Moulsecoomb Family Fun Day - Saturday 15th May
As the organising committee get to work on this free event above, more residents have been joining in to help with new ideas. MFFD will have been running for 27 years this year. What an achievement for an event run solely by volunteers.
Please remember to put this date on your calendar and come along to join in the fun.
Activities in Moulsecoomb for half term
There are some exciting activities planned for half term at the 67 Centre in Hodshrove Lane, Moulsecoomb. Sports & games, jewellery making, woodcarving or playing pool is happening on Wednesday 17th February between 12 noon and 3pm. Or how about swimming on Thursday 18th February. Or even more exciting dry slope skiing on Friday 19th February.
If any young person is interested please contact Kemi on 01273 293634 or her mobile no is 07866 685 734.
Action for Bevendean Community
The meeting on Monday evening went well for residents who turned out to talk to two officers of the Brighton & Hove bus company. The resident's main concerns were around the unreliability of the service which is meant to run every twenty minutes. There were concerns raised about the lack of service during the snow. So many elderly residents felt isolated and unable to get out of their homes for a long time. Other concerns were raised and the the B&H bus company are taking these issues back to Roger French.. It was a well attended meeting and residents look forward to receiving feedback from the bus company on the issues they had raised.
Friends of Wild Park
The Friends of Wild Park are next meeting on Wednesday 27th January at 10am in the Wild Park Cafe. Any resident who wishes to join us are welcome.
They also have a day booked with the Countryside Rangers on the 5th February to do some work in the Park. Anyone who wishes to join us can just come along from 10am, all workers are welcome!
Moulsecoomb LAT cancelled
The Moulsecoomb LAT was cancelled yesterday as the snow made it impossible for residents to get along to make their views known. The next meeting is on the 10th February and the topic of 'Setting the Residents Priorities' will be taken forward at that meeting.
Any residents who wish to come along and feed their concerns and ideas into the action plan can do so on the 10th February 2010 at 10.30am in the Moulsecoomb Leisure Centre.
Moulsecoomb Local Action Team Meeting
There is a Moulsecoomb LAT meeting to be held on Wednesday 13th January 2010 at 10.30am till 12.30pm at the Moulsecoomb Leisure Centre, Moulsecoomb Way.
Its topic is called 'Setting the Residents Priorities' and this meeting is for those who live and work in the area to come together and discuss an action plan for the coming year. We usually have nine themes; Falmer Stadium, CCTV, Traffic, Police, Young People, Rubbish & Recycling, Environment, Communication & Governance and Other for those areas not covered by the eight above.
We have had some notable success for example with the Underage Fags & Booze campaign which was taken up by the Community Against Drugs & Alcohol team who pulled in Trading Standards and the Police. This meant that the residents concerns have been listened to and are being addressed in a way they can support. Also the residents campaigned for toilets in the Wild Park which has now been addressed with the disabled public toilet that has been installed.
I hope lots of residents attend despite the weather so the LAT can start working straightaway on those issues or concerns that residents may have about their area. Its all about making things better for everyone who lives there.
Moulsecoomb LAT meeting
The next Moulsecoomb LAT meeting is to be held on Wednesday 9th December at 10.30am till 12.30pm at the Leisure Centre on Moulsecoomb Way. The topic to be discussed is 'Poverty' Anyone who lives or works in the Moulsecoomb area is welcome to attend. Please join us next Wednesday!
East Moulsecoomb TRA raising a petition
At the last East Moulsecoomb Tenants & Residents Ass they were very angry that the council have plans to divert the large lorries who are transporting the demolition waste of the Falmer academy re-build through the residential streets of Moulsecoomb. They would go along Lucraft Road round in to Halland Road, along Appledore Road and then down on to Moulsecoomb Way. Residents quite rightly feel that the lack of consultation with them has put their children and other residents at risk. The petition is calling for the council to reverse this decision immediately and to re-route the traffic along an old service road which runs adjacent to the railway line. As ward councillor I support their petition wholeheartedly!
Over a week...
