Semi Permanent Make-up, Bolton, Lancashire

A new business called An Inkling Of Beauty Ltd has started providing semi-permanent make-up application in Bolton, Lancashire.

Business owner Ailsa Whiting would like to encourage people to LIKE their Facebook page here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/An-Inkling-of-Beauty-Ltd/ to keep informed of news & regular special offers.

Darwen car parks have reopened after floods

The majority of Darwen town centre car parks have now been re-opened following the recent floods.

Knott Street and Atlas Street are the only ones to remain closed because further investigation needs to be carried out into the culvert.

Councillor Dave Harling, Executive Member for Regeneration, said: “We have worked hard to get the town centre back to normal as soon as possible following the floods.

“We tried to keep as many open as possible. We carried out urgent inspections to check they were safe so they could be reopened. We hope the extension to free parking also helps traders and shoppers in the town.”

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council has also temporarily agreed to extend on-street parking and parking on the market roof top from one hour to three hours.

Restriction around disabled parking and those on yellow lines still apply.

Council advice as more flooding alerts are announced across Lancashire

Blackburn with Darwen Council is taking action to mitigate against any further floods later this week.

The Environment Agency has issued an Amber Alert from Thursday evening through to Saturday and is warning about the risk of localised flooding because of surface water and high river levels.

The Leader of the Council Kate Hollern says the Council is doing all it can to prepare and mitigate against any possible flooding later this week.

“Whilst we cannot prevent flooding, we are doing all we can to help residents and businesses in case of heavy rain again. We are giving out hundreds of sandbags to those in the worst affected areas and are carrying out inspections across the borough so that gullies, drains and man holes are clear. The ground is still saturated following the recent heavy rain so it is important we make sure that we are preparing as much as we can.”

The Environment Agency has issued an Amber Alert from Thursday evening through to Saturday and is warning about the risk of localised flooding because of surface water, high river levels and water running off the Moors.

The Council has:

• We distributed more 1,800 sandbags to known flood risk areas during the recent heavy rain
• We are again issuing sandbags to those areas which have been effected by the recent flooding including A666 Bolton Road in Darwen, Duckworth Street, Bowling Green Close, Junction Street and Grimshaw Street.
• We are currently inspecting and cleaning where necessary all gullies, drains and man holes across the borough
• We know the sources of much of the recent flooding and have been checking culverts are free from debris

The Council is also asking motorists to drive carefully on water logged roads. Further flooding was caused during the recent heavy rain by cars driving too fast and causing the water to rise over sand bags.

The Council will keep residents updated using its website and our BWD Winter facebook page. The footpath around the lake at Ashton Park has already been closed because of a potentially dangerous wall.

If residents are concerned flooding, they are being advised to move valuables, food and electrical to higher levels.

The Council is working with the Environment Agency who has a statutory duty to warn and prepare people for flooding. Please sign up the Environment Agency’s Flooding hotline if you are concerned – 0845 988 1188 or Typetalk 0845 602 6340.  

If you think your property is at serious risk of flooding, please call the Council’s hotline on (01254) 585921.

Advice to residents:

Check your insurance cover

• Check your buildings and contents insurance policy. Confirm you are covered for flooding. Find out if the policy replaces new for old, and if it has a limit on repairs.

Know how to turn off your gas, electricity and water mains supplies

• Ask your supplier how to do this. Mark taps or switches with stickers to help you remember.

Prepare a flood kit of essential items

• Copies of your home insurance documents. A torch with spare batteries.
• A wind-up or battery radio. Warm, waterproof clothing and blankets.
• Warm, waterproof clothing and blankets. A first aid kit and prescription medication. Bottled water and non-perishable foods.
• Baby food and baby care items. Keep your flood kit handy.

Start preparing today before a flood happens

Know who to contact and how

• Agree where you will go and how to contact each other. Keep a list with all your important contacts to hand.

Think about what you can move now

• Don't wait for a flood. Move items of personal value such as photo albums, family videos and treasured mementos to a safe place.

Think about what you would want to move to safety during a flood

• Outdoor pets; cars; furniture; electrical equipment.

Blackburn with Darwen residents star in new NHS YouTube video

Blackburn with Darwen residents are the stars of a new YouTube video telling people about changes to the NHS and what it means for local health services.


