"The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief." William Shakespeare (Othello)

More smiles from Barrow Carnival

More smiling faces from Barrow Carnival 2010.

Neighbourhood Wardes and Junior Wardens join in the fun and collect money for good local causes.

Two smiling faces from Barrow Carnival

Two smiling faces from Barrow Carnival 2010.

Junior Wardens getting ready to collect at this year's carnival - full of smiles.

Let's smile!

"If you smile at someone, they might smile back." - author unknown

"Smiling is infectious,
you can catch it like the flu.
Someone smiled at me today, and I started smiling too." - author unknown

Bye Rosie!

Our good friend and colleague Rosie Hillman has left her job as Communiity Press Facilitator to move on to better things and is pictured (left) drinking Creme Caramel Rooibos tea out of one of the new cups colleagues and friends bought her as a leaving gift.

Rosie was responsible for establishing this 'Share a Smile' blog site and we'll miss her enthusiasm and smiling face, but we'll do our best to continue the good work.

She will also be missed for all the help she's been to colleagues, community groups and partner agencies in her time with the Community Press.

Rosie is leaving to pursue her musical and photographic interests as one half of talented local band April Maybe May, along with partner and all round good guy Matt Kassells. You can find out more about April Maybe May by visiting their MySpace or Facebook pages.

Everyone at Central and Hindpool Neighbourhood Management would like to wish Rosie all the very best for the future, and keep smiling!

Ready, Steady...Grow!

We're very happy to welcome Sid and Eric (aka local actors/singers/entertainers Gary Bridgens and Phill Gregg) to the Share a Smile blog today!
Sid and Eric are gardeners who feature in a new show for local schools called 'Ready, Steady...Grow'.
The performance promotes the importance of healthy eating, activity and exercise.
Click here to find out more.
The pair were happy to share their smiling faces for a photo - they also told us what makes them smile...

"...After a hard days work pulling spuds up I like nothing more than to have a dance up town. Yep, a good boogie makes me smile and is great exercise..." - Sid

"...I love living and working in Barrow and I especially love growing fresh fruit and veg with my mate Sid. When we pull in a new crop it makes me smile..." - Eric

Green smiles!

The Central and Hindpool Junior Wardens were smiling recently when they recieved certificates for passing the 'Discovery' level John Muir Award. See story and picture below:

Senior Neighbourhood Warden Andy High and Mayor of Barrow, Cllr Dorothy Dawes, with the Junior Wardens at their awards presentation

A GROUP of local youngsters have been awarded for taking care of a green space in their neighbourhood.
The Central and Hindpool Junior Wardens were presented with their discovery level John Muir Award after learning about conservation and protecting wildlife in the Green Heart Den community garden on Marsh Street.
The John Muir Trust is the UK’s leading wild land conservation charity.
It looks after wild places and campaigns against threats from inappropriate development.
The idea of the John Muir Award is to encourage people to give something back to their surroundings.
The Junior Wardens took part in activities based on the following themes: Discover, Explore, Conserve and Share Experience to qualify for their award.
The children held a litter pick at the garden, planted new flowers and completed a quiz about the award.
They have also been finding out about the bats, slow worms and other wildlife living in the Green Heart Den as well as making a display full of pictures to let members of the public know about their work.
Senior Neighbourhood Warden for Central and Hindpool, Andy High, organised the activities.
He said: “The children were so excited to get their awards.
“It was such a pleasure to work with them – no matter what we asked them to do, whether it was litter picking or digging in the soil to plant seeds, they did the work with a smile on their faces.
“At the moment we are submitting a request so the Junior Wardens can complete their level two John Muir Award.”
Graham Watson, John Muir Award regional manager for Cumbria said: "It’s a brilliant opportunity for these young people, to be able to connect with nature on their doorstep.
“They get outside, enjoy and learn in a hands on, real way.
“On top of that, the garden is right there amongst the houses for the whole community to see how young people are helping to enhance their environment, not just for themselves but for everyone.
“We are so pleased that the John Muir Award has been able to help them at the Green Heart Den, and that we can recognise and celebrate the role these young people have played.
“John Muir himself would have been proud to see them taking responsibility for our natural green spaces."
The children received their award certificates at a special ceremony at St James School in Barrow on Tuesday March 23.
Barrow police Inspector Geoff Steele was at the event and told the children: “You inspire me.
“We at the police think the work you’re doing is tremendous.
“We think the Junior Warden scheme is a great project and we hope you carry on and go from strength to strength – thank you, you are wonderful.”

