River Cottage comes to Leigh
Hugh gets his hands dirty helping out at the community allotment in Leigh.
A community allotment on Melrose Avenue, Leigh, has been hailed by TV food guru Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall as a great idea to help local youngsters appreciate the importance of healthy eating.
The popular presenter was so impressed with the scheme – which was set up to get young people interested in growing fruit and vegetables – that he filmed the venture for his River Cottage TV programme.
The allotment is a partnership between the council, the police and tenants and residents. It gives young people a worthwhile activity to get involved in and has made a real difference to community spirit.
Leigh West’s local councillors helped to pay for the work with their Brighter Borough funds.
Station Masters
Guests at the opening are serenaded by Atherton pupils who took part in the project.
Commuters using Atherton Station are being treated to an artistic display of local history, thanks to local schoolchildren.
Works by pupils in the ten primary schools which form the Athos group in Atherton and Leigh have been given a permanent home on a set of illustrated panels along the steps to the platform.
The colourful and thought-provoking designs reflect the history and culture of Atherton and Leigh through the eyes of the youngsters themselves on the theme of “Pride in our past, embracing our future”.
One of the organisers, Sharon Sanderson, head of Chowbent Primary, says: “We’ve been thrilled by the interest the children have shown in the visual media. Their work has been highly creative and really popular, and we have all learned a lot together. And now everyone can share in it as they commute.”
There’s a video of the opening event on the council’s YouTube site.
Aughton Street basks in limelight
State-of-the-art LED street lights at Aughton Street, Hindley, are now being trialled in other parts of the borough.
Residents of a Hindley street are glowing with satisfaction after cutting-edge new street lighting brought them out of the shadows.
Folk living on Aughton Street are now basking in the limelight after the council pulled the plug on their tired old yellow street lamps and replaced them with state-of-the-art LED ones as part of a trial.
The new white lights make it easier to see and be seen on the street at night and nine out of ten residents say they are a big improvement, making them feel safer.
The new lights not only provide high quality lighting performance– they’re also greener and more cost-effective as well.
The lights are also being trialled in other areas of the borough including Tyldesley and Orrell.
New jobs for Wigan
Hundreds of new jobs are coming to the borough in the next few months, following the government’s announcement of a Future Jobs Fund across Greater Manchester.
Council leader Peter Smith, who led the bid, said: “We expect to see over 500 jobs here. They will be sustainable, long term positions of real value in our community.”
The Future Jobs Fund will create jobs in public services over and above normal spending in areas such as health, retail and environmental work. The funding is primarily targeting 18-24 year olds.
On a roll
It could be months before a General Election is called, but if you’re not registered to vote, then you can’t decide who represents you in Westminster and on your council.
Forms are currently being sent to all households in the borough to compile a new electoral roll that will be the basis for next year’s elections. Find out more by calling 01942 827168 or go to About My Vote (external link)
The BIG WOW
WIGAN’S free festival season has climaxed with wonderful WOW.
Alexandra Park in Newtown hosted this year’s Wigan One World festival as former home Mesnes Park’s multi-million pound restoration continues.
More than 9,000 people attended this arts festival, enjoying a free family celebration of cultural diversity which featured more than 200 artists from countries as far flung as Martinique and Holland.
Dance groups from Barcelona, Germany, Trinidad and Egypt performed along with home grown talent while the crowd pleasing carnival parade was led by Germany’s Shademakers.
Charity starts at home
A Wigan charity is seeking two new borough residents to serve on its board.
Douglas Valley Community Charity was set up more than a decade ago to look after community centres in parts of Wigan that previously had City Challenge regeneration cash, although since then it has broadened its work to other parts of the borough.
One board member needs to represent volunteers and be active in a local community group, while the other should understand about local business and contribute financial knowledge.
Board secretary Hilary Simpson said: “The board has a mix of community, council and business representatives. Our aim is to empower local communities to manage their own resources.”
For more information contact Hilary on 01942 705656 between 10am and 2pm Mon-Fri or email Hilary Simpson
Help us to keep up standards
The council has a vacancy for one of the five independent members of its Standards Committee.
We’re looking for someone with a high level of personal integrity who can work with elected councillors and officers. Borough Solicitor Kevin Lawson explains: “The role of the Standards Committee is to assess complaints against councillors and decide what action is appropriate.
“But increasingly it is also taking on a proactive role in maintaining high standards.
“What’s really important is an ability to assess conflicting evidence, arrive at a fair and balanced view and communicate that view.”
You can’t be considered for the role if you’ve been a councillor or employee of Wigan Council within the past five years, if you’re a relative or close friend of a councillor or officer and if you are currently a councillor or working for another council. Being actively involved with a political party isn’t desirable.
The Standards Committee meets 6 to 10 times a year and an allowance is payable along with travel expenses and training.
You can get an application form and further details from Kevin Lawson, Borough Solicitor, Wigan Council, Town Hall, Library Street, Wigan WN1 1YN, tel: 01942 827026 or email Kevin Lawson. The closing date is October 2.
The writing’s on the wall for graffiti offenders
When the council’s graffiti-busters say they’ve shifted miles of graffiti – it’s no exaggeration!
Since it was launched last October, the two-man team has cleared 736 separate sites borough-wide – more than 4,000 square metres of penned and painted scrawl.
Lead operative Brian Aspinall, from Wigan Council’s street cleansing service, says he and colleague Gary Higgins are kitted out with state of the art equipment:
“We tackle graffiti on a range of surfaces, using power washers, paint-out and blasting techniques. Our colleagues are trained to tackle smaller graffiti jobs, such as pen scrawled on street furniture, signs or lamp posts, using safe, portable kits, which are also available to the public. We can also apply anti-graffiti prevention coatings to sites that are repeatedly hit. It’s not just about removal, it’s about cutting the cost to tax payers.”
Graffiti levels across the borough have reduced significantly since the new service was introduced. Response times have also improved, with a commitment to tackle reported graffiti by the end of the next working day.
The council works with partners on the ground to identify and patrol hot spots, and ultimately bring graffiti criminals to justice. Since the service launch, four young people have been caught committing graffiti offences.
All have been put to work on community payback projects – scrubbing off the scrawl!
To report graffiti or request a portable graffiti kit, call the Environmental Services helpline on 01942 404364.
