Ossett News Posted December 12, 2021 Report Share Posted December 12, 2021 Week ending Sunday 12th December 2021 Apologies for the lack of my weekly update last week. I was not feeling too well & needed to take a few days off. I am back, with a full tank of fuel and putting the Communities of Horbury & South Ossett firmly on the map. Two weeks ago, was the full Council meeting of Wakefield Council. It was a lively event, but it ended cordially with everyone wishing each other the greetings of the festive season. If you ever want to watch a Council, a Cabinet or Planning meeting, a link can be found at www.wakefield.gov.uk – which will take you to the meetings either live or a past recording. I held my advice session at the Baptist Church in South Ossett on the 1st Saturday of December. These sessions are your opportunity to meet with me, without an appointment, to discuss issues that matter to you. My next session will be next Saturday in Horbury Library. All sessions start at 10:15 and finish at 11:30am – you are always welcome. Next Saturday will be the last pre-Christmas session. They will restart on Saturday 15th January at Horbury Library and on the 5th of February at the Baptist Church in South Ossett. They will then follow the usual pattern on 1st Saturday in South Ossett and 3rd Saturday in Horbury. On Saturday 4th December I was honoured to do the official light switch on at the resident’s event on Southfield Close. This year they are raising funds for a local Parkinson’s Charity and Horbury’s Breakthru Youth Project. The spectacular light show can be seen from either Horbury bypass or by walking down Southfield Close. There are opportunities to make a donation in cash or via the JustGiving page – just search Southfield Close. Thank you to everyone who has made this wonderful local event possible. Thinking a little further ahead, I have asked for a cost of providing Christmas lights onto the wonderful Pine tree in Carr Lodge Park. Assuming that there is an electricity supply close to the tree this would make a magnificent display in our park next year. I’ll keep you posted. Monday was a very busy day. It started with a visit to the Food Bank at Christ Church South Ossett, I was able to deliver a cheque for £250 from my trade union UNITE and 24 chocolate selection packs. These small donations will make a big difference over the Christmas period. I then called into the senior’s lunch club in South Ossett and then followed a trip to Wakefield Theatre Royal. This was with 35 seniors from our local Senior Citizens’ Support Group. The pantomime was extremely funny and very professionally performed. The ‘Dame’ had the unusual name of ‘Fanny Fromage’ – I will leave you to think about that in your own time! My last engagement on Monday evening I attend an event at CAPA College at their current home in Unity House. As I am sure you know, they will be moving into their brand-new building, that is between Wakefield Westgate station and Wakefield One. I was there to give a speech on the regeneration plans for Wakefield and our 10 other town centres and to witness some of the great talent that the college is producing. Did you know this is a sixth form performing arts college? It is free to attend and is offering a magnificent opportunity to all students, who wish to pursue a career on the stage or in the backstage profession. More information can be found at www.capa.college – the website is well worth a visit. There is also an open day planned for 16th January for potential students. Over the past few weeks, I have been supporting the shops and businesses in Horbury. So far, I have been able to buy a good number of Christmas gifts. With an amazing array of shops, I believe that the two town centres of Horbury & Ossett along with Wakefield should supply you with everything you need. On the subject of town centres, there was a report published at the end of November. It is sad that no local press, radio or television news reports followed. The report can be found at www.centreforcities.org. The report shows how the biggest cities and towns across the UK are performing, compared to pre-COVID. The report shows 4 simple tables – for the Top 10 and Bottom 10 for Footfall and Spend per city. In the Bottom 10 tables, some of the UK’s biggest cities feature. In the Top 10 – for Footfall and Spend, Wakefield is No: 9 and No: 2 respectively in the whole country! Wakefield Districts economy is performing well in the retail, leisure and hospitality sector. Such a shame that no media outlet is sharing this information and fighting our corner! On Thursday evening the recently founded Horbury Dining Club, held their 4th monthly & Christmas evening out. We visited Cinnamon Lounge in Horbury Bridge. The group of around 12 people had a wonderful meal, chatted about the burning issues of the day and helped to support our local economy. We will re-start the Dining Club in January with a trip to another local eatery. You may well have seen that our two Telephone Box galleries – Red Box in Horbury and the one by the Green in Horbury Bridge now have very festive displays. The one in Horbury Bridge is now the home to a wonderful Santa Claus, sitting there taking in all that is happing – a great viewpoint. The Red Box Gallery on Queen Street is supporting a great display by the 44th Horbury Brownies. A lovely warm fireplace with 3 hanging stockings, waiting in anticipation for Christmas eve. Thank you to the Pride in Horbury Bridge Group & to the 44th Horbury Brownies for their great & creative works. Over the last few weeks, I appear to have had an issue with my answer-phone system. Unbeknown to me, it did not give callers the option of leaving a message. I do not know why this is and my phone provider THREE is unable to sort out the problem. However, I have a new system in place. Please continue to use my local and mobile numbers. You can now leave a message and I will always call you back, when I am next able. Apologies for any inconvenience caused. Finally, this week, I would like to thank – Helen and her family for planting spring bulbs in the wooden planters at the entrance of Tithe Barn Street car park. The bulbs should give the area a splash of great colour next spring and for many years to come. Thank you again. Please keep safe and take care in these difficult times and if you need help, give me a shout! Happy Christmas Darren View the full article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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