Latest News

East Rural Ward Solution Meetings

Ward Solutions Meetings have been set up as part of the Council’s drive to improve community engagement at Ward Level, to consolidate good practice and make sure the Council and our partners had a consistent approach across the Borough.

More details can be found Here.

EAST RURAL NETWORK SCARECROW FESTIVAL 2011

The Network are pleased to announce that the second East Rural Network Scarecrow Festival will take place this year over two days. In conjunction with East Lancashire Hospice. On Saturday 11th June 2011 the Festival will be at various locations in Hoddlesden, and on Sunday 12th June 2011, the venue will be Brocklehead Farm, Roman Road, Eccleshill, Darwen.

The Network are hoping to build on the success of last year’s festival and invite everyone to take part. An entry form can be obtained by email for all competitions from Eastruralnetwork@live.co.uk. These can be returned with the entry fee to our secretary or placed in one of the Scarecrow Entry Form boxes. Which can be found at local business within the village or from the secretary.

We hope that everyone in the area will support the Scarecrow Festival by purchasing a Festival Programme, viewing the entries and voting for their favourite.

As part of the Scarecrow Festival there will be a dog show open to owners and their dogs who are under the age of 14 . Along with a balloon race to raise funds for East Lancashire Hospice and a Karate display.

The winner of last year’s people’s favourite was “Windy Day” (pictured above) and the Gornall family were delighted to take away a TV as their prize and to hold the Lynn Dunning Trophy for the first year. The Trophy was in memory of the late Lynn Dunning and was presented by her husband Brian Dunning. The Trophy was sponsored and provided by WEC Engineering. The winners in each category were awarded with rosettes and other prizes.

East Rural Campaign against dog dirt

Local Business man David Graham supports East Rural Campaign against dog dirt
by providing flyers which the network will put up around the East Rural Area.

David is also running the dog show at the scarecrow festival on the 11th June.

Click HERE to download an entry form.

ERYCA and the East Rural Network

The East Rural Network works hand in hand with the community, raising money and applying for grants to benefit the whole area. ERYCA is a registered charity and runs the community centre in the village, the Carus Centre. The building was purchased in 1985 by donations from the area. The Centre is in the hands of four trustees and managed by a Committee, all are un-paid volunteers.

The Carus Centre is very well used by a number of groups such as the Children’s Play and Learn, Autumn Club, Computer Club. Many local meetings are held at the Carus Centre. The Centre is also available for private parties.
The two groups work hard to raise funds for the East Rural area and are very much in need of help to raise funds for the two groups who tirelessly work to raise money.
The Carus Centre has now been found to have traces of asbestos in the cellar and is faced with a £2,500 estimate to resolve the problem.

If you would like to donate a raffle or auction prize this will be greatly appreciated. Please contact Linda Lynn on 01254 760097 or email linda.lynn01@hotmail.co.uk. Thank you.

WAR MEMORIAL RE-DEDICATION

The East Rural Network has facilitated the refurbishment of the World War I War Memorial in Queens Square, Hoddlesden. The Network has received a large grant from the War Memorials Trust and a local businessman has paid the match funding to enable the project to go ahead.

The Network members have been busy for the last six months publicising the work and tracing relatives of the men named on the memorial in order to invite them to the rededication service, seven families were represented at the Re-dedication Service.

The service of re-dedication of was lead by Network member, the vicar of St Paul’s Church, Reverend Terry Dyer, and among the 70 plus people at the service were the Deputy Mayor and Consort of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and Jake Berry MP, members of the Royal British Legion and local people.
Part of the service re-created the original dedication where a Union Flag was draped around the memorial and removed during the service.

Refreshments were served in the Carus Centre following the service and donations collected on behalf of the Royal British Legion of £77 were made up to £90.58 by sales of surplus cakes at a Network member’s workplace.

Thanks to Hoddlesden Village Shop, Hoddlesden Chippy, Allan Haslam, ERYCA, James Gibson Ltd, Vinnie Cunningham, TJ Recovery, Gavin Rowe, Sylvia Robinson, Phil Hall, Robert Kearney and Stephen Irwin (Blackburn Museum) for their support and to everyone who supported the event by baking cakes and attending.

More photos can bee seen on the Gallery page.

New Fence for Eccleshill Playground

The East Rural Network have provided match funding towards a new fence at Eccleshill gardens playground, to help safeguard the safety of the children and to prevent them from running into the road.

The other part of the funding has come from Darwen & Rural Neighbourhood Board.
The work will be carried out by Groundwork, and will commence very shortly.

Hoddlesden Grand Picnic saved

Full details can be Here.

