Wallasey is in the north eastern corner of the Wirral and comprises the districts of Egremont, Liscard, New Brighton, Poulton, Seacombe and Wallasey Village.
The history of the area has been heavily influenced by its proximity to the river Mersey and the port of Liverpool. The trade from the Mersey led to the emergence of docks and with them industries and shipbuilding.
New Brighton became a popular tourist destination and several ferry ports enabled visitors to come across to Wallasey from Liverpool. However, after the war, fewer people visited New Brighton and the docks became less busy. The ferries became less popular with the birth of the railway tunnel and later the road tunnels under the Mersey.
As a consequence, the level of employment is low in large parts of Wallasey and poverty is a real issue.
The areas that we at Wake up Wallasey are particularly concerned about are the areas covered by the parishes of St. Paul's Seacombe, St. Luke's Poulton and St. Mary's Liscard. These three parishes are amongst the most deprived in the country (bottom 5%) with St. Paul's in Seacombe being in the bottom 1%. The map below shows the areas of deprivation, clearly showing the situation in these three parishes in Liscard and Seacombe.
Child poverty and working age poverty are particularly high in these areas. Life expectancy is low and healthy life expectancy far below the national average.
At Wake up Wallasey, we want to work with our local community to improve the lives of people living in these areas - physically, mentally and spiritually. We believe that faith in Jesus Christ can radically change lives but faith without action is of little value so we want to stand with our community, work with them and enable them to grow and develop by putting on activities, helping to start initiatives within the community and facilitating growth.
There are many things to be proud of in Wallasey, there is a great sense of community, the people are friendly and look out for one another and it's a happy place to live. The many volunteer organisations across Wallasey work together and support one another really well. It's an exciting time to be living in Wallasey.
There is major redevelopment work going on on the left bank of the Mersey and the area is set to be transformed to an internationally recognised destination. See Wirral Waters website for more details.
The Wirral Coastal Walk takes you from Seacombe to New Brighton with fantastic views across the Mersey. The area is very popular for anglers, joggers and cyclists. The Black Pearl pirate ship and Vale Park are great fun with fairy gardens and other amazing outdoor artwork. If you want to taste the best ice cream in the world then New Brighton is the place to be or for a bit of shopping or a cup of coffee in one of the lovely cafes then just head up to Wallasey Village.
And if you want to explore further afield then just step on the famous Mersey Ferry for a trip to Liverpool or explore some of the beautiful countryside of the Wirral.