Th e p ch a o p s er e n
God’s speed! Born to Religions to unite for faith fun run Page 12
perform
South African comedian Claudine Ullman Page 24
FREE WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR 31 August 2023
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13 Ellul 5783
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Issue No.1330
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@JewishNewsUK
Chief’s ten-ure!
Volunteers are the secret ingredient Behind the scenes at three food charities Page 27
Our toast to Ephraim Mirvis’ first decade in office P4-5
Flood fears ignored at spot where couple died
Liverpool residents had warned for years about ‘nightmare’ bridge where Philip and Elaine Marco perished in their car by Lee Harpin lee@jewishnews.co.uk @lmharpin
The car belonging to ‘devoted’ couple Philip and Elaine Marco
Tributes have been paid to a “devoted” couple who died when their car became trapped under a bridge on a flooded road in Liverpool, amid questions about why more hadn’t been done to make the route safer. Philip Marco, 77, and his wife Elaine, 75, were discovered by police in their vehicle after it was submerged in floodwater in the Mossley Hill area of the city last Saturday evening. The “kind and generous” couple
– who for many years ran the last kosher catering firm in Liverpool and had four children and 10 grandchildren – were pronounced dead after being taken to hospital. It has since emerged that residents had complaining for years after repeated problems with flooding in the same spot where the Marcos’ Mercedes Class 180 became trapped. Dame Louise Ellman, a former MP in nearby Liverpool Riverside, paid her own respects to the Marcos, who she described as a “charming couple” who were “well-respected and proud of their Jewish identity”. Ellman confirmed to Jewish News that she had heard about concerns
raised in the past at flooding on the stretch of road where the couple died. The former Labour Friends of Israel chair said: “It’s clear that this was not a new issue. It is terrible that it has caused a tragic loss of life.” Another resident, Jenna Serrano, told the Guardian newspaper: “It’s just awful what happened to that couple and the road is flooding all the time. It’s just a nightmare trying to get from A to B.” She said she had long feared that a tragedy could happen in the area, pointing to the poor lighting and sloping road, as well as the heavy rain Continued on page 6