Coun Kath Pratt

Mayor’s column

HAPPY New Year!

Hopefully your 2022 is looking like being more positive and prosperous than last year.

As my scheduled mayoral engagements were less frequent over the festive period, I had more free time to enjoy the borough in an ‘unofficial’ capacity.

It was wonderful to see so many local shops that had made so much effort putting on wonderful displays for Christmas.

All the businesses that took time to create welcoming festive scenes for seasonal shoppers and visitors deserve a lot of credit after such an uncertain year.

As well as supporting Hyndburn’s businesses, I was privileged to attend some of the borough and wider region’s cultural events.

At the Great Harwood Civic carol service, myself and my Consort saw the

Salvation Army band, who were excellent in spite of the freezing weather.

We also represented the borough at St. Walberg’s Church in Preston for a carol service in aid of the roof restoration.

And we were in attendance at Fleetwood’s Marine Hall for the Fylde Council charity ball.

I’m also looking forward to being the official starter for the 10K and 2K charity fun runs this weekend in aid of

East Lancashire Hospice.

Taking part in such events both close to home and further afield makes me immensely proud of both our region and its residents.

Finally, I’d like to thank and congratulate the thousands of Hyndburn people and families who have taken the time to get their booster jabs in recent weeks.

By doing so, you’ve helped slow the spread of Covid-19 infections in our townships and eased pressure on our wonderful NHS workers.

And with everyone pulling together in this way, we can continue to contribute to the easing of restrictions in Hyndburn and nationally.

If you’ve not yet had your booster vaccine, you can easily find out how to get yours by visiting Hyndburnbc. gov.uk/covid19.