Fundraising smiles...

Members of the Love Barrow Awards committee made St Mary's Hospice fundraising manager Zoe Guest smile when they handed over money raised at the event. See story and picture below:

Love Barrow Awards committee members Steve Robson, left, and Rebecca Rawlings, right, hand money raised at the event to St Mary's Hospice fundraising manager Zoe Guest

MONEY raised at Barrow’s annual community awards night has been donated to a Furness charity.
Around £750 was raised at this year’s Love Barrow Awards after guests were asked to place donations in the envelopes on each table.
The awards committee chose St Mary’s Hospice in Ulverston to hand over the funds to.
Awards committee member Rebecca Rawlings said: “We’re very grateful to all the people who kindly donated money on the night we’re delighted to have raised so much.
“It was a pleasure to visit the hospice – we had the chance to take a tour around the building and see what a marvellous place it is.
“It was great to be able to hand over the money to Zoe.”
Steve Robson, also on the Love Barrow Awards committee, added: “St Mary’s Hospice provide such a great service for the Furness community and thanks to the kind donations of all those present at the Love Barrow awards we’ve been able to show our support for their great work.”
Zoe Guest is fundraising manager at St Mary’s Hospice.
She said: “On behalf of the patients and staff at St Mary’s Hospice I would like to say a big thank you to the organisers and attendees of the Love Barrow Awards for raising funds for us at their recent ceremony.
“We really appreciate all the support we receive from local people.
“Without their help we wouldn’t be able to continue providing all of our services.”

What makes us smile...

Dave Coverdale, Locality Manager for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, shares his smile with us:
(please click on the image to enlarge)

The team share their smiles...

We've been asking YOU to get in touch and share your smiles and your stories as part of out 1000 smiling faces project so we thought we'd get the ball rolling with some smiles and stories of our own...Please click on the images to enlarge.

If you'd like to share your smile with us, please email your images and words to rhillman@barrowbc.gov.uk

A joyful smile...

Thank you to Katrina Robson who sent us this lovely addition to our Share a Smile project.
Here's what she said:
"This is my grandaughter holding my friends little girl when she was only a day old. She had awaited her arrival with great excitement but also worry because we had another friend who had lost her baby the same year. I think the picture is truly joyful." Please keep your photos coming in - you can email them to rhillman@barrowbc.gov.uk. We'd love you to be a part of our master plan to collect photos of 1000 smiling faces in Barrow and share them with the rest of the town!

Most smiles are started by another smile...

Next time you're in Barrow town centre, don't forget to look up. The Share a Smile photos are now being beamed onto the side of Furness House via Barrow police station's EYE projector.
Why not check to see if you're there?!

Please keep those wonderful smile photos coming in. Email them to rhillman@barrowbc.gov.uk

New year - new smiles...

Happy new year to you all.

Don't forget we are still collecting your smiling faces photographs via email.
We need your help to reach our target of 1000 smiling, grinning, beaming local residents.
We will be using the photos on large scale projectors and video screens around the town to spread the Love Barrow message.
Keep your smiley pictures coming in - email them as jpegs to:
rhillman@barrowbc.gov.uk
or
rrawlings@barrowbc.gov.uk

Thanks :)

Furness Homeless Shelter

Popped down to the Furness Homeless Shelter today to drop off the money the generous people of Barrow donated via our stall last Friday...Richard, one of the workers from the shelter, was there to greet us with a cup of tea and posed for a smiling face picture as Pat (the manager of the centre) wrote us out a receipt.

