This brand new trail, put together especially for children, is full of fun activities and interesting tales of what Towneley was like in Victorian Times when Alice Mary was a young girl.

Pick up a copy at the Hall for just £2.99, then enjoy looking around with Alice Mary as your guide. The book is full of things for the children to do when they get back home to remind them of their day at Towneley Hall

So why not come along, pull up a deckchair and enjoy an afternoon of traditional entertainment to while away a couple of hours in the sunshine (probably!).

Carr, Day & Martin market leaders in a range of horse care products, Naylor’s Equestrian and Eureka Animal Feeds provided sponsorship, including a range of ‘goodie bags’ giving incentive to anyone signing up for HAPPA membership on the day.

Potential loaners/adopters looking to take on a horse were invited to a fun and informative day with a view to offering a home to a rescued equine, rather than sourcing an animal privately.

Equines were showcased in a parade of height sections, both in hand and ridden in traditional showing format demonstrating the range of versatility that can be achieved with a rescued horse.  Rescue history, requirements and suitability for each individual horse or pony was proactively featured in order to match the right horse and home.

Previously rehomed horses demonstrated a ridden display and were the highlight of the day, illustrating the joys of owning a HAPPA horse. Their accomplishments and triumphs were admired by onlookers, evidencing the passion and commitment given by their dedicated borrowers.  

HAPPA Equine & Data Services Manager Amanda Berry spoke with pride at the charity’s rehoming success, “The sense of achievement at seeing a HAPPA horse settled in a private home and watching him mature and develop is wonderful”.

Louise Bleasedale, a HAPPA supporter who has two rescue animals on loan spoke warmly of her love of HAPPA pony Babycham,  “Sham is such a gentleman in the show ring, he just makes my heart melt every time I look at him and I feel privileged and blessed to have him share our lives”

The day was a huge success and a numberof prospective new homes are now in the pipeline.  Sadly due to the current economic climate and the existing equine crisis the charity is constantly under pressure to take in neglect cases.

The charity will always have a Centre full of horses but by freeing up much needed space at their Rescue Centre HAPPA will be able to face the next challenge and help other horses in desperate need. If anyone is considering buying a horse, please check HAPPA’s availability first. Their team of professionals are fantastic in their approach to rehabilitation and have the skills and knowledge to produce first class horses that are suitable and capable of performance relating to a range of disciplines. From dressage horse, happy hacker, cuddly companion, to pony club pony they have them all.  If HAPPA don’t currently have what you are looking for you will have the opportunity to complete an ‘expression of interest form’ and they will contact you once a suitable horse becomes available.

Visit the HAPPA website www.happa.org.uk for more information, email equineadmin@happa.org.uk

The parade, led by the regimental band, will make its way through the shopping centre to the Town Hall via Hammerton Street and Hargreaves Street where there will be a brief inspection by the Mayor before a civic lunch at Burnley Mechanics.

Manchester Road will be closed to traffic to create a public viewing area in fromt of the town hall, as well as on St. James Street and Hargreaves Street, although people can watch the parade all along the route.

So come along and cheer our brave soldiers on their return to Lancashire.

HAPPA Patrick is a Welsh cross Appaloosa foal that was rescued by the charity at just two hours old.

HAPPA was alerted to the distressed foal by a call made to the charity by a member of the public. On arrival at the field HAPPA Equine Inspector Dave McCormick searched everywhere to locate the youngster. “I just saw a flash of white in a large deep muddy section of the field. It was then that I realised it was the foal in question and that he was stuck deep in the mud right up to his head. I quickly called in the HAPPA Rescue Team and a Veterinary Surgeon. We managed to pull him from the mud but he was so cold I wrapped him in towels and a blanket to get warm. He was severely dehydrated and his temperature was extremely low, and the vet confirmed that if the foal wasn’t given emergency treatment and care immediately he would die. We then took him to HAPPA’s Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre at Shores Hey Farm, Briercliffe where he was settled into a specialist unit”

 It is thought that HAPPA Patrick was only hours old when rescued and that he had been abandoned by his mother who had taken no interest in him and wasn’t going to be able to feed him. The action taken by the HAPPA team saved his life.

The first few weeks were extremely crucial to his survival. HAPPA staff worked in shifts to ensure that Patrick was bottle fed a milk substitute throughout the night.

Centre manager Julie Jackson continues the story “Patrick settled into the stable immediately but I had to keep him warm and the only thing that would fit him was a dog jacket as he was so tiny. He was having four hourly feeds day and night and we have just introduced him to solids. Last week was his first week out in the field and he is just beginning to learn how to be a pony!”.

Patrick’s rehabilitation and milk substitute is very costly and the charity rely totally on contributions from the general public. HAPPA would like to appeal to any supporters who wish to contribute to get in contact with them.

For further information about Patrick or to contribute to his care please call the HAPPA team on 01282 455992.

Founded in 1937, in the fight against transportation of horses to the continent for slaughter, HAPPA is one of the oldest and most respected of equine charities in the UK. The organisation has a Rescue Centres in Burnley, Lancs caring for around 80 equines at any one time at a cost of almost £13,000 each week, as well as a large number of equines on loan in private homes.

