Active Communities Update

Summer 2010
Our last update was sent out in January,
and as usual a lot has been achieved within
the team and Southampton’s communities. Search for Southampton’s
We support local people like yourself who Communities, ‘Like’ us
are keen to make a difference to their and get regular updates
community. Below you’ll find information on on events, projects and
what we’ve been up to and why, and how community news. It’s fully
the work has benefited Southampton. interactive so why not
add your own photos and
Together we can achieve more comments.

• £74,000 has gone straight to Southampton’s • We continue to support community groups to

communities from funding applications the team organise local events. Since January we’ve
has helped support. The Twilight Club and been involved with 45 events providing advice,
Friends of Mansel Park have received money funding, signposting and promotion. We also
for environmental improvements, and attend to encourage others to get involved in
Swaythling Neighbourhood Centre and their community.
Shearwater (a visually impaired group) were
successful in applying for grants for IT
• Throughout the year so far, we have been
involved with 10 consultations. Our support
equipment.
varies from designing the questionnaire, to
• We actively encourage people to get involved in promotion of how people can take part, to
the city making it better for all. Community attending the consultation and collating the
Payback and the Prince’s Trust have also results.
helped on several community projects.
Coupled with Southampton residents giving
• 4000 people have been sent information on
consultations, grants, training, events, project
their time you have chalked up 1300 hours of
launches and gallery exhibitions. We share our
volunteering with community groups and
database with other council teams and
projects.
local agencies who are committed to the same
• We work closely with 70 community groups aims as we are so we can keep people up to
who all try to make Southampton a better place date with what’s happening in the city.
to live for residents. We are keen to make sure
groups get the best support possible so we now
• Working with community groups we have
supported several community projects
ensure the most appropriate council team or
including the Itchen Ferry Regeneration
agency supports each community group. Our
Project which has successfully been awarded
focus is on residents association, friends of
groups, community associations and other £50,000 to improve the community garden and
slipway. One local person said, “These
groups who specifically need community
improvements would make a massive change
development support.
to the area. It has required uplift like this for a
• Across the city there are many groups made up number of years and would attract more
of volunteers who work very hard to make people to the area”.
improvements and provide facilities for others.
Each group is run by a committee who apply for
• There is an opportunity for local communities to
request a grit bin. Last year there were
funding and make decisions on how the group
examples of some roads where communities
runs and what it’s aims are.
showed initiative by assisting in clearing their
Encouraging new committee members to join is
roads. If you think any of these proactive groups
difficult as it can be a commitment and can be
quite daunting. Since January we have helped deserve to have a grit bin ready for future winter
weather conditions please let us know.
encourage 29 new committee members to join
community groups. Achievements continued over...
 Community development is a large

COMMUNITY CENTRE
TOWNHILL PARK
Achievements continued…
• We support 16 community centres and one
resource centre, and their committees with
advice, statutory requirements and promotion.
Townhill Park is undergoing redevelopment to
provide a new community facility. If you’d like
to have a say in what services and activities
take place when it’s open early next year
please contact us for a questionnaire.
• The Southampton’s Communities
Facebook® page is maintained by the team
and updated every day. It has 188 fans and
has been viewed over 1400 times since we
changed the name of the page in March. You
said, “the Active Communities page name
should reflect Southampton”. We did, “the
Facebook page is now called Southampton’s
Communities”.
• This year we have helped encourage 2500
people get out and about in their community
and get actively involved locally.
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR BEING A PART
OF MAKING SOUTHAMPTON BETTER.
Getting involved doesn’t just mean being hands
on. It also means voting, taking part in
consultations, going to events, updating us on your
area all constitutes being involved. Fancy it?
In fact, you’re already involved simply by receiving
this newsletter and having an interest in what’s
happening where you live. Want to take if further?
I ♥ MY COMMUNITY
Did you know 73% of Southampton residents
think everyone gets on well?
Let’s convince the other 27%.
part of our role, but what is it?
Our small team of five community development
workers provide a large range of support to
community groups who require it by. For example
we support groups like Rockstone Lane Residents
Association to become constituted. This is the
foundation from which community groups grow
and constitutions are required for many funding
applications.
We pass on grant information to community
groups across the city and support groups if they
need help completing the application form, some
of which can be very complex and in-depth.
We’ve supported 30 successful applications from
12 different sources of money since the start if the
year.
Capacity building is another very important part of
our work. By providing training and hands on
experience we help groups become self-
sustaining. A prime example is Thornhill Reducing
Isolation Project who through capacity building
now oversee another group ensuring they continue
to run for older people in Townhill Park. In time
they will also become self-reliant.
Community development work enables
communities to become stronger and more
knowledgeable enabling them to develop and
make their community better for all.
Change is a good thing.
To enable us to provide a better and more
cohesive service to Southampton’s communities
our team, Active Communities, is due to merge
with another team, Stronger Communities and
Equalities. They encourage people from different
backgrounds and communities to build
relationships and encourage mutual respect.
Working with Stronger Communities will enable us
to work side by side to improve Southampton,
encourage people to take an interest locally and
improve community relations, making our city a
great place to live.
We have also moved offices to the new building
which is on the old C&A site. We share an office
with other teams in the Neighbourhood Services
division helping us to work closer with each other.
Our new address is: 3rd Floor, One Guildhall
Square, Southampton, SO14 7FP.

Together
Together
wewe
can
can
achieve
achieve
more
more
Southampton’s Communities
Telephone:
023
023
8083
8083
3445
2053
Email: active.communities@southampton.gov.uk
communities@southampton.gov.uk
www.southampton.gov.uk/activecommunities
www.southampton.gov.uk/yourcommunity