Liverpool: England's pool of life

By EAMONN FITZGERALD

"Above us only sky" is the airport's slogan. Well, that's good to know, thinks the visitor, who wonders why the motto sounds like something from a familiar song. And then it comes to him: "Imagine there's no heaven. / It's easy if you try. / No hell below us; / Above us only sky."

Travellers using Liverpool John Lennon Airport are welcomed by a two-metre-high statue of the Beatle in the check-in area. "Above us only sky", that line from Lennon's song "Imagine", is painted on the roof directly over his head.

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It's also an opportunity for a city to rethink how it is doing things and perhaps even make some money. The Capital of Culture is not about the culture of capital; but the Liverpool Culture Company, which is organizing the event, believes that the title will add £100 million to north-west England's economy and attract an extra two million tourists to the city. The programme that Liverpool has prepared for them is impressive: Ringo Starr in January, Paul McCartney in June, Klimt at Tate Liverpool, Manet and Monet at The Walker Gallery, Sir Simon Rattle conducting the Berlin and Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestras, literature, football, theatre, the MTV Europe Music Awards in November... The list is long, and the Merseyside city is ready to party.