Your Call annual report 2012 - Blackburn with Darwen Borough ...

ANNUAL REPORT

Content
Introduction by Councillor Kate Hollern, 4
leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council
Overview of the campaign 5
Clean and Green 6
Pulling together through winter 9
Battling the elements 10
Good Neighbours 11
Young People and Your Call 13
Adult social care 14
Key contacts 16

William Cowell, nine, gets ready to plant some bulbs in the Cartmell Road area of Witton, Blackburn

Introduction by Councillor Hollern
Introduction to the Your Call annual report
by Councillor Kate Hollern, leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council
Your Call began on a very windy day in November 2011. That
day, I met with dozens of volunteers on Roe Lee Park who had
put themselves forward to make their area a better place.
I was amazed, despite the weather, how many people came
out to support their community.
Since then, hundreds have heard the call, come forward and
fought for their borough as you’ll see over the next few pages
of this annual report.
The last few years have been extremely tough for local
authorities and the residents they serve. The economic troubles
have also meant families here are feeling the pinch.
The tough times are set to continue and the Council is having
to make further painful cuts over the next two years. It’s not all
doom and gloom though.
The cuts mean that Council services have changed forever. But
we have always been clear that what matters to you matters
to us.
And one of the things you have told us is that you want to play
your part.
That’s why we started Your Call. Our pledge is to support you in
what you want to do to improve your area, whether it is loaning
out free equipment for litter picks or hedge trimmers to cut
overgrown grass to helping you to tackle dog fouling in your
neighbourhood.
Your Call is also a plea for everyone to do their part to make
Blackburn with Darwen the best it can be. Everyone can help,
even in small ways. Thinking twice about dropping litter which
costs money to clear up or making a commitment to support
our businesses in our towns by shopping local all helps.
Knocking on an elderly neighbour’s door to make sure they are
warm enough over winter or getting a spade out and clearing
the snow are other examples.
The work residents have been doing has been recognised
on a national stage. The campaign was named Community
Initiative of the Year at the UK Public Sector Awards – a fantastic
accolade for everyone who has been involved.
I am sure Your Call will continue to keep building and more and
more will flock to the cause.
I really believe that if everyone in the borough works and fights
together, we can still make the borough a great place despite
the tough times.

Overview of the campaign
L-R Jayne, Jack and Chris get ready to start work in the rain at the Your Call clean up at St James Cemetery, Stopes Brow, Lower Darwen.
Your Call was launched in November 2011.
It was set-up as a response to the unprecedented budget cuts
the Council had to make because of funding reductions.
The severe cuts meant the Council could no longer try to solve
every problem the borough faced on its own. It needed the
help of residents to make neighbourhoods cleaner, greener,
safer and more prosperous.
Residents told the Council clearly that they wanted to get more
involved in making their communities a better place. Indeed,
many residents were already doing so.
Many said they were happy to get out there and do their bit but
sometimes lacked the resources to get projects off the ground.
One of the clearest examples of how Your Call works is the
success of the environmental part of the campaign.
Your Call provides tools, equipment, health and safety advice
and guidance and waste removal.
Since 2011, 3545 volunteers have taken part in 118
environmental improvement activities.
Activities have included back street clean-ups, litter picks, grass
cutting and hedge trimming.
Other Your Call successes include the increase in the number
of winter squads, which has doubled since they started in
November 2011.
In total, nearly 5000 volunteers have taken part in Your Call.
One important aspect of the Your Call campaign is for the
Council to continue to listen to residents about their priorities
and their ideas to make their neighbourhoods better places.
In August 2012, the leader of the Council took part in a special
consultation event which saw a black cab complete with a
video diary room parked in Blackburn and Darwen.
On the day 46 residents filled in the feedback cards whilst a
further 24 gave their comments to the ‘cabcam’. The videodiary
style comments have been made into a YouTube video
and uploaded to the Council website. More than 30 feedback
cards were also taken away by residents to fill-in and return at
a later date.
The main topics for discussion with residents were about
litter, highways issues, dog fouling and suggestions for youth
activities.
Another example of this continued listening is the Your Call,
Your Agenda meetings which has seen young people and
children meet up with the Council leader to set the agenda and
talk about issues important to them.
Last November, the campaign was named Community
Initiative of the Year at the UK Public Sector Awards – national
recognition of residents who have been taking action to make
a real difference in their communities.
Your Call in numbers
118
33
5000
10%
Clean ups since 2011
other events such as dog solutions workshops
volunteers taken part in your call activities
increase in the number of residents who said they
have volunteered. Increase in the last 12 months (Figures
taken from the 2011 & 2012 resident’s survey).

