Baxenden: Graham Jones MP campaigns for Hill Top elderly accommodation

I continue to campaign for something to be done with Hill Top, Baxenden. Following the successful campaign to restrict over development though a change in site planing criteria it is important that this land be used for better purposes than dereliction.

The Labour Council are seeking County to demolish the site for redevelopment and I have long campaigned for elderly accommodation for rent as opposed to simply large properties - acceptable but not first choice.

The Council seem confident that discussions will take place soon followed failed sales to seek a way forward. Given that LCC was at one stage happy to gift away the site, I would hope a joint venture, possibly with a private sector partner could be considered to develop the elderly accommodation the Council confirm is in short supply.

Graham Jones MP

Baxenden: Haworth Art Gallery hosts Mayors At Home

Haworth Art Gallery have this week played host to The Mayors ’At Home’.

The Mayor and Mayoress, Councillor Judith Addison and Councillor Kathleen Pratt welcomed other Mayor’s from across Lancashire to their annual ‘At Home’ Event at the  Gallery, where Gallery Coordinator Yvonne Robins treated the visitors to a guided tour of the Haworth’s world famous Tiffany glass collection.

The Mayor, Cllr Judith Addison said; “I think all our colleagues from other Boroughs were truly astounded by the Haworth and its treasures – even those living only a few miles away had no idea that Hyndburn had this ‘jewel in the crown’.  Some of them will be sure to come back again and perhaps bring friends, after they’ve finished being Mayors, that is, and have a bit more leisure time!”

Public Health Profiles 2013

Public Health England (PHE) was established on 1 April 2013 to bring together public health specialists from more than 70 organisations into a single public health service. One of its main functions is to provide information to support local decision-making and it has just published the 2013 version of the local Health Profiles.

The 2013 Health Profiles can be accessed via the Health Profiles website at www.healthprofiles.info. They contain a summary of information on the health of the people in your local authority area and some factors that may influence their health. You may find this information useful when planning how to improve health locally.

You can find the Health Profile for your area by clicking on the ‘Find Profiles’ button on the left of the page.

Switch to e-billing and get the chance to win an iPad

Sign up to receive your bills by email before 30th November 2013 and you have the chance to win an iPad 4! Runner up prizes include a Kindle Fire HD, Accrington Stanley Tickets or Afternoon Tea for 2 at the Black Horse Food Emporium in Accrington.

Sign up now and save paper, time and money with e-billing:

www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk/ebilling

Accrington: Dog attack owner taken to court

The Council is taking firm action against irresponsible dog owners who fail to keep their dogs under control.

Amanda Holland, 36, of Wellington St Accrington, was taken to court recently where magistrates ordered her to keep her Staffordshire bull terrier cross under proper control, after it attacked and seriously injured a spaniel being walked by her owner on Manchester Rd.


Cllr Clare Pritchard, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Environmental issues said; “This is the first of this kind of court case for the Council and sends a clear message to irresponsible dog owners, that it is their responsibility to keep their dogs under control, and that failure to do so will result in legal action."


Cllr Pritchard continued; “Our dog warden has advised Ms Holland to keep the dog muzzled in public and if she fails to comply with the order to keep the dog under control she could be guilty of an offence which is punishable by a fine of up to £1,000.”

Ms Holland was also ordered to pay to pay £125 legal costs.

Accrington: Rubbish leads to court

An Accrington man who dumped black bags full of rubbish in the alley behind his home was taken to court by the Council recently, where magistrates ordered him to pay almost £1000 in fines and costs. Karl Robert Beaumont was taken to court after dumping bags of rubbish in the alley behind his home in Avenue Parade in contravention of a Council notice which required him to use his wheelie bin.


Cllr Clare Pritchard, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environmental Health, said; “This is another case of someone ignoring officer’s requests to remove the rubbish they’ve dumped in their neighbourhood. It blights the area for people living nearby and in many cases the rubbish we find is recyclable, there is no need for it to go to landfill. We always take these cases seriously and will pursue people who dump rubbish through the courts where, as in this case, they could end up facing hefty fines and costs.”

Springhill: Councillors on walkabout addressing issues in the area

Springhill Councillors Munsif Dad and Pam Barton have recently conducted another of their walkabouts, logging problems and listening to residents who have issues in the area.

