South Ribble’s Neighbourhood Forums engage with people from across the borough, deliver community projects

and seek to improve our local area.

Across five footprints, elected members and officers work with residents, businesses, churches, schools and

community groups to define local priorities, identify local issues and provide workable solutions.

Each area has a Neighbourhood Plan – a live document which works on a rolling basis; a workplan of improvement

projects, based on local feedback.

Annually, these plans are approved by Council, then progress throughout the year as projects are scoped,

delivered, and new projects adopted. All potential projects are tested for demand, impact, value for money,

sustainability and community involvement.

All Neighbourhood Plan

projects work on the basis of

‘external funding first’ – this

means that all possible

resource options are

considered before committing

the Council’s money. The

collective annual budget for

the forums is £25,000; the

amount levered in is

consistently much higher.

Forums meet regularly; up to 3 times a year for public meetings, and more frequently for member planning

meetings, where discussions around projects are held and decisions around funding are made. In addition,

there are are a number of area specific meetings, such as Parish Council liaison, and MATAC (Multi Agency

Tasking and Coordination) which help to inform us of local issues.

Working in partnership is key to the success of My Neighbourhood Forums; as a relatively small local authority,

we always endeavour to be greater than the sum of our parts. Strong working relationships with statutory,

voluntary and business organisations help us to maximize capacity and align activity with best operational fit.

This includes, for example, South Ribble Partnership funding for Penwortham Live community music festival –

over 3,000 people involved each year, or Council support to the Leyland Festival Committee to oversee the

smooth running of the borough’s biggest annual event, with upwards of 15,000 people participating.

2017/18 has seen some exciting developments, excellent events and lots of improvements to our local

environment. We are proud of what our communities have achieved – the South Ribble Way.

My Neighbourhood Forums use a range of methods to communicate and engage with residents, and are always

looking for new ways to interact. Several times a year, we hold public forum meetings in community venues

around the borough – we showcase progress on our projects and councillors speak with residents.

Each forum has a facebook page, used to promote events, provide updates on projects

and seek feedback on ideas.

Local groups are encouraged to use the pages to share their own news; all pages are set up to be accessible to

anyone, with or without a facebook account.

Leyland - facebook.com/leylandforum

Central - facebook.com/mycentralforum

Eastern - facebook.com/easternforum

Penwortham - facebook.com/leylandforum

Western Parishes - facebook.com/westernparishesforum

In addition to the above, forums manage a range of other project or event based pages, e.g. Longton Live,

Penwortham Autumn Show, South Ribble in Bloom. We also support groups and individuals to manage their

own community facebook pages, providing help with set up and training with posts, uploading images,

messaging, etc. Working across the network of pages, we reach thousands of people.

Monthly ‘what’s on’ guides are produced for each of the neighbourhood

forums, directing people to both regular activities, e.g. swim sessions, and

one-off events.

These are displayed at forums, on notice boards around the borough, and distributed by members to local

venues such as churches, village halls and schools. There is a standing arrangement with community groups

such as parish councils to share details of their events, reciprocated with publicising forum news in parish and

village newsletters.

My Neighbourhood pages on the Council’s website offer further detail including:

Names and contact details for forum members & lead

officers

Up to date My Neighbourhood Plans for each area

Delegated decisions to show how funding has been agreed

Online entry for South Ribble in Bloom

E-versions of walking route cards for download

Annual timetable for forums

Links to facebook pages

Seasonal information on events, e.g. Penwortham Live,

Leyland Festival, Christmas switch-ons

For more information:

southribble.gov.uk/southribbleinbloom

facebook.com/southribbleinbloom

South Ribble in Bloom is a community gardening competition to add colour,

brightness and boost civic pride. Hundreds of people have been involved to date, as

indivduals and in groups - based on the success in Penwortham and Leyland, the

campaign has been rolled out borough-wide.

Each area has, or is working towards, a committee of volunteers who oversee the

promotion and management of the competition. Categories are:

Best Front Garden Best Hanging Basket / Window Box

Best Business Premises Best Church

Best Community Area Schools Challenge

The schools category is open to nurseries, primary, secondary and futher education

establishments; the theme for this year is ‘Coming of Peace’ – commemorating the

end of World War 1.

People from all backgrounds and all ages take part, from school gardening clubs to

residents of sheltered housing schemes. Committees organized launch events with

Q&A sessions, plant swaps and workshops for beginner gardeners. Free fertilizer has

been distributed to entrants, along with words of encouragement!

Entries increase year on year, with a huge amount of time and effort contributed. For

2018, an overall South Ribble in Bloom competition will run for the first time,

for winners of individual area contests to compete against each other.

