Merseyside Police say they are ready for the "Memories of August 1914" events
Photograph by Patrick Trollope.

MERSEYSIDE Police are getting ready to welcome thousands of visitors to the City for the Memories of August 1914 event.

The event will see the return of the Little Girl Giant and Xolo the dog who were last in the City for the highly successful Sea Odyssey in 2012. This year they will be joined by a brand new Grandmother Giant who will be in the UK for the first time.

The spectacular started on Wednesday, 23 July 2014, when the Grandmother Giant has been 'lying in state' in St George's Hall for 2 days.  The Giants will start their route through the City on Friday, with the event culminating in them leaving along the River Mersey on Sunday lunchtime.

Chief Superintendent Jon Ward, Silver Commander for the event, said:- "Memories of August 1914 marks 100 years since the start of the First World War and is one of many huge events to be taking place in Merseyside this Summer. We are expecting thousands of both visitors and locals to be in the City for this spectacular event and I'd like to extend them a very warm welcome to what should be a great 5 days. Officers will be visible throughout the event to help make sure everyone enjoys it safely, but there are also some simple steps people can take to help protect themselves and their belongings:-

►  Please always follow all directions or instructions given by Police Officers and the event Safety Stewards and Volunteers.

►  Don't leave your property, including bags and mobile phones, unattended and keep valuables close at all times!

►  Keep wallets, purses and cash safe and out of sight.

►  keep children close by as there will be large crowds for the event.

►  Think about your journey into the City. The event will inevitably mean many roads are closed so you may want to think about public transport.

►  If you do drive to Liverpool, use a designated car park and don't leave any valuables on display."

Chief Superintendent Ward added:- "We will be on hand throughout the event to provide help, advice and reassurance and I would also ask that everyone works with the organisers to help things run as smoothly as possible. Lots of the people helping the organisers are volunteers who are giving up their time to make the Giants another big success and I would urge people to treat them accordingly. It promises to be a very special 5 days for the City and we are looking forward to playing our part in making it a memorable occasion. Merseyside has a long history of putting on big events and we have been working with Liverpool City Council and our other partners over a long period of time to make sure Memories of August 1914 is just as successful as the last time the Giants were in Liverpool. This is an opportunity for us to showcase our city and let the rest of the country and the world see what we already know - that Liverpool is a fantastic place to come and enjoy events like these."

People can go to the organiser's website, for more information about road closures and for more information about this event and other associated events that are taking place.

Thunder and Lightning
Photograph by Patrick Trollope.

DID you see the lightning and hear the thunder that was in and around Merseyside on 19 July 2014.  These photos were taken by our Editor at around 2 hours before sunrise, at 5:40am, showing one of the storms moving across the sky, over Southport.  If you did and also if you got any images, please do let us know and email us to:- news24@southportreporter.com.