Colin Cooper

In 1996 I was one of the founder members of a local environmental group called the Rishton Prospects Panel. I have been Treasurer, Secretary and now Project Coordinator. The Group has created a Community Garden; planted thousands of bulbs and numerous flower beds/planters; officially adopted and enhanced the look of the local railway station; created a picnic site and done other work along the canal towpath; carried out numerous litter picks and promoted Fairtrade and energy conservation. We also work closely with other community groups on various quality of life projects in the village including a successful entry into Britain in Bloom. We recently assisted the Parks Dept in achieving Green Flag status for our local park. Last year we calculated our group achieved over 800 volunteer hours (equates to £6000). As I am 77 and retired, I was able to contribute 250 of these.