Thought for the week

"We should all be concerned about the future because we will have to live the rest of our lives there."
Charles Kettering

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Junior Wardens receive awards

Central and Hindpool Junior Wardens received their John Muir Discovery awards last week at St James' school. They were presented by Barrow's Mayor Dorothy Dawes.

In total 17 young people and one adult volunteer received the awards after over 60 hours of environmental work in their community.

The Junior Wardens have worked alongside the Central and Hindpool Neighbourhood Wardens on litter picking, planting, making bird boxes and lots more - much of the work took place around the Green Heart Den community garden site at the rear of Marsh Street (www.greenheartden.blogspot.com). 

Inspector Geoff Steele told the children at the presentation event, "You inspire me. We at the Police think the work you are doing is tremendous. We think the Junior Warden scheme is a great project and we hope you carry on and go from strength to strength - thank you, you're wonderful." 

Andy High, Senior Neighbourhood Warden said "It was such a pleasure to work with the young people - no matter what we asked them to do, whether it was litter picking or digging in the soil to plant seeds they did the work with a smile on their faces."

If you are in the last two years of school at St James', Greengate Juniors, Sacred Heart or St George's schools and would like to join the Junior Wardens please contact 01229 876546 neighbourhoodmgt@barrowbc.gov.uk

North West Evening Mail | AFC | Mighty Barrow AFC are going to Wembley

North West Evening Mail AFC Mighty Barrow AFC are going to Wembley

Matthew & Callum help out with the project....

Hi my name is Matthew and sat by me is my best mate Callum.  We are 11 years old and we go to Greengate Junior School. Over the last few weeks we have been helping with the Central and Hindpool Inspiring Community’s project.

We have made up slogans and thought of what we can put our main slogan on like footballs, caps, wallets/purses, and even key rings. We talked about our favourite role models for example Amir Khan, the Armed forces, Pat Ryan a local boxer who lives in Barrow. The girls said that their role models were Florence and the Machine and another local hero Andy High.

Last week the Bay came and interviewed us about the Inspiring Communities Project.  We did a group shout out, and they interviewed us singly and asked us about our ideas and we gave them some good advice which they recorded on a mini microphone. We talked about what posters would look like and how effective they would be too.

Oh yeah I almost forgot we eat loads of PIZZA.

Find out more about the project by coming along to our launch event (which we also helped to organise).

The event will be at our school, Greengate Juniors, on Saturday 17th April 2010. The fun starts at 11am and goes on until 3pm.

The Bay will be broadcasting live from there from 10am - 2pm .... and The Relilcs will be playing around 1.45pm.

Come and join in the fun!!

Photo courtesy of Cathy Rawlings.

Hartington Square official opening

The newly lanscaped site on the corner of Hartington St/Anson St in Hindpool was officially opened by Barrow's Deputy Mayor, Rory McClure yesterday (17/03/2010).

The Deputy Mayor was accompanied by four children from St James' School who won a competition to come up with a name for the site and took part in the cutting of the ribbon.

The children each won a £10 book token for being part of the team which came up with the winning name.

The development of the site was a partnership between Barrow Borough Council and Hartington St Methodist Church (the site owners), the site also includes a great contribution from Furness Woodturners Association who have sculpted some wooden seats shaped like people.

The site is a great addition to the gradual transformation of Hindpool and adds another splash of greenery to the area.

Photo courtesy of Rosie Hillman

Thought for the week

"The future depends on what we do in the present."

Mahatma Gandhi

The Likes of Us - Abbey Musical Society

A MUSICAL which tells the story of Dr Barnardo is being performed in Barrow for the very first time later this month.

Abbey Musical Society will be putting on a run of ‘The Likes of Us’ at Forum 28.

Along side the regular members of the society the show also features talented local youngsters playing the part of impoverished orphans in nineteenth century London.

Director Colin Smith explained the story of the show, he said “At one point there were 18,000 homeless orphans in London when Barnardo arrived there in 1865. They all moved into the area because of the Industrial Revolution.

“A lot of families had come into the cities to work and there was huge poverty. They were living in shacks and often families died or they just abandoned the kids because they couldn’t afford them.

“At the start of the show, Barnardo arrives in London on his way to China to be a missionary. When he gets to London he’s horrified to discover all the homeless children. He decides that his calling is to do something about that rather than go to China.

“Barnardo was also equally appalled by the gin palaces and drunkenness and debauchery of London and how nobody was looking after the children and the families – it was against all of his Christian beliefs. So he vowed to close down the gin palaces and inevitably that put him on a collision course.

