It has been a great 12 months for the Your Call scheme.

More than 10,000 residents have answered the call, becoming part of an ever growing army of volunteers that are striving to make the borough a better place.

I have met many residents who, through their own efforts and with support from the council, have made a huge difference to their local communities. There are many examples of individuals and community groups who have done amazing jobs.

I was delighted to see people turn out on a very windy day to spruce up the town centre in preparation for the Queen’s visit last April.

The volunteers braved the conditions and helped with litter picking, tidying up flower beds, brushing public areas and, armed with buckets and sponges, cleaned up the windows of shops in the town centre.

Another good example of someone who embraces the Your Call ethos is Abdul Rehman. He is a young man who volunteers in Chester Street Mosque. He approached me this year to tell me about his frustration of constantly litter-picking in the area.

We worked together and a new bin has been placed near the mosque. Abdul also leads a team of litter-picking volunteers.

Last year, I also had the pleasure of meeting Harry Blackwell, another resident who fights for his community. Darwen-based Harry took it upon himself to transform overgrown playing fields behind an old school to create a new sports facility for other residents to use.

With council support, Harry has now achieved his aim and a number of sports teams and young people regularly use the site.

Only last week, I helped officially open the borough’s first indoor skate park at the former Blackburn Rovers Sports Academy building (BRSA) near to Darwen Vale School.

It is really a great facility. It has been open for a few months now and I am pleased to see how successful it has been.

The issue of a new facility in the borough was raised with me several times during my Your Agenda meetings.

We didn’t have enough money to build a new one but we worked with young people, worked with partners and found a solution.

This development has truly been Your Call in action. Everyone working together to make the borough better.

My pledge to residents, businesses and other organisations is this: If you come up with an idea, we won’t give you 99 reasons why it can’t be done. We will listen to you, support you and work together to turn that idea into a reality.