Dudley
Posted on Fri 03 February 2012
Lesson learned in brief: it takes time to build relationships amongst community groups with different interests.
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As we get towards the end of the programme we are seeing a greater sense of community pride and co-operation between local organisations. They are much more aware of the general improvements to the area for which they are responsible.
It has taken nearly 9 years to get to the stage where residents feel more comfortable working together for the benefit of the total rather than just for themselves or the members of their group. There are still personal likes and dislikes but even these have mellowed over the years.
When working with people with very differing views it can take many years of hard work to bring them to a point where they will agree on anything, a very good example of this is that there were serious personal issues between members of two community groups in the Dudley area. Some of the issues were caused by third parties through spite and misinformation but they made delivery of the Fair Share Trust extremely challenging. Through support and ensuring that all parties are in possession of the same information, the third party has become better informed and understands the issues better. They are now working closely together in several aspects, such as developing project websites, sharing facilities and participating in each other's comittees.
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