Highlights from Central Farington Park Gym

Following an extensive consultation exercise, which

showed overwhelming support for creation of an

outdoor gym, we worked with Farington Parish Council to

make it happen. Funded by the Parish Council and

Farington Community Fund, six pieces of kit have been

installed. The new facility is already proving to be

popular with local residents and we are working with our

partners at ABL Health to deliver induction / coaching

sessions over the coming weeks and months

Lostock Hall Arts Trail at St Catherine’s Park

Working in partnership with Lostock Hall Academy, Brothers

of Charity and St Catherine’s Hospice, we have created an

arts trail which will run through the newly created park,

starting at The Mill Café and finishing up at the WW1

memorial on Lostock Lane. The beginning & end of the trail

will be marked with butterfly and kingfisher wooden

sculptures and will feature 250 yellow clay butterflies, which

have been made by pupils who attend the school’s art club.

The trail complements the latest addition to

St Catherine’s Park – a natural play area to be

opened in April 2018.

Borough War Memorial

The War Memorial, opened in November 2015, continues

to be a popular feature for visitors and local residents

alike. We have received wonderful feedback and some

incredible pictures from photographers who have been

inspired by the soldier silhouette. The popularity has led

to some issues with parking, and complaints about cars

being left in front of the memorial, impeding the view

from the road / roundabout. New planters along the

footway will prevent access for cars mounting the kerb

and further enhance the iconic feature.

Highlights from Eastern

Bamber Bridge Regeneration

The central corridor of Bamber Bridge, along Station

Road, is being transformed as part of the multi-million

pound City Deal Programme. Achievements in 2017/18

included the installation of a community garden area,

with name plaques for special ‘Briggers’ as nominated

by neighbours, friends and family. New, wider

pavements are much smarter, with design feature bus

shelters, planters and benches. Extra on-street car

parking was requested by residents and businesses –

delivered with additional lay-bys. Cycle parking has also

been introduced to encourage sustainable travel.

Walton Park

The Friends of Walton Park do a fantastic job in their

work to improve and enhance the grounds. With

support from the Council this year, they have

secured external funding from LCC and Tesco. We’ve

helped to plant a bluebell meadow, create a willow

walkway and raised beds. A new pond dipping platform is in place, with

nets, kit and an information board. Surrounding planting has been

designed to attract wildlife, including butterflies and dragonflies. New

workwear for the group has been funded too, so they are fully kitted out

for their next round of projects!

Walking Routes

In response to feedback from residents, four local walks have been identified and mapped; clear, user friendly route cards have been published and distributed for people to collect and follow.

Tram Road / Walton le Dale - Bamber Bridge / Walton Park Coupe Green / Gregson Lane - Nabs Head / Samlesbury

As well as promoting walking for exercise and enjoyment, we hope this will bring more of our footpaths back into regular use. If this proves to be as popular and successful as we anticipate, more routes will follow in 2018 & beyond.

Leyland Warriors

Reducing Social Isolation

Leyland Forum has worked hard through 2017/18 on a number of measures

to help combat loneliness and isolation. Local business and organisations

have been very supportive; allowing staff to volunteer. Highlights so far

include training market traders (and others) to be dementia friendly, an

annual social event for older people to signpost support services, and a

monthly information hub at Leyland Market. To be continued, watch this

space……

Malt Kiln Fold (Moss Side Playing Fields)

Leyland Forum has worked in partnership to secure funding, gain permissions and

deliver a huge improvement scheme at Malt Kiln Fold (previously Moss Side Playing

Fields.) To date, this includes:

Bridleway extensions (with Ulnes Walton Bridleway Association)

Bore Hole and water pump (with Barratt and Jays Angling Club)

New sports pavilion & changing rooms (with Sport England & Leyland Warriors)

Car park extension (with Leyland Warriors)

The collective value of these investments is in excess of £500,000, with benefits

for sports teams, horse riders, dog walkers, anglers, neighbours and more. Over

30,000 people use this space each year, both longstanding and new visitors – feedback has been fantastic.

Highlights from Leyland

Bobby the Horse

Possibly our most popular gateway feature yet, Bobby the Iron Horse has

pride of place on Longmeanygate. Funded by the City Deal Programme,

with a contribution from local timber merchant C and W Berry, incorporating

horseshoes donated from nearby stables, Bobby truly is a Leyland icon. We

are incredibly proud of this piece of work, and it seems the public are too:

‘The maker wants publically commending, it's an amazing piece of art.’

‘It gives a sense of pride and that we care about our heritage and town.’ ‘Bobby the horse is beautiful – thank you’

‘I think it's a stunning piece of artwork! It's beautiful’

Highlights from Penwortham

Penwortham Autumn Show

Penwortham Show began as an idea of a

resident, who wondered if there might be some

local interest in a growing, baking and craft

show….. one hard-working committee & four

shows later, around 5,000 people have been

involved (volunteers & participants.)

