Two members of the John Mason team, Gill Allward and Mary Wright, took part in Liverpool’s ‘Under and Over the Mersey’ charity tunnel walk on Sunday 19^th July. Through sponsorship, they raised much needed funds for local charity Claire House, a children’s hospice in Wirral, Merseyside.

The event involved walking  3.24km  under the river Mersey through the Queensway Tunnel and then returning on one of the famous Mersey Ferries. On the day, there was a 1930s theme with optional fancy dress and each participant received a commemorative medal.  Gill notes that “the walk was very tough – especially the second half which was up hill.  Who would have thought that a Sunday afternoon walk through the Mersey tunnel could be so enjoyable yet leave you in so much pain! The thought that the money raised was going to such a good cause spurned us on to the end’’.

Over 15,000 people also took part in the event throughout the day which was organised by Merseytravel to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the opening of the Queensway Tunnel, which links Liverpool with Birkenhead. The event emulated the 1934 official opening of the tunnel by King George V when the tunnel was opened up to pedestrians for the first time and members of the public could donate 6d to charity to walk under the river.

When considering moving to Australia, it is worth looking into the safety of the area you are going to move to by looking at crime statistics.  According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Tasmania has the lowest crime rate out of all Australian states and is below average for all offence categories. The findings also show a recent noteworthy reduction in violent offences in the state including armed robberies and assault. These facts demonstrate that Tasmania’s anti-crime policies such as Project Meridian, which investigates and encourages the use of new technology to fight crime, are effective and have proved to be a rewarding investment.  The Tasmanian government are committed to retaining the title and therefore maintaining Tasmania as technically the safest place to relocate to in Australia.

Along with Marks and Spencer, John Mason are celebrating 125 years of excellence this year although unfortunately we can’t offer 1p moves! Started in 1884, originally as a coal delivery business, the company has grown from using a horse and cart to a large, state of the art removal fleet with extensive worldwide coverage.

John Mason International has always been proud of its Liverpool heritage.  Our head office remains in Liverpool and John Mason is often featured in  local history books such as Liverpool Memories. Our historical links with the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra are now a part of the city’s history and the John Mason original horse-drawn cart can be viewed in Liverpool World Museum in the Transport section.         

Despite being a large organisation, John Mason still retains the company culture of a traditional family business.  Many staff have been working with the company for over 20 years and in fact some current members of staff have relatives from previous generations who worked for John Mason. 

 From humble beginnings to one of the world leaders in International Moving, who knows what the future has in store for the company. Here’s to another 125 years!