Five things that got people talking in Liverpool this week - witches, white Christmas and nurse strikes

In our weekly feature, LiverpoolWorld editor Dominic Raynor and video journalist Emily Bonner look back over the past week and pick out the stories have grabbed your attention.

The hospitals where NHS Nurses are set to go on strike

🏥 Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will be part of the mass walkout on December 15 and 20 in a dispute over pay and safe staffing levels. Staff from Alder Hey, The Women’s, Clatterbridge, The Walton Centre, Mersey Care, Liverpool Heart and Chest, Aintree, the Royal and Broadgreen will all take part in the first wave of industrial action. Full story here.

Merseyside Police launch prevention plan

🚨 At a launch in Huyton on Wednesday, Merseyside Police pledged their commitment to invest in the prevention of crime with new force teams. They say they’re looking to understand and address the root causes and the reasons why crimes happen. Full story here.

Will it be a white Christmas?

❄️ As temperatures in Liverpool and across the United Kingdom continue to plummet to wintery and chillier levels, all signs are beginning to point to a frosty festive season. As a result, hopes are rising that the city might finally see a white Christmas. Much to the disappointment of many, though, the Met Office’s first long-range weather forecast for Christmas has rubbished any chance of snow in 2022. So instead, Liverpool is set to bear the brunt of cold but dry conditions. Full story here.

Delamere Forest Light trail

💡A new route and light installations await festive visitors to Delamere Forest this winter. The family-friendly trail features the Christmas Cathedral, enabling guests to walk through a tunnel of more than 10,000 pea lights. The illuminated trail is open from now until Saturday, 31st December. Full story here.

Satanists, druids and witches but no Jedi

🧙‍♀️ There may no longer be any Jedi listed in Liverpool, according to the latest data released from the 2021 census, but there are certainly still some unusual beliefs in the city - from witchcraft to scientology and free thinkers to satanists. Christianity came out on top, with ‘No religion’ second but there are also plenty of people practising unusual religions in Liverpool, including; Witchcraft, Satanist and Wicca. Full story here.