Hello Neighbours,
And happy February! Valentines Day is around the corner; it fills me with dread. I worry that Royal Mail won’t cope with the quantity of cards being sent to me and lose them all… it happens every year. I’m joking, I do get one card (from the cat). But this time of year, romance is marketed very aggressively. It’s natural to want to show people we care. But there are individuals out there who exploit that generosity. Our Romance Fraud pages have useful information if you are worried about a relationship that doesn’t feel quite right.
Also, we need to make an apology. Last week we sent out a message with a special offer for members. But we got a lot of negative feedback. We’ve listened and decided not to send individual alert messages relating to offers from partner and sponsor organisations. As a charity we rely on sponsors to help fund our work, keep membership free and provide value for our membership. So, in future, we’ll be sharing offers in our newsletter and on our website.
In this issue

• Free training to tackle business and retail crime
• New police reforms announced
• The Super Neighbours Academy for young people
• Spotlight: Cheshire ​

Readers are invited to enjoy the latest news from VIC (Veterans In Communities). Further updates and information are shared regularly on VIC’s Facebook page and group.
For those who require hard copies of the newsletter, the VIC team can be contacted on 01706 833180.
Copies of all newsletters and the latest news are also available for download from the VIC website. Both the website and Facebook page are regularly updated, providing more information on VIC’s services and activities.
VIC thanks everyone for their continued support.

​You'll already know that last year, Government set out plans to replace Lancashire’s existing councils with new unitary councils, each responsible for delivering all local services. To support this, councils across Lancashire were asked to put forward ideas for how reorganisation could work.

We are pleased to invite you to attend the KETA-WHAT? Conference, taking place on Wednesday 18th March 2026 at Invisibles Lounge, Blackburn Rovers Football Club (BB2 4JF).

This conference will explore the use of ketamine in Lancashire, its impact on individuals, communities and services, and how we can work together to prevent harm and raise awareness of associated risks. The event brings together professionals, community organisations, educators, health services and people with lived experience to share insight, challenge misconceptions and strengthen local responses.

· ELCAP Ltd awarded £5,000 grant.
· Funding will support work on a radio advertising campaign.
· PAT Testing day will be held at the radio studios.

​Interwoven Histories: Urdu, Persian and the Raj, developed in partnership with Folkloristan at Nelson Library on Wednesday 4th February 5.30-7pm, the launch event will include a chance to chat with Komal Salman from the Folkloristan project via a zoom link and also feature a spoken word performance by Ayman J Sabir!

NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB has published its Male Suicide Prevention Engagement Report, sharing powerful insights gathered from men and communities across the region.
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Why this matters
Male suicide remains the leading cause of death for men under 49 in the UK. This report highlights the urgent need to tackle stigma, rethink how support is promoted, and recognise that men do communicate — just differently.

​Welcome To Your February Community Bulletin

 We produce a monthly bulletin with our health and community partners to keep you updated on the community support and activities happening across Rossendale. This includes information from our community groups, events, health information, grants and community training opportunities. We hope you will find the bulletin useful.

​All published Community Bulletins are available on our website - Community Bulletins Feel free to share the bulletin with friends, community groups and on your own social media. If you have any information that you would like to share in our next bulletin, or you would like to be added to the e-mail distribution list, email us at [email protected]

Pendleside Hospice are holding an Iftar celebration 

Tuesday 3rd March 2026: 5.30pm
Nelson and Colne College