Last month, Active Calderdale Community Project Manager Sofie Armitage, delivered her first workshop in Mixenden as part of the community led approach in Calderdale. There was a fantastic turnout with 63 attendees in total including 20 local residents and 37 different organisations. There was representation from all system areas and priority groups which include women and girls, disability or long-term health conditions, ethnic minority groups and the elderly.
Mixenden was selected as one of the 10 priority neighbourhoods in Calderdale for the Sport England funding aimed at increasing physical activity. Priority neighbourhoods were selected based on greatest need (those in the top 30% Index Multiple Deprivation (IMD), lower levels of physical activity and poor health and wellbeing outcomes).
As part of the community led approach Active Calderdale will be working with residents and local organisations on a hyperlocal basis to co-design interventions that enable more residents to be physically active. The process is split into three key phases: the preparation phase, the delivery phase and the maintenance phase.
Community Lead Approach Workshop
As part of the preparation phase, Community Project Manager Sofie, spent time in the Mixenden area ahead of the workshop, meeting with residents and organisations to share information about the approach.
The aim of the workshop was to bring the community together to introduce the approach, establish a common purpose and begin developing ideas for what an active Mixenden could look like.
For those that couldn’t attend the workshop, Sofie gathered their views at various community forums such as the community drop-in which runs from the Holy Nativity Church on a Monday and the Daffodils club which runs from the Addy on a Tuesday afternoon.
During the workshop attendees began to explore ideas around the areas of planned investment which are:
- Parks and green spaces
- Spaces and places in the community – including streets, indoor and outdoor facilities
- Sport, leisure, and physical activity provision
The workshop was a fantastic opportunity for the community to come together, share ideas and begin developing collaborative projects. At the end of the workshop, attendees were encouraged to complete a survey to gather feedback.
When asked “What did you like about this workshop?” answers from residents included:
Answers from local organisations included:
Next Steps....
During the delivery phase and over the next few weeks Sofie will continue engaging with the community and supporting residents and organisations to further develop their ideas into proposals. Three sub-groups will be created for the three areas of investment and will provide a space for the community to share ideas, resources, and work collaboratively together to develop proposals.
Sofie will also be looking to establish a community panel in Mixenden to review applications and make decisions about how funding is best invested. The panel will seek to have representation from across the priority groups and will be pivotal in the decision-making process.
Towards the end of August, a second workshop will be held, where everyone will come back together, and proposals will be presented to the community panel and community for review. The panel will then decide which of the proposals will be taken forward.
For further updates on our community led approach in Mixenden, why not join the Active Mixenden Facebook group here? Alternatively, you can contact Sofie.Armitage@calderdale.gov.uk to find out how you can #PlayYourPart.