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PACT Update – April 2002

WATCH

WATCH has elected its new Committee positions following the AGM last month. The group’s officers are:

·        Chair: Dorothy Senior

·        Vice Chairs: Pat Walsh, Anne Clay (tbc)

·        Secretary: Sheila Martin

·        Assistant Secretary: Vacant

·        Treasurer: Vacant

·        Assistant Treasurer: Dave Denny

·        Press Officer: Farid Noor

The vacant positions will be filled over the next few months when new members have had a chance to understand the work involved.

Watch has received unexpected recognition for its work from Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the DLTR, Sally Keeble MP. In a letter to Jim Cunningham MP she states that “WATCH’s work is well regarded and it is thought of as one of the most important community based organisations in Coventry”.

The Community Development staff of WATCH has produced a manual telling you “Everything you wanted to know about community groups but were too afraid to ask.” The manual was produced as an output of the training sessions held last autumn and includes input from the participants in all of those sessions. All groups in Hillfields will be offered a copy of the manual and others can look at it in the Community Groups Library at the WATCH Centre or at the Area Co-ordination Office.

WATCH are looking for two groups of Hillfields residents to talk to some researchers from the IPPR in London about what they think of life in Hillfields.  The first group should have been living in the area less than 18 months the second more than 5 years.  The group will attend a meeting lasting 1½hours on the evening of Monday May 13^th and participants must be available between 6.30 and 9.30 p.m. as the time for each group is yet to be finalised.  Each participant will receive a cash payment of £25 to cover their time and expenses.  Any one interested should contact Vicki at WATCH on 7655 0563 by 4pm on Wednesday 8^th May.

PACT

Area Co-ordination hosted two visits to Hillfields during the month. The new Local Agenda 21 Team came on 16^th April to develop closer links and find out about our work. The Common Purpose Profile Programme for senior managers paid a flying visit on 24^th April and visited the new ICT Learning Centre and met community representatives from WATCH.

The European Objective 2 Action Plan has got through the first stage of appraisal by Government Office for the West Midlands and is now being considered in detail.

Jobs and Training

WATCH held a further Jobs Fair on 25^th April. The event was attended by 470 clients and as a result Peugeot received 150 applications, Walkers Crisps received 70 applications and Group 4 received 10 applications. Thirty-five clients of WATCH found employment during April.  Washington Inventory Services has so far employed 26 clients through the WATCH Centre.

The ICT Learning Centre upstairs at WATCH is now open. The initial classes are as follows:

·        Mondays: Mornings – ICT classes: Afternoons - Basic skills and ESOL ICT

·        Tuesdays: Mornings - ESOL Skills: Afternoons - ICT sessions

·        Wednesdays: Afternoon - Basic skills and ESOL ICT

·        Thursdays: Mornings - ESOL ICT: Afternoons - ICT internet and ESOL skills

·        Fridays: Mornings: - ICT classes

For more information about these classes contact Vicki Urch on 7655 0563.

Community Safety

The City Centre Company has been successful in securing funding for a comprehensive CCTV scheme for subways into the city centre. The scheme includes new CCTV cameras for the White Street subway and subways near the London Road junction. For more information contact Mark Nicholls on 7683 3661.

The Hillfields Sector Police staged a high profile promotional event on 10^th April when 40 police officers arrived at the Hillfields Village Square on a double decker bus and then dispersed to patrol every street in Hillfields on foot. The event was to highlight the “Open All Hours” scheme. The new style of policing will mean more Police Officers patrolling the streets on foot. There will now be only one officer in patrol cars and the second officer will patrol of foot. Initially this will be from 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. but this will be extended so that by June it will be from 3 a.m. – 8 p.m. The event also stressed the joint work between the Police and West Midlands Travel.

A new team of officers will be starting work soon called the OCU Support Team. This will be made up of section officers and CID officers. Each section has 1 crime fighting team and this new team is in addition to this and they will be looking at specific crime trends.  There will be 6 officers and 1 Sergeant to cover the Little Park Street area.

There is a new telephone number to call for all non-emergency crime reports in the West Midlands – 0845 113 5000.

The Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy 2002 – 2005 has now been published. There are six priorities for action: burglary, vehicle crime, robbery, violent crime, anti-social behaviour and youth offending. A colourful leaflet has been published to promote the strategy. Copies are available from Action Against Crime on 7683 2131.

