The Big Community Comeback
28/04/2010
How local communities are coming closer together
Across the country, the desire to feel part of a community is alive and well once again. If the economy isn’t creating a sense of well-being, it seems people are prepared to rally together to create it themselves.
Campaigns, schemes and events are springing up across the country as people try to revive the sense of community many feel has long since disappeared from our local areas.
But it’s not just about the feelgood factor. General perceptions about a community can directly affect house prices in the area, while simply being part of a neighbourhood watch scheme is something many home insurance companies factor in when giving you a quote.
From pubs to clubs
This renewed sense of community comes in many forms. The spate of pub closures in the last 18 months has driven many communities to launch campaigns calling for residents to join together and save their ‘local’. Similar campaigns have centred on Post Office closures. Even fans of Premiership football clubs like Manchester Utd and Liverpool have formed their own community-based clubs, creating an affordable grassroots alternative for local fans.
Lunching in the street
One project trying to ‘put a smile back on Britain’s face’ is The Big Lunch, which brings neighbours together for lunch once a year, in a garden or even a street. Last year 1 million people took part in the first Big Lunch and this year’s event, on Sunday 18 July, is expected to be even bigger. Towns and villages have also started to use events like St George’s Day as an opportunity to organise fetes and festivals, encouraging people to come together.
Tackling neighbourhood crime
Neighbourhood watch schemes have been around since the early 80s but the desire of residents to look after each other remains a galvanising force in local communities. Setting up a neighbourhood watch scheme is still an effective way to reduce levels of crime in an area, particularly incidents of vandalism, bogus callers, car crime and burglaries.
Looking after the local environment
Like reducing crime, the environment is another area which can bring people together in support of a good cause. From organised litter picking days to communal skips where people can take their waste, more and more ‘green’ initiatives are being introduced. Freecycle, a simple scheme to help people in the same community find a home for the things they no longer want, is another great example of people working together to solve problems.
Eco homes and towns
Plans for new eco towns aim to tackle community and environmental issues at the same time. These new towns will be made up of eco homes, built using low or zero carbon technologies, and are designed as sustainable communities, with particular attention paid to things like public transport. Sites earmarked as eco-towns are Rackheath in Norfolk, St Austell in Cornwall and Whitehill-Bordon in Hampshire and North West Bicester in Oxfordshire.
Community currencies
Another great example of local people supporting each other is the launch of new community-based currencies. Designed to encourage people to shop locally, several community currencies have already launched in England, including the ‘Lewes pound’ in East Sussex and the ‘Totnes pound’ in Devon, with the first new currency being piloted in the Scottish Borders this spring.
The online community
Once seen as the end of the local community, the internet is now a useful weapon in the campaign to rebuild a sense of community. Forums on local news sites generate comment and debate on local issues, while ‘things to do’ sites help tourists and locals with ideas for places to visit. If you’re moving home and want to research an area, sites like www.upmystreet.com provide a wealth of information about your potential postcode area.
Community spirit is often seen in times of adversity. Given the tough period the country has been going through, it’s no surprise to see people looking to their own communities for strength and support.