If anyone would like to talk to their local Labour representative then all contact details are under the Your Councillors tab on the homepage of this blog.

Accrington: Former eyesore to be demolished

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Clare Pritchard, today welcomed the demolition of the former Priestly Nook flats, as part of the Woodnook regeneration project.

The demolition is part of plans to breathe life back into 200 empty homes in Accrington, and is an innovative joint venture between specialist empty homes developer PlaceFirst and housing association Twin Valley Homes. Working with Hyndburn Borough Council, the joint venture will deliver the refurbishment and remodelling of boarded-up houses in the Woodnook neighbourhood, close to the centre of Accrington.

The project will see 200 of these traditional “two-up,  two-down” terraced, currently empty properties transformed into modern, attractive and energy efficient homes, offering a range of two, three and four bedroom properties to meet the needs of growing and established families.

The first phase of the development will see 71 houses being brought back into use by the summer of 2014, with a further 129 properties set to follow.

The homes will be let via an institutional private rental model that seeks to deliver much needed quality properties and property management services for people that rent houses privately.

PlaceFirst and Twin Valley Homes will offer customers a Fair Value rental package, which means that the homes will be priced to compete with existing, often poor standard private rented property in the area.

The Joint Venture will also promote long term tenure security, providing customers with  the security of knowing that their home will be available to rent long term, and that rent will only increase through an index-linked annual review.

PlaceFirst and Twin Valley Homes will invest more than £6.5m in the first phase of the project.  For the second phase, Hyndburn Borough Council has secured £3.76m of Empty Homes Cluster Funding, again from the Homes and Communities Agency, and is working with PlaceFirst to develop a neighbourhood investment plan to enhance public realm and provide opportunities for low cost home ownership as well as private renting.

The project will help rejuvenate the local community and will be integral to Accrington’s revival as a thriving Lancashire market town.

Councillor Pritchard said; “Woodnook is the Council’s top regeneration priority and so it’s great to see work progressing here.  We are delighted to be working with PlaceFirst and Twin Valley Homes to bring 200 empty homes back into use.

“They are using an innovative funding model that will lever in a minimum £10.3 million private investment to convert and refurbish poor quality housing into high quality, energy efficient homes fit for modern living.

“This will raise the bar for private renting in the Borough and set the standard for other landlords to follow”.

Accrington: Fire Service public meeting

Anne Metcalfe of the Fire Service is hosting a public meeting on Friday, 20^th September, at Accrington Town Hall as part of the consultation on the proposals to review the emergency cover in Lancashire.  As part of the review it is proposed that Hyndburn will lose 1 wholetime fire engine from 2014-15 leaving 1 wholetime and 1 retained engine.

 

The meeting starts at 6.30pm and will end at 8.30pm.

 

If you’re not able to attend the meeting you can either leave your views on the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service Facebook page, email rmp@lancsfirerescue.org.ukor write to The Risk Management Team, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, Garstang Road, Fulwood, Preston  PR2 3LH.

Profile: Councillor Paul Cox

Councillor Paul Cox has been a member of HBC for the Labour group since his election in 2011. He is one of the two representatives for Milnshaw and has recently been appointed to the Cabinet, the six most senior members of the Council. He currently sits on the following committees at HBC:

• Area Working Panel 
• Cabinet  -  Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services 
• Church and Milnshaw Community Group  -  Lead Councillor 
• Communities and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Vice-Chair) 
• Regeneration and Housing Panel 

Paul also sits on the following outside bodies:

• Accrington and District Helping Hands Fund 
• Accrington New Era Youth Club Management Committee 
• Hyndburn Age Concern Advisory Groups 
• Hyndburn Area Citizens' Advice Bureau 
• Hyndburn Enterprise Trust Board 
• Hyndburn Homes Industrial and Provident Society Ltd Board 
• Hyndburn Homewise Management Committee 
• Hyndburn Three Tier Forum 
• Lancashire Waste Partnership 
• New Era Trust Board of Directors 

Anyone wishing to contact Paul with an issue can call on 01254 726379 or 07547532279 or email paul.cox@hyndburnbc.gov.uk

1stCall Hyndburn launch - 4th October 2013

Residents are invited to the official launch of the 1st Call Hyndburn project, taking place on Friday 4th October at Accrington Town Hall between 10.30am and 3.00pm.

