Welcome to your Bolton and Bury Community Newsletter.
The Neighbourhood Officers covering this patch are Stephanie Jones, Chelsea Newton, Steve Cave and Avery Santoro.
They’ve each provided an update from their area below.
Bury, Whitefield and Prestwich
Pendle (Brierfield), Rossendale (Bacup) and Nelson
Grounds maintenance – your concerns have been noted
My Estate Audits took place on the 8th of July. Following discussions with residents, I made sure to pay particular attention to grounds maintenance and the conditions of communal areas that are maintained by Irwell Valley contractors. Please be reassured that I have requested copies of the cleaning and grounds schedules, so that I can inspect the work after they have been on site, allowing me to check it is up to the standards you deserve.
Fly tipping
While doing my inspections, I noticed a huge improvement in terms of excess waste, fly tipping and litter. I am happy with the progress so far, but please do continue to report those responsible for fly tipping to me so I can take the relevant action.
Castlecroft Mews Car Park
I’ve recently received reports regarding a high volume of vehicles in the Castlecroft Mews car park. I understand how frustrating it can be to arrive home and find limited parking availability. Please be reminded that while the car park is designated for Castlecroft Mews residents, our general needs tenancy agreements do not include a guaranteed or allocated parking space.
If you suspect that vehicles are parking without a valid permit, you may wish to contact the enforcement agency responsible for Castlecroft Mews to investigate further.
To help ensure fair access to parking for all residents, we kindly ask that friends and family visiting you park in the nearby allocated visitor bays rather than within the Castlecroft Mews car park.
(Additionally, please note that Bury Health Watch has been allocated the two bays located at the rear of their office for use during their daytime hours.)
Here to support
I wanted to share a story, showing the support that I can offer. I have recently been working closely with one of my tenants who was struggling after a bereavement. She was unemployed and finding it difficult to look after herself and her home. When she reached out to me, I helped by setting her simple tasks she could carry out before my next inspection. With my support, she was able to clear her home and keep on top of it. She told me that she is in a much happier mindset, has passed a course to get back into employment and has been socialising for the first time in three years.
If you are struggling, please do reach out to me – I am here to help, whatever it is.
Community drop-in at Bury Healthwatch
Don’t forget, I will be at Bury Healthwatch on the last Wednesday of every month from 11am until 1pm to talk through any concerns you have or support you might need. You don’t need an appointment – just pop in and have a chat with me!
Or you can email me at any time - Stephanie.Jones@irwellvalley.co.uk
Have a great summer and stay safe!
Bury - Radcliffe
I have now been the Neighbourhood Officer for Radcliffe for just over three months, and I’ve really valued the opportunity to get to know the area and the issues that matter to you. Thank you to everyone for your patience during the period when the area was without an officer, and a special thank you to those who’ve shared concerns, joined recent estate inspections, and given valuable insight into Radcliffe’s history – your input has been greatly appreciated.
Working to tackle antisocial behaviour
We are continuing to tackle antisocial behaviour across the neighbourhood and are working closely with the police and other partner agencies to address concerns. While progress may not always be visible, I want to reassure residents that action is ongoing behind the scenes, so please do continue to report any incidents to us.
Serious incidents or threats of violence should be reported immediately to the police on 999. To report a non-urgent incident to the police, you can call 101. If you witness a crime, you can report this anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Remember that in all instances, you can report anti-social behaviour anonymously and every report makes a difference. If you’d like the chance to meet your local policing team and raise any issues directly, I encourage you to attend your local PACT (Police and Communities Together) meeting. These sessions are a great opportunity to build relationships with local officers and stay informed about what’s happening in your area.
You can find out when the next one is happening here.
Growing Together Radcliffe
Growing Together Radcliffe offer support and community events at their centre located at Westminster Ave, Manchester M26 3WD.
Here’s a flavour of what they have on:
Thursday mornings: Beginners yoga class, £5. Contact Sam for more info on 07583642587
Friday mornings: IT support - drop in and improve your digital skills. Contact growing.together.rad@gmail.com for more information.
Weekly Chatty Café: Food and hot drinks, free to all. Contact growing.together.rad@gmail.com. For more information.
August 26th - Free children’s activity: Mini farm, face painting and games. Booking essential, contact growing.together.rad@gmail.com
HappyMe: Free holistic and wellbeing classes at various locations. Find out more here.
You can follow Growing Together on Facebook to stay up to date with their latest events here.
Irwell Valley Community Days
Would you like to get involved in future community days? Do you have suggestions for how we can improve your neighbourhood? If so, I’d love to hear from you – please get in touch to share your ideas or discuss further: avery.santoro@irwellvalley.co.uk
My community drop-in
My next community drop in date is scheduled for Friday 15th August, 10am-12pm at
Trinity Food Bank, GTR Centre, Westminster Ave, Radcliffe, M26 3WD. I can assist you with anti-social behaviour, rent account questions, additional support or signposting to other services within the area.
No need to make an appointment, just drop-in!
