Good afternoon! I hope you have all been coping with Blue Monday and the chilly weather we have been having.
If like me, you have had a busy weekend you may not have had the opportunity to see all of the ECHO's stories from over Saturday and Sunday. Luckily as weekend editor, I get to see nearly all the stories in advance so these are my top picks of stories you need to read from our coverage over the last two days.
From one of the city's favourite chicken shops to the crisis in our hospitals, we try to bring you a wide variety of stories each weekend. And if you ever have a suggestion for a story you would like to see on our website on a Saturday evening as you wait for your favourite takeaway, you can email me rebecca.koncienzcy@reachplc.com
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Open coffin lids at Liverpool Airport
I love our nostalgia team and we have been working together on a project called How It Used To Be. The aim of the series is to have a long read from a person about how life used to be 20, 30 or 40 years ago.
For me, it has been a real highlight in our weekend content and I love reading them. This week, Lee Grimsditch spoke to Brenden Liggett who has worked at Liverpool John Lennon Airport for 40 years.
He told Lee about how times have changed and the bizarre situation when he had to close a coffin lid that had come loose during a flight. Read the full story here. Lee also wrote about the rough pub that was known for 'mad fights' if that is more your thing. You can read that story here.
Hundreds unable to leave our hospitals - even though they are fit to do so
Our political editor and regeneration reporter came together to write their in depth report about the hidden problem in our already stretched NHS. Liam Thorp and Elliot Ryder wrote about the impact of the social care crisis and how it has hit hospitals.
With a lack of social care, it means patients who no longer need to be in hospital are unable to leave because they need a care plan in place (such as help with toileting or mobility). If that is not in place some people have had to stay in hospital more than 21 days.
As my colleagues point out in their story, this is particularly frustrating when you see the pictures from our A&E departments where patients are having to lie on the floor. You can read their full report here.
Inside Chicken Bazooka
Every night out in Liverpool should end with a good takeaway and Chicken Bazooka has been many peoples' end-of-night treat for years. Our reporter Charlottle Hadfield went to the famous chicken shop and spoke to the owner Nizar Al-Liabi about the shop's longevity and how people often come back and ask him if they remember them coming in as students. Read the full story here.
Finding graves of the past
We have covered stories like Barbara Wood-Spiers' before and unfortunately, I feel we will tell more in the future. Barbara came to the ECHO to ask for help in publicising her campaign to have a headstone added to a mass grave of 22 babies and children.
She told our reporter Olivia Williams about her quest to find the grave of her mother's brother, who had died in 1931, after just two days. Barbara told our reporter about how awful it was for her nan at the time and how little respect and support women of that time had when they lost a baby. Read about her story and fight to remember the other 21 children here.
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