Clean and Green
Volunteers Katie Roberts and Sam Baird at work in the rain at the Your Call clean up at St James Cemetery, Stopes Brow, Lower Darwen.
Case study one:
The Friends of St James’ Cemetery are committed to making
sure those who are buried there are not forgotten.
The ‘Friends’ help maintain the cemetery by holding regular
clean ups and also working to keep the grass surrounding
the graves in check. Mostly made up of members of St James’
Church, the group initially formed in 2005 following some
vandalism in the cemetery. “That got everyone going to start
with and then we realised that the cemetery was quite a mess
and needed some attention,” said Alan Reid, who volunteers on
its committee.
They then undertook a number of projects such as removing
trees, which had seeded in and around many of the graves,
and putting up fencing to secure the site.
However, after a few years the group reduced its activity but
renewed their commitment last year when they decided that
the cemetery was looking in need of attention. The state of the
cemetery was also raised at ward solution meetings.
“The son of a member of our congregation visited a family
members’ grave and was quite upset at the state of it,” said
Alan who teaches Sunday school at St James.
“One of our issues is that a lot of families have moved away
and can only visit every few years. It’s important that when they
do visit that they don’t see it the way that it was as it can be
quite distressing,” he added.
Since last year, the Friends joined up with the Your Call
campaign, which supplied equipment for the clean-ups.
They have also been making connections with other volunteer
groups such as the Community Pay Back Team and Child
Action North West to help maintain the area through 2013.
“It’s about showing our respect for the people that are buried
there especially those who died in the world wars, and not
letting them be forgotten.”
Case study two:
A dedicated team of refugees took to the streets of Blackburn
town centre to give something back to the community they have
grown to love.
The 50-strong team of community champion refugees from 10
different countries including Ethiopia and Somalia said thank
you to the borough by tackling grime and litter in and around
the centre.
The group were inspired to give something back to the borough
they have taken to their hearts.
Saif Nemir, programme manager of the Refugee Empowerment
Programme based at the YMCA in Blackburn, himself fled
Sudan with his wife and three children after his life was
threatened.
He said: “Refugees get a lot of bad press and this group in
particular were determined to give something back to the
community. The volunteers are very excited about making a
tangible difference to the local environment through practical
activities such as this.
“There’s a lot of myths around immigration and refugees so we
hope in this respect our actions will speak louder than words.”

Clean and green
Members of the Hillside Residents Association, Shadsworth, get
behind Your Call. Pictured are front: Eileen Kirby Back (left to right)
Eddie Shorrock, Councillor Ron O’Keeffe, Jackie Shorrock, Stewart
Allen, Annette Allen, Raj Chauhan and Gordon Mellody.
Your Call volunteers at Bastwell Fun Day
Hardworking members of Friends of Darwen Cemetery have given the
cemetery a new lease of life.
Nigel Shepherd, Susan Whittle (Vice Chair), Coun Chris Thayne
Colin Whittle, Kath Turner (Chairman), Hannah Byron, Tina Buckley
(Secretary) and Jude Harrison (Blackburn with Darwen Council
Community Officer) join the Your Call clean up at Highfield Working
Mens Club, Ratcliffe St, Darwen.
Bank Top and Griffin residents got together to tackle litter on
Canterbury Street in the Wrangling
One of the refugees who took part in the town centre cleanup

Thank you!
For cleaning
up your dog
mess today.
CHAMPION DOG OWNER!
YOUR COMMUNITY, YOUR CALL
Clean and green
The Council’s Your Call campaign is looking to recruit more
residents who will help fight dog fouling.
The residents will champion responsible dog ownership and
be the front line in tackling the blight of dog mess in some
neighbourhoods.
The Council has developed dog solution sessions, two hour
workshops which will train volunteers to be dog champions.
The champions are encouraged to report incidents, survey
areas for fouling, support owners who do pick up their dog’s
mess and hand out bags and generally stand up for being
responsible. They also come up with new ideas to solve the
problem.
The workshops were piloted in two neighbourhoods, Ivy Street
and Roe Lee.
More than 10 champions have already been recruited.
One champion is Jason Walker, who has been on a dog
solutions workshop.
The 32-year-old, who is studying for a degree at the University
Centre of Blackburn, believes it is a ‘major issue’ particularly in
the Roe Lee area where he lives.
“I find dog fouling very offensive, I feel very strongly that dog
fouling should not be tolerated on our streets,” added Jason.
“It is the responsibility of the dog owner or the person in charge
of the dog to clear up any dog foul left by their dog.“
Jason and fellow volunteers go out regularly talking to dog
walkers, informing them about the seriousness of dog fouling
and the possible fines they may occur if they let their dog foul.
“I personally think it’s great that people show they care about
the area in which they live and are willing to get out there to
help tackle the problem,” he added.

