Cllr Wendy Clements

Archive for the ‘Irby’ Category

 Wirral’s 24 libraries have a new ‘champion’ this week.  Cllr. Don McCubbin (Pensby & Thingwall Ward) has been appointed Wirral’s first-ever Library Champion by the Leader of the Council, Cllr. Jeff Green.
Before his election in May, Cllr. McCubbin established the Friends of Irby Library, which now has almost 300 members and has also worked with the Musuems Libraries and Archives Council.
Cllr. McCubbin said: “I am delighted to be asked to take on this role at such an exciting time for Wirral’s libraries.  The Cabinet has, since May, agreed to invest £1 million in our libraries and each month new books are being bought and made available to local communities.  Locally, there are some really good initiatives going on – not least the Junior User Group at Pensby Library, which is unique in Wirral.

“As Wirral’s Library Champion, I want to make sure that all our libraries benefit from this investment and that the views and suggestions of library staff and users are heard in the Town Hall.”
Cllr. Green added: “As well as increasing the range of books, Wirral libraries also provide a whole host of specialist services, including a home reader service for those unable to leave their homes; homework support; events for all ages including children and young people and a vast array of reading groups to help children and adults get into reading”.

Cllr Green concluded: “I believe Wirral’s libraries are key to the development of our ‘Big Society’ and have a major part to play helping to combat isolation and reducing feelings of exclusion in our communities. Our libraries provide a warm, safe and secure environment for individuals and communities and will have an increasing role in signposting residents to other Council and voluntary sector services.

I have asked Don to make sure we engage with all our libraries as we progress with the next stage of their development.”

Id like to congratulate Greasby Junior School and Irby Primary School on achieving Green Flag status this month. Brookdale Primary School has recently achieved a Silver Award too.

They have had to work hard to achieve this and prove achievement in a variety of areas. The eco-schools website says:

Once registered, schools follow a simple seven-step process which helps them to address a variety of environmental themes, ranging from litter and waste to healthy living and biodiversity.

Children are the driving force behind Eco-Schools – they lead the eco-committee and help carry out an audit to assess the environmental performance of their school. Through consultation with the rest of the school and the wider community it is the pupils that decide which environmental themes they want to address and how they are going to do it. Measuring and monitoring is an integral part of the Eco-Schools programme, providing schools with all the evidence they need to really shout about their environmental success.  

Schools work towards gaining one of three awards – Bronze, Silver and the prestigious Green Flag award, which symbolises excellence in the field of environmental activity.  Bronze and Silver are both self accredited through this website and Green Flag is externally assessed by Keep Britain Tidy.

Read  more at www.eco-schools.org.uk and celebrate the hard work of teachers and pupils at our local schools

Wirral Play Rangers’ Winter timetable of free open access play sessions has been announced. They will be in Greasby on  Tuesday afternoons in Coronation Park from 3:15-4:45 pm. Also on Tuesdays they will be in Irby at the Methodist Church Hall on Mill Hill Road from 5:15 pm to 7:15 pm

The sessions are open to children aged 5 to 13 and all you have to do is turn up! (for indoor sessions children must be aged 5 and in Year 1 to be able to attend) Sessions run from now until 25th March with a small break over Christmas.

Cllr Sheila Clarke, Wirral’s Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Lifelong Learning said: ‘Providing safe places for children to play is a priority for the Council.  As well as modernising as many of the 73 play areas as we can, I am delighted that we have also been able to provide a range of free play activities for children.  Christmas can be an expensive and stressful time for mums and dads – hopefully our Play Rangers will help to ease some of the pressure!’

 You can find further information at www.wirralplaycouncil.org.uk or email playrangers@live.com

The school crossing light on Thurstaston Road - before being lit

Today I went to Irby where local people have been trying for a long time to find out why the school crossing light for Dawpool School wasn’t working.   This was highlighted by a resident who takes his grandchildren to school, walking along Thurstaston Road – he was fed up with asking for the light to be fixed, and yet it still not working and so visited me at my surgery in Irby on Saturday.

An officer from Streetscene came out to meet with us and explained what the problem had been. Astonishingly it was a question of a new key! That simple, and now instead of being dark as in the photo, the lights can be lit at the beginning and the end of the school day.  Thurstaston Road is one of those roads where some individuals travel extremely fast and so I’m really pleased that the lights will now be lit as you travel away from Irby to remind everyone to take care at school time.

I went yesterday to Woodlands Road in Irby, to see what is going on because of the number of phone calls I had received about it.

 I spent some time talking to two of the people who live there. They showed me mud (thick mud) on roads and pavements brought onto the road by a tractor removing potatoes from a field. To add to the problems,  British Gas are replacing a pipe in their road (slowly) which is restricting the traffic.

I have been in contact with the Technical Services specialists who are dealing with this to make sure they are fully aware of the problems and concerns of local people.

My promise to you – if you contact me I will do my best to respond quickly and look for ways to help.