Working With You (The Community)  - Friday  January 23 2012 

The event ran as a drop-in session and was attended by over 80 people from members of the community and a wide range of organisations. Attendees were invited to give their views on a series of issues. There was a noticeable lack of  young people or young families attending, and consequently this meant that those issues that might only affect this part of the Park Community were not raised or highlighted. A call is now going out to encourage a younger influx to the Community Centre. If you feel you can offer something, even if it is only an opinion or an hour a week, then the Community Centre would be delighted to hear from you. The recent workshops have been a helpful activity for encouraging new faces to the centre. It does seem that the community projects are well supported by the community its just that the Community Centre needs more volunteers to help these projects take shape.

Overall it seems that as a community we are very concerned about a wide range of issues including health, and welfare of all members of our community from the young to the old, and support to the entire community including the elderly and , those with mental health issues, as well as increasing access to employment and training for all.

Refuse lying on the streets is an issue as is the continuing appearance of Dog Pooh. Suggestions on how to resolve this included penalties for dog fouling, re-instatement of litter bins and educating multiple occupancy housing to use the gull proof bags. It was also felt that more planting would improve the general appearance of the area.

Community Safety – people are concerned about the lack of street lighting at night. More powers should be given to PCSOs to address issues such as cycling on pavements. The presence of PCSOs in the area helps residents feel safe and should continue. A Home Watch scheme would be welcomed.

There was a lot more information discussed at the meeting and it is anticipated that much more will be included in the Community Newsletter, so keep an eye on your letter box!