas, lobbying interest groups from government ministers to vulnerable teenagers, after the murder of Danny in a suspected gangland hit in December 2002.
While accepting that her son's lifestyle selling class-A drugs was the reason for his death, she maintained that he had moved away from criminality to become a legitimate businessman when a gunman broke into his home and killed him at close range in the conservatory. He left two young children.
Speaking last year during an appeal for new information about the still unsolved murder, Mrs Regan said: "Danny knew the dangers he was facing and I was always waiting for the knock at the door. He came home in a coffin and his designer gear came home in big brown envelopes.
"It made me determined to try to stop this violence. I know it's too late to save Danny and persuade him to give up the lifestyle which led to his death. But it's not too late to save others and if the work I do can make another young man think twice, then perhaps Danny's life won't have been lost in vain."
Colleagues commended the grandmother, who would often travel to the homes of new victims of gun and knife violence to offer advice and comfort. Lucy Cope, the founder of MAM, said: "Everybody honoured Pat Regan for her courage, her devotion against gun crime and for peace in Leeds. Every single time another family went through the tragedy of gun crime in Leeds, Pat Regan knocked on that door and held the hands of mothers. She will never be forgotten, never."
Among those laying flowers, outside the building where Mrs Regan died was Lorraine Fraser, 43. She had first met Pat four years ago after her son, Tyrone, was killed in a knife attack. "She was a remarkable woman and she was our hero," she said.
Independent.co.uk
Sunday 1 June 2008
The Concert!
Paul McCartney headlines Liverpool concert
10 hours ago
LIVERPOOL, England (AFP) — Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney headlined a concert on Sunday in front of 36,000 fans in his home city of Liverpool -- this year's European Capital of Culture.
The 65-year-old topped a star-studded bill, and opened his set by playing "Hippy Hippy Shake", "Jet" and "Drive My Car" at Anfield Stadium, home of Premiership side Liverpool football club.
"Thank you for coming tonight -- in the city of culture -- at the centre of the universe," McCartney, dressed in a black suit reminiscent of The Beatles' heyday, told the crowd as his performance began.
By the end of the set, he had played 26 songs, including classics such as "Penny Lane", "Back in the USSR", "Live and Let Die" -- which was played with an accompanying fireworks display -- "Let It Be", "Hey Jude", and "Yesterday".
After finishing his 1 hour 45 minute performance by playing "I Saw Her Standing There", he told the audience: "You've been brilliant tonight. I knew you would be."
"We are here for Macca," 62-year-old Brenda Baily, who was attending the concert with Maureen McCarthy, 66, told AFP.
"He is a legend. We saw Ringo in January, but Macca is even bigger."
Like their idol, many of the fans in the audience were teenagers in the 1960s, but the youth of several concert-goers proved that the Fab Four conquered younger generations as well.
"We didn't experience the Beatles, but we thought we had to take this opportunity while he is still alive," said Virginie Brazet, 28, who travelled from Perpignan, southern France, with her 32-year-old sister Sabine for the concert.
"We want to hear classics by the Beatles and by McCartney," she added.
Also performing on Sunday were the Kaiser Chiefs, who entertained the crowd for nearly an hour and a half with their hits, including "Ruby" and "The Angry Mob", and Liverpool band The Zutons.
Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, whose appearance had been kept under wraps in the run-up to the concert, played three songs as well.
Manchester United and England football star Wayne Rooney was in attendance at the concert with his fiancee Coleen McLoughlin, while Yoko Ono, the widow of ex-Beatle John Lennon said on Friday that she would be present.
"Being European Capital of Culture is a good thing," McCartney told the BBC earlier. "About 12 years ago, Liverpool was a bit on its knees -- it was not in good shape at all. But now there's quite a resurgence."
Sunday's four-hour gig -- five years to the day since McCartney's last concert in the port city in northwest England -- was the highlight of the "Liverpool 08" calendar.
Before the concert, McCartney dashed hopes that Ringo Starr, the only other surviving member of the Beatles, would join him on stage, telling the Liverpool Echo newspaper: "That was never going to be on the cards."
Part of the proceeds will go to the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, which McCartney set up in his old school.
Earlier in the day, he attended a special fashion show with Ono where Stella McCartney unveiled her latest autumn and winter fashion collection.
AFP 2008All Rights Reserved
10 hours ago
LIVERPOOL, England (AFP) — Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney headlined a concert on Sunday in front of 36,000 fans in his home city of Liverpool -- this year's European Capital of Culture.
The 65-year-old topped a star-studded bill, and opened his set by playing "Hippy Hippy Shake", "Jet" and "Drive My Car" at Anfield Stadium, home of Premiership side Liverpool football club.
"Thank you for coming tonight -- in the city of culture -- at the centre of the universe," McCartney, dressed in a black suit reminiscent of The Beatles' heyday, told the crowd as his performance began.
By the end of the set, he had played 26 songs, including classics such as "Penny Lane", "Back in the USSR", "Live and Let Die" -- which was played with an accompanying fireworks display -- "Let It Be", "Hey Jude", and "Yesterday".