If you need me in the meantime, you can contact me by emailing avery.santoro@irwellvalley.co.uk
Bolton - Central, Daubhill, Deane, Derby and Farnworth.
Hello! I’m Chelsea and I’m excited to be your new Neighbourhood Officer. I have eight years of experience working in social housing, including supported living and tenancy sustainment and I have spent the previous 8 months at Irwell Valley Homes working as a Neighbourhood Officer at Sale West.
Monthly drop-ins
I’m really looking forward to starting work in your area and getting to meet you all. My next community drop-in date is scheduled for Wednesday 3rd September from 10:30am-1:30pm at Ainsdale Court, Bolton. Stop by, meet me face-to-face and chat about anything you need help with. I will also be doing regular neighbourhood inspections to pick up on any issues. I will let you know when I have dates booked in for these.
I'm here to help
I’m your first point of contact for anything related to your tenancy or neighbourhood and if there is anything you are concerned about or need my support with, please let me know.
You can email me on Chelsea.Newton@irwellvalley.co.uk
Breightmet, Burnden, Halliwell, Heaton, Horwich and Westhoughton
My neighbourhood inspection
Thank you to everyone I had the pleasure of speaking with during my recent neighbourhood inspection on Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th July. It’s always valuable to hear directly from you while I’m out and about, as it helps me stay informed about what’s happening in the community—both the positives and any concerns.
Looking ahead, my next inspection is scheduled for Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th October 2025. I’d love for you to join me during the walkabout. I’ll be starting at St Brides Close, Horwich at 10am, then heading over to Mary Hulton Court, Westhoughton for 11am. If you’re interested in joining or would like to arrange a time to speak during the inspection, please feel free to email me so I can add you to the schedule: steve.cave@irwellvalley.co.uk
Wesley Mews
In July I was really pleased to complete a joint project day with our estates team to dig up and replace the garden area at Wesley Mews. It was a brilliant day with Irwell Valley colleagues, and it was finished with us tidying up the area and making it a lovely sun trap for our tenants to sit in and within our communities. You can see the results here.
Communal areas
I’d like to take a moment to address an important issue that’s come up during recent visits to some of our blocks: the increasing number of personal items being stored in communal areas. As part of our sterile communal areas policy, introduced earlier this year, all internal and external shared spaces must remain clear of any belongings.
Unfortunately, we’ve recently seen items such as white goods and large furniture left in these areas, which not only breaches policy but can also pose safety risks.
We all have a role to play in keeping our community safe and tidy. If you currently have any items in communal areas, please ensure they are removed and stored inside your home. I’d hate for any personal belongings to be mistakenly disposed of, so your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
Please note: any items found in communal areas may be stickered for removal and subsequently taken away if not cleared.
Thank you for your understanding and support in maintaining a clean and safe environment for everyone.
My community drop-in
My next community drop in date is scheduled for Wednesday 3rd September from 10:30am-1:30pm at Ainsdale Court , Bolton. These drop ins are scheduled for the first Wednesday of every month, and I’m pleased to have seen steady growth in the number of people attending these drops ins since we hosted our first one back in January. I would encourage you to come in and speak to me or Chelsea if you have any concerns or queries, as this means we’ll be able to help you faster. We can assist you with any queries such as anti-social behaviour, rent account queries, additional support or signposting to other services within the area.
No need to make an appointment, just drop-in!
If you need me in the meantime, you can contact me by emailing steve.cave@irwellvalley.co.uk
Your Neighbourhood Inspections
Chelsea:
October 6th - 9am-3pm starting from Rishton Lane.
October 7th - 9am-3pm starting from Dean Road.
Steph:
October 14th - 11am-2pm starting from Chester Street.
Steve:
October 14th - 9am-12 noon starting in Westhoughton
October 14th - 1pm-4pm starting in Horwich.
October 15th - 9am-12 noon starting from Manchester Road
October 15th - 1pm-4pm covering the Rusheylea Close area.
Avery:
October 9th - 11am - 3pm from Central Avenue
If you’d like to join us, please drop us a line or leave us a message via Live Chat on www.irwellvalley.co.uk or by calling 0300 561 1111. We’d love to see you then!
We're here to support you
Remember, we’re here to support you. Your Neighbourhood Officer is your go-to person for any issues related to your tenancy or neighbourhood.
They carry out regular Neighbourhood Inspections to ensure communal areas are clean, safe, and well-maintained.
You can contact your Neighbourhood Officer by emailing:
stephanie.jones@irwellvalley.co.uk
avery.santoro@irwellvalley.co.uk
chelsea.newton@irwellvalley.co.uk
The Irwell Valley Foundation is also here to help
The Irwell Valley Homes Foundation is our charitable investment fund. They have recently helped to fund several projects in Bolton and Wythenshawe, from food banks to youth clubs. Find out more here.
We hope you are having a great summer.
Kind regards,
Steph, Avery, and Steve
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Bolton And Bury Newsletter August 2025
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