Community Events

FRIENDS’ GROUP JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS HIT THE RIGHT NOTE

Oswaldtwistle Library Friends group arranged a Jubilee afternoon on May 25^th and I went along to take some pictures and chat to their Chairman, Sheila Dalton. I’ll let Sheila paint the picture.

“We were originally going to stage the event next week but realised that is clashed with half-term and decided to move it forward to May 25^th

“We roped in Church and Oswaldtwistle Rotary Club and four of their members came on Monday morning to help us put the bunting outside in the garden area. The week before Val Joss and Sonia Marshall had put the bunting on the inside of the library with my help, so the library is looking really good.

“Today, we set up the tables and borrowed cups and saucers and put china pots on the tables, served tea, sandwiches, cakes and biscuits, and decked all the table out with a red, white and blue theme. Everybody’s chipped in.”

The result was a festival of colour with each table bedecked with Union Flags as the centre piece. Maureen Woodhouse, who is secretary of Oswaldtwistle Library Friends was also on hand to serve tea and had been an integral part of the organisation of the event along with treasurer, Wendy Sanderson who was unable to be there because she had booked her holiday before the date had been changed.

The group decided to go with a local caterer: Cake Box of Union Road, Oswaldtwistle, and they were kind enough to give out discount leaflets for 10%.

I asked Sheila if she was pleased with the turn out on the day. She told me:

“To say nothing was booked and we got around 30 people here, I’m very pleased. I don’t think we could have coped with much greater numbers all turning up at once. It’s also nice that there are people here today seeing old friends they haven’t seen in ages and it’s a lovely atmosphere.”

I must say I totally agree with Sheila. The event was indeed a great success.

There was also a raffle, but judging by the amount of time that has elapsed since I bought my ticket; I have to say I don’t think I won anything.

There was also a little competition with a big photo of the Royal Family from a few decades ago and people were asked how many they could name. I managed to speak to a few people as I went round taking my pictures and I have to say they all seemed to have had a great time.

Well done Oswaldtwistle Library Friends, Church and Oswaldtwistle Rotary Club and the library staff; industrious manager Louise and her assistant Kristian, who is always on hand and very helpful.

WELLNESS CENTRE REOPENS WITH THE HELP OF WHAM FOUNDATION

Formerly known as Sure Start, an Accrington nursery had been transformed into a Wellness Centre, largely thanks to a £20,000 donation courtesy of Accrington Stanley’s Wham Foundation.

Now called Adventure Hyndburn the original soft play centre has now become “relaxing multi-purpose space, complete with a zen zone upstairs,” according to CEO Joanna Berry.

The new centre is much more than just a nursery as Joanna explained:

“It is also available for community use, training purposes and for our nursery children to explore mindfulness, yoga and emotional resilience. We couldn't be prouder of this unique and innovative oasis in the heart of Hyndburn.”

There was an official opening on Friday October 1st for the new Wellness Centre, situated in Norfolk Grove, when the Mayor of Hyndburn, Kath Pratt, some Stanley players and mascot Winstanley all attended.

Some of the community services offered include after-school club, ante natal advice and child and family wellbeing. You can see all of the services provided by visiting their website at www.adventure-hyndburn.co.uk or visiting their Facebook page.

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JEWELLERS CELEBRATE RUBY ANNIVERSARY IN A TIMELY FASHION

A loyal customer organised a pleasant surprise for the owners of Colin Whitcombe and Sons for their recent 40th Anniversary.

The company, formerly known as The Little Clock Shoppe, began trading on Warner Street on August 1st 1981 and the family is still well and truly at the helm today.

To mark the occasion the said customer, Alex Crook arranged for a visit from the Mayor of Hyndburn Kath Pratt and even commissioned a special watercolour sketch of the shop by local artist Steve Crowther.

Originally opened by Colin and Sheila Whitcombe, the shop is still very much a family concern, and is run by sons Andy and Tim, ably assisted by brother Stephen and Andy’s wife, Carmen who has herself been there for 25 years. They stock a wide range of jewellery and watches and specialise in repairs.

Tim (55) who has worked in the business from being a teenager was quoted as saying:

“The anniversary celebrations were an absolutely brilliant surprise for us…. Alex appeared with artist Steve Crowther and the Mayor. Alex has been coming in since we opened 40 years ago and is still one of our best customers to this day.”

