On Friday 12 April 2013, Kirklees Council and Huddersfield YMCA held a launch party for the refurbished Multi Use Games Area (MUGA) situated at Huddersfield YMCA on New Hey Road.

The MUGA was revamped with £4,897 of funding agreed by Huddersfield Area Committee in July last year as part of a response to concerns about a lack of proper facilities for local young people and an increase in low level anti-social behaviour.

As part of the revamp works the MUGA was been repaired, renovated and lit.

In return for the investment, the YMCA will make the MUGA available for public use regularly on evenings and weekends and take responsibility for its upkeep. Kirklees Integrated Youth Support Service has also been providing one session of organised sports activities at the MUGA each week since early January 2013. The sessions take place each Monday evening between 6.30-8.15pm for 13-19 year olds.

At the launch event, there were a range of activities for young people to try out including: football, dodgeball, touch rugby, unihoc, easy gliders, slack lines or power kits. The mobile youth club was also be on site.

Cllr Cahal Burke who was instrumental in bringing the proposal to the Committee said:

“I am really pleased that the young people living in Salendine Nook, Oakes and Lindley areas will now have a place they can go and play in good quality facilities. And in comparison to building a whole new MUGA from scratch, the investment here is a fraction – so we’ve got really good value for money. The project is a really good example of what can be achieved by the council working in partnership with local community organisations which is something I am very in favour of. I am sure that between the YMCA and the Council’s Integrated Youth Support Service, the place is going to see plenty of use this summer and in the future.”

I completed the Blackpool Half Marathon today, supporting the Mayor of Kirklees Charity Appeal (The Yorkshire Regiment Benevolent Trust).

In just over 3 years The Yorkshire Regiment has disbursed £300,000 in benevolence.

Over 1000 separate grants have been made to those soldiers and their families of the regiment, and all its antecedent regiments, who have found themselves in difficulty or need.

This assistance through The Yorkshire Regiment Benevolent Trust is increasing year on year both in the number of cases it deals with and the amount of money it spends on grants.

I finish with the Greater Manchester Marathon on the 28th of April.

www.justgiving.com/c-burke

Text HUDD77 followed by the amount to 70070

Cllr Cahal Burke and Barry Jacobsz, Manager and Personal trainer of Pure Fitness.

Lindley Based Pure Fitness to be Sponsor of inaugural Lindley 10K Charity Running Event this Summer

It has been announced that Pure Fitness – the Lindley based Health and Fitness club – are to be the proud sponsors of the inaugural Lindley 10k charity running event.

With health, fitness and well being everywhere in the media these days Pure Fitness want to keep these words at the forefront of the Lindley community via their sponsorship of this event.

Lindley 10K is being organised Lindley Community Group in partnership with local schools, community groups, running clubs and Kirklees Integrated Youth Support. The event will take place on the weekend of Lindley carnival which is on 29 June 2013 this year.

On the day there will bell be 2 runs – one of 10k for over 16s, and a 1.5k fun run for children between 4 and 16 years. Children under 11 will need to be accompanied by an adult.

Full details of the running route and booking forms for the event will be available on the website from 5 April at www.lindley10k.org.uk . People interested in helping with the event and interested parties can reach Cllr Burke at cahal.burke@kirklees.gov.uk.

Cllr Cahal Burke – one of the founding members of the Community Group – said:

“Pure Fitness is the ideal sponsors for Lindley 10K and we are absolutely delighted to have them on board helping to make this a wonderful event for the people of Lindley and Kirklees. It shows a real commitment to the Lindley community and we can’t thank them enough.”

Barry Jacobsz, Manager and Personal trainer, Pure Fitness said

“Sponsoring the Lindley 10k and Fun Run represents a perfect partnership for Pure Fitness. We see ourselves very much as a gym for the community based within the community and so are very excited about supporting such a worthy local cause.”

Based in the Wellington Mills complex in Lindley, Pure Fitness is a gym that wants to be more than a gym to its members. To enable this to occur the gym is in the process of a complete refurbishment. From a complete refit of it amenities, to the increasing of both its main gym and weights areas. Pure Fitness has also invested heavily in new cardio machines and equipment throughout it facility.

www.lindley10k.org.uk
www.purefitness.biz

Elderly council tenants at Fern Lea Flats in Lindley are to protest against Kirklees Cabinet’s decision to remove age restrictions on who can apply to live in different properties across the borough.

