Carnival 2009
Summer has been rather wet this year with torrential rain water logging the football pitch, which had to lead this year’s community carnival to a plan B. Fortunately though, on carnival day, the sun shone.
Swansea Premier Jazz Band led the parade from the Action Resource Centre (ARC) down to the Community Centre. They later did a marching display for all residents to enjoy in the MUGA.
This year there was much to see and do, including fair ground rides, balloon modelling, raffles, stalls, entertainment from the Baywood Belles, a local lad, Callum Nott performed on the drums (even though he was missing a symbol), tarot reading from Gypsy D.Marie, and the delicious cake stall with St Teilo’s Church volunteers.
Staff and volunteers working within the Blaenymaes/Portmead/Penplas area worked very hard all year round, raising funds to make the carnival the success it was this year. They have held table top sales, sold spot the ball tickets, had open days and had donations from the BPP Development Trust, Gwalia Housing
to name but a few. Volunteer, Adam John said “I was run off my feet, but I really enjoyed the day, especially the drummer.”
The New Drop In Centre Manager, Tricia Morgan said “I really enjoyed the entertainment from the Baywood Belles, as they kept us entertained while we worked on our stalls all day.” Phil Rogers of JR Groundforce did well selling his plants, enjoyed talking to the residents and enjoyed all that was provided inside and out, and Leah Jenkins said “I couldn’t get my boy off the inflatable toys, he loved them”.
The events committee would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped organise the day, and a special thanks to the Community Centre volunteers, Jackie, Helen and Diane who made endless teas and coffees and served refreshments to all on the day. Thank you.
Plans will soon be underway to plan and organise next years carnival, and if any one would like to be involved in the planning process, please contact Community Development Worker, Maggie Comley on 01792 578632.
Summer has been rather wet this year with torrential rain water logging the football pitch, which had to lead this year’s community carnival to a plan B. Fortunately though, on carnival day, the sun shone.
Swansea Premier Jazz Band led the parade from the Action Resource Centre (ARC) down to the Community Centre. They later did a marching display for all residents to enjoy in the MUGA.
This year there was much to see and do, including fair ground rides, balloon modelling, raffles, stalls, entertainment from the Baywood Belles, a local lad, Callum Nott performed on the drums (even though he was missing a symbol), tarot reading from Gypsy D.Marie, and the delicious cake stall with St Teilo’s Church volunteers.
Staff and volunteers working within the Blaenymaes/Portmead/Penplas area worked very hard all year round, raising funds to make the carnival the success it was this year. They have held table top sales, sold spot the ball tickets, had open days and had donations from the BPP Development Trust, Gwalia Housing
to name but a few. Volunteer, Adam John said “I was run off my feet, but I really enjoyed the day, especially the drummer.”
The New Drop In Centre Manager, Tricia Morgan said “I really enjoyed the entertainment from the Baywood Belles, as they kept us entertained while we worked on our stalls all day.” Phil Rogers of JR Groundforce did well selling his plants, enjoyed talking to the residents and enjoyed all that was provided inside and out, and Leah Jenkins said “I couldn’t get my boy off the inflatable toys, he loved them”.
The events committee would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped organise the day, and a special thanks to the Community Centre volunteers, Jackie, Helen and Diane who made endless teas and coffees and served refreshments to all on the day. Thank you.
Plans will soon be underway to plan and organise next years carnival, and if any one would like to be involved in the planning process, please contact Community Development Worker, Maggie Comley on 01792 578632.
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Off Road Motor biking
Police are issuing warnings to parents thinking of buying a mini motor or off road bike this Christmas.
Parents are being asked to think carefully before buying mini motorbikes for their children this Christmas. This article will giveyou some advice if you are considering buying one or already have one.
What sort of off road bikes are we talking about?
· Quad bikes
· Scrambler bikes
· ‘go-ped’
· Mini-bikes (mini-motos)
Why is it very dangerous?
· Danger of collision with other road users and pedestrians.
· Danger of falling off or colliding with objects such as buildings, road-signs, bollards, parked cars etc.
· These machines, particularly quads and scramblers are very heavy, very powerful and very fast. They are not designed to be ridden on streets etc and most importantly, they are not toys.
