Good News from Padiham

[Rowls]

Here's a small group who do a wonderful little community service with little fanfare.

https://padihamlitterpickers.co.uk/

Just imagine if everybody in Burnley and Padiham had this level of civic sense and duty. Not just in terms of litter but in the sense of giving up time and effort towards everybody's welbeing.

Well done to everybody involved with the Padiham Litter Pickers.

[brexit]

excellent

[beddie]

Absolutely brilliant what they are doing, the shame is that it’s come to this. I’ve never understood the mentality of people that discard their litter in the street, in the countryside without a care in the world. Anyway well done to Padiham.

[Quickenthetempo]

They are doing a great job.

Shame Burnley Council and Lancs CCC have given up road sweeping and litter picking in the town.

[Rowls]

Agree entirely with the sentiments of the above.

But here's an accompanying thought: If nobody ever dropped litter, the council wouldn't have to employ so many street sweepers and there'd be no litter to pick up. We'd all be better off - literally and metaphorically.

Most homespun wisodm is hokey but here's something I read recently that actually stuck. Below is a paraphrasing:

"In an ignorant society, everybody drops litter and nobody ever picks it up.
In a weak society, lots of people drop litter and only a few ever pick it up.
In a stronger society only a few people drop litter but lots of people pick it up.
In a truly strong soceity nobody drops litter but even if something was blown out of a bin, anybody and everybody would pick it up."

[Quickenthetempo]

Agree entirely with the sentiments of the above.

But here's an accompanying thought: If nobody ever dropped litter, the council wouldn't have to employ so many street sweepers and there'd be no litter to pick up. We'd all be better off - literally and metaphorically.

Most homespun wisodm is hokey but here's something I read recently that actually stuck. Below is a paraphrasing:

"In an ignorant society, everybody drops litter and nobody ever picks it up.
In a weak society, lots of people drop litter and only a few ever pick it up.
In a stronger society only a few people drop litter but lots of people pick it up.
In a truly strong soceity nobody drops litter but even if something was blown out of a bin, anybody and everybody would pick it up."

It's not just litter, most road gutters are clogged up with dirt, leaves that never got swept up last year and debris.

[LeadBelly]

Well done to the organisers of this activity in Padiham.
I walk a lot (urban/semi urban and rural) and it is astonishing how much litter (cans, plastic bottles, fast food containers etc) I encounter.
The most galling aspect is sometimes "droppings" are only a few yards away from litter bins. (Admittedly, sometimes litter bins are overflowing which adds to the problem).

Of course it's illegal to drop litter but, like many laws now, its not much policed.

[cricketfield73]

Last Thursday, not for the first time, I swept the entire 50-60m length of the terraced street in Duke Bar where my Mum lives as I just couldn't bear wading through crisp packets, plastic e-cigs and associated debris, takeaway wrappers, piles of fag ends (from someone tipping out a car ashtray), cans, etc. and ended up filling up almost two black bin liners.
Yesterday I went round and the entire street was just back to how it was 3 days after being spotlessly clean.
I'll no doubt end up clearing it all away again but I cant help but think I'm wasting my time.

[Rowls]

Last Thursday, not for the first time, I swept the entire 50-60m length of the terraced street in Duke Bar where my Mum lives as I just couldn't bear wading through crisp packets, plastic e-cigs and associated debris, takeaway wrappers, piles of fag ends (from someone tipping out a car ashtray), cans, etc. and ended up filling up almost two black bin liners.
Yesterday I went round and the entire street was just back to how it was 3 days after being spotlessly clean.
I'll no doubt end up clearing it all away again but I cant help but think I'm wasting my time.

It's never a waste of time cricketfield73.

Please keep up the good work and hopefully some others will see you and join you.