The Mayor who has also been a customer for many years said a few words to mark the occasion.
Alex said:

“As a returning customer for over 30 years the lads have followed in their dad Colin’s footsteps, family values and traditions. I wouldn’t shop anywhere else when it comes to jewellery.”

Tim said that they are getting back on their feet after lockdown and was especially grateful for the well wishers through the tough times during the pandemic. Tim, Andy and all the family want to say a huge Thank You to all their customers over the past 40 years and are very proud of their longevity.

They would like to express their gratitude to their good friend and customer Alex Crook for his generous gifts and also say a big Thank You to Janet & Nigel of Open All Flowers for their beautiful floral gift and Steve Crowther for the incredible sketch of their shop front. Steve is based at the Old Stables at Haworth Art Gallery.

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SPECIAL TRIBUTES TO A SPECIAL MAN

A TRIBUTE TO TONY DOBSON

I’ve chosen this photo because it typifies for me what kind of a person my fellow-Councillor and friend Tony Dobson was. We never nominated him for an award or honour – I suppose we thought there was plenty of time for that in the future – but last year he nominated me for a High Sheriff of Lancashire Award for “great and valuable services to the community”. What a pity we can’t nominate Tony for an award posthumously – I’m sure his list of “credentials” was far longer than mine! Tony always referred to his group of Councillors as his “team” and was far more concerned to encourage and develop his team members than he was to seek “glory” for himself.

I first met Tony when I became a Councillor over ten years ago, shortly after he’d been Mayor of Hyndburn. Particularly at Election times he had a knack of organising tasks and people without ever having to raise his voice – I can never remember him shouting at anyone or losing his temper. I always found him to be respectful and obliging, willing to offer lifts to colleagues, even to social events (which of course meant that he couldn’t have a drink!) Tony was always good for a laugh on such occasions, even if the joke was at his expense!

At small fund-raisers – usually a meal at a local pub – we all took a raffle prize, typically alcohol or chocolates. On one occasion, a person who’d won four beer cans noticed that they were past their sell-by date. Tony admitted to being the guilty party and told us that he had a special drawer at home where he kept a collection of raffle prizes he’d brought back from his golfing weekends in Spain, etc and he hadn’t noticed that particular prize was “out-of-date”. We never allowed him to forget that and afterwards, whenever he brought a prize, we used to ask, “Is it ‘in date’, Tony?” He never took offence but always reacted with good humour!

Tony Dobson had multiple facets to his life and was well-known to many people in different contexts. I never heard him mention much about his education or qualifications but he struck me as a “born entrepreneur”, a community champion and a real social networker – such attributes aren’t learned from text-books. In his electoral ward of Barnfield, where he’d been a Councillor for the past 20 years, he went above and beyond the call of duty and helped his residents in both an advisory and a practical way. As a local businessman he was keen to see Hyndburn prosper and was a member of the Accrington Town Team.

Tony’s many roles included ownership and management responsibilities in the licensed trade and as a property landlord; he was a long-standing Governor at Mount Carmel RC High School and was passionate about helping young people. He was a Director or Chair at various times of several Hyndburn-based organisations such as First Call Hyndburn, CVS (Community & Voluntary Sector), the Community Safety Partnership and Accrington Stanley Community Trust. Of recent years, Tony had been particularly involved with the management of the Hyndburn Voluntary & Community Resource Centre on Cannon Street. In the two weeks before his death, when the Coronavirus pandemic struck, he was in the forefront of co-ordinating the community response and had been busy making shopping deliveries to elderly and vulnerable residents.

Besides all these “official roles”, Tony was a great friend to many people in the golfing fraternity, in the community and on the social scene. Most of all, he was a devoted family man – my condolences go especially to Trish and his two young sons.

Tony Dobson was taken from us far too soon and his sudden and untimely death has been a tremendous shock to the community of Hyndburn, leaving a void that will be impossible to fill. Rest in Peace, “Mr. Accrington”!

Councillor Judith Addison

Editor of Acorn Community News had this to say:

"My condolences go out to Trish, the boys, family and friends at this sad and destressing time.

"I have known Tony for a long time as I worked at Shifters when it first opened and he did some dee-jaying there.
Tony and I have been on many committees together and his opinions were always welcomed and many were put into action.

"When I was president of Accrington Lions, Tony and Trish were at many an event when they were Mayor & Mayoress of Hyndburn in 2007/2008.

"I will miss the many conversations and meetings we had, and thank you for all the advice given to me over the years.

"When I received phone calls from readers or my advertisers, if I couldn’t answer them Tony was always one of the first to ring to see if he could help.

"A true gent who always had a smile on his face; the community and fellow colleagues will miss you greatly. R.I.P.xx"

RHYDDINGS PARK A JEWEL IN HYNDBURN’S CROWN ONCE MORE

Jessica McClurg (marketing) and Nick Carter at the end of the process. Picture: Peter Jones

Last August, I spoke to Nick Carter of Rosslee Construction about the building works his company had undertaken at the top end of Rhyddings Park, renovating the original coach house and adding a big two storey extension. They also demolished the single storey building that was used to house the the Park Keeper’s tools and created a brand new workshop in its stead. The two million pound project took around eleven months to complete. The work started in October 2017 and the finished building was opened to the pubic in week-long series of events, starting on August 26 2018.

The project was an open public tender - tendered through Hyndburn Council (advertised on the OJEU website). The appointed architects were SPA (Sunderland Peacock Architects Surveyors)

Nick told me that the project on completion would be run jointly by Bootstrap Enterprise and the Friends of Rhyddings Park (FORP) and that FORP and Hyndburn Borough Council had been working towards this funding for the past twenty years.

The project was by no means plain sailing though. There is no suitable access for plant at that end of the park, so a compound had to be established at the inside the front gates of the park, where everything was delivered and stored and then all the components needed for the building work had to be painstakingly carried to the site at the top of the park. Quite a logistical nightmare for Rosslee.

“We had to endure ‘The Beast from the East’ parts one, two and three, and we never stopped, but it certainly challenged us.”

Outside the new buildings there is an extensive garden area, including greenhouses and the intention is to grow as much of the produce there that they can to service the new café within the coach house. Now that the work is completed, the coach house has rooms upstairs and down for local groups to meet and also for functions to be catered for.

When you set this against the backdrop of a beautiful park, the whole concept comes to life. From now and through the summer, weather permitting, this promises to be a lovely and popular venue and once all the spring and summer colours come to fruition, it should be pretty special.

In the course of the project, Nick has found out quite a lot about the history of the park. Apparently in the grounds stood a magnificent manor house that was owned by a factory owner, and the park was his garden. This disappeared many years ago and the only remnants that remain are balustrades.

Nick also told me that the original coach-house was built in 1853 to house the owner’s coaches and horses.

It is wonderful to know that a public park with so much history has been given a new lease of life so that people, young and old can appreciate the new build and its beautiful surroundings for many years to come.

Footnote: Rhyddings Park is having an official re-opening on May 19^th 2019 to mark the 110^th Anniversary.

Two pictures above: Peter Jones Taken April 2019

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PLEASE SUPPORT FUNDRAISING EVENTS FOR BRAVE JASON

Jason Hencher was born 2 months early, weighing only 2lb 14oz. He progressed really well, spending 4 weeks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), before coming home.

At about 8 weeks old, Jason became ill with Pneumonia and was very lucky to survive. The aftermath of this then left a weakness in his chest causing breathing difficulties, which meant he was back in hospital on a weekly basis.

Things just weren’t progressing as they should, so tests were done when Jason was around 6 months old. The results were a massive blow to his family, as Jason was diagnosed with a Chromosome Translocation between his 8th and 13th pair.

His family were informed that this was unique. Consequently, there was no way of knowing what the future held for Jason. The Translocation had caused Jason’s brain to develop abnormally, and even more worryingly, his prognosis was only to live until he was a young adult, and have very limited function.

Good News was on the horizon, however, as after three very scary years, Jason was proving them wrong. He started to get stronger and increasingly became aware of his surroundings. With a few more years of intense therapy Jason was beginning to use his hands, able to sit up, and even able to master a few steps.

Jason who is now 13 years old is severely delayed, and has no form of verbal communication, but he has a massive character, and just wants to do everything that his brothers and sisters can do.

The family raised funds to buy the bicycle seen in the pictures and would like to raise money to help others.

They now hope that their fundraising efforts help other children, with additional needs, who need an adapted cycle, to be able to access one. The family have seen the difference Jason’s cycle has made to him. The charity’s motto is: “every child should have a bike.”

Recently, Specsavers in Accrington have promised to add their support by sponsoring “Jason’s Wheels.”