Never mind the drizzle — according to the Birkenhead pagans, summer’s here

‘We find that organised religion just doesn’t fulfil people’s requirements anymore’

Dear members — the future is Birkenhead, you may have heard many times. The Wirral town is on the up. But what if the past (the ancient past, that is) was also Birkenhead? Armed with a knife, crystals, a wooden staff and a black fire pit, every year people gather here to celebrate the ancient festival of May Day. We sent Ophira along to meet Wayne the Druid and find out why Paganism is on the rise in the UK. “People are getting tired of dogma,” Wayne explains…

But first, your Post briefing, including an impressive ranking for Liverpool City Council in the Sunday Times’ annual ranking of UK councils (317th out of 318).