[beddie]

Last Thursday, not for the first time, I swept the entire 50-60m length of the terraced street in Duke Bar where my Mum lives as I just couldn't bear wading through crisp packets, plastic e-cigs and associated debris, takeaway wrappers, piles of fag ends (from someone tipping out a car ashtray), cans, etc. and ended up filling up almost two black bin liners.
Yesterday I went round and the entire street was just back to how it was 3 days after being spotlessly clean.
I'll no doubt end up clearing it all away again but I cant help but think I'm wasting my time.

Well done for doing it. We had a similar issue but it was to do with chippings, leaves, tree branches etc. Myself and a neighbour are often sweeping long areas of the avenue. In regard to the lack of street cleaners we contacted the Council (North Yorkshire) filled in a form and registered our concerns, within 3 days they arrived and did a clean up. You may wish to consider dropping your local Council an email and ask them to periodically clean up the street that you mentioned, it certainly wouldn’t do any harm.

[Dressinggown]

Another problem that we have in Padiham (and probably everywhere) are takeaways using the public bins to get rid of their litter from in front of their businesses and the bins are constantly overflowing.

Some use the drains to get rid of gallons of used cooking oil on a daily basis.

I have no claims to be in anyway 'squeaky clean' when it comes to responsibily disposing my household waste but every blue bin for recycling stuff which I have been provided has been stolen within a matter of hours.

Each week, my main bin is filled with rubbish from the neighbours and others just leave their unwanted s*it, like mattresses, down the side of my house.

All manner of life has become dispensable (or indispensable).

[ecc]

"Another problem that we have in Padiham (and probably everywhere) are takeaways using the public bins to get rid of their litter from in front of their businesses and the bins are constantly overflowing."

I live in France. There's a damn KFC 300 yards away from my house and people throw their KFC crap on the car park. P*sses me off no end.

[JohnMac]

I met David, the chap who runs this a few weeks ago, he was really friendly and proud of his contribution to society. He was pleased I took the time to talk to him and even more chuffed when I sent him a photo of his companion, Pip the Dog.

Pip

Screenshot_20250512_202832_BT Mail.jpg (1.21 MiB) Viewed 4159 times

[karatekid]

People who pick up dog mess in a poop bag then throw the bag on the floor. WTF.

[Dressinggown]

A neighbour has obviously taken my blue bins in the past (he now has 5 and has put stickers on with his house number on every box).

Should I start putting my recyclable materials through his letterbox ?

[GordonvaleClaret]

Yes.
But first soak it in petrol, then chuck in a lighted matchstick.

[Dressinggown]

All kicking off in the car park next to my house. No physical interaction just people gobbing off. Some local residents calling the police but unlikely to get a response.

[Dressinggown]

Another vehicle has arrived with a number of occupants and they are definitely not the Police.

This is Dressinggown reporting from an ongoing local urban situation.

[Dressinggown]

Just an average night in a small northern town.

[ŽižkovClaret]

Here's a small group who do a wonderful little community service with little fanfare.

https://padihamlitterpickers.co.uk/

Just imagine if everybody in Burnley and Padiham had this level of civic sense and duty. Not just in terms of litter but in the sense of giving up time and effort towards everybody's welbeing.

Well done to everybody involved with the Padiham Litter Pickers.

I'm 43 and i remember when that used to be someone's salaried job.

[ŽižkovClaret]

People who pick up dog mess in a poop bag then throw the bag on the floor. WTF.

Or hang the bags like bum baubles on the tree

[Holtyclaret]

Can anyone remember a lovely bloke called ‘emmerdale’ that used to keep Padiham clean and tidy? He was my grandads best mate, quietly spoken lad .

[Stalbansclaret]

People who drop litter will be first against the wall when the Glorious Day of my revolution dawns.
Like Leadbelly, above, I regularly walk a semi-urban environment (Basically between Colne and Barrowford) and it constantly cheeses me off to see discarded cans, food-wrappers, tissues and plastic bottles. I'm forever picking these up and transporting them to the nearest bin...usually a distance of between 10 and 100 yards. What is wrong with people !!!? It's absolutely mindless

[cricketfield73]

Right on cue, I took my dog to Victoria Park in Nelson earlier and was walking about 100 yards behind a young couple and saw a lot of stuff being thrown on the ground. When I caught up to where they were there were 2 plastic wrappers, 2 e-cig boxes and 2 e-cig instruction leaflets just discarded by the path. How can anyone get to 20-something years of age and somehow think that it's acceptable to do that? No doubt the e-cigs will also be tossed on the floor the second they run out.
On a slightly different note - what on earth is in those e-cigs? The instruction leaflets absolutely reeked like sickly synthetic fruit.

