Monday 17 September
In the afternoon the Mayoress and I visited the new Inside Spa adjoining Wavelengths in Nelson.
Here we met Anne Meachem and the staff who welcomed us to the new facility. They then showed us through to sample the sauna, sanarium, salt inhalation steam room, monsoon showers and hydrotherapy pool. We also took the opportunity to visit the gym areas with all of the new high tech equipment.
Anne and staff show us around the new gym
Being the Mayor means that I am almost always busy, so this was a great opportunity to slow down for a while. I really enjoyed all of the high quality facilities on offer at Inside Spa and I came out feeling much more relaxed! I urge everyone to go along and see for themselves the superb Inside Spa facility.
In the evening I went along to meet with the Brierfield Town Council as part of my tour of all of the Town and Parish Councils in Pendle. I mentioned the proposed new marina development at Barden Mill for 92 boats and the opportunities that this could bring to Brierfield. I thought that the town centre looked better than it has done in the past and with the new housing developments soon to come on stream the town looks to be going forward. As I was previously a Brierfield Pendle councillor for 12 years, I know some of the issues that they are tackling.
Tuesday 18 September
In the morning I called in on our Treasury and Customer Services area at Elliot House in Nelson. This is part of my plan to visit all of the services in Pendle Council and to meet as many of our staff as possible. I was shown round by Angela and Phil, and was pleased to see many of our dedicated staff who I feel do a great job. The call centre is relatively new but its performance is already top notch. And Treasury also has a great track record on revenue and benefits.
We prepare to set off anti-clockwise on the 45 mile Pendle Way
Leaving the Heritage Centre the other way
The day was unseasonably cold, but mainly sunny and the blackberries were ripe for picking everywhere in the hedgerows. We completed the walk much quicker than we had when we went clockwise, so we all had a scone and cup of tea whilst waiting for the bus to take us back.
The tiny hamlet of Narrowgates
The footpaths and countryside of Pendle are quite outstanding and I encourage everyone to get out there and sample it for themselves. You will not be disappointed.
A beech tree near Barley in full splendour
Besides being Mayor, I do a wide range of other jobs, one of which is chairing the Licensing Committee. Licensing applications used to be considered by the Magistrates court but now it is the responsibility of borough councils. The Licensing committee listens to the application and any objections and then withdraws to consider it. Here, as chairman, I ask all of the committee members in turn to put there views on the table and then get them to agree on a consensus. Once we have done this we go back into the committee room to announce the decision. This afternoon, the committee had to consider an application by an off-license in Nelson to sell alcohol. We decided to grant the license as set out in the application.
At teatime I joined with a few other councillors in the Member Development Group. This is to keep all councillors aware of training and development opportunities to enable them to do their job more efficiently. Local government is fast changing and we need to be constantly keeping council members abreast of these changes and the training available.
Thursday 20 September
Today is our monthly board meeting at my design and print business in Nelson. Here I chair the meeting and receive reports for consideration on all aspects of the company’s performance. We also make sure that we are performing to our business plan, take a look forward to the coming months and consider any investments in new equipment. The company employs around 45 staff and last year we won an award for the best HR (human relations) in an English print company.
We went to visit Pendle’s Estates and Property Services area in the afternoon. This was really interesting seeing what they all do and looking at some of the projects being planned. We also saw the technology that shows the drawings, specification and related documents all via the PC. One of the staff who drove in each day also commented on the great views of Pendle Hill that he sees everyday.
Friday 21 September
After calling into the office for a lunchtime meeting with my directors I went onto the Economic Development unit for another look at the Nelson Town Centre plans. We are now looking at the details of how the plan would work with traffic flowing back through Manchester/Leeds Road and need to ensure that we get it right. The investment being planned for Nelson is considerable and is much needed.
In the evening we joined with other Mayors from Lancashire for the annual dinner given by the Chair of Lancashire County Council. We also took the opportunity to have a quick look into the council chamber, which must have been like it is for many years. All of the Mayors and Chairman of Borough Councils throughout Lancashire take it in turn to invite them to come to see something of their own area. We are currently well advanced in our plans for our Tour of Pendle on the 8th October when we invite Mayors here.
Saturday 22 September
We went along to Laneshaw Bridge Methodist Church to see the T’Brig Expo of old photographs put on by the Laneshaw Bridge Parish Council to promote community spirit. The chairman told me that over 100 villagers attended at the opening last night. Whilst we were there, there was a steady stream of local people calling in to see the displays.
I had a chat with several of the Parish councillors including Paul White who is their youngest at 20 years old. I also had a word with Rev Andrew Turner about my suggestion for a Churches Heritage Trail.
At noon we went to Junction 12 shopping outlet to open the 4th Annual Pendle Canal Festival.
I try my hand at Fire prevention
In my opening speech I highlighted the 12.9 miles of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, which goes through Pendle and encouraged everyone to walk, cycle or boat it. We probably have the finest stretch of canal in the country with panoramic views of Pendle Hill and our stunning countryside.
The Samaritans
Pendle Council has invested almost £2m in canalside improvements and together with the proposed marinas, the Canal has a very exciting future. There were many voluntary organisations stalls in the courtyard and we tried to get round to all of them to offer our support.
Pendle Leisure
There was a brass band and live rock bands and we had a sea shanty sung to us by a pirate on stilts! 
The pirate on stilts
We also took the opportunity for a trip on the narrowboat Martin Emperor on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, which adjoins Junction 12.
Signpost on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal
The interesting short cruise took us up into Nelson, past Whitefield Mill, which is due for regeneration, before turning round for the return trip.
