Meet the Lancaster business keeping people safe at the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool this week

FGH Security were awarded the Eurovision 2023 Security and Stewarding contract with Culture Liverpool and Liverpool City Council.

Throughout May, FGH, who are based at White Cross, are keeping people safe across the whole of Liverpool, at destinations such as the Euro Village at the Pier Head, Euro Camp at Chavasse Park and Euro Festival - which is showcasing 24 commisions across the city, 19 of which are collaborative between UK and Ukrainian artists.

Members of the team were also at St George's Hall in the city for the 'Turquoise Carpet' reception for the contest, which is being held in the UK for the first time in 25 years.

The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the biggest TV events in the world, with estimates that more than 200m people will watch the final this year, which is taking place in the Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena on Saturday May 13.

The first semi-final was held on Tuesday evening, with the second to be held on Thursday May 11.

Commenting on the contract award, FGH Security operations director Ben Knott said: "We are absolutely thrilled to be involved with Eurovision 2023.

"Liverpool is a major part of our operations and has been for many years. This global event will bring thousands of visitors to the region and we understand the importance of delivering a safe event.

"Our focus is to ensure that every visitor has a safe and enjoyable experience and we are working hard to achieve this with our colleagues at Culture Liverpool, Merseyside Police and the BBC.”

The 2023 Eurovision Song Contest is being held in Liverpool after Ukraine was unable to host the event due to the ongoing war. Ukraine won the 2022 contest, but the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) decided it would be too dangerous to hold the event in the country this year.

Liverpool was chosen as the host city after a bidding process involving several other cities in the UK

Since 2017, FGH have worked with the Culture Liverpool team at many of their major events such as The Giants, the visit of the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales and the 2019 and 2022 Liverpoool Football Club victory parades.