Scouts Delivering Postcards Calling For People To Join The Town’s new Citizens’ Assembly

Todmorden’s young Scouts are out and about delivering postcards calling for people to join in the town’s new Citizens Assembly taking place in the New Year. Teaming up with Todmorden’s Town Deal Board, the scouts will help spread the word about how people can be involved in a bid for government funding for economic regeneration projects in the town.

James Duffy, voluntary and community sector representative on the Town Deal Board, said:

“Using the Scout Post is a fantastic opportunity to combine support for an organisation that does so much for young people in Todmorden, and letting people know about how they can take part in shaping the Towns Fund bid. We are inviting people to give us their views on the overall vision for the town, and to sign up for the on-line Citizens’ Assembly, or to visit our stall on the market on the 7th January. These events will give people the opportunity to find out more detail about the plans and give their feedback.”

The Scout Post is a local Christmas card delivery service run annually by the 8th/26th Calder Valley Scouts. Users are charged 25p per item, and all proceeds go towards running the group’s minibuses. Scout Leader Dave Payne said:

‘We’ve been running the service for over 25 years. The buses are not just used by Scouts, but by other community and youth groups and by local primary schools. The buses have also been used to collect and distribute food during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s great to be working with the Town Deal Board in getting this important message out to the community.’

Todmorden is one of 101 towns nationally that have been invited to apply for up to £25m each under the government’s Towns Fund scheme. The Todmorden Town Deal Board was set up in July this year to collaborate with Calderdale Council in drawing up an investment plan. If approved, the plan will be the basis for projects around town centre redevelopment, arts, heritage and culture, sports and healthy lifestyles, enterprise and skills, and transport.

The Board has already secured £500,000 in ‘accelerator’ funding for new Christmas lights, a cargo bike delivery service, a new ‘wheels park’ and other improvements at Centre Vale, improvements at the Town Hall, Hippodrome, and the Unitarian Church Lodge, and new water access points and bike stands.

The investment plan for the town will be submitted to the government at the end of January, with more detailed work on the business cases for any approved projects over the coming year, and project delivery taking place until 2024.

For more details about the Towns Fund, the Town Deal Board, and how to take part in the Citizens’ Assembly, go to www.todmordentowndeal.co.uk