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Walsall - Walsall Voluntary Action

About

This Commissioned project is to provide community development and support to the Alumwell area over the remaining term of the Fair Share Trust programme.

Walsall Voluntary Action has continued to work with the groups in the area and have been acting as a conduit between the Fair Share Trust Development Officer and Walsall Housing Group, enabling the setting up of a community chest. Walsall Housing Group have agreed to match the £10,000 put up by Fair Share Trust giving small local groups £20,000 to help with their activities.

Through dedicated support they have been able to find replacement editors for the Alumwell Newsletter, taken up by two enthusiastic community volunteers. Between them they have contacted most businesses, schools, enterprises and voluntary groups in the Alumwell area, offering advertising and press releases.

As part of their remit is to increase community capacity, Walsall Voluntary Action has run two First Aid Sessions attended by members from the Neighbourhood Watch, Alumwell Residents Group, St John’s Church and Jamia Mosque. They also held a series of training sessions around governance and the role of committee members for Alumwell Residents Group and the Neighbourhood Watch. The coffee mornings at St John’s have been an ongoing feature, though attendance from residents has appeared to drop, at least temporarily.

However, the discussions which take place are highly beneficial. Not only was the barbeque (a joint enterprise with St John’s and Alumwell Residents Group) conceived during such discussions, but also the idea of keep fit sessions. The Barbeque, held on Bank Holiday Monday, was an immense success, bringing in many residents and their children, as well as the learning difficulties group and regular churchgoers.

Walsall Voluntary Action has been supporting members the Church @ Junction 10 on a couple of occasions to look at the feasibility of setting up a local Foodbank and discuss a possible joint venture with the residents, and to help prepare the Junction 10 bid for consideration by FST.

At the last meeting of the Neighbourhood Watch, the new Sergeant and Superintendent for the area reassured everyone that most kinds of crimes were on the decrease, the levels of Anti-Social behaviour and low level crime are now much lower that when Fair Share Trust came into the area. The Scouts have settled into to St John’s and are undertaking to clear the garden for the autumn. At some levels a very real collaboration between the groups, is taking place.

Next Steps: After meeting with a consultant appointed by Fair Share Trust to consider the feasibility of turning the ground floor space beneath Jamia Mosque into a Community resource, there will need to be considerable assistance with developing a group to run this venture.

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