Thursday 29 October 2009

Learning and having fun ... how good does it get!

The Central and Hindpool Junior Wardens have recently enrolled on the John Muir Award scheme (visit here http://www.jmt.org/jmaward-home.asp to learn more).

This is an environmentally based scheme where the young people need to discover, explore, conserve and share. The Junior Warden's work will be based around the Green Heart Den communty garden site (visit here http://greenheartden.blogspot.com/ to learn more).

You can visit our Flickr site to view photos of recent activity at http://www.flickr.com/photos/chnmt/sets/72157622689407638/

It's fun and we're all learning as we go along. What more could we want?

Wednesday 28 October 2009

Meet the team ...

From left to right;
Helen Wiggan, High Risk Advocate, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service
Paul Zaccarini, Neighbourhood Warden
Andy High, Senior Neighbourhood Warden
Rebecca Rawlings, Co-ordinator, Barrow Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership
Steve Robson, Neighbourhood Manager
Rebecca Allen, Administrator
Phil Robson, Neighbourhood Warden
Scott Quinn, Neighbourhood Warden
Dan Finalyson, Neighbourhood Warden

Tuesday 27 October 2009

FREE disco at Club M

If you're aged between 12 and 17 years old and want something to do this Saturday (31st October) get your FREE ticket to the 'Halloween Gathering'.

Tickets can be obtained from the Neighbourhood Management office on Dalton Rd - across from Connexions ... don't miss out get your ticket now.

What's on for Halloween? Lots on for Halloween!

A fancy dress Halloween disco for local children with additional needs at St Georges Hall Barrow 6:30pm - 8:00 pm. With the help of the Disability Association and local shops and businesses we have been able to provide a safe environment for disabled young people to enjoy themselves. Free refreshments and prizes will be available.

Family Halloween Party at Hindpool Community Centre on Nelson Street from 5pm- 9pm.

Halloween party at Ambrose Hotel on Duke Street from 7pm onwards.

A Halloween party at St Patricks Club on Barrow Island from7.30pm til 11pm. Kids games start at 8pm until 10pm and admission is £1.00 per person.

Fancy dress competition and games at Chandlers in Barrow from 6pm - 11pm. Kids’ games start at 6.30pm - 10pm. Tickets- £2.00 per child, Adults free! Free- hot dog, drink, sweets and gift with the ticket.

Police to plan Halloween operations to tackle anti-social behaviour

Barrow police will be working with partners and the local community to help ensure that the Halloween season goes ahead safely and people enjoy themselves responsibly.

Officers will be running extra high visibility patrols and operations throughout the next two weeks to deter anti-social incidents and ensure people behave responsibly.

Local officers will be teaming up with Trading Standards to target premises that sell age-restricted goods to underage customers and will be working closely with local retailers to reduce the possibility of criminal damage or anti-social behaviour.

Sergeant Mark Rawlinson from Barrow police said: “We want the local community to be able to enjoy Halloween safely and don’t want the irresponsible behaviour of a minority of people to spoil the time for others.

“We will deal with all instances of anti-social behaviour robustly and alongside extra patrols around the town, we will be out and about with Trading Standards to conduct spot checks of premises that sell fireworks and alcohol to ensure that sure age-restricted goods do not get into the hands of minors. Many of the local retailers have been very supportive so far and will be operating restrictions on the sale of eggs and flour to young people during Halloween.


“Community officers have also been conducting school visits to discuss the effects that anti-social behaviour has on the wider community at this time of year and have invited youngsters to a number of events that have been planned to provide them with a safe environment to enjoy themselves in which we hope will also reduce reports of anti-social behaviour.

“Recent community consultation shows youth disorder as a top priority for the Barrow area so as a result, our patrols will be increased with particular focus on hotspots on Central, Hindpool & Barrow Island and the Ormsgill estate so that people can confidently enjoy a safe and trouble free evening.”

Some of the events that have been arranged in the area include a free disco at Club M for 12-17 year olds from 7-10pm.

Stuart Bowes co-owner of One Leisure that runs Club M said “This is an inspired initiative that will benefit everyone from the young to the old at such a problematic time of year. It’s a privilege to work once again with Cumbria Constabulary on such a deserving cause and give something back to the Barrow-in-Furness community.”

Other events include in Barrow include:
A fancy dress Halloween disco for local children with additional needs at St Georges Hall Barrow 6:30pm - 8:00 pm. With the help of the Disability Association and local shops and businesses we have been able to provide a safe environment for disabled young people to enjoy themselves. Free refreshments and prizes will be available.

Family Halloween Party at Hindpool Community Centre on Nelson Street from 5pm- 9pm.

