On 21st March 2019 at Moulsecoomb Hall TDC brought together Varndean college, Fabrica, The Workers Educational Association (WEA), the Friends Centre with a number of local community groups to offer tasters and information on community learning available in Moulsecoomb & Bevendean. Many of these providers had been operating from The Bridge before it closed and this was one step towards replacing the promotional and engagement role of The Bridge.
Over 100 people were able to try making cosmetics, sewing, tai chi, IT, flamenco and much more. The Bevy community pub catered the event and Fabrica consulted people about a community led arts projects. We already know that at least one user of the foodbank has been inspired to look into sewing or making ethical beauty products as a social enterprise and hope to hear of many more ideas to have come out of the day…
In Farm Green three years ago, 2 mums met over an online petition about the unsafe playground, which is also the only playground in Bevendean. The local community worker connected with them online and met up with them to explain the lack of Brighton & Hove City Council funding for small parks, but suggested the possibility of them raising the funds if they were willing to form an action group. They constituted and opened a bank account and then the worker linked them into other community groups and the council officers who could help. They gained small amounts of funding from the Healthy Neighbourhood Fund and East Brighton Trust to carry out local consultation and engagement events in the park.
Councillor Yates also supported the group by encouraging City Parks officers to meet the group on site and endorse the project and by promoting it through his community networks. Despite maintenance costs being such a pressure on the department, they conceded that if it did not increase the level of maintenance currently required they would endorse it as they could appreciate how needed it was in this community. In an area where obesity is significantly high within primary age children, this encouragement to do be physically active is vital.
TDC worked with the mums to access funder searches at The Resource Centre and plan a fundraising schedule that culminated in a successful Veolia funding bid, which the council supported with the 10% match required. The resulting £70k improvement means that children in Bevendean now have access to an outdoor play space that is safe and welcoming. The grand opening happened on 23rd March 2019, with lots of happy residents and families in attendance and Councillor Dee Simson, the Mayor of Brighton & Hove, officially opening the park. Andy from local family lunch club Chomp catered the opening event, offering vegan and vegetarian healthy snacks for families to try. The group now has time to do future planning for Farm Green and ideas include better sport provision and lighting to enable more community use of the green.
“Residents often tell me they feel Bevendean is the forgotten part of the city, so it’s been great to see locals coming together to pull resources, skills and people-power to pull off such an immense and year-long effort. It’s truly inspiring.”
On Saturday 16th March 2019 we enjoyed hosting Brighton & Hove’s first ever BME Volunteer Fair at the BMECP in central Brighton. In partnership with Brighton & Hove City Council, the Department of Health and Sussex Interpreting Services the aim was to encourage people from diverse backgrounds to volunteer across the city.
The event was a great success with almost 200 people coming along to find out how they might volunteer for good causes across the city. Visitors were able to talk face-to-face with representatives from a wide range of organisations, ask questions directly and be inspired by the many different opportunities available.
With something for everyone, it was fantastic to hear about the wide range of volunteering roles on offer - from festival greeter at the Brighton Festival to becoming a school governor, from staffing helplines for the Survivors’ Network to becoming a mentor with the Terrence Higgins Trust, from foreign language interpreting to volunteering to deliver books from their local library. And so many more opportunities besides these. The Sussex police were there on the day too talking about employment opportunities and their commitment to diversity in recruitment and the East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service were in attendance encouraging people to register for free fire safety advice.
Volunteering can be of huge benefit to individuals – it can lead to developing and improving skills, gaining work experience, and meeting new people as well as making a contribution to a great cause that means something to them. And whether it’s a one-off event or a more long-term commitment, the time donated by volunteers makes a huge difference to charities and communities all over the city.
"I would like to give back to the society and community I live in. I found the fair very resourceful and inspiring, motivating me to get involved in volunteering and to help others."
BME volunteer fair attendee
Attendees enjoyed free refreshments and the chance to gather plenty of practical advice and information. Those travelling to the event by bus were able to claim a free bus ticket thanks to a generous donation from the Brighton & Hove Bus Company who also helped us spread the word about the fair.
Many thanks to everyone who came, whether as an individual looking for volunteer opportunities, an organisation offering them, or indeed one of our own volunteers who made sure everything ran smoothly on the day.
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Scroll down for a list of organisations who attended the BME volunteer fair.
Here are the organisations who attended the BME volunteer fair. Please contact them directly for volunteer opportunities and how to apply.
TDC are hosting a series of workshops for community volunteers in Moulsecoomb & Bevendean as a way to support people in the area.
We had a great first session which was held at the end of January and focused on self-care & wellbeing - making sure people don’t burn out and that they have the resources to support others. The session was followed by lunch & networking to give the attendees a chance to get to know each other.
Future courses will be:
Connecting with your community - Thurs, 28th February, 11am -1pm
Develop Key communicating skills in engaging and working with others.
and
Fundraising for small groups - Thurs, 28th March 2019, 11am-1pm
How to pick the right funder and present your project in winning style.
