Orrell News

Orrell Scarecrow Trail 2025

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 08:17:48 GMT

Are you ready to join The Orrell Scarecrow Trail 2025?

The countdown has begun!

Would you believe it's time for this year's Orrell Scarecrow Trail?

Where has the time gone! But after last year's overwhelming success, here we go again...

The Orrell Scarecrow Trail is open to all. Pubs, businesses, individual households, nurseries, schools, colleges, groups and churches are all welcome to design and build their own scarecrow.

There are no strict rules and no theme. The sky's the limit, so just let your imaginations soar. Some may choose to craft traditional straw-stuffed figures dressed in check shirts and floppy hats, while others may take inspiration from pop culture, fairy tales, films, local legends, or current events. You decide!

Tips for Making Your Own Scarecrow

Begin with a sturdy base — wooden stakes or bamboo poles work well.
Use old clothes, hats, and scarves to dress your scarecrow in style.
Stuff the body with straw, newspaper, or any other material you have on hand.
Draw, paint or sew on a friendly face -and don't forget a lovely, big, welcoming smile
Name your scarecrow

Our aim is to spread lots of fun and community spirit, and make this a great activity for all, whether making a scarecrow, which will keep children busy over the next couple of weeks, or walking around the trail spotting the individual characters.

Displays to start going up from 22nd August and judging will take place after the 6th September. This year there will be prizes for the judge's favourite and runner-up, and also the "People's Choice", or the scarecrow that gets the most likes on Facebook!

If you are entering, don't forget to let us know where your scarecrows will be displayed so we can plot the Scarecrow Trail on a map, around Orrell and Billinge, for everyone to follow

Easter In Orrell 2025

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 13:51:32 GMT

The Orrell Easter Egg-stravaganza

This year, we are really egg -cited to be holding a joint fun-filled Easter event with Greenslate Farm.

Taking place over TWO days, it will start on Good Friday, 18th April with the Easter Pebble Hunt. 30 decorated and numbered pebbles will be egg -spertly hidden around Orrell and Billinge Higher End by the Easter Bunny and his helpers. Clues of where to find them will be posted on our Facebook page on the Friday morning . If you are able to ‘crack’ one of the clues and find a pebble then let us know. Simply post a photo with the number of the pebble, and where you discovered it.

But please remember the egg -stra special rule!

Only ONE pebble per child to claim ONE egg -cellent Easter Egg!

Then, come to Greenslate Farm on Saturday 19th April, 11am–2pm to claim your prize from the Easter Bunny himself!

If you miss the main hunt? Don’t worry – there’ll be a few more sneaky pebbles, including a special GOLDEN pebble hidden along the Bunny Trail at the farm!

While you’re there, you can enjoy:

Lots of egg -straordinary children’s crafts – including bunny masks, Easter cards, book marks, decorations and Easter bonnets!!
Face painting
A tombola with plenty of chances to win even more Easter eggs!
And don’t forget the egg -citing raffle with lots of cracking prizes!

The Pebble Hunt and some of the children’s crafts are FREE.

The Bunny Trail and Quiz will be £1, ALL proceeds to Greenslate Farm

The face painting will be £1, ALL proceeds to Greenslate Farm

Tombola will be £1, ALL proceeds to Brighter Better Orrell (BBO)

Raffle is £2 per strip of tickets, proceeds to be shared between BBO and Greenslate Farm

So please support us and Greenslate Farm

Just hop along and join the fun – it’s going to be egg-stremely good!

Please bring cash!

And here are the clues! Happy hunting!

Some of our pebble finders!

Peter Rabbit even made an appearance outside The Little Green Platter Company

And finally, The Easter Event and Bunny Trail at Greenslate Farm

EASTER AT GREENSLATE FARM

This was a really successful first joint event between Brighter Better Orrell and Greenslate Farm .

A big thank you to the Greenslate girls and Gary, the BBO volunteers, Co-op Lea Green RDC for their generosity donating the Easter eggs and our local Councillors help in supporting the event with Brighter Borough funding.

A big shout out to our TWO Easter bunnies too!

