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

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

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

New Blackburn with Darwen Urgent Care Pilot

An innovative new way of delivering urgent care is set to be piloted in East Lancashire.

The new way of working would find the GP out of hours service sharing a location with Urgent Care Centres at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT).

NHS Blackburn with Darwen Care Trust Plus and NHS East Lancashire have agreed to pilot the ‘one stop shop’ scheme where patients with even the most complex needs could be assessed and given the most appropriate care as quickly as possible.

The proposed pilot is currently being designed but could see patients who attend urgent care centres across East Lancashire for a variety of urgent conditions being seen by GPs as opposed to hospital based emergency department doctors.

It is hoped this way of working would reduce unnecessary waiting times and simplify access for people.

As part of the pilot, both primary care trusts have agreed not to tender the current Out of Hours services and will extend the contract of the current providers, East Lancashire Medical Services (ELMS).

The pcts were embarking on a tender process after advice from internal auditors which said that a locally led procurement would be better than one which may have been led by the new National Commissioning Board.

Graham Burgess, Chief Executive of Blackburn with Darwen Care Trust Plus, said: “We are delighted to work with ELMS on establishing this new model. We believe that the revised service will improve patient experience and deliver value for money.

“We have listened to the concerns of patients, GPs and other stakeholders about the original decision to tender the Out of Hours service and think we have come up with an acceptable solution that addresses all the issues.”

Russ McLean Chair of the Patient Voice Group said: “This is wonderful news. The patients of East Lancashire can be assured that their opinions have been listened to and the swell of support for their local service, in place since 1994, was recognised. This is a positive move for the health economy and we are delighted with the outcome. I would personally like to thank the many patients who have contacted me with messages of support.”

Dr Chris Clayton, chair of the Blackburn with Darwen Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “I feel this is a very important step forward. The new model, which is being designed with the help of local doctors should well improve patient care. We have been lobbying for this strongly and I am very pleased with the outcome. It gives us much faith and positivity in the process of clinically led commissioning."

Dr David White, lead GP for Burnley Clinical Commissioning Group and the PCT Clinical Lead for urgent care said: “This is an innovative approach, by co-locating and integrating urgent care services it will increase the range of clinical skills available to respond to the range of urgent care problems with which patients attend out of hours and the urgent care centre. It will also simplify and speed up access to urgent care which is something we know both patients and professionals have requested."

Blackburn with Darwen Council declares “We are ready” as temperatures start to plummet

Blackburn with Darwen Council is already planning ahead following two year’s unprecedented bad weather.

The first frost arrived today and many residents woke up to a blanket of white covering their cars.

The salt barn at the transport depot in Davyfield Road, Blackburn, is full in preparation for a potential third snowy winter.

The Council is also updating its facebook page BWD Winter throughout the season as usual.

It was launched last year and had 350,000 views throughout the winter period. The page is aimed at keeping residents and organisations informed if the weather turns bad again.

BWD Winter will be kept updated with all news and information relating to the weather including up to date forecasts, gritting, any school closures and bin collection arrangements throughout the winter months.

From October 1, the Council’s winter service continues 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until the last frosts of spring.

Dave Harling, Executive Member for Regeneration, said: “There is speculation as usual about whether we will have a third bad winter spell. We are ready if the snow returns.

“It is crucial that information is sent to residents as quickly as possible if the weather is as bad as last year and services are disrupted. We will be using all the normal channels including our facebook page which had 350,000 views during last year’s winter.

“It is the fastest way to get the information out to people and also a great opportunity for us to engage with our residents.”

Web relaunch for re:fresh

re:fresh has an exciting new website with a wealth of information including listings of leisure activities, community events and health and wellbeing information.

Since the launch of re:fresh in 2008, the scheme has been hugely successful across Blackburn with Darwen in encouraging people to get active and boost their health and wellbeing. 

The new site allows users to search by activity, venue, postcode and day so that you can easily find leisure activities to suit you. You can also register to receive regular e-newsletters to keep you updated on news, events and activities.

re:fresh offers access to a wide ranging programme of free leisure and physical activity. From high energy dance classes to gentle aerobics for the elderly and mums-to-be or team sports to bike rides in local parks, the new site lists them all.  