The Friends of Wild Park met to discuss how to make the most of the monument in the park that is dedicated to the residents of Moulsecoomb. They have been actively clearing the site and are now looking for grants to fund the cleaning of the monument to restore it to its former glory. They are planning on having a bulb planting session for anyone who wants to join in please contact Barbara on 01273 382714.
I attended the Falmer Stadium Residents Liaison Group where I raised the issue of the u-turns at the entrance to Wild Park. After a meeting in Stanmer it was agreed by officers of the council to allow cars coming from Lewes, Woodingdean and Stanmer to turn at this entrance to save them a round trip. No resident's from Moulsecoomb were invited. However for many residents who use the bus stop this has become even more dangerous for them as pedestrians who want to cross the road to get home. The response from Stanmer residents was to say children and others should get off at another stop and walk! Why is it that school children, mothers with young babies in buggies and older people having to walk out of their way is a preferable option to someone who sits in a nice, warm and dry car who may have to drive a little further? Answers to me please on 01273 291175.
I also attended the North Moulsecoomb TRA, East Moulsecoomb TRA and Central Moulsecooomb TRA where they are looking to plan their bids to the Estate Development Budget. This is housing money which is specifically for tenants to enable them to bid for money to get fencing done for tenants or to have a clean up day. Anyone interested in joining their tenant and resident association please call me on 01273 291175 and I can advise you on the dates for the next meeting.
Last but not least I met with the Assistant Chief Constable Robin Merritt on neighbourhood policing in the area. As Chair of the Moulsecoomb LAT I was invited along with others to tell him about how the LAT's are working and the successes we have achieved by working with the police and others statutory agencies over the years. Each of us had stories to show how effectively we work but also to show that every LAT doesn't have to be the same and that with residents help we can tailor them to suit residents needs. The next Moulsecoomb LAT is on Wednesday 9th December at the Leisure Centre at 10.30am. Please come along everyone is welcome!
Friends of Wild Park
I attended the meeting of Friends of Wild Park where they talked about their very successful clean up of the monument fronting the Lewes Road. There are more days to be arranged to help with the clean up and they plan to plant bulbs before the winter sets in. They have also arranged for new signs to be placed on the front of Wild Park which show the cafe and toilet facilities. And signs to ask that litter is taken home along with the fines available if you don't!
The Friends of Wild Park now have their own website on Friendsof Wild Park.wordpress.com and they are on Facebook as FriendsofWildPark.
Wild Park is a beautiful but hidden gem of a park so if you agree and are interested in joining this group please come along to the next meeting on Wednesday 25th November at 7pm in St Georges Hall.
Bevendean Tenant Association meeting
I attended the Bevendean Tenant & Resident Association meeting this evening where many tenants expressed unhappiness at some of the work that has been carried out in their properties.
My advice to any tenant would always be to report these incidents so that the council can get a better understanding of what the problems are and how best to tackle them. Also the tenant gets the repairs carried out with a more professional finish, which is only what the tenant wanted in the first place!
If any tenant is worried about reporting problems then your local tenant rep can do it for you or you could always contact your local councillor. If neither of these appeal then please talk to your local housing officer as they will always help.
The next meeting is to be held on Wednesday 2nd December at 7pm at the Salvation Army Hall in Leybourne Road. All residents in Bevendean welcome!
Moulsecoomb LAT meeting
I chaired the Moulsecoomb Local Action Team meeting today where we all had a report back from council officers regarding the actions arising from the walkabout we had recently. So much positive work is being carried out in Moulsecoomb and it showed resident's what a successful walkabout it was when the estate is left looking clean and tidy.
Inspector Whitehead talked about 'Operation Park' where they target 'hotspot's in the area and young people are talked to about their behaviour. If any young person is found with alcohol they will be taken home so a discusson can be had with their parents. This has proved to be successful in calming down behaviour on the streets and police want residents to tell them where particular problems may be so they can target them.
There was so much talk about and its alwasy an interesting time for residents so if you want to join us the next Moulsecoomb LAT is on Wednesday 11th November at 10.30am at the Moulsecoomb Leisure Centre. All residents are welcome!
