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 Penrith Town Council have provided a grant of £5,000 to Penrith AFC to contribute to the installation of a new 3G artificial turf pitch, replacement floodlighting, fencing and storage at the home of the football club, Frenchfield Stadium.
The grant provided by the Town Council was part of the contribution the club was required to make to Westmorland and Furness Council to enable the project to proceed.
Works to install the new surface, floodlighting and fencing have taken place throughout the summer, with the facilities now ready for use by the club and the wider community. The 3G artificial turf pitch will facilitate games and training all year round allowing the club to broaden the use of the clubs’ facilities for its wide range of teams and other community uses.
The pitch also provides Penrith with a purpose-built surface for football, available for use by the club and the wider Grassroots Football Community, increasing participation in the sport from the local community.
On Tuesday 26 September 2023, Penrith Town Council Chair & Mayor Cllr Doug Lawson visited Frenchfield and said:
“It is fantastic that the Town Council can support such a significant project for Penrith.
“As well as continuing the town’s heritage in Penrith AFC, this new pitch will allow greater access to sport for the whole community, something which is so important for mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing.
“Penrith Town Council has a priority to extend the range of sports and cultural facilities across the town, upgrading, enhancing and maintaining open spaces, parks, and other assets.
“The new pitch is a very pleasing example of the council working with the community and it’s great to see the completion of this project.”
Monday night (25 September) saw the start of a new 6-aside football league using the surface, allowing for 14 teams, approximately over 100 people to get involved in football to play in a brand-new competition in Penrith each week.
The project was funded by investments from the FA and Government’s Football Foundation, Penrith Football Club and the Premier League Club Development Fund, as well as Penrith Town Council & Westmorland & Furness Council.
The grant was given as part of the Town Council’s grant scheme designed to support local community organisations, charities, Social Enterprises and Community Interest Companies delivering services, projects and events within Penrith.
 Penrith Town Council have provided a grant of £5,000 to Eden Arts to support the annual Winter Droving event in Penrith.
The Winter Droving draws inspiration from the historic droving tradition, which involved moving livestock from one location to another for trade or grazing purposes.
Back for its 12th year on Saturday 28 October 2023, the event will offer an abundance of entertainment with a torchlight procession rounding off a day of arts, music, masquerade and magical carnivalesque goings on!
Penrith Town Council Chair & Mayor Cllr Doug Lawson said:
"I am delighted to see the Council support one of the town's key signature events.
"The event provides an opportunity for residents and visitors to come together, embrace the local culture and enjoy a day of entertainment.
"The event is recognised nationally, attracting many visitors to the town from near and far, benefitting the local economy.
Along with confirmed funding for this year, the principle of an annual £5,000 grant to Eden Arts for the delivery of the Winter Droving event over the course of this Council term (subject to meeting the terms of a Service Level Agreement) has also been agreed, demonstrating the Council's commitment to the success of this event going forward.
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In response to comments from the public on a recent council agenda item, Penrith Town Council would like to clarify that Thacka Beck Field is not being sold.
The Council recognises how important the land is to the town, and is even seeking to protect it within the Green Spaces Policy of the Neighbourhood Development Plan.
Highways England require two small pieces of the land at Thacka Beck field to allow the modification to the Kemplay Bank Roundabout to take place as part of the A66 dualling project. The Council is in discussion with Highways England on the pieces of land which they require. The Council intends to retain Thacka Beck field for recreational use.
 The Penrith Arts & Culture Group have launched their new website to provide a hub for Arts & Culture activity in Penrith. The new website can be accessed via https://penrithartsandculture.co.uk/
The new Penrith Arts & Culture website will give visitors and residents alike the opportunity to find out what is on offer in Penrith and more information about the organisations running events and activities and how you can be involved.
The new website was developed after discussions with stakeholders, partners and residents identified the need for a hub for information incorporating all the different Arts & Culture events going on in Penrith.
The Penrith Arts & Culture website will also provide a home for the Penrith Arts & Culture Group, an independent constituted group consisting of local organisations including Penrith Players, Sunbeams, EVAN, Blue Jam Arts, Plug ‘n’ Play & Stomping Ground, Penrith Town Council, Westmorland & Furness Council and new members the Alhambra Penrith.