“The locals weren’t very keen on Barnardo coming in and buying up the gin palaces but that’s what he managed to do. He got some powerful politicians on his side and he was excellent at raising money so he bought the gin palace, closed it down and opened a children’s home in it’s place.”

The musical was the first show written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice when they were in their 20's at university. It was never performed professionally. Colin said “Two years ago they released it for amateurs. It was performed in London with Stephen Fry as the narrator to launch it. We are the first society in this region to put it on.

“We knew it was a good, rollicking, exciting show with a good story and lovely tunes so we got it as quickly as we could.”

The Likes of Us features local children and some of them have never performed on stage before. Colin said “We auditioned the children last November and from about 50, we narrowed it down to 14.

“We’ve now got a range of talented youngsters from around the area aged from five to 14 to play their parts in the show. For one or two of them, it’s their very first time on stage, they’ve never done anything like it before. Some have done things at school and one or two have done things with dance schools or youth societies so it’s a real mixture.

“They’re learning the story of Barnardo and what happened to the children in that age, and that’s partly the difficulty they’re having with the performance – they can’t imagine children being in such squalor and they’re all still a bit too polite and clean, but once the make up goes on I’m sure they’ll get into the spirit of it.

“People who come to see the show can expect lively dance numbers, risqué humour and also pathos. There will be tunes the audience recognise but not songs they will know. That’s because Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice later used some of the tunes for other shows – there are tunes people will recognise from Evita or from Jesus Christ Superstar because they recycled them.

“We have to pay royalties to be able to perform the show and ten per cent of those royalties are donated to the Dr Barnardos charity. Every ticket bought will mean money goes to the charity.”

The show runs at Forum 28 from March 22-27, starting at 7.30pm. Tickets are available from the box office on 820000

Junior Wardens visit Fire Station

THE Junior Wardens were treated to a behind-the-scenes look around Barrow fire station in February this year.

As part of the Junior Warden scheme, youngsters from the Central and Hindpool wards got the chance to visit the station, sit inside the fire engines and find out what happens when the alarm sounds for a real emergency.

The children were also set a challenge to come up with a list of rules to stick to when working together as a team.

The Junior Wardens scheme is designed to promote pride in the area and respect for others. Helen Wiggan from Cumbia Fire and Rescue Service is one of the coordinators for the Junior Warden Scheme.

She said: “The scheme was started in 2007 by Mark Roach who is watch manager for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service.

“The Neighbourhood Wardens play a big part in showing the youngsters how to make where they live a better place to be.

“We first started with only a handful of children willing to give up their spare time to help with environmental problems.The Junior Wardens went on litter picks in the areas where they live. They also learned how to report graffiti and fly-tipping. There was also lots of fun to be had with treasure trails, beach cleans and wildlife expeditions.

“The Junior Warden scheme has gone from strength to strength with a total of 30 children taking part currently. This year will see their hard work pay off when they receive certificates from the John Muir award scheme. The children have been involved in many wildlife projects over the last 12 months to gain this award, including working at the Green Heart Den.

“The Junior Warden programme is now delivered in schools around the Central and Hindpool wards as part of the curriculum.

“Myself and Senior Neighbourhood Warden Andy High co-ordinate the activities, while Neighbourhood Wardens Phil Robson and Paul Zaccarini are always on hand to help.

“One of the first activities the Junior Wardens do when they join is to visit the fire station. They are taken on a tour of the building, learn some first aid and lay down some rules to abide by.

“The 15 children that visited recently loved it and got the chance to try on the uniform, sit in a fire engine and ask questions about what it is like to be a fire fighter.”

South Cumbria Chief Inspector named one of county's 'inspirational women'

A Chief Inspector from South Cumbria has been named one of the county’s ‘inspirational women’ in a booklet that has been produced to motivate schoolgirls in Cumbria.

During the official launch event held in Rheged on Wednesday 3 March 2010, 18 of the 26 Cumbrian contributors and other guests gathered to hear motivational talks and enjoy entertainment from dance groups and singers from around the county.

Cheif Inspector Ali Dufty was asked to participate in the initiative led by Cumbria Business Education Consortium (CBEC) that hopes to inspire local young women into thinking about their future and what they can achieve. The booklet tells 26 stories of a significant challenge or issue that a Cumbrian woman has had to overcome in order to fulfil their potential. A copy will be given to every 15 year old schoolgirl in the county to help broaden their minds, raise aspirations and increase motivation.

