On behalf of the committee of the Residents Association we would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and prosperous 2011.

It has been an interesting 12 months with a number of projects around the village being undertaken, we have forged links with the Shevington Parish Council, the Shevington and District Community Association, the Standish, Aspull and Shevington Township Forum, Wigan Metro and British Waterways, all of which are proving to be beneficial.

• Arranged for the removal of dead & diseased trees from around the park.
• We had the Christmas tree relocated to a more prominent position in front of the Church.
• Installed two new waste bins in the park.
• We arranged for the fence to be repaired at the entrance to the park.
• We had the fence repaired on the approach to the Shevington footpath.
• In association with British Waterways painted the Canal Bridge and fencing.
• General litter picking with the help of the Beat It team.
• Held talks with Wigan Metro with regard to cleaning up the footpath in Lawns Wood.
• Produced a pack of Christmas cards with four scenes of the village in winter – a huge thank you to all who purchased them, the funds raised will be put towards future projects.

The AGM was held on the 12th. October 2010. The meeting was well attended and as per the Constitution the Committee stood down. An election was held which was supported unanimously by those present that the following be elected to perform the role of Officers to the Committee for the next year (until October 2011).

It was also agreed at the meeting to make a few changes to the Constitution, a copy of this document can be found at www.crookevillage.co.uk. If you wish to have a hard copy please contact one of the four Committee members above.

Councillors Paul Liptrot and Mike Crosby attended the AGM and both agreed to witness that the meeting and election was carried out in a true and correct manner.

As mention earlier we have had meetings with members of Wigan Metro about the very poor condition of the footpath in Lawns Wood with a view to getting it repaired. In the present financial climate Wigan Metro do not have monies to undertake the repairs. However, we were advised that if we formed a group then this could attract funding. Taking this advice we formed “The Friends of Lawns Wood & Meadows”, it’s this group that should be able to fulfill the criteria to attract funding. It should be noted that this funding is not Government based and therefore should not be affected by the current cut backs. This will not happen overnight as a detailed study of the flora and fauna in the wood has got to be taken before a final plan of work can be agreed.

We will post details of any new project on the website, the Notice Boards and on the agendas of meeting.

As everyone is aware there are a number of un-adopted roads in the village. Whilst it is not the responsibility of the Residents Association to get these roads repaired we are aware that they are a major issue, as they can only continue to get worse. We have investigated various avenues to see if we could get funding for this work but Wigan Metro along with every other local authority in the Country has not adopted this type of road for many years nor does any of the funding agencies recognize the repair of these roads in their criteria. In short the responsibility to keep these roads in repair falls upon the property and land owners on the roads.
It is encouraging to see that the new Methodist Minister, Rev. John Hilton, has recognized this and has taken a leading role to co-ordinate raising the monies required from the property and land owners in the area of the Church and Village Nursery.

We are hoping to address the other roads by getting the property and land owners involved once we have established the costs.

There will be an Interpretation Board sited in the village; this will be similar to the one in Shevington, giving a brief history of Crooke Village. The proposed site is the green opposite the Crooke Hall Inn as it is felt that it will cause less potential traffic build up. The Notice Board is to be funded by the Standish, Aspull and Shevington Township Forum.

As many of you know Steve and Pauline have now left, we would like to thank them for their support over the last year and we wish them all the best for the future. A warm welcome to Liane who is now in charge and we wish her and her family a long and pleasant stay in the village.

A warm welcome to the new Minister, the Rev. John Hilton. We trust that he also will enjoy a long and happy association with Crooke Village.

• Yvonne and Roy Vernon of the Crooke Village Marina, over the last year they have supported us by letting us use their facilities and for their generosity at functions.
• The Committee of the Crooke Methodist Church for the use of the Church Hall.
• Steve and Pauline and now Leane for allowing us to hold meetings in the Crooke Hall Inn and for posting notices on their notice board.
• Councillor Paul Liptrot who has attended nearly all of our meetings and has proved to be of great help when we needed to get things done by Wigan Metro.
• Councillor Mike Crosby who was only elected to office during 2010 but has supported us since then. Work commitments don’t allow Mike to attend all meetings but he quickly responds to emails and ‘phone calls.
• John O’Neil for his unstinting work on the Interpretation Board and Lawns Wood.

Our web site, www.crookevillage.co.uk is well worth a visit and big thank you to the Editor, Paul Green, for his efforts over the last year.

We would ask everyone in the Village to try to attend the monthly meetings and help in improving the facilities and creating a good community spirit. Alternatively, if you are unable to attended the meeting but would like to put an idea forward for future projects please do not hesitate in contacting one of the Committee member.