Community Project pays dividends

Reporter: Ask Bury
Date online: 23 August 2006

A summer long community project has paid dividends to everyone involved not only providing a safer, greener and cleaner environment but also improving self esteem and giving purpose to elderly and vulnerable residents of the Topping Fold Estate.

The environmental project was cantered on the Topping Fold Community Centre and its overall aim was to create a cleaner and safer environment and develop community cohesion on the estate.

Involving local children, vulnerable and elderly residents and one local school it was funded by a host of partners who gave both time and money in varying degrees. These included; BurySafe, Topping Fold Tenant and Residents Association, Children’s Fund Brain Project, Bury Library Service, Bury Fire Service, Environmental Service, Bury Police Service, Six Town Housing, Groundwork, Members of the and children from the Topping Fold Community.

The fire service and local police delivered vital information to the young and old regarding household and personal safety and security. The council’s environmental team took part in an awareness campaign giving advice on litter prevention and organising a community clean up which left the estate looking much cleaner and brighter than ever before.

Malcolm Hulton who was instrumental in organising the clean up said: "Residents took part with huge enthusiasm and it certainly served to deliver a sense of pride and responsibility for the areas surrounding their homes. My personal thanks goes to everyone involved."

One group of participants were Barnbrook, an adult group who meet every day in the centre with two carers, consisting of eight adults of mixed abilities and who have varying care needs. The group took part in recycling activity by making arts and crafts from re-usable materials. This included creating a variety of cards for special occasions using recycled and reusable materials. They also carried out their own team clean up day. Working alongside other groups has helped the team members to bond with other community groups and to make new friends. 

Local children also experienced a range of benefits from participating in the project, gaining awareness of a wide range of environmental issues and learning new skills.  The children achieved a feeling of pride and raised self-esteem by being given responsibility to take charge in their own activities. Some comments included: "I enjoyed every minute of it and I hope we will do it again, I enjoyed helping with the jobs and it was a good buffet".

"It is better than learning at school because we have more fun the best bit was making the monster mouth litter bins out of recycled paper"

"It was good meeting the old people and helping them because they are children’s grandmas and granddads".

Also taking part in the project was a group of residents from a local nursing and residential home.  Bridge Hall residents toured the centre and enjoyed looking at all the work done by the children and other centre users.  The difficult part was then to choose winners for the various competitions.   This part of the event provided a great forum for discussion and lots of tea drinking.  The residents thoroughly enjoyed this and felt honoured at being given the responsibility to make decisions - an aspect of life, which is greatly diminished when people go to live in care. Being needed and valued as part of the community has a great impact on those who live in residential care.

Led by class teacher Mr Parks, children from Fairfield Primary School took created a number of posters to highlight the importance of litter prevention.  These posters are displayed around the centre contents of the posters provide a measurable outcome of the knowledge gained during the sessions.  The children also benefited from a seminar and role-play session led by the community police wardens,  during this session children were made aware of dangers associated with talking to strangers.  

The estate and areas surrounding the centre are considerably less littered than prior to the event.  Individual groups, primarily Barnbrook have felt more accepted and appreciated as part of the community, this vulnerable group has on past occasions been isolated; the Topping Fold Project has included them throughout the scheme. This inclusion has had the effect that they have become more integrated with other members of the community.  Older members of the community feel safer regarding avoiding fire hazards and crime.