CI Ali Dufty said: “I was touched to be asked to contribute to this project which is a great way of showing young women what they can achieve if they have the determination.

“From the age of 16 when I left school, I knew I wanted to be a police officer and have remained focused on achieving my goals and progressing through the ranks. I’ve come up against some hurdles during my career, having battled with ill health after doctors discovered a bone tumour on my spine. The operations resulted in nearly two years off work, and subsequent pain ever since. I’ve also frequently been the only woman in many of the teams and ranks I’ve worked in across the Constabulary, which could be isolating.

“I’m proud of what I have achieved. Even though I left school at 16 and have a busy career, I managed to achieve a Masters degree in Education with Distinction, and continue to enjoy an active lifestyle, despite the problems with my back.

Many people still think that police forces are dominated by men but Cumbria Constabulary now has the highest ratio of female officers in the country.

“I would definitely encourage young people, male or female, to consider a career with Cumbria Constabulary in the future – there are a variety of interesting and exciting roles for officers as well as staff, and opportunities for career progression regardless of gender.

“I hope that young women get something out of reading our stories whether it be motivation to go after their dream careers or inspiration to take up a new hobby or lifestyle. All 26 women who have chosen to contribute to the booklet have a different story to tell but each of them has a strong underlying message – you are in charge of your future. Go after your dreams.”

Fay Davies, Chief Executive of CBEC said: “The idea behind this project was to offer inspiration to others and I wanted ‘ordinary‘ women to share a story or an aspect of their life to inspire or demonstrate that any one of us can achieve a dream, a goal or what we really want to do in life regardless of age, illness, financial constraint, disability, colour, culture or sex. These are all barriers that can be overcome.

 

“There is always at least one aspect in everybody’s life that will touch someone else – something we can relate to or something that inspires us. By inviting women in Cumbria to take part in this project, I hope that our county’s younger generation of women will take a moment to think about themselves, their aims, goals or lifestyles, and feel empowered to overcome any issues they face and make their own choices.”

What is Central and Hindpool Inspiring Communities?

Inspiring Communities is about creating a community where we all work together to create the best opportunities for our young people.

For more about Inspiring Communities nationally please see http://www.communities.gov.uk/communities/neighbourhoodrenewal/inspiringcommunities/

If you want to know more contact us ... if you've got any ideas let us know. 

Let's get inspired together! We're looking forward to working with parents/carers and young people so please get in touch.

Do it today!

Inspired by what's around us in Barrow - Rosie Hillman

First posted 18/02/2010 on http://www.chnmt.blogspot.com/

After music, literature, photography and travel, one of the other things guaranteed to inspire me is nature – especially at this time of year.

After a cold, hard winter of dark mornings, dark nights and not much that isn’t dark in between, it seems like some sunlight is starting to filter through, marking the beginning of the start of spring.

It is quite amazing what half an hour out walking in that low, golden sunshine can do for your body and mind – everything seems to glow.

At the risk of sounding like a walking tourism brochure for Barrow, we have such an abundance of wonderful coastline right here on our doorsteps, not to mention the great green spaces and award winning parks at our disposal.

You can also see nature working hard on your own street. Although admitting this may make me a complete nerd, one of my favourite things to do as we move into March is to go ‘blossom-spotting’. I take my camera out for a walk around the streets of Barrow and look out for the first buds of spring blossom. Some of the shades of pink and cream look amazing against a crisp, blue sky – it’s a photographers dream. (But do be prepared for some funny looks from passers by).

Another of my favourite ways to while away an hour is to hop on my bike and pedal my way over to Walney or Roanhead. A walk along the beach is the perfect way to clear away the cobwebs – and the cold sea air is almost guaranteed to help even the longest-suffering insomniac get a good nights sleep.

I, along with many other Barrovians, have definitely been guilty of complacency when it comes to getting out and exploring the surrounding areas. I was born and raised in Barrow and I sometimes get the feeling that I have seen everything there is to see around the town.

But even though it may take a monumental effort to prise myself away from my sofa and cup of tea, it never fails to be worthwhile

From a bike ride through Rampside and across the causeway to Roa Island to a stroll around Barrow Park to look at the latest seasonal flowerbeds – the thing with Barrow is, if you look for it, it’s there.

