Lathom Parish Council 20 Years On
A culmination of 20 years patient work by the people of Lathom has been rewarded with a host of awards in this year's Lancashire Best Kept Village competition, sponsored by Lancashire County Council and the Lancashire Tourism Partnership. An outstanding achievement, maintaining a balance between the changing nature of agricultural diversification, commercial developments and an environment in which residents and visitors can still enjoy. This, despite constantly growing pressures from the spread of industrial estates, increases in traffic, noise and light pollution.
The peace and tranquillity of Lathom's green fields and open skies afford a wide range of leisure pursuits for discerning visitors and residents, from gently sailing the canals, fishing, walking, cycling, horse riding and golf, camping at the Tawd Vale or Abbey Farm complexes, or just exploring the escalating historical discoveries which are coming to light through the work of the community based Lathom Park Trust, with recent archaeological surveys uncovering Ironage, Roman and Medieval settlements in the Parish.
But where exactly is Lathom? - a question we have all been asked at one time or another. The medieval Lathom Park covers a huge area stretching from parts of Rufford, Bispham, Burscough, Newburgh, Dalton, Westhead, Bickerstaffe, Ormskirk, Skelmersdale and beyond.
The Parish of Lathom, established twenty years ago, whilst covering only a very small proportion of the above, is never-the-less one of the largest parished areas in Lancashire, yet has less than four hundreds scattered dwellings.
It does not have a village centre as such, but over the years the Parish Council has endeavoured to bring a 'sense of place' to Lathom, with the 'Historic Lathom' boundary signage, small landscaping schemes such as opening up the aspect of the aqueduct at Briars Brook, one of the oldest canal structures in England, bulb and tree planting, bus shelters, public seating and improvements to establish focal points such as the War Memorial. In all cases we try to blend these changes into the natural environment, so precious to Lathom.
A notable recent success emanating from efforts twelve years ago by Lathom residents, the Scouts and the Parish Council, was the 2003 Design Award for the landscaped Moss Bridge canal side project. Coupled with this year's Lancashire Best Kept Village Awards, in which Lathom received the Alan Wisdom Trophy as runners up in the small village category, Pilkington's Research Laboratory won the Commercial/Business category, Lathom Park Chapel received Highly Commended Awards as did the Lathom Almshouses, the Lathom War Memorial, and Lathom Park School, there may be evidence of a little progress being made to enhance our local environment.
Recent additions to Lathom's conservation areas bring further encouragement to years of patient determination from the people of Lathom and previous local councillors. The present Lathom Parish Council is determined to continue this process against mounting pressures and threats to our countryside, in many cases taking unpopular decisions on behalf of what we believe to be in the interests of the majority of people who wish to live and work in Lathom.