CAR BOOT SALE

Sunday 12th JUNE
At Brocklehead Farm from 10 am till 4pm. Cars £7, Vans £12.
Please phone Carol or Hayley to book a space. Tel: 01254 703742 / 01254 705660

HODDLESDEN HALL

Hoddlesden Hall is celebrating its sesquicentenary, 150th, anniversary this year having stood on its present site for the last 150 years since being built by William Bayne Ranken in 1861. Hoddlesden Hall had previously been sited on the current location of the Ranken Arms, which by coincidence is celebrating its own centenary this year.

Hoddlesden Hall played a significant part as the hub of village life towards the end of the 19th century and as a dwelling it can be traced back to the 16th century as the home to many influential families over the years including the Marsdens, Hargreaves and Rankens to name but a few. The present residents, Tom Rennie and Gavin Rowe, intend to mark this historic occasion with a Celebratory Garden Party, details to be announced in the near future.

Messers Rennie and Rowe have put significant effort into renovating the gardens at Hoddlesden Hall with the intention that they are viewable at this event. This is the start of a long process of renovations as the gardens were neglected for many years when the property lay un-occupied. It is believed that Hoddlesden Hall has one of the largest privately owned Victorian Gardens in the area and will be preserved for future generations to enjoy.

If anyone has any interesting information or photographs about the Hall or its gardens Gavin or Tom would like to talk with you before the event. Feel free to come down to the Hall, which is between St. Pauls School and the village graveyard, and knock on the door.

EAST RURAL CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA

Click To Enlarge

PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION 2010

East Rural Landscapes. [date to be announced]

The Computer Club are creating a calendar for 2012 and are in need for East Rural seasonal landscapes. Waterside, Eccleshill, Pickup Bank, Belthorn, Hoddlesden and Blacksnape.

NEW BELTHORN HISTORY SOCIETY PAGE

The Belthorn History Society now has its own page on the Belthorn village website. Visit the site for details of events taking place over the summer.
Do come along to these if you are interested in Belthorn's local history - you will be made very welcome.

Meetings of the Society take place on the 3rd Monday of each month. The Society is intended to be a forum to learn about Belthorn’s local history.

If you have any local historical information or documents which you think would be of interest or if you would like any further information on the History Society please email leefallon@tiscali.co.uk for more details.

MILLENNIUM GREEN PICNIC

This years Grand Picnic was the 10th Anniversary which was a lovely day with lots going on and the weather was kind to us again.
The storyteller was enjoyed by both young and old, the free cupcakes went down very well and more attended the picnic than ever before.
The Millennium Green Committee would like to thank everyone who attended and helped to make it a memorable event and hope for the same support next year.

Photos can be seen on the Gallery page.

SCARECROW FESTIVAL

The scarecrow weekend was a great success with lots of entries and everyone joining in the spirit of the occasion helped by the fact that it was a lovely day.
There were over 62 entries of all shapes and sizes and with various themes.

The overall winner judged by the public was “A WINDY DAY”.

It is hoped that this will become an annual event. Saturdays success was followed by another busy day on Sunday in the village with events in the Carus Centre which included refreshments, book stall, raffle and lucky dip.

Photos can be seen on the Gallery page.

E.R.Y.C.A. COMMITTEE & A.G.M.

The A.G.M. for E.R.Y.C.A. will be in the second half of October. Volunteers are required for all positions, particularly, Secretary, Chair and Treasurer. The constitution states that there should be a committee of twelve.
The Association is in a sound financial position with many groups using the centre on a regular basis. What is needed are committee members to manage the Centre.

Please contact the secretary (details below) for more information, and attend the A.G.M.

Gina Mott C/O the Carus Centre, 1 Sydney Street.

East Rural Network are awaiting to hear if we have been awarded the funds to restore our War Memorial on the village green in Hoddelsden.

More information to follow shortly.

After our first successful Car Boot Sale we have decided to follow on with two further events please see the details below.

Click to enlarge.

First Ever Car Boot For East Rural.

East Rural’s first ever car boot sale raised just over £700, which is a fantastic achievement. A great time was had by all, and the committee worked really hard to make this a successful event and hopefully the first of many. Our grateful thanks go to Brocklehead caravan park for all their help and support and even more for the use of their land, which enabled us to have a safe environment to work in and a well organised car boot. But most of all a big thank you to all those who supported us.

HODDLESDEN GREEN AWARDED GREEN PENNANT.

Congratulations to the committee for all their hard work and dedication on gaining this award for The green and village and helping to make East Rural a beautiful place to live in.
The greens aims are:

1. Access for everybody
2. Leave the land as natural as possible
3. Include a wildflower meadow.

All these aims, and more, have been achieved, by all the hard work and dedication of the committee and over the years the Green has remained a place of quiet enjoyment of nature.

Once again Well Done and Thank You.