Well done to those who managed to find one of the bonus Easter pebbles at the farm today. Including little Isla who found our Golden pebble

And finally a big thanks to the community for turning up and making it a big success. All money raised by us at BBO will go into keeping our community clean and green, and all money raised by Greenslate Farm will go towards looking after their animals

We hope everyone who came along enjoyed it

The Great British Spring Clean 2025

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 17:24:17 GMT

Join The Great British Spring Clean in Orrell

The Great British Spring Clean returns from 21st March – 6th April 2025! Once again we will be organising community litter picks in and around Orrell and Billinge, and we need your help to keep our beautiful community and green spaces litter-free! Please join one of our organised community litter picks. or gather your own group – we have all the equipment you need!

Organised Community Litter Picks:

�� Sunday, 23rd March ⏰ 10:00 am – 11:30 am
�� Park Road - meet in Bag and Bean car park, Winstanley Road
�� We’ll be cleaning along the Park Road and the adjacent fields.

and

�� Sunday, 6th April ⏰ 11:00 am – 12 midday
�� Orrell Road, along the footpath to Edgehall Road. There will be two groups, and the pick will start from both ends of the path. One group will meet at the corner of East Mount, and the other at the top of Edgehall Road
�� We’ll be cleaning along the footpath and adjacent green spaces.

All equipment will be provided—just dress appropriately for the weather and wear sturdy shoes!

or

Organise Your Own Litter Pick!

We are encouraging local community groups, schools, and residents to host their own litter picks. We have all the equipment you need and are happy to advise on locations that could use a little extra care. Get in touch to get involved!

Let’s work together to keep Orrell clean and green! ��

Last year we collected over 50 bags of litter and various items of fly tip. This year we have pledged to pick at least 60 bags of litter.

Will you join us to protect the places we love and keep Orrell free from litter? Every one taking part in either a community litter picks, or one of your own, will be entered into our monthly Litter Lottery where you can win a cash prize! More details to follow.

Find out more about The Great British Spring Clean here: Keep Britain Tidy

#KeepBritainTidy

#CommunityCleanup

#GreatBritishSpringClean

Halloween Competition 2024

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 18:34:30 GMT

Take a Look at our Halloween Competition Photo Gallery

Judging will take place after 31st October

"Witch" is your favourite?

Orrell Scarecrow Trail 2024

Sat, 03 Aug 2024 14:41:09 GMT

Join in with The Orrell Scarecrow Trail 2024!

Would you believe that it's 3 years since the last Orrell Scarecrow Trail!

Where has the time gone! But here we go again...

This year, there is no theme, so it's your choice. We just want to spread some community spirit and make this a fun activity for all.

Displays to start going up just before the weekend of 24th August and judging will be after the weekend of 31st August

Don't forget to l et us know where your scarecrows will be displayed so we can plot the Scarecrow Trail on a map, around Orrell and Billinge, for everyone to follow

Easter in Orrell 2024

Tue, 19 Mar 2024 17:48:16 GMT

Happy Easter Everyone!

This is a summary of our 'egg-straordinary' events from the weekend

There was an 'egg-citing' Easter Pebble Hunt

25 Easter themed, painted pebbles, with Brighter Better Orrell stickers on the back, were placed around Orrell and Billinge Higher End ready for the hunt on Good Friday. Clues were posted on our Facebook page to help find the pebbles, and each pebble found was exchanged for a large Easter egg.

The only rules were to be kind and only one pebble per child.

Some of our 'egg-static' winners!

We also had an 'cracking' visit from the Easter Bunny, and Peter Rabbit!

And decorated the area with 'eggs-cellent' painted eggs and lights!

Mental Health and Wellbeing Support

Mon, 19 Feb 2024 21:39:35 GMT

HERE TO HELP

Things can feel very difficult at times but support is available and you are not alone.

Here are a range of services in Wigan and Leigh that can support you with your mental wellbeing, including self-help resources .....

Mental Health and Wellbeing support

There are more organisations you can access to help you improve your mental health and wellbeing. Support is available for:

To find out more, click on the link below:

Random Act of Kindness Day. 17th February 2024

Mon, 19 Feb 2024 18:36:20 GMT

Random Act of Kindness Day, 17th February 2024.

