LANGLEESW H A T ' S B E E N H A P P E N I N G - W H A T W E ' V E L E A R N E D

SNAPSHOT Dawson Sports Development Association SCIO – Ongoing support provided to group to organise

their official open day of the new facility- bringing together local organisations that can continueto contribute to and support the ambitions of the charities aims.

Community Big Lunch – Community big lunch event was planned to bring together the localcommunity groups, volunteers and local partners that have contributed in some way to helpsupport the wider needs of the community. Michael Matheson constituency MSP attended thelunch. This was an opportunity for everyone to come together and engage in; local activities andhighlight all the local work that the community are achieving.  

Groups – Knitting circle, Resilient soul, Baby and Toddler group. People are making contactsthrough these activities and now taking forward ideas of their own.

School holiday Activity program- The Dawson Sports group developed a week-long activityprogram for local young people in the area where food, activities and sports were on offer eachday.

       

  

A N N U A L U P D A T E 2 0 1 9

2 Ideas intoAction

13 peopleattending

activities perweek

381 new people

reached

Average of 3 Engagementson Facebook

per week

A Y E A R I N N U M B E R S

Participating and sharing experiences has been fundamental to the work that’s took place over thepast year with these groups, sharing knowledge around the processes of asset transfer has been a  keylearning stage through the evolvement of attending meetings with the sports group this allowed me toshare the experience with the next group. This has been a far smoother process and has allowed theBainsford group to have complete ownership of their group with minimal support required.

This case study is a brief description on why communities should have the opportunity to connect withlike minded people and groups in other communities that Corra is working alongside. As coordinators we discussed on numerous occasions about sharing learning and visiting one another.The work across communities has seen similar themes, and this would provide community members anopportunity to connect with other people and organisations that are doing similar work. When Iyaahspoke about conflict training one of the groups she was involved with had just, an opportunity occurredwhen a community group in menthol received funding to share learning around conflict resolution.Sports group in Langlees were eager to try this to become more aware of how to be more aware on howto approach a situation where conflict could happen. We set a date and the ladies came to Langlees fora visit and shared what they learned about their experience of the training they had and to thenprogress and share that learning with another community that was needing support.

B A I N S F O R D C E N T R E

What came out of this session was more than what could ever be imagined. The ladiesall sat chatting then we went into talk about the conflict resolution. Wilma who is atrustee of the sports group was a bit optimistic at first as we were asked to makesomething from play dough about how we feel about conflict.

S P O R T S D E V E L O P M E N T A S S O C I A T I O N - C O N N E C T I N G C O M M U N I T I E S

In response to the potential closing of the Banisford Comunity hall, the Bainsford Community Groupformed in 2019 with over forty members living locally to the Bainsford and Langlees area. The hall wasgoing to close due to cuts that have been implemented to services across the local authority area withbuildings been closed. The group have partnered with the Baptist church who are also looking torelocate their community shop into the hall.

The community coordinator in Langlees worked alongside members of the group to supportconstitution to a SCIO. Moving forward they are in negotiations with council bodies to manage thebuilding as a community space, with the process moving forward to a community asset transfer. Thegroup have held monthly meetings to discuss different aspects of what is required and have heldcommunity wide consultation and two community events which have been successful in gatheringideas and opinions for the centre, from members of the community.

W H A T H A V E W E L E A R N E D T O G E T H E R ?

Investment in ownership of community spaces is a new theme that has been a lot of the work I havebeen undertaking to support a fairer process through sharing knowledge and providing a supportingrole when required.

L O N E L I N E S S A N D S O C I A L I S O L A T I O N

S P A C E

T I M E

Access to online services is the only way of reporting housing repairs, access to support services forbenefits, recently surveys for council consultations are online only and schools have gone to onlinepayments systems for school lunches and other curriculum subjects that require payments. Peopleare feeling even more cut off from society with little face to face contact with services.  Then there arethe financial implications associated with the cost of having the internet installed. I fear with very littlepublic access available to communities is creating more long-term problems for individuals especiallythe older generation who are amongst those that are feeling socially excluded.

The outcome Yvonne and Mary were able to say what was troubling them and Wilma was willing toshare her thoughts on how to overcome these barriers, so a problem shared a problem solved as theysay. The next time corra place team met we brought the ladies back together Yvonne and Marywanted to show Wilma just how much she supported them that day and in return went and bought sixfootballs for the Dawson sports development association. So why six footballs? DSDA was awarded £65K to build a brand-new sports facility in Langlees whichthey had just completed. “Wilma spoke with Mary and Yvonne about her own achievements with thesports and mentioned that “on the open day the sports had no money left to buy a football to allowkids to play”. This opportunity has been life turning for both groups as personal relationship buildingwas important & creating a connection that has transpired into a bond for life. Overall learning for me was this show the true meaning of how you should empower someone itshould be a natural process not one with set outcomes that have to be achieved but one that naturallyachieves. When we talk about a learning program or about the importance of sharing resources and connectingcommunities this is why it is so important it’s not always about statistics or creating a set of outcomesit’s about how best we can listen to the needs of the people we work alongside every day incommunities and taking what we here and transforming that into something sustainable.

Tight timescales to complete projects only works for a limited time. People need to build their knowledgeand test what is sustainable otherwise this risks jeopardising the aspirations that the community have.

Capacity to build solid foundations is essential, this supports sustainable changewhich is then visible over time. Everyone learns from doing, and if things go wrong,people need the time and resources to try again. 

Through talking about the task at hand the ladies starting generating conversations about their owngroups that were going through conflict. Wilma said that she never thought about this activity wouldgenerate so much in depth conversations and she would use this activity again with other groups.

Creating sustainable spaces for community activityBuilding and sustaining the current work the community are leading on.Focusing on the two new management committees are looking at taking on a lease of communitybuildings. Connecting with other communities Corra is working alongside, bringing together communitymembers and partners to share learning and better understand the systems within which we work.Support new groups such as the cooking group, which has the potential to link with school andnurseries, and the Toddler group sessions.Supporting a Mental health program to develop.

In 2020 we will be, working on our new strategy and focusing on the current themes that have emerged,including:

People in Place is currently working alongside nine communities in Scotland, supporting local people toconnect, collaborate on ideas, and take action to create positive change. The local activity and learning from Castlehill helps shape the future plans of the community and thewider programme. So far, some common themes have emerged across the programme including theimportance of Participation, Space, Voice, Investment, and Learning & Development. However, due to the unique conditions in each place, the work is at a different stage in each community.In some places the focus is on listening, building trust, relationships and participation. In others,communities are using increased participation and voice as a platform to engage with local decisionmaking structures.

The vision for Langlees from one communitymembers perspective is: For the community to be bigger and better. To have a community centre that is open for thecommunity, run by the community, with accessto support services for the community, witheveryone working together, with no barriers.Just like our community once was.

Community Co-ordinatorAngela Smith:

angela@corra.scot

07860 800828

Dawson CentreDavid’s loan

FK2 7RG Bainsford

W H A T H A P P E N S N E X T ?

P E O P L E I N P L A C E - M O V I N G F O R W A R D S

Looking ahead, Corra hopes to support communities to connect with each other and to use their voiceand power to influence wider system change.

(The) Corra Foundation is a charity registered in Scotland (No SC009481) and is also a company limited by guarantee (No SC096068). FortifySocial Enterprise CIC is a community interest company registered in Scotland and is also a company limited by guarantee (No SC507457). (The)Corra Foundation was previously called Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland.

The Corra FoundationRiverside House, 502 Gorgie Road, Edinburgh, EH11 3AFe: hello@corra.scot t: 0131 444 4020 www.corra.scot