Do you know someone, or a group of people in your local community who would benefit from a good deed before Christmas? Find out more by clicking on the images below. You can also call Lesley Keeble on 0151 423 4752 or email lesleykeeble@theapollogroup.co.uk to find out more.

The BtGG Team are here, there and everywhere talking to you about what you would like to see your community budget spent on. We can appreciate that not everyone has the time to come to our Neighbourhood Natter sessions so we have developed our very own Facebook page.  To be Facebook Fabulous we need as many of you as possible to hit the ‘like’ button as possible so please show your support and join our extended online community!

You can access it via this website by clicking the Facebook icon on the home page.

Staff at Halton Community Radio have been working hard to promote the Beyond the Garden Gate programme, so much so Apollo, one of the contractors helping to deliver all the projects has donated £250!

 As well as promoting all of our Neighbourhood Natter events they recently they helped us to promote an employment recruitment day held at the Stobard Stadium with over 200 local Widnes and Runcorn resident attendees.

Linda Crosby, Community Investment Manager said “we would like to thank HCR for all their help and support and its a pleasure to be able to present them with this cheque”

Halton Housing Trust is backing theHedgehog Streetcampaign, which aims to encourage homeowners to provide good environments for the prickly garden visitors.

 “Part of building better communities has to be considering the wildlife that lives in our neighbourhoods,” said Kelly McKeown, Neighbourhood Regeneration Officer at the Trust.

 “If people could give a little thought to these animals then we could make a difference in the area.”

 The hedgehog population has fallen by 25% in the past 10 years due to loss of habitat and food.

 Now the British Hedgehog Society and People’s Trust for Endangered Species want ‘champions’ in each neighbourhood to create ‘hedgehog streets’.

 Residents can help hedgehogs’ quest for food by leaving a 15cm gap under fences and walls so that they can travel between gardens.

 A mixture of unsalted crushed peanuts, sunflower hearts, dried meal worms and sultanas / dried bananas would provide the perfect food for a hedgehog.

 “Hopefully anyone who has a garden will give these little creatures more thought in the future,” said Noel.

 For more details go to www.hedgehogstreet.org

Rev Jeremy Duff of St Mary’s and St Pauls Widnes praised Halton Housing Trust today for helping them improve their community facilities by donating unwanted office furniture. Items included comfy sofa’s, office furniture, chairs, cabinets  and 13 high quality fire doors.

This valuble donation will help us to make the most of our community centre, I really dont know how we would of managed without it.

The furniture became available after the closure of the Simms Cross office but the benifits to the community didnt stop there. Westbank Community Forum also recieved a fridge, a freezer, dishwasher, kitchen units and even claimed the kitchen sink. The kitchen will be reused as part of the groups relocation to Spike Island Rangers Centre.

Exciting plans are in place to renovate the existing building to accomodate community delivered activities including Mums & Tots, Crafts and a Youth Club. A vegetable garden, X Box Zones and big comfortable sofas are all being considered.  Watch this space to keep updated!

The BtGG team went to Ditton Library to find out more information about your neighbourhood. We spoke to a number of you including local shop keepers about your experiences of the Queens Avenue area.

Here is a sample of what you said

The Yew Tree Pub needs a purpose, wether its reopening, knocked down or converted into something else. Its making the community look a mess!

Lodge Road garages have been knocked down and should be used for secure parking for residents and customers/ staff of Queens Avenue shops.

The delivery gates to the shops are a discrace and attract vandalism.

Neighbours in the area need to be more considerate of each other.

Elderly people struggle to access the shops in the winter months, a community delivery service may be useful.

Local businesses at Queens Avenue, Widnes have contributed their ideas for improving their community

Suggestions include;

Improved parking on Lodge Road, new shop fronts, community clean up days, drop kerbing and improved access for deliveries, CCTV, improved lighting and community delivery for the elderly.

Mikes Angling Centre at Queens Avenue has met with the BtGG team to discuss ways in which they can engage with young people.

Working in partnership with Clincton Anglers Club they hope to provide enough equipment to loan to a growing number of youths expressing an interest in fishing.

I believe involving young people in fishing as it gives them something to belong to and gives them a hobby for life. The youth members of the club are our future senior member and its important that we can support them if we can.

The club has already had sucess of this is the past and has worked in partnership with SHAP to provide concessionary fishing licences and was awarded a grant to fund equipment.