Winter

Planning and getting ready for the year ahead?  Have a look at our winter steps to getting your community active and involved.  Keep a look out for spring, summer and autumn steps as the year progresses.

 

Write a wish list of what could be changed in your community, maybe there is anti-social behaviour because of lack of lighting or street corners that are unusable or not enough activities for young people?  Perhaps some neighbours are neglectful of their gardens or your local council doesn’t provide recycling facilities?  Perhaps the local park is run down and in despair or there is always litter in your area, and graffiti?  Is there street furniture that should be repaired or removed? 

 

Write to your local council and tell them that you intend to harness community support and improve the surroundings.  Ask them for their support, particularly in areas such as rubbish removal, recycling, funding.  Ask them if there are other community groups in the area you can get in touch with.

 

Do a letter box drop in your area telling your neighbours you want to get them involved.  Ask them to attend a community meeting about improving the area, or if you are in a small area, invite them to a litter pick or a plant-up.

 

Start a ‘Friends of’ group for a local run-down park, garden or green space.  Get everyone involved in reclaiming back space that may have become disused or a haven for litter and anti-social behaviour. 

 

Start talking to local businesses. Ask shops to sponsor a hanging basket outside.  Negotiate with your local supermarket to manage a flower bed or two in their car park to develop a more diverse display. Tell them about your other activities and how this will encourage more people into their store and brighten the atmosphere.

 

Look out for bits of abandoned land, they often have self seeded saplings growing on them, ask the landowner if you can manage this land for wildlife.

 

Do some tactical planting to help encourage good behaviour.  Plant climbers at the base of walls that regularly suffer from graffiti and plant shrubs at the junction of pathways where people shortcut over the grass.

 

Talk to your neighbours about replacing the fence with hedges or shrubs and encourage people to remove some paving from their driveway if possible and replace with ground cover.

 

And don’t forget, if you have your eye on transforming a ‘grot-spot’, take some pictures of it so that you can see what a difference you’ve made in a few months time and send them to us to display in the Bloom photo gallery.