Council Tax Reduction

At the January meeting the Council set the budgets for the forthcoming financial year. The Parish Precept, which is collected via resident’s council tax bills, was set at £21740, representing a reduction of £130 on the 2009-2010 figure. This comes on the back of a zero increase last year!

Given the current financial climate the Councillors felt they should assist residents wherever possible so, by careful budgeting and prudent financial management, the Council has been able to manage this reduction.

Despite the decrease there are no planned reductions in services provided by the Parish Council. In fact, some funds will be set aside for a major project to improve the Recreation Ground. We shall also be seeking grant funding towards this project and, if we are unsuccessful in our applications, we will have to build funds up for the project over the coming years.

Services provided by the Parish Council from the Parish Precept include the Village Lengthsman, the ongoing maintenance of the Recreation Ground and Play Area and the Village Green, mowing of the Recreation Field and the Village Green and a number of the grass verges throughout the village. The Christmas Tree and lights, spring and summer planting of the tubs and beds around the village, wayside seats, emptying of dog waste bins and the relevant insurance cover are all also provided by the Parish Council.

Bollards

Lancashire County Council has recently installed three bollards on the pavement outside the Bank, requested by the Parish Council as part of the Highways Allocation Budget from last year.

There has been a delay to allow discussions to take place with the Bank’s security company, who preferred to pull up outside the front door. The Parish Council has, all along, felt the safety of pedestrians should always come first and for this reason another bollard was requested at the junction of Out Lane and Town Road.

LCC did us proud on this and even went so far as to install an extra one at the junction, again to prevent vehicles mounting and driving along the pavement in this area.

John Kearton

Members of the Council joined a large number of family members, residents and friends for the funeral service for Councillor John Kearton, who sadly passed away on December 19 2009. St Michaels and All Angels Church was packed for the service, demonstrating how highly John was thought of in the village. John’s brother, Ron, and Cllr Kath Almond both spoke of John’s contribution to village life, and particularly to the younger members of the community.

From the Council’s point of view John will be best remembered for all his work towards the North West in Bloom Competition entries, for his dedication to the younger residents of the village and his straightforward and forthright views which he often expressed at the meetings.

John will be sadly missed by all.

Click on the plan below to enlarge the view.

More Awards

‘Croston was placed joint second in the Large Village Category in the North West in Bloom 2009 Competition. The Village also picked up the Tidy Britain ‘Clean Sweep’ Award which is awarded to the cleanest area in the Competition - a testimony to the hard work of our Village Lengthsman, Kevin Greenhalgh, and the efforts of residents.

In the ‘Neighbourhood  Awards’ the village picked up 2 further awards - Church Street was awarded an ‘Outstanding’ certificate (this means it picked up more than 180 points out of a possible 200) and 10-14 The Orchard was awarded a ‘Certificate of Merit’, the equivalent of 2nd place. Trinity and St Michaels School received an Environmental Award for Schools, for the work the School is doing to raise awareness of environmental issues.

In the Lancashire Best Kept Village Competition, Croston was placed 4th overall in the Champion Village Class. The Friends of Croston Station’s Noticeboard took the award for Best Noticeboard and the Old School, both Jubilee and St Michaels Terrace A lmshouses, Croston Corn Mill and the Cricket Ground all received ‘Highly Commended’ Certificates in their respective categories.

A huge thank you to all who helped our village achieve these fantastic results’.

In The Lancashire Best Kept Village Competition 2009 the Village was ‘Highly Commended’ in the Champion Village Class and, in the Certificate of Merit Awards The Friends of Croston Station noticeboard in the Station Car Park won the Notice Board Class.  

Highly Commended Awards were received by Croston Old School (Public Hall Section), Croston Sports Club (Cricket Field), Croston Corn Mill (Industrial/Commercial Premises), St Michaels Terrace and Jubilee Almshouses (Sheltered Accommodation).

Congratulations to all award winners and thank you to all who helped by keeping areas neat and tidy.

Picture (l-r) Kath Almond, Beryl Williams, David Sandwell and Anne Peet with the North West in Bloom Certificates and Trophy

Village Green Project

The project to improve the seating and noticeboard areas on the Village Green is now virtually complete.

The old concrete slabs for the seating area at the front of The Green have been replaced with Indian stone, and all that remains is for a couple of seats to be added. A block paved path has been laid to the seating area at the rear of The Green. The work, with a total cost of £6600, was part funded by a grant of £3600 from Awards for All, for which we are extremely grateful and our thanks also go to Steve Wignall and his workers for an excellent job.