What other reasons?
· They are noisy and this noise can annoy and upset people living nearby.
· Unregulated, repeated use can destroy forest paths and grassy areas.
· Animals are distressed by the noise.
Where can I ride my quad, scrambler etc?
· On any place where permission from the landowner has been given.
How do I make it safer to ride my quad/ scrambler?
· Only ride it where you are allowed to
· ALWAYS WEAR PROTECTIVE CLOTHING
·Learn how to ride your bike properly by joining a club or getting an adult to show you.
· Always have a responsible adult present when you are riding
· Make sure your quad/scrambler etc is well looked after and safe to ride.
What protective clothing should I have?
· Well-fitting helmet
· Gloves
· Knee and elbow pads
· Jacket with padding and back protection or
· Body armour
Where can I NOT ride you quad/scrambler etc?
· Public roads and footpaths
· Parks
· Forests
· Housing estates
· Industrial estates
· Waste ground
· Any public land
What can happen if I ride my quadbike, scrambler, ‘GO-PED’ or minibike where I am not allowed to?
· Firstly, you or someone else could get seriously injured or worse. Police make the laws to protect you, not to stop you having fun.
· Secondly, if they see you riding where you are not allowed to, the Police will stop you and give you a warning, they might come to your house to talk to your parents. If you keep doing it, the Police might take your bike away and destroy it.
· Thirdly, you could annoy and upset a lot of people who could complain to your parents, the police or the local authority.
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Your Healthy Community
Good health and a sense of well-being is everyone’s right! It is what we should all aim for. Our health and well-being may be improved and maintained by the way we live our lives and, although sometimes we need to visit health professionals, leading a healthy lifestyle can generally reduce our risk of ill health.
There is a now a booklet available which contains the contact details for a range of health and well-being related services, which are locally available for the people of Blaenymaes, Portmead and Penplas (BPP).
Among the contacts are a range of community-based organisations that can help you to maintain a healthy lifestyle. There are also many contacts that are traditionally associated with ‘health’, both for prevention and cure. For example, you will find contact details for the smoking cessation services, sports and leisure facilities, GP’s, Dentist and many others.
The booklet was produced jointly by Health Challenge Swansea and the BPP Development Trust (your local Communities First Partnership).
The Swansea Health, Social Care and Well-Being Strategy recognises the importance of ensuring that communities and individuals are supported to take responsibility for their own health and well-being.
This can be achieved by increasing peoples’ awareness of the information and support available to them and how to access it. It also fits perfectly with the aim of Communities First: to give people more power to take more control over their lives and communities.
If, as they say, ‘information is power’, then the information provided here should enable you to take more control over issues of health and well being for yourself and your family.
Anthony Brito
Community Partnership Co-ordinator
BPP Development Trust
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Community Support Fund – Money for good ideas!
Last year, the BPP Development Trust donated £3000 of its own money to local community groups, with a similar amount donated in 2007. This year, we have allocated a further £3000 for the fund, to be used for grants of no more that £250 per project.
Local groups are invited to apply for these funds by discussing their project ideas with me and then writing a brief letter of request, outlining the project and its purpose.
The Trust will use the following criteria in assessing the requests:
Community benefit – the extent to which the proposed action benefits the residents of the Blaenymaes, Penplas, Portmead areas;
Partner benefit – the extent to which the proposed action benefits the work of partner organisations, groups or individuals working for the benefit of the community;
Feasibility – of the proposed action; basically, will it work?
Need – the need for the proposed action. We also encourage groups to apply to the Communities First Trust Fund – again we can help with this!
Political Implications – as perceived by the Trust. The Trust will maintain a neutral stance on party political issues and will seek to act in the best interest of the community, partners and Trust members;
Priority – in relation to other actions or requests for support which the Trust may be aware of;
Value for money – in relation to the benefits. The Trust will consider the costs and benefits to the community.
Most of the money we use for our community development work comes from grant applications to places like the Welsh Assembly and Europe. We can only spend this kind of money on specific projects and we can’t give it out as grants. However, we do earn a small amount of income for ourselves from the Café ARC and the letting of the IT suite and hall at the ARC. It is this money that we are keen to spread around the community in useful ways. So if you have a bright idea for a small event or project to benefit the local community, let us know. We may be able to help!