After finishing his 1 hour 45 minute performance by playing "I Saw Her Standing There", he told the audience: "You've been brilliant tonight. I knew you would be."
"We are here for Macca," 62-year-old Brenda Baily, who was attending the concert with Maureen McCarthy, 66, told AFP.
"He is a legend. We saw Ringo in January, but Macca is even bigger."
Like their idol, many of the fans in the audience were teenagers in the 1960s, but the youth of several concert-goers proved that the Fab Four conquered younger generations as well.
"We didn't experience the Beatles, but we thought we had to take this opportunity while he is still alive," said Virginie Brazet, 28, who travelled from Perpignan, southern France, with her 32-year-old sister Sabine for the concert.
"We want to hear classics by the Beatles and by McCartney," she added.
Also performing on Sunday were the Kaiser Chiefs, who entertained the crowd for nearly an hour and a half with their hits, including "Ruby" and "The Angry Mob", and Liverpool band The Zutons.
Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, whose appearance had been kept under wraps in the run-up to the concert, played three songs as well.
Manchester United and England football star Wayne Rooney was in attendance at the concert with his fiancee Coleen McLoughlin, while Yoko Ono, the widow of ex-Beatle John Lennon said on Friday that she would be present.
"Being European Capital of Culture is a good thing," McCartney told the BBC earlier. "About 12 years ago, Liverpool was a bit on its knees -- it was not in good shape at all. But now there's quite a resurgence."
Sunday's four-hour gig -- five years to the day since McCartney's last concert in the port city in northwest England -- was the highlight of the "Liverpool 08" calendar.
Before the concert, McCartney dashed hopes that Ringo Starr, the only other surviving member of the Beatles, would join him on stage, telling the Liverpool Echo newspaper: "That was never going to be on the cards."
Part of the proceeds will go to the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, which McCartney set up in his old school.
Earlier in the day, he attended a special fashion show with Ono where Stella McCartney unveiled her latest autumn and winter fashion collection.
AFP 2008All Rights Reserved
Paul McCartney Sell Out!
Tickets now Sold Out!
The LiverpoolSound Concert, headlining Sir Paul Mccartney has sold, out reported the Culture Company days earlier. They're now selling an 'exclusive' range of official merchandise promoting the concert instead.
Those who can't afford a ticket will watch it from TV screens.
Paul McCartney returns to Liverpool for this once-in-a lifetime concert to celebrate the city's unrivalled status as the world capital of pop.
Appearing alongside Paul are The Kaiser Chiefs, Dave Grohl and The Zutons.
Raised on rock 'n' roll, rhythm and blues, and soul from across the Atlantic, Liverpool created an exciting new sound all of its own in the early 1960s. This will be the first and last global concert ever to be staged at Anfield before Liverpool Football Club moves to a new home.
Paul McCartney said: "I'm very excited about Liverpool being the European Capital of Culture in 2008. We have a fantastic series of events which are sure to get you excited too. I'm very proud of the city and I look forward to welcoming you all and showing you a good time. It's going to be a great year."
It's time for that famous Liverpool sound to get back to where it once belonged!
Can't make it to the gig?
Concert coverage begins on BBC Radio Merseyside from 5.00pm.
Highlights will be on BBC2 from 11.00pm until 12.30am
Gates open at 5.00pm and the concert finishes at 10.30pm.
PLEASE VISIT THE FAQ'S AND ON THE DAY PAGES FOR TICKETING, SECURITY AND TRANSPORT INFORMATION.
The LiverpoolSound Concert, headlining Sir Paul Mccartney has sold, out reported the Culture Company days earlier. They're now selling an 'exclusive' range of official merchandise promoting the concert instead.
Those who can't afford a ticket will watch it from TV screens.
Paul McCartney returns to Liverpool for this once-in-a lifetime concert to celebrate the city's unrivalled status as the world capital of pop.
Appearing alongside Paul are The Kaiser Chiefs, Dave Grohl and The Zutons.
Raised on rock 'n' roll, rhythm and blues, and soul from across the Atlantic, Liverpool created an exciting new sound all of its own in the early 1960s. This will be the first and last global concert ever to be staged at Anfield before Liverpool Football Club moves to a new home.
Paul McCartney said: "I'm very excited about Liverpool being the European Capital of Culture in 2008. We have a fantastic series of events which are sure to get you excited too. I'm very proud of the city and I look forward to welcoming you all and showing you a good time. It's going to be a great year."
It's time for that famous Liverpool sound to get back to where it once belonged!
Can't make it to the gig?
Concert coverage begins on BBC Radio Merseyside from 5.00pm.
Highlights will be on BBC2 from 11.00pm until 12.30am
Gates open at 5.00pm and the concert finishes at 10.30pm.
PLEASE VISIT THE FAQ'S AND ON THE DAY PAGES FOR TICKETING, SECURITY AND TRANSPORT INFORMATION.
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