Project photos

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In the Finals - 2009

The Village, and The Orchard and Church Street, have been nominated to receive awards in their respective categories of the North West in Bloom 2009 Competition. The final results will be announced at the Awards Ceremony held on 22 and 23 October 2009. The Awards Ceremony is a little like the Oscars as, until awards are announced, participants are unaware as to who has won.

 The Village was also announced as one of the finalists in the Lancashire Best Kept Village Competition 2009. The Old School, Community Centre, Almshouses, Croston Corn Mill, Subscription Bowling Green, Cricket Ground and village notice boards were also nominated as finalists in their own sections.

 A second round of judging was carried out in mid - August and the results will be announced in September. The Parish Council would like to thank all residents who assisted by keeping the area tidy.

Our thanks go to all residents who assisted with both competition entries, and all the members of Croston in Bloom and Croston Residents Environmental Workforce.

The Parish Councils special thanks go to John and Annabel Pearson, Kath Almond, Anne and Martin Peet, Beryl Williams and David Sandwell for all their work with the planting etc.

North West in Bloom 2009

Judging of the Village took place on Wednesday 14 July 2009 and the results will be announced at the Awards Ceremony held on Friday 23 October 2009. We now face an anxious wait until the end of August to hear whether we have been nominated for an award.

Judging began on the Village Green and moved onto Church Street, which was entered into the ‘Neighbourhood Category’ for the first time. The judges met with residents, who had collaborated to produce an excellent result with hanging baskets and window boxes.

Next came Bishop Chesters Wood, where pupils from Year 1 at Trinity and St Michaels School were involved in the Forest School Initiative.

The tour moved through Croston Park to Trinity and St Michaels School, via the War Memorial which had undergone virtually a complete replanting. At the School the Judges met with the pupil members of the Eco Committee and visited the Eco Garden.

It was then into a car to visit the rest of the village, starting with the new disabled access footpath at the Black Horse Bowling Club followed by the Station, where members of the Friends of Croston Station were waiting to greet the Judges, who were mightily impressed with the work which had taken place.

It was then onto 18-24 The Orchard, again entered into the Neighbourhood Category, to meet the residents responsible for working on the grassed areas and planting. Finally a trip along Grape Lane to Croston Corn Mill before returning to the Village Green.

The Judges appeared to be highly impressed with the work which had gone in and the Parish Council would like to thank everyone who had joined in. Special thanks go to John and Anne Pearson, Alan Powell, Clive Barbour, David Sandwell, members of the Croston Residents in Bloom (CRiB) and Croston Residents Environmental Workforce (CREW) and, of course, Councillors Kath Almond, John Forrest and Anne Peet for the time taken to take the judges around.

Village Green Project

The project to improve the seating and noticeboard areas on the Village Green is now virtually complete.

The old concrete slabs for the seating area at the front of The Green have been replaced with Indian stone, and all that remains is for a couple of seats to be added. A block paved path has been laid to the seating area at the rear of The Green. The work, with a total cost of £6600, was part funded by a grant of £3600 from Awards for All, for which we are extremely grateful and our thanks also go to Steve Wignall and his workers for an excellent job.

Village Green Project photos

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Christmas in Croston

The display of Christmas lights in the village excelled itself this year. In addition to the Parish Council lights on the Village Green and grass verge opposite the War Memorial, a number of silhouette lights were put up along Town Road, starting at Croston Park Care Home, taking in the Old School and the river wall.

Thanks go to Councillors John Forrest and Steve Parkinson for erecting the lights, and also to the Care Home, Old School and residents of Town Road for supplying the power.

The Christmas festivities took place on Sunday 14 December and proved to be a great success.

The Festivities began at 1.30pm with the arrival of Santa, by horse and carriage, and culminated with a torch-lit, carol singing, procession to Croston Park followed by a Carol Service at St Michael’s Church.

Attractions during the day included Santa’s Train Ride, Santa’s Grotto, Market Stalls, Children’s Funfair, Hog Roast, Mulled Wine and Roasted Chestnuts, a raffle with fabulous prizes, Local Brass Band and Community Choir.

The Christmas Festivities were arranged by the Croston Village Festivities Group, a group of local volunteers, determined to deliver a non-profit making event which brings our community together through the spirit of the festive season.

