Junior Wardens at Barrow Carnival

Central and Hindpool Junior Wardens joined in Barrow Carnival on Saturday helping out with the collecting and generally having a good time. Well done all involved! See more at www.flickr.com/photos/chnmt

'Summer in the Garden' at Green Heart Den

'Summer in the Garden' event at Green Heart Den Noon to 2.30pm, Saturday 3 July 2010.

AGM 7.30pm, Wednesday 7 July 2010 at Greengate Junior School.

Thought for the week

"Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well."    Vincent van Gogh

Take care of your possessions when out on nights out.

Barrow police investigating a spate of purse thefts are warning female clubbers to take care of their possessions when out on nights out in Barrow.

Officers have linked four recent thefts due to their similar nature and the fact that they have occurred in pubs and clubs in the town centre. The thefts took place between 12/06/10 and 20/06/10 and in all cases, the victims have been women who have had their mobile phones and purses taken out of their bags from button or open compartments.

PC Claire-Marie Axcell said; “We take incidents of this nature very seriously and would urge those on nights out to take care of their belongings. By taking simple precautions such as not leaving bags and mobiles unattended, making sure bags are fastened securely and not leaving valuable items on show can stop an opportunist thief from striking.

“We have launched an investigation and are looking for a man who was seen acting suspiciously in Club M on the night of 13 June 2010 in connection with these thefts. He is described as being under 6ft and was seen tugging a female’s bag when she was in the queue for the bar in Club M at around 2am. Did you or anyone you know see a male acting suspiciously?

“If you witnessed any of the thefts or have any information, please contact me at Barrow Police station on 0845 3300247.”

Charity Car Boot Sale

The Mayor of Barrow, Councillor Rory McClure, is holding a Charity Car Boot Sale on Sunday, 11th July commencing at 7.30 am on Market Street Car Park.

The cost per car is £5, which is payable on the day and spaces will be allocated on a first come first served basis. All booking fees are in aid of the Mayor's Charities.

If the weather is inclement, the boot sale will be postponed until the following Sunday.

Barrow Carnival Saturday 26 June

Barrow Carnival takes place in the town centre on Saturday 26th June and features The Barracudas, Dalton Town Band, Boom Dang, dance troupes, floats, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service and much more.

Dance troupes start outside the town hall at 9.30am, parade starts at 12 noon.

Don't miss it!

Re-imagining Barrow - A unique opportunity for young people aged 18-30 to make a real difference

Design Champions – an invitation

Free trips to great places, evenings of good food, drink and a chance to talk sense at least once a month with like-minded people; and all in Barrow! Interested, astonished even?

Well don’t be, Art Gene (who have been based in Barrow for 10 years) are leading a multi-disciplinary team of its associate artists, designers, engineers, architects and regeneration specialists from all over the world in 12 months of intensive design schemes aimed at improving the physical environment of Barrow and the Furness Peninsula.

Art Gene are seeking energetic, imaginative, aspirational young people living or working in Barrow (between the ages of 18 and 30) to get involved for 12 months and have their say about what kind of Barrow we want to build for the future. Absolutely no previous experience or knowledge of design is required.


This really is a unique offer, to form a fun social group for at least 12 months that can nevertheless make a real difference to the future of Barrow; without formalities but with plenty of common sense and a fair bit of energy. We have given this project the name Design Cafe, reflecting how relaxed we want it to be.

Up for it? Want to know more? Put 6pm-8pm, Monday 5th July in your diary and drop in to the Art Gene Gallery at the Nan Tait Centre, Abbey Road, Barrow. As you will probably be coming straight from work there will be good food and drink and an informal chat which may end up on the beach if weather permits.

You can help make 6pm-8pm, Monday 5th July a great social occasion by bringing friends along and spreading the word.

Please RSVP to Steve Harris by emailing artgenesteve@btconnect.com, txt or call me on 07946126412.

Campaign encourages residents to have their say on policing

Today see the announcement of the launch of a Cumbria Constabulary campaign to encourage more residents to speak out about policing issues in their neighbourhoods.

