Lightburn Park - my what a state it's in

Beware : man with camera without kids - it could be me!

See comment below on previous Lightburn story!

When looking at these pictures, bear in mind that this is Ulverston's pride and joy of a park. Why aren't the whole town kicking up a hell of a fuss?

Have we all become resigned to be given a second rate service.

When I come here (with kids) when the sun is out, the place is full of young people skateboarding and youngsters in this park - it's not as though its not well used.

The play area - reminds me of the Vicar of Dibley final episode. This puddle could be a lot deeper than you think!




Puddles by the Seesaw.



Less important but creates an uncared for look.






Finally - What a mess. When are the council going to finish the job properly.





This enlargement from the photo above shows the facilities that our young people have to put up with - some steps in the open, by the shed. Why does only one councillor take the needs of our young people at all seriously (Colin Williams who focuses mainly on Ford Park). Why is this hut not open to the general public as it used to? Why is it only used occasionally by the model railway enthusiasts and shut most of the time. Why don't we care?

Where have all the young people's hole-ups disappeared to. Why has Grange got vastly superior places for young people. I'm surprised that they're as well behaved as they are bearing in mind the way 'responsible' adults treat them. All the nearby residents do is to moan about the beer cans that are left behind.



There's a serious lot of 'stuff' that needs doing here.

Well for the cost of a tenner and very little effort, we're going to fill those puddles in the next week (the smaller ones that is). This is far easier than getting the council to do it.

I shall try to put these thoughts together convincingly and feed them to David Pickthall, the Evening News reporter who I feel is doing a good job for Ulverston.

Lightburn group to meet again

Ten people from close to the park attended the first meeting in a private house this last Monday.

In a businesslike meeting that lasted an hour, everyone got to know each other. The use of the park as a place where people of the neighbourhood could get to know each other was the main focus; concerns about traffic close to the park were voiced. Those attending were a good blend of both young and old, with some staying behind to for a chat afterward.

The most encouraging decision was that the idea of a group was definitely a goer and a second meeting is planned for this next Monday 23rd at 8pm in the same place. Some 200 leaflets will be distributed by the group to those in the surrounding area to invite participation at this meeting.

A lot of interest was shown in the use of the park for cultivation by the local people. It was felt that the park provided a missed opportunity for people to meet each other and the possible use of the pavilion to serve refreshments would be a valuable asset. Ways of reducing dog fouling were discussed and the imminent installation of the Skatepark was welcomed.

This is a chance to meet an energetic and very friendly group of people.

Honeypot revisited

Just finished distributing cards in the area!

My main aim is to float the idea of a community group to represent the area in a similar way to the one meeting tonight at Lightburn and another to be followed up in the next couple of weeks at Croftlands.

One thing I did notice though is just how many houses had kids with skateboards outside - with nowhere to go other than the auction Mart and Booths after hours.

A mother of youngsters in one of the Squares felt that the Lightburn Skatepark that is starting in the next week or so, is just too far away for younger kids!

The squares are very bare and the same mother thought that picnic tables would be a great idea to encourage people to meet each other. Comments?

Any chance of some trees to soften the area? And some way of encouraging people to take care of their gardens - some of them are fantastic; others - a tip.

The stick - idle threats by the council isn't working.

Maybe carrots - some reward/encouragement would?

How about a group of people that would be willing to come in and straighten out a garden in exchange for cups of tea and some home baked cakes?

There are some great areas in the Honeypot but I hate the bare squares and "No Ball games" message - it's so bloody depressing!

You can get these kind of signs for playgrounds - how about a few of these to add a bit of colour.

How about tractor tyres and railway sleepers to make 'indestructable' fun dens, bang in the middle of the squares where there are lots of kids?

Come on now - ideas please - and then let's make it happen!

We can.

Croftlands Community Group

I'm in the process of revisiting people that I've met who live on Croftlands to see if there's an interest in forming a group in Croftlands along the lines of the card that was distributed in late January.

Let me know if you'd like to be part of the initial steering group.

Lightburn Park

A new group for this area will meet on Monday 16th at 8 pm at a private house in Lightburn Ave, to discuss what cooperation between neighbours can achieve.

It will be focussed on the increased use of the park and other concerns by people of all ages and interests.

If you would like to attend or are sorry that you can't manage this time send me an email - gd@tygh.co.uk

Watch this space for further information resulting from the meeting !

Neighbours working together

Kids emptied the bags from the rubbish bins onto this road.

In no time at all, the road was cleaner than it ever was.

Bring 'em on say the neighbours, we've got a word or two for those scallywags if they show up again!

Community work lurks round the corner for some teenagers ?

In praise of a bit of danger

Have we gone overboard with our Health and Safety?

Bearing in mind our love of festivals here in Ulverston, it's reassuring to read of a revolt against political correctness in Spain:

Spain overturns EU law to keep fiesta fires alight

"Spain's passion for pyrotechnics has led the government to overrule European Union safety legislation that would have taken the fire out of some of the country's best-known fiestas.

One month before the start of the country's most fire-obsessed fiesta, the Las Fallas of Valencia, the socialist government has introduced a parliamentary bill scrapping EU safety requirements, arguing that the directive would damage the country's cultural heritage."

Here in Ulverston bureaucrats tell us that we can't do some things because it could be dangerous and it's ridiculous. Kids on Croftlands are being held back by the bureaucratic system that SLDC Richard Foster operates:

What is needed is an official group to represent Croftlands and its children. Then they would have to listen.

