Environment, places and spaces in Big Local areas

Many Big Local areas from across the country, both rural and urban have identified their local environment, places and spaces as a priority. People have highlighted that the word ‘environment’ has different meanings. We use it to talk about green spaces like parks, allotments, walking and cycling trails and forests, as well as built places like high streets, playgrounds, buildings and roads. All of these are a part of our environment and contribute to how we experience an area and how a place makes us feel.

In this newsletter we share ideas and activities from Big Local areas as well as resources and toolkits. There's also a special free helpline for all Big Local areas for a limited time until the end of April. You can call for advice and information on environment, place and space challenges or to talk through your ideas.

Debbie Ladds, chief executive

Living Space Project (formerly Capacity Global) have set up a special helpline for all Big Local areas for a limited time period. The helpline is for areas interested in improving their local environment, places and spaces (both green and grey!).

The helpline is free to use and offers advice and information relating to your area’s environment, spaces and places. This might be advice on setting up a project, finding opportunities for funding, or guidance on your green plan.

Watch the video above and hear from people in Big Local areas about the kind of challenges you might want to get advice on.

The number is free from landline numbers and is available until the end of April 2014. 0800 254 0015

The cost from mobiles depends on the mobile phone provider. (If you do call on a mobile Living Space Project will offer to call you back on either a landline or mobile number).

No Walls Gardens is a community interest company in the Northfleet North Big Local area. No Walls Gardens works on community gardening projects with volunteers of all ages  - who include ex-offenders, people with disabilities, long-term unemployed and recovering addicts. Through their six week courses people learn gardening and landscaping skills.

With a Big Local Star People award, No Walls Gardens was founded by Peter Scollard and is closely involved with Big Local.  With his business partner, Gary May, they have established a social enterprise which is making a real difference for the residents of the area, and share their experiences by speaking at Big Local events around the country. No Walls Gardens is supported by the Eden Project and they have also received funding from a variety of sources including the European Social Fund, Big Lottery Fund’s Awards for All, Gravesham Borough Council and Kent County Council.

No Walls Gardens is not just about horticulture. Peter and Gary have a holistic approach to gardening and society, and believe that encouraging people to take pride in their environment and pride in themselves can bring about a real and lasting change. Their projects engage with the local community, and encourage creativity, shared responsibility and self-reliance. They help people away from worklessness, reoffending or relapsing and offer valuable life and work skills; to encourage people to be a part of something bigger and to make Northfleet North a nicer place to live.

Read more on their website http://www.nowallsgardens.org

Through Big Local conversations, residents in Conniburrow have voiced their concerns about how their estate looks. So Conniburrow Big Local have been busy trying to find solutions to make improvements. At the end of last year they planted spring bulbs across the estate. The planting wasn’t obvious to residents at the time but now their guerrilla gardening is coming up in the spring bloom!

Conniburrow Big Local works closely with the schools in the area. In the February half-term they ran a bird and bee house making craft club for children and these have now been put out around the estate. Now the weather is warming up they are working with the schools to arrange a litter pick after school project. As part of this they are running a litter and dog poo poster competition for the students. Children are being are encouraged to take these posters home and put them in their windows where people can see them. Milton Keynes Dons football club will reward one winner from each school with tickets to one of their games.

Looking forward, Conniburrow Big Local are planning three events for the summer. They are hoping to enter their estate in the annual competition Milton Keynes in Bloom (as part of the Thames and Chilterns region of the RHS Britain in Bloom competition). The competition is run to encourage people to participate in managing the environment. They also plan to run a garden competition locally for residents and organise a nature walk to get people out to the woods and ponds nearby.

In Fratton Big Local, people have highlighted their local environment as being a priority. There are large empty spaces and closed shops. Residents feel it could look more attractive and there is a sense of a lack of pride in the area. So last year Fratton Big Local started working with Southsea Greenhouse on some flowerbeds outside Hale Court; retirement and sheltered housing managed by the council. These beds were piles of earth that nobody had touched for years. Southsea Greenhouse and Fratton Big Local worked with volunteers from the wider area, as well as residents from Hale Court. Together they planted in the flowerbeds and people in the area were really pleased with the change.

Father Bob White, chair of the Big Local partnership said that it gave people a glimpse of what they could do for other parts of the area. The flowerbeds outside Hale Court are still being cared for and Fratton Big Local has set up a task group to work on possible long term plans for the area’s large open spaces. These include the recreation ground and the church grounds. Their challenge is to get people using the spaces while respecting the primary use of the spaces.

Fratton Big Local have key areas that they are allocating resources to in their BIg Local plan and these include making Fratton an attractive place, and enhancing and making the best use of green space available.

Living Space Project have drawn together the 10 key priorities that Big Local areas want to address around their environment, places and spaces.

Maria Adebowale from Living Space Project says that the 10 key priorities tend to be around: maintenance improvements, making spaces more accessible, cleaner and safer, growing food, improving buildings and streets, and looking at how an area can buy or run a building or a piece of land. Read about them here.

Through the environment, space and place pilots Living Space Project have worked with 12 Big Local areas around the country: Littlemoor, Firs & Bromford, Northfleet North, Ramsey, Birchwood, Brereton, Harefield Midanbury & Townhill Park (SO18), St Matthew's, William Morris, Fratton, South Bermondsey, and North East Hastings.

These Big Local areas have come up with some fantastic ideas for ways to improve their local environment including:

• Weekly outdoor ‘mummycise’ classes – fun get fit classes in local parks for children and their carers
• Using green spaces around the local church to grow vegetables to be used in the church’s café
• Graffiti walls – creating graffiti walls with graffiti and art training for young people
• ‘Stage in the park’ – local artists and musicians showcase their work outdoors, through events, workshops and celebrate local diversity.

There are many more inspiring ideas, which you can use and adapt for your Big Local areas. Find out about them here.

Spaces for Everyone was produced by Living Space Project (formerly Capacity Global) for Big Local areas. This guide includes ideas and information to assist you with having discussions with people about how you want your area to look, feel and work.