25/2/2010 - Together we can...in Millom

Residents in Millom are preparing to take control of their neighbourhood in a week-long event.

Local people will be telling representatives from organisations including county and district councils, the police and fire and rescue service about the issues that could improve their quality of life and the local environment.

The five day event, Together We Can, will see a raft of community improvements from Monday 1 to Friday 5 March, with Cumbria County Council, Copeland Borough Council, Millom Town Council, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, Cumbria Constabulary and other community and voluntary organisations working together to make a visible difference in the area.

Mayor of Millom Joan Hobbs will launch the Together We Can event at 10am at the town’s council centre before joining council officers, firefighters, police, and district and town councillors, and voluntary organisations for an area walk around the town centre, from 10.15am–12.30pm seeking residents' views on improving the local area. The walks will continue on Monday afternoon and again on Tuesday.

A litter pick will follow on Tuesday at the railway bridge with Friends of Millom Station, Home Group and Millom School and another litter pick a day later at the same place will see Copeland Leader Elaine Woodburn join up with Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service and Millom School.

At the Millom neighbhourhood forum in January, residents were asked to list there top priorities for improving their area. One of the top items on their wish lists was clearer details on which organisations can help give information on the range of local services. 

On the back of this, a ‘Drop In And Find Out’ session will be held on Wednesday from 12pm to 6pm at Millom Guide Hall. Local people can find about services from organisations including the county council, borough council, citizens advice, police and credit union and many others. 

On Thursday volunteers are welcome to join a litter pick at the slag bank play area from 10am to 1pm (and 2pm to 4pm if there is more to be done) and Friday will see a question time event with Jamie Reed MP from 11am to 12.00pm with Millom School Council and several local primary schools at the Millom Network Centre.

Friday will also see a chance for children to meet and play with other children; listen to stories and join in fun activities at the library from 1.30pm to 3pm, and a Friday night football coaching session from Copeland Borough Council’s sports development staff and Onside Soccer Coaching will run from 7pm to 9pm at Millom School’s all weather pitch.

Staff from Cumbria Highways will be in the town centre all week, including highways stewards, a patching team and gulley cleaning cart.

Town Councillor Brian Crawford will also be giving regular updates about events throughout the week at www.millomlocal.co.uk

Free one–to-one internet taster sessions will run on Wednesday and Friday at Millom Library. Booking is essential - please call the library on 01229 772445.

Cllr Ray Cole, Cumbria County Councillor for Millom, said: "We work with local residents all through the year to improve communities across the county, but Together We Can events give us the opportunity to focus intensively on specific neighbourhoods.

"We want to tackle the things that really matter to Millom residents, and I believe that local people are the experts at understanding which services work well in their area, and which don't. Together We Can aims to put local people in a position to influence improvements to local services."

In October 2008 residents in Cleator Moor were given the power to change their community for the better with their own Together We Can event.

The event was a huge success and after speaking to local people after the event the percentage who felt they could influence decision making in their local area jumped from nine per cent to 20 per cent and there was a 13 per cent drop in the number of people who were dissatisfied with Cleator Moor as a place to live.

Together We Can has shown it can have a very positive impact on the opportunities that people have to influence local decision making.

If you would like to find out more about Together We Can in Millom, or any of Cumbria County Council's work to support communities in Copeland, contact Mary Kipling, Neighbourhood Development Officer, on 01946 505022.

ENDS

Media enquiries to Media Officer Chris Little on 01228 226335