Civic Pride Rossendale (CPR), a registered charity, was set up in 2000. It started small with a handful of volunteers, with the objective of tidying up some of the streets and car parks in Rawtenstall. Over the years the charity has grown. There are now up to 100 volunteers. Some go out picking litter across Rossendale, others renovate and maintain public spaces and gardens, and some do both. The charity now maintains 30 gardens in Rawtenstall, Waterfoot, Crawshawbooth and places inbetween, as well as planting and looking after the planters, barriers baskets and hanging baskets.

In recent years CPR has endeavoured to move to a more sustainable approach to garden maintenance. We have installed compost bins in the larger gardens and areas. We have erected a greenhouse in the car park behind the market where we now grow our own plants and bring on smaller plants until they are ready to face the Rossendale weather. We have a Rewilding strategy. This means that where we can we plant pollinating perennials and wild flowers. As part of this strategy we are removing the very invasive Himalayan Balsam and planting native plants in these areas. We have also installed bird, bat and insect boxes and provided homes for hedgehogs.

You can read more about what we do and see our gardens on our website.

www.civic-pride.org.uk

We regularly post on Facebook.

www.facebook.com/CivicPrideRossendale

Please donate money to CPR so that our unpaid volunteers can carry on doing this in 2022. We want to make our Rossendale towns and villages even brighter, more colourful, tidier and more biodiverse. £10 can purchase a litter picker and gloves, £20 will buy a bird box, £30 will fill an area with spring bulbs, £50 will buy enough small perennials for several gardens.

Thank you.