With Councillor Cahal Burke, the tenants are planning to attend the meeting of Kirklees Cabinet on the 12 March to formally protest the decision and submit their petition signed by tenants of the flats.

In December 2012 the Council’s Labour Cabinet voted to remove the age designations on properties and move to an “open age policy”. This is scheduled to be implemented from April 2013.

Presently some council properties, such as the flats at Fern Lea have age restrictions in place. Fern Lea, for example, is limited to people over the age of 45, an arrangement that the tenants are keen to see maintained so they can continue to enjoy their peaceful and stable lives. The majority of tenants moved into Fern Lea when the age limitation was 60+ and the majority of residents are over that age with many suffering from health problems.

On a previous occasion when a young person was moved into flats similar to Fern Lea – also in the Lindley ward – it caused great disruption, problems and distress for the tenants. They are fearful of the same thing happening again. Families of the tenants were also greatly upset by the disruption caused from having a much younger tenant in the building. They saw the affect it had on the health and happiness of relatives who did not feel safe and content in their own homes.

The protestors are keen to make it clear that they not suggesting all young people are problematic or that young people shouldn’t have access to social housing, they just know that young and old have different ways of living and different expectations and that needs to be respected and understood when lettings are agreed by the council.

Cllr Cahal Burke who will be presenting the petition on behalf Fernlea tenants said:

“The residents of Fern Lea are absolutely right that some council properties should be retained for people in an older age bracket. Young people and older people have different ways of living their lives and a clash is often inevitable so it’s better to not put tenants through it in the first place. Tenants contacted me when there was a similar issue at Malham Court which became very upsetting for those involved. The tenants at Fern Lea want young people who need social housing to get that help but they need to be housed in the appropriate settings and not where existing older residents would be made to feel unsafe and unhappy in their homes. I am seeking talks with officers to ensure that flats like Fern Lea and their residents will be protected from this policy change as I have seen first hand how mixing age groups in a communal setting can lead to problems for all involved. It would make more sense for the policy to not apply to settings such as Fern Lea”

Ms Pat Downing (Chair of Fernlea TRA) said:

“The tenants of the flats are all really upset at changes the council are planning. We don’t have any grudge against the young people getting housing but the council has to understand that we will have different ways of living our lives. The tenants are all happy and the council shouldn’t spoil something that works well. We hope that council will listen to our concerns. The change will have a big impact on the flats and our lives.”

Cllr Cahal Burke supporting the Mayor Of Kirklees charity appeal for the Yorkshire Regiment Benevolent Trust

Cllr Cahal Burke is set to take on the Greater Manchester Marathon challenge to raise money and awareness for the Mayor’s Charity Appeal which this year is the Yorkshire Regiment Benevolent Trust.

The marathon will take place on 28th April, starting and finishing at Old Trafford stadium. The first Manchester Marathon was run in 1908. This was the first ever amateur marathon to be run using the now established marathon distance of 26 miles 385 yard distance.

Cllr Burke will additionally be taking on a number of half-marathons in support of good causes and charities in preparation for the event in Manchester.

Cllr Burke said

“I will be running to raise money and awareness for the Mayor’s Charity Appeal, which this year is The Yorkshire Regiment Benevolent Trust. The Fund does a remarkable job to support soldiers and their families who are discharged from the army.

In preparation for the Marathon I will be taking part in the Blackpool Half Marathon and the Great North West Half Marathon as part of my training regime. I am keen to use my profile as a councillor to support good causes and charities and the mayors appeals are a natural choice. I also ran for Combat Stress in 2011 which was the mayor’s charity that year.