Golden Jubilee Celebrations

We know of two Queen’s Jubilee parties in Hillfields. A group of local people from the Singer and Sky Blues Residents Groups along with a number of other local volunteers are organising an event that will be held on Monday June 3^rd. Ted and Anne, the landlord and landlady of the Brewer and Baker pub, have been planning for some time to organise an open event for all the community. There will be activities inside the pub and also on the land adjacent, which is a pocket park managed by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust. There will be an official presentation to the landlord and landlady of a plaque designed by ‘Arts Exchange’. This tells of the pub’s history. For example in 1859 the pub was used as a courtroom when an inquest was held into the death of Mary O’Donnell who was killed when she got caught in machinery that operated a weaving loom. Two Coventry City FC youth and reserves players, Lee Fowler and Avun Jephcott, have offered to do the honours making the official presentation. The organisers intend to reflect all sections of the local community. The Brewer and Baker has a large number of Scottish and Irish customers and is the home of the Coventry branch of the Celtic Supporters Club. The Gosford Asian Centre is sited next to the East Street pocket park. There will be a funfair for the kids and also Street Theatre in the form of a local juggler, various stalls and a range of foods available. Local councillor Dave Nellist has offered to be the bingo caller for the afternoon. In the evening there will be music in the park from local bands.

The Freehold Residents Group are holding a Jubilee Party on Weavers Green on Sunday 2^nd June in the afternoon. There will be food, drinks, games, arty stuff, clowns, face painting, bouncy castle, the works! The Residents Group has named the green space at the top of Freehold Street, backing onto the canal, as Weaver’s Green in reference to the 5 weaver’s houses which were demolished in the 1970s. The group has received a grant from the Countryside Agency and the Heart of England Community Foundation to develop the site. A community consultation took place on Saturday 27^th April outside Pommies on Swan Lane, about how the green space could be used for the benefit of all residents. A landscape architect will now pull all suggestions together and a range of possible designs will be open for discussion at the Jubilee event.

Arts, Sports and Leisure

The Sports Development Team would like to remind groups that they are still able to offer support under the Hillfields Community Sports Programme. This scheme encourages local groups and individuals to apply for funding to participate in coaching courses, hire venues, buy equipment and other suitable purposes relating to sport. For more information contact Rashid Bhayat on 7683 2371.

The Sports Development Team organised an Easter vacation sports programme at Sidney Stringer CTC between Monday 8^th – Friday 12^th April. The programme was a great success with over 25 young people attending every day to participate in a range of sports including football, cricket and basketball. Boxing sessions are still running at Sidney Stringer CTC on Mondays and Fridays between 6. 00 p.m. and 7. 30 p.m. The cost is 50 pence. Call Rashid for more information.

The Hillfields Website attracted 2892 visitor sessions during March 2002 with an average stay of 9½ minutes.

Planning is well advanced for this year’s Hillfields Summer Festival Week. The Festival Week will run from 22^nd to 30^th June. There will be an extensive programme of events, culminating in the best ever Gala Day on Saturday 29^th June. There will be a focus on multi-cultural music and food. Any organisation that would like to put on an event or get involved should contact Jessica Pinson at the Area Co-ordination Office on 7622 5052.

The final piece in the jigsaw of public art works produced by Arts Exchange in and around Volgograd Place is now in place. A major piece of sculpture has been completed in the Garden of International Friendship. The Unity Sculpture includes elements designed by many different groups in Hillfields. It is topped with a 400-kg polished stainless steel symbol, which was designed by 16+ art students at Sidney Stringer Community Technology College and was fabricated by a specialist company in Stoke on Trent. The sculpture also includes logos designed by 20 local community groups in collaboration with artists and two large etched metal plates which carry artwork to represent and celebrate the many positive community initiatives which have take place in the Hillfields area. One of the plates also carries a directional map of the location which depicts Swanswell Park, Volgograd Place, the Garden of International Friendship, Lady Herbert’s Garden and the Phoenix Initiative clock as a record of the new developments taking place in the surrounding area. If your normal walking route does not take you past this sculpture then you should certainly take a detour to look at this most notable output from the URBAN funded Public Arts Challenge. Our congratulations to Kate Turner, Arts Exchange and everyone involved.