Over the weekend Brighter Better Orrell volunteers delivered 130 bunches of daffodils to nominated and deserving members of our community.

Thank you to all the volunteers, especially the children, who helped deliver daffodils over the last couple of days, to celebrate Random Act of Kindness Day. It was lovely to see so many smiling faces and to meet lots of lovely people. I know there were some tears shed as well!

We couldn’t have done this without the kind and generous donation from Adam at Hills Florist .

Warm, Welcoming Spaces

Sun, 28 Jan 2024 17:04:46 GMT

Warm, welcoming spaces have been set up in some of Orrell and Up Holland''s libraries and churches. These are safe places you can visit to stay warm and see a friendly face, free of charge and without judgement. Each of them are slightly different in what they offer, but you’ll always be met with warmth, kindness and a friendly welcome.

See below for details of some of the "Warm Spaces" in Orrell and Up Holland:

To find out more, click on the link below:

Happy To Chat Bench

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 15:26:48 GMT

On World Mental Health Day this year, 10th October 2023, we launched an appeal for a "Happy to Chat Bench", with the aim of helping combat loneliness and encouraging conversations within our community .

This will be the first bench of its kind, not only in Orrell, but in the whole of Wigan and Leigh.

What is a "Happy to Chat Bench"?

A Happy to Chat bench is a seat that encourages people to engage in conversations with strangers or acquaintances. They are often placed in an area to promote social interaction and combat loneliness. The idea is that by providing a designated space for conversation, people may be more likely to start a chat with someone they wouldn't usually interact. It's a simple but effective way to foster community and human connection.

Did you know?

In 2022, 49.63% of adults (25.99 million people) in the UK reported feeling lonely occasionally, sometimes, often or always.

Approximately 7.1% of people in Great Britain (3.83 million) experience chronic loneliness, meaning they feel lonely, often or always.

Why do we want a "Happy to Chat Bench" in Orrell?

Here are some reasons for having a Happy to Chat bench:

It will encourage face-to-face conversation, fostering social interaction and reducing feelings of isolation.
It will promote a sense of community by bringing people together and building friendships
It will provide an opportunity for people to share their thoughts and feelings, potentially improving mental and emotional well-being.
It will provide an inclusive space where people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities can engage, promoting diversity and tolerance.
Conversations on the chatting bench will serve as a stress-relief mechanism, allowing individuals to express their concerns.
It will be a place for sharing local knowledge, stories, and information.
It will be particularly beneficial for our older residents and those living alone, as it will combat loneliness and provide a sense of belonging.

Overall, the Happy to Chat bench will enhance the quality of life in our community by building connections and providing a space for conversation.

We plan to site the first bench on Church Street, outside Living Faith Church, but the more funds we raise, the more benches we can purchase and place around our village.

Please help us, and support our appeal by donating to our crowdfunder page, link below:

Orrell Lavender 2023

Sat, 30 Sep 2023 13:37:30 GMT

Once again we have our very own ‘Orrell Lavender’ for you to buy!

Over the past few weeks, the lavender from the large lavender plants at Orrell Post gardens and our other plots and planters in the area, has been harvested, dried and bagged up, and is now ready for sale at just £1 per bag. The lavender will be available to buy at "Beyond Beauty", St James' Road, "The Little Green Platter Company", Church Street, or by sending a message to one of the committee.

Why not treat yourself? It smells amazing and is an ideal stocking filler, keeps moths at bay, improves memory, and helps aid relaxation and sleep.

All monies raised goes back into making Orrell and the surrounding areas brighter and better.

Knitted Poppy Project, 2023

Sat, 30 Sep 2023 10:51:46 GMT

Can you knit or crochet?

Would you like to help the BBO team create a display of hundreds of beautiful poppies to decorate our village, as a mark of respect, for Remembrance Day?

If you answered yes to both these questions, and you haven't already started, there is still time for you to do so.

To help, here is a simple knitting pattern:

And a simple crochet pattern:

Please knit, or crochet, as many poppies as you can before Friday 27th October , when we will be collecting them at The Connect Centre, Living Faith Church , and joining them together.

We are hoping as many people as possible can help with this part of the preparation between 4pm and 7pm .

