Strengthening Communities

Rybugh in North Norfolk

-An example of how

it can be done

What’s beendone in Ryburgh?

• Launched Community owned shop including Post Office

• Community car scheme supported by Parish Council

• Short-listed for Pride in Norfolk Village of the Year 2009

• Community newsletter launches 2009 ‘Ryburgh People’

• Good Neighbours Project –planned• Access to Services Project-planned

What has enabled this community?

• Linking up services in the village

• Go ahead attitude- shares were bought by village residents for the village shop totalling £26,000 as well as securing total funding for the shop of £130,000

• Focused attitude, issue in village around access to village shop identified and then followed through.

• Forward thinking Parish Council supporting development of new services

• Effective community consultation- village residents were asked what they wanted from the shop.

Opening of shop 2nd March 2009

Village shop as the hub

Parish Council support

• