Coun Barbara Ashworth

Mayor of Rossendale

WELL at last The Mayoress and I have been able to carry out a “live” engagement.

On Saturday, August 29 we toured all the garden and planter areas Bacup Pride maintain in the town centre.

What a wonderful variety of plants and colours and how neat and tidy the town centre looks! The Bacup Pride team is small but very dedicated.

They have continued to work within safe guidelines during lockdown with even smaller numbers than usual but the results are outstanding.

The Royal Horticultural Society competition couldn’t take place this year so it seemed only right that the work of this voluntary group is recorded in some way, at least with a Mayoral visit. Bacup Pride also boasts a number of “lone rangers” who pick litter far and wide around Bacup.

What may not be so well known is the Bacup Pride Community Allotment which is in Stubbylee Park.

Only a couple of years ago, this was nothing but a boggy, undulating wilderness.

It has been transformed into an oasis of flowers, fruit bushes, vegetables and willow hedges to name a few.

The allotment is also a prime example of imaginative recycling and reusing of unwanted goods.

Flowers for the town centre planting season are grown here too – Bacup Pride aiming to be self-sufficient.

There are some very talented gardeners.

Not being one myself, I can truly appreciate the hard work which goes into all this.

Whilst in Stubbylee, we also visited the Community Greenhouses for socially distanced coffee and cake at the Stables Café. The work of the “Greenhouses” is developing all the time and is particularly needed now as more people are finding their mental health affected by Covid and the ensuing isolation and loneliness.

I must mention our local businesses who regularly donate to Bacup Pride in terms of money, goods and work in kind.

Thank you very much for showing your strongsupport for a voluntary group.

Pride Groups and lone rangers across Rossendale collect an incredible amount of litter.

Of course it should never be thrown in the first place but thank goodness there are people who are willing to clean up after these litter louts.

At the moment, due to Covid safety measures, many cafés etc are using disposable containers for food and drink.

Could I appeal to them to please try wherever possible not to use polystyrene but to use compostable goods?

It is worrying that disposable products such as masks are also adding to the landfill we are trying to reduce.

Finally, a plea to people who are out and about supporting bars, pubs and restaurants.

Follow the rules!