Food Bank Donation Site

Tue, 26 Sep 2023 12:30:12 GMT

“Help others without any reason and give without the expectation of receiving anything in return.”
― Roy T. Bennett,

Orrell Food Bank Donation Site at the Living Faith Church Post Office

Our Food Bank donation site, at the Living Faith Church Post Office, has been running since March 2020, and is open for donations ONLY every Tuesday and Thursday, 9am to 12pm. The food you donate goes to Wigan Council's Service Delivery Footprint at the SWAN Hub, in the Clifton Street Community Centre. This covers Bryn, Winstanley, Worsley Mesnes and Orrell. The donations are passed onto The Storehouse Project and Tom's Pantry, who provide emergency food parcels for adults and families in need.

The Food is collected on average every two to three weeks by ex-Councillor Michael Winstanley and is delivered directly to the community centre.

We thank you in anticipation of any support you can give us, especially when many families have found the current financial burden very difficult.

If you need help and support, whether it's just a listening ear or more practical help with issues around housing or helping with bills, please don't struggle alone. You will find a lot of help on Wigan Councils website, link below.

Brighter Better Beautiful Orrell!

brighterbetterorrell (Gillian Eyre) — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 14:28:55 GMT

Help us to keep on creating a Brighter Better more Beautiful Orrell for every resident!

This is a special message from Brighter Better Orrell

We hope you have been enjoying the improvements in Orrell and its borders. We are inspired by your comments of support and this helps to drive us forward in our quest to make a Brighter Better Orrell.

As you will probably be aware, as well as the ground work we do, we work hard to secure grants and funding but much of this money is attached to specific projects. You can see below some of the current larger projects for which we have secured funding:

* An archway into Holgate Park

* A concrete all weather table tennis table for the park

* A new notice board for Orrell Post

All other monies are funded by ourselves in the community, therefore we are asking if any members wish to donate money by sponsoring the buying of certain items listed below, this will help to keep our work sustainable.

100 native bluebells £30
100 native daffodil bulbs £39
50 crocus bulbs £10
£12 - £16 for 10 native plug plants; Red Poppy, Cowslips, Saxifrage, Corn Cockle, cornflower, St John's Wort; Meadow Cranesbill; Musk Mallow; Oxeye Daises; Teasel; Primroses; Red Clover; Wild Thyme.
Peat free compost £6.99 or 2 for £12
Mulch £12 per 100 litres

Any monies donated will be kept in a separate fund purely for planting in the community.

We would like to thank you in advance for "investing" to continue to make Orrell Brighter and Better!

Thank you

Gillian Eyre (Chair)

Pumpkin Carving!

brighterbetterorrell (Gillian Eyre) — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 14:50:48 GMT

Please upload all your Pumpkin Pictures to the Facebook page so we can include them in our gallery

The Great Big Orrell Coffee Morning.

brighterbetterorrell (Gillian Eyre) — Tue, 24 Aug 2021 12:01:05 GMT

Orrell will come together with a combined effort to raise as much as possible for Macmillan Coffee Morning on 18th September 2021.

We are asking our schools, churches, groups and businesses to pool our resources and add to our great big Just Giving page for this charity that has done so much for Cancer patients in the past and will continue to do in the future.

Please get together with friends and family to raise some money. Attend organised events and put your raised funds into our Orrell pot. Advertise your event on our page and send in photos of what you are doing.

We can do this !!!

Support us Here -

Orrell Scarecrow Trail

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 20:49:40 GMT

Join in with our unique Scarecrow Trail fundraising event!

Who can believe it's Scarecrow Trail Time again!

Where has the time gone! Here goes...

The theme is any film, there is so much to choose from such as an old classic movie or a Disney film. From a single character to a full film set.

Displays to start going up on the weekend of 23rd May and judging will be after the 6th June.

Don't forget to let us know where your scarecrows will be displayed so we can plot a Scarecrow Trail on map around Orrell for everyone to follow

Easter Stroll

brighterbetterorrell (Gillian Eyre) — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 10:27:34 GMT

Join Our Easter Family Stroll with Easter Eggs and quiz!

Everyone at BBO would like to see our families out enjoying the beautiful village during the Easter Weekend.