One of the nicest experiences I had recently was when some friends from Manchester travelled to Barrow to visit. They live on the outskirts of the city but work long, taxing hours in the centre. As a family, one of their favourite things is the UK’s coastline and their family holidays are usually spent exploring different beaches.

During their stay, my boyfriend and I took them to a beach at the south end of Walney. The sky was black and the wind was throwing waves up on to the beach and seagulls up into the air. It was fantastic to see our friends’ flushed cheeks and happy smiles as they took it in turns skimming stones into the sea.

When things got a bit too chilly, we bundled them into the car and drove to Roa Island. We chose tasty ice creams from The Bosun’s Locker and strolled out to have a look around the RNLI lifeboat station.

Our friends didn’t want to leave and told us how lucky they thought we were to live in Barrow – I think they were right.

So if you’re after some inspiration, make that little bit of effort and get out and explore the local area, even if it’s the streets around your home – you never know what you might find.

Inspiring Communities Campaign Leader Insp Geoff Steele

Originally posted at www.chnmt.blogspot.com on Wednesday, 3 February 2010

'Vague but Exciting' - Inspector Geoff Steele (Cumbria Constabulary)

Here's the first, and excellent, guest blog post ... it comes from Inspector Geoff Steele of Cumbria Constabulary who works here in Barrow. Geoff is writing from his viewpoint as one of the Campaign Leaders for our Inspiring Communities project and not on behalf of Cumbria Constabulary. None of the views expressed in his post necessarily, or are intended to, reflect or represent the views and policies of Cumbria Constabulary.

'Vague but exciting'
When Steve (from Central and Hindpool Neighbourhood Management Team) asked me to be a 'Guest Blogger' I had no idea what I would write about and still don’t. Having stressed myself, I have decided just to stick with my normal stream of conscious style and blog my thoughts about last weekend (ending on Sunday 31st January)
I started with a list of stuff that happened since Friday;
- Celebrate a colleague’s retirement
- Internet
- Tufty Club Re-union - there will be folk out there, particularly Barrovians, who understand this one (my onyx role was a taxi driver for my wife.)
- Do it yourself-a minor and rare success with a door - did involve use of drills and glue (real sense of pride here)
- Sky Plus - the 8th wonder of the world.

Anyway having started to waffle - I am hoping to wind into my poor grammar some themes, which relate vaguely to “inspiration”. Anyway the weekend’s best bits;

Inspiration needs good food and family!
I’m off work and have just enjoyed a great Sunday Lunch at Dalton http://www.crooklandsgardencentre.co.uk/ together with my family.

I was allowed Banoffe pie which rendered pointless this morning’s trip to the Gym http://www.theparkleisurecentre.com/

Knowledge and heroes
Today’s web access has included watching an interesting documentary http://www.bbc.co.uk/virtualrevolution/ on the web which featured one of my heroes, Tim Berners- Lee http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Berners-Lee.This lead to my blog title – unless you already know the story follow the links and consider how rich he could have been if he had been of the same school as Bill Gates.

Have been fascinated by all stuff nuclear since I was a child and was excited by the news that a significant step forward has been made in the search to create the power of the sun on earth http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8485669.stm

Inspiration needs exercise/sport.
As a creature of the web have also visited Barrow Raiders related sites to see what is getting the Barrow Raiders fan base talking regarding the coming season, this reminded me of this great photo http://www.barrowrlfc.com/ and the unexpected successes of last year

Anyone who was at Warrington and was part of the six thousand or so Barrovians (and in my case adopted Barrovians) in the crowd will have no doubt we deserve, and should work together, to get the Stadium the town needs so desperately.
Inspiration needed imagination and dreams (and a climate where imagination is encouraged) and heroes as role models (preferably not individuals whose sole claim to fame is fame itself).

Looking ahead my forthcoming week’s work will hopefully culminate in a conference about ‘Safer Schools’ my team and I have organised, supported by local partners.

The conference is themed “It takes a village to raise a child” and aims to celebrate the work of local schools and how they act as hubs linking communities-education and young people.

Inspiration needs good relationships and understanding.
I am passionate and can be argumentative about what really matters when it comes to our health safety and success. I really think we need to get to get a better grip on the reality that we will be healthy if we live healthy lives, will be safe if we care for our neighbours and will be successful if we encourage and support all our children. Institutions such as the police and health service deal with symptoms but they aren’t going to fix the world that, unfortunately, still sits with you and me.

Inspiration needs people to challenge and ask difficult questions.
So Share a Smile – Inspector Geoff Steele, Cumbria Constabulary.