As well as all the latest news and activities from council run leisure services, the site will also show a whole host of activities taking place across the borough from other organisations, such as exercise classes held by charity groups and events hosted by independent sports clubs.

Local organisations and clubs that are holding health and wellbeing activities can also get in touch and promote their activities on the re:fresh website. 

Contact details and information on a wide range of other health and wellbeing services such as the falls prevention team, older people’s forum, health trainers and many more are available on the site. There are also tips on healthy eating and how to get active.

Councillor Damian Talbot, executive member for leisure and culture, said: “The new site is a brilliant one-stop-shop for leisure and health services and really shows the wealth of activities that we have in our borough. 

“We’re determined to get more people enjoying the benefits of physical activity and build on the successes we’ve already seen with re:fresh so far.”  

Visit the new site at: www.refreshbwd.com
To advertise your event, please contact: Beez.Information@blackburn.gov.uk .

Winter cemetery and crematorium closing times - Blackburn with Darwen

As of Sunday, October 16 cemeteries and crematoriums in Blackburn with Darwen will be closing earlier.

Darwen old and eastern cemetery will close at 4.30pm.

Blackburn cemetery on Whalley New Road will close at 5pm.

Pleasington crematorium, off Tower Road, will close at 5.30pm.

Young people help to open new Asda supermarket in Darwen

 

A new supermarket in Darwen officially opened its doors today, Monday, after undergoing a half a million pound conversion from a Netto store.

Young people from local community project, Reach Out Darwen, were officially asked to open the new store on School Street by manager Stephanie Davies.

Reach Out Darwen is run by environmental charity, Groundwork Pennine Lancashire. It delivers programmes and activities for young people to help their personal development and encourages them to work with other young people in the area to improve community life for residents.

As well as officially opening the new store, they were also the first customers to shop there, receiving a £50 gift card.

The new store will stock more than 10,000 grocery products, allowing customers to complete their weekly shop. The new store will join other supermarkets in the area including, Leyland, Morecambe and Chorley – a total of £2 million investment into Lancashire. It is part of the retail giant’s plan to have 250 Asda Supermarkets open by 2015, complementing its existing superstores and supercentres.

Store manager, Stephanie Davies, said:

“We’re delighted members from Reachout Darwen could join us at the opening of our new store as we wanted to involve members of the local community to help us celebrate its arrival.

“We hope to build upon partnerships within the area and support projects wherever we can.

“We’ve had a fantastic response so far to the new supermarkets we’ve converted as customers have been really impressed with our promise to charge the same prices in store as we do in other larger outlets, unlike rival retailers.”

Lesley Hall, project manager at Reach Out Darwen, added:

“It’s a real honour to be asked to open the new Asda in Darwen and the young people loved being the first to shop in the new store. We all think it’s a great addition to the area.

“We look forward to working in partnership with Asda in the future.”

More details about Asda Darwen can be found at www.asda.com/darwen

Get your health in check (Blackburn with Darwen)

People being urged to come along for a free health check in Blackburn with Darwen.

They are being offered at community venues by the Blackburn with Darwen Care Trust Plus.

Health checks include assessments of high cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

The checks are open to people who have a GP in Blackburn with Darwen and have not already been diagnosed with a heart disease, kidney disease or diabetes.

They can help pick up on any risks associated with conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and kidney disease, which can sometimes be prevented by improvements or alterations to lifestyles.

Anyone interested in having a health check should attend on the following dates or call 0800 917 6072 to book an appointment.

