Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Jobless in Rossendale and Darwen up 85% IN A YEAR.

Jake Berry, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for the Conservative Party in Rossendale and Darwen, today revealed figures showing unemployment in this area of East Lancashire has increased by 85% in the last year.

Jake commented, “We all know someone who is either being made redundant or is under threat. I have been involved in consultation processes twice in the last year. The increase in the number of unemployed is scary for all of us trying to manage our family budget. This has got to change. It’s time to ‘Get Britain Working’ again.”

Figures also showed that the jobless total had grown by 72% since 1997. Jake commented, “12 years of Gordon Brown’s Labour party has not cured our job crisis, it has made it worse. It’s time for real apprenticeships for young people and tax breaks for companies that create jobs. It’s time to “Get Britain Working” again.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Local schools’ recycling puts them top of the league!

Three local schools have been recognised by Blackburn with Darwen Council for their outstanding recycling achievements.

St Paul's Church of England Primary School, Hoddlesden, Blakewater College and Crosshill School, both on Shadsworth Road, Blackburn, came top of the Council’s recycling league for primary, secondary and special schools by recycling the most per pupil over the past year.

St Paul's managed to recycle 10.5 tonnes of paper; 145kg per pupil, Blakewater recycled 34 tonnes of paper; 57kg per pupil, while
Crosshill recycled 14 tonnes; 164kg per pupil.

And pupils from the three schools were honoured for their achievements at a special presentation of certificates with Blackburn with Darwen Mayor, Councillor James Hurst, on Tuesday, October 13.

The event was also an opportunity to launch 2009/10’s recycling league.

The scheme will be expanded this year to look at local schools’ environmental work in the community, how they are reducing their carbon footprint as well as their involvement in national schemes such as ‘healthy schools’ and ‘eco schools.’

Councillor Alan Cottam, executive member for regeneration and environment, said: “I’m delighted to see the schools’ fine efforts recognised this way. The league is a great way to encourage schools to recycle and think about the waste that they produce. Educating children on environmental issues gives them the opportunity to learn some important lessons.

“Over the next few months the Council will be providing local pupils with opportunities to learn about climate change in the 'trucking with climate change' roadshow and to learn about litter and recycling in the 'education for a greener future programme.”

Thursday, October 08, 2009

Lullabies of Darwen Market

Despite the tough economic times, business is booming at Darwen Market with four new traders recently taking up pitches.

One of those, Mick Taylor, recently moved his business, Lullabies of Darwen, from a shop location on Duckworth Street to a prime pitch on the market.

The nursery goods stall sells everything from pushchairs and cots to bottles, dummies and prams. They also offer free delivery.

Mick said: “We’ve been on Duckworth Street for the past two years but wanted to get into the town centre. It’s the first time we’ve been in a market environment and I’m really enjoying it so far. We’ve reduced our costs quite significantly and just generally it’s a cheaper, friendly and more viable location.”

Mick hatched the idea for Lullabies of Darwen upon his return to Darwen after 15 years of working in Worthing as an electrical wholesale manager.

He added: “I was doing well down there but not seeing much of my family, so I left my job, sold my house and moved back up here. When thinking about what to do next, we just looked at recession proof businesses and the baby market is an area that is still very much growing.”

For Mick, the move to Darwen Market is already proving a success.

He adds: “We weren’t getting a lot of passing trade before but now we do. We’ve obviously had people who used to come to the shop stick with us but mostly we’ve been noticing a lot of new faces. In our first two hours in the market we served more people than we would in a normal day.”

The shop also has a strong online presence. Mick adds: “We do a lot of business online. Some of the prams are very unique and difficult to get abroad so we end up selling a fair amount overseas as well.”

Located at the heart of the town, Darwen Market is a haven for businesses of all shapes and sizes.

The market boasts over 90 stalls under cover, offering an amazing variety of produce and specialist items. Parking is also free.

Visitors can expect to receive a warm and friendly welcome and an attentive and uniquely personal service from the stall holders, many of whom have long standing associations at the market; sometimes stretching back through generations.

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Electrical fault closes swimming pool

Daisyfield Swimming Pools have been closed following an electrical fault.

Engineers from United Utilities are working to fix the fault, which they expect to do by teatime today.

In the meantime, swimming sessions are cancelled. Therse are the Parent and Toddler session, and the 'Lengths Only' session, both of which had been due to start at noon today.

Anyone who is planning to come to one of the swimming lesson sessions this evening should call the centre on (01254) 277300 to check whether they are happening.

Do you think ‘something should be done’ to improve your area?

Do you want to see changes in your local community? Do you think ‘something should be done’ to improve your area?

If you do, then neighbourhood boards are how you can make your voice count.

Five neighbourhood boards covering the whole borough of Blackburn with Darwen were launched in November 08 to give local residents more say in how services are delivered in their community.

The boards have money to spend on local projects and initiatives and they make sure action is happening on neighbourhood priorities.

In just under a year the boards have made a massive difference to their communities, allocating funds to areas where they are most needed.

Each board has between 10 and 15 members and the Council is now looking for residents from the local community who may be interested in signing up to declare an interest. Could it be you?

“The neighbourhood boards are there to make sure local government really is meeting local needs,” said Councillor John Slater, executive member for neighbourhoods and customer service.

“We started off asking people about priorities in their area and used that feedback to draw up neighbourhood action plans. We then set up area agency partnerships (AAPs) made up of Council officers and representatives from our partner organisations to work on those plans and deliver changes.

“The boards have completed the picture, by keeping a strategic eye on how the AAPs are doing and what progress is being made on the action plans. The boards guide their work, discuss and decide on further local priorities and use their budgets for local initiatives and projects.

‘Neighbourhood Voices’ meetings have also taken place twice a year, giving residents the chance to comment on the boards’ plans and help decide what needs to be done over the next six months.

The neighbourhood boards are made up of people chosen from the local community, local councillors and the chair of the area agency partnership.

For more information or to register your interest in joining one of the neighbourhood boards contact Wendy Ruggieri on (01254) 588882 or email wendy.ruggieri@blackburn.gov.uk

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