Its fair to say that regardless of what you might like to do, there’s a good possibility you’ll be able to do it in and around Arnside.
Whether its a dance, exercise or fitness class; local interest such as the Archive Group, Natural History and Sustainable Arnside; sport; music; or join the local branch of a National Organisation such as the RNLI, RSPB etc.
You can find details of all the clubs, groups, societies and organisations in the 2024 Arnside Directory or by clicking here and choosing an option from the drop-down menu.
We are so lucky as a community to have all of this on our doorstep. Most of them are run by volunteers and they can only continue if people are happy to help. You may think you don’t have anything to offer, but you’d be surprised. Most of us have a skill or talent that we don’t recognise as such – be it administration, organisation, computer skills, or just a helping hand.
You don’t have to be on a committee, just a volunteer,a supporter or just join-in!
So please help keep these clubs, groups societies and organisations going and ensure a bright future for them all.
Members of the South Lakeland locality board for Westmorland and Furness Council are set to recommend £99,999 from the local sustainable travel and transport fund goes towards the project to adapt the Arnside viaduct to enable walkers and cyclists to cross the Kent Estuary.
A report from Morecambe Bay Partnership says: “The proposed construction of a 5.5km raised boardwalk along the railway embankment and a cantilevered bridge over the viaduct creates a new leisure space that also limits the current harmful encroachment by people and dogs onto the highly sensitive saltmarsh. The enclosed trail route can play an important part in reducing bird disturbance and preventing damage to sensitive flora and fauna. These are all factors of concern locally to us and our partners Natural England and RSPB who are tackling this problem.”
“We believe the trail provides an opportunity to bring people closer to nature and educate them to care about the special environment and wildlife of the Bay.”
According to the report, feedback for the proposed scheme was ‘incredibly positive’ with 99.6% of the 6,000 respondents to the consultation supporting the proposal.
If the funding is granted, the partnership intends to progress the Arnside to Grange trail scheme to outline business case (OBC) status which is the planning phase of the project and acts as the final technical assessment stage prior to the initiation of scheme procurement.
The partnership will commission consultants to provide the technical engineering, environmental, active travel planning and place making expertise to achieve support for the scheme which provides a ‘compelling’ case for construction funding.
Members of the South Lakeland locality board for Westmorland and Furness Council are set to recommend the funding for the project on January 25 at Kendal Town Hall.
As of today, 22nd November 2023, all the Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty become National Landscapes, so Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape is the new name for Arnside & Silverdale AONB and we congratulate them on the rebrand. The new name highlights the national importance of this special place and we look forward to continuing to work with the team.
Each National Landscape has a new logo that reflects their landscape or one of its iconic species. The new logo for Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape is above and I’m sure will be easily recognisable as the Bittern. There is now a suite of 39 logos (including the National Landscapes Association logo) representing all the National Landscapes throughout the country.
National Landscapes teams have been at the forefront of delivering natural solutions to the main challenges facing the nation for many years. The new brand underscores their commitment to redoubling their efforts and engaging with a wider audience. In 2019, teams set themselves the most ambitious targets for nature and climate in the sector (the Colchester Declaration) and continue to work to meet them. The rebrand marks the next step in fully realising the National Landscapes’ vision to be the leading exemplars of how thriving, diverse communities can work with and for nature in the UK: restoring ecosystems, providing food, storing carbon to mitigate the effects of climate change, safeguarding against drought and flooding, whilst also nurturing people’s health and wellbeing.
The Arnside Village Playground Working Group have been working hard to raise money to fund playground equipment for local children on the site of the current playground on the Memorial Field, Silverdale Road.
The cost for new playground equipment that provides the most durable and exciting equipment and vastly improves the accessibility of the playground for children of all abilities is currently £87,500. So far approximately £66,000 worth of grants have been identified and are in the process of being applied for. There is no guarantee that every application will be successful, and the application has to be carefully timed to make sure the funds don’t expire before the installation can be started.
The remainder of the funds need to come from the Village as a community. Some of the grants are only available as ‘matched’ funding, which means they will only ‘match’ what is raised from local support i.e. nothing raised, nothing to match – which would be a real shame and a waste of time and effort as filling in these applications is no mean feat! The applications also require overwhelming community support to be shown, and currently the feedback from the Community Wellbeing Day held this time last year is being used.
Wouldn’t it be great to have some more recent feedback to show support? You can help do this by donating via the Crowdfunding page which gives a real demonstration of support that can be used as evidence for the grants. The target on the Crowdfunder is £25,000. Today donations are at £175 so, as you can see, a little way to go.
