Volunteers stage fun day for community

Volunteers organising an Easter family fun day are ‘fantastic’ examples of the Council’s Your Call campaign.

The Friends of Roe Lee Park are hosting a fun day at Roe Lee Park on Easter Sunday, March 31.
The event will feature a range of attractions including egg hunts, fairground rides, bouncy castles and a ‘Fun Bus’. 

There will also be market stalls and competitions to get involved in as well as demonstrations from Lancashire Fire and Rescue.

Volunteers at the event, which will run from 10am from 4pm, will be turning their hands to everything from face-painting to providing first-aid cover or advising visitors where to park.

Blackburn Foodbank will also be at the event and are appealing for visitors to bring donations, which will be distributed to families across the borough.

Jason Walker, from the Friends of Roe Lee Park, said:  “There’s going to be a great variety of events and activities going on throughout the day and we’re hoping to see a great turnout from everyone across the town.”

“With the Council having to make cut backs it’s important that communities step in to fill the gap.  When I was younger there were loads of events like this taking place and we all want our kids to grow up with these things too.”

Councillor Phil Riley, also a member of the group, said:  “The Easter Family fun day continues the long tradition of the volunteers of the Friends of Roe Lee Park in organising celebration events at various points in the year.”

“This builds previous fantastic events such as last year’s Winter Wonderland in which over 2,000 residents took part in various activities in the park.”

Councillor Kate Hollern, Leader of the Council, said:  “The Friends of Roe Lee Park are a fantastic example of our Your Call volunteers: residents who give up their free time purely to boost community spirit.”

“Your Call wants to celebrate these kinds of stories and to encourage more people in our borough to see the benefits of doing their bit.”

For more information or to book a stall contact Jason Walker on 07743 101 067, or find the Friends of Roe Lee Park on Facebook.

Are Your Children Safe in the Car?

Families in Blackburn with Darwen are invited to attend a free ‘Check it’ event taking place throughout the borough in February.  

The events aim to educate parents and families if the best and safest possible way for children to travel in a car.  

Although there has been a massive decrease in the number of children killed or injured on the roads in Blackburn with Darwen over the last ten years, over 20% of child casualties are caused by not being correctly belted or not using a car seat.  

Seatbelts are designed to protect adults so it is essential that children are fitted with the correct car seat to keep them safe during a collision.  

A child’s weight and height plays a part in what sort of car seat they should be using.

Research shows that 8 out of 10 child car seats are fitted incorrectly and would not protect a child during a collision. 

The events are taking place at children’s centres across the borough, at Tesco Superstore on February 26 from 10.30-2pm and at Mothercare on February 28 from 10.30-2pm. 

The month long campaign will also include roadside checks by Lancashire Constabulary’s Road Policing Team, where drivers will be stopped for not wearing seatbelts or carrying children without the correct restraint. 

Executive Member for Regeneration, Councillor Dave Harling said: “There is no point in having a safety seat if it is not going to protect your child if you have a crash.  I would strongly encourage anyone with children to attend one of these events to double check that you have got the right one and you are using it correctly.  We all need to do everything we can to keep children as safe as possible when travelling by car”.  

ROVERS MATCHDAY BLUES (£3.50 Return)

Blackburn Rovers V Bristol City

Sat 2^nd Feb Kick Off 3pm

A Rovers bus will leave Hollins Grove Con Club, Blackburn Road, Darwen, for Ewood an hour before kick-off.

SKY SPORTS AVAIL BEFORE AND AFTER GAME

£3.50 Return

EVERYONE WELCOME 

Customise Your Google Results

As part of our new website we are asking for people to email in with problems or questions related to using your computer or browsing the Internet.

In addition we will be posting some useful hints and tips to improve your experiences when using the Internet - be that by improving your search engine results by making it easier to find what you're looking for, tips for improving safety online or simply by helping to speed up your Internet connection with a few minor tweaks to improve speed.

Send your questions by email or you can reach us through Twitter @darwenonline.



Quick Tip

Narrow your searches by using Google Search Tools to filter results by time and location by clicking on "Search Tools" to bring up a new bar displaying options to specify the date the website was edited or to display UK sites only etc.

In the picture above we have searched for Darwen Jobs posted within the last 24 hours.

Have a Heart for National Heart Month

Blackburn with Darwen residents are being urged to paint their towns red during February to mark National Heart Month. National Heart Month is supported by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), which helps to organise events during the month to raise money for heart research and to increase awareness about heart health. As Blackburn and Darwen are British Heart Foundation ‘Heart Towns’, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and Care Trust Plus are also organising a number of events. On Friday, February 1, Council and Capita staff will take part in Rock up in Red day, which will see employees wear red to work and donate money to BHF. Also on the day staff at Waves and Darwen Leisure Centre will be challenging each other to a sponsored cycle race to see who can cycle the furthest. Visitors are invited to drop in and make a donation and to have a Free NHS Health Check, which will be available at both centres from 9.30am - 4.30pm. On Saturday February 2, shoppers in the Mall will be treated to a Flash Mob demonstration by DAPA (Dance and Performing Arts Academy) and Motivate, a sport and leisure group for people with disabilities. Volunteers will perform an awareness raising dance spectacle to the tune of BHF's theme 'Staying Alive'.   Other activities include Zumba taster sessions, soft tennis, badminton, NHS health checks as well as musical performances in Victoria Square. Shoppers will also be able to have a free NHS health check between 9.30am and 4.30pm.   Gym challenges are being run at all the borough’s leisure centres throughout the month. The sponsored challenges are open for anyone to take part and sponsor packs are available from the centres. Blackburn and Darwen were among the first fifty towns in the UK to become Heart Towns in a scheme run by BHF. The aim is to raise awareness of heart disease and sees residents offered a raft of support services including; schools initiatives, workplace health and health and lifestyle information resources. Councillor Mohammed Khan, Executive Member for Health and Adult Social Care, said: “When we signed up for Heart Town we were determined that we should make the most of working with the British Heart Foundation and to do as much as we could to raise awareness about heart disease. “This is an extremely important issue in Blackburn with Darwen, where it kills more than 250 people each year and is the biggest cause of inequalities in premature death and disability. “I hope that residents will get behind this initiative and come down to the events to lend their full support.” Dr Chris Clayton, Chief Clinical Officer of the Blackburn with Darwen Clinical Commissioning Board, said: “Heart disease is an issue which has a big impact on the lives of many people in this borough. “There are several factors, that can increase the risk of developing this condition including high blood pressure, smoking and blood cholesterol levels. “However, luckily it is something that diet and exercise in many cases can have an impact on and with simple life style changes we know these risks can be reduced.” Councillor Damian Talbot, Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Young People, said: “We have invested a lot into getting people active in this borough and have made huge strides in this area by boosting activity levels.  “The re:fresh programme has been a sustained campaign by the Council and Care Trust Plus to improve access to leisure facilities and to get people using them.  “However, we recognise there is still some way to go and I would urge people to take another look at the huge programme of activities including free leisure and specialised health trainers that we offer.” Barbara Dunn, BHF Fundraising Volunteer Manager in Blackburn, said: “It's fantastic that Blackburn with Darwen are organising so many events for "Rock up in Red" on February 1 and for the rest of National Heart Month." "We urge everyone to come along and join in, get a health check and pick up any free literature to help improve your heart health and also find out what being a Heart Town means to you." Anyone interested in volunteering for the Healthy Communities Partnership, or who would like to take part in Rock up in Red Day can contact Louise Jarrold on (01254) 694503 for fundraising resources such as t-shirts. For more information on free NHS Health Checks, or to book an appointment, please contact HealthRoutes on (01254) 682037

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.