The eight week long initiative will form the second phase of the Constabulary’s confidence campaign (launched in February 2010) and aims to address the number one priority for police in Cumbria - tackling the issues that matter most to the people living in each community.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of ‘Safer, Stronger Community’ meetings and urge local residents who haven’t yet attended to go along and meet the policing team that looks after their area.

The meetings are held monthly and provide people with the opportunity to discuss policing issues in their community, see what police are doing to tackle these issues, find out about local crime figures and, crucially, vote on the issues they want local officers to tackle as a priority.

Assistant Chief Constable Jerry Graham said: “We have certain priorities that affect the whole of Cumbria, such as reducing crime and making the county’s roads safer, but the key to providing a quality policing service lies in identifying and solving those unique neighbourhood issues that have an impact on local people’s lives.

“You might be concerned about speeding outside a particular school, criminal damage in a local park or rowdy behaviour outside your house that keeps you and your neighbours awake at night. These are the issues that neighbourhood police officers want to resolve, so that we can make a real difference to the quality of life in communities across Cumbria.

“To achieve this and make a difference to your lives, we need the support of the community. We need you to attend our Safer Stronger Community meetings and speak to your neighbourhood police officers, to tell them about your issues and provide information that will help us identify those responsible.

“Last year we successfully worked alongside communities to reduce overall crime by 8.8 per cent – which meant that there were over 2700 less victims of crime in Cumbria. We want this success to continue and by getting more people involved with police through Safer Stronger Community Meetings, they will see the results for themselves and remain confident in the high standards of service we provide.”

The second arm of Cumbria Constabulary’s confidence campaign will see officers display posters and distribute postcards amongst communities to raise awareness of the Safer Stronger Community meetings taking place in each neighbourhood.

To find out when and where your local SSC meeting is taking place, contact your local neighbourhood policing team on 0845 33 00 247.

Don’t Kick Off this World Cup Season

As part of Cumbria Constabulary’s month-long World Cup policing campaign, officers will be out and about during England’s game against Slovenia on Wednesday.

Officers across Cumbria will be taking positive action to ensure that football fans enjoy the games in a safe environment, free from the fear of violence.

Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Jerry Graham said: “There have been a small number of isolated incidents of violence and disorder reported in town centres on match days, but the vast majority of fans have behaved well and enjoyed the football as it was meant be followed – with people getting together to socialise and share the highs and lows of the tournament.

“We want people to be able to come into Cumbria’s pubs and bars to enjoy the game in a safe environment, so I’d like to reassure fans and residents that we will be following the match with you, but will be taking swift and robust action to prevent and tackle violence and disorder.”

Police have been working closely with partner agencies to ensure that fans can enjoy the World Cup safely. The Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) has also worked with police to produce beer mats and posters as a stark reminder for anyone who is caught 'kicking off' during the campaign, which can be found in and around local pubs and bars.

As an added deterrent, officers will link in with Pubwatch schemes to ensure that anyone caught committing alcohol related offences are considered for a ban from local pubs and bars for extended periods of time. Officers will also continue to work with licensees to ensure that people who come into pubs and bars, who are already drunk, are not served any alcohol.

ACC Graham added: “While my officers will be taking a firm, fair and friendly approach – anyone who crosses the line will be dealt with robustly. Violence and disorder will not be tolerated in our towns and villages. Our communities deserve the very best and we will not allow a minority to spoil it for others; our warning to potential troublemakers is if you cause problems in our pubs and clubs you will be caught, you will be prosecuted and in many cases you will be banned.”

For more information about the World Cup anti-violence campaign, visit the website www.cumbria.police.uk

'Skate' at Barrow Park

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Cumbria Constabulary clamp down on drink and drug drivers

Officers from Cumbria Constabulary are warning drivers under the influence of drink and drugs that they will be targeted as they launch a drink drive campaign.

