Neighbourhood Watch Chairmans Report 2007/8

Dear Residents,

Welcome to our third Belle Vue Neighbourhood watch AGM.

The first meeting was held at Blackpool Cricket Club Thursday Evening 22nd Feb 2005 at 7.00pm with the adoption of a Constitution.

However before the establishment of this NW, there had been the Foxhall East Association of Residents, which gave us valuable historic experience in setting up an organization such as our current watch. Indeed Steve Beanland, Kath & Alf Holden, Margaret Knight and Jill Bullock were instrumental in helping with FEAR and were part of the original Belle Vue start up. The original Belle Vue Neighbourhood watch was established to help our neighbours help themselves and look after each other.

This year we have said Goodbye to our Vice Chair Steve and we thank him for all his help and wish him and his family well for the future. Steve was a keen supporter of neighbourhood watch and he helped the community feel safer by his presence and willingness to help people. On Behalf of the Belle Vue Residents Association thanks Steve.

Thanks to our committee again this year for their work Anne Ashworth for editing the Newsletter, Liz Noland, Kath Holden for acting as treasurer. Steve Beanland, Eric Doddemeade and Alf Holden. Thanks also to the community for supporting us after all it is your residents association and we represent your views to a wider authority.

Jack Ambrose has been nominated to stand as Vice Chair, I hope we will support him, as we did Steve.

We also said Good-bye to Councillor Phil Dunne who supported us and helped us ask the right questions and carry out the right actions to fund Alley gates and Speed Humps. Phil stood down as Councillor and two new ones were elected Ron and Gary Bell.

Ron and Gary have attended our meetings and always ask for our newsletter to be published on their community web page.

We have the support of the Police and our CBM Guy Harrison and Amy Atherton, Dennis Nelson in a working partnership and members of the watch committee meet with them at the regular pact meeting Whitegate drive.

We have representation on the North Shore Area Forum, Alf Holden, Eric Doddemeade and myself.

This year, we have attended Lancashire wide NW events at Police HQ and continue to share information with other Neighbourhood Watch areas in the Borough and now through the County, as I am now a member for the Lancashire NW Forum. This is chaired by Keith Warren MBE who represents the Region at the Home Office briefings. I also sit on Western Division NW Exec committee with David Gregson the South Shore NW Fed Chair and Western Division Media Liaison Officer. We have developed links with many other Neighbourhood watches in Blackpool and beyond who share the same aims as us and unfortunately very similar problems as well.

This year Eric and I met with Roger Baines of Larches and Savic PACT Partnership to share best practise about neighbourhood Policing.Roger also sits on the Lancs. NW Forum.Roger also helps organise the Preston Association of Neighbourhood watches and Eric and I attended their AGM.Roger made us all feel most welcome and is an example of how to make neighbourhood watch progress effectively with City-Wide partnerships.

We are members of the Blackpool Residents Federation and closely support them in their campaign to make Blackpool a no cold calling zone and safer Town. This exercise shows clearly how the Area Forums and local community groups worked together for a common good. It is going ahead as we speak,and thanks to Dave and Chris Wright for all their help.

The Belle Vue Pub has been transformed for the better and Dave and Kath (Licensees) are keen to maintain high standards in running the pub. We are grateful to Dave and Kath for their good works. The Christmas Lights and carol service, plus the Belle Vue barbecue were all successful events and appreciated by us.

Trading Standards have given us support again this year. Shaun McKinney works hard trying to protect the public from rogue traders and is heavily involved in the no cold calling issue.

The cricket club has supported us and have agreed to send a rep onto our committee.

We encourage engagement with the public and any stakeholders in community safety in the Area and offer moral support to victims of crime /antisocial behaviour.

This last year, we had two evictions from properties in the immediate area, one for class A drug dealing and the other for the vilest forms of persistent antisocial behaviour.

We continue to engage the local business community in sponsorship of a Newsletter/Events etc

All this effort has led to some changes in the area and also raised some new issues;

Responsibility of Landlords in letting properties is an issue to do with Antisocial Behaviour.

Planning issues concerning applications for mobile phone masts and adequate community engagement on this specific issue is another.

The watch always encourages the community to raise issues to our committee through appropriate methods laid out in our constitution. These are then acted upon at committee level. We are always on the lookout for volunteers to help on the committee and if anyone has an issue they feel strongly about then they could drive it by becoming more involved.

The Watch is about the people who live and work in the surrounding area who want a peaceful and safe environment to abide in. It is about looking out for your Neighbours and standing up for what is right.

It is a Team effort and thanks must go to the community for supporting us.

Best Wishes

Eddie Fewings

Chair Belle Vue NW