1stCall Hyndburn is a four year project funded by the Big Lottery, which aims to empower young people living in social housing throughout Hyndburn to develop confidence, understanding and awareness of their financial circumstances.

The launch event will feature a performance from the Shontal Theatre Group of their piece, “It’s Only A Few Quid”, which has recently been commissioned for the Illegal Money Lending Team. There will also be an audience participation quiz and a ‘Question Time’ type session based around some of the core project themes of financial inclusion and social housing.

Doors will open at 10.00am on the day for refreshments, with the event underway at 10.30am. Lunch will also be provided.

You can also find out more general information about the project from our website at www.1stcallhyndburn.org.uk.

MacMillan Coffee Morning - 27th September 2013

Homewise, the Local Home Improvement Agency, raises funding to help and assist many people in Hyndburn to have their homes adapted in order to aid independent and safe living. It is one of the many organisations who also assist their clients is MacMillan Cancer Support.

Homewise would like to give them something back and will be holding a coffee morning September 27th from 10.00am till 12.00pm at Shopmobility in the Arndale Centre, Accrington.

Please help make this event a success and call in for a coffee and homemade cake for just £1.50 per person.

Audit Committee - 23rd September 2013

The next meeting of the HBC Audit Committee will take place on Monday 23rd September at 4.00pm in the Queen Elizabeth Room at Scaitcliffe House in Accrington. The committee looks at Council spending and functions, with emphasis on accounting. The meeting is chaired by Netherton Councillor Noordad Aziz and a full set of papers and the agenda can be found here:

Audit Committee - 23rd September 2013

Lots of dogs chipped for free in Accrington

Lots of people turned out to get their dogs micro chipped when the Council’s Dog Warden service joined forces with the Dog’s Trust to offer free micro chipping at the Tesco Extra car park in Accrington.

If you missed out, don’t worry, there’ll be another session on 26th September, from 11am to 3pm in the Tesco Extra car park on Eagle St Accrington.

Micro chipping your pet gives them the best chance of being identified and returned to you if they become lost or stolen. A tiny microchip is inserted under the animal’s skin, which gives the pet their own unique code. The microchip can be scanned and matched to the owner’s contact details, which are kept on a database.

The law is changing and from 6th April 2016 micro chipping will be compulsory for all dog owners in England, so why not get ahead of the game and bring your dog along to one of the sessions.  There’s no need to book just turn up and join the queue.

Peel: Joyce Plummer confirmed as 2014 election candidate

Joyce Plummer has been confirmed as the Labour candidate for Peel ward in the 2014 local elections. Joyce has been a hardworking member of the community for many years and is actively involved with other Labour Councillors such as June Harrison and Wendy Dwyer on projects throughout the area.

Joyce is the preferred successor to Cllr Bernard Dawson who is standing down as District Councillor to concentrate on his role as County Councillor.

Hyndburn Fire Station Car Wash - 14th September 2014

Hyndburn Fire Brigade are conducting a charity car wash on 14th September in aid of The Fire Fighters Charity. The car wash will take place at the fire station on Hyndburn Road between 10.00am and 4.00pm, with the cost of the wash being down to individual voluntary donations.

Baxenden: Classic car cavalcade on 15th September 2013

Haworth Art Gallery is set for a roaring start to Autumn with a Classic Car Cavalcade on Sunday 15th September.

The cavalcade is traveling from Queen Street Mill Museum, via Towneley Hall and Rossendale Museum and is due to arrive at the Haworth at approximately 2.45pm and will stay here until 3.30pm before travelling on to Helmshore Textile Museum. It is expected that there will be between 30 to 40 vehicles parked in the Haworth grounds.

This is a free event and everyone is welcome to come along.

HBC launches Council Tax e-billing

As part of its drive to increase efficiency and cut costs, Hyndburn Council today launched
e-billing, a new free, secure and easy way for local people to access their Council Tax or Business Rates bills by email.

E-billing will not only save time, paper and money but will also give anyone who signs up before 30th November 2013, the chance to win an iPad or a Kindle Fire HD plus a host of other prizes all donated by local businesses. They’ll also be able to access their most up to date bill within minutes of any change being made.

