Dear Civic Pride,
Welcome to our weekly newsletter, which is definitely going to be issued every Sunday from now on, so thanks for all your feedback on the new format.
This week there are few ‘thank you’ notices: Firstly to Jackie who from July 1st officially handed over all the Civic Pride Social Media management to Janet. Thanks Jackie for everything you have contributed over the past few years, and well done Janet for stepping into the role. N.B. Jackie’s CPR address no longer functions, please use [email protected] for future items.
Thanks are also due to Neil Shaw, Chief Executive of RBC, for joining some of our volunteers last Thursday as they weeded and cleared the A682 In- bound layby and the Riverside Walk opposite East Lancashire Railway station. Apparently, Neil really got stuck in with the hard work, so he’ll definitely be invited back!
On QT our Lone Rangers and Gardeners have been posting their daily activities, and the amount of litter removed, pavements cleared, containers /baskets planted and gardens replenished is astonishing. Thank you, everyone!
Volunteers have been working consistently over the past week in some truly dreadful weather conditions, but then we are a hardy bunch! Just as well, because there’s more rain forecast for the week ahead…..so shake off your waterproofs and wring out your wellies, because here we go again;
Crawshawbooth
Monday 6th July – 9 am at Jubilee Gardens. Gardening if required, then litter picking and off to Hill Street Playground
Wednesday 8th July – 6pm meet at Jubilee Gardens for litter pick.
Waterfoot
Monday 6th July – 9:30am until noon. Trickett’s Memorial Ground, gardening and tidying.
Rawtenstall
Tuesday 7th July -10am to 12 noon. Riverside Walk Garden. Hedge and shrub trimming, getting soil out of cracks in cobbles and pavement ready for cementing, weeding and planting up of shade loving plants.
Wednesday 8th July – 10am to 12 noon. Out-Bound Layby Garden. Lots of weeding and pruning. Planting up a few plants that like wet conditions.
Thursday 9th July – 10am to 12 noon. Town Square Garden and Ladbrokes Flower Bed. Weeding and pruning.
Please check out Bacup and Haslingden & Helmshore Civic Pride groups on Social Media to see what they have planned for the coming week. Our website has links to all the various groups throughout the Valley; on the top bar of the home page click on ‘About’ and scroll down to ‘Links’ for more details.
Finally, a round of applause for all those who have donated to or sponsored Civic Pride, especially over the last few months of lockdown. We are forever grateful for your generosity.
Helen Thomas
Vice Chair CPR
View from the Back Room
That Civic Pride Rossendale (CPR) is an amazing organisation few would disagree, but why? Where did it come from? What makes it tick? We’ll try to answer these questions and more, revealing things you may not have known about CPR!
This week we’re looking through the greenhouse window (for those who remember Playschool)! At the rear of the carpark behind Rawtenstall market was derelict land with the remains of an old building and a partial concrete foundation. Owned by RBC it was frequented by youths who gained access over the Rossendale Youth Zone roof.
After winning a grant, holding fund raising campaigns, obtaining a licence to use the land, gaining planning permission, clearing the remains of an old building, installing extra fencing, creating a double gate, ordering and erecting the greenhouse, erecting staging inside, installing decking to level the area and water butts to collect the rain we were ready to roll….then came the lockdown.
As we waited for things to improve, we found that the water from an adjoining RBC roof was running directly onto the decking, seeping into the greenhouse and potentially rotting the wood. RBC agreed to get a builder in but the greenhouse was in the way! Site meetings, discussions with the greenhouse supplier and after what should have been a simple job, we were finally rewarded with new guttering. Phew!
All we need now is an end to the coronavirus restrictions………………
Roger G