We have so much to be thankful for and celebrate, therefore we are organising a Easter Egg Walking Quiz around the area. This will be a fun quiz with an Easter Egg trail included for the little ones.

We will be offering Easter Fun Bags for £4.00 each . These need to be ordered by the 8th March so that we can guarantee delivery. The children will also receive an Easter Egg on completion of the route and quiz.

The walk can be taken anytime during Easter Saturday and Easter Monday between the hours of 10am and 4pm .

You do not need to do it all on one day, you can split it over the two days as long as you hand in a completed quiz sheet at the finish line to collect your Egg.

We are currently organising the route map and this will be added to your Easter Fun Bag.

Please contact us to order your bags. These proved to be very popular when we did them for Halloween, so remember to get your order in as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

February Friendliness "Hearts of Hope"

brighterbetterorrell (Gillian Eyre) — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 08:41:33 GMT

“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.”

– Princess Diana

Friendly February Random Acts of Kindness

During the w eek 13th to 21st February , Orrell residents are asked to decorate their houses, businesses and churches to symbolise Friendly February and Hearts of Hope .

During this week the committee have been delivering parcels of cheer to residents and they are asked to pass on the cheer and bring a smile to people's faces during these difficult days.

As part of this event we are asking Orrell to help us raise funds for a very important local charity, this can be accessed through the support us button at the top of the page.

We hope to raise £500 over the Spring and will start a new charity every season.

Thank you.

Please take a few moments to view our Gallery Of Kindness

Our Community Rose garden

brighterbetterorrell (Gillian Eyre) — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 11:59:34 GMT

We are proud of our Community Rose Garden.

"Gardening adds years to your life and life to your years."

Help us build a Brighter Better Rainbow

brighterbetterorrell (Gillian Eyre) — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 04:45:59 GMT

Join the Brighter Better Orrell 'Friendly February Campaign' any profits and donations will go to our designated charity for this period

We have 100 wooden and 100 red acrylic hearts on order. These will be on sale for £2.00 each and any profits will go to The Rainbow Hub which will run until the end of April.

We will decorate two trees in the village with hearts as a message of hope to us all and remind us to be kind.

We hope you will start to make your own hearts, decorate your windows, gardens, etc. You can knit some, crochet some, make mobiles, dream catchers, etc. It is a time to be creative with your families over half term.

On Saturday and Sunday mornings 13th and 14th February we will be randomly delivering some heart wrapped biscuits, and other small heart-related gifts to some of the doorsteps of Orrell and asking people to pass a few on to share the kindness.

If you can help with the making, or delivering of these items, or be an ambassador for your small area, please let us know, via the form on our website, or DM us.

Thank you.

Who will your kindness be helping?

Rainbow Hub is a charity whose unique and diverse services are brightening the lives of disabled children & young people, as well as their families.

You can learn more about the life-changing work they do, every day,by clicking over to their Facebook page . You can also support this charity by making a donation on the BBO Just Giving Page.

Thank you

Lockdown Photography Competition - and the winners are!

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 16:09:15 GMT

"My Lockdown" Photo Competition - Winners Announced 23rd February 2021

1st Place - Image 13

"Two Brothers on Billinge Hill

Pam Power

2nd Place - Image 66

"Dancing in the Street"

Catherine Lucas

3rd Place - Image 19

"New DIY Skills"

Michelle Slater

"Mum's Lockdown Birthday"

Collette O'Connor

"My Lockdown" Photo Competition Winners

Brighter Better Orrell's first photography competition was launched on our Facebook page, on Tuesday 19th January 2021, and proved to be very popular.

There were over 100 entries, many of which were of a very high standard and a brilliant effort by everyone. The judging for this competition was by the committee based on which were their favourites and best represented the theme of "My Lockdown". It proved to be a very difficult choice but we got there in the end!

Thank you to all who took part and look out for further competitions in the future!

See the photo gallery below for all the entries.

A Land of Snow and Ice

brighterbetterorrell (Gillian Eyre) — Tue, 29 Dec 2020 13:02:12 GMT

Magical images of our beautiful village during Christmas 2020

Remembrance Photographs

brighterbetterorrell (Gillian Eyre) — Sat, 07 Nov 2020 17:12:36 GMT

Remembrance memories Orrell 2020

Some reflections from Orrell during the pandemic, we still stop and give our respect to our fallen heroes.

