the times | Thursday November 25 2021 23
News
The spirit of goodwill is thriving in a
Lancashire village where residents
have become the first in the UK to take
over the library, the post office, the
store and even the pub.
The villagers now run the vital assets
in Trawden, at the foot of Boulsworth
Hill in the Pendle district. Residents say
that they have saved the place from
becoming a ghost town and promoted
an atmosphere like “a big family”.
Their most ambitious acquisition has
been the Trawden Arms, the last pub in
the village. It had served residents for
126 years before it was put up for sale in
March last year.
No landlord was willing to buy it and
fears grew that it could be turned into
housing. Locals raised £550,000, most-
ly through the sale of shares, to com-
plete the purchase last month. Adam
Young, 38, and Jo Stafford, 35, were
chosen this month to be the tenants.
Dave Webber, chairman of the Traw-
den Forest Community Pub Group,
said: “When the community has a share
in something, they are more likely to
engage in it.”
Trish Ashworth, 63, who retired from
the police about two years ago, has
taken on a variety of roles in the village.
She works at the community centre,
looks after the library and volunteers at
the shop. “I’ve only lived here four or
five years but it’s such a warm, friendly
and comfortable place to be,” she said.
Ashworth runs a friendship group for
elderly people, which meets for regular
lunches. Those who cannot attend can
have their meals delivered at home. She
also helps people who are unable to
collect prescriptions or do their own
shopping.
Molly Ralphson, 47, a mother of two,
has just started working at the local
shop as the volunteer co-ordinator. “It’s
also an off-licence so we do wine and
beer,” she said. “We’re very keen to
make it as green as possible, limiting the
amount of single-use plastics.”
A large area is set aside as a dedicated
filling station, featuring items such as
pasta, rice, herbs and spices. Some resi-
dents come in with shopping lists and
take the precise quantities they need.
Ralphson has lived in the area since
she was three and cannot imagine
living anywhere else. “Here, you can’t
just pop out for five minutes,” she said.
“You might be about half an hour after
bumping into people and having little
chats, which is lovely.”
Villagers acquired the community
centre in 2014, when the borough
council was about to close it down. It is
now staffed by 120 volunteers working
two-hour shifts. The local library and
village store were saved in 2018. The
library receives public funding, and
residents are consulted about the books
on the shelves.
Steven Wilcock, 67, chairman of the
community trust, said: “One pub had
already closed, which was devastating
for a small village. The centre and
library building were on their last legs
and there was no feeling of community
spirit. Now the whole village has rallied
together and it’s paid off.”Hens, turkeys and other captive birds
across the UK will have to be kept
indoors from Monday because of an
outbreak of bird flu.
The legal order follows confirmed
cases of H5N1 avian flu in the past four
weeks, including in Worcestershire,
Warwickshire, Essex, Lancashire,
North Yorkshire, Derbyshire and
Dorset. The virus has been spreading
across Europe in recent weeks, with
cases in France, Germany, Italy, the
Netherlands and Denmark.
Wild birds migrating to the UK from
mainland Europe during the winter
months can carry the disease, and this
can lead to cases in poultry and other
captive birds.
The chief veterinary officers of En-
gland, Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland said in a joint statement:
“Whether you keep just a few birds or
thousands, from Monday November 29
onwards you will be legally required to
keep your birds indoors or take
appropriate steps to keep them separate
from wild birds.”
The Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs said the official
advice was that the risk to human
health from the virus and the risk to
food safety were both very low.Community spirits
revive dying village
Charlotte Wace
Northern Correspondent
TrawdenBlackburn BurnleyLANCASHIRE5 milesNew bird flu restrictions
Ben Webster Environment Editor
Shop Pub Library
The villagers of Trawden, Lancashire, have celebrated their takeover
of several key sites, most recently the Trawden Arms pub, since 2014Cytxy tyux tuyxt uyxt
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