Perthcelyn Estate Management Group (PEMG). The Perthcelyn School Action Group lobbies the local authority Education Committee. April This month marks the start of an intensive period of development for the Perthcelyn Estate Strategy. Outside consultants are appointed to assist residents. Research is carried out to identify needs and opportunities. Adults and young people from the estate are consulted. A comprehensive estate strategy is assembled. August The Perthcelyn Community Strategy document is submitted to the Welsh Office as a bid for funding totalling GBP 4.52 million under the Community Challenge Scheme. The bid includes provision for the new community school, conversion of the existing infant school into training workshops, paid workers to provide development support, and improvements to the community centre. December Most of the Perthcelyn Estate Strategy Community Challenge bid is accepted, (the exception being the improvements to the community centre) resulting in a grant of GBP 3.5 million.
68 Perthcelyn residents have always been ready to voice their protests, since the very start of the Project. If you do something they don’t like they tell you straight away, no messing, it’s straight out … but we give as good as we get. Project worker 1992 From the start too it was clear that residents placed a high value on ‘fair play’ and on honesty. Mistakes were expected and they could be forgiven but only if people admitted to them honestly. Project staff scored highly with residents because they were perceived as basically honest and ready to admit to their human failings:
… I was nasty with her the other week, but she was in the wrong. But she will admit when she is in the wrong. Resident about member of staff Both estates shared these values but they were perhaps more visible on Perthcelyn, where residents felt that they had more to complain about. Fernhill after all had once been a model estate but Perthcelyn was the Lost City without even a good spell in its’ past to look back on. Perhaps because of this, the voice of Perthcelyn was at first a complaining one, Pop In members were very quick to point out what Perthcelyn did not have and how much better off were other areas, including Fernhill.