It’s time to nominate for the Wainwright Achievement Award 2023-24!
Every year the Council makes an award to the individual or organisation that it feels has made an outstanding contribution to the life and people of our town. The Award has its origins in a bequest from one of our most famous adopted sons, the legendary guidebook writer Alfred Wainwright, who worked in Kendal Town Hall from 1941 to 1967. You can nominate a recipient for the award. All you need to do is complete the Nomination Form below and send it to office@kendaltowncouncil.gov.uk. The nominations are considered by Town Councillors, as trustees of the bequest, and the award will be presented at the annual Mayor Making ceremony on 16 May. The closing date for nominations is 10am Wednesday 3 April, 2024.
Wainwright Nomination Form 2023-24
Kendal Town Councillors approved a budget on Monday night which will add 11p per week to average council tax bills in the Cumbrian town. The uplift will help the council to unlock the potential of a further £170,000 in Community Infrastructure Levy, which will include an additional £50,000 on improving footpaths and £50,000 on improving the street scene and signposting from the town’s transport hubs. £66,000 will be available for Community and Festival grants and £30,000 will be available to ensure the town’s popular floral displays are resilient as well as vibrant. The festive lighting display from November through to Christmas will also benefit from a £30,000 uplift in investment.
Mayor of Kendal, Cllr Julia Dunlop said ‘this budget reflects the council’s priorities. We want Kendal to be a vibrant place, which residents and visitors find easy to navigate, and a pleasure to linger. This budget builds on our campaigning approach to the challenges of climate change, and will ensure that the Council will continue to deliver projects which improve the lives of all Kendalians.’
The Council will continue and expand its support for Kendal Futures, one of the key partners in developing a vision for the town. Cllr Stephen Coleman, who chairs the Council’s Management Committee added, ‘everyone recognises that these are challenging times. This is a budget to deliver real changes that our residents will start to notice.’
The total budget agreed was £867,500, of which £636,157 will be collected from the Council Tax in Kendal from 1 April with remainder from Community infrastructure levy, external grants and rental income.
We’re looking for a new Deputy Town Clerk. Follow the links to get the details.https://www.kendaltowncouncil.gov.uk/your-council/work-for-us/
Kendal Town Council has allocated funding from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) to support the priorities set out in its Council Plan. Following its groundbreaking Citizen’s Jury on Climate Change in 2020, the Council undertook to implement a range of measures that would help address the problems of a changing climate. ‘We want our town to be a lovely place to live, work and visit, but we also aspire to net zero carbon emissions’, explained Cllr Stephen Coleman, who chairs the Council’s Management Committee. ‘This CIL-funding has enabled us to make small, but real investments in improving the way people move around the town, without using cars. We’re hoping our lead will be followed by others who can make bigger investments.’
At a meeting of the Council’s Management Committee, £50,000 from the levy was allocated to improving footpaths in Kendal, and a further £50,000 to improve the town’s bus station, signage and cycle storage. £35,000 was allocated towards helping Westmorland and Furness Council develop a pump track at the park in Sandylands and £30,000 was allocated to support the work of Kendal Futures in implementing the Kendal Vision for town centre improvements.
The Town Council receives 15% of the Community Infrastructure Levy charged on new development in Kendal. The rest is allocated to Westmorland and Furness Council to help offset the longer term impacts of development on the local community. Since the levy was introduced in 2016, Kendal Town Council has allocated over £240,000 to support investment in the town’s infrastructure, including the replacement of handrails, railings and other street furniture, the expansion of Canal Head allotments, the implementation of a 20mph speed limit on the town’s streets, and the improvement of the town’s historic yards. This funding comes on top of the government’s recent decision to allocate ‘Levelling-up’ funding to Kendal’s Market Place improvements, for which the Town Council had invested a £5,000 contribution to the development plan.
Mayor of Kendal Cllr Julia Dunlop said, ‘Using the CIL takes some of the burden of investment off hard-pressed council tax payers in Kendal. We aim to make lasting improvements which will benefit residents and visitors alike’.
The office will be closed over the Christmas period. We re-open on Wednesday 3 January 2024.
Community groups and volunteers have been working together, with support from Kendal Town Council, to restore two family walking trails at Serpentine Woods. The Alphabet Trail and Nature Trail, both of which have histories spanning several decades, have been refurbished and were officially opened by Kendal Town Mayor, Councillor Julia Dunlop on Saturday 25th November.
The newly restored trails are accompanied by two map leaflets, one for each trail, which are available free of charge from Kendal Library and Kendal Town Hall reception. The map leaflets are also available online via Visit Kendal (https://visit-kendal.co.uk/plan-your-visit/visitor-guide/). In addition to including maps of the trails, each includes clues and points of interest to look out for along the trails, as well as beautiful nature-inspired illustrations.
Councillor Dunlop said: “The newly refurbished Alphabet and Nature Trails are a fabulous asset to Kendal, and it’s wonderful to see families exploring and enjoying the woods together. The new leaflets are works of art and I’d like to encourage people of any age to use them to discover the trails.”
Councillor Eamonn Hennessy, Chair of Kendal Town Council’s Environment Committee, said: “We are really pleased to support this initiative which offers a fun and engaging way for children to connect with nature and enjoy the great outdoors here in Kendal. We are grateful to Fellside Forum and Kendal Conservation Volunteers for all their hard work on the project, and to the creators of the original trails whose support has been invaluable in updating the trails for generations to come.”
