Ennerdale & Kinniside, Parish Council, Newsletter - July 2010

Parish Council Members

Current members of the Parish Council are:
Muir Lachlan (Chair)         862237    
Vic Chilton (Deputy Chair)         861634
Chris Ayling             861087    
Steve Steele            862485
Judith Oakley            862842    
Phil Hutchins            861421
Ric Outhwaite            862135    
Steve Bithell            861412
The Parish Clerk is Chas Coley 862805

Parish Council Meetings

Parish Council Meetings are held on the second Wednesday, of every odd numbered month, at 7.30 pm in the St Mary’s Community Centre.
If you are interested in serving your Parish, please contact Chas Coley, the Parish Clerk.

Ennerdale & Kingside - St. Mary’s Community Centre

At their Mid Year Meeting, on 18th May, the User Group treasurer reported to members of the group on the financial position of the Centre. The Centre continues to operate in a financially healthy state. Once again, this is almost entirely due to income received from the popular Soup Lunches. Thanks are due to the many volunteer cooks, cleaners and dishwashers who have made the Lunches such a success. Please watch "Contact" for future dates. As agreed at the AGM, this year, donations were made of £300 to the Salvation Army and £100 each to the Air Ambulance, First Responders and Cockermouth Mountain Rescue.
If you might wish to plan an event, hold a party, form a club or local interest group, or would just like information on facilities and availability, please contact Pat Hobson on 01946 861058

New Recreation Field

Work on the New Recreation Field started in April after a ceremonial sod-cutting by our MP, Jamie Reed, cheered on by the village children and their families. The project is being financed by Waste Recycling Environmental (WREN) and the work is being undertaken by Marron Landscapes in three phases.
The first phase, involving excavation to level the playing area and provide a surrounding bank, has involved removing and preserving the topsoil and digging into layers of heavy clay. Last drained in the 1970's the old network of drains was damaged and obsolete.
The second phase has inevitably been delayed by the recent tragic events in the area, but we are still on course to install the new drainage system, return the topsoil and re-seed. The third phase in the Autumn is the re-location of some play equipment, whilst preserving Bridge Park until the lease runs out.
The school children are enthusiastically making plans for their new garden area, and we have been generously given some young trees, bulbs and plants.
We are looking forward to having a Opening Event, on completion of the project, when we hope to have a sporting celebrity and local dignatories, to celebrate this great new addition to our Village.
 
Community First Responders

In our rural community we are indeed fortunate to have a very active local Community First Responders Team on hand and available, right round the clock. Last year the Team responded to 307 calls for assistance from the North West Ambulance Service and, this year, up to the beginning of May, it has had 104.  
During this past winter, when, due to the icy roads, the summoned ambulance was unable ,to proceed beyond the school, the team was called out to go to the top end of Ennerdale Valley to bring a patient down to the ambulance, using a 4x4 vehicle.
On another call-out the Team were required to work with the Great North Air Ambulance! Currently, all members of the Team are undergoing training on the use of pulse oxymeters, to improve the way they can administer oxygen and care for their patients.
It costs at least £1600 per annum to run the Team. They will have a stall at the Ennerdale Show and they would be very grateful to parishioners for donations of wine, or spirits, or chocolates, or any item which could be used as a prize, to help their fund raising activities.
The Team is always looking for new members. If you would like to join one of their training sessions, please come along. Sessions are held on the first Wednesday of every month at 7.30 pm in the Kirkland Mission. For further information, please contact the Team leader, Chris Abbot, on 01946 861963.

Another Strategic Housing Needs Survey

Copeland BC has commissioned a new Strategic Housing Market and Needs Assessment Survey for the whole of the district. Survey forms have aleady been sent out to all of the households in rural areas, including Ennerdale & Kinniside Parish. The last housing survey of this type done on a district-wide basis was in 2006. The information gained from this survey will be used to justify appropriate targets for housing and for Copeland BC to obtain the relevant funding from the government.
It is important to get a good return rate from the rural areas, like ours, as, in the past, the perception from some regional bodies has been that, as there was affordable housing available in Whitehaven and the more urban parts of Copeland, there was therefore no need to allocate funding for more affordable housing in the borough. This did not take into account the fact that there is a need for affordable and local housing in many rural parishes, as was shown by the parish surveys. If rural schools and other facilities are to remain viable, many parishes need good affordable and local housing to allow young people and families to stay in the area. Additionally, there is often a need for more suitable housing for older residents in rural areas.
So please could you complete and return the Strategic Housing survey form when it drops soon through your letter box? And, please encourage your neighbours and friends to do likewise? Copeland needs to show what the level and type of need is for future housing in all its areas, both urban and rural.