Cllr Joan Smith, Cabinet Member for Finance, said; “We want as many people as possible to sign up for e-billing to cut costs and improve efficiency, as each year it costs the Council around £40,000 to send out over 80,000 Council Tax and Business Rates bills. With the launch of e-billing we expect to save 50p each time a person moves from traditional paper bills to e-bills, which is money we could use to invest in front line services and keep Council Tax bills down.”

Sign up for e-billing online at www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk/ebilling by phone on 01254 388 111 or by email at enquiries@hyndburnbc.gov.uk. You can also sign up at any Council Office, Hyndburn Sports Centre and Mercer Hall Leisure Centre, or at one of the Council’s road show events which will be taking place right across the Borough over the coming weeks.  Each household, or business, who signs up will be entered into the free prize draw with the chance to win prizes including an IPad 4, a Kindle Fire HD, Accrington Stanley tickets and afternoon tea for two at the Black Horse Food Emporium.

For more information about the scheme, the e-billing road show events and the free prize draw, which will take place after 30th November 2013, visit www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk

Mum's The Word takes off in Accrington thanks to Labour Group support

Mum’s the Word came to Accrington last Saturday. This successful initiative, set up by Rachel Rhodes and Caroline Fotios, has been such a huge hit in Blackburn they wanted to extend into Hyndburn. A chance meeting with Milnshaw Councillor Paul Cox at a BBC radio lancashire event led to them being invited to Hyndburn. Cllr Cox said "having meet these two ladies I couldn't help but be impressed at their passion for this scheme and how it could benefit the residents of Hyndburn I felt it was a natural step to move into our borough" He added "from this contact I spoke with our Portfolio holder for Community's & Wellbeing  Pam Barton, and who agreed that this was something we need in Hyndburn and saw a opportunity to help local residents with an option of cheaper school uniforms.

The project involves collecting old textiles, especially school uniforms and selling them at a fraction of the usual cost. The scheme helps hard pressed families and benefits the environment as it prevents old uniforms and clothes going to landfill.The project relies on members of the public donating their old school uniforms and textiles and a series of collection points will be available throughout the Borough in public buildings and schools for people to visit.

Caroline and Rachel were in Accrington Market Hall on Saturday 7th September promoting the scheme, so people could come and visit to see what it’s all about. There was a collection point available also where many people brought along their uniforms and textiles.

Caroline said: “We have been overwhelmed by the success of the project. There is a real interest from families and everyone has been extremely supportive. Mum’s The Word is a service for the local community and we’re constantly on the lookout for donations of school clothes, shoes and other equipment, to replenish the store. If you have any old blazers, shirts, ties, books, stationery or even tupperware, lying around the house, please drop them off at the Market Hall, so that they can go to a good home.”

Councillor Clare Pritchard, Deputy Leader of the Council said; “Thanks to everyone who came along to the Market Hall on Saturday and donated clothes and textiles. The collection point will remain here in the Market Hall for more donations, so please help if you can. Mum’s The Word is a fantastic initiative, which will benefit the wider community. We are working in partnership to ensure this scheme is a success here in Hyndburn.”

To donate any unwanted school uniforms and activity items, please use the collection point in the Market Hall. Call Caroline or Rachel on 07968 802824 for more information.

Resources Overview & Scrutiny Committee - 10th September 2013

The next meeting of the HBC Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee will take place at 10.00am on Tuesday 10th September in the Queen Elizabeth Room at Scaitcliffe House in Accrington. The committee meets approximately once every six weeks to look at how the Council spends money on resources and topics on the agenda for this meeting include:

• The cost of subscriptions to outside bodies
• Business plans for Street Cleansing
• Business plans for Parks and Cemeteries
• The cost of seasonal flower planting
• Off-street parking enforcement

The agenda will also contain an update on the review of land assets in the borough plus the publication of the annual O&S report which details progress over the past twelve months.

Cllr Ken Moss will be in the Chair and a link to the papers for the meeting can be found here:

Resources O&S - 10th September 2013

Peel and Barnfield: Councillor and 2014 candidate raising money fro defibrillator

Cllr June Harrison from Barnfield and 2014 Peel Labour candidate, Joyce Plummer, were out fundraising over the weekend to raise money to buy a new defibrillator. The Mayor of Hyndburn, Cllr Judith Addison was also present with volunteers from Pumping Marvellous to take donations for the new life-saving machine.