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All sessions are held at St George’s Hall, Newick Road, Brighton, BN1 9JG
Contact Anke with enquiries or to book a place: 07449 464695 or [email protected]
Some recent funding successes are helping us at TDC to crack on with some exciting new projects, particularly in the realm of youth work:
Funding from the Manly Trust and the Sussex Police will support a group of young people to build an electric kit car, which they will then race at Goodwood.
Our youth team are also gearing up to start two new projects supported by The Co-op Foundation, through the Building Connections Youth Fund; one increasing young people’s engagement with community spaces and the other seeing young people in Moulsecoomb and East Brighton creating fantastical tech inventions with MakerClub.
TDC also received a small amount of funding from The Pride Social Impact Fund to purchase equipment for the 67 Centre.
In other areas of our work, we will shortly be starting an inspiring new project with The University of Brighton, training local people in Moulsecoomb to become Community Researchers – local people will co-create a community research model to build an understanding of the needs of the community and to influence service delivery. We have also recently received funding from Brighton and Hove Council for a new Education Hub Project and to continue our famous Coffee and Croissant sessions.
We continue to support community groups with fundraising bids and we are currently waiting to hear the outcome of recent bids to the Council’s Communities Fund. TDC are also waiting to hear the outcome of some recent applications, one significant bid we know has been successful but aren’t allowed to announce yet – watch this space! TDC is also working on two quite large partnership applications, which if successful would allow us to expand service delivery and bring some creative new projects to the communities we work with.
Please note that the Youth Led Grants Programme will be reopening shortly – community organisations in Brighton & Hove can apply to get between £500 and £5000 to fund projects for young people aged 11-19 (or up to 25 with special educational needs). If you have an idea and are interested in applying, please get in touch with Adam Muirhead – [email protected]
By Emma Reeves, TDC Community Development Worker for Tarner.
Congratulations to the hard working Phoenix Residents!
We are so happy to announce that the Phoenix Residents’ Community Association launched on the 5th February 2019.
Phoenix Brighton (formally known as the Phoenix Art Gallery) hosted the launch and it was well attended by Hyde residents and interested parties such as TDC, BHCC Communities, City Clean their local councillor (David Gibson) and Hyde. Other organisations such as the local police and good gym were also in attendance.
The group have worked really hard in the last year to be able to constitute the residents’ association. They have been meeting regularly and successfully tackled issues around parking and graffiti as well as hosting a community BBQ. They’ve also worked with Brighton & Hove City Council to consult the residents on using funds from the restorative justice team to do up the ball park on the estate.
They now have 5 key officers and 4 committee members and not only that but they are now officially part of the Hanover and Elm Grove Communities Forum as an Association.
A huge thanks to everyone who made it to our AGM on 19th January. We had a fantastic turnout (much bigger than expected!) and it was great to spend the evening together celebrating the diverse communities that work alongside us.
Special thanks must go to our showcase presenters: to Ricky for sharing the amazing successes of the Sussex Bears Wheelchair Basketball team since he attended our 'Be Funding Bid Ready' training; to Mish for telling us about the inspiring adventures of the Moulsecoomb Bangladeshi Women's group; to Hope, a member of the Coldean Youth Group, who brought the house down with her incredibly moving and accomplished singing performance, a result of her work with the group miss represented; and last, but certainly not least, to Shamsul and all the members of Exercise at the Edge for getting us moving and warming us up at the end of the evening!
The Trust for Developing Communities is working with the council and other public and voluntary services, along with community members and residents, to produce local priorities that we can work together on in the form of a Neighbourhood Action Plan.
A number of consultations have been held with community groups culminating in a drop in event last November where residents could find out more about some of the key services in the area and share ideas with them and other residents.
Various council teams attended including the new Field Officers, Planning and City Clean. Others from the third sector were at the event alongside local groups including Friends of Parks groups and The Purple People Kitchen who provided refreshments.
The Neighbourhood Action Plan is currently being drafted and will include local priorities around the themes of Health and Wellbeing, Community Spaces, safety & environment and Activity, Learning and Employment.
The next Community Buildings Network event takes place on Tuesday 26th February at Community Base from 4pm- 8pm.
The Community Buildings Network is a group which brings together people who manage community buildings across the city. We have been working with the Community Buildings Network for the past few years – helping support over 150 community groups to find funding and run their buildings smoothly.
As well as the opportunity to network and meet the CBN committee there will be sessions on;
The opportunities around the new Third Sector commission and a ‘live’ fundraising session.
Making young people welcome in community buildings.
Looking at the common challenges faced by those running and supporting community buildings.
Please can you let people in your neighbourhoods, networks or communities who may benefit from attending the event know about it.
