Liverpool Unites
Liverpool Unites, the official charity of the Liverpool ECHO and Daily Post, is pleased to announce ACC Liverpool as its first corporate partner.
As an official partner of the charity, ACC Liverpool will provide its first class facilities at the ECHO Arena and BT Convention Centre for some of the major events Liverpool Unites has coming up in 2009, as well as encouraging its employees to engage in fundraising for the charity.
Liverpool Unites sampled the ECHO Arena's fantastic facilities first hand when the Liverpool Unites: Concert for Rhys was held there in August 2008. This hugely successful event raised over £50,000 for the charity when more than 8,000 people packed into the ECHO arena for the star-studded spectacular.
Sara Wilde, Managing Director of Trinity Mirror North West and Wales, and Patron of Liverpool Unites said 'We're delighted that ACC Liverpool has chosen Liverpool Unites to be its official charity. It’s great to have them on board and we look forward to a prosperous association with them which will raise significant funds for our charity to re-distribute to the community groups who are helping disadvantaged children and young people across Merseyside break the cycle of crime and poverty in our region.'
Bob Prattey, Chief Executive of ACC Liverpool, said 'Liverpool Unites is a tremendous charity that changes the lives of young people across Merseyside. It presents a vital channel for us to engage with young people and community groups and use our venue for maximum impact. We are delighted to be announced as the first corporate partner for the charity and look forward to the projects and initiatives that we will work on together.'
History
Liverpool Unites is the official charity of the Liverpool ECHO and the Liverpool Daily Post.
The charity began life as a campaign against guns and gun crime in the wake of the Rhys Jones tragedy and then, spurred on by ECHO readers, it became a charity, symbolised by the purple ribbon of the campaign (the purple itself combines the red and blue of the city’s two famous football clubs).
Liverpool is a unique city, the people of this region pull together like nowhere else in the world. When Rhys Jones died, the people demonstrated a spirit that forged them together and showed that we stand together in the face of adversity and negative national news coverage. Red and blue united for the greater good of the city. Liverpool Unites was formed to show that by uniting together we can achieve a brighter future.
The city's red and blue were combined into a rich purple colour, which is central to the campaign. People began wearing purple ribbons to show their support. Over 150,000 were distributed free of charge in a week and worn with pride. A further 100,000 ribbons were distributed to turn the city purple and ECHO readers jammed the switchboard to see how they could help and get involved. Some took it upon themselves to raise money and Liverpool Unites the charity was born, registered under Charities Trust (Registered charity no. 327489)
Liverpool Unites had a presence at the Merseyside Derby in October 2007, with six of Rhys Jones' friends attending the game courtesy of the Liverpool ECHO.
They wore Liverpool Unites T-shirts and displayed banners pitch-side during half time. With a red and blue standing ovation ringing in their ears, they stood as the players ran out for the second half with both clubs managers and coaching staff displaying their ribbons with pride. This achieved prominent coverage on national radio, Match of the Day and Sky Sports.
In August 2008 there was the Concert for Rhys at the Liverpool ECHO arena, where over 8,500 people came together to celebrate Rhys' life and to further spread the message that gun crime will not be tolerated on the streets of Merseyside. It was a fantastic night, with performers including Melanie C, Tony Christie, Barbara Dickson, Stan Boardman and many more. The night raised over £60,000 for Liverpool Unites, and was covered by Granada News, BBC News and the Liverpool ECHO and Daily Post.
The Run for Rhys family fun run was held in September 2008 in Croxteth Park. Over 650 people of all ages and abilities took part with over £20,000 raised in sponsorship money.
By the time of the Merseyside Derby on 27 September 2008, Liverpool Unites had a very strong presence. It announced that £100,000 had been raised for the Rhys Jones Memorial Fund and presented it to Rhys' parents. The Liverpool Unites mascot, Robbie the Ribbon, gave wristbands out to the crowd and 2000 purple balloons were released, each representing £50 raised. The events were featured on Sky Sports, BBC, and ITV.
Liverpool Unites continues to reach out and help more children and young people across Merseyside. We continue to raise money for the Rhys Jones Memorial Fund, but will also support other local charities and community groups that aim to positively engage children and young people by inspiring them to break the cycle of crime and poverty, giving them hope, purpose and ambition for a brighter future.
Liverpool Unites has a strong calendar of fundraising activity for 2009.
Look out for further information in the Liverpool Daily Post and ECHO, especially in the Liverpool ECHO every Tuesday for the Liverpool Unites column. You can also add our mascot Robbie Ribbon as a friend on Facebook and follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/robbieribbon.