Fundraising events that have taken place include The Coronation Picnic back in the summer, which got things off to a great start, raising over £2,000. The Quiz Night held a couple of weeks ago raised £450. Many thanks to the Sailing Club who gave use of the venue for free.. The next fundraiser is the * Winter Ball * on the 9th December – a great opportunity for get dressed up and enjoy a 3-course meal with Champagne cocktails and canapes on arrival, music and dancing. There are still a few tickets available if you haven’t got your as yet! A full programme of events is planned for 2024 so watch out for details of those – either here on the website or on the Playground Facebook page.
There will be an ‘Auction of Gifts and Promises’ on the night of the Ball , so if anyone has anything to donate – anything at all, We already have a day of joinery labour and a homemade cake every week for a month. Anyone wishing to give, contact Rebecca at rebeccakennington@btinternet.com The committee is also looking for someone skilled at social media to help spread the word, Could this be you? If so, contact Rebecca at rebeccakennington@btinternet.com
*The Committee have taken the difficult decision to cancel the Winter Ball due to low ticket sales. With just 4 weeks to go, it became clear that the event was not viable, so the decision was taken to cancel. Thank you to those who did buy tickets, full refunds are available from Charlotte at Arnside House..
‘Sustainable Arnside’ is a new community-led group in the village that is planning to support Arnside village when facing the challenges of Climate Change. While aware that everyone is on their own journey regarding the contributions of humans to climate change and what to do about it, and certainly not telling anyone what they should believe or what they should do, these are personal choices. However, if you believe the amount of carbon we are producing, nationally and locally, is dangerous and needs to be addressed, they are here to help.
The Government has set deadlines regarding how we heat our homes and how we use our transport, and these deadlines are looming ever closer. Households in Arnside and beyond now need to visualise how they might meet those deadlines, which is often not an easy task. The group aims to offer guidance and help to those who are trying to make those changes – you might even save some money by addressing your carbon footprint!
If you have any great ideas or suggestions but don’t have time yourself, they would be delighted to hear from you. Contact them by email at: p.bates@lancaster.ac.uk with Sustainable Arnside in the subject line.
You can view, download or print their Mission Statement below.
The Arnside Fireworks Committee have made the following announcement following people’s enquiries about the event:
‘Unfortunately there will not be a display in Arnside this year. However, plans are already in place for a new and improved display for next year (2024)
We plan to apply for a road closure for a few hours on the promenade while the display takes place, and we also intend to have improved parking facilities. So watch this space for more details next year.’
For the last 14 years, Dr Melanie Brierley (PhD) has worked as a dance and health artist, researcher, and trainer at Conscious Bodies. She is a registered somatic movement educator/therapist with the International Somatic Education and Therapy Association (ISMETA) and Churchill Fellow (2014).
On Friday the 22nd of September 2023 (10 am to 11.15 am), Melanie will facilitate ‘Moving, Dancing, and Relaxing’, a new class at the Educational Institute in Arnside.
Who is it for? This class is suitable for anyone interested in dance and movement for health and wellbeing. Perhaps you’ve enjoyed attending Yoga, Tai Chi, or like to dance with others in a less structured way? Then this is the class for you! The class involves moving in space and some floorwork, but the practice van be adapted to suit your needs. Everyone is welcome.
What will we do? All ‘Moving, Dancing, and Relaxing’ sessions will follow a specific pathway of movement and dance to help reset, revive, and relax body and mind. • Through connective movement practices, we will gently ease ourselves into movement. • We will explore the flow of dance to support inner and outer expression and deeper embodiment and have fun at the same time! • We will take time to rest, recover, and integrate our movement experiences.
Will I need to bring anything with me? You will need to bring a yoga mat for the beginning and end of sessions, and you might like to bring a blanket and pillow for the last section of the class.
What should I wear? Loose and comfortable clothing that you can move in. Some layers would be a good idea and socks for the lie/sit down at the end.
Sign up for the 6 week course (cost: £60 for the 6 weeks) or £12 for a single drop-in session.
Arnside’s new cafe/wine bar on the Promenade has been featured in both the Westmorland Gazette and the North West Evening Mail. Currently open midday to 10pm each day and offering a full drinks menu, the plan is to offer food in the future – once the pizza over arrives.
Fast becoming the ‘go-to’ venue in Arnside, J J Crossfield’s is a real asset to the village.
The final results of the Housing Needs Surveyfor Arnside Parish Council that each household in Arnside received back in January 2023 are now available. Its a large document which has been split into 4 separate sections but you can read, download or even print if absolutely necessary, but please think of the environment as its 70 pages!
To visit Arnside Parish Council website, please click here.
Did you know that the Parish Council produce a twice yearly Newsletter? Possibly, like me, you were not aware of it but its definitely worth a look – not only to find out about local projects (like the Playground Project & Wildflower Verges Project, changes within the parish council, how to report local issues such as blocked gulleys and potholes and much more!
The Newsletters are available on the Arnside Parish Council website but you can also view, download or print from the pdf below.
