The BPP Development Trust is a community partnership working to tackle
social exclusion and promote the long-term community regeneration of
the area. The Trust listen to local concerns and ideas, with the aim
of developing new initiatives and ways of working that will improve
the opportunities open to local people, ensuring new projects are community
led to meet identified needs.
The Trust aims to ensure local participation and ownership occurs through
the processes of regeneration. We have been able to help fund and support
a number of projects under the Trust umbrella, whilst the focus is on
supporting families, youth work, education and lifelong learning, training
and employment, community safety and the environment.
The
process of reaching out to and engaging with local communities and relevant
user groups is widely accepted as being one of the cornerstones of effective
community development. We have developed successful approaches to involving
local people, whether this be through events (fashion show, quiz nights,
carnivals), arts projects (Murals for community buildings, tree and
bulbs planting with young people), discussion groups (Monthly Community
Development Team meetings are organised where local residents and agencies
working in the area exchange information) or planning meetings with
local people and the authority (to develop play areas on our green spaces
for instance).
Letter-drops, questionnaires and posters have been used to encourage
people to get involved with a local amenity threatened by closure. The
main purpose is to ensure that the community has a voice and is aware
of all developments and services available in the area. To that end,
the Trust oversee the production of a local newsletter delivered quarterly
to all residents. By joining the Development Trust, as individual members
or as part of a group, local residents can voice their concern, introduce
new ideas and participate in the planning and setting up of new initiatives
to make their community a better place to live.
The
Action Resource Centre (the ARC) is the registered base for the Trust.
It houses Trust staff and is run as a not for profit organisation. Partner
agencies base their services to the community at the ARC. The centre
and its activities are a direct response to a large community consultation
covering 2800 properties (6000 people) undertaken in 1999. Consultation
and participation are paramount to the success of the whole initiative
and is an ongoing process throughout the Trust's work. The ARC has been
open for 4 years, and in that time approximately 14500 people have visited
the centre.
Connecting Communities Cymru (CCC)
The
Connecting Communities Cymru project is a dynamic collaboration between
the department of Adult Continuing Education of the University of Wales,
Swansea and community partners, one of them being the Trust based at
the ARC, working to develop community based lifelong learning using
Information Technology. The partnership aims to bring learning closer
to home by creating a wide network of online community education, installing
up to date ICT equipment and broadband internet connections to provide
access to learning opportunities and widen participation in higher education.
Lifelong learning is crucial to the development of self-esteem, the
encouragement of motivated and employable citizens, and the building
of civil society more broadly. We believe in greater equality of opportunity,
access to learning for personal development as well as job specific
skills. Up to 122 students attend classes weekly and new courses are
being piloted to provide local people with new skills and confidence
in using multi-media communications technology.
We also have a meeting room, which is regularly used by local groups
and partners.
Local and accessible training opportunities are provided in partnership
with Adult Education Providers (the University of the Valleys, Swansea
University DACE, Swansea Skills Service and local colleges) offering
lifelong learning opportunities in a range of courses from IT, Welsh,
ESOL and Literacy and Numeracy.
Café
ARC is a community café in the building, set up and initially
run by volunteers, providing a service to people living and working
in the area. It is the first community business in the area. We have
already demonstrated the success of the café achieving many of
its aims particularly in providing a softer invitation to the building,
attracting and sign-posting people to relevant services. Recent fund
raising has allowed the employment of two part time staff to help build
up the business side of the café, working alongside volunteers,
with the aim of developing trade to sustain their employment.
Café user numbers from May 02 to June 03 were 671. We have succeeded
in significantly increasing this figure, and numbers for the 6-month
period from June-Dec 03 were 738.
Customers have benefited from affordable, healthy meals. We recognise
a need to improve the dietary health of the community. There is statistical,
visible and anecdotal evidence of diet related disorders among people
in the area, and almost one third of the working age population have
long term limiting illnesses. Although it is unrealistic to expect a
revolution of eating behaviours to a higher fibre and lower fat and
sugar diet, we recognise that encouraging small steps in the evolution
of eating behaviours can have a positive impact on the health of the
community.
The University of the Valleys and other education providers recognise
the importance of cafe facilities to the social networking and enjoyment
of the learning programmes based at the ARC. Staff and volunteers also
benefit from the learning opportunities and experiences created by the
cafe, helping to build self-esteem and confidence and increase employability.
Visitors to the centre in whatever capacity are informed of the Trust
and its work and encouraged to be involved with the overall processes
of regeneration in the area.
Click here for a
street map to find Blaenymaes, Portmead, Penplas Development Trust
