Southport Visiter
Bizarre case of the town’s Sockmen
TWO men who asked people visiting venues in Southport to give them their socks were later jailed in one of the strangest crime cases in Merseyside history. Claiming to be collecting the socks for good causes, the men – Steven Bain and Steven Gawthrop...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Jail for man who stroked and kissed vulnerable woman
ASEX offender abused a severely disabled woman then “laughed at” her outside Farmfoods. Steven Yates callously targeted his victim while she was alone and vulnerable. Despite having issued cruel threats in a bid to keep his crimes under wraps, his...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Lifestyle section + 8 puzzle pages yourlifestyle
This is about people showing up for each other. It’s a love story
Read Full Story (Page 1)
PUZZLES PAGES INSIDE TODAY
one the same way you did when they were three. Even at 53, you still cast them as that annoying little three-year-old. “The film is saying, ‘Come on, you’ve already grown up. You have a heart that beats with the love I have for you. Make it beat for...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
We’re just dads keeping a promise
Sergio Aguiar (left) and David Stancombe were awarded the Helen Rollason Award at the BBC Sports Personality of
Read Full Story (Page 1)
INSIDE TODAY Your new look lifestyle section yourlifestyle
WHEN Sarah Greene first started co-hosting The Finish Line with Roman Kemp in 2023, she didn’t think so many people would fall in love with it. However viewers were quickly hooked on the show and its nailbiting finishes, as contestants race against...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Our bond that helps through heartbreak
Documentary reveals how families of attack victims are navigating their ordeal together
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Santa Sprint back for its 16th year
THE Santa Sprint is back this month with people invited to turn Southport into a sea of red while raising funds for Queenscourt Hospice. Silcock Leisure Group is pleased to once again be a sponsor for this iconic family event, for the 16th year in a...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Dancers have a ball Strictly-style to raise £47,000 for hospice
DANCERS dazzled and the fundraising was phenomenal as Strictly 2025 took place at the Prince Of Wales Hotel in Southport. Organised by Queenscourt Hospice, over £47,000 has already been raised, with members of the public still able to donate via the...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
FREE FAMILY SIzE BOTTLE OF COCA-COLA
AT I ITT’ ’SS PPAARRTTYY T TIME! I M E ! L I F E S T Y L E 0E6
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Girls’ families blame parents of killer for ‘allowing such evil’
THE family of one of the girls murdered by Axel Rudakubana have called for his parents to be “held to account” for their failures. Jenni and David Stancombe, whose seven-year-old daughter Elsie was one of three girls murdered in the dance party attack...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Spectacular sights at Day of the Dead festival
SOUTHPORT’S Day of the Dead festival returned with an evening filled with fire, rhythm and colour. The festival took over seaside town’s amusement park, Adventure Coast. Mexico’s Dia de los Muertos is a traditional holiday celebrated on the first two...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
DEFEND YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW.
Plans for licensed premises in your neighbourhood could be hidden from view if new government proposals for secret alcohol licensing notices get the green light. SCAN THIS QR CODE and complete the survey to #defendyourrighttoknow
Read Full Story (Page 1)
90mph driver caused £90k of damage to shelter
Harry Mason, 30, above, damaged a 120-year-old bandstand, inset, before his girlfriend’s car went in the Marine Lake,Southport
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Rudakubana told officers of stabbing wish
THE Southport killer told police officers he wanted to stab people and make poison after being found with a knife on a bus more than two years before the dance party attack. Axel Rudakubana went missing from his home when he was 15 with two Lancashire...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Actions were ‘challenging and strange’
APOLICE officer told his superior “nobody told me I would be dealing with terrorists” after school shooting-obsessed Axel Rudakubana attacked a child with a hockey stick. Lancashire Constabulary Police Constable Paul Harrison, who worked on the...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Downloaded images “grossly offensive”
THE Southport killer downloaded a large amount of anti-Islamic material that would be “grossly offensive to anybody of the Muslim faith”. The ongoing Southport Inquiry heard how police investigators found a disturbing litany of extreme material on the...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
‘No human being should ever witness what we did that day’
THE parents of Southport murder victim Elsie Dot Stancombe said “no human being should ever witness what we did that day”. Elsie’s mum Jenni, 36, choked back tears as she told a hushed Southport Inquiry that she wouldn’t go into details about what she...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Woman saw sex offender pestering her grandchildren
