Are you coming to KGV Fields in Central Ferndown, on Monday 31st October from 6-8pm?  The Pavilion and surrounding woods will also be transformed into a spooky and candlelit arena of fun and fright for your entertainment.

Children up to the age of 11 are encouraged to turn up with parents in fancy dress, with prizes for the best individual boy, girl and family group, sponsored by local councillor Steve Lugg.  As well as the fancy dress competition, hot and cold refreshments, and storytelling supported by Ferndown Library, those attending will be led along a lamp-lit trail created through a dark, dank and creepy wooded area close by the Pavilion.  With support from Drama department students from the Upper School, families are guaranteed a laugh and a scare or two, before stepping back inside?  The Town Council and Ferndown Rotary will be supporting the event with a BBQ and Hot Dog Stall, and support is building from organisations such as the Library and Upper School.  Have you seen the great display in Xerocad?

Tickets are on sale at Ferndown Library and at the Town Council offices.  The Partnership wish to support all sections of the community by reducing the fears experienced by some more elderly people from ‘trick or treating’, by replacing it with a family friendly organised event in a safe environment.  Profits from the event will be given to a local charity nominated by local children.

Entry to the Trail will be by ticket only, priced at £1 per child and £2 per adult, with a family ticket at £5. A selection of food and hot drinks would be offered for sale on the terrace at the Pavilion.

Chairman of the organising committee, Gerry Clarke said, “We are hoping for the support of everyone for this community initiative.  Organised fun for the family, safe streets, and the involvement of many partners all working together for Ferndown’s benefit.  Come and help us make the event an annual institution, and raise money for a good cause at the same time.””

Attended a CLT seminar today, very useful.  A Ferndown CLT is essential to provide affordable housing under local control.  You interested?

Community Grant Programme Opens Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations in the South West Region (excluding Cornwall) are set to benefit from a grant programme of over £600,000 aimed at moving people who are furthest removed from the labour market toward employment.

South West Foundation in partnership with the Learning Curve have opened the Community Grant Programme, which is funded by the Skills Funding Agency and the European Social Fund, on Monday 17th October 2011. The main focus of the programme is to award grants up to £12,000 to enable small Third Sector Organisations that have difficulty in accessing mainstream European Social Fund Monies and Skills Funding Agency money, to put on activities and training that offer new skills and confidence building to the long term unemployed or economically inactive.

Activities funded in previous programmes have included training for disabled people, courses for women, arts activities which help to build skills and confidence, a project for learning disabled people who had the opportunity to pick up horticultural skills though working on an allotment project and active participatory music therapy for people recovering from mental health issues.

The grant programme will remain open for 6 weeks and will close at 5:00pm on Monday 28thNovember. If organisations would like to find out more about this programme or to receive an application pack please contact South West Foundation on 01275 333666 or e-mail to [email protected]

Went to General Management Committee meeting tonight as District Council rep.  Good solid community group.  Impressed with their drive and determination to succeed.

EDDC will decide before Christmas how to collect your waste in the future to keep costs down, improve recycling and to ensure convenience to our customers.  The council might consider a kitchen caddy, a lockable food waste container to be emptied weekly, a recycling bin to be emptied fortnightly, glass being collected separately fortnightly, the residue of refuse for landfill collected fortnighty from a bin, together with an optional 'buy-in' service for garden waste.

My electorate feeding back who don't currently benefit from garden waste collection are pleased by the possibility (ies), and there is general support for the potential service, which of course is yet to be finalised.  Please keep in touch with any potential issues you have, in order that I can represent you effectively.  If you wish to speak on the matter, watch out for EDDC Agendas for Policy and Resources and Full Council coming up!

Looking forward to attending the 2011 Fairtrade Supporters Conference with Cllr Hannah Hobbs-Chell tomorrow.  Will help us in taking forward 'Fairtrade Ferndown'.  It's taking place at Aston University, Birmingham.

Following transfer to the Dorset Waste Partnership in April, EDDC are considering changes to the way we collect waste across the District.  I hope that the changes will be equitable, lead to cash savings at EDDC, and support recycling rates.  I particularly want to see the introduction of the collection of green waste for all residents, and not just for 'the some' that get it at the moment.  As always, I will be interested to hear your thoughts as a Ferndown Central Ward resident?

We need your votes to get cash!  Please register and vore for the Arts4All Diamond Jubilee project at http://communityforce.natwest.com/project/4224.  Thank you!