The Scallywag - News & Features

You can live in an area for many years and never really fully appreciate it. That's been one of the advantages of lockdown, really discovering where we live. I've seen pictures taken on this walk by many people and posted on social media, but didn't know how to get to the woods behind Marl Pits Leisure Centre. Mr Google to the rescue!  I found the walk on the Lancashire Walks Facebook page. It's called Marl Pits Hillside Hike and is 3.12 miles long, which makes it perfect for families and for young people needing exercise and time away from screens and gadgets. I was unsure at first as the guide instructions do not use OS map references but up-to-date route images with step-by-step text instructions. If you have a IOS smartphone then you can download a GPX file via their 'Footpath Route Planner' App, however I have an Android phone. (I understand an Android version of the App will be available soon.) Further details of the route were given such as the level of d...

From Saturday 11th July we start  the on-line Summer Holiday Club which will run for 7 weeks until the end of August. We are taking the best ideas from the last few months! Every week a new theme with  accompanying high quality activity sheets. There will be 2 sessions per week, Tuesday and Thursday at 10am, (these st ay in the group so can be watched at any time) and with a story time at the weekend. We shall also be adding the 'Best of the Rest' so I shall pick stories and songs from around the Jo Jingling community to add to the group.  We love our favourites so to start with I have chosen 12 of the most requested songs and recorded them as individual tracks - with a little green screen animation. So you can watch them over, and over , (and over!) again. I shall add more songs as the weeks go by to keep it fresh. The group is divided in Topics - so you can easily find the song/story/video/theme you want. We have tried to create a resource that you can use the whole sum...

We will be running our summer club but with a few changes made to keep all safe in this current climate. The sessions will have a smaller size limit on them. We also are not going to offer single days; this is to maintain a safer ‘bubble’ to work with. We are only running for 4 days of the week. This will allow for a clean of the inside areas between the weeks.  The first week will run Tuesday to Friday, the remaining four will run Monday to Thursday. Sessions are being run from St Peter’s RC school in Newchurch. This allows us to make use of their toilets and large hall for any inside activities and also, and more importantly, gives us use of their amazing outdoor space including a small wood where we will be spending most of our time. No two weeks will be the same. The days will be as 'child led' as possible with numerous activities available. Obviously, the weather will determine if some of the outdoor activities are possible. Two separate small groups of children th...

By Richard Dalby   This is a brilliant, quick and easy way of making a cooling dessert for those long hot Summer’s days. The recipe is based on an Italian version of ice cream called spumone, using just a few ingredients to create something fruity and wondrous. Get creative and try variations using other fruit such as raspberries or even bananas, with a touch of honey or maple syrup. Have fun and enjoy! Ingredients 300ml double cream 255g fresh strawberries Juice of 1 lemon 115g icing sugar Method Line a loaf tin, or container of a similar size, with clingfilm so it hangs over the edge a few inches on all sides. In a large mixing bowl, whip the cream until firm peaks. Set aside. In a food processor or blender, combine the fruit and lemon juice and puree until smooth. Transfer this to another large bowl and stir in the icing sugar, and then gently fold into the whipped cream, mixing well and removing any large lumps of cream. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, cover with the o...

In these uncertain times, when we can't predict when, or even if, we will ever be able to return to our printed format, we will be posting updates, as and when we receive them, that concern all families in the Rossendale area. Information such as which pre-school and out of school groups are either working online or planning to reopen, plus lots of other useful tips and ideas to welcome and ease you into your "New-Normal" life.