Pulling together through Winter
Abdullah Patel, Muhammad Chopdat, Umair Patel and Usmangani Kasam, outside Troy Street Mosque.
WINTER SQUADS
The Your Call winter squads have gone from strength to
strength since they started in 2011.
The squads are resident-led and aim to keep local pathways
gritted, keep an eye on vulnerable neighbours and generally
help their communities out.
The borough now has 50 squads compared to three when the
scheme started.
The number of volunteers involved in the squads has gone up
from 13 to 150.
The groups are given grit, equipment, emergency winter kits
(blankets, thermal hats and gloves) and information packs to
give to vulnerable residents.
Volunteers also use BwDWinter facebook page
www.facebook.com/bwdwinter to share information.
Abdullah Patel is a member of the Troy Street Mosque Winter
squad. The 59-year-old said: “A winter squad is good for the
community. Troy street is on a hill so people can have trouble
walking down when it’s icy. When the public have seen our
efforts they have always greeted us. The street has never been
shut or closed since we formed our winter squad.”
WINTER SQUADS IN NUMBERS
50
150 volunteers
80 tons of salt given to the groups
The number of squads now in the borough

Battling the Elements
Flood Action Group
In January, a resident-led flood action group was formed in
Darwen. The group, supported by the Council and the Your
Call scheme, will be the front line in battling the effects of
future floods in the area.
Darwen is susceptible to rapid rising flood waters because
of its geography so the Council organised a flood action
workshop to recruit volunteers to help battle the problems
caused by torrential rain.
The Council was joined by staff from the Environment
Agency, Groundwork, the Emergency Services and the
National Flood Forum to give advice, guidance and support.
Volunteers successfully bid for government funding to set up
the action group.

Whalley Range Jubilee Celebration
Good neighbours
Shadsworth Jubilee Celebration
YOUR CALL JUBILEE GRANTS
For the Queen’s Jubilee, the leader of the Council set up a
Your Call grant scheme for volunteers to mark the occasion.
Community groups were able to bid for grants as part of
Blackburn with Darwen’s Jubilee celebrations.
The pot was made up of funds from the Council, the police,
Twin Valley Homes and other community and business
partners.
The grants were a thank you for groups taking part in
Your Call events.
About 40 groups received some funding towards their
events. Thousands of people across the borough enjoyed
the celebrations.
Shadsworth Tenants and Residents Association were one of
the groups which received a grant.
Mary Anderson, secretary of the group, said: “As soon as
we found out that we had been given the funding, I set the
wheels in motion and managed in four hours to get
some extra money. We had a bouncy castle, a children’s
entertainer and a dj. We also had a volunteer from the
community who did face painting. Around 80 to 90 people
attended. We had some amazing feedback from a lot of the
people who came
to the event. Thank you so much for giving us the
opportunity to put on an event like this.”
Mill Hill residents group were also given £200 to hold a
fun day. Teresa Parry said: “We achieved our aim of giving
hard pressed parents a free event to occupy their children.
We had about 100 children through the day enjoying face
painting, art and crafts and funflatables.”
The Council also supported Jubilee events by putting on
free training courses for organisers. One was called ‘Party
Planning’. More than 40 people attended at six events
across the borough. Faz Patel, from Discover Communities,
said: “I went to the training and it really helped us put on a
safe and brilliant Jubilee street party in Shear Brow.”
Good Neighbours Award
In December, the Council launched its first Good
Neighbours Award.
Supported by the Lancashire Telegraph, Blackburn Rovers
and Capita, the awards are looking for residents who
make a real difference to the lives of people on their
streets.
The awards will pay tribute to helpful neighbours, unsung
heroes who have never been recognised before for their
efforts and who make their street a better place.
Entries have already flooded in. Nominations have included
one for a 70 year old who came out of night to help a
neighbour whose gate had collapsed and a boy who
always clears the paths on his street when the snow falls.
Nominations close on April 8.