The group are always on the lookout for new members and encourages any local organisations who would like to have their information shared on the website to get in touch with Penrith Town Council by email: office@penrithtowncouncil.gov.uk
At its meeting on Monday 25th September 2023, Penrith Town Council considered the Government’s intention not to renew the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) contract with the Post Office after the 31 March 2024.
Currently the Post Office handles over 6 million DVLA transactions every year, with more than half being paid for in cash over the post office counter. If the contract is lost, the only option for buying DVLA services will be online.
Such a decision to remove these services would leave digitally excluded residents greatly impacted.
The Council believes that all residents should have the easiest possible access to local and national services. In many cases this is through the respected and widely available network of Post Offices. To remove the DVLA contract from such a readily available source would cause great difficulty to many residents.
The Council therefore resolved that the Chair of Council writes a letter to Mark Harper, Secretary of State for Transport urging the government to reconsider their decision not to renew the contract for DVLA services with the Post Office and ask them to explain how digitally excluded residents are expected to meet their legal obligations with regard to driving licences and road tax.
For more information, please view the Motion on Notice – DVLA Services at Post Offices to Full Council on Monday 25 September (page 19).
Penrith Town Council are aware of Westmorland and Furness Council’s new Community Asset Transfer Policy approved at their cabinet meeting on 12 September 2023.
The Council are awaiting to see if this new policy opens up future opportunities for Penrith Town Council to work with Westmorland & Furness Council on the potential transfer of town assets.
The residents of Penrith have previously told us they would like the Town Council to be responsible for a number of different assets around town, including green spaces, buildings and facilities.
Penrith Town Council have raised this with Westmorland and Furness Council and looks forward to working with them for effective asset transfer.
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Swing repairs at Fairhill
Following Penrith Town Council officers undertaking routine inspections of the play area at Fairhill Playing Field, the Council identified an issue with the toddler swing - specifically cracking being noted on the cradle seats and the shackles beginning to wear.
The Council identified the issue early and has replaced the damaged items with new cradle seats and one set of new chains.
This work was done in early September - and the new seats have already seen lots of usage since then!
For more information about the Assets owned by Penrith Town Council, please visit: Services & Assets - (penrithtowncouncil.gov.uk)
If you notice an issue with one of our assets, please do not hesitate to get in touch via office@penrithtowncouncil.gov.uk or by phone: 01768 899 773
At it's meeting of Full Council on Monday 25 September, Penrith Town Council considered the motion from Councillor Knaggs to investigate the Penrith Lottery becoming organised under the governance of the Penrith Town Council.
Penrith Town Council resolved to prepare a scoping document and report back to Full Council at a later date on the findings and recommendations.
For more information, please view the For more information, please view the Motion on Notice – Operation of the Penrith Lottery to Full Council on Monday 25 September (page 21). to Full Council on Monday 25 September (page 21).
Northern Gas Networks are upgrading the gas infrastructure underneath Middlegate and King Street.
Find out more about the project and how this might affect you at two community drop-in sessions held by Northern Gas Networks at the George Hotel on Wednesday 15th November 2023 between 12-1pm and 5-6pm.
For more information about the sessions, please contact Northern Gas Networks through the contact details listed on the flyer below.
On behalf of residents, Penrith Town Council officers and Councillors have reported a number of issues to Westmorland and Furness Council including:
- Shrubs and trees overgrowing footpaths
- Blocked drains and gullies
- Worn road markings
- The cut through the Two Lions building which has been closed off to the public
- Falling debris from buildings
- Broken paving slabs causing a litter bin to become unstable
- A number of dead trees
- Visibility strips on pavements missing
Please remember that you can report issues to do with footpaths, street lighting, flooding, road signs, traffic signals, drains and highways issues or queries through the Westmorland & Furness Council HIAMS system.
You can add photos but you will need to know the exact location using the closest postcode or what3words.
Read our new bi-weekly round up of Events & Activities (in and around Penrith) now!
This week's edition features information around activities for families & children, sports activities and more!
Read now!
Events & Activities - 29 September
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