Blackburn College: Friday, September 30 (9am-4pm)

Blackburn Central Library: Friday, September 30 (9.30am-3pm)

Darwen Health Centre: Monday, October 3 (2pm-6pm)

Blakeys café/lounge: Tuesday, October 4 (10am-2pm)

Darwen Health Centre: Thursday, October 6 (2pm-5pm)

Darwen Leisure Centre: Friday, October 7 (4pm-8pm)

The BRIC/Blackburn Rovers: Sunday, October 9 (12pm-3pm)

Darwen Health Centre: Monday, October 10 (2pm-6pm)

Audley Sports Centre: Tuesday, October 11 (11am-3pm)

DW Sports: Wednesday, October 12 (9.30am-2.30pm)

Darwen Health Centre: Thursday, October 13 (2pm-5pm)

Waves Water Centre: Saturday, October 15 (10am-3pm)

Darwen Health Centre: Monday, October 17 (2pm-6pm)

DW Sports: Tuesday, October 18 (9.30am-2.30pm)

Darwen Health Centre: Thursday, October 20 (2pm-5pm)

Cares Services: Friday, October 21 (9.30am-4pm)

Darwen Health Centre: Monday, October 24 (2pm-6pm)

Darwen Leisure Centre: Tuesday, October 25 (4pm-8pm)

Waves Water Centre: Wednesday, October 26 (4pm-8pm)

Darwen Health Centre: Thursday, October 27 (2pm-5pm)

Waves Water Centre: Thursday, October 27 (4pm-8pm)

King George’s Hall: Friday, October 28 (9am-1pm)

Darwen Health Centre: Monday, October 31 (2pm-6pm)

A666 Road Improvement works in Darwen, Lancashire

Improvement works to the A666 Blackburn Road will start on Monday, September 12 2011.

The work, to replace the worn out surfacing between Earcroft Way and Hawkshaw Avenue, will take around six weeks to complete.

Temporary traffic lights will be in force and there will be some disruption. Motorists are advised to avoid the area if possible.

In order to minimise disruption when laying the final surface it will be necessary to close the road between Hollins Grove Street and Earcroft Way on the following Sundays: September 25, October 2, October 9, October 16, October 23 (provisional.)

When the road is closed a diversion route will be in place using Hollins Grove Street, Lower Eccleshill Road, Paul Rink Way and Earcroft Way.

Two Council employees will be cycling to work – on their day off

Kathryn Robinson and Rebecca Ashton will be cycling from Elswick to the Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Exchange building on Bank Holiday Monday, August 29.

Their 60 mile ride will cross the Fylde then through Longridge and Ribchester before arriving in Blackburn.

Kathryn and Rebecca are both educational psychologists and their sponsored cycle is in aid of Derian House, a hospice for children with terminal illness and life-limiting conditions.

Rebecca said: “We chose Derian House to raise money for as they support many of the children we work with in Blackburn with Darwen.

“Children's hospices receive very little Government funding, so Derian House relies on donations to keep them going.”

Kathryn and Rebecca both cycle for fun but this ride will be their biggest challenge yet as neither of them have cycled this far before.

Councillor Maureen Bateson, executive member for children’s services said: “It is always nice to hear of employees doing something positive for charity, especially for such a worthy cause.

“I wish Kathryn and Rebecca good luck and hope they reach their sponsorship target.”

If you would like to sponsor Kathryn and Rebecca then please visit:
http://www.justgiving.com/blackburncycletowork/

'Fantastic' GCSE results in Blackburn with Darwen

Students across Blackburn with Darwen are celebrating their GCSE results.

Early indications show that results have improved again in the borough - with several schools showing a big boost compared to previous years.

Blakewater College saw an amazing 11% rise in its results compared to 2010, and Pleckgate Mathematics and Computing College's GCSE results jumped by 10%.

Councillor Maureen Bateson, Blackburn with Darwen Council's executive member for children’s services, said the results were worth celebrating.

Cllr Bateson added: “These results are testament to the hard work and determination of our young people and their teachers in this borough and they have a right to be proud of themselves.
“Our schools have risen to the challenge of continuing improvement and in some cases exceptional improvement and that is something that really needs to be celebrated.
"The reputation of young people across the country has been damaged due to recent events - however, today has shown our young people have what it takes to fulfil their future hopes and aspirations."

Alan Chambers, head teacher at Blakewater College, said everyone at the school was "completely thrilled" with the results: "We are absolutely delighted with the results and I think it is a tribute to the hard work the staff and students have put in, and the support of the parents, governors and the local authority.