Halloween party at Ambrose Hotel on Duke Street from 7pm onwards

A Halloween party at St Patricks Club on Barrow Island from7.30pm til 11pm. Kids games start at 8pm until 10pm and admission is £1.00 per person

Fancy dress competition and games at Chandlers in Barrow from 6pm - 11pm. Kids’ games start at 6.30pm - 10pm. Tickets- £2.00 per child, Adults free! Free- hot dog, drink, sweets and gift with the ticket.

Share a Smile 2 - Love Barrow

Your next opportunity to share your smile will take place on the corner of Portland Walk, near the 'Spirit of Barrow' statue between 11am and 2pm on Wednesday 4th of November 2009.

So get yourself along there - share your smile and show the world how much you, like us, Love Barrow!

Thursday 22 October 2009

Parents and Carers Questionnaire

Cumbria Children’s Trust is currently in the process of developing the next 3 year Children and Young People’s Plan and as part of our consultation they have developed an online questionnaire for completion by parents and carers, which can be accessed by pasting this address into your internet browser.

https://www.secure1.cumbria.gov.uk/surveys/cumbria/ctparents2009.htm

The deadline for responses is 30 October 2009.

Young People's Questionnaire

Cumbria Children’s Trust is developing a 3 year Children and Young People’s Plan.

Below is the link to an online questionnaire for completion by young people aged 11 upwards, which can be accessed by pasting this address into your internet browser.

https://www.secure1.cumbria.gov.uk/surveys/cumbria/ctyoungpeople2009.htm

The deadline for responses is 30 October 2009

Wednesday 21 October 2009

Poorest communities remain forgotten post-recession: lessons need to be learnt

The first ever analysis of the impact of recession on local communities over the past 30 years, conducted by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), reveals that many deprived communities struggle before, during and after recessions, and even during periods of economic growth.

Released today (21 October 2009)
Communities in recession: the impact on deprived neighbourhoods draws on JRF's wealth of research on communities, as well as data on unemployment at neighbourhood level from 1985-2009 (www.nomisweb.co.uk). It illustrates how the poorest communities are worst affected by recession, and shows how they remain disadvantaged long after recessions have hit.

The report finds:
In recessions the number of unemployed people increases most in neighbourhoods where there are already high levels of unemployment.
Communities with high proportions of manufacturing workers and rented homes are hit hardest by recession - places with many public sector workers have been more resilient.
Unemployment may continue to rise one, two or more years after growth returns to the economy.
5% of deprived communities have remained in the top 10% for number of Job Seeker’s Allowance (JSA) claimants even during periods of growth.
The research also highlighted that neighbourhoods in the West Midlands and North of England have been hardest hit by the recession of 2008/2009, undermining the widespread belief that it was a 'white-collar' recession affecting Middle England.

Speaking about the report, Julia Unwin, Chief Executive of the JRF commented:
"Talk is already focusing on the UK's emergence from the current recession, but this report illustrates how the poorest communities struggle to recover from economic downturns even in periods of wider prosperity.
"We face tough decisions over the next few months. It is essential that these decisions do not further disadvantage the very poorest communities which have already suffered the most. We need to emerge from this recession with an economy that is both just and sustainable."

The report suggests ways in which local authorities, community and voluntary organisations can help maintain gains and 'recession-proof' the poorest communities.

Recommendations include:
Monitoring of job and service cuts for their impact on vulnerable groups and neighbourhoods.
Maintaining and expanding local jobs, employment and training advice and public transport information.
Creating more services for young people.
Increasing crime prevention activities.

To accompany this report, the JRF commissioned a journalist to describe the day-to-day reality of recession on four disadvantaged communities: Broad Green in Swindon, Gellideg in Merthyr Tydfil, Barkerend in Bradford and Hedworth in South Tyneside. You can read her reportage here.

Monday 19 October 2009

Junior Wardens taking part in their John Muir Award work at the Green Heart Den

Photos courtesy of Green Heart Den's Flickr site at www.flickr.com/photos/greenheartden

'Share a Smile' - Love Barrow

How does the saying go, ‘smile and the world smiles with you’? Well some agencies working in Barrow would like your help to put this to the test.

Workers from Barrow Borough Council and Cumbria Constabulary are working together on a project to record the smiling faces of local people. The ‘One Thousand Smiling Faces’ project will also involve local photographers, and father and daughter team, Steve and Rosie Hillman who have volunteered as official photographers for the scheme.

The original idea came after a local police officer, Inspector Geoff Steele, visited the US city of Chicago recently and saw a piece of public art depicting a sequence of smiling faces of Chicago residents.