Cllr David Ridgway, Mayor of Kirklees said:

“ I am really grateful to Cahal for taking up this challenge on behalf of the Mayor’s Charity Appeal. The Yorkshire Regiment Benevolent Trust needs our support more now than at any time. It makes no distinction of age, length of service, theatre of operations, type of award or rank. All monies raised go to help the dependants of soldiers who have died or are so badly disabled that they are unable to do so themselves. This is our Regiment and I am proud to offer my support. I have already donated to Cahal’s efforts via Just Giving”

People who want to support Cllr Burke’s run can do so by sponsoring him online at
www.justgiving.com/C-Burke
or
Text HUDD77 followed by the amount to 70070

Cllr Cahal Burke

Cllr Cahal Burke with Lindley Neighbourhood Policing Team

Lindley Neighbourhood Policing Team collected new patrol bikes from the Velocity Bike Shop in Lindley.

The purchase of the two new patrol bikes was funded by Huddersfield Area Committee in October 2012.

Members of the committee agreed that that the £1221 investment would enable officers to patrol the area more effectively, both in terms of response times and the undertaking of general patrols. They also agreed that the bikes would help residents to feel more secure by allowing police to increase their visibility across the area.

Cllr Cahal Burke (Lib Dem Lindley Ward) who supported the purchase of the bikes said:

“I am delighted Lindley Neighbourhood Policing Team has taken collection to their new patrol bikes and particularly happy that they have been sourced from Velocity which is based in Lindley. I think it is very important that the council supports local retailer and businesses whenever it can. The bikes will have a significant impact on response times but will also give the police more opportunities to be seen by and meet with the public each day which will help people to feel more secure locally.”

Cllr Cahal Burke, supporting Lindley Library

I was pleased to join fellow residents at our local library in Lindley on National Libraries Day.
Lindley is a wonderful place to live and at the heart of it is the Library, which is more than just a library for many residents. Please join if you haven’t and be part of it.

National Libraries Day, is a culmination of a week’s worth of celebrations in school, college, university, workplace and public libraries across the UK.

http://www.nationallibrariesday.org.uk/

http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/events/venuedetails.asp?vID=59

Kirklees Council are set to improve the underpass / subway that runs beneath New Hey Road near to Moorlands Road and Raygate. This underpass falls into both the Lindley and Golcar wards.

Cllr Cahal Burke (Lindley, LibDem) says:

“I very much welcome improvements that will go towards improving the safety of those people who need to use the underpass. The Council’s Streetscene and Housing Department have recently undertaken work to improve the lighting within this underpass with the installation of LED lighting units within the existing fittings.

I have often been approached by local residents to discuss their worries, with many claiming they felt that often they did not feel safe enough to use the underpass.”

This work has been carried out as a trial to determine the quality and suitability of these units. This underpass was chosen for several reasons:

i) The existing lighting was in poor condition

ii) The underpass has been subjected to vandalism and graffiti in the past

iii) It is an important route to the nearby Moorlands Primary School

iv) In comparison to other underpasses there are a small number of fittings so it is better suited for a trial in terms of capital cost

As a result of the new units, the energy consumption for the underpass has been reduced by 66%, and future maintenance will also be greatly reduced as LED’s last much longer than conventional lamps. The quality of lighting is also greatly improved with the use of LED’s.

Cllr Andrew Marchington (Golcar, LibDem) says:

“Local people will hopefully feel happier walking through the underpass, especially parents taking their children to the nearby Moorlands Primary School. The underpass was in a desperate need of improved lighting and a general makeover to remove the unsightly graffiti and damage caused from vandalism, which will now make it a much more pleasant experience to walk through the underpass.”

Liberal Democrat Councillor Cahal Burke welcomes the improved path at Hayfield Avenue, Oakes. The improvement works have been funded from Kirklees StreetScene Budget.

Cllr Cahal Burke (Lindley Ward) says:

“Many local residents have contacted me about the state of this path and the difficulty for residents and school children to get through, especially when the weather has been bad, it was virtually impassable.

I am delighted to say, this path has recently been improved, by having road planings rolled in to form a much more suitable surface. It is a vital link, providing access to both Huddersfield New College and Salendine Nook High School and has had no proper surface for a very long time.

I know there will be a huge sigh of relief from everyone who lives on Hayfield Avenue and surrounding roads and those who use this path regularly, as we have been asking for this to happen for such a long time. I can confidently say that the Council have done an excellent job with the road planing and I am hopeful that this path can be maintained and looked after in future by the Council.”