ANAN was horrified after discovering that a topless man who pestered her young grandchildren as they played outside her home was a convicted sex offender. A drunk and shirtless Raymond Beckett beckoned an eight-year-old girl to speak to him and told a...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Restaurant wants your help in bid for outside bar
THE owners of a muchloved restaurant said ‘we need your help’ as they ‘battle’ with Sefton Council over a planning application for an outside bar. Dolce Vita in Ainsdale village has built an external structure which is being used as an outside bar for...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Dad of seven who strangled partner sent to prison
‘Dangerous’ Craig Clack made the mother of his most recent child take lie detector tests to prove she hadn’t cheated. Victim says she hardly left the house and had not had a night out with friends in two years
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Sex offender head was ‘a specialist in safeguarding’
ADISGRACED headteacher who has been jailed for sexually assaulting three teenage girls at the school he ran previously worked at schools in Merseyside and was regarded as a safeguarding specialist. This week it was reported that former headteacher...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
‘A real change needs to come in order to prevent other families going through what my clients face’
THE families of three murdered schoolgirls have issued a statement following the most recent report into counter-terrorism policeled Prevent. Axel Rudakubana killed Alice Aguiar, nine; Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven; and six-year-old Bebe King, and...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
‘Our daughter was stabbed in the back by a coward’
THE dad of a nineyear-old girl who was stabbed three times in last year’s Southport attack said she still ‘bears the scars, both physically and emotionally.’ Last week’s Southport Inquiry hearing began with testimony from the father of a child...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Boy ‘who died out of nowhere’ was ‘kind and loving’
AYOUNG boy who told his parents he “had a cough” died “out of nowhere”. Tomas Remeikis, 12, who lived in Southport, fell ill on Monday, May 26. Tomas’ death has come as a huge shock to the family. He was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension as a...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Headteachers’ 15,000ft skydive for Elsie’s Story
TWO courageous headteachers in Southport have completed a 15,000ft skydive to raise thousands of pounds for the Elsie’s Story charity. Jennifer Sephton and Adrian Antell, headteachers of Farnborough Road Infants and Farnborough Road Juniors Schools...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
£10m for ‘a safe and joyful place for children’
PLANS for a new £10 million communal garden in Southport town centre have been announced following a meeting between the families of the three girls killed in Southport last year and Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The meeting, which took place in 10...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Parents seeking answers over police visit to peaceful protest at town hall
PARENTS in Sefton have demanded to know ‘who called the police on us?’ after a peaceful protest conducted outside Bootle Town Hall. The Voice of the Families (VotF) is a campaign group which says it aims to raise awareness about the plight of parents...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Mum cries as she is freed from jail for throwing knife at man
AMUM threw a knife at a man in the street after he “pinched her and asked her for sex”. Angelika Struckaja twice hurled the weapon at her drinking companion, striking him in the leg with the blade, as their illfated get together descended into...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
HELLO YELLOW
PEOPLE from Southport were joined by supporters from across the world as they wore yellow to honour Bebe’s Hive and World Bee Day. The Atkinson, Southport Town Hall and Bootle Town Hall were all lit yellow on Tuesday evening (20th May...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
And the winners of the Southport Stars Awards are...
THE winners have been revealed in the 2025 Your Southport Stars Awards. The glittering annual event, organised by Southport BID, is now in its fourth year. It was held at The Grand on Lord Street in Southport. More than 100 Southport town centre...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Family to take on marathon challenge
THE O’Malley family in Southport is running the Manchester Half Marathon on May 18 to raise money for the Walton Centre in memory of Bernard and Joan O’Malley. The couple, who were married for 65 years and founded Nationwide Produce, sadly died in...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Honouring inspirational people at awards night
INSPIRATIONAL people from across the borough were honoured at the 2025 Grand Pride of Sefton Awards. On an emotional and uplifting evening at The Grand in Southport, awards were presented to people and organisations who have contributed so much to...