The kids could then, perhaps, put together, as planned, a simple flat area of paving stones close to the site of the proposed MUGA in the centre of the playing field.

They would raise the hundred odd pounds themselves to buy the 20 plain paving stones by doing community work and 'build' the flat area of 30 ft by 4ft under the guidance of a local builder to get the surface as flat as possible. This then would establish a need and the kids would have ownership of their project and be more involved with the community.

The kids are all set to do the work and remove it if it doesn't work. It would do them the world of good to be allowed to do something for themselves.

I applied on their behalf last August to Richard Foster and he is still putting us off without a broad public consultation. We were told it would be considered at the same time as the Muga consulation but it was conveniently forgotten by Simon Hughes at the meeting in January. Maybe there's hope yet with another consulation to be held as stated by Mayor Janette Jenkinson at the last Town Council meeting.

No wonder young people get frustrated with the behaviour of adults.

Meanwhile they are told off for skateboarding around the shops on Central Drive.

"Where are we supposed to go?" they ask.

"Be patient. We must make sure you are kept safe" they are told.

"We must go through the local government procedures."

Meanwhile their hair is beginning to turn grey . . .


Barrow are so lucky to have Richard Hennah who takes a few risks and got extensive Skateboarding facilities in place some time ago.


Let's live a little, with a bit of danger ( ? )

Politics is broken, so what do we do?

Thank you George Monbiot!

If you live near Lightburn Park, (or one of the other parts of town), you could be part of a group with considerable influence on the future of this area and could oganise activities both there, at the Methodist Church Hall and in the local area.

British society is going through a transition and many believe that the present financial crisis could aggravate antisocial behaviour.

On the other hand it could mean that more people start to value each other again, working with their neighbours to improve social conditions, self confidence, a feeling of being in control and enjoying interactions with others that have been on the decline in recent years.

Many would say things have deteriorated in Ulverston over the last twenty years when self promotion and materialism have taken hold.

The police are very concerned about the trend towards the breaking of the law with impunity and a lack of concern for other people.

In the extreme, some parents go as far as stating that they don't want their own children in their house. Some battered wives resent 'interference' even though they are being beaten up by their husbands.

What I have always enjoyed about Ulverston is working with others in various groups.

In 1960s whilst working at Glaxo, I was leading Pathfinders in connection with St Judes and the Parish Church.

In the 70s with the Town Mill project to purchase and use as a community centre the Town Mill in Mill street when we raised the purchase price but not commitments for running costs.

Later on with the Carnival Activites in the Gill, organised by the team surrounding John Fox and Sue Gill who ran Welfare State.

Lastly in the 1980s I sunk about £50,000 of my own money to get a community centre going using the building what is now Oxfam which I converted from Stables' Carpet Shop.

When this failed , I went into London, trained as a teacher at Goldsmiths and taught in a secondary school in a tough area. This was followed by work as an IT consultant in both Primary and Secondary Schools when I promoted creativity and problem solving.

So I'm at it again, back in Ulverston, steadily building up and supporting two groups in the Town - one to discuss Philosophy, the other to encourage Pottery.

Now I'm hoping that others will want to get community groups going based in different parts of the town and with interests to suit them.

Nothing worthwhile can be achieved by me on my own. I am not seeking to lead but to enable those who want to do something to get together and decide what is best for their particular circumstances.

There's a very thoughtful article by George Monbiot which is being discussed immediately all across the country thanks to the internet. I endorse his view wholeheartedly on the failure of politicians and local government - basically - forget them - it's up to us!

So over to you!

.

Join us at Poppies, in Ulverston Centre every Saturday at 11 am

As you see - we're solving the world's problems.

A bit more help wouldn't go amiss !



We're there every Saturday between 11 and 12 am!

Drop in - or just peer through the windows and watch 'the show'.

Poppies is very friendly, very good value for money and located opposite the Trustees Savings Bank in Union Street.

Cards through letterboxes

Have you received a card like this?



If you're wondering what it's all about, let me tell you!

During the time spent visiting and talking to people door-to-door, I have met several of you who would like to get together for a number of reasons.

The main one being that many people don't know each other very well and can see the benefits of more contact.

There are benefits to making such a group 'official', as it will then be asked for its opinions whenever something affecting Croftlands is proposed.

The introduction of a MUGA to the playing field is such an issue.

Taking things one step further, an official group can apply for grants through the Neighbourhood Forum, where there remains £16,000 that can be applied for before March. This money could be spent on improving the Croftlands Community centre with - for instance - a climbing wall for young people to develop their rock climbing skills. There may also be a need for more cupboard space for groups to store things, so that something like a pottery or craft group could meet.

Members would also most likely get elected to the Town and District Councils should they want to stand as Independents. Most people are dissatisfied with the present party politicians and their inaction.

Another option, rather than operating 'officially', we could simply gather together on the playing field for fun. Here our dogs could run around together on a Saturday/Sunday in an informal manner in a similar way to what happens at Ford Park. This led to the filming of something that went on Youtube ! There's another on the way taken at the 'happening' on Christmas day!

There are lots and lots of other possibilities and you will have your own ideas which you could add here by pressing the comment button - you can be anonymous if you choose - watch this space - I've still got another 100 cards to deliver!