Jane Willis, one of the volunteers who has been instrumental in ensuring the continuation of the Alphabet Trail over the past 30 years said: “Many people knew about the Alphabet Sculpture Trail in Serpentine Woods in Kendal. Did you ever wonder what the old white posts in the woods were? They marked the route of a former Nature Trail from the 1960s. Storm Arwen in 2021 led us to rethink this old Nature Trail and explore its potential. It now has a clearly signed network of little paths with stopping points that showcase different aspects of the woodland. And there is an attractive map with things to look out for at each numbered post. I really enjoyed being in the team that helped to design this new Nature Trail leaflet and make it more interactive and fun to follow. Try the new Trail for yourselves and enjoy new insights!”
The trails are suitable for all ages, with the Alphabet Trail weaving through the woodland in a circular 1.2 mile walk, and the Nature Trail being slightly less than a mile. Take care on the paths – some are steep and may be slippery if wet.
· Free trail map leaflets are available at Kendal Town Hall and Kendal Library or online via Visit Kendal here.
Waste into Wellbeing, Kendal’s dedicated social food project which redistributes rescued food, has found a new venue to expand its positive impact thanks to support from Kendal Town Council.
The new venue on Highgate will be known as ‘The Eddington Kendal’ and comprises of the former Kendal United Reformed Church, built in 1898 as the Zion Congregational Chapel and the adjacent sports hall built in the 1960s. The current owner, Bruce Withington, bought the building in 2022 with the aim of preserving the church (a listed Grade 2 building) and the sports hall as a community asset for Kendal.
”We’re delighted to be working in partnership with South Lakes Action on Climate Change and Kendal Town Council to breathe new life back into the hall. We look forward to inviting more organisations to explore the space with a view to offering complementary activities allowing the community to make full use of The Eddington”.
To help facilitate the move, Bruce, together with members of South Lakes Action on Climate Change (the charity behind Waste into Wellbeing) has created a new Community Interest Company with a board of volunteer directors, who bring both global and local expertise, to ensure the Eddington becomes a true community asset. The new CIC will manage the building on behalf of, and in collaboration with the town’s community to deliver an inspirational, practical, and realistic approach to current and future climate challenges.
The Eddington Kendal will allow Waste into Wellbeing to grow its operation and continue to serve customers from its community larder, Kendal People’s Café and community cooking experiences, as well as welcoming additional customers who will enjoy the new vibrant café.
The vision for the premises is to use the increased space to demonstrate how Kendal Town Council and its partners continue to respond to the recommendations of the Kendal Climate Change Citizens Climate Jury. The creation of a ‘One Stop Shop’ of climate information and demonstratable action was a key recommendation of Jury Members.
The Eddington will be a sustainability themed venue with a community café at its heart, where people can meet, learn and support one another in creating healthy sustainable lifestyles.
Chris Rowley South Lakes Action on Climate Change and WIW Volunteer said ‘Waste into Wellbeing is thrilled to be part of saving this building and developing it for community use. We look forward to working with all our partners over the coming years in creating an exciting new space in Kendal, designed to support the community as well as acting on Climate Jury recommendations’
In addition to the Community Café and climate themed murals, learning area and displays, the CIC team plan to set up a bike recycling and repurposing operation and will be inviting other groups to work with them on resurrecting the Victorian kitchen garden at the rear of the building to demonstrate other lifestyle changes that can lead to reducing carbon.
To follow the CICs activity and find out how to get involved, follow their Facebook and Instagram pages @EddingtonKendal.
The Serpentine family trails launch event will take place this Saturday 25th Nov at 10:30am.
All are welcome to join us for the Mayor’s official opening and to have a go at completing the trails.
For those unable to join us for the launch event, free trail leaflets are available to pick up from the library and town hall, or downloadable via Visit Kendal.
The meeting of the Culture and Communities Committee, scheduled for Monday 23 October, has been postponed. It will now be held on Monday 30 October, at 7pm, in Kendal Town Hall.
Biodiversity Grant Awarded to Community Group
A local residents’ group has been awarded money to help them restore a valued area of open space near their houses.
The Kirkbie Green Community Group have received a grant of £500 from the Kendal Town Council’s dedicated biodiversity and nature recovery fund.
The group, with support from Kendal Conservation Volunteers, plan to use the funding to plant wild flowers and ferns in Kirkbie Green, near the Lakeland town’s Gooseholme Park.
Previously the green had been used as a muddy short cut, but thanks to the group’s initiative access has been restricted and walkers and cyclists are now encouraged to use an adjacent tarmac footpath. The diversion will enable more plants to grow and allow the green to thrive as a biodiverse space.
Chair of the Town Council’s Environment Committee, Cllr Eamonn Hennessy said ‘We are delighted to fund the work of this community group and see residents once again actively supporting nature recovery on their doorstep. Kirkbie Green will be enhanced as a result and we encourage more community groups to apply so we can repeat positive action across Kendal’.
Kirkbie Green resident Austin Challis commented: “It was a warm and unifying experience for the Kirkbie Green residents and local groups supporting rewilding projects in our community. A celebration of repurposing our green space from quagmire to green corridor”.
Local MP, Tim Farron joined the Mayor and councillors presenting the cheques: “This is exactly what we need in our communities – spaces linking up green corridors and building sustainable environment for future generations”.
Kendal Town Council’s commitment to Biodiversity has been further strengthened by the Committee’s decision to adopt a Pesticides Policy which ensures the Town Council no longer use pesticides on the green spaces it manages. The Committee also approved a trial using Creeping Thyme on a difficult triangle of land by the roadside. It is hoped that it will outcompete weeds and therefore reduce the need to use strong chemical pesticides, which can be harmful to watercourses and insectlife.
To apply for a Biodiversity grant or learn more about our policies please visit our website or get in touch via office@ Kendaltowncouncil.gov.uk