Thanks go to The Croston Festivities Group, for all their hard work.

We're Blooming Again

Croston took 3rd spot in the Large Village Category of this year’s North West in Bloom Competition behind Woolton in Bloom, eventual winners of the Gold Award in the Britain in Bloom Competition, and Wrea Green.

Chairman, Anne Peet and Councillors Kath Almond and John Forrest attended the Awards Ceremony in Liverpool to collect the certificate.

This is a highly creditable result, particularly in view of the relatively miniscule amount of money spent by the Council on floral displays and planting, in comparison to many of our competitors, which is more than made up for by the efforts of a few willing volunteers.

The Judges were particularly impressed by the baskets along the roadside, Church Street, Croston Station, the Bowling Green, Bishop Chesters Wood, recycling and, last but by no means least, the cleanliness of the Village - once again a tribute to the efforts of our Lengthsman, Kevin Greenhalgh.

The Parish Council would also like to thank the residents of the Village for their help in achieving this result.

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Summer Flower Displays - Click photos to enlarge

Highways Inspection

In June Cllr John Forrest and the Clerk walked around the village with County Councillor Matthew Tomlinson and Ian Hornby (LCC Highways) to view some problem areas. The route took in Town Bridge, Town Road, Station Road, Moor Road, The Orchard and Out Lane. Cllr Tomlinson and Mr Hornby took note of several problems including poor road surfaces on Station Road and Moor Road, a large pothole on The Orchard, the railings outside the Former Methodist School, the ‘SLOW’ sign on Highfield Road by the entrance to Bishop Rawstorne (which had never been reinstated following resurfacing work) and the streetlight opposite the Wheatsheaf which had been reported as not working as long ago as March.

Typically though, our main intention, which was to show the congestion along Town Road, failed miserably as we appear to have chosen the quietest day, traffic-wise, on record!!

The streetlight has temporarily been replaced as we await the fitting of a matching one and we hope some of the other problems highlighted will be attended to in the near future.

Our thanks go to Matthew and Ian for taking the time and effort to visit the Village.

Flooding

We were very grateful for the assistance provided by Officers from Chorley Council during the floods on the 21 January.

Several of the Officers were still in the village at 10.00 pm distributing sand bags and assisting residents.

Chorley Council is to hold a meeting of Borough Councillors and Officers to look into possible future action/preventative maintenance.

Welcome Stefan!

At the November meeting, the Parish Council was pleased to welcome Stefan Mosalki to the Council.

North West in Bloom 2007

The Council was extremely disappointed to learn that, despite all the effort put into this year’s entry, Croston was unplaced in this years competition.

The Village was awarded a total of 154.9 points, out of a possible 200, this year as opposed to 158.6 in 2006. Positives from the Judges Report were a repeat of the full marks awarded for cleanliness of the centre and other public areas - a testament, once again, to the work of our Village Lengthsman, Kevin Greenhalgh, and increased marks for Residential Front Gardens and Community Involvement . The Small Town Category was, once again won by Garstang, followed by Kirkham and Freckleton.

Highlights from the Judges Report included being impressed by ‘the overwhelming support of many residents in helping to make this town a better place to live and work and a sense of civic pride’ and ’community involvement was outstanding in keeping their town a picture and colourful place for visitors and townspeople’. The main area where points were lost were in the management of natural areas and other nature projects created to encourage wild flowers and wildlife - which we will hope to improve on for next year.

The Council would like to, once again, thank each and every single person (and horse) who assisted in this years competition by keeping the Village generally tidy, providing hanging baskets, floral displays and planters.

Village Christmas Tree

Our thanks go to:

Graham and Cath at Drinkhouse Service Centre for kindly donating the tree

Cafe Rendevous for the coffee and biscuits

The Merry Band of helpers for putting up the tree and lights.

Special recognition must go to the aptly named Cllr Gibbons for his remarkable tree climbing demonstration!

North West in Bloom 2007

The date for the judges visit for this years North West in Bloom Competition has been set for 3 July 2007.

We have received a marvellous bonus in the form of the plants and planters running the length of the river wall railings on Town Road, provided by John Pearson and Annabelle from the proceeds of trips around the village in a horse drawn carriage and thanks go to both, but with the main thanks going to Duke and Graf (the horses) who did all the hard work.

