Local Rep Report December – March 2021
As your Big Local Rep, every three months I share my thoughts on local area progress with you as residents and with the central team managing the national programme. Your comments and thoughts are always welcome.
A year into the pandemic, the loss and cost has been very heavy on us all. Spring brings hope. With lower infection rates, warmer weather and increasing numbers vaccinated, we look forward to our communities reopening and reconnecting. The solidarity and resilience of residents is inspirational. Allenton Big Local has shown compassion and concern, responding to changing need, bringing its resources of people, partners and funding to support people and communities.
Local Trust continues to offer its support to the 150 Big Local areas across England.
- Big Local Connects hopes to back up and running in person from 29th to 30thOctober at the East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham, in line with all government guidance. Online registration will be open from 24 May.
- Together We Plan! Here is a link to a handbook of practical tips helping partnerships plan in the wake of the uncertainty brought about by the pandemic.
- A year of the pandemic – Local Trust takes a look at Big Local responses and initiatives in these testing times, what helped, the challenges and what the future holds.
Running things
The partnership is holding strong and remains as motivated and as committed as ever to doing the best possible for the people of Allenton. It meets monthly online to review the plan and the finances. Minutes are posted on the website. As year two of the three year plan comes to a close, delivery continues broadly on track and budget.
The partnership completed and submitted to Local Trust its Legacy and Costed Vision statement, highlighting the impact Allenton Big Local has and continues to make through investment in the people, places and projects it supports.
Doing things
Mark Baker has developed the website and built social media presence. Quarterly management reports were reviewed and agreed and these and the service level agreements are on the website along with good news stories of local action and change and newsletters.
Enthusiasm has retained a core service. Self-harm, suicidal thoughts, damage to mental health are in higher numbers during these difficult times. The triage service offered to all the young people in the area is key to their support. Mentoring and detached work are ongoing. Creative opportunities have arisen. Young people from the dance group have decided to capture their voices in a theatre style production to highlight how Covid has affected them in their community and affected their mental health.
Nacro continues with weekly sessions that are a mixture of planned activities that can be delivered to families with children at home, phoning parents and supporting where needed and when required doing face to face work on the door step.
Derby Adult Learning Service’s centres remain closed; courses are online and free, with telephone support. New courses are available. Help is available for job applications, targeting potential opportunities for people they are engaging with. February half term programme was in partnership with Artcore, a new collaborative way of delivering activities. All packs were delivered to families and were well received.
St Martins continued with its well received and much valued winter food programme of 40 hot meals a week, with the hope of reopening the café one day a week after Easter. Derby Rotary, the Neighbourhood Board and the Asda Foundation have all contributed additional funding. It may also be used as a vaccination centre.
Meanwhile, 50 families from Allenton get fortnightly food parcels to support them during lockdown through the city wide food bank.