Labour's position on fracking following increasing queries

Gas has a role to play in a future balanced energy mix, along with renewables, nuclear and CCS. However, shale gas is unlikely to be a game changer for consumer bills or energy security and there are important regulatory questions which must be answered before large-scale extraction can begin. 

Environmental Regulation and Monitoring 

• Concerns about the safety and environmental impact of shale gas extraction are valid. The appropriate response to such concerns is to ensure that we have the right regulatory and monitoring framework in place before large-scale fracking begins.  

• It is not just the robustness of the regulation, but the comprehensiveness of the monitoring that is important. Assurances are required from the Environment Agency and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency that they will be able to carry out such monitoring.  

• Labour have set out 6 regulatory conditions that must be met before Shale Gas extraction can proceed: 

1. Evidence of seismic activity led to the suspension of operations in Lancashire in 2011. As Labour set out in an article for Business Green on 7 March 2012, baseline conditions should be assessed prior to any exploratory work with micro-seismic monitoring, in order to discriminate natural from artificially induced seismic events once the drilling begins. An early warning detection system should also be implemented, similar to that used in the Netherlands and Germany, which would allow measures to be taken before seismic activity has a noticeable impact. 

2. There has been a lack of transparency and control in the USA on exactly what is being used to fracture shale rocks and extract the resulting gas. In the UK, the chemicals used must be restricted to those that are proven to be non-hazardous. Further, there should be mandated disclosure of all the chemicals to be used in fracking, including their toxicity levels. 

3. The integrity of each shale gas well must be assured to prevent water contamination. An independent assessment of the well design, the cement bond between the casing and well bore, in addition to the composition of the casing to determine its ability to resist corrosion, is essential.  

4. The level of methane in groundwater should also be assessed prior to any drilling. Methane can occur naturally in groundwater, but there is concern from the experience in the USA that it may occur as a result of fracking. In each case, that needs to be assessed prior to any activity, so there is robust baseline information to monitor against. 

5. All potential shale exploration sites should be subject to screening for an environmental impact assessment – at present, those below one hectare do not need to undertake such an assessment. This assessment should include the level of water used, how much can be recycled and the availability of water in each case. 

6. All of the monitoring activity referred to above should take place over a twelve month period, to allow sufficient time to gather all of the evidence required to make an informed decision on whether to proceed with exploration. 

• Since Labour announced this position, the Government has conceded on 4 of the 6 points we made last December. They have not included the baseline survey of methane being assessed prior to drilling, and they have not specified that the monitoring activity should take place over a 12 month period. Further, concerns remain, particularly regarding the effectiveness of the monitoring process and the capacity of the relevant bodies to undertake that monitoring if there is further exploration of shale gas.  

Time Scale 

• To date, only a small number of exploratory licenses have been issued. 3 onshore exploratory wells have been drilled.  

• Shale is covered by the normal UK regime for all oil and gas exploration and development. A UK Petroleum Exploration and Development licence (PEDL) allows a company to pursue a range of exploration activities, including exploration and development of unconventional gas, subject to necessary drilling/development consents and planning permission. 

• A separate license will be required for full-scale fracking, meaning that it is unlikely that Shale Gas could be extracted in meaningful quantities before the next general election.  

Tax Breaks 

• George Osborne has announced that has production profits from shale will initially be taxed at just 30%. At present, gas production profits are taxed at 62%, rising to 81% in some North Sea cases when the Supplementary Charge and corporation tax are combined. 

• Labour does not believe that announcing tax breaks before properly addressing legitimate environmental concerns is an appropriately proportionate and cautious approach to shale gas. 

• The Chancellor argues that these tax incentives are required to stimulate a market dealing with a number of unknowns – size and recoverability of resources, regulatory framework, etc – while Labour argues that it is precisely these issues that need to be clarified before there is any consideration of advantageous tax treatment. The economic cost of extraction of shale is one factor which companies with licences will need to consider. The case for differential allowances for marginal fields, as in the North Sea, may be relevant for atypical fields but should not be the norm. 

The Example of the US 

• Shale Gas extraction in the US has driven down the cost of energy for consumers and businesses, providing a competitive advantage to some industrial sectors and therefore to the wider economy.  