[GetIntoEm]

The problem we have in Burnley and Padiham is a high level of people who are funded by benefits, this leads to lack of self respect or respect for anyone/anything around them. Gives a sense of self entitlement.

You can witness this through the lack of ability to cross roads, use waste paper bins or otherwise contribute to society. Everything is handed to them, without giving anything in return.

It should be easy for a scheme to be set up for people who are seeking employment to be sent to schemes like Litter Pickers to contribute, unfortunately it doesn't happened

[ŽižkovClaret]

The problem we have in Burnley and Padiham is a high level of people who are funded by benefits, this leads to lack of self respect or respect for anyone/anything around them. Gives a sense of self entitlement.

You can witness this through the lack of ability to cross roads, use waste paper bins or otherwise contribute to society. Everything is handed to them, without giving anything in return.

It should be easy for a scheme to be set up for people who are seeking employment to be sent to schemes like Litter Pickers to contribute, unfortunately it doesn't happened

If there is a job to be done, it should be paid

[winsomeyen]

Can anyone remember a lovely bloke called ‘emmerdale’ that used to keep Padiham clean and tidy? He was my grandads best mate, quietly spoken lad .

He used to call in the Hare & Hounds mid morning parking his dustbin cart round the back for a coffee.

[GetIntoEm]

If there is a job to be done, it should be paid

They do get paid, for seeking work. What's wrong with volunteering while that process takes place. Gives people a sense of worth, gives them real world work experience, plus makes their CV look better

[ŽižkovClaret]

They do get paid, for seeking work. What's wrong with volunteering while that process takes place. Gives people a sense of worth, gives them real world work experience, plus makes their CV look better

What you describe is a job, albeit temporary. Therefore it should be paid minimum wage at least.

[GetIntoEm]

What you describe is a job, albeit temporary. Therefore it should be paid minimum wage at least.

Somebody should let padiham litter pickers know

[ŽižkovClaret]

I certainly got paid min wage when i worked as a street cleaner / bin man in the school holidays

[Holtyclaret]

He used to call in the Hare & Hounds mid morning parking his dustbin cart round the back for a coffee.

Yes he did, he was considerably younger than my grandad but looked older than he was. Think his first name was Derek.

[Rowls]

If there is a job to be done, it should be paid

Would you have this valuable volountary scheme banned? Why shouldn't people be able to voluntarily orgainse a group to pick litter?

[Rowls]

Would you have this valuable volountary scheme banned? Why shouldn't people be able to voluntarily orgainse a group to pick litter?

Edit - OK, I understand your sentiments. A lot of work demands payment. But I don't think you've thought this through in terms of what it would mean for voluntary groups and what is worthwhile. Not everything is done for monetary reward.

People who receive benefits can and are expected to meet criteria in return for what they receive.

People who run voluntary groups like the Padiham Litter Pickers do so because for non-monetary reasons. They understand the benefits that living in a strong society and in an environment free from litter bring.

[ŽižkovClaret]

Edit - OK, I understand your sentiments. A lot of work demands payment. But I don't think you've thought this through in terms of what it would mean for voluntary groups and what is worthwhile. Not everything is done for monetary reward.

People who receive benefits can and are expected to meet criteria in return for what they receive.

People who run voluntary groups like the Padiham Litter Pickers do so because for non-monetary reasons. They understand the benefits that living in a strong society and in an environment free from litter bring.