Inspector Steele said “It just struck me as a really good idea and something we could easily copy in Barrow. Ours might not be as flashy as the Chicago version, but it’s worthwhile doing just the same. A smile’s a really simple way of showing how happy we are with where we live – and it’s a simple way of communicating with one another in a positive way. You never know this might encourage us all to do more of it.”

The team will be collecting photos of smiling faces over the coming weeks and it’s open to anyone who wants to take part. Collecting the smiling faces will kick off at the Market Hall entrance on Portland Walk between 10am and 2pm on Wednesday 21st of October. All people have to do is give permission for their photos to be used and then strike a pose.

The team intend to use the photographs of smiling faces on video screens, large scale projections and posters to promote the positive side of living in the town and to reinforce the Love Barrow message. One of the team behind the project, Rebecca Rawlings, said “As soon as Geoff told me about it I thought it was a great idea. The idea of giving the gift of a smile to show you Love Barrow is so simple yet really effective. We all know how lucky we are to live where we do and this is a nice way for us all to share in reminding ourselves of that.”

Supposedly it takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown so there’s no excuse for not getting involved and the team will also be visiting local schools, businesses and community groups. If you’re interested in them visiting your group or business then you can contact them through the Central and Hindpool Neighbourhood Management Team, 242/244 Dalton Rd,
neighbourhoodmgt@barrowbc.gov.uk or by ringing 01229 876546.

Free online walking guides go live

A series of online walking guides are now available to download thanks to a successful partnership between Cumbria County Council and a renowned guidebook author.
The County Council’s countryside access team has been working alongside Mark Richards to produce these guides –that are available for free on the council’s website –to highlight open access walks around the Geltsdale and Castle Carrock areas, between Carlisle and Brampton.
Mark Richards, a friend of the legendary walking guide author and artist Alfred Wainwright, has been producing guides for more than 35 years and his style, including his pen and ink drawings are influenced by Wainwright’s work.
Funding to create the download leaflets has been secured from Natural England who are promoting the wealth of recreational and natural health benefits that can be gained by people putting on their walking boots and making good use of open access land on their doorstep.
The detailed guides, featuring walks of differing lengths and challenges, have been produced in a clearly detailed and easy to follow format. They include maps and information about the history of the area and this is written in a humorous and user-friendly style.
The countryside access team worked with Mark on this project to promote and encourage a wide range of people to enjoy the great outdoors by visiting and walking on open access land. Making them available online as opposed to producing them in a leaflet format is an environmentally friendly option and allows people to download the guides as and when they are required.
The guides that are now online feature walks at Cold Fell, Talkin Fell, Geltsdale, Castle Carrock Fell and Thack Moor and Black Fell.
Geoff Fewkes, countryside ranger for Cumbria County Council said: "These guides will be very beneficial to walkers when they want to get out an about in this beautiful corner of Cumbria. They can be used by experienced walkers and novices alike and will hopefully encourage people to explore the area. I’m delighted we’ve been able to work with Mark on the guides –his experience and talent have been invaluable in pulling them together."
Danny Moores, delivery leader for access at Natural England said: "We are delighted to fund this series of first class walking guides working with Cumbria County Council. The guides will help and inspire people to get out-and-about and reap the benefits of the natural environment while visiting such scenic and special locations".
The guides can be downloaded from the open access pages within the countryside access menu at
www.cumbria.gov.uk/openaccesswalks

Halloween Party in Hindpool

Steps Incorporated Dance School
Invite you to their Party at
Hindpool Community Centre on 31st October

Skeletons, Pumpkins, Bats or anything
Fancy Dress – come along to our Party
5pm-9pm
Children 50p – Adults Free

Disco – Games – Hot Dogs – Burgers – Fancy Dress Prizes –
Face Paints and much more

The Toledo Mud Hens present ...

Click on the image below to enlarge

Thursday 8 October 2009

Puppetry and Theatre at Barrow Library

DNA Puppetry and Visual Theatre presents
Terry Jones Fairy Tales

At Barrow Library on Tuesday 27 October 11am
FREE for Families

Places are limited, so ask at Barrow Library for your family ticket or contact Erin Stockill on 01229 407369

FREE Street Soccer tournament - Town Hall

FREE three-a-side tournament on the Town Hall Square
Barrow AFC Community Initiative is arranging a 3 v 3 football tournament in Barrow Town Hall Square on Sunday 18th October.
The tournament will be open to squads of 5 players.

9-12 year olds 10am -1pm
13-16 year olds 2pm - 5pm

Winners receive entry fee and transport to a tournament in Bolton on October 30th

More details here soon but if you can't wait, please contact Craig Rutherford on 07816163346

PHX Jobs Fair

Click on the image to enlarge
Thursday 15 October 2009 - 2-6pm - 223-229 Rawlinson Street