Easter Report 2023

2 April 2023

The Junior Wardens support the ABP Marathon every year, which helps raise money for numerous charities across the local area and nationally. We run the largest water station with over 20 volunteers at Coopers Lane, Woolston. It was a bit colder this year, but this didn’t dampen spirits, giving out water and cheering on the runners.

Corporate Plan: promote healthy living and create healthier environments.

4 April 2023

The Junior Wardens held a residents consultation day at Wyndham Court, Central. The consultation was about the central garden area of Wyndham, and what we could do to brighten the area and make it more useable for residents. We had a range of games to engage with the young people, the Hawk Man who keeps the pigeons at bay at Wyndham as well as Hot Dogs and refreshments. We will be using all the feedback to lead on works in the future.

Corporate Plan: create more attractive open spaces.

5 April 2023

The Junior Wardens in conjunction with Tenant Engagement ran a residents day at Wharncliffe Rd, Woolston approximately six months ago in an attempt to start a new residents group. Since then, a group was set up, not only with good attendance but the first group to have children sitting as members.

One of the first ideas to come from the group was to re-start the Sunset gardening club at Riverside House.

After meeting with the residents, we arranged a Junior Warden gardening project to provide the residents with their own garden area. With support from the Wardens Project Team, residents, and local children we set about building the new garden area. Well done to all involved.

Resident Comment: "After a previous event with Ian we have received a much-needed boost to get the gardening club back up and running. We are encouraging children to get involved & they are so excited. The club has also brought families together from the blocks, building a stronger local community, Thank you, Fiona.”

Corporate Plan. Create more attractive, and welcoming green and open spaces.

12 April 2023

The Junior Wardens in conjunction with Community Engagement ran a Love Where You Live event in Bentley Green last Summer. At this event, local residents had the chance to talk to us and share their ideas on what they wanted to see improved in the area. One idea was to do a mural on the kick wall in the park that had been graffitied. The local children did some designs and gave us their ideas which we put together and re-visited the children at the park in February half term so they could choose their favourites. In the Easter break, we invited the children back to put their designs onto the wall with support from a local artist.

Corporate Plan. Create cleaner, more attractive, and welcoming green and open spaces.

20 April 2023

The Junior Wardens launched its first school litter picking group at St Mary’s CE Primary School. CLC kindly sponsored us, supplying litter pickers, high viz vests, hoops, and bags.

The idea is the school takes a group of pupils out on a weekly basis to litter pick. On their walk they collect general waste and recycling into relevant bags, learning as they go about what as a city we can and can’t recycle. They then report numbers of bags of waste and recycling as well as issues such as fly tipping, back to the council using an online form. On the day we collected over 15 bags of litter, including seven of recycling and eight of waste.

Corporate Plan: create cleaner, more attractive, and welcoming green and open spaces and reduce litter and fly-tipping and improve recycling rates.

What's next?

We are already planning for next half term in May/June.

• Central - we are organising a sporting event in Holyrood, getting young people out and active
• East - we are going to be building a new garden area for the Juniors Club, which runs out of the Venny in Weston. This will be an ongoing resource for learning, healthy living and cooking
• West - we are working on plans to revamp a very large planter in Odiham Close. We are also hoping to set up a small gardening club, made up of our tenants, to maintain the planter

You can visit us on Facebook for more information on Junior Wardens projects as well as updates on other local community groups.