Newsletter #8 March 2014
Warwick Ahead facebook.com/warwickaheadonline
Celebrating Year One of our Community Plan We have had a busy first year with Warwick Ahead – Big Local. The Community Board meet every month to review the Community Plan which sets out how residents want to make the estate a happier and better place to live. Projects are agreed by residents and funded through Big Local as part of a 10 year vision. It’s not just about short term quick fixes it’s about looking at long term change for people’s lives and for the estate. In year one the Addy Luncheon Club has gone from strength to strength. Funded through Big Local this weekly Thursday event offers a good opportunity for older residents to get together and enjoy a lunch. The project has extended to weekly afternoon teas on Tuesdays. Warwick Ahead has created jobs. A community caretaker was employed for the Addy and Warwick Community Group. In response to a request from families with children with additional needs a group has been set up and a worker employed to support the group. Social media has been used to start promoting Warwick Ahead aiming to get more residents involved in Big Local, the Addy have purchased some AV equipment and are working with One to One Development Trust on a film about the Run Riot Group, and an animation project in the spring. The summer and Christmas parties were funded by Big Local. Funding for the Addy and Warwick Community Group has also been made available.
Addy Planning Day
The Community Board have awarded two organisations contracts to work on the estate in close association with residents: Groundwork for a Garden Improvements project and Trust of Conservation Volunteers for a Natural Play Spaces project. The Warwick Watchers (Junior Neighbourhood Watch) has set up and is leading on a project to do up the pathway used as a short cut from the estate to De-Lacy Academy, the medical centre and England’s Lane Junior and Infant school. Warwick Ahead is setting up a community transport scheme with Osgoldcross Forum, this will provide a membership bus service for local people and groups with weekly subsidised trips to Castleford, Pontefract and Knottingley and a bus available to book by groups. The bus will be wheel chair accessible. Warwick Ahead are working with Leeds Mind and Wakefield Well Women’s Centre to develop a peer to peer support project for people with depression or other mental health issues. This is a pilot project and has the potential to be expanded into counselling services on the estate. Other projects in the pipeline for Year 2 are the creation of a Credit Union for the Estate and the development of a new or re-vamped community space The Hub.
All residents are invited : Warwick Ahead - Annual General Meeting at the Addy on Monday 24th March 2014 - 6:00pm Find out more about Warwick Ahead and Big Local, there will be an exhibition about what has happened in Year One, a film about the amazing Run Riot group, refreshments and good company. Every resident on Warwick Esate is a member of Warwick Ahead - Big Local