A final report has been produced for the Hillfields Marketing Project. This URBAN funded project was operational in Hillfields between 1999 and 2001 and funded many of the public activities in the area. To obtain a copy of the report, contact the Area Co-ordination Officer or look at a summary on this website 

Housing

Consultation with tenants of the Hillfields Flats about the future of the estate was completed during March. In total 258 interviews were completed by PEP, the independent organisation brought in to undertake this survey. Whitefriars believes that this is about 6 out of 10 tenants regularly living there. There are some of the results emerging from tenants interviewed:

·        Nearly half like living in high-rise flats.

·        Getting on for 7 out of 10 tenants like living in Hillfields.

·        If the estate was refurbished, more than half say they would want to stay on the estate, most in their present flats and nearly 1 in 5 would want to move out of the flats, but stay in Hillfields.

Whitefriars’ Management Board will decide soon on how to proceed with the flats, taking into account this consultation and a range of other information, like the cost of improvement work, demand for tenancies in the area and the views of the Hillfields 12 Tenants Association. For further information, contact David Jelley on 76767153, or email david.jelley@whitefriarshousing.co.uk.

The Hillfields 12 Resources Centre at Paul Stacy House is now open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. There is an opportunity for tenants to meet their neighbours, have a chat (the kettle is always on) and get support. The Hillfields 12 Tenants Association is planning a Community Clean up on 4  & 5^th May. For more information about any of these matters drop in at the Resource Centre during the times shown above or phone 7622 0600.

Our congratulations to Angela Ledwidge the Supervisor at Sackville / William Thompson Sheltered Housing Scheme who successfully completed the London Marathon on 14^th April. Angela, who works for Whitefriars Homes North, raised £1000 for Broadview Care Ltd. Congratulations also to Clive Benfield, from Benfield Homes on Payne’s Lane, who abseiled down the De Montfort Hotel on 28^th April to raise £1500 for the RNIB.

Early Years

The Stay and Play sessions at Hillfields Play Centre have moved to St. Peter’s Community Centre to encourage parents to use it more effectively.  Sessions run on Fridays from 9.30 – 11.30 a.m. They are available to all parents and their pre-school children. They can borrow books and toys free of charge and take them home to share with other children and babies. For more information contact Sheryl Jordan, Children and Family Education Service, on 7663 4647.

Young People

The Fun Factory held a celebration and public display of the work of the project on Friday 12^th April at St. Peter’s Community Centre. The project has involved nine different programmes of work with groups of children between the ages of 8-14 at a variety of different places in Hillfields over the past three years. There were displays covering all of these programmes including videos and a CD created during the sessions.

The CV1 Young People’s Project is still proving to be a success. There are large numbers of young people from Hillfields and beyond visiting the project for career and employment advice, training / college courses, benefits advice, housing issues etc. April was a good month for helping young people and 8 have moved into employment and two into training. The CV1 Projects is currently recruiting 18 young people aged 15/16 from Hillfields for a “Driving Experience Day” on 25^th May 2002 organised by the Rotary Club Coventry. The day will include talks, demonstrations, a chance to have a go at driving and lunch is also included. If any young people aged 15 – 16 and living in Hillfields would like to book a place contact Liz Cotton at WATCH on 7655 0564. Places will be allocated on a “first come – first served” basis.

The Rapace Project held an open afternoon on Wednesday 1^st May at Hillfields Young People’s Centre in Yardley Street. The young people involved displayed the work they have done during the year including videos, sound tapes and music. The event was very well attended and visitors participated in some of the workshop sessions. The Lord Mayor, Cllr Dave Chater, presented certificates for commitment and achievement. Anyone interested in this important project talk to Sheila Bidmead on 7625 7031.

Youth work at Yardley Street is now fully functioning. A new music suite is available for young people including computerised digital recording equipment and musical instruments. There is a full programme of activities at the centre each day of the week and at weekends, with a staff of 17 youth workers involved in the programmes. Off-site youth work is just commencing using other locations such as schools and the Connexions Fitness Suite. A group of 30 young women are meetings on Wednesday evenings doing vocal and dance work with an instructor. For more information about the programmes at Hillfields Young People’s Centre contact Sheila Bidmead on 7625 7031.

Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Coventry Refugee Centre are celebrating because they have just taken on 6 talented people to run their Resettlement Project. Thanks to the government’s Supporting People initiative they will be able to give refugees the help they need when the Home Office tells them that they can stay in this country. It is a difficult time for them because although it is good news, they do have to leave their existing accommodation and support systems at short notice and apply for benefits and housing through the traditional routes.  There are lots of practical difficulties and it also increases their sense of loss – of family, culture, identity etc. It is a complex process made even harder if English is difficult to understand. Most of the refugees in Coventry are used to a completely different alphabet, let alone vocabulary. At the beginning of this month Gordon, Chris, Bashir, Cecilia, Geraldine and Tim will join the existing Coventry Refugee Centre team of 2 paid workers, 2 temporary workers and loads of brilliant volunteers. The future is fruitful! (but not necessarily orange!).  

Refugee Week runs from 17^th – 23^rd June. A full programme of activities has been planned. The week starts with a launch event on Monday 17^th. This includes the launch of “Home” poetry written by refugees. On Tuesday there is an opportunity to taste food from around the world at an event at St. Peter’s Community Centre. On Wednesday there is the final of a chess tournament at St. Peter’s and on Thursday a Multi-faith celebration at the Multi Faith Centre at Priory Row. The week culminates in a party on Saturday at St. Peter’s. This will include making a float to take into the city centre for the Positive Images Festival. All week during the Positive Images Festival there will be a photo exhibition at the Central Library called “Through the Eyes of Refugees” and between 23^rd June and 29^th July there will be an exhibition of art called “The Colour of Kurdistan” by Ata Kazaz now living in Coventry.

Neighbourhood Renewal Fund

There has been a delay in reaching decisions on applications made under the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund. It is now expected that Hillfields applications will be considered in May.

Unemployment

Seasonally unadjusted unemployment fell in St. Michael’s last month (down by 36 people). Over the year, St. Michael’s has fallen by 46 people (most during the last month).  Some of these changes will be the result of seasonal factors but Michael’s Ward unemployment has not been performing in line with the city average for some time.  A major study by WATCH and the University of Warwick is taking place in St. Michael’s Ward to identify the underlying patterns in the local labour market.  The survey is taking place now and will be completed shortly.

Charterhouse

The opening celebrations of the St. Anne and All Saints’ Community Hall were held on the weekend of 6^th and 7^th April, with a flower festival in the church and a reminiscence and history booklet produced by local residents.  Community Groups provided displays and activities in the Hall. On Sunday Joe Elliott of Elliott’s Car Accessories officially opened the Hall and a Celebration Service was held, with a packed congregation from the Church and community. The Community Hall is now available for bookings from individuals and groups.  Please phone Leanne Wallis for details on 7655 1627.

The first Charterhouse Reminiscence afternoon was held on Thursday 18^th April at St. Anne and All Saint’s Church Hall. Twenty four people attended and plan to continue meeting to look at the history of the area and life as it used to be. The group is open to anyone over 50. The next meeting will be held on Thursday 16^th May at 1.00 p.m. with a free lunch at the Church Hall. Anyone attending is requested to bring an old momento to share with the group. For more information contact Drew Dolman on 7622 5052.

Far Gosford Street

The Far Gosford Street Traders Group has been reformed and is now meeting monthly on the last Thursday of every month. For more details contact Suresh Chatralia on 7625 6661.

Cheylesmore

The inaugural meeting of the Quinton Residents Group was held on Tuesday 30^th April at Cheylesmore Community Centre.  Despite the bad weather 27 residents attended and elected a committee of 5 volunteers.  The group was then given presentations on distraction burglaries and Neighbourhood Watch.  The group used this opportunity to thank Lee Cummings for her hard work and dedication as their local Focus Housing Officer. Lee is moving to a management position with Focus in Birmingham.

PACT

The Council’s first Open Day, held on Saturday 20 April, has been hailed as an overwhelming success. Approximately 1,500 people attended and were able to see the range of services that we provide, and take part in some fun activities. They were really interested in our work, and supportive of what we are trying to achieve as a Council. Area Co-ordination’s main attraction was a model of a section of the John Gulson area of Foleshill. Visitors were able to see how residents of that area had used the model to highlight issues of concern, whether to do with crime and safety, traffic and transport, or environmental issues. They saw at first hand how it was possible to “Plan for Real” by using this visual aid, and how effective it was in getting the views of young and old alike. They were then given information of how other neighbourhoods are approaching their plans, and those who are resident in those areas were encouraged to become involved.