For further information about HAPPA or HAPPA Patrick contact Julie Rickwood-Gan, Development Officer on 01282 455992.

Four year have now passed since the Twite Recovery Project was first launched. It was a steady start but with a lot of support it is well and truly going places.

As a result of the Twite Recovery Project, 330 hectares of grassland (made up of 234 fields) within the South Pennines is now being managed to provide foraging habitat for Twite. Of this, almost 130 hectares has been reseeded with tasty Twite foods like Common Sorrel and Autumn Hawkbit and, where possible, species rich meadow and pasture is being restored. In addition to helping Twite, the work that has been done including the changes in land management, will benefit many other species, in particular, Brown Hare, Chimney Sweeper Moths, Lapwings and Curlews.

Very exciting news – this year the RSPB, with support from Scottish Natural Heritage and Natural England, will be involved in the UK Survey of Twite so we will find out just how our South Pennines Twite are bearing up following the appalling weather of last year, which will be balanced hopefully by increased foraging sites through our reseeding programme! This survey will allow us to measure population change since the first national survey in 1999 and prioritise conservation action. We will bring you the results just as soon as they are available.

Over the next 7 months, we will be working on helping more farmers get their land into HLS agreements with options for grassland restoration and target species, both of which will benefit Twite.  To date, there are 53 farms in the scheme (both directly and indirectly through the project)  – with more coming through.  We will also be carrying out in-depth botanical surveys on all the fields we have reseeded over the last 3 years to establish the germination success of the seed.

We will be working with farmers to prepare fields ready for this year’s introduction of seed to fields in September – we hope to beat last year’s record of 54ha.  This year, we will be not only broadcasting seed by hand, but also using the green hay technique, harvesting hay from donor sites in August and spreading it immediately (within an hour!) on nearby receptor sites with the same soil composition.  This technique has been used in North Yorkshire and in the Forest of Bowland, and although needing a high degree of coordination, has reputedly very good results.

We will continue to work with local communities, bringing them details of the work that farmers, landowners, the RSPB and Natural England are doing to help restore the habitat for the Twite.

We will continue surveying potential sites for restoration and helping bring farmers into HLS agreements.  We will then establish if this has all had an effect on our endangered little Pennine Finch, the Twite.

By the way, thanks to our friends at the BTO, our oldest recorded Twite which was ringed during the Project was seen at Blakeney Freshes in December 2012 – it was ringed as a chick at Chelburn Moor in June 2010, but it has a long way to go before it reaches the longevity record of just over 5 years 7months!

The Twite Recovery Project is run and funded as a joint venture by the RSPB and Natural England, with financial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund (through the Watershed Landscape Project managed by Pennine Prospects) and from Kirklees Council with additional support from South Pennines LEADER. 

Try your hand at at the blacksmith forge, learn to use a chainsaw, construct green timber frame buildings, spin off fresh honey and learn about bee keeping, make charcoal for your summer BBQ’s or weave a sculpture using willow whips. This summer could be your chance to learn something new, start a new hobby even begin a new career or just to have fun and meet people in a friendly and inspiring place.

Phill Dewhurst, Offshoots Manager said “We are very pleased to have been awarded this grant which will help to provide over 100 free places for local people on our wide range of training courses. There is something for everyone here at Offshoots, as well as sampling our organic fruit and veg many people have found a new vocation. Through learning new skills, being active, connecting with others through Offshoots helps promote well being. Some people have gone on to set up their own business, others have progressed onto college or an apprenticeship…”

Courses are running throughout the summer, visit the Offshoots web site for course dates and further information on the tutors and the site: www.offshoots.org.uk. To book or for further information please call the Offshoots Office 01282 450 270.  

Staff and volunteers from the Environment Agency, Ribble Rivers Trust, Friends of Towneley Park, Forest of Burnley and Burnley Borough Council rolled up their sleeves and pitched in to spruce up Burnley’s historic Towneley Park.

A joint environmental action day took place at the site affectionately known as ‘the jewel in Burnley’s crown’, with workers giving up their time to put something back into the community.

Tasks carried out by staff at the site included planting native reeds donated by Lancashire Wildlife Trust, trees donated by Offshoots Permaculture Project and wild flower seeds and grasses provided by The Environment Agency all to help the local biodiversity flourish.

The Environment Agency and Burnley Borough Council recently completed drainage works and footpath improvements in this area where a disused well which had been covered during the 1970’s was washing contaminated silts into the River Calder. The well has recently been diverted into the wetland area at Towneley Park and is now being filtered by the natural action of the reeds present in the wetland.

Lee Collins, Environment Agency Officer, said: “This was a perfect opportunity to get together, muck in and make a difference to help spruce-up this landmark site. We hope residents and visitors will enjoy the fruits of our labour.”

Councillor John Harbour, Burnley Council’s executive member for leisure and culture, said: “This is an excellent example of partnership working to improve one of Burnley’s most popular visitor attractions. We’re grateful for the support of our partners in this work. The improved wetland area is yet another reason to come along and see what Towneley Hall and Park has to offer.”

The work was carried out coincided with Climate Week – an Environment Agency-supported nationwide initiative,  that took place from 4^th to 10^th March, which encouraged people to take action to address climate change.