The forum has ‘incubated’ this event; that is,

supported it initially, whilst establishing a

financially sustainable model of delivery for

the committee. September 2017’s event covered

all costs and generated a surplus for future years.

Penwortham Live

Penwortham Live music festival is now in its sixth year, with performances to suit all ages and tastes. Hosted by over 20 venues across the town, including coffee shops, churches, restaurants, the local Spar and an estate agents. The event is designed to bring the community together, whether performing, volunteering or enjoying the entertainment. A £5 wristband can be purchased from any performer or venue for access to all venues, all weekend. 2017 was a complete sell out; 3000 wristbands sold and record levels of revenue for venues – so 2018 will be bigger and better, with more venues to add capacity.

Heritage Trail

Residents expressed an interest in Penwortham’s history, following schemes such as Greenbank Road Conservation Area. Local historian Elizabeth Basquill has worked with the forum to produce a series of Heritage Trails – mapping sites of historic interest which are publicly accessible residents and visitors to enjoy. In 2017/18 the following booklets were produced, with a further one to follow: -

Lower Penwortham

Higher Penwortham

Trams and Trains Due to overwhelming popularity, all trail booklets have gone to re-print, with 10,000 distributed so far.

Highlights from Western Parishes

Longton Live

Longton Live uses the same operating model as Penwortham,

with the shared aim of bringing the Western Parishes

community together. The village comes alive over the

festival weekend; footfall is significantly increased – 2017 was

once again a sell out at 3000 wristbands, plus more than 100

venue hosts and volunteers.

Feedback from businesses, groups, residents and visitors

demonstrates the value of the event to the village, and wider

area. ‘Longton Live, what can I say – a great night out, for all

ages. Something for everyone with a real community feel, I love it,

We all do.’

Walmer Bridge

2017/18 saw some big changes to the village centre in

Walmer Bridge – a new look for the area outside the

shops with a contemporary feel, yet reflecting the mill

heritage. The forum led consultation work with

residents, businesses and Little Hoole Parish Council.

Their feedback, combined with research into the history

of the village, inspired a loom feature noticeboard,

planting in a silk thread pattern and mulberry trees

(once used to feed silk moths.) Seating was improved,

pleasing older neighbours and short stay car parking has

been enhanced for visitors & shop customers.

Longton Village Market & Welcome Café

The monthly market at St Andrew’s Church Hall provides

crafters, bakers & traders with a retail outlet, the local

Women’s Institute with a coffee shop, and an opportunity

to ‘shop local.’ The forum supports the market with

promotion, securing stalls and set up / set down.

Alongside the market, a free dementia-friendly welcome

café has been established inside the church – enabling

carers to visit the market, reassured that the person they

care for is in a warm, safe environment with drinks, snacks,

entertainment and trained volunteers

Truck Trail Launch Manchester Vigil

Launch

My Neighbourhood Forums also supported:

Teddy Bears’ Picnic Penwortham Open Gardens Lostock Hall Spring Market

Much Hoole Spring Fete Lostock Hall Carnival Farington Family Fun Day

Longton Health Mela Walmer Bridge Beer Festival

Windrush Festival Leyland Festival

Taste of Leyland Spring

Social

My Neighbourhood Forums also supported:

Volunteer Recruitment Event Lostock Hall Halloween Hunt Truck Trail Close

Priory Democracy Day Bug Hotel Workshops Friends Group Network

Much Hoole Christmas Market Pumpkin Patch Workshop International Women’s Day

Christmas Tree Switch ons at: Longton, New Longton, Bamber Bridge & Leyland Cross

Community clean-ups

Bamber Bridge Walking Nativity South Ribble Big Do

Leyland Christmas Festival

In Bloom Awards Ceremony Lostock Hall Christmas Market

The Council is committed to offering good value, high quality services for the benefit of South Ribble

neighbourhoods.

With this in mind, it is vital that we are always seeking to evolve and adapt

to the needs of our communities.

We have committed to producing a bi-annual newsletter – updating

residents on activity in their area and seeking their feedback and views.

We will continue to work in partnership and bring in external funding

wherever possible; we recognise the need to make the Council’s money

go further.

We will work closely with colleagues from across the Council, especially in

Neighbourhood Services, to offer efficient and joined up front line services.

We will always endeavour to innovate, think differently & empower our

communities to help themselves.

We will listen, respond & remain customer focused.

We will work in line with the Council’s Corporate Plan to make sure everything we do contributes to our

Corporate Priorities.

Do you have a project idea you would like to discuss?

Are you part of a group or organisation that needs some support to grow & develop?

Do you want to get more involved in your local area?

If yes to any of the above, or if you have any queries, questions or comments, we would love to hear from you.

You can reach us via:

communityworks@southribble.gov.uk

01772 625224

southribble.gov.uk/myneighbourhood

Community Works Team, South Ribble Borough Council, West Paddock, Leyland PR25 1DH