• However, this has in part been the result of the fact that the US is not able to export gas. As supply increases in this closed market the cost correspondingly decreases. By contrast, the UK is well-connected to the European gas network. The cost-reducing benefits of an increase in supply will be shared with the rest of the continent, dissipating the impact, particularly as extra-Europe demand for gas is likely to increase rather than decrease. 

• The benefit to the UK is more likely to be in relation to energy security as an indigenous source of energy will make us less reliant on foreign imports, particularly as our own North Sea gas reserves are declining and we now import more gas than we produce – a position which has changed over the last 10 years. 

• The geography of the two countries also makes exploration less likely than in the UK. Many of the areas in the US where production does take place are largely deserted, however in the UK we are more densely populated which will impact upon exploration and extraction permissions from local authorities. 

• So a simplistic extrapolation of the US experience of shale gas is not an informed contribution to the debate. 

Shale Gas and Renewables 

• A frequent objection to shale gas is that it will divert investment from renewable energy and lock the UK into a fossil fuel industry.   

• The Government have perpetuated this line of thinking by establishing a false opposition between shale gas extraction and renewable investment, suggesting that they back ‘cheap gas’ over ‘expensive green’. 

• The Labour Party reject this dichotomy. Gas will continue to play a part of our short and medium term energy mix and meeting this obligation will require some investment. There is no reason why this should preclude heavy investment in renewable generation, which represents the long-term future of our energy sector. 

• This is also why it is important that there are other signals from the government towards a low carbon generation mix, and why we are committed to a 2030 decarbonisation target.  

• Possible extraction of shale gas is not inconsistent with the binding carbon targets the UK has legislated for – we will continue to need gas for peaking capacity, and as a source for heating.  

The Case for Shale Gas 

• Despite these concerns, Shale Gas nevertheless remains a positive potential opportunity for the UK, one that we should not dismiss. 

• With around 80% of houses using gas for heating, we will continue to need gas in the UK for some years to come. 

• Shale gas is not the silver bullet for all of our energy needs as the Chancellor and others seem to suggest. Nor is it likely to be extracted in great volumes in the immediate future. However, while it is right to be cautious and proportionate in our approach to shale gas exploration, we should not rule out the use of an indigenous source of gas to replace the depleted North Sea gas reserves and displace some of the gas we currently import and improve our security of supply, so long as it can be extracted safely.  

Full Council - 12th September 2013

The next meeting of the full Council will take place on Thursday 12th September at 7.00pm at Accrington Town Hall. Members of the public are welcome to come and watch proceedings from the gallery and a full set of papers can be found here:

Council - 12th September 2013

Mum's the Word in Accrington!

Mum’s the Word is coming to Accrington. This successful initiative set up by Rachel Rhodes and Caroline Fotios has been such a huge hit in Blackburn they want to extend into Hyndburn. The project involves collecting old textiles, especially school uniforms and selling them at a fraction of the usual cost. The scheme helps hard pressed families and benefits the environment as it prevents old uniforms and clothes going to landfill.

The project relies on members of the public donating their old school uniforms and textiles and a series of collection points will be available throughout the Borough in public buildings and schools for people to visit.
Caroline and Rachel will be in Accrington Market Hall on Saturday 7th September promoting the scheme, so people can come and visit to see what it’s all about. There will be a collection point available also so people can bring their uniforms and textiles. These will be advertised in due course with the plan being to open a unit in the Arndale Centre in Accrington where the pre-loved clothing can be sold.

Caroline said: “We have been overwhelmed by the success of the project. There is a real interest from families and everyone has been extremely supportive. We are really looking forward to establishing a base in Hyndburn. Mum’s The Word is a service for the local community, we’re constantly on the lookout for donations of school clothes, shoes and other equipment, to replenish the store. If you have any old blazers, shirts, ties, books, stationery or even tupperware, lying around the house, please drop them off at the shop, so that they can go to a good home.”

Councillor Clare Pritchard, Deputy Leader of the Council said “Mum’s The Word is a fantastic initiative, which will benefit the wider community. We are working in partnership to ensure this scheme is a success here in Hyndburn.”

To donate any unwanted school uniforms and activity items, please call Caroline or Rachel on 07968 802824 .