Bloomin' money.
 

Oswaldtwistle's main road now has a foral display to rival the hanging gardens of Babylon. Every other shop has been given a winter hanging basket, fully erected, but it's up to the shop owners to water.

It does look very nice but who funded it? Peter Britcliffe himself came and talked my Mum into having one, is it funded by the Council?

I'm sure if PB's involved we'll be reading about it in next week's Observer, with accompanying smiley pic.

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It is funded by Oswaldtwistle Area Council. You really should attend the meetings you might learn something.

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I went to Ossy Mills this afternoon and didn’t see any hanging baskets rindy. What I will say is the Christmas Tree outside Accrington Town Hall is decaying on the Market Hall side and could do with a few more lights.

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Why keep a dog and lick your own...........no that's not right, why keep a dog and bark yourself?

That's why I cultivate you.

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Idon't know where thet start on Union Road, but they are certainly all along the road by the Town Hall. Perhaps they are still putting them up, as they've only just appeared.

Pansies are so pretty in winter.

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Off thread I know but for god sake I hope your not offering to lick his....:eek: Neil is right though, you shouldn't moan if you don't get involved..

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I'm not moaning, I think it looks great. I knew it was going to happen a couple of months ago when PB asked my Mum. I just wondered who had funded it.

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Suprisingly for me I was being flippant.:) They are very well planted, with cyclamen, ivies, heathers, as well as the ubiquitous winter pansies. Nothing cheap.

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I think the plan is that as winter ends, underneath the winter plants are some bulbs that will start growing and flowering in Spring so they'll look lovely then as well. I thought that was quite a clever idea.

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I agree, that sounds a nice Idea.

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I think it's a great idea, and applaud whoever did it.

I was just worried it may have been a sweetner, especially regarding the election budgets mentioned in another thread.

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Everything as a cost, my view is spend what’s available and bring the area alive again. The less spent on the trade of politics and more committed to deeds the better. I love the area, all of it, but I’m often disappointed with what I see.

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I'm disappointed you were only two minutes away but never called in for a cup of tea.:D

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See Rindy, Gayle knows because she was at the meeting - she was late but at least she made it eventually :rolleyes:

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Thank you Neil, was hoping I'd got away with that!

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Of course it is, when PB's electioneering in Spring all the lovely blooms will be out and he'll take credit for the place looking so nice. Actually, though can't fault him on this one - if it was his idea, it's one of his better ones.

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All the baskets are dead and look awful. They are supposed to be watered by the shop keepers, but since some of them are twelve feet off the ground this hasn't happened.


It'll be at least April before they could be planted up again with summer bedding plants, though I don't know if that is on the cards. In the meantime they look pathetic.

Perhaps they'll be replanted in time for the elections?

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Hopefully the spring bulbs should start coming up soon

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So Ossy Area Council gave them the hanging baskets and some of the shop keepers neglected to water them. Thanks a lot Ossy shop keepers for doing your bit to make our town look attractive.

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Well, it might just be that the winter flowers have died off like they were supposed to and the summer ones haven't started coming up yet. We can hope!

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that's what I was thinking but then I'm hardly the green fingered goddess!!!! :p ;)

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Well me either Harwood, I have been known to kill the odd plant myself in the past. lol

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It's a bit difficult to water a frozen hanging basket 12ft over a public pavement. the water tend to just run off.
Bit much to ask the shop keeper to water them if they are that high, and you've got no chance in summer when they need doing every day.

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Even in winter, when it's not frosty, hanging baskets need watering everyday.

It isn't just a wait for the bulbs to come through, all the ivy is dead as well.

In Westminster and Chelsea the Council provided winter and summer hanging baskets, they also provide a little man who comes round and waters them.

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:D Little man?! I know just the peson? If you ask Get a Grip nicely im sure he will do it

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Shhhhhhhh, that can be his Valentine's suprise.;)

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This is the problem.
Little man = wages = Council Tax rise = complaining Hyndburn Residents = Lost Votes.
I always was good at maths.
Now why don't we use people on community service and the like to do some of these community type jobs? If it was deemed unsuitable for them to water hanging baskets there must be some other jobs they could do to release some Council workers for watering duty.

