Mighty Oaks from Little Acorns Grow

Looking back, this week has been mainly focused around being healthy, which is relevant in this Year of Health and Wellbeing.

Two days were invested in the "Championing Health in Your Community" training programme resulting in an accredited qualification from the Royal Society for Public Health. Two days of thought provoking presentations, full of interesting information and the opportunity to meet like minded people, time well spent, but only if I use what I have been taught, which I will. I will be attending a Public Health Conference on 2 April and am representing Chorley Council on the Staying Healthy table at the Local Democracy Event on 15 March.

Get Up and Go is exactly what we did on Saturday at the Winter Playday. Roxanne had a thoroughly enjoyable two or three hours watching Punch and Judy, trying Circus Skills, decorating (and eating) cakes, joining in the fun gymnastics and best of all holding and learning about Owls.

The Woodland Garden project at Charnock Richard Primary School is taking on a life all of its own, even in the half term break. In addition to offers of help from parents' we have had offers of help from Birkacre Nurseries and a landscape gardener, Chorley Council are being extremely positive and helpful in these early stages. I will be applying for help as part of the Keep Britain Tidy Big Tidy Up and for a Green Partnership Award. I need to make sure all this is co-ordinated as a whole and will be setting up a meeting of all interested parties soon. Just to think that I mentioned this as part of a class three homework question and it has grown, in a short time, from a suggestion to a project. The phrase"Mighty Oaks from Little Acorns Grow" is especially relevant.

I always enjoy talking with people who have lived in the area for a long time and this week has been no different. Diversion of a footpath generated no comment at all until I was contacted by an 85 year old lady, who had no opposition to the footpath redirection, but did question the reasons why and reminisced about growing up in Heskin. Really interesting to hear about life and times past, if only these people would write down their experiences for future generations, perhaps there is scope for a project with the library, I will look into it.

Frank had his latest round of immunisations on Friday, whilst the subject of much debate in recent years, these injections are important to prevent the infectious diseases we used to live with.

I am aware of two new planning applications in Chisnall, these being:
12/00091/FUL for demolition and replacement with a new building at Festive Lights, Preston Road, Charnock Richard, PR7 5HH
12/00098/FUL which is a partially retrospective application for agricultural / livestock buildings at Hilldale, Preston Road, Charnock Richard, PR7 5JP