Community Come Together: Mutual Gain offers £15,000 funding to Swaythling residents for neighbourhood initiative
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Hampshire Constabulary has been working in partnership with Mutual Gain to tackle violent crime and other crime in the Swaythling area of Southampton. The partnership has worked to bring communities together to find practical solutions to these challenges that can be delivered locally.
The focus is to reduce crime and the fear of crime by adopting a community led and problem-solving approach to making neighbourhoods a better place to live called ‘Community Come Together.’
The focus is to reduce crime and the fear of crime by adopting a community led and problem-solving approach to making neighbourhoods a better place to live called ‘Community Come Together.’
“Swaythling is a great place to live, with great people, a great friendly neighbourly spirit and some fantastic facilities and businesses”
This was the view of many who attended the World Café event in February 2020, an event which was full with enthusiasm and passion for the Swaythling community.
The World Café was an engagement event that heard the voices of those living in the community. World Cafés are a great way to start a conversation in an informal café setting. This one gave people the opportunity to be part of a conversation about their community and how they can improve it.
At the event, it was acknowledged that there are people who live in Swaythling who can also feel afraid to go out, that crime and anti-social behaviour can be a problem, and that some people lack respect for each other, their property and the local environment.
Community Come Together is an initiative set up by Mutual Gain and supported by Hampshire Constabulary and its partners and is offering Swaythling £15,000 to make locally conceived ideas to improve the community and reduce crime, a reality.
The initiative is looking for ideas from groups or individuals that seek to tackle one or more of the areas that were identified at the World Café event.
Anyone who lives in, works in or visits Swaythling can put a bid together for the funding, as long as it benefits the whole community. Together, we are encouraging people to bid for the funding to make a real difference to local lives.
Within the next few months we are looking to hold the bidding event, whether it will be in person or online will depend on public health regulations. We will publicise the event through the mailing lists of those that attended the World Café earlier this year and advertise locally.
To read the full report from the World Café Event, just click here.
To find out more about how you can help and submit your ideas, just email [email protected]
PC Gail Salley said: “This was a fantastic event where the community came together to talk about issues and provide practical solutions in a positive setting. Now, they have the opportunity to win funding for a home grown initiative that can help improve the lives of people in their neighbourhood.
“I would ask those who live in Swaythling to get together with friends, neighbours and colleagues and bid for the money. Tell your community how you want to be part of the solution and tell them how they can get involved and help each other make a difference.”