They helped to script and film the video, ‘Your NHS – in your words’, to try to explain the complex changes that are happening as a result of government reforms – and tell people about the opportunities to get involved.


The changes are happening nationally and the video describes the three new organisations or groups that have been set up in Blackburn with Darwen as a result:

• The new GP led Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which will be responsible for planning and buying health services and will take over from the Care Trust Plus from April 2013. Local residents will sit on the CCG Board.
• The Blackburn with Darwen Health and Wellbeing Board, where GPs, the Council and community will work together on health issues. Local residents will be involved and there will be a public questions session at the start of every meeting
• The creation of local Healthwatch, an independent consumer group where people can find out about health and social care services. Residents can join Healthwatch if they want to influence services.

The video can be viewed on the CCG’s newly launched website at www.bwdgpnet.org.uk. The website also includes information about the CCG and its members, links to practice websites and patient groups, as well as details of local health events and ways people can have their say about local health services. The CCG is also on Twitter - @BwDCCG  - and wants to hear from residents about their experiences of local health services.


The film features Brian Willliamson, a Blackburn resident, alongside the canal. Paula Blackburn was filmed talking about NHS changes at Shadsworth Leisure Centre. Zarka Khan and her son Hamza appear at Seventrees Children’s Centre and Rufus and Poppy Aindow were filmed in Belmont skate park. Pupils at St Francis Primary School also feature in the podcast.


Chair of the CCG, Dr Chris Clayton, said: “We spoke to local people and found out that although many had heard about NHS changes in the media, they didn’t know what this would mean for local services.


“We asked them to help us make a film so that they could describe the changes in their own words and also reassure people that they will still be able to visit their pharmacy, GP or hospital when they need to.


“We want to make sure local people are at the heart of everything we do because they use the services and are the real experts -  and this film is just the beginning.”

Marley Revisited, Darwen - 30th June

Re-live the legendary venue with original dj's Claudio Bellusci and Dale Jones 30th June The Belgrave Live Music Cafe Bar, Darwen


Special drinks offers on the night:-

Jager/Vodka/Glitter/Cherry/Skittle bombs - £3 each or 2 for £5
5 bottles of Bud/Becks/Corona/Resolution/Holsten Pils/Sol for only £12
2 bottles of Koppaberg/Magners/Crabbies for only £7

Car Boot Sale, Darwen THIS SUNDAY!

Blackburn with Darwen gets ready for a right royal knees up

Blackburn with Darwen Council is urging people to get their street party applications in by the end of the week to be in time to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee.


Residents have until Friday, May 25 to submit an application to close a road. The Council will waive any road closure fees on non classified roads.


Over the Jubilee weekend the borough is expected to come alive with street parties and events celebrating the Queen’s 60th year on the throne.


Only eight road closures have so far been put in place as the majority of party organisers are holding events at community venues or on open spaces.  


It is expected scores of street parties will take place with over 60 people attending the free street party workshops that were run by the Council, giving people guidance on anything from marketing to working with partners.
And funding for Jubilee events under the Council's Your Call scheme, which saw volunteers given grants for street parties were given to 26 community groups.


They include the Friends of Darwen Cemetery, the Residents of Sunnyhurst Association and the Cleaner, Greener Griffin Group.


Events taking place over the weekend include music and fairground rides in the town centre on Saturday, June 2, organised by the Royal Society of St George supported by the Council.


There will also be in Blackburn Market, a tea towel/bunting making workshop from midday until 3.30pm.
On Sunday, Blackburn will take part in the BIG Lunch, an annual celebration, which now in its fourth year is aimed at bringing communities together.


This year the event will be supported by the Council and Blackburn Cathedral and will have a Jubilee theme.
It will see the Cathedral grounds decorated with bunting, arts workshops taking place and a commemorative tree planting by the Royal Society of St George. 


In addition, town hall square will reflect the celebrations as the town hall is to be lit in the colours of the British flag over the weekend and the floral planting planned for the square will have a Jubilee theme. 
Executive member for Leisure and Culture, Councillor Damian Talbot, said: "We want as many people as possible to get involved with the Jubilee and are doing everything we can to support the events that are taking place as well as holding some of our own.


