PLAYGROUNDS, footpaths and a War of the Roses re-enactment event in Earby will benefit from more than £22,000 given out by the West Craven Committee of Pendle Council.

Councillors at their monthly meeting held last week at Salterforth Village Hall considered grant requests from various groups and organisations after inviting applications to its area committee budget which had £22,638 left to spend before the end of the current financial year in April.

Committee chair David Whipp said the aim was to give out grants for permanent works to take place, rather than just one-off events.

Councillors did however agree to give £1,200 to the Earby Events Group towards its War of the Roses re-enactment, after hearing the purchase of pop-up gazebos could be used for other events.

Members also agreed to allocate £15,000 to Barnoldswick Town Council for improvements to public parks; £1,000 to The Earby Tuesday Club for the building of suitable storage for the group at New Road Community Centre; £1,200 to West Craven Baptist Church to improve the community facilities in the main hall at Mount Zion Baptist Church, Earby; £1,375 to Kelbrook and Sough Parish Council for improvements to the footpath at Sough Park.

Also, £567 to Kelbrook and Sough Parish Council for improvements to the children’s playground at Kelbrook; £1,738 from the Salterforth allocation to Salterforth Parish Council towards the cost of a projector and laptop.

Earby Events Group's War of the Roses re-enactment is set to take place over the early May bank holiday weekend, May 4 and 5 and will feature a medieval encampment on Earby Village Green with the Muncaster Castle Re-enactment Group. The pop-up gazebos will provide additional shelter for people.

With its £15,000, Barnoldswick Town Council will carry out improvements to all the town's parks including replacement bins, some resurfacing and lighting works. Work will also take place to the pavilion in Victory Park and there will also be new fencing at Letcliffe Park. The work is expected to be completed by June.

Kelbrook and Sough Parish Council, which asked for £3,000 towards improvements to the children's playground, was awarded £567, but told the remainder would be considered when the 2024/25 budget was allocated.

The parish council wants to carry out £4,716 improvements to the park including a replacement swing, and repairs, re-painting and cleaning, and cost of the lengthsman to carry out the work.