Remembrance Sunday

Fri, 06 Nov 2020 12:43:17 GMT

The guns of the First World War fell silent on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918, after the Armistice was signed, marking the end of the years-long war.

Remembrance Sunday will soon be upon us, allowing Britain to unite in appreciation for the fallen who fought during the two world wars.

Usually an army of volunteers work around the clock to make the November date special for veterans, serving troops, families and younger generations alike with a host of ceremonies and events.

This year will be very different.

Elected Council members will make arrangements for wreaths to be placed at local cenotaphs. Individual churches may have the own services and with the necessary risk assessments and following the latest COVID guidance.

The council is encouraging schools to display poppy signs in their windows

For further information visit www.wigan.gov.uk/Council/Armed-Forces/in-dex.as

Brighter Better Orrell want to remember those who lost their lives and will be supporting and promoting poppies being displayed in windows across Orrell.

Skils CIC are working very hard to make a poppy wave using plastic bottles and have written to local schools asking if they would help to make poppies for the wave which we hope to place outside the living faith church.

The poppy wave will be promoted building up to the 8th and the BBO committee and members are joining in with making poppies.

They are going to make a big poppy arrangement to display in Orrell.

We would like to make as many poppies as possible using empty plastic bottles and so a few of us will be having a go as well .

This is a good time to ensure that we encourage bottle recycling, but with the ones used for poppies, once made, we hope they can be stored and reused the following year. We are posting in advance to ensure there is time between now and Remembrance Sunday to get this underway. Please join us.

Click the image to learn how!

A just giving page will also be put onto the BBO site so that people can if they wish donate to the British Legion.

You can also donate directly by clicking the image below

Share Your Story

There will be many people who have stories to tell about the war, passed onto them by relatives. There will be others who experienced the second World War who can provide their stories and experiences of the war.

We will be asking for local peoples stories and photos to put onto the site and to add to the message board for the weekend of the 8th

If you have a story to share. please get in touch today and let us know →

Can you crotchet or knit?

Bored and enjoy crafting. Then why not make a poppy and we can ask people to donate to the Legion if they buy a homemade poppy.

War heroes comes in all shapes and sizes—and species.

You know dogs and horses have served in the military since antiquity, but there are also other species that rose to the occasion with training, loyalty, and bravery. Here are the stories of just a few animal war heroes who represent their species well.

Sgt. Stubby - Hero Dog of World War I

There are so many ways you can support the Royal British Legion this year.

Here is a great way to show your support. Download the poster today or why not download a poppy to colour in and display in your window (I know I will!)

Halloween Competition Winners

brighterbetterorrell (Gillian Eyre) — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 20:33:41 GMT

Halloween 2020 in Orrell.

Best dressed house competition winners

With so many wonderful entries it was very hard for the committee to come up with the best 3

Our facebook page became a explosion of colour when our entries started to flood in and we were overwhelmed at the effort Orrell residents made to help the children enjoy a different Halloween this year, due to Covid restrictions. Here are our winning entries.

Thank you for everyone who took the time and effort to decorate their houses, we really appreciate what you have done to brighten the village and to help the little ones enjoy Halloween.

These are the winners of the best dressed boys and girls

These are the winners of the colouring competition

Ghouls Gallery

brighterbetterorrell (Gillian Eyre) — Sat, 31 Oct 2020 18:26:40 GMT

Take a tour around this Ghoulish Gallery of The Orrell Halloween Trail

We will be adding more and more images over the next few days so please keep posting on the Brighter Better Orrell Facebook Page

Please click any image to enlarge it.

BIG BULB PLANT

Wed, 14 Oct 2020 10:00:15 GMT

Orrell's first ever Big bulb plant was launched on 11th October

Over 4000 bulbs have were ordered and planted in our community.

The areas we have covered are Moor Road, The Grapes, "Suzanne's garden", Gathurst Road, Derwent Road, Orrell Post gardens, Winstanley Road, Linden Walk, the railway bridge between Station Avenue and Vicarage Road, Moss Road, the bottom of Smethurst. Thanks to all our volunteers.

