"One guy from the Isle of Man asked for a haircut and said his four-week-old son was in the hospital having a heart operation," says Tony Moss in CJ's Barber Shop.
The barber, with neat, greying hair and glasses, speaks to the ECHO from his chair in CJ's, which has been on East Prescot Road for 20 years. It's a rainy Thursday morning and the shop is quiet. Tony occasionally glances towards the large television monitor on the wall showing Switzerland's World Cup match against Cameroon.
"We get a lot of people coming from the hospital while their kids are in having operations," he says. "The man who was in with his four-week-old then asked if there were any shops about. I directed him to the ones next door or further up the road. He said 'I won't tell the wife where I'm going,' as he left," adds Tony with a smile.
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The hospital is of course Alder Hey Children's Hospital - a permanent fixture on East Prescot Road and the surrounding Knotty Ash community for over a hundred years. Travelling down the major road, that connects Liverpool to Knowsley, it's hard for your eyes to not be drawn to the hulking building that houses one of the largest children's hospitals in the country.
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The hospital's grass-covered roof and yellow and red frontage makes a stark comparison to the rows of grey and brown shops and houses that line the two-and-a-half mile-long road. And the importance of the hospital in the surrounding community isn't to be underestimated either.
At the top of East Prescot Road, just past the junction with Queens Drive, sits the Hospice Africa Charity Shop. The charity was founded by Dr Anne Merriman in the early 90s here in Liverpool - and is funded by donations and sales from two shops. The shop on East Prescot Road is one of the best spots in the area to grab a bargain or to just drop in and have a chat.
This morning the two volunteers looking after the shop are sisters Theresa Breslin and Tricia McDonald, from Childwall and Anfield respectively. The two sisters have volunteered at the shop for over 15 years and have seen the road change around them in front of their eyes.
"We get a lot of people who come in if they have to wait a couple of hours while they've got children in Alder Hey," says Theresa, sipping from a mug of tea while Tricia serves a customer from behind the counter. "We get people from all over the country in - a lady from London comes a few times a year.
"We also have a few local people coming in a couple of times a week if they want a chat and some company. We're the only shop on this part of the road. But further up towards Old Swan there's rows of charity shops. Some people say the action is a little further up and the shops are dying here. But we get a lot of regulars and a steady flow of people."
If you travel east along the road and go past the sign telling you you've entered Knotty Ash you'll come across another little row of businesses. Sitting almost directly opposite the hospital, you'll find, amongst others, a bistro, cafe and hairdressers. In the Weight Loss Prep Kitchen, Leanne Moore busies herself in the small cooking area behind a beaded curtain.
The Weight Loss Prep Kitchen specialises in pasta boxes, healthy breakfasts, soups and salads. Emerging from the kitchen to speak with the ECHO, Leanne, from Stockbridge Village, says she's been in the building for around a year after previously working from home.
"I took over the space from a friend," says Leanne, wearing gym wear. "I worked at home for five years so a lot of my business comes from regulars getting deliveries. But I get a bit of business from Alder Hey as well - word has started getting around." Leanne points to a good sense of community on the road as one of its biggest selling points.
"Everyone around here is crazy, but nice crazy," she laughs. "We all know each other and there's a good sense of community. I know the people next door and above me and we all look after each other. The block here is very close so I imagine all the blocks of shops are the same."
The sense of community is one that continues to be mentioned to the ECHO by local shoppers. Harry Doyle is a councillor for Knotty Ash and Cabinet member for Culture and Visitor Economy. But the 26-year-old was also born and raised in the area and has recently bought his first house on East Prescot Road.
"It's strange, because East Prescot isn't a high street - it's not like Wavertree, says Cllr Doyle, standing outside the Church of the Holy Spirit at the Dovecot end of the road. "It's not a small road - it's a major thoroughfare into the city. It used to be the only main road into Liverpool, long before the M62.
"But there's a sense of unity. Both sides of the road have their own distinctive communities as well - they're very close knit. Of course the communities are still getting getting over the knock we had in August." Cllr Doyle is of course talking about the murder of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel.
The school girl was shot at her home on Kingsheath Avenue, just off East Prescot Road, in August this year. Olivia and her mum, Cheryl Korbel, were shot when a gunman chased convicted burglar Joseph Nee into their home. Thomas Cashman, of Grenadier Drive, West Derby, was charged with the murder of Olivia, the attempted murder of Cheryl and Nee, and two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. He will appear at Liverpool Crown Court on March 6 next year for a four-week trial.
In a vigil the week after Olivia's death, Fr Peter Smyth, of the Church of the Holy Spirit, said "the community I live in is decimated and devastated by the death of Olivia ". He added: "The feeling in the community is still one of devastation, shock and horror." Cllr Doyle admits the effects of the death of the schoolgirl are still felt along East Prescot Road, but the events "have solidified" the community.
The councillor, who has served Knotty Ash for four years, says the area around East Prescot Road "isn't asset rich" but people are "proud" of where they live. "I'm proud to live here - I've just bought my first house and wouldn't dream of buying anywhere else," he adds.
Cllr Doyle tells the ECHO due to the area being flanked by Knowsley it can sometimes be forgotten about in discussions about Liverpool. "We are literally on the edge of the city here," he says, waving at a local resident driving past. "As a councillor and someone who lives in the area it's important for me to get the message across that Liverpool doesn't end at the city centre. In the past the area has been slightly forgotten about, but I think we're starting to see a shift."
Undoubtedly one of the driving forces of the economy in the Knotty Ash and Dovecot communities is the hospital. Residents and business owners on East Prescot Road say without it they think the area would struggle. And Alder Hey Children's Hospital tells the ECHO the hospital is "extremely proud" to serve the local community.
" Alder Hey has been a member of the Knotty Ash community and of Liverpool for over 100 years," a spokesman for the hospital says. "We are extremely proud to hear that our presence has helped to support the local community because the support we receive from them is central to who we are and our achievements. We look forward to working in partnership with them in the years ahead."
Cllr Doyle also looks towards the future when discussing East Prescot Road and the surrounding communities. He speaks excitedly about plans currently in the pipeline to improve provisions for children in the area.
He tells the ECHO the area has "suffered a lot in the past decade from government cuts". But he adds, "it's definitely an area on the up, make no mistake".
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