Welcomes and Goodbyes

April has been a month with a lot of staff changes in Hillfields. Our best wishes to all of the following people who have left Hillfields for other posts: Community Development Officer, Cate Riley, who has moved to Cornwall; Louise Lambert WATCH’s receptionist; Nick Wilson, from City Development, who has joined the Co-operative Development Agency as a Business Adviser; Sheryl Knight, Coventry Health Authority, has moved into a new work area at the Primary Care Trust; Les James from Whitefriars Housing; Ravinder Kaur, Hillfields Estate Manager, who has moved to the Stoke Heath office. Our thanks to all of these people for the contribution that they have made to Hillfields.

Our best wishes also to Claire Cahill, Youth Worker in Cheylesmore, who is moving to the NSPCC.

Congratulations to Graham Gillions who has been promoted to the post of Area Renewal Officer in City Development. Graham will continue to be involved in neighbourhood work in Hillfields but will also be involved in work elsewhere in the PACT area.

A special welcome to the following people who have been appointed by WATCH: Ellie Whiston (Employment Officer / Administrator), Monica Walker (Finance / Administration Officer), Neal Keen (Employment Officer), and Christina Austin (Employment Officer). A belated welcome to Baz Jassi, from BG Consultants, who is contracted to WATCH to set up and develop the ICT leaning Centre. As part of his brief he will be looking at ways of introducing more residents of Hillfields to ICT, particularly exploring the potential of Broadband communications.

We welcome back Brian Tidman who has returned to manage Whitefriars Hillfields Office and the Concierge Scheme. Welcome also to the six new Resettlement Workers at Coventry Refugee Centre – Cecilia Ali, Tim Jacques, Geraldine Royds-Betz, Bashir Ahmad, Gordon Sparkes and Chris Gwyntopher.

Welcome also to Sulakhan Takhar from Social Services who is joining the Hillfields Neighbourhood Team to represent Older People’s Provider Services and local residents Bev Hesson, a media student from Coventry University, who is on an 8-week work experience placement with the Area Co-ordination Office.

Planning Applications

The following lists some of the key planning applications in Hillfields, Charterhouse and Cheylesmore Ward received over the past month. It is not a comprehensive list. Anyone wanting to be put on the mailing list to receive weekly details of all planning applications should contact Ian Prowse, in City Development on 7683 1227. All planning applications can be inspected in the reception of the City Development Directorate, Tower Block, Much Park Street, during normal office hours.

·        32807/A Land between Canterbury Street and Wellington Street to the north of Yardley Street. Coventry Healthcare NHS Trust. Erection of 2.1 metre high palisade fencing and new car park layout.

·        TELO/047991/B Cheylesmore ATE Mary Herbert Street. Installation of 15 metre high slimline monopole, 3 antennas, 1 microwave dish and associated equipment cabin and fencing.

The following decisions have been made recently on key planning applications:

·        8483/F 21 Berry Street. Single Storey side extension, disabled access ramp and security shutters to window of proposed extension and existing side elevation window/ door. Approved with conditions.

Resources

The Government has announced the Safer Communities Initiative allocations for 2002/2003. The Coventry Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership has been allocated £146,795 in order to assist with the delivery of the Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy 2002 – 2005. The funding is intended to be aligned with Communities Against Drugs (CAD) and Small Retailers in Deprived Areas (SDRA – formerly the Capital Modernisation Fund). Coventry will receive this funding following an Action Plan being formally approved by the Crime Reduction Team at Government Office for the West Midlands. In order to facilitate the production of an action plan, partners are asked to consider current activity that may require resourcing and will directly contribute to the six priorities contained in the strategy. All project proposals should be submitted on a pro forma to Sara Doolan, Action Against Crime, by 17^th May. All project submissions will be prioritised by the Priority Champions for the Strategy to ensure that the Action Plan contributes directly to the targets and priorities of the strategy.

Advantage West Midlands is shortly to launch the Advantage Community Loan Fund. This is a loan scheme for social enterprises who are not able to access funding through traditional sources. The fund will be able to offer loans of between £15,000 - £80,000 to social enterprises mainly, but not exclusively, in the Regeneration Zone. For more information contact Becky Lewis at AWM on 0121 380 3533.

The City Council’s Lottery Officer has published a new National Lottery Briefing Note on the Community Fund. The briefing note describes the current funding programmes and West Midlands priorities and policies. You can obtain a copy from Brian Keegan at the National Lottery Team or download a copy from the Hillfields website www.hillfields.org.uk/Facts/Resources.htm

There is more information about resources available to local organisations on this Website.