The last event in November was really well attended and positive for all who came, so please do encourage people to sign up via this Eventbrite link:
4.00 Welcome and Introductions Ann Tizzard (CBN Chair)
4.15 Understanding challenges faced by community buildings – A report on the CBN health checks findings. Amy Allison and Kaye Duerdoth (TDC)
4.45 Potential Opportunities for Community Buildings around a new Third Sector Commission John Reading (BHCC Third Sector Manager)
5.15 Young People and Community Buildings – Hear from young people about what makes a community building young person friendly
5.45 Food from The Cardamom Pod
6.15 Fundraising for Capital Projects in Community Buildings – Workshop including live funder finder session Kaye Duerdoth (TDC) and Donna Edmead (BHCC Communities and Third Sector Team)
7.30 CBN Committee Q&A
Please do let any colleagues and peers know about the event if it might be helpful to them.
TDC are thrilled to be involved in delivering a fantastic new art project for 11-19 year olds which begins on Friday 1st March.
The project is linked to the new archaeological exhibition at Brighton Museum which includes artefacts dug up in Brighton and skeletons which are thousands of years old. Some of the artefacts come from Whitehawk Hill which is recognised locally as a special nature reserve. One of the skeletons included in the exhibition was also dug up in Whitehawk and a 3D reconstruction of her face is featured.
Young people participating in the project will visit the museum and learn more about the history of Whitehawk. They will also create photographs and pottery inspired by the exhibition and their own lives. The art they create will be displayed in Brighton Museum and also at Our Place in Whitehawk as part of the Brighton Festival. Caroline Vitta, TDC community worker with young people, said “I visited the exhibition last week and it really is fascinating. I’m so looking forward to being involved in this project.”
Young people don’t need to be great at art or history to take part – they will learn all the skills needed on the project.
We are currently looking for young people who can commit to seeing the project through to the end. There are only 8 spaces available so please get in touch with TDC’s Caroline if you are interested – by phone 07481 896 892, by email [email protected] or you can search for Caroline Tdc Youthworker on facebook.
The dates of the workshops will be:
Friday 1st March 3.30 – 5pm at Whitehawk Inn
Friday 8th March 3.30 – 5pm at Brighton Museum
Friday 22nd March 3.30 – 5pm at Whitehawk Inn
Friday 5th April 3.30 – 5pm at Whitehawk Inn
Friday 26th April 3.30 – 5pm at Whitehawk Inn
Friday 10th May 3.30 – 5pm at Brighton Museum (visit to see your art on display)
Plus some extra dates working with local artists to be confirmed.
Moulsecoomb Skate Jam, A Free afternoon of Skating for young people aged 5-18 years held at Moulsecoomb Community Leisure Centre
By Caroline Vitta, Community Worker with Young People and Anke Thurm, Community Development Worker in Moulsecoomb, Bates Estate & Bevendean.
On Saturday 26th January the Moulsecoomb Skatepark group, TDC and the BHCC Skatepark Development Team partnered up to run a SkateJam at Moulsecoomb Leisure Centre. The skate team brought several ramps over from their mobile skate park and set them up in the hall at the Leisure Centre. The event was organised as part of the ongoing consultation in Moulsecoomb – a campaign which has been running for the past year and which aims to have a skate park established in Moulsecoomb. The group, supported by Anke and Caroline from TDC, has been busy asking parents and young people in Moulsecoomb about their thoughts on having a skate park in the area. 308 people responded, with an overwhelming 93% in favour of a skate park in Moulsecoomb. See the poster below for a summary of findings.
The SkateJam event was much more popular than the group had anticipated, with support coming not only from local families in Moulsecoomb & Bevendean but also from people travelling from as far as Hove to take part. Within the first hour, 20 young people had registered and by the end of the afternoon 33 young people aged between 5 and 18 years had taken part.
The first two hours of the afternoon were continually busy with experienced skateboarders practicing their tricks and beginners having their first lessons and learning the basics from the skate team. The final hour saw the actual SkateJam itself take place – a chance for everyone to show off their skating skills, use of ramps and tricks. The skate team had a fantastic bundle of prizes for the skaters to win including skateboards, shoes, hats and tops and everyone, regardless of experience or ability, had a lot of fun participating in the competitions.
The Moulsecoomb skatepark group is eager to fundraise to be able to run more events like this in the future, especially as enquiries about the next skate event from parents and skaters have already started to come in. If you want to find out more about the Moulsecoomb Skatepark Group please check out their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MoulsecoombSkatepark/
Our Coffee and Croissant hub networking events proved to be a great success during 2018. In each of four areas across the city, TDC and our partners organised sessions for service providers to meet one another, share information and find ways to work collaboratively. Working with our partner organisations across the city, we at the Trust for Developing Communities thoroughly enjoyed the sessions we hosted.
Moulsecoomb & Bevendean hub networkers at St George’s Hall – December 2018
We’re delighted to let you know that the sessions will be carrying on throughout 2019 so please do join us if you are a service provider in any of the following wards:
· Hanover, Elm Grove and Tarner
· Moulsecoomb and Bevendean
· East Brighton
· Hangleton and Knoll
We will be continuing to work in partnership with Brighton and Hove City Council, the Hangleton and Knoll Project and Serendipity on this year’s events.
Each session will have a different theme, based on your local Neighbourhood Action Plan and further themes that come from these networking meetings, so we invite you to please attend as many sessions as possible.