"It's a fantastic opportunity to encourage community spirit by people coming together meeting neighbours they've not met before or finding out about community groups they could join and of course enjoy a day to remember."


For more information visit www.blackburn.gov.uk/diamondjubilee

View Old Maps Of Darwen Online

If you've ever wondered what Darwen looked like in the 1800's etc you should check out Old Maps Online where you can browse maps of Darwen an d surrounding areas over the last millennium!

As you explore different areas of the UK different map results corresponding to the area you're hovering over will appear making the site very easy to use. Interesting to view old maps of Darwen online.

Online Storage by Google Drive

Looking for somewhere to store your files online? Perhaps you've heard of services like Dropbox before?

Well the good news (especially for people who like Google "products") is that they now offer 5GB of free space to store your precious files online.

Maybe you already use Google Docs for composing and storing word processor documents etc but with Google Drive's new tools you'll be able to store a range of different files online.

Why not give it a try? Google Drive

Darwen Railway Station nears completion

Commuters can look forward to using the improved facilities at Darwen Railway station as work draws to a close.

The £400k project has seen fencing repaired and repainted, new shelters for passengers, new signs, a customer information system put in including a public announcement system and ticket machines.

Platforms have been resurfaced and tactile paving has been installed to help visually impaired customers.

The main construction work will soon be completed with a new CCTV system and state of the art customer information screens and train announcement system ithe last items to be installed.

Throughout the project night time working has been kept to a minimum to reduce disruption to residents and the station has remained open throughout avoiding disruption to rail travellers and reducing the costs of the works.

The station sees over 260,000 passengers use it every year.

Building on the improvements at the station the Council is also working with Network Rail to deliver the necessary infrastructure improvements to make services to Manchester more frequent.

The improvements are being funded through the National Station Improvement Programme matched by £200,000 from the Council.

Councillor Dave Harling, Executive Member for Regeneration, said the work was an important part of encouraging more residents to use public transport.

"For people to use public transport, which everyone agrees is better for a more sustainable future, we need to make it more attractive and more efficient for travellers.

“We have worked closely with Northern Rail to see this project completed with as little disruption to residents and to travellers as possible."

Darwen could be transformed in Mary Portas project

Darwen could become one of 12 towns transformed under recommendations from retail expert Mary Portas:
Read full story

Be on guard for fraudsters claiming to work for Microsoft - scam

Computer owners in Blackburn with Darwen are being warned to be on their guard about fraudsters claiming to work for Microsoft.

Consumer protection officials at Blackburn with Darwen Council, say they’ve received several reports of people being targeted by the gang under the guise of fixing problems with the computer.

The crooks encourage the owner to log on to the machine in a bid to steal financial and personal information as well as trying to charge for their services.

Pensioner Jean Murdey, 83, from Darwen, almost fell for the scam and now wants others to be on their guard.

“I got a call from someone calling himself Andrew from what sounded like a call centre. He said he was from Microsoft’s technical department and they had been looking into my computer and I had a problem,” said Jean

“I didn’t think he was a fraudster so I went on the computer and he had me pressing keys and he got remote control of it. I started to get suspicious and asked him how much it would cost and he was very non committal about it but eventually said £89.

“Luckily my daughter walked in and asked for his name, number and who he worked for. He gave an 0891 number, which is a premium number and said technical support so she told him we’d get back to him and put the phone down.

“A friend had a look at the computer and it wouldn’t even let him do system restore. I’ve had to take it back to the shop and have it wiped and everything reinstalled and they said several people had had similar calls. Luckily I don’t do internet banking and hadn’t used my credit card online. The shop only charged me £10 to sort it out but that’s £10 I didn’t want to spend.”

Councillor Yusuf Jan-Virmani, executive member for neighbourhoods and customer service, urged people to be on their guard.

“Microsoft state clearly on their website that they do not make technical support calls. If you receive a call from someone claiming to work for them, or any other major name company and have any suspicions at all, just hang up. Never, ever share personal or financial or login information with anyone you don’t know,” he said.

In June last year Microsoft released details of an international survey about technical support scams carried out among 7,000 computer users in the UK, Ireland, the US and Canada. Fifteen per cent of them had received a scam call and 79 per cent of those suffered some financial loss, ranging from under $100 to over $1000.