Research shows that people tend to increase their intake of alcohol in summer as people head to pubs and beer gardens to enjoy the light nights and warmer weather. This can then increase the temptation to drive while under the influence.

To tackle this, and to deter people from driving after they have consumed alcohol or drugs, officers will continue their zero-tolerance approach and will increase their use of breath tests and stop checks during a targeted campaign between June 18th and 30th.

During last year’s Summer Drink Drive Campaign, 63 individuals were arrested between June 1st and 30th, equating to 15 per week or more than two arrests per day.

Twenty of these resulted from breath tests administered following a road traffic collision and the remainder from police intervention.

Historically the most common time frame for alcohol related collisions throughout the summer period is between 8pm and 6am, especially on Saturday and Sunday.

Drink drive arrests peak between 8pm and 6am during the summer months, but in June 2009, police also recorded 11 “Morning After” arrests and 12 “after lunch” arrests, highlighting how long it takes for alcohol to leave the system, and dispelling the myth that motorists can safely get behind the wheel after drinking a glass of wine or pint of lager so long as they’ve eaten plenty of food at lunch time.

Chief Inspector Kevin Greenhow, who is responsible for Cumbria Constabulary’s Roads Policing Unit, said: “Throughout the summer months the incidents of drink driving increase as people go out to enjoy the weather and a few drinks.

“We are not trying to stop people enjoying themselves, we just want drivers to act responsibly.

“If you are going out, nominate a driver who agrees not to drink before you set off and always remember that if you’ve been drinking the previous night you are likely to be over the limit the following morning.

“We are also warning drivers about the consequences of getting caught over the prescribed limit. They will get convicted, will lose their license, and may then find themselves without a job, without an income and without their self respect.

“Drink and drug driving convictions stay on file for up to eleven years, so people need to be aware that there are long term consequences.”

Media Makers from Signal Films - get involved!

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Be a Star for a Day! - Signal Films great workshops.

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Thought for the week

“You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result.” Mahatma Gandhi

Police warn troublemakers that disorder will not be tolerated this World Cup

Cumbria Constabulary is urging football fans to enjoy the World Cup safely as they launch a month long campaign tackling drunken violence and anti-social behaviour this week.

Assistant Chief Constable Jerry Graham, in charge of the policing operation during the competition, said: “We want everyone to enjoy the World Cup safely so we are asking football fans to help us ensure this happens by drinking responsibly and steering clear of trouble.

“Nearly half of all violent incidents are alcohol related so, with numbers of football fans heading to our pubs to watch the matches expected to increase over the coming weeks, we have launched a campaign to remind people to keep hold of their senses.

“We will be taking a tough approach to disorder and running targeted high visibility patrols at key times throughout the competition to reassure local people and deal with disorder swiftly and robustly. We have increased officer numbers on match days to staff extra police foot patrols based around the pubs and clubs who will be dedicated to preventing disorder and helping ensure each match passes as safely as possible.

“Our warning to potential troublemakers is if you cause problems in our pubs and clubs you will be caught, you will be prosecuted and in many cases you will be banned. Our pubs are supporting this by displaying posters, beer mats and tent cards created by the Constabulary and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRP's), which will act as a stark reminder and a warning of the dangers associated with drunken violence and disorder.

“Over the last month we have been planning for the event with our partners in the CDRP's around the county to help ensure each match passes safely and enjoyably. As part of this our community safety and Neighbourhood Policing Teams have been working closely with licensees in pubs and clubs around the county to provide advice and support to help them get prepared. By taking some simple steps like; ensuring there are enough bar staff to manage the increased numbers, using plastic glasses, steering clear of drinks promotions and using registered doorstaff who are adequately prepared with high visibility clothing, licensees can help ensure everyone is able to enjoy a safe and disorder-free World Cup."

“I am confident that by working together and taking responsibility for our behaviour we can all help make this World Cup safe and enjoyable for all.”

FREE sports activities for all ages - Women and Girls

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Furness Academy Summer School

Furness Academy Summer School during July 2010.

For more information and how to book places download document here.