www.bournemouth.gov.uk/westhoweregeneration2014

WEST HOWEREGENERATIONPARTNERSHIP

THE WEST HOWE COMMITMENT

P1INTRODUCTION

West Howe is a well built housing estate, with an attractive layout,several miles north-west of Bournemouth town centre. It is generally a great place to live.

The Lottery funded Fair Share programme that ran over the last 8 years achieved a lot and has provided much to build on.

THE SUCCESSES INCLUDE:

● Supporting over 50 voluntary groups to run activities and increase their funding helping children, teenagers, older people and many others get more out of life.

● Over 800 people took part in new activities and almost 4,000 enjoyed large community events such as the Sunday Best Festival and events in Moore Avenue Park.

● Support was provided for adults and children affected by domestic violence.

● Listening Ear provided counselling to young people.

● Young Citizens helped teenagers volunteer – putting back into their community.

● 90 people were trained through the DOVE volunteering project, many have now returned to work or are continuing to volunteer.

P2AS A RESULT OF FAIR SHARE

West Howe now attracts more support from public bodies through the West Howe Regeneration Partnership (WHRP). This brings together services, councillors and residents to continue to improve the area.

Having carried out the Strategic Assessment and asked local people, we all agreed on what’s important. This document summarises these priorities, setting out a Vision, with a list of Challenges, Aims and Actions.

Fair Share developed a group of hard working, dedicated local volunteers undertaking significant work for and with West Howe residents. So this is not just about what services can do for local people. It’s about the West Howecommunity making things happen that they want in their area.

There is already a lot going on, for example:● A community led Job Club is starting up, helping people get back in to work.● Equipment has been bought for the Henry Brown centre so that it can host more activities.● Loan shark training has taken place and an anti loan shark campaign is planned.● A scheme to help people who want to set up their own business is setting up - funded by a grant from Europe..... and much more will happen.

For full and detailed progress please visit: www.westhowe.net or

WEST HOWE STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT 2012

Many people who live in West Howe have a good quality of life. Here are some important facts about West Howe.

● The area has a relatively young population.● There is a strong gypsy and traveller heritage.● It is green and leafy, close to both Turbary and Kinson Commons.● There is a high percentage of one parent families.● There are some good public services - library, youth centre and children’s centre - but there is no community centre or local pub and shopping facilities are limited.● Life expectancy is relatively low and long term health issues such as obesity, mental health, heart and lung diseases are common.● Some residents suffer due to low income - being either out of work or in low paid work - and there is too much debt and door stop lending. ● Young people tend to achieve less well at school than in other areas of the town.● A high proportion of adults have no qualifications.● Compared to the rest of the town, there are relatively high crime rates - including domestic violence and anti-social behaviour.

P3WHO WE ARE

WEST HOWE ACTION GROUP (WHAG)

WHAG brings together the many organisations and people who work or volunteer on the estate, who listen to local people and strive to create positive change for the area. They meet regularly to share information on their work.

They are an important group with whom the WHRP regularly shares its plans and consults. The Group also hasrepresentation on the WHRP.

WEST HOWE REGENERATION PARTNERSHIP (WHRP)

WHRP meets 6 times a year to review progress and make sure things are happening. It makes sure that local services deliver the best possible outcomes for the area.

It brings together people from:● The Council – Community Regeneration, Community Safety, Children’s Services and Housing Landlord● Bournemouth and Poole College● West Howe Action Group● West Howe Residents● Local Councillors● Health Services● The Police

LETTER OF SUPPORT FROM TONY WILLIAMSChief Executive of Bournemouth Borough Council

“West Howe has a great tradition of community activity, as seen by the success of Fair Share. The RegenerationPartnership will build on this, with the Council and partners working closely with local people to tackle local problemsand make life even better for those in the area.”

WEST HOWE STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT 2012

Many people who live in West Howe have a good quality of life. Here are some important facts about West Howe.

● The area has a relatively young population.● There is a strong gypsy and traveller heritage.● It is green and leafy, close to both Turbary and Kinson Commons.● There is a high percentage of one parent families.● There are some good public services - library, youth centre and children’s centre - but there is no community centre or local pub and shopping facilities are limited.● Life expectancy is relatively low and long term health issues such as obesity, mental health, heart and lung diseases are common.● Some residents suffer due to low income - being either out of work or in low paid work - and there is too much debt and door stop lending. ● Young people tend to achieve less well at school than in other areas of the town.● A high proportion of adults have no qualifications.● Compared to the rest of the town, there are relatively high crime rates - including domestic violence and anti-social behaviour.

P4THE VISION FOR WEST HOWE

Residents enjoy good health and a high standard of living, have high aspirations and the resources andopportunities to achieve them. They make use of all the facilities and opportunities that Bournemouth offers. People aspire to live in West Howe because of the sense of community and its great and varied local facilities.

