Radcliffe First news
Cllr Simpson's Maiden Speech
Probably the most memorable maiden speech ever heard in the council chamber delivered 13th November 2024
Andrea Booth's Blog - June 2023
What a great start to the summer
I feel like I have done so much in the past few weeks since the election.
Radcliffe Carnival
A beautiful sunny day and a fantastic day out. I worked with other RF Councillors to support the carnival. We did jobs such as marshalling road closures for the carnival parade. We litter picked along the parade route and Redbank field, with Radcliffe Litter Pickers, providing information to visitors and working as safety marshals walking with the parade.
If you have any ideas about how to make the Carnival bigger and better and you are willing to offer your help, please get in touch with the committee. I know some people are often wary of ‘volunteering’ for a number of reasons, but this is one of those events that can only operate because of volunteers, businesses and residents willing to get involved.
Radcliffecarnivalmakers@gmail.com
Go on, do it, do it now – you won’t regret it.
After a very hot, busy day, we went to Radcliffe Market for food, drinks and to watch the amazing Feel Good Factor. Live music is always great, but this band is fabulous. If you get chance to see them, please do!
Radcliffe Litter Pickers (RLP) …
at St.Mary’s Church
On the first Sunday of every month RLP spend a few hours at St. Mary’schurch, next to Close Park. We clear grave stones of overgrown grass and moss,we cut grass and generally try to keep the churchyard looking clean and tidy.It is a mammoth task and we need all the help we can get. If you have a fewhours spare on a Sunday morning, please come and help. The team are lovely (and the residents no trouble at all!!).
…at St. John’s Safe Haven Garden
Another project I am involved with is St. John’s churchyard on New Road. The church itself is long gone but we are doing our best to clear the space and make it a quiet, peaceful place to spend time.
Chief Executive walkabout
When the Council recently appointed our new Chief Executive, (Lynne Ridsdale), one of the things she wanted to do was to join all local councillors on a Ward Walkabout around each of the 17 wards in the Borough.
Councillor Donald Berry and I were lucky enough to be one of the first wards selected and we were proud to show Lynne and Donna Ball (Executive Director of Operations) around our ward (Radcliffe North & Ainsworth).
We talked about current issues that affect the entire ward, from Ainsworth,to Bradley Fold to Countess Lane and all the areas in between. Speeding, inconsiderate parking and pedestrian safety were high on our list as was the installation of IX wireless infrastructure and school places for Radcliffe children.
We also discussed what a lovely place our ward is and how many green spaces we have. Some could be better used, so we gave Lynne and Donna some ideas about how to make these spaces more accessible and safer for families and local residents at low or no cost to the council.
It is hard to ignore the difficulties some areas have with anti-social behaviour,drug users and poverty. Boarded up windows in rented properties, do nothing to encourage respect for our environment. This was tempered by the obvious pride,that the majority of residents have, in their homes and the well looked after gardens in both private and rented houses.
They commented on the lack of litter in the area. Of course, Radcliffe Litter Pickers play a big part in trying to keep our ward clean and tidy. It’s even better, when people choose to use a bin for their litter and the tip fortheir larger items of waste!
Trinity Food Bank is a necessary service in our ward but the premises it has are not good enough for the type of work they do. We spoke about trying to find them something more suitable which gives clients some privacy and volunteers a better space to work in.
The Support at Home service is currently under threat, in order to save money. This service is a lifeline for so many of our older and more vulnerable residents. The service does welfare checks, makes sure residents are taking medications etc. The consultation is open until 21st June 2023, so if you can, please contribute your thoughts using the link below.
https://www.radcliffefirst.co.uk/rf-in-the-community.html
It was a positive couple of hours which we used to showcase what Radcliffehas to offer as well as some of its challenges.
Look out for Ainsworth Village Day on the playground field 8th July. Stalls, music, activities, food & drink, maybe bring a picnic and enjoy the space. Also, school and community summer fairs are just around the corner. Please support, contribute and get involved in everything you can. It all adds up to making our community the bestit can be.