Good neighbours
L/R Yusuf Sidat (Head Teacher of the Islamia Girls School),
Mansoor Akhtar of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Cllr
Salim Sidat join the Acting Bishop of Blackburn John Goddard
FOOD BANK
A community drive to support residents facing hardship
saw more than 22,000 items of food being donated.
Now on the back of that success, organisers of the
campaign are hoping residents will continue to help
the borough’s foodbanks on a weekly basis.
More than 4,000 people were involved in the Your Call
Christmas Foodbank campaign. A number of mosques,
madressas and community centres across the borough
took part as did community organisations such as One
Voice, businesses and residents.
More than £1,000 was also collected.
Volunteers say there were overwhelmed with the success
of the campaign to gather funds and goods for those
struggling to feed their families.
Foodbanks provide emergency food parcels of nonperishables
such as tinned vegetables and dried pasta,
and support to local people in crisis.

Young people and Your Call
Youth MP Hamzah Ahmed
YOUNG PEOPLE TACKLING JOBS ISSUE
Young people got together to help solve the issue of a lack of
information on job opportunities for 16 to 19 year olds.
A jobs website has recently been launched specifically
designed to help young people find employment.
Members of Blackburn with Darwen Youth Forum played a
big role in the website’s development after the Borough’s
Youth MP told councillors that a website was needed.
16-19jobs.co.uk provides up to date information about
opportunities throughout Lancashire specifically aimed at
16–19 year olds.
The website is managed by The Via Partnership (Via), which
works with employers as well as local and national organisations
to source potential job opportunities for young people.
Youth MP for Blackburn with Darwen, Hamzah Ahmed, said:
“It’s always been my long term ambition to set up a jobs
website for young people. There isn’t a specific website out
there for us to browse job vacancies so I thought this was a
good idea to help young people find employment.”

Adult social care
Leah Booth who is part of the Peer Support Scheme
COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERING
Leah Booth is volunteering to help others through what she
believes has been a ‘life changing’ difference to the way she
receives care.
The 21 year old who has spinal muscular atrophy uses a
wheel chair and needs full time care.
However, a few years ago she took up the direct payments
scheme and she says it changed her life completely.
“I was very unsure about it. Up until then my mum had done
it all so I was very scared about what would happen.
“I had questions like what if the people don’t turn up and
how will it all work?”
But eventually she came through the other side and says
she now ‘feels like a different person’.
Through direct payments she was able to choose and hire
three personal assistants to take over her care instead of
relying on her family.
“Before my mum did all the care but you don’t always want to
go out with your parents. They also found it hard to fit all around
normal family activities. So I stayed in a lot and was a bit of a
recluse. Now I can do what normal 21 year olds do – I can go on
holidays, spend time with my friends, anything I want.”
However, Leah said at time the process seems long winded and
can be stressful.
So when she was approached to join the Peer Support Scheme
to advise other people who are new to direct payments she
jumped at the chance.
She is now one of four volunteers who all receive direct
payments themselves.“I wished there had been someone else
who’d been through it all when I started,” she added.
The Peer Support Group will be part of the Your Support
YourChoice service. The new service will be an active partnership
of residents, charities, voluntary organisations carers and
community groups who will work together on a range of initiatives
that promote independence and preventative measures.

Jason Walker (Deputy Chair of the Friends of Roe Lee Park) front pictured with Tyson the dog joined by (left to right) Tracey Drew,
Stuart Hammond (the Council’s Environmental Sustainability Manager), Maurice Ffelan, June Gallagher, Michelle Rutherford
(Acting Neighbourhood Manager), Roe Lee Councillor Phil Riley and Siobhan Coyne.

Key contacts
yourcall@blackburn.gov.uk
(01254) 588188
SMS
YourCall to 88020
www.blackburn.gov.uk/yourcall
You can also contact your neighbourhood managers:
• East Blackburn - Michelle Rutherford (01254) 291563 or email michelle.rutherford@blackburn.gov.uk
• Darwen and Rural - Tim Birch (01254) 222129 or email tim.birch@blackburn.gov.uk
• West Blackburn - Emma Coster (01254) 581175 or 266370 or email emma.coster@blackburn.gov.uk
Visit www.blackburn.gov.uk to find which neighbourhood area covers your ward.