Earlier this year I met with the National Lottery’s Community Fund in Parliament to learn more about how they are helping local charities and have since been eager to support these efforts. It was fantastic to finally get the opportunity to do this as I held an information morning attended by over a dozen local charities and the National Lottery. U-Night Group, a previous beneficiary of Community Fund grant money gave a fantastic presentation on their work with adults with learning disabilities and helping them to develop relationships.
After the session I had the chance to speak with Sue Sharples and Stephen Haywood from U-Night, thanking them for all that they do for our community, and I hope that other charities will now find it easier to benefit from the funding opportunities available. If you are involved in a charity and want to find out more, you can do so via: https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding
On Friday evening I was in Elswick for a community meeting to discuss local concerns about speeding in the village. This is an issue across rural Fylde, but which is particularly acute in Elswick where police data indicates that as many as one in ten vehicles are exceeding the speed limit by over five miles per hour.
It was therefore no surprise that there was such a large turnout on Friday as we sought a solution, particularly given that these speeding vehicles are often travelling past much used local amenities like the village hall, children’s playground and bowling green. The community is impassioned by this issue and I am determined to work with them, Lancashire Constabulary and Lancashire County Council to see changes to the speed limit and the introduction of traffic calming measures, backed up by greater police monitoring and enforcement.
I spoke in recent columns about the role that Fylde played in the Second World War, and our links to the armed forces continue to this day, with Weeton Barracks currently under redevelopment to become the army’s North West HQ.
Fylde never fails to do its bit to remember the sacrifices made by our armed forces. With the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal having launched last week, I was proud to meet with Monica at St Annes Parish Church to see her moving Poppy Cascade installation, made up of handmade poppies donated by members of the public, as well as manning the donation stall at Booths in St Annes.
Voting has now opened for my Fylde Business Awards (https://www.markmenzies.org.uk/fba), hailing the very best of our small businesses. Thank you to all those who have nominated their favourite, and congratulations to the over thirty businesses that have made it through to the final stage. This is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the real variety we have here in Fylde, with everything from butchers, cafes, and holiday accommodation to children’s playcentres and local architects represented among the nominees. The winners will be crowned next month to coincide with Small Business Saturday on 2nd December.