FINANCES

People manage their money well and take up all opportunities to secure employment and improve their economic situation.

SKILLS

People want to create a better life for themselves, their families and their community. They can access the training and education they need to develop skills and achieve their ambitions, improve their health and take control over their life.

Relationships are respectful and constructive. People have self respect, high and realistic aspirations which they are able to achieve.

PLACE

There are inspiring and entertaining things to do for all ages in high quality buildings and spaces. People make good use of local parks and open spaces and there is a focal point for community activity, bringing people together.

P5SKILLS

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES?

West Howe is served by some good schools, but not enough young people leave school with enough qualifications.

Lots of residents want to improve their lives, but not all adults have the right qualifications or skills.

There are lots of hardworking people in the area, but too many people are unemployed or are in low paid and low skilled work.

Lots of people do live healthy lifestyles, but too many suffer from long-term illnesses and die too young.

There are good services for families, but in some families, children repeat the problem behaviour of their parents, for example domestic violence, taking drugs or drinking too much or becoming pregnant too young.

Generally West Howe is a safe place to live but there is too much anti-social behaviour.

WHAT ARE THE AIMS?

● We want young people to do well at school, so they have more choices about what to do when they grow up.● Make sure everyone can read and write.● Increase the number of residents with qualifications in Maths and English.● Make sure people have skills that are relevant to employers.● Make sure everyone knows how to use the internet.● We want the employment rate for West Howe to be the same as for Bournemouth as a whole.● Ensure local people take advantage of existing training and employment offers.● We want people in West Howe to be as healthy as in the rest of the town and to try healthier activities.● Reduce levels of domestic violence, teenage pregnancy, addiction and anti-social behaviour.

P6SKILLS

Make training relevant and accessible to local people, encourage andsupport volunteering and provide facilities for residents to learn about how to use the internet.

Support the local resident led Job Club. Link local employers to the area and develop routes into better paid work. Support people who want to set up their own businesses by offering training, mentors, access to finance and office space.

Make sure that local people are invited to have health checks, have access to local health services and have the opportunities information and advice to improve health and wellbeing.

Continue close working between CouncilAnti-Social Behaviour team, Housing and Police Safer Neighbourhood teams to prevent and tackle anti-social behaviour.

Work with Dorset Fire and Rescue Service to tackle deliberate fire setting.

WHAT ARE THE ACTIONS? HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES

Achievement For All is a project to work with children who are not doing as well as they could. By involving parents and dealing with issues such as bullying and attendance, we aim to improve outcomes.

Expand the “Rights Respecting Schools” programme to all schools in the area, creating an environment where learning is easier and expand out of schools to create a “Rights Respecting Community” model.

Develop better recruitment, training and support for teachers in the area. Work with local charities and businesses to improve school results, as part of the Achieve Together project.

P7FINANCES

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES?

Although many have a good standard of living, there are also many households dependent on benefits and households with low incomes.

Welfare Reform is putting pressure on some people.

Although many manage their money well, door step lenders and poor money management leave many people in, and unable to escape, debt.

For those out of work, it can be difficult to make the shift from welfare to work.

Although housing is generally of high quality, a highproportion of some residents’ income is spent on energy.This can have health impacts, especially for the young and old.

WHAT ARE THE AIMS?

● We want everyone to manage their money well.● We want people who are out of work to be able to take up opportunities to get into work.● We want residents to get the advice and information they need on all kinds of benefits.● We want to divert people from door step lenders to safer options, such as Coastal Credit Union.● We want to reduce the proportion of income spent on energy and improve take up of renewable energy offers and insulation.

P8FINANCES

Carry out a campaign to tackle door step and illegal money lending.

Bring money management courses and mentors on to the estate and into schools.

Support the Coastal Credit Union to make it easier to use theirservices.

Make sure that any service that helps get people into training, employment and self employment, also advises on benefits.

Work with Dorset Energy Advice, landlords and others to help upgrade heating and install renewable energy sources.

WHAT ARE THE ACTIONS? HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES

Bring advice services on to the estate, especially in preparation forWelfare Reform.

Provide IT facilities and support for people who will have to makebenefit claims online.

P9PLACE

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES?

Local people want activities relevant and interesting to them. To make things happen more local people need to get involved.

There are good community facilities in the area; but acentral community point is needed. Shopping and healthfacilities are limited.

West Howe has attractive green spaces. Local people could make more use of the heathland.

Local people want to be healthy and happy and to feel safe and secure in the area.

West Howe gets bad publicity at times.

Public transport routes and costs limit access to the rest of the town.

WHAT ARE THE AIMS?