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I think that is the problem. When Mr Britcliffe came round and asked the shop keepers if they'd like a hanging basket, scant regard for future maintainance was given.

It made a good press release, and I myself said they looked good at the time.

Expecting people to keep ladders, then climb them in freezing conditions, is the main reason they all look so awful now.

A good idea, but more thought should have been paid to the longer term, as uusual.

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A little man? Excuse me but it seems obvious that if these plants are 12' off the ground then it should be a very tall man that is supplied to do the job!
http://www.animationlibrary.com/Anim...s_in_trash.gif

Re: Bloomin' money.
 

[quote=Less]A little man? Excuse me but it seems obvious that if these plants are 12' off the ground then it should be a very tall man that is supplied to do the job!/quote]

Our little man in London had a long hose on a stick.:)

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ha most little men have small hoses.

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Is that the opinion of an expert?

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You could look at it the other way:

It would appear the shop keepers were all too keen to say please to a free hanging basket without thinking about the maintenance of it.

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No how would I know that its just what I got told once.

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A good idea but a total idiot for not looking at other towns. enough of them do it rindy, and I know they need watering, you know they do, so should he have. They need a contractor to do it .

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Luckily the shopkeepers I know, said they didn't fancy going up ladders every day in freezing conditions to water said plants all winter.:)

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Tell him he is a lazy git then. He was getting stressed today because he thought he was running out of marge. The catastrophe was averted when they found some in the counter fridge :D.

Is it not easier to water them from upstairs?

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Obviously not, as they are all dead.

Like I said, everyone I know kindly refused one.

It's a bit like planting the expensive oak trees in time for the grand unveiling of Broadway. They look dead, and it's not an ideal time to plant them in a severe frost in December. Let's hope they bud come the Spring as well.

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Our council has wasted its money on a few token winter plants, i dunno why though they've looked a mess since end of summer and look stupid with three plants in each. Their own fault though for giving the watering contract to someone else, if they'd given it to me I'd have done a better job.
I think it's a waste of money in winter, they'd be better off concentrating on summer when the shop keepers are more likely to maintain them.

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Falkirk has the whole high street full of hanging baskets which look good in bloom. Only snag is the High Street becomes a dirty river when they are being watered. :(.
It will be worth it in the summer as Ozzy will be full of colour as well as colourful characters.:D

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Did you happen to notice who fitted the hanging baskets in such stupid positions?

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No, why...?

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They were not actually fitted by HBC people but by a local contractor. I remember seeing them going up, I think it was Park Landscapes (or whatever they are called) doing it. A few ground rules from HBC like height would have been useful. I think if I had been a shop keeper I would have said where I wanted it. Especially if they were fitting it at some stupid height.

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Like I said earlier, I don't really know because everyone I know kindly refused one.

I suppose there was always going to be a problem. Too low and kids and drunks would have been swinging on them, too high and it would put the shop keepers off watering them as much as they needed to be.

Although initally I did say they looked good, I do think some foresight should have been given to maintenance. For example some shops are rented on short leases, someone may have agreed to say two baskets, then they move. Leaving two baskets which may not be cared for at all by the new tennant.

In summer hanging baskets will need a good watering everyday, even if it rains, as well as dead heading etc.

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So true. Thats why my garden is self watering, including the hanging basket ;)

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Then why in this week's Observer have you had a letter published criticising it?


Get off my bandwagon, unless you have a watering can.:D

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Think you'll find that I was praising the idea, it was a good idea, one of his better ones - as I did on thread - just criticising the execution of it - dead flowers! :eek: :D

Re: Bloomin' money.
 

lol I saw the letter too, not lived here long but recognise the celebrity names when they appear on the letters page :D

Also looks like a familiar face in the Calder pub page too ( I think !!)