Events this month in Bury

Residents are invited to attend the next meeting of Prestwich Township and help decide the town’s major priorities for the next 12 to 18 months.

Councillor Vic D’Albert, forum chair, said: “Issues such as health inequalities, unemployment, crime, education, environment and community pride will be discussed and an Area Action Plan will be produced, based on statistical and strategic information and the views and ideas brought to the meeting. We would like people to come along and have their say.”

The meeting, on Monday 6 February, is at the Longfield Centre in Prestwich and starts at 6.30pm.

Also on the agenda is the usual open forum and an update on CCTV provision in Prestwich centre.

Further information: Kim Griffiths, Township Co-ordinator, on 0161 253 6349/07733 125436 or email k.griffiths@bury.gov.uk

Everyone is getting their hands dirty and digging in to make a change at Boz Park in Whitefield.

On Monday 6 February the Amphibian and Reptile Group is heading down to Boz Park with a digger to create a new pond on the site. The group dug out the previous two ponds and these have attracted so much wildlife that the Boz Park Steering Group requested more ponds were dug to attract wildlife and to add more interest to the Park.

Jacqui Goggs, Bury Accessible Natural Greenspace officer, said: “Over recent years there has been loads of work carried out on Boz Park to make improvements: these have included a new children’s play area, new footpaths, tree planting and boardwalks. In the last year alone a new fence has been built, boardwalks extended to keep walkers out of the mud, and local schools have planted more than 1,000 wild flowers in the wildlife area. These have all been fantastic changes for the park and have benefited people and wildlife alike.”

She added: “The steering group would like to keep making improvements to the park and enable local people to make the most use of it. The ponds that were previously dug are now teeming with wildlife and groups can organise pond dipping sessions in the park. The new ponds will in future provide even more space for educational activities to take place.”

To complement this latest wildlife habitat creation, the Hillock Gardening Group and the Amphibian and Reptile Group applied for free hedging trees from the Woodland Trust. Both groups were successful and more than 800 hedge trees are on their way, to be planted by children from Mersey Drive, Ribble Drive and St Michael’s local primary schools.

Any group wishing to book a pond dipping session or wildlife session in the park should contact Jacqui Goggs on 0161 253 7764 or email j.goggs@bury.gov.uk  

Liven up your Business Networking ~ with a Hint of Spice! ~

Bury Business Curry Club meets on the first Tuesday of every month. Come and join us and other like minded local business people in a relaxed atmosphere with some award winning food, great company and an opportunity to build new business relationships.

February brings a huge variety of guided walks to help you enjoy the local countryside.

Wherever you live in the borough, Bury’s rangers invite you to join them on either a weekday or a weekend outing.

Monthly Trust meeting, open to all, new faces especially welcome

Residents are invited to give their views on what the top priorities for Bury East should be.

A series of workshops will be held at the next meeting of Bury East Township Forum, which is on Thursday 9 February at Freedom Church.

The aim is to draw up four or five key realistic and achievable priorities to be included in the Bury East Township Area Plan.

The groups will discuss themes including Health, Community Safety, Worklessness & Training and Housing. Each group will be asked to give their opinions and suggest new projects and ideas to help to achieve the goals for each key priority.

Tan Ahmed, the new chair of Bury East Township Forum, said: “It is with real excitement and optimism that I take over as chair. It is an important time for the forum as we proceed with the development of the Township Area Plans and identify the key themes that will shape the work of the forum over the next 12 months. We invite as many Bury East residents as possible to join our round table discussions and have their say at what is going to be a lively and interactive meeting.”

The meeting starts at 7pm, and the usual open forum and public question time will be on the agenda in the second half of the meeting.

For more details, contact David Thomas, township co-ordinator, on 0161 253 7455.

Changes to Housing Benefit have now come into effect from January 2012 and this will impact on people who rent from a private landlord who will see a reduction in their Housing Benefit.

A dedicated Mobile Advice Centre will be available at Radcliffe Piazza, (Radcliffe, M26 1NN) on 20th January, 9th February and 2nd March and at Kay Gardens, (Bury, BL9 0AY) on 10th February and 30th March. Our trained advisors can offer advice and support if your payments are to be reduced.

If you are unable to access the Mobile Advise Centre our team can be contacted by telephone 0845 120 2093.

If you, or somebody you know or someone you are dealing with on a professional basis may be affected by these changes then please get in touch with the team.

Eight-mile walk, meet at Town Meadow Park car park, Tottington. Contact: 01706 823 358. There are stiles and uneven surfaces. Please bring refreshments. Please wear stout footwear and suitable clothing.

A variety of guided walks to help you enjoy the local countryside.

Free football and fitness sessions are being offered to young people aged 16 and over.
The aim is to increase the numbers playing football, but also to encourage volunteering and to give those who are not in employment, education or training a chance to gain qualifications and improve their CV.

The course has been put together by Bury Football Development Forum, Bury Sport And Physical Activity Service (SAPAS) and the England Football Foundation.

It takes place every Tuesday from 14 February to 1 May at Castle Leisure Centre in Bury, from 11.30am to 12.30pm.

Participants will be given the opportunity to join SAPAS pool of volunteers and go on courses such as Level 1 in football coaching, the Junior Football Organisers course and Refereeing Football course, all paid for by Bury Football Development Forum. They can also join the SAPAS pool of coaches if they pass the course where they will have the opportunity to be a casual coach and be paid.

For more details contact Martyn Bennett on 0161 253 5893 or email M.Bennett@bury.gov.uk

Help the birds find a home this spring by building a nesting box with the help of Bury Ranger Service.

The project takes place during National Bird Box Week, and sessions are held at Nuttall Park, Ramsbottom on Tuesday 14 February and at Town Meadow Park, Tottington on Wednesday 15 February.

Booking is essential – call 01706 823 358. Please bring £2.50 if you want to take your box home.