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AFFORDABLE CHOICE . . . DIRECT CREMATIONS . . . Pre Paid Funeral Plans Available - Ask for details. A BOLTON homeless- ness charity is break- ing new ground by becoming one of the few charity shops in the UK to fea- ture a café that now includes a dairy ice cream parlour. The social enterprise will help raise vital funds to sustain Emmaus Bol- ton’s community home, which accommodates up to 22 formerly homeless individuals, and support a food bank that provides essential supplies to fam- ilies in need. The new ice cream parlour, located within the charity’s existing shops and café space off Fletcher Street in Bolton, offers a variety of 10 fla- vours made by Mrs Dow- sons Dairy Farm. All proceeds from the ice cream sales will directly fund the char- ity’s crucial services, ensuring continued sup- port for those who need it most. Tony Stephenson, director of Emmaus Bol- ton, said: “We wanted to open an ice-cream par- lour to add something fun, new and unique to our courtyard of charity New drive to tackle homelessness BOLTON Museum’s summer exhibition combines art and natural history to celebrate the world of birds. Running until Novem- ber 3, the immersive exhibition ‘Birds of Bol- ton’ offers something for all the family, from cap- tivating wildlife films, drawing activities and trails to a life size hide. The Birds of Bolton exhibition has been inspired by a recent dona- tion of a large collection of sketchbooks by artist and naturalist Eric Gor- ton (1929-2001). Dating from 1947 to 1998, the sketchbooks are the record of a life- long love of birds and other wildlife. Gorton’s drawings cap- ture the rich diversity of Bolton’s bird population showcasing their shapes, colours, behaviours and habitats. T h e wo r k o f TRAIN operator Northern has writ- ten to the heads of 11 schools with a plea to help them tackle what it calls ‘persistent, cal- culated fare evasion’ by students. As the end of the aca- demic year draws near, the train operator says it’s time for headteach- ers to work with them to combat the issue. Turton High School in Bolton is one of the secondary schools that has been sent the letter. Northern says it has written to the heads fol- lowing “a catalogue of incidents” since Septem- ber 2023, including stu- dents travelling without tickets, ticket fraud and anti-social behaviour as well as verbal and physi- cal assaults on conductors and station staff. In a statement it said: “Behaviour at some sta- tions has been so bad that Northern has had to request support from British Transport Police to maintain order.” The 11 secondary schools and acade- mies are spread across Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, Cumbria and North and West Yorkshire. Mark Powles, commer- cial and customer director at Northern, said: “What we’re seeing is persistent, calculated fare evasion. “With secondary school students, fare evasion incidents tend to occur on relatively short jour- neys between rural and suburban stations which are not barrier-controlled. “That, combined with the limited time conduc- tors have to carry out ticket checks, emboldens students to travel without a ticket.” However, in recent months, Northern says incidents have had an increasingly anti-social element to them, with reports of verbal and physical assaults on train crew and station staff. According to reports Turton High has con- tacted Northern and says it believes ticket barriers could resolve the issue. MORE than a dozen extra properties will be leased by Bolton Council to help sup- port people across the borough who would otherwise be fac- ing homelessness. Under the Housing Act, local authorities have a legal responsi- bility to provide temporary accom- modation to those in need. The council has a long-standing arrangement with local housing associations, with several proper- ties set aside on long-term leases to provide temporary accommodation when required. But as councils across the UK face unprecedented demand, Bolton, like many other areas, has been forced to rely on a modest number of hotel rooms and other costly private sector placements in recent months. The council says hotels can cost it £100 a night, compared to £98 a week from a social hous- ing provider. With some leases due for renewal, the local authority is now taking the opportunity to secure 13 additional properties on a long- term basis. It says the move will also allow more individuals or families to stay in a more suitable home environ- ment within the Bolton community. Sue Haworth, the council’s exec- utive cabinet member for regula- tory services and property, said: “The cost-of-living crisis has put household budgets under serious pressure at a time when rent and house prices continue to rise. “Like places across the coun- try, the Bolton borough is seeing a major increase in demand on homelessness support services. “This decision will help ease some of that pressure, reduce our dependence on hotels and other costly placements, and ensure more people can be temporarily accommodated in a home that’s right for them.” Charity has fundraising licked! Ice-one: Susanne Young volunteers at the new parlour RINGING BIRDS TO LIFE Sketches: The work of several artists is on display shops and services. As far as we know, we are the only charity in Bolton serving delicious dairy farm ice-cream! “Like everything we reuse, recycle or upcy- cle in our charity shops, what is raised helps Emmaus Bolton fund a home, support and train- ing for people with expe- rience of homelessness. “Everyone has a role in the community, and some of the people supported here help serve at the ice cream parlour. “So far there has been a great response from our supporters. We’re excited to see new people visiting who are find- ing out what Emmaus homelessness charity does, including how we help the wider commu- nity, from our on-site food bank to our fabric and metal recycling. “Some people are even coming back to try all 10 flavours, which is testi- mony to how tasty Mrs Dowsons Dairy Farm ice-cream is!” Emmaus Bolton pro- vides a home, support and work opportunities to help people move on from homelessness. Residents receive com- prehensive support, including help access- ing healthcare, train- ing, and life skills, all aimed at helping people regain independence and rebuild lives. Additionally, the charity’s food bank, Lucie’s Pantry, serves as a lifeline for 400 local families struggling to make ends meet. Emmaus Bolton volunteer Susanne Young, said: “The ice cream parlour is such a joyful environment to be in. It’s a wonder- ful refurbished extra space to greet people when they come into the charity café, with all the beautiful upcy- cled bunting and fresh colourful walls. “There’s a nice gar- den area to sit outside in the sunshine. What is raised all goes to such a good cause, helping Emmaus support for- merly homeless people to help themselves.” contemporary artists Kirsty Yeomans, Mark Lightowler and Lesley Young is also on display at the exhibition. L e s l ey Young ’s nature-inspired paint- ings are recently gaining traction, with her work also being displayed in Manchester Art Gallery. The immersive exhi- bition offers a wide programme of events, including nature walks and exhibition tours with the museum’s current curator of natural his- tory, a role Eric Gorton previously held. There will also be a series of children’s events and films, art workshops, a poetry evening and sev- eral talks by Russ Hedley from Nature Walks and Talks which will explore Bolton’s birds through local locations. SamElliot, head of ser- vice for Bolton Library and Museum, said: “Eric Gorton spent over 50 years filling sketch- books with the most bril- liant observations of local wildlife, full of wonder, curiosity and surprise. “We hope that by show- casing his art in our sum- mer exhibition we will inspire people to discover Bolton’s natural environ- ments for themselves.” The summer exhibition is free for the public, with no booking required. You must be over the age of 16 to attend the Poetry Night event. To keep up to date with exhibitions visit www.boltonlams. co.uk Train operator’s call to schools over fare evasion