Some smiles to brighten your day:

Keep sending your smiles in to us at rhillman@barrowbc.gov.uk or rrawlings@barrowbc.gov.uk

How about snapping your family's smiles around the dinner table this Christmas? Or sending us your pictures from a winter walk? If you're volunteering over the festive period, what about emailing some photos of the people you're helping out? Or even a picture of you and your friends seeing in the new year?

We can't wait to recieve your emails... :)

A smile confuses an approaching frown ~ Author Unknown

'A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.' ~ Phyllis Diller

'Everyone smiles in the same language.' ~ Author Unknown

'Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.' ~ Mother Teresa

'A smile is the universal welcome.' ~ Max Eastman

Raising money for Furness Homeless Shelter in Barrow

Spending a few hours in Barrow market today resulted in many generous Barrovians and visitors to our market giving a total of £105.50!! Thank you to all you very generous individuals, including two people who kindly gave £10 donations, and a great many polite, friendly and generous young people who had just broken up from school for Christmas.

Thankyou to each of you.

It truly is great to live in Barrow and certainly made me smile....


There are lots of things to smile about in Barrow

See Smiling listening to April Maybe May singing 'Smile'....below....

More smiles...

Watched two great local bands with friends last night: April Maybe May and Sugarfoot.

What was fantastic was April Maybe May singing 'Smile'....



And even better..was two friends smiling, listening to the band sing 'Smile'...



Smile, snap, and send it in to us...

Rebecca at: rrawlings@barrowbc.gov.uk
Rosie at: rhillman@barrowbc.gov.uk

Gathering smiles in Barrow town centre

Over the past few months, the Share a Smile team have been out and about in Barrow gathering photos for the project.
Here's photographer Steve Hillman in action on Portland Walk while Neighbourhood Warden Andy High looks on:

Here Steve grabs a couple of friends to pose for a pic before they go into Barrow market:

Please send your smiling pictures to us. Email jpegs to rhillman@barrowbc.gov.uk and we'll see who is the smiliest Barrovian!

Furness Cancer Support Group share their smiles

A LOCAL support group that works hard to put a smile back on the faces of cancer sufferers is sharing those smiles with the rest of the town.
Over the past few months, members of the public have been taking part in the Share a Smile project. Devised by Barrow police and the Borough Council, it involves Community Press photographer Steve Hillman taking snaps of 1000 smiling faces. The photos will be used on video screens and projectors to promote the positive side of life and to spread the Love Barrow message.
Sheila Batty who goes to Furness cancer support group heard about the scheme and invited photographer Steve and The Community Press to come along to one of their meetings and meet the members and take their photos for the project.
Sheila said: “I thought it would be perfect for you to take photos of our group. Here, you start off with the pain and the tears and you end up with a smile on your face.”
The group have been meeting for 22 years in various locations, but have now settled in the Lesser Kings Hall on Hartington Street.
Anne Beattie is one of the group’s leaders. She said: “Anyone with any type of cancer or those who have suffered a bereavement are more than welcome to come along.
“It’s a very informal group, people can sit and have a cup of tea and a chat and we have relaxation sessions, guest speakers and even trips away.”
Another member, who didn’t want to be named, told us the group was a real lifeline. She said: “It gets you away from cancer. We don’t talk about the illness, we do things to take our minds off it.
“There’s no doom and gloom but if there is anyone who wants to talk about cancer, there is always someone available.
“Without the group we’d go to pot. The support is wonderful, everyone rallies round if you’re ill – I would say I’ve made some real friends for life here.”
Furness cancer support group hold their drop-in meetings at the Lesser Kings Hall on Hartington Street every Wednesday from 2pm-4pm and everyone is welcome to attend.