THE first meeting of a residents group set up to fight for the people of Padiham took place last night.

POPAG, or the People of Padiham Action Group, is the brainchild of local man Mark Shaw.

Mr Shaw, 41, has lived in Padiham all his life, and says he is fed up with the way the town has changed over the years.

Now he hopes to put together a community group, involving all members of the community, from disabled groups to youngsters.

Speaking at a public meeting last night he said: "I remember as a kid the activities we used to get up to as a community.

"Now our children are bored. There is nothing to do for them, so what is our future? I think we need to unite as a community and deal with it ourselves.

"My ultimate vision is to have a community group with representatives from all the community, rather than just having local groups getting their own funding.

"We can involve the schools, the churches, the old folks homes and disabled people, and bring us together as a community."

The inaugural meeting took place at a packed Padiham Town Hall.

Mr Shaw outlined his plans for the group, and urged locals to sign up to help out, as members of a committee, or just as volunteers.

So far the group has a website up and running, and Mr Shaw hopes the group, once off the ground, can start to make changes around the town. He plans to include a community centre, activities for children, and a large scale public event, possibly marking the Summer Solstice.

After the meeting he said: "I want people to think what I talked about. I'm urging our community to take our own direction into our own future.

"The people who have come obviously want to get involved with the community. The wouldn't have come here just to listen to me!"

POPAG can be contacted by post at PO Box 395, Padiham BB12 7WW, on the Internet at www.papag.co.uk or by phone on 01282 712 240.