Anthony Brito
Community Partnership Co-ordinator
BPP Development Trust
Tel: 578632
e.mail: Anthony.Brito@swansea.gov.uk
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Putting CommunitiesFirst! March 2009
The Action Resource Centre, home of the BPP Development Trust was very proud to see that 8 students graduated at Swansea University on Saturday 29th November 2008.
For completing the Foundation Certificate in Information Technology they were presented with their certificates at a very lovely ceremony in the Taliesin Theatre. The students (some shown in the photo above) were: Seleh Chege, Cath McCormack, Elaine Quinn, Margaret Thomas, Jean Powell, Mike Powis, Joanne Fitzgerald and Helen Tollick. Congratulations and well done to them all.
A new programme of courses are starting at the ARC this year with plenty of new things to learn such as: Beginners IT, song writing, ESOL, Internet & Email, Digital Story Telling, English, Maths, Photoshop Techniques (part 1), Feature writing for magazines and our new 16+ programme called Opening Doors – for further details contact Debbie Jones on 578632 or email debbie.jones3@swansea.gov.uk
Café ARC has launched a new sandwich round covering Blaenymaes, Portmead, Penplas and the
wider area. That means that our café girls will be venturing out in the Café ARC van selling a selection of sandwiches and baguette’s and hot winter soup. So watch out for the van or phone Café ARC to order or if you would like more details on 01792 560904.
As some of you may know the ARC won 2007 Lord Mayor Regeneration Awards for our work in education. This year we have submitted several new nominations for community projects. These projects include work of the New Drop In Centre, Digital Community Network, Your Voice Your Choice - the community newsletter, Crazy Computer Club and the 104 Community House. We have also encouraged other local groups to enter nominations. Previous winners and runners up have included SPARK, JR Groundforce and 104 Fishing Club. Hopefully, this area will once again be well represented at the awards ceremony to be held in March.
There is a new vacancy on the Trust Board for a local resident. So if you would like the opportunity to get more involved and help make decisions about our community call into the ARC.
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With our Communities First programme, the Trust has been involved in a range of activities over the past year, designed with the following goals.To raise the standards of living and quality of life for local children.To ensure that the area is free from fear of crime and disorder.
To ensure that health and wellbeing is encouraged and supported. (Don’t forget to complete the Health Needs Assessment delivered through your door rece
ntly).
To enable people to develop skills that will help them find work and participate in learning, training and development throughout life.To enable the community to play an active role in the maintenance of a clean, pleasant and healthy environment. To create jobs and improve the long-term prosperity of the community.
Achieving these goals is a tall order, which is why we work in partnership with others. Over the past year we continued the promotion of lifelong learning, with 30 courses running from the ARC alone. We also worked with more than 32 projects, helping local groups achieve their own goals. We attracted funding for numerous local community projects. We purchased a local building, which will be renovated, using a construction scheme to train local people. The building will then be a new venue for community services.
All our work is community led, with local people involved at every stage. This is a core principle of Communities First which underpins everything we do!
Report by
Anthony Brito
September 2008
Communities First Co-ordinator
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The BPP Development Trust, the community owned company which works from the
ARC, is the local Communities First Partnership. We are here to help the community take more control over the social and economic issues facing us. We talk with different agencies that are keen to hear from you and work with you to deliver better services.
At the moment we’ve got lots going on in the field of Lifelong Learning. Hundreds of local people have studied at the ARC, where there are a variety of courses designed to suit local demand. Come and see!
We support volunteering and have staff at the New Drop-in Centre to help organise things. We do lots of community development work, helping local groups to form and achieve their goals. Soon, we will be exploring health issues in a big way. Poor health is a major problem. We plan to carry out a Health Needs Assessment and aim to call in services relevant to the needs of our community.
We also plan to have a positive impact on the environment, working with local people and the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers to ensure that the area looks good.
This picture was taken at the ARC, at our Community Development Team meeting. This is an open and informal event for residents to meet agencies that deliver services to the area. Held every two months, it is an ideal place for people to hear about what’s going on, share news and views and get involved.
Report by
Anthony Brito
June 2008
Communities First Co-ordinator