My point was in response to GetIntoEm and based on previous schemes where people were forced to stack shelves etc without being paid a proper wage. It is against my principles.

[Rowls]

My point was in response to GetIntoEm and based on previous schemes where people were forced to stack shelves etc without being paid a proper wage. It is against my principles.

It's off topic but the results when such schemes were trialled were spectacularly good. The most successful pilot scheme I know of was John Major's "Project Work" scheme which launched in 1996.

It was a mandatory work scheme for benefit claimants. Figures off the top of my head:

Around 20-25% found work
Around a third just "disappeared" and had the benefit claims ended

These are off-the-charts successes in terms of welfare schemes. They really are. Even Polly Toynbee admitted this was an outstanding success. Obviously, Major got booted out in the most emphatic way possible before this scheme was rolled out nationwide.

A much watered down version of this became Tony Blair's "Welfare-to-Work" scheme which didn't have anywhere near such strong results.

I understand your reservations about these kind of schemes, but when you consider how successful they can be -both in terms of helping people back into the self-sufficiency and dignity of returning to work as well as cutting evident benefit fraud and saving tax payer's money- I think that a wholesale refusal to implement this kind of thing isn't ever going to be popular with an electorate.

Blair didn't win his landslide in 1997 because he opposed Major's scheme. He won his landslide by promising to ape the successes Major had shown are possible.

It's not the case that these schemes are perfect, it's a case of trying to strike a balance between providing a safety net of benefits whilst ensuring people's potential isn't wasted on lives spent claiming benefits, not providing any contribution towards society and costing tax payers a lot of money.

Obviously, you wouldn't want to 'ban' groups like the Padiham Litter Pickers (I hope) but these are the kind of unintended consequences of wholesale banning things.

And we haven't even touched the cliquey nepotistic world of "unpaid internships"...

[GetIntoEm]

My point was in response to GetIntoEm and based on previous schemes where people were forced to stack shelves etc without being paid a proper wage. It is against my principles.

My point was to put these people into existing volunteer groups, not to work in commercial businesses for free

[winsomeyen]

Yes he did, he was considerably younger than my grandad but looked older than he was. Think his first name was Derek.

I knew emmerdale for years but never knew his real name,he told me about a greyhound in the council kennels by the baths,got my wife to go and get her.
Her racing name was Winsomeyen.

[Ptangyangkipperbang]

Emmerdale one of the few people where wearing double denim looked right

[Holtyclaret]

Emmerdale one of the few people where wearing double denim looked right

That took me back years and made me chuckle. He had Christmas Lunch with us most years. I don’t think he lived a long life sadly but I’ll never forget him, he loved all forms of racing and Sunday mornings out ‘rabitting’ with the ferrets and my grandad Norman.

[Dressinggown]

Good views from Padiham.

[ŽižkovClaret]

It's off topic but the results when such schemes were trialled were spectacularly good. The most successful pilot scheme I know of was John Major's "Project Work" scheme which launched in 1996.

It was a mandatory work scheme for benefit claimants. Figures off the top of my head:

Around 20-25% found work
Around a third just "disappeared" and had the benefit claims ended

These are off-the-charts successes in terms of welfare schemes. They really are. Even Polly Toynbee admitted this was an outstanding success. Obviously, Major got booted out in the most emphatic way possible before this scheme was rolled out nationwide.

A much watered down version of this became Tony Blair's "Welfare-to-Work" scheme which didn't have anywhere near such strong results.

I understand your reservations about these kind of schemes, but when you consider how successful they can be -both in terms of helping people back into the self-sufficiency and dignity of returning to work as well as cutting evident benefit fraud and saving tax payer's money- I think that a wholesale refusal to implement this kind of thing isn't ever going to be popular with an electorate.

Blair didn't win his landslide in 1997 because he opposed Major's scheme. He won his landslide by promising to ape the successes Major had shown are possible.

It's not the case that these schemes are perfect, it's a case of trying to strike a balance between providing a safety net of benefits whilst ensuring people's potential isn't wasted on lives spent claiming benefits, not providing any contribution towards society and costing tax payers a lot of money.

