Great British spirit alive and well in Burnley neighbourhood thanks to dedicated volunteers' uplifting lockdown projects

The great British community spirit is alive and well in a Burnley neighbourhood where volunteers have worked tirelessly to keep people's morale up from the start of the pandemic.
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And volunteers with the Rosegrove Neighbourhood Watch are already working on their latest lockdown project, an Easter window display competition to boost the spirits of families living in the area.

It is an almost 'blitz' like spirit that has seen neighbours pull together to support each other through what have been the most challenging times in living memory for many people.

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Leigh Haythornthwaite, who is secretary of the neighbourhood watch, said: "The pandemic has brought with it many trials and tribulations for us all over the past 12 months but most importantly it has affected much of our community’s mental health and wellbeing

Ready for a summer water fight, residents in Rosegrove taking part in one of the lockdown activities organised by the neighbourhood watch group.Ready for a summer water fight, residents in Rosegrove taking part in one of the lockdown activities organised by the neighbourhood watch group.
Ready for a summer water fight, residents in Rosegrove taking part in one of the lockdown activities organised by the neighbourhood watch group.

"It all began in the first lockdown, where our organisation really started to gather volunteers, ideas and momentum.

"We encouraged our community to participate in socially distanced celebrations for VE day – which they all did extremely well. Neighbours got to know each other through sharing pictures, waving from our gardens and enjoying communal decorations on the streets."

Residents took part in the national 'Clap for Carers' initiative every Thursday and the neighbourhood watch group extended this with a 'Dance on your Doorstep' challenge for the children every Sunday. It proved to be incredibly popular and something the youngsters looked forward to every weekend.

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A scarecrow festival and Hallowe'en event saw some fantastic displays created by residents in their gardens and windows for passers-by to enjoy. As' trick or treating' was not allowed the group organised a virtual fancy dress competition so that families could still enjoy the traditional festival.

A young resident prepares for the virtual Hallowe'en fancy dress competitionA young resident prepares for the virtual Hallowe'en fancy dress competition
A young resident prepares for the virtual Hallowe'en fancy dress competition

Leigh added: "As organisers have a passion for keeping the community safe but with the escalation of the pandemic, we had to shift a lot of focus onto gathering the community together as one and supporting each other.

"Our aim is to provide a safe and secure area for all our residents with an unrivalled community spirit. And we feel as though we are making great strides toward achieving this."

In the lead up to Christmas and the New Year the group offered free home alarms to the vulnerable and elderly in the ward thanks to funding received from the Neighbourhood Watch Network’s Community Grant Programme.

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Plans are also on the cards for a project called Seeds of Change which will involve inviting pupils from local schools to put together window boxes so the area will be ablaze with colour and beautiful flowers in the summer.

Youngsters admiring some of the scarecrow displays created by residents in RosegroveYoungsters admiring some of the scarecrow displays created by residents in Rosegrove
Youngsters admiring some of the scarecrow displays created by residents in Rosegrove

Volunteers are also constantly striving to keep the streets clean and free of litter, fly tipping, drugs and dog mess.

The efforts of the volunteers have been praised by Coun. Lorraine Mehanna who represents Rosegrove with Lowerhouse. She said: "Residents have been feeling quite low in spirit over last months . These events have been

most welcome in the community where everyone has come together smiling."

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Fellow councillor and former Mayor of Burnley Coun. Charlie Briggs is also full of praise for the work of the group.

Boris Johnson and Donald Trump were among the 'visitors' to the scarecrow festival in Rosegrove (photo by Ian Moore)Boris Johnson and Donald Trump were among the 'visitors' to the scarecrow festival in Rosegrove (photo by Ian Moore)
Boris Johnson and Donald Trump were among the 'visitors' to the scarecrow festival in Rosegrove (photo by Ian Moore)

He said: " I am not the councillor for this area but I have done some work with Rosegrove Neighbourhood Watch and discovered how committed they are to the community.

"The last couple of things the group did for the area were fantastic, the Hallowe'en night was one of the best

things I have seen so I hope the Easter window competition will be just as successful."

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Residents have also praised the work of the group as illlustrating what a fantastic community exists in Rosegrove with one saying this has taught their children how to be 'one big family.'

In one moving testimony a neighbour spoke of how much the neighbourhood watch had helped them saying: " They are all caring people who care about their neighbours. They have run some fantastic lock down activities for all the community."

For more information about the group please go its facebook page Rosegrove Neighbourhood Watch.

Two witches stir their cauldron, just one of the spectacular Hallowe'en displays created by residents in RosegroveTwo witches stir their cauldron, just one of the spectacular Hallowe'en displays created by residents in Rosegrove
Two witches stir their cauldron, just one of the spectacular Hallowe'en displays created by residents in Rosegrove

Anyone who would like to make a donation to the group can do this by clicking HERE.

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There are still some alarms available and all inquiries should be made to [email protected]

https://uk.gofundme.com/mvc.php?route=homepage_norma/search&term=Rosegrove%20Neighbourhood%20watch