AN event which could help shape the future of Salterforth and support the community in their bid for extra funding will be held in the village next month.

The exhibition was originally planned for June 17 this year, but due to the spread of foot and mouth it was postponed.

It will now take place on Sunday, October 7, at Salterforth Baptist Church, when the whole community will be invited to air their views and thoughts about living in the Pendle Parish and their wishes for its development over the coming years.

In the run up to the event local children will be exploring what it is like to live in the village today and their visions of the future through artwork. These will form part of the displays at the community event on October 7.

The Friends of Salterforth group will also put together a display about the past and present of Salterforth with the help of the wider community.

It will be an opportunity for the residents of the village to think about their future needs with the results of the day being compiled in a report which will establish what people's priorities for action are.

Fiona Hanson, treasurer of the Friends of Salterforth, said: "Once we have collected the ideas for developing the village we will put it in to a document form and we will be able to present it to Pendle Council or the National Lotteries Board and say this is what we want funding for.

"Questionnaires will be put through every single door in the village and the children have been given a piece of paper where they can draw how they would like the village to look.

"People may have concerns about the speed of traffic through the village and might want money for traffic calming measures. The children have already asked for a cycle and skating ramp at the bottom of the park and hopefully there will be some money for improving the park."

The event, which will take place between 1pm and 4pm, is a REAL (Rural Evaluation and Action for Lancashire) project. REAL is a partnership involving Community Futures (CCL), the Lancashire Wildlife Trust and Lancashire Co-operative Development Agency which aims to get individuals and groups involved in shaping policies to improve their own quality of life.

It is funded by the National Lotteries Charities Board, Objective 5B of the European Regional Development Fund, the Rural Development Programme and Lancashire Environment Fund.

Anyone living in Salterforth who has something to contribute to the exhibition should contact Fiona Hanson on 01282 812398.