Obviously, you wouldn't want to 'ban' groups like the Padiham Litter Pickers (I hope) but these are the kind of unintended consequences of wholesale banning things.

And we haven't even touched the cliquey nepotistic world of "unpaid internships"...

I was minded of the Austerity era schemes which had people stacking shelves at Poundland/Tesco and the like with little or no prospect of it turning into a proper role?

[ŽižkovClaret]

My point was to put these people into existing volunteer groups, not to work in commercial businesses for free

To put it simply, if you put people to work, under penalty of loss of benefits, you should pay them the going rate for that work. Otherwise it is a slippery slope.

[Rowls]

To put it simply, if you put people to work, under penalty of loss of benefits, you should pay them the going rate for that work. Otherwise it is a slippery slope.

And it's a slippery slope if you don't put people in to work and pay them to be idle.

My point is that there isn't much scope for absolutist statements like "no work should ever be unpaid".

There are 'slippery slopes" everywhere. Life is full of slippery slopes. It's a slippery slopey world.

We have be prepared to accept trade offs. I have a suspicion we're both on board with this and we also agree the Padiham Litter Pickers is a marvellous initiative and a fine example of community voluntary work.

NB. The benefit claimants enlisted on John Major's"Project Work" scheme were paid the full wage - upon successful completion of their trial.

[brexit]

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyl ... tain#north
There’s an old saying in Padiham: if you can see Pendle Hill it’s about to rain and if you can’t, then it’s raining. Dry humour and wet weather are part of the charm of this little corner of Lancashire.

Tucked into rolling fields outside Burnley, Padiham (pronounced “Paddy-am”) might be one of the north of England’s best kept secrets. For decades a general gloom seemed to hang over the town, but with a £1.4m fund from the National Lottery Heritage Fund it has cleaned up its 100-year-old architecture and redesigned the high street.

Known locally as “the hill”, Burnley Road is home to all manner of independent shops and cafes. At the bottom end of the town is Rawes Grazing, a food emporium stuffed with delicious local produce and refillable goods. Once you’ve gorged on artisan cheese you could head for a tipple in The Taproom, a single-room micropub that opened 18 months ago.

Young professionals and buy-to-let investors have cottoned on to the town’s resurgence and are snapping up the relatively cheap housing. A charming three-bed terrace house is on sale for £65,000 – about the price of a parking space in London.

“Previously it was older people and families but more recently people from Manchester are realising the value within Padiham and how much they can get for their money,” says Holly Frost, an estate agent at Fardella & Bell. “There’s a lot of green space and people are realising how valuable that is.”

Where to go
Mooch Cafe87, where the staff greet you like an old friend. For an evening meal try The Cellar, housed in a 16th-century former coach house.

What to do
Visit Gawthorpe Hall, a Jacobean country house set in 40 acres of woodland. The annual 1940s weekend, Padiham on Parade, brings in about 12,000 visitors – many in retro uniform.

Where to breathe
The Lancashire countryside. Padiham Memorial Park is also a lovely spot.

Where to buy
River Drive, on the banks of the Calder, is particularly desirable. Bigger detached houses sell for around £270,000 – explaining why so many are moving from Manchester, just 40 minutes away.
Josh Halliday

[blatherwickstattoos]

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyl ... tain#north
There’s an old saying in Padiham: if you can see Pendle Hill it’s about to rain and if you can’t, then it’s raining. Dry humour and wet weather are part of the charm of this little corner of Lancashire.

Tucked into rolling fields outside Burnley, Padiham (pronounced “Paddy-am”) might be one of the north of England’s best kept secrets. For decades a general gloom seemed to hang over the town, but with a £1.4m fund from the National Lottery Heritage Fund it has cleaned up its 100-year-old architecture and redesigned the high street.