"I am thrilled that the students are really starting to believe they can achieve wonderful things and we have some particularly outstanding individual results. The maths results in particular were absolutely outstanding and we have really turned the results around in this area. We have far more of the higher grades this year than we have ever had in the past and this is a great stimulus for when we move into our fantastic new BSF school in 2012."

Robin Campbell, head teacher at Pleckgate, added that the GCSE results were a great start to a new era, as students and staff prepare to move into the very first BSF school in the borough next month: "I am both delighted and proud of this outstanding level of achievement as it demonstrates the commitment of both staff and pupils during an exceptionally busy year as we prepared for the new school," Mr Campbell said.

"Our aim has always been to ensure that the education of our pupils did not suffer during the BSF process and these results are testament to that. Within these results are some exceptional individual pupil results but the key message is one of overall pleasure that we have set such a superb foundation on which to build as we enter the new school."

Hollins Grove Con Club, Blackburn Rovers Bus

HOLLINS GROVE CON CLUB MATCHDAY BLUES

Rovers v Wolves Sat 13th Aug K.O. 3pm Ewood Park

A bus down to Rovers will leave Hollins Grove Conservative Club, Blackburn Road, Darwen an hour before kick of.

EVERYONE WELCOME

£3.50 return

Residents warned on Council tax scam

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council is warning residents about a new telephone scam involving Council tax refunds.

The Council has received a report from a resident saying they had received a call from a man with a foreign accent.

The resident was told as she had been a good council tax payer, she was entitled to a £2,000 refund.

Fortunately, she put the phone down after realising it was not a legitimate call and contacted the Police.

The Council is concerned that some ratepayers may be tempted to pass on their bank details if requested - this would risk their account being accessed and money removed by the scammers.

Councillor Andy Kay, Executive Member for Resources said: “This was a worrying exchange for the resident. I urge people to be vigilant. You should never give out your bank details not even your own bank will ask you for your pin number.”

“If you were entitled to a refund, you would receive an official letter from any proper organisation. You would not receive a phone call out of the blue. Please remember that If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.”

Council sells off surplus equipment to raise funds

In an effort to generate some money, the Council is selling off pieces of equipment that is no longer needed.

The items range from snow chains to large skips, from woodwork machinery to large planters.

As a result of losing £33m from its budget as part of the Government cuts, the Council is continually looking at new ways to raise money.

Council officers have been clearing out storerooms and all the surplus items are all being offered for sale.

They are no longer needed for a number of reasons including the fact the Council no longer provides a skip service or carries out large scale carpentry work for instance.

Councillor Faryad Hussain, Executive Member for Environmental Services and Sustainability, said: “In these tough economic times, we need to do what we can to raise money. These items are no longer needed and are all in a good or excellent condition. We have to work smarter and better with the limited budgets we have and this is a great way to raise money which can be then reinvested into services.”

For the full list of items and how to bid, log onto www.blackburn.gov.uk/equipmentsale

Blackburn with Darwen Football Festival

The best football festival in the North West is back is returning to Blackburn with Darwen this summer.

The two day event will be held over the August Bank Holiday Weekend, Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 and will see over 120 junior football teams compete in one of the largest football festivals in the country.

The festival will attract over 5,000 visitors, including Premier League scouts and well over 1,000 juniors competing to be the best in the North West.

More than 320 games will take place, both mini soccer and 11 aside and over 60 referees will control things on the field of play.

As well as all the action on the pitches, Blackburn Rovers coaching staff will be running taster sessions and a penalty shoot out challenge.

There will also be Water Walkers and the Army will be providing some action packed activities.

Tournament trophies will be presented the on the Sunday afternoon by the Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen Council, Councillor Karimeh Foster.

Councillor Damian Talbot, executive member for culture and leisure, said: “The football festival has grown year on year and has become a real highlight in the football calendar.

“I’d like to thank Forbes Solicitors for once again supporting the tournament; we couldn’t do it without them.”