Community Development

Providing Opportunites

Community development will be at the heart of what we do at Cambridgeshire Partnerships. Over the past 12 months our team has been working hard to build lasting relationships with people living in or near the three new development sites in Cambridgeshire, keeping them up to date on recent developments and community initiatives.

In the year 07/08 bpha’s New Initiatives Manager, Gill Wilding and her team succeeded in raising £183,500 from a mix of government, partnerships, trusts, corporate and lottery sources specifically for community development work at bpha.

Community development is all about people and our purpose is to bring them together, to look at issues that are important to them and their communities and to work with them to create positive change. In creating brand new communities it’s not just about creating change but, in the early days in particular, is also about managing change.

We are very aware that new communities are not created in isolation. Existing communities may be some distance away or may be just over the road, but whatever the distance, residents will want to have their say in the long and complex planning process. These residents are, of course, the REAL experts and can make significant contributions. We will work with those communities and will use the influence that we have to help all stakeholders to create and maintain facilities that will enhance, rather than compete with, existing facilities.

As the new communities begin to emerge we will also engage with all new residents, acting as a source of information, providing links to a wide range of statutory, public and voluntary organisations and helping residents to identify and act on their needs and aspirations. We will facilitate the setting up of local groups and support mechanisms that are crucial in the establishment of an inclusive, welcoming and sustainable community.

In existing communities opportunities for social interaction, for meeting and chatting to people, making friends, joining in with different activities or even just finding out about what is going on are generally well established. In a brand new community this is not quite the case – at the beginning very little is established and opportunities for social interaction can be somewhat limited.

Community development could be likened to a huge spider’s web, linking residents, service providers, all of the groups and organisations that have an interest in the new development. If one person tugs on the web for help, community development staff are there to respond and create new lines of communication and support for that person.

Put simply, community development is about providing opportunities; opportunities that will help people to gain in confidence, that will help them to get their voices heard by the decision makers and opportunities to build on and strengthen their skills if they wish.

Introducing our New Communities Manager

A key member of our team leading community involvement is Julia Holmes, our New Communities Manager. Julia joined bpha in November 2006 and her role was newly created, specifically to take responsibility for managing community development in the large, new communities in which bpha was building affordable homes.

She is responsible not only for line managing bpha Community Development Officers (CDOs) working in the new developments, but also of promoting the role that community development has to play in building sustainable communities.

At the moment we have two CDOs working in emerging communities. One is based in Orchard Park, Cambridge and the second at Loves Farm, St Neots.

Julia’s background means that she has the experience and skills to lead on community development across all three sites. Before joining bpha she worked for Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity (BRCC) for 10 years. While at BRCC she undertook a number of different roles. The one thing that they all had in common was that she was working closely with the residents of rural communities of Bedfordshire.

Below is a brief list of the initiatives that she looked after:

• Village Design Statements – she remembers using Cottenham’s 1994 statement as her example!
• Village Action Plans – worked with 4 selected communities to support them in identifying community needs. Some of the issues raised were very immediate but others were of a longstanding nature and had been frustrating residents for a number of years.
• Good Neighbour schemes – BRCC had been running these schemes for several years – Julia was responsible for about 18 months for the work & set up 7 new schemes during that time. There are now 26 schemes in Bedfordshire. The number of hours put into these schemes by the village volunteers that run them is phenomenal.
• Town & Parish Plans – supported the first Parish Plan to be completed in Bedfordshire. Several others followed this and now village communities in Bedfordshire have produced 23 T&P Plans. In Cambridgeshire numerous Parish Plans have been undertaken, including those in Comberton, Cottenham, Linton, Whittlesford and Great & Little Abington, where, according to the Commission for Rural Communities website, a Good Neighbour scheme is also under consideration.

Julia was also involved with Wixams, a new development of 4500 homes and associated infrastructure, in Bedfordshire. She recalls when consultants who were brought in to organise a Community Planning weekend back in September 2000 made the mistake of talking about the Wixams as if there were no residents in the area already. “A very vociferous group of residents who already lived, quite literally, in the middle of what was to become the first village of Wixams, soon relieved them of that particular delusion!” said Julia.

She notes that the residents made a significant contribution to the different workshops that ran over the weekend, which was where Julia really began to be closely involved with the community planning side of the Wixams development.

Julia worked with residents, the parish councils, the local authorities and the developers to try and ensure that people who had something to add to the community process had the information and the opportunities they needed to make their contributions.

“The pattern of early involvement with existing residents, with the planning process and with the delivery of community development on the ground is a valuable element of building communities where people choose not only to live, but to remain,” concluded Julia.

If you’d like Julia or any other member of our team to visit your community, please get in touch.

Recent initiatives and events

The Community Development Team at bpha has experience of delivering numerous initiatives that have the potential to be replicated in our new communities. Alongside community fun days and fairs, clean-up days and environmental action events, gardening competitions, employment support initiatives and community IT services, most recent activities have included:

Take the Lead

A very successful dance project based on the film ‘Take the Lead’. This project unites two forms of dance as a means of diverting young people from anti-social behaviour as well as giving them a new skill. A 10-week programme was delivered in two wards in Bedford, culminating in a hugely successful final showcase event to celebrate young people’s talent.

The Learning Network and Employment Support initiative

The project offers outreach services with support tailored to individuals’ needs. It includes 1:1 support, basic IT training, CV writing, help with job hunts and sessions with free Careers Matching software. We also refer clients to Business Link or other relevant agencies.

Orchard Park

Bpha has been delivering community development in Orchard Park since the first residents moved in. Community Development Officer, Carly Meagher has established working links with over 30 agencies/service providers including the arts, sports, youth and the voluntary sector. Carly commented “Orchard Park residents are coming together in a number of ways. Some are actively involved in Orchard Park’s Shadow Community Council, signing up to a code of conduct, discussing and making decisions as an elected Community Council would, until the official council is elected. These decisions are then being discussed and if appropriate ratified by Impington Parish Council, which currently has responsibility for Orchard Park.

With my support and using the networks and links I have helped to create, residents are beginning to address the needs of their community. Most recently Park Arts Group has been formed and constituted with the aim to provide opportunities around the arts that will help create a sense of community for Orchard Park.

Monthly social nights, weekly coffee mornings and meet your neighbour evenings are just some of the opportunities residents have to meet, forge friendships and links with each other.”

A monthly newsletter is produced to keep everyone informed of what is going on locally, both in and around Orchard Park and regular monthly social nights have so far included a quiz, murder mystery and games nights. There have also been a number of parties and welcome events.

Orchard Parks’ CDO worked in partnership with South Cambridgeshire District Council, Impington Parish Council and Orchard Parks Shadow Community Council to bring Christmas cheer to the new community by hosting a Christmas celebration.

Cllr Nightingale vice-chairman of South Cambridgeshire District Council led the walking lights procession from Topper Street play area to The Circus where, under the Christmas lights, residents and key members of the community sung a mixture of traditional and gospel carols. Everyone then went to Orchard Park School to enjoy festive drinks, mince pies and gifts from Father Christmas.

Loves Farm

Loves Farm is a new urban extension being built on the outskirts of St Neots. There are currently about 40 private homes occupied and a number of social rented and shared ownership residents will be moving in before Christmas.

On 10th December 2008 the Loves Farm community held their first event. Around 70 residents, including some who had just got their keys, attended an informal cheese and wine welcome evening hosted by the new primary school. Everybody brought a bauble with them and the children decorated the first Loves Farm Community Christmas tree.