Known locally as “the hill”, Burnley Road is home to all manner of independent shops and cafes. At the bottom end of the town is Rawes Grazing, a food emporium stuffed with delicious local produce and refillable goods. Once you’ve gorged on artisan cheese you could head for a tipple in The Taproom, a single-room micropub that opened 18 months ago.

Young professionals and buy-to-let investors have cottoned on to the town’s resurgence and are snapping up the relatively cheap housing. A charming three-bed terrace house is on sale for £65,000 – about the price of a parking space in London.

“Previously it was older people and families but more recently people from Manchester are realising the value within Padiham and how much they can get for their money,” says Holly Frost, an estate agent at Fardella & Bell. “There’s a lot of green space and people are realising how valuable that is.”

Where to go
Mooch Cafe87, where the staff greet you like an old friend. For an evening meal try The Cellar, housed in a 16th-century former coach house.

What to do
Visit Gawthorpe Hall, a Jacobean country house set in 40 acres of woodland. The annual 1940s weekend, Padiham on Parade, brings in about 12,000 visitors – many in retro uniform.

Where to breathe
The Lancashire countryside. Padiham Memorial Park is also a lovely spot.

Where to buy
River Drive, on the banks of the Calder, is particularly desirable. Bigger detached houses sell for around £270,000 – explaining why so many are moving from Manchester, just 40 minutes away.
Josh Halliday

270k hahahaha

Add another 100 on and then some

[Rowls]

270k hahahaha

Add another 100 on and then some

£270,100 still ain't bad

[blatherwickstattoos]

£270,100 still ain't bad

Haha good one

[Bosscat]

Just seen on BBC Look North West that Padiham has just been voted the "Happiest place to live" made my Mrs day as she is a Padiham lass born n bred

[Dressinggown]

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyl ... tain#north
There’s an old saying in Padiham: if you can see Pendle Hill it’s about to rain and if you can’t, then it’s raining. Dry humour and wet weather are part of the charm of this little corner of Lancashire.

Tucked into rolling fields outside Burnley, Padiham (pronounced “Paddy-am”) might be one of the north of England’s best kept secrets. For decades a general gloom seemed to hang over the town, but with a £1.4m fund from the National Lottery Heritage Fund it has cleaned up its 100-year-old architecture and redesigned the high street.

Known locally as “the hill”, Burnley Road is home to all manner of independent shops and cafes. At the bottom end of the town is Rawes Grazing, a food emporium stuffed with delicious local produce and refillable goods. Once you’ve gorged on artisan cheese you could head for a tipple in The Taproom, a single-room micropub that opened 18 months ago.

Young professionals and buy-to-let investors have cottoned on to the town’s resurgence and are snapping up the relatively cheap housing. A charming three-bed terrace house is on sale for £65,000 – about the price of a parking space in London.

“Previously it was older people and families but more recently people from Manchester are realising the value within Padiham and how much they can get for their money,” says Holly Frost, an estate agent at Fardella & Bell. “There’s a lot of green space and people are realising how valuable that is.”

Where to go
Mooch Cafe87, where the staff greet you like an old friend. For an evening meal try The Cellar, housed in a 16th-century former coach house.

What to do
Visit Gawthorpe Hall, a Jacobean country house set in 40 acres of woodland. The annual 1940s weekend, Padiham on Parade, brings in about 12,000 visitors – many in retro uniform.

Where to breathe
The Lancashire countryside. Padiham Memorial Park is also a lovely spot.

Where to buy
River Drive, on the banks of the Calder, is particularly desirable. Bigger detached houses sell for around £270,000 – explaining why so many are moving from Manchester, just 40 minutes away.
Josh Halliday

I live in Padiham and the reality is somewhat different. Yes, there are certain attractions but a number of downsides. The main street up the hill does attract independent businesses but only on short term leases and most can't find it financially viable to remain. At the last count there were a dozen unoccupied premises. The only place that seems to get any footfall is the barbers.

Anti-social behaviour is another issue. At this very moment there are a group of people kicking off on the street outside. Feral youths make the place a no go area at night.