As someone proud to have been born and bred in Liverpool, I am absolutely delighted that 2008 will see Liverpool as the European Capital of Culture.
It will provide the city and Merseyside with a vital opportunity to showcase its many qualities, attractions and potential to a national and international audience. It should also give further encouragement to the many new businesses being set up throughout Merseyside.
Setting out in a new direction is a major step for anyone. It needs imagination, determination, and enthusiasm.
But it can seem an almost insurmountable challenge if your life has been shattered by family breakdown, illness or addiction. For too many people, such problems can lead to losing their job, to homelessness and despair. But that is not how they want to be live. 'I want to work and belong,' said one man. 'I want my self-respect back. I don't want to queue for hand-outs.'
Helping this group achieve their ambitions is the goal of the Emmaus Community on Merseyside. Each Emmaus Community – there are already 11 in the UK – has its own business: all residents are involved, generating revenue to support themselves and others.
As a patron of Emmaus on Merseyside, I am delighted that the publishers and sponsors of this book, which will encourage and help people start their own businesses, have decided to support the Community. The patronage and support of Merseyside's small and medium sized businesses sector, a group which has faced and overcome the challenges of starting afresh, will give invaluable help to others to take their first steps towards this goal.
– Cherie Booth, QC
March 2005