● High quality local facilities are well used by local people. More people use the heath and other green spaces, such as parks and recreation grounds. Increased range and take up of community and arts events and activities.

● Regular feedback from local people about what they want and what they think about services. More groups and volunteers helping to plan and run events and activities.

● The local environment is safe and in good repair, there are fewer incidents of anti-social behaviour and West Howe is recognised as a good place to live and go to school.

● Increased use of public transport. Local people use and enjoy facilities across Bournemouth.

P10PLACE

Provide lots of ways for resident’s to have their say e.g drop points. Ask local people for their views on the activities and events and use this information to help plan future events.

Ensure local people know how to contact their local Councillors and Neighbourhood Development Worker.

Promote the North Bournemouth Area Forum and the West Howe Action Group.

Publicise the good news about West Howe locally and across Bournemouth.

Tell people about the heath and parks, for example through sources such as local newsletter, website and schools. Hold more wildlife and history walks on the heath, promote and support gardening and wildlife groups

Let people know what’s available locally and across Bournemouth.

Work with travel companies to improve routes.Provide more information on bus routes and car parks. Explore combined travel and activity tickets e.g. BH Live Experience Card.

WHAT ARE THE ACTIONS? HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES

Support local people to set up and run their own groups, encourage local people to get involved in planning and running events, providing activities for all ages. Work with other organisations to bring interesting activities to West Howe, for example, the Council’s Arts Team.

Publicise interesting volunteering opportunities. Hold regular social activities for all ages. Train local people to help others to make healthier choices. Promote or arrange sports and exercise events.

Work together to make good use of existing buildings, for example the Library, Henry Brown Centre, Children’s Centre, Fernheath play and the Inspiring Change shop. Work together with Council services to keep the area tidy and well maintained.

Ask local people what facilities they want in the area now and in the future. Plan to redesign or rebuild existing community facilities and build new facilities. Seek funding to pay for existing buildings to be improved or new ones built.

Continue close working between Council Anti-Social Behaviour team, Housing and Police Safer Neighbourhood teams to prevent and tackle anti-social behaviour. Work with Dorset Fire and Rescue Service to tackle deliberate fire setting.

P11HOW WILL WE MEASURE THIS?

Skill

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WE WILL TRACK

School performance Numbers of people completing basic skills qualifications Unemployment rates Numbers of local people starting their own business after accessing advice and support Number of people taking health checks Health outcomes Outcomes for families from the Turnaround Programme Numbers of people accessing addiction and domestic violence services Levels of anti-social behaviour, arson and crime People’s perception of anti-social behaviour Numbers of people using advice and training services and what those individuals achieve Numbers of people joining the Coastal Credit Union The level of rent arrears The take up of schemes to reduce energy bills The use of the Food Bank

The number of people attending local events The number of people volunteering locally How many people use buses on local routes Comments from local people The number of positive news stories about West Howe Applications for local school

From Bournemouth Opinion Survey wewill also track:

Whether people feel they belong to their local area.

Whether people feel the area is a place where people from different ethnic origins get on well together.

How often people access leisure facilities, libraries, museums, galleries and theatres.

P12WANT TO KNOW MORE? WANT TO GET INVOLVED?

Housing Landlord:E: housinglandlord@bournemouth.gov.uk T: 01202 451915

CONTACT

Your Neighbourhood Development Worker:E: Martha.Searle@bournemouth.gov.ukT: 01202 579036M: 07901 701908

The Police Safer Neighbourhood Team: E: Westhowe.snt@dorset.pnn.police.ukT: 101

West Howe Community Enterprises:Diane Humphries, c/o The Inspiring Change Shop E: admin@westhowe.netT: 01202 570077

Your local Councillors:Beryl BaxterE: Beryl.Baxter@bournemouth.gov.ukT: 01202 773028Ben GrowerE: Ben.Grower@bournemouth.gov.ukT: 01202 396012Roger MarleyE: Roger.Marley@bournemouth.gov.ukT: 01202 535383

West Howe Library: (Cunningham Crescent)Jean Cooper and the Library StaffE: westhowe@bournemouthlibraries.org.uk T: 01202 573665

P13

This booklet was put together by volunteers and residents with support from West Howe Community Enterprises.

It was edited by volunteers at the Inspiring Change shop who made sure it was understandable to all.

We finalized the logo with support from Gazelle design, ensuring features that were liked by residents were included.

Local volunteers held a photography walk to capture local images to use.

Five sessions were held in West Howe Library to support volunteers in branding, design and enabling them to produce the finished document using desktop publishing software.

"I have enjoyed learning these computer skills and would like to learn more so I can help produce posters and other stuff for the community" Wendy

HOW THIS BOOKLET WAS MADEW

est Howe

CommunityEnterprises

www.bournemouth.gov.uk/westhoweregeneration