Coombe Road LAT
I recently attended a meeting of the Coombe Road Local Action Team where they started setting out the priorities they wanted police and others to tackle with their support. It was a well attended meeting with a large number of residents in attendance. The priorities ranged from tackling drinking problems with all the associated anti social behaviour in the area to traffic congestion around the school.
If you would like to attend the next meeting please come along to Coombe Road Primary School on Monday 14th December at 6.30pm. Or if you are unable to attend but are interested and would like to read the minutes and know more about the priorities chosen please look on the website. www.safeinthecity.info for more information.
Bevendean LAT
At the last Bevendean LAT meeting residents were excited about their new calendar. The Bevendean Local Action Team were given some money to produce a calendar for residents in the area with lots of useful information and contact details. Also each month will feature a wonderful photo of Bevendean through the seasons.
So look out for your copy soon!
Walkabout in Moulsecoomb with the LAT
Last week I had a very enjoyable time walking with residents, police and council officers around Moulsecoomb. It was the Moulsecoomb Local Action Team's six monthly walkabout. Everyone invoved was happy to see how clean the estate is looking now, the main gripe being overhanging bushes and trees. If you are interested please join us on our next walkabout in March 2010. I'll post the exact date nearer the time.
Moulsecoomb Primary School 10 year Celebration
Moulsecoomb Primary School celebrates 10 years this month as a primary school. Parents, teachers, staff and governors will be celebrating this event later this month.
The school has progressed into a great community school with fantastic grounds where they have already won an award for their 'outdoor learning' environment.
Everyone in the community and school has contributed to this so 'Well done Moulsecoomb!'
Participle – ‘Loops’ project for young people
I attended a meeting this morning about the ‘reach out’ project with the Participle organisation who have been working closely with the council and residents of Moulsecoomb & Bevendean over the last nine months.
The project has been funded by the Aldridge Foundation, Brighton & Hove City Council and Croydon Council and Participle have been working with and consulting with young people and their families to find out what their experiences are.
Participle presented a picture where young people in the area do not have all the opportunities and life experiences that other youngsters may have. This led to the consultation etc and the six weeks of projects piloted for 25 youngsters throughout the summer’s holidays.
The project was called ‘Loops’ and its aims were to grow young people through contact with others outside of their normal sphere of family and peers. It was intended that the young people should have a range of experiences that were surprising as well as informative; experiences that exposed young people to new people and places so they can get a sense of what’s possible in their lives now and in the future.
The idea is to enable young people build on the 3I’s:
- Independence – the capability to do things for themselves, to get to places and to be organised.
- Initiative – to enable young people to ask questions and make contacts with others.
- Insight – for young people to realise what they may have gained from the experience which will help with their confidence levels.
Over the course of the six weeks over 60 different experiences were hosted by businesses and individuals in the city ranging from large organisations like the Theatre Royal and the Thistle Hotel to small organisations like Spy Monkey which is a performance art organisation. The council also hosted a number of experiences such as taxidermy and animal welfare, or working in city parks with the Countryside Rangers, etc.
Participle found that the young people who participated in this scheme grew in confidence; they had stories to tell their friends and families. The young people also found out what their strengths were, and knew what they were good at, what their weaknesses might be and how to get help to develop those.
Hopefully the new Falmer Academy will be able to put this project to good use for all their young people as it has proven to be a positive experience for those who took part.
Building a roundhouse
All this week, Moulsecoomb Primary School children were joined by members of the East Sussex Archaeology and Museums Partnership so they could build a roundhouse in the grounds of the school. The roundhouse is thatched structure made in a traditional manner using hazel and willow and wattle and daub, where a mixture of mud, clay and straw is smeared into the sticks by hand to create a wind and rainproof wall. The children will also be baking bread in their own clay oven. The move is linked with a project by Brighton and Hove City Council to encourage biodiversity in school grounds.
This is an important part of children's curriculum because it teaches them that food has to be grown and plates and bowls have to be made.
I went to see the project where the children were being instructed in the art of mud making but I left before it was being thrown on the house!