Ossett News Posted March 12, 2023 Report Share Posted March 12, 2023 Week ending Saturday 11th March 2023 From bright sunshine, with warm weather on Tuesday to several centimetres of snow on Thursday, what a very changeable week we have had weatherwise. We hope you were able to keep safe and warm during the cold snap. The week ahead is supposed to be a little more settled with brighter days and with temperatures higher than average for March. That is British weather for you! Deb and Darren started the week with a visit to The Ossett Rotary Club’s International Women’s Day lunch at the Holiday Inn in Ossett. The guest speaker was local author, Barnsley based Milly Johnson. Milly has written around 20 novels, all featuring strong female characters, selling over 3 million copies. She spoke on the differences between women and men, often comical but very direct and to the point. On Monday Gwen met with Councillor Matthew Morley, who is the Cabinet Member for Highways and Planning on Wakefield Council. The purpose of the meeting was to let Matthew see first-hand the issues of speeding traffic in the Sowood Bends area between Horbury & South Ossett. We have been working with the Council’s Highways Team, to look at what can be done to improve this area. We are hopeful that later this year, a plan will be created for public consultation to address the issues. Watch this space more information. Monday tea-time Darren and Deb attended the monthly meeting of Horbury Village Partnership. This group of dedicated volunteers help to keep Horbury town centre looking fresh and blooming lovely during the summer months. Plans for 2023 include hanging baskets, a new website for businesses & community groups and some new artwork. Tuesday morning was very cold start, but soon turned out to be one of the sunniest days of 2023 so far. Around a dozen people known as The Easy Pickers met on Hawkingcroft. Together we worked in small teams and litter picked an area which included Hawkingcroft, the A642 around the railway bridge, the top of Engine Lane and down towards Parklands. Together over 20 bags of rubbish were collected along with a tyre, several lengths of wood, two car registration plates and 7 traffic cones which were rescued from the banking between the A642 and the Network Rail storage yard. Thank you to all of those involved in this week’s litter pick and to the members of the public who stopped and thanked us for our efforts and joined in the picking. A special thank you to the Café who offered the pickers a warm drink whilst they were picking. The Easy Pickers will meet each Tuesday morning throughout Spring, clearing a different part of the Ward. Our next session will be on Tuesday 14th March at 10am in the Sowood Bends area. Please feel free to join us for an hour if you are free, all equipment is provided. With the cold snap and the snow on Thursday it gave us the opportunity to publicise the Warm Spaces across Horbury and South Ossett. On Tuesday afternoon Darren & Deb called into the Warm Space at St Mary’s Church in Horbury Junction. Our visit was two-fold. Firstly, to warm up after the litter pick and secondly to present them with a cheque for £50. This donation is to help with the cost of buying supplies for Warm Spaces. On Wednesday morning Deb & Darren had a walk around Carr Lodge Park, to see if the 4,000 crocus bulbs which had been planted last autumn had flowered. To our amazement the crocuses were out in force with an amazing spring show of purple. Have you noticed the heart-shaped display just below the low wall in front of the house? As you know we try to support local businesses across our two towns. As a Wednesday treat, we called in to Café Capri after our park walk. This was for refreshment and to get warmed up. We had an early lunch as we were due at an event in Batley at 1pm. The local Rotary Clubs had organised a technology event for schools across Wakefield and Kirklees event which Upper Batley High School was hosting. The task set for the schools was to construct a motorised cable car that could carry a small package across a 2-metre-wide ravine. All of the schools rose to the challenge and achieved their goals. It was amazing to see young people working in teams, to achieve a common goal. The winning teams were presented with their prizes by the Mayor of Kirklees, Cllr Masood Ahmed. Thank you to the Rotary Clubs for their efforts in creating and funding the event, which was a privilege for us to attend. We hope that next year the event will be held again and hosted by one of our local high schools. Whilst out ‘n’ about across the Ward we noticed that the Ossett sign on Storrs Hill was looking worse for wear. It has been reported to the Council and it will be straightened up soon. We have had several messages over the last few weeks raising the issue of dog fouling in a couple of areas across the Ward. We have asked that some temporary signage be installed in the areas identified, reminding dog owners of their responsibilities to clear up after walking their pets. Gwen has been out ‘n’ about in South Ossett delivering leaflets and meeting with residents to discuss issues with them. Darren, Deb and Gwen are always available to meet with residents and local groups. If you wish to contact any of us you can either call on 01924 763088, email via talkToUs@mail.co.uk or message us through our Facebook page or by Messenger. On Saturday morning The Friends of Horbury Library held their first Open day. The event gave the library the opportunity to showcase the amazing range of facilities available. Horbury Library is currently hosting many visitors from Ossett. The Ossett library is currently closed whilst Ossett Town Hall is refurbished. Finally, on Saturday the Southfield Close residents group held a presentation event. To hand over a cheque to The British Heart Foundation – we think this picture says it all! The money raised came from their amazing Christmas Light display – thank you to everyone involved in this wonderful community event. Darren & Deb Working for our Communities, throughout the whole year! View the full article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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