Home About Us Latest News New To East Rural Upcoming Events Photo Gallery Julie's Blueprint Committee Local Democracy Newsletter Minutes Area Map Bus Timetables East Rural Walks Links Contact Us	Latest News East Rural Ward Solution Meetings Ward Solutions Meetings have been set up as part of the Council’s drive to improve community engagement at Ward Level, to consolidate good practice and make sure the Council and our partners had a consistent approach across the Borough. More details can be found Here. EAST RURAL NETWORK SCARECROW FESTIVAL 2011 The Network are pleased to announce that the second East Rural Network Scarecrow Festival will take place this year over two days. In conjunction with East Lancashire Hospice. On Saturday 11th June 2011 the Festival will be at various locations in Hoddlesden, and on Sunday 12th June 2011, the venue will be Brocklehead Farm, Roman Road, Eccleshill, Darwen. The Network are hoping to build on the success of last year’s festival and invite everyone to take part. An entry form can be obtained by email for all competitions from Eastruralnetwork@live.co.uk. These can be returned with the entry fee to our secretary or placed in one of the Scarecrow Entry Form boxes. Which can be found at local business within the village or from the secretary. We hope that everyone in the area will support the Scarecrow Festival by purchasing a Festival Programme, viewing the entries and voting for their favourite. As part of the Scarecrow Festival there will be a dog show open to owners and their dogs who are under the age of 14 . Along with a balloon race to raise funds for East Lancashire Hospice and a Karate display. The winner of last year’s people’s favourite was “Windy Day” (pictured above) and the Gornall family were delighted to take away a TV as their prize and to hold the Lynn Dunning Trophy for the first year. The Trophy was in memory of the late Lynn Dunning and was presented by her husband Brian Dunning. The Trophy was sponsored and provided by WEC Engineering. The winners in each category were awarded with rosettes and other prizes. East Rural Campaign against dog dirt Local Business man David Graham supports East Rural Campaign against dog dirt by providing flyers which the network will put up around the East Rural Area. David is also running the dog show at the scarecrow festival on the 11th June. Click HERE to download an entry form. ERYCA and the East Rural Network The East Rural Network works hand in hand with the community, raising money and applying for grants to benefit the whole area. ERYCA is a registered charity and runs the community centre in the village, the Carus Centre. The building was purchased in 1985 by donations from the area. The Centre is in the hands of four trustees and managed by a Committee, all are un-paid volunteers. The Carus Centre is very well used by a number of groups such as the Children’s Play and Learn, Autumn Club, Computer Club. Many local meetings are held at the Carus Centre. The Centre is also available for private parties. The two groups work hard to raise funds for the East Rural area and are very much in need of help to raise funds for the two groups who tirelessly work to raise money. The Carus Centre has now been found to have traces of asbestos in the cellar and is faced with a £2,500 estimate to resolve the problem. If you would like to donate a raffle or auction prize this will be greatly appreciated. Please contact Linda Lynn on 01254 760097 or email linda.lynn01@hotmail.co.uk. Thank you. WAR MEMORIAL RE-DEDICATION The East Rural Network has facilitated the refurbishment of the World War I War Memorial in Queens Square, Hoddlesden. The Network has received a large grant from the War Memorials Trust and a local businessman has paid the match funding to enable the project to go ahead. The Network members have been busy for the last six months publicising the work and tracing relatives of the men named on the memorial in order to invite them to the rededication service, seven families were represented at the Re-dedication Service. The service of re-dedication of was lead by Network member, the vicar of St Paul’s Church, Reverend Terry Dyer, and among the 70 plus people at the service were the Deputy Mayor and Consort of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and Jake Berry MP, members of the Royal British Legion and local people. Part of the service re-created the original dedication where a Union Flag was draped around the memorial and removed during the service. Refreshments were served in the Carus Centre following the service and donations collected on behalf of the Royal British Legion of £77 were made up to £90.58 by sales of surplus cakes at a Network member’s workplace. Thanks to Hoddlesden Village Shop, Hoddlesden Chippy, Allan Haslam, ERYCA, James Gibson Ltd, Vinnie Cunningham, TJ Recovery, Gavin Rowe, Sylvia Robinson, Phil Hall, Robert Kearney and Stephen Irwin (Blackburn Museum) for their support and to everyone who supported the event by baking cakes and attending. More photos can bee seen on the Gallery page. New Fence for Eccleshill Playground The East Rural Network have provided match funding towards a new fence at Eccleshill gardens playground, to help safeguard the safety of the children and to prevent them from running into the road. The other part of the funding has come from Darwen & Rural Neighbourhood Board. The work will be carried out by Groundwork, and will commence very shortly. Hoddlesden Grand Picnic saved Full details can be Here. CAR BOOT SALE Sunday 12th JUNE At Brocklehead Farm from 10 am till 4pm. Cars £7, Vans £12. Please phone Carol or Hayley to book a space. Tel: 01254 703742 / 01254 705660 HODDLESDEN HALL Hoddlesden Hall is celebrating its sesquicentenary, 150th, anniversary this year having stood on its present site for the last 150 years since being built by William Bayne Ranken in 1861. Hoddlesden Hall had previously been sited on the current location of the Ranken Arms, which by coincidence is celebrating its own centenary this year. Hoddlesden Hall played a significant part as the hub of village life towards the end of the 19th century and as a dwelling it can be traced back to the 16th century as the home to many influential families over the years including the Marsdens, Hargreaves and Rankens to name but a few. The present residents, Tom Rennie and Gavin Rowe, intend to mark this historic occasion with a Celebratory Garden Party, details to be announced in the near future. Messers Rennie and Rowe have put significant effort into renovating the gardens at Hoddlesden Hall with the intention that they are viewable at this event. This is the start of a long process of renovations as the gardens were neglected for many years when the property lay un-occupied. It is believed that Hoddlesden Hall has one of the largest privately owned Victorian Gardens in the area and will be preserved for future generations to enjoy. If anyone has any interesting information or photographs about the Hall or its gardens Gavin or Tom would like to talk with you before the event. Feel free to come down to the Hall, which is between St. Pauls School and the village graveyard, and knock on the door. EAST RURAL CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA Click To Enlarge PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION 2010 East Rural Landscapes. [date to be announced] The Computer Club are creating a calendar for 2012 and are in need for East Rural seasonal landscapes. Waterside, Eccleshill, Pickup Bank, Belthorn, Hoddlesden and Blacksnape. NEW BELTHORN HISTORY SOCIETY PAGE The Belthorn History Society now has its own page on the Belthorn village website. Visit the site for details of events taking place over the summer. Do come along to these if you are interested in Belthorn's local history - you will be made very welcome. Meetings of the Society take place on the 3rd Monday of each month. The Society is intended to be a forum to learn about Belthorn’s local history. If you have any local historical information or documents which you think would be of interest or if you would like any further information on the History Society please email leefallon@tiscali.co.uk for more details. MILLENNIUM GREEN PICNIC This years Grand Picnic was the 10th Anniversary which was a lovely day with lots going on and the weather was kind to us again. The storyteller was enjoyed by both young and old, the free cupcakes went down very well and more attended the picnic than ever before. The Millennium Green Committee would like to thank everyone who attended and helped to make it a memorable event and hope for the same support next year. Photos can be seen on the Gallery page. SCARECROW FESTIVAL The scarecrow weekend was a great success with lots of entries and everyone joining in the spirit of the occasion helped by the fact that it was a lovely day. There were over 62 entries of all shapes and sizes and with various themes. The overall winner judged by the public was “A WINDY DAY”. It is hoped that this will become an annual event. Saturdays success was followed by another busy day on Sunday in the village with events in the Carus Centre which included refreshments, book stall, raffle and lucky dip. Photos can be seen on the Gallery page. E.R.Y.C.A. COMMITTEE & A.G.M. The A.G.M. for E.R.Y.C.A. will be in the second half of October. Volunteers are required for all positions, particularly, Secretary, Chair and Treasurer. The constitution states that there should be a committee of twelve. The Association is in a sound financial position with many groups using the centre on a regular basis. What is needed are committee members to manage the Centre. Please contact the secretary (details below) for more information, and attend the A.G.M. Gina Mott C/O the Carus Centre, 1 Sydney Street. East Rural Network are awaiting to hear if we have been awarded the funds to restore our War Memorial on the village green in Hoddelsden. More information to follow shortly. After our first successful Car Boot Sale we have decided to follow on with two further events please see the details below. Click to enlarge. First Ever Car Boot For East Rural. East Rural’s first ever car boot sale raised just over £700, which is a fantastic achievement. A great time was had by all, and the committee worked really hard to make this a successful event and hopefully the first of many. Our grateful thanks go to Brocklehead caravan park for all their help and support and even more for the use of their land, which enabled us to have a safe environment to work in and a well organised car boot. But most of all a big thank you to all those who supported us. HODDLESDEN GREEN AWARDED GREEN PENNANT. Congratulations to the committee for all their hard work and dedication on gaining this award for The green and village and helping to make East Rural a beautiful place to live in. The greens aims are: 1. Access for everybody 2. Leave the land as natural as possible 3. Include a wildflower meadow. All these aims, and more, have been achieved, by all the hard work and dedication of the committee and over the years the Green has remained a place of quiet enjoyment of nature. Once again Well Done and Thank You.