Read Full Story (Page 3)
Schoolgirl rushed to intensive care after ‘bruise’ spot
ASCHOOLGIRL who went to bed like any normal night has since spent more than a week sedated in intensive care after waking up with a ‘bruise many parents wouldn’t suspect as unusual’. On Wednesday, April 10, Penelope Vidal-Walsh, from Southport, told...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Beach turned into ‘muddy expanse’ claims councillor
ABEACH has turned into a ‘grassinfested muddy expanse’, according to one local councillor, who has accused the local authority of ‘sticking their head in the sand’. Liberal Democrat Cllr John Pugh believes Southport is losing its beach and that the...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Historic pub set to be demolished
A158-YEAR-OLD former pub will be torn down and replaced with a Co-op convenience store after new plans were approved. The George pub is an historic building on the corner of Duke Street and Cemetery Road in Southport and has been subject to various...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Derelict holiday park one year after closure
EERIE footage of Southport’s derelict Pontins has emerged more than one year after it shut its doors for the last time. Speculation about the site’s future has grown since the holiday park’s shock closure in January 2024 with no concrete plans from...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
WITH VALID ON ALL RACING INCLUDING CHELTENHAM
18+ only. Terms and conditions apply
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Maximum 4.99% council tax hike given green light
AMAXIMUM Council Tax increase of nearly 5% has been agreed for the residents of Sefton. Sefton Council held a budget meeting at Bootle Town Hall where the cabinet voted through the 2025/26 revenue budget and decided on funding for day to day services...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
PLUS
We were always happy... what else could we have asked for? Parents of murdered Alice speak out for the first time since attack
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Watchdog finds lack of support for tragic Semina
MERSEYSIDE Police showed a lack of support for a 12-year-old who went on to take her own life, a police watchdog has found. Semina Halliwell overdosed on prescription medication in the early hours of June 9, 2021, before dying three days later in...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Housebuilder releases new properties
LEADING homebuilder David Wilson Homes has released a range of new properties at Pinewood Park development in Formby. The housebuilder currently has a range of three and four bedroom properties, ideal for new and growing families alike, as well as...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Warning over fake QR code sticker scam on Pay and Display parking machines
AN URGENT ‘scam alert’ has been issued to drivers in Southport and Crosby. Sefton Council sent the warning to drivers across the borough after being made aware of a pay and dsplay scam being used in areas such as Southport and Crosby. According to a...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
52 YEARS IN JAIL AT LEAST FOR A COWARD
Court artist Elizabeth Cook’s sketch of Southport stabbings Axel Rudakubana, 18, shouting from the dock and (below) of an empty chair in the dock as Mr Justice Goose speaks during the sentencing. Below right, dashcam footage of Rudakubana exiting the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Calls being made for a new respite care holiday centre
CALLS are being made to open a new respite care holiday centre in Southport after the shock closure of the Sandpipers Centre last year. Revitalise Respite Holidays, which provided breaks for disabled people and their carers at the Sandpipers Centre in...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Man, 52, facing murder charge after police probe
AMAN has been charged with murder after a pensioner was found dead inside a house in Southport. Merseyside Police were called to Braemar Avenue on Sunday, December 22 at around 11.50pm. It followed reports of concern for safety of a man at a house....
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Man found in street with head injury
A MAN was found with a head injury on a street after concerns were raised for his safety. Emergency services rushed to Nevill Street, close to Cable Street in Southport, following a call received at about 1.20am on Sunday, December 15. The call...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Amelia’s artwork raising vital funds in aid of Elsie’s Story
WHEN Elsie Dot Stancombe tragically lost her life in the Southport terror attack, close family friend Jess Mawdesley – who had also worked as a nurse in the aftermath of the horrific event – was aware her 10-year-old daughter Amelia was going to find...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Reminder to book your winter vaccinations
THE NHS in the North West is urging anyone still eligible for flu and Covid jabs to book an appointment and get potentially life-saving protection ahead of the festive season. As the huge effort to help avoid a ‘tripledemic’ this winter continues,...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Prison drug smuggler is locked away
ASOUTHPORT woman has been jailed for six years for her role in smuggling drugs into prison. Natalie Quinn conspired with convicted robber Mark Staniland, who was already behind bars, to smuggle drugs into HMP Nottingham. And it was also suspected...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Two more are charged after violent disorder
A TOTAL of 103 people have now been charged following the violent disorder which broke out across Liverpool and Southport. It comes after two more men were charged with violent disorder. Liam Lewis, 27, of Sandway Crescent, West Derby, was charged...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
100 people charged over violent disorder
ATOTAL of 100 people have now been charged following the violent disorder in Merseyside. It comes after three more people were arrested and subsequently charged with violent disorder. Violence originally broke out in Southport on July 30 when...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Community champ Sharon is on board with town BID role
ASOUTHPORT community champion who is renowned for rolling up her sleeves and getting things done has joined the board of directors of Southport BID. Sharon Gregory-Wareing has been the Community Champion at the Southport ASDA superstore at Central 12...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Beach closed as unexploded bomb blown up
POLICE cordoned off Ainsdale beach as an unexploded bomb was blown up and disposed of. The World War Two ordinance was found at a construction site in Bootle. Merseyside Police said it was called to North Atlantic Avenue in Bootle at around 10.15am...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
‘A MONTH TO SAVE CARE AND RESPITE CENTRE’
The Revitalise Sandpipers Centre in Southport
Read Full Story (Page 1)
RESPITE CENTRE MAKES FUNDING PLEA AS IT CLOSES
we have published anything that is factually inaccurate, please contact the editor via email: [email protected] or write to: Michael Green, Editor, Southport Visiter Series, PO Box 48, St Paul’s Square, Liverpool, L69 3EB and, once verified,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
24-hour football marathon
we have published anything that is factually inaccurate, please contact the editor via email: [email protected] or write to: Michael Green, Editor, Southport Visiter Series, PO Box 48, St Paul’s Square, Liverpool, L69 3EB and, once verified,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
8
we have published anything that is factually inaccurate, please contact the editor via email: [email protected] or write to: Michael Green, Editor, Southport Visiter Series, PO Box 48, St Paul’s Square, Liverpool, L69 3EB and, once verified,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)