18/11/03 - Listening to the Locals

Recently, Cumbria County Council’s Local Committee for Copeland endorsed the South Whitehaven Participatory Appraisal Project for the area.  The project enables Neighbourhood Development Teams to have a clear understanding of the issues that are important to the local people of South Whitehaven and issues that they want to see addressed.   

Over the last 7 months the Neighbourhood Development Team has been working in partnership with a variety of organisations to undertake a community mapping exercise in South Workington using Participatory Appraisal Techniques.  This process includes talking to people in a range of community settings, e.g. bingo clubs, pubs, line dancing groups, schools and even the changing rooms of local rugby and football clubs. In total the team talked to over 1,000 people to get their ideas on issues that they felt were important and their ideas for solutions that would be workable in their communities.   

A delivery plan is now being developed with the South Whitehaven Partnership taking the lead role in this process.   

County Councillor Ronnie Calvin, Chair of the Local Committee says

“This community consultation method has proved to be very successful in getting communities involved in actions to make things better where they live.  Partnership working is the key, andI would like to take this opportunity to thank the Neighbourhood Development Officer for all his hard workand dedication to make sure that communities continue to have ‘a voice’ in this area.”

Dave Smith, Neighbourhood Development Officer says

“This whole process has been a very worthwhile experience for me as Neighbourhood Development Officer.  It gave me an opportunity to talk to funders, work closely with community groups and organisations and get to meet face to face, more people living in the area than two or three years worth of South Whitehaven Neighbourhood Forums would have.  Even though we may not be able to increase the number of people who attend neighbourhood forum meeting we will be able to target more effectively the issues that are concern to people in the various communities that make up South Whitehaven.”