We have planted for HOPE in the Spring for ORRELL.

PUMPKIN TRAIL

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 10:00:15 GMT

Many of you will have noticed the enthusiasm of some of our members to organise a Pumpkin trail, we are delighted that Megan and Danielle agreed to organise this with the support of the BBO committee.

Megan and Danielle have stepped up and are helping us to fulfil our dreams for the BBO, which is, that Orrell residents will own our group and take on the organisation of more community events.

We are all well aware of Covid restrictions and these will be adhered to throughout this event. Thank you.

Embrace the spirit of the occasion

2020 has been a notoriously difficult year and so many families throughout the country have been through the toughest times imaginable as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our aim for the Orrell Pumpkin Trail was to create a little light and fun in these dark times for the younger ones in our local community who have been so resilient and tough through it all.

It became apparent very quickly that everyone contributing any efforts to this Pumpkin Trail wanted to raise more than just a little smile and this was the perfect chance for us to do that and recognise those who have had to be extra tough or have been shielding for months.

We were approached by someone who holds the Cystic Fibrosis Trust very close to see if we would consider them in our fundraising through the Pumpkin Trail and as we were made aware of this organisation it was clear we had to support them.

We had also been considering those little ones who have been heroes themselves and maybe aren’t as in as fortunate a position as other families and wanted to pay it forward at a time of year where children are looking forward to a visit from Father Christmas �� too - and wanted to make sure that we could at least get them some Christmas pyjamas to celebrate the day in. That’s why we chose the Storehouse Project as our other local charity.

Our fundraising efforts will also go towards some lovely new Christmas pyjamas that the wonderful people at the Storehouse Project will pass to those children more in need this Winter.

We want to thank everyone who has already ordered a goody bag or donated their time or contributed in some little way already to the Pumpkin Trail fundraising efforts.

Thank you Megan

Please support our charities

Get involved and help

Pumpkin "Alert" below are some of the roads covered by the route of our trail, for our little ones of the village. Please try to add some Halloween magic to your homes if you live or have a business on any of these roads.

These roads are part of quieter planned routes to take you, as families, off the main roads , they are circular and all less than a mile in length. Maps will be added early in the week leading up to Halloween.

Orrell Post
West Mount
East Mount
Orrell Road
Moor Road
Millcroft Road
Delphside Road
Sandbrook Road
Sefton Road
Lodge Road
Greenways
Willard Ave
Tracks Lane
Upholland Road down to Sandy Lane
Wilsham Road
Naburn Drive
Edgehall Road
Church Street

Some extra roads added via our members.

WINSTANLEY ROAD IS ALREADY DECORATED AND THEY PLAN TO HAVE THEIR OWN "Garden dances".

Please remember with Covid restrictions we should not be gathering and we strongly recommend you to keep to the the safer routes planned off the main road. Recently a traffic survey was done on Winstanley Road and the minimum speed recorded was still over the 30 mile an hour limit and the highest score recorded was 109 miles per hour (yes unbelievable i know but the committee it with their own eyes). This is not a safe route in the evening, when it's dark and it not part of the planned routes, just one of the extra roads like the ones below who have been added by members of our facebook page.

Wallbrook Ave
St James' Road
Redwood Avenue
Mersey Road
Below are some businesses joining in the fun.
England's colouring competition
Pipdsqueaks Play Cafe and Orrell Road
Beyond Beauty
Muffin Man
Running Horses
The Flower Pot
Katie's Beauty
Borron Shaw
The Old Bank

.

Wed, 20 Nov 2019 11:26:52 GMT

Together

we can make this Christmas Special

Orrell News

Orrell Scarecrow Trail 2025

Are you ready to join The Orrell Scarecrow Trail 2025?

The countdown has begun!

If you are entering, don't forget to let us know where your scarecrows will be displayed so we can plot the Scarecrow Trail on a map, around Orrell and Billinge, for everyone to follow

Easter In Orrell 2025

The Orrell Easter Egg-stravaganza

And here are the clues! Happy hunting!

Some of our pebble finders!