Ennerdale  Neighbourhood Watch

Ennerdale & Kinniside Parish Council is supporting the re-launch of the Ennerdale Neighbourhood Watch.
The benefits of being part of an active Neighbourhood Watch scheme are many. Reductions in crime levels, increased social contacts and being forewarned of possible crimes in our area are just a few. Perhaps getting a reduction in your home insurance would also help?
By now many residents in Ennerdale Bridge will have received our invitation to become a member pf this scheme. If you would like more information or have yet to receive your invitation to join the scheme, please get in touch with the Scheme Coordinator, David Wood on 01946 862598.
The scheme is supported by three Cluster Co-ordinators, Judith Oakley, Phil Hutchins and Chas Coley. Come and talk to us at the Ennerdale Gather on 4th September

Friends of Ennerdale & Kinniside School (FOEKS)

FOEKS continue with their main aim, that of supporting our village school by fund raising, and thereby assisting the schoolchildren by financing extra items in their education and wellbeing, such as the provision of transport for school trips, paying for swimming lessons, and various items of clothing and play equipment. Each year substantial amounts are raised by sponsored walks and cycling, bag packing at a local supermarket, a share in the proceeds from the Arts and the Harvest festivities, the Christmas Fayre, and the Prize Draw ( the purchase of a £10 ticket entitles the owner to enter ten monthly draws for 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes. The more vouchers sold the greater the prize money, so please take part !
Find out about FOEKS on the school website www.ennerdale.cumbria.sch.uk  

Wild Ennerdale Project  (www.wildennerdale.co.uk)
 
Many thanks to all those who came along to the Wild Ennerdale meeting on the 23rd June in the village school. The purpose of the meeting was to hear an update of work over the last 5 years and to get local feedback about the valley which will be part of the  review of the Wild Ennerdale Project next 5 year stewardship plan (2011-2016).
If you were unable to attend the meeting and would like a copy of the feedback notes, please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Events planned to be held during the forthcoming year :-
•    Thursday 29th July – Guided walk to base of Pillar Rock. Led by Simon Webb and John Gorst from the Partnership. Focus will be on the specialist mountain plants, wildlife and wider landscape management.
•    Thursday 12th August – Canoeing on Ennerdale. See a different perspective of Ennerdale from an open boat – wonderful opportunity!
•    Saturday 28th August – Ennerdale on Horseback. A tour of Kinniside (one hour ride) starting from the Bradley’s Farm, Cold Fell.
Places are limited and booking is required. Further details on booking. Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit the Wild Ennerdale website www.wildennerdale.co.uk

The Community Gather

Due to the enormous success of the first Ennerdale Community Gateway Gather, held last September, and at virtually unanimous request, members of the Committees of  Ennerdale’ St. Mary’s Community Centre, Ennerdale & Kinniside Horticultural and Agricultural Society, the Parish Council,  leaders of other community groups and the Wild Ennerdale Project Officer, agreed to repeat it. This year, it will be held, as before, in Tyson Garnett‘s field, opposite the Shepherd‘s Arms Hotel, on Saturday 4th September 2010, from 4.00 pm to 8.00 pm.
This year, entry will be by ticket only to enable us to cater for everyone and meet health and safety rules. Apply for your tickets now from Mr Jeff Oakley, Ehen Dale, Ennerdale Bridge, Cumbria, CA23 3AR or via email giving a contact phone number, your address and the names of the people you require tickets for. Your tickets will be posted out in August.
This is a Community Event, organized by the Community for the Community. Please show your support and join in!

Save our Squirrels

Grey squirrels have been sighted in Ennerdale. The greys are not an indigenous species. They have been classified as vermin and they are a threat to the continued existence of our native, red squirrel which, consequently, has  been declared an endangered species.
As vermin, it is perfectly legal to kill grey squirrels. Should you catch one alive, please note that it is illegal to release it back in to the wild. Rather, keep it safe and report it to David Parkin, the area Coordinator for Red Squirrels, on 01926 724244. Please also report all sightings in the area to Dave.
If you would like to help to protect and conserve our red squirrels  please contact Muir Lachlan on 862237.

West Cumbria "Managing Radioactive Waste Safely" Partnership

For progress on the MRWS programme - on whether Allerdale and Copeland Borough Councils and Cumbria County Council should participate or not in the Geological Disposal Facility siting process in this area -  please see the Partnership website at www.westcumbriamrws.org.uk  You can also obtain full details of the information, displays, community meetings, and the stakeholder organisations workshops that are being held locally. You can also register there to receive the Partnership e-mail newsletter.
Rounds 1 and 2 of the Public and Stakeholder Engagement process have been undertaken and the results will shortly be  published.
Work on the British Geological Survey (BGS) is just about to start. This will screen out those areas where, on a geological basis, it would be unsuitable to site a deep repository. This report will be published in September.
The Partnership will then have to concentrate on how it can demonstrate that there is credible support for the siting of the facility in a particular area. Your PC is pressing for local parishes to be consulted in this exercise.

A Bee Plea - Help!

Whitehaven and District Beekeepers are seeking a site for a Branch Apiary - somewhere to put 3 to 4 hives to provide an educational facility for local beekeepers. Ideally, they require an area of flat ground, about 15 m square, which can be fenced off to exclude livestock, discretely tucked away from roads and footpaths, but close to a track or lane for vehicular access to transport beekeeping equipment.
The advantages to the landowner will be readily available pollinators for crops, plus points for agri-environment schemes and jars of Cumbrian Honey at the end of each season!
Upkeep of the Apiary would entail group visits (5 to 10 members) most Saturday mornings during the summer and a visit every 3-4 weeks in the winter. An Apiary Manager would deal with any problems or queries. The landowner would not need to be involved in the Apiary management unless he/she wished.
If you are concerned about the plight of the honey bees and have a possible place they might call “home” for our Apiary, Val Sullivan, Secretary for the W&D BKA, would love to hear from you on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 01946 862604.