HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KENNY SIMPSON

Kenny Simpson,  good friend and good neighbour to everyone in Petteril Bank, Carlisle, is seventy today

Congratulations, Kenny

Enjoy the day with all your family

And be sure to have lots and lots more birthdays

Thirty of his family and friends entertained Kenny at a surprise seventieth party in the Gosling Bridge. Kingstown Road, Carlisle.
 
Daughter Julie baked a giant truck-shaped  sandwich and cream cake--a reminder of Kenny`s many years spent driving trucks to Afghanistan and many places in the Middle East. Julie`s sister, Joanne was the party organiser.

Back at the family home in Meade Road, Petteril Bank, a large batch of cards arrived, most of them from people in the area Kenny had helped and continues to help.

Everyone in Petteril Bank and  round about knows that Kenny  is always there, plus his car and trailer,  for people to turn to when they have day-to- day problems running their homes.

There were birthday cards too from community transport colleagues- Kenny spends several days a week as a volunteer driver for community buses, taking local groups on days out to the seaside and to other places.

Other birthday cards which arrived  at Meade Road thanked him for his other community work. Kenny  has won awards for environmental work clearing the nearby RiverPetteril.

Then, twenty years ago, he went on to help Carlisle City Council to form a registered  local charity, Carlisle South Community Association  in which he still plays a major par, notably-in the early days of computers- in giving away dozens of second-hand computers to local people

Recently, Carlisle South Community Association has taken the lead, alongside the city council`s  Green Spaces,  in planning big improvements to  Petteril Bank`s Dale End Park play area.

Kenny`s story- and the birthday cards- doesn`t end there.

He is treasurer of  a nearby  community group, Botcherby Forever, and is  also treasurer of a Carlisle-wide community  group, Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation which helps other groups.

Notably at the moment, the Federation is helping Longtown Action for Heat  in fighting the giant  Riverside housing organisation  for affordable heat in the homes of many Riverside tenants in Longtown.