Microsoft advises anyone who thinks they have already been a victim of such a scam to change passwords on their computer, main email account and any financial accounts, run a security scan to find out if malware has been installed and contact their banks and credit card companies.

And the National Fraud Authority would like to hear from anyone who has been targeted for intelligence purposes. You can report it at their website www.fraudaction.org or by calling 0300 123 2040.

Booklovers, digital champions and historians wanted

If you love books, computers or local history, Blackburn with Darwen Council would love to read all about you.

The call has gone out for new people to join the existing band of dedicated volunteers who deliver books to housebound customers and support local libraries.

It’s part of the Council’s new Your Call campaign offering residents opportunities to make a real difference in their community.

Helpers are needed for at least half a day every two weeks to deliver and collect library books to and from housebound readers. You need to have your own car with suitable insurance and enjoy spending some time with the people you visit, talking about and promoting books and library services and feeding back any requests. You should also be willing to forward any customer queries on to other Council services.

If you have IT skills, then you can become a digital champion, supporting people who may never have used a computer before and need a little help in taking their first steps.

Volunteers with an interest in the past are also needed to help in the community history department. The library is constantly looking for new ways to document the changing face of the borough and opportunities range from writing articles, taking photographs, and using computers to helping to create databases for the Cotton Town website and helping customers with their personal research.

And if you’d like to help out with events in libraries, from children’s holiday events to our programme of famous authors, there are always opportunities to be involved.

To find out more, call (01254) 661221, email library@blackburn.gov.uk or drop in to any Blackburn with Darwen central library and ask about volunteering opportunities.

CHARITY MOTOWN & NORTHERN SOUL NIGHT, Darwen

HELP FOR HEROES VALENTINE’S

CHARITY MOTOWN & NORTHERN SOUL NIGHT

Featuring DJ LESTER

Sat 11th February at Hollins Grove Con Club Blackburn Road Darwen

Tickets £5 each Starts @ 8pm

In Aid of HELP for HEROES

Pay on the Door or Contact Vince for details on 07970958275

Make a splash with charity swims

Keen swimmers are being offered two chances to take the plunge and raise charity cash – and you could get free entry before the end of January.

Daisyfield Pools, Blackburn is hosting its annual Swimathon which raises money for Marie Curie Cancer Care and the Sport Relief mile and offering free registration for the first 10,000 entries before the end of January.

Anyone wanting to take part in the Swimathon can set a personal challenge of completing the individual 2.5K or 5k or join up with family, friends and colleagues and take on the team 5k.

And for Sport Relief, you can swim an individual or team mile to raise funds for Comic Relief to help people living incredibly tough lives, both at home in the UK and across the world's poorest countries.

The event will be on Thursday, April 26 from 6.30pm until 10.30pm or Saturday April 28 from 3.30pm until 7.30pm.

For more information, contact Daisyfield Pools on (01254) 277300 or enter online at: www.swimathon.org

Save The Rovers - Online Petition Against The Demonstrations At Ewood Park

An online petition has been started by a Darwen resident called SAVE THE ROVERS.  


The lifelong Blackburn fan, 59, who wishes to remain anonymous started the petition because, like many, he believes the demonstrations aren't achieving anything other than damaging the vital home performances of the club. 


Yes, things need to change down at Ewood Park, but first and foremost he believes supporters should show their support for the players and encourage them to start picking up points at home.


Rovers surprised everyone by picking up rare points at Old Trafford and Anfield, however, they failed to pick any points up in the matches against Stoke and Bolton while playing in front of home fans.


"We all know that behinds the scenes at Rovers is a disaster, but it now clear that the demonstrations have failed miserably to bring about any change and are now damaging the club and affecting performances."


"Nothing is more important than avoiding relegation, if stopping the demonstrations will help Rovers to avoid relegation, however unlikely that may be, then people have to sign this petition." 


He hopes fans, players and staff can all pull together to achieve survival by making Ewood Park a feared place for opposition to come. At the moment, it seems that teams are looking forward to the fixture knowing that the home team will be nervous and under pressure from fans prior to Kick-Off to the final whistle.


Sign the petition at http://www.savetherovers.co.uk