Peter Rabbit even made an appearance outside The Little Green Platter Company

And finally, The Easter Event and Bunny Trail at Greenslate Farm

EASTER AT GREENSLATE FARM

The Great British Spring Clean 2025

Join The Great British Spring Clean in Orrell

Organised Community Litter Picks:

or

Organise Your Own Litter Pick!

Halloween Competition 2024

Take a Look at our Halloween Competition Photo Gallery

Judging will take place after 31st October

"Witch" is your favourite?

Orrell Scarecrow Trail 2024

Join in with The Orrell Scarecrow Trail 2024!

Don't forget to l et us know where your scarecrows will be displayed so we can plot the Scarecrow Trail on a map, around Orrell and Billinge, for everyone to follow

Easter in Orrell 2024

Happy Easter Everyone!

This is a summary of our 'egg-straordinary' events from the weekend

There was an 'egg-citing' Easter Pebble Hunt

Some of our 'egg-static' winners!

We also had an 'cracking' visit from the Easter Bunny, and Peter Rabbit!

And decorated the area with 'eggs-cellent' painted eggs and lights!

Mental Health and Wellbeing Support

HERE TO HELP

Mental Health and Wellbeing support

Random Act of Kindness Day. 17th February 2024

Random Act of Kindness Day, 17th February 2024.

Over the weekend Brighter Better Orrell volunteers delivered 130 bunches of daffodils to nominated and deserving members of our community.

Warm, Welcoming Spaces

See below for details of some of the "Warm Spaces" in Orrell and Up Holland:

To find out more, click on the link below:

Happy To Chat Bench

On World Mental Health Day this year, 10th October 2023, we launched an appeal for a "Happy to Chat Bench", with the aim of helping combat loneliness and encouraging conversations within our community .

This will be the first bench of its kind, not only in Orrell, but in the whole of Wigan and Leigh.

What is a "Happy to Chat Bench"?

Why do we want a "Happy to Chat Bench" in Orrell?

Orrell Lavender 2023

Once again we have our very own ‘Orrell Lavender’ for you to buy!

Why not treat yourself? It smells amazing and is an ideal stocking filler, keeps moths at bay, improves memory, and helps aid relaxation and sleep.

All monies raised goes back into making Orrell and the surrounding areas brighter and better.

Knitted Poppy Project, 2023

Can you knit or crochet?

Would you like to help the BBO team create a display of hundreds of beautiful poppies to decorate our village, as a mark of respect, for Remembrance Day?

If you answered yes to both these questions, and you haven't already started, there is still time for you to do so.

﻿

To help, here is a simple knitting pattern:

And a simple crochet pattern:

Please knit, or crochet, as many poppies as you can before Friday 27th October , when we will be collecting them at The Connect Centre, Living Faith Church , and joining them together.

We are hoping as many people as possible can help with this part of the preparation between 4pm and 7pm .

Food Bank Donation Site

“Help others without any reason and give without the expectation of receiving anything in return.” ― Roy T. Bennett,

Orrell Food Bank Donation Site at the Living Faith Church Post Office

Brighter Better Beautiful Orrell!

Help us to keep on creating a Brighter Better more Beautiful Orrell for every resident!

Pumpkin Carving!

The Great Big Orrell Coffee Morning.

Orrell will come together with a combined effort to raise as much as possible for Macmillan Coffee Morning on 18th September 2021.

Orrell Scarecrow Trail

Join in with our unique Scarecrow Trail fundraising event!

Don't forget to let us know where your scarecrows will be displayed so we can plot a Scarecrow Trail on map around Orrell for everyone to follow

Easter Stroll

Join Our Easter Family Stroll with Easter Eggs and quiz!

February Friendliness "Hearts of Hope"

“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.”

Friendly February Random Acts of Kindness

Our Community Rose garden

We are proud of our Community Rose Garden.

Help us build a Brighter Better Rainbow

Join the Brighter Better Orrell 'Friendly February Campaign' any profits and donations will go to our designated charity for this period

Who will your kindness be helping?

Rainbow Hub is a charity whose unique and diverse services are brightening the lives of disabled children & young people, as well as their families.

“Help others without any reason and give without the expectation of receiving anything in return.”
― Roy T. Bennett,