Thanks also to Michael Coxhead (Coxheads Nurseries) who donated the plants, John Henry Mayors of Ulnes Walton for the donation of the timber for the planters and the Probation Service in Preston for the unpaid work for the assembly, local farmer Lawrence Bamford for the soil and local residents Erica Woods and Jackie Anderton for their ongoing assistance with the watering of the plants.

Same Again (again)!!

At the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council in May Anne Peet was elected Chairman of the Council for the fifth successive year, with Beryl Thompson as Vice Chair for her fourth term.

North West in Bloom 2006

The Village was placed a highly creditable second in this years competition - once again behind Garstang.

The result is even more notable when the Parish Councils budget for plants and floral displays is taken into account. The budget for this year is £500 - a figure paling into insignificance when compared to many entrants into the competition. The result represents a tremendous achievement by the village as, unlike some of our close rivals, it is achieved by hard work and help from residents as opposed to large amounts of spending.

Thanks to everyone who helped get this award by placing hanging baskets outside their houses or business premises, keeping their gardens, and the area in general, tidy and watering the floral displays.
Thank also go to Cath Wilson for supplying the plants for the Parish Council beds and tubs.

Special thanks go to John Pearson, who kindly chauffeured the Judges around in his carriage and horses. The Judges were very impressed with this novel, environmentally friendly mode of transport.

Lancashire's Best Kept Village Competition

Unfortunately the runaway successes of last year were not repeated in the Lancashire’s Best Kept Village Competition (sponsored by Lancashire County Developments Ltd). As a result of winning the Medium Village Class in 2005 the Village has to enter into the Champions Class this year (and for the next five years). The class is made up entirely of ex-award winners and the competition is incredibly fierce. The winner this year was Newburgh and runner up was Tarleton.

Lancashire Best Kept Village Competition

The Parish Council has again entered Croston into the Best Kept Village Competition (sponsored by Lancashire County Developments Ltd). Following the success of last year, as winner of the Medium Village Class, Croston will, for the next six years, compete in the Champion Class which comprises of previous award winners.

One or two areas came in for a small amount of critcism in last year's Judges Report including several pub car parks and surrounds and some hedges obstructing footpaths, however the summing up read as follows: "Croston was a delight to judge and is well cared for. To be admired are the refurbished police station, which has been turned into apartments, the cemetery, playground area and the charming hidden snickets only to be found when on foot." Also noted was the fact that there was little litter present in the village - a testament to the work of Kevin, the Parish Council Lengthsman. The Judging Period is between 29 May and 7 July and any assistance residents and businesses can provide by keeping the area around their homes and premises will be most appreciated.

North West in Bloom 2006

Croston has also been entered into the North West in Bloom Competition.

The Village has finished in the top three for a number of years now and residents and businesses can help by providing some additional colour in the village, either hanging baskets or tubs.The judging date for the competition has yet to be announced.

Annual General Meeting of the Parish Council

At the recent AGM Councillor Anne Peet was re-elected as Chair of the Council and Beryl Thompson Vice Chair for a third successive term.

CHRISTMAS TREE ...

A year of awards for the village culminated with the Christmas Tree being declared the Lancashire Evening Post 'Top Tree'.

The tree scored top marks for 'straightness of planting and use of effective blue lights'.

More important to the Council however, was the positive reation of residents.

The vast majority of villagers, who let the Council know their views, were very positive. Heartened by these views, the Council will try to enhance the effects for next Christmas.

CHAMPIONS...

Best Kept Village (sponsored by Lancashire County Development Ltd) News Update - The village won the Medium Village Class and Croston Park Nursing Home won the Residential/Nursing Home category. The Sports Club, 14 to 24 The Orchard, The Old School and the Parish Council noticboard on the Village Green were all Highly Commended and receive certificates of achievement.

North West in Bloom News - The village came joint runner-up in the small town class of this years competition. The Judges commented very favourably on the village with mention being made of, 'colourful hanging baskets and tubs with Church Street being particularly colourful'. Also, the Croft Field site was described as an excellent conservation project which is providing a good learning opportunity for both adults and children and the garden at the Corn Mill was well maintained and planted.

The judges also commended the village for the very high standards of cleanliness and for organising clean up events.

Suggestions for improvement included more special/imaginative planting/floral displays and focal points at key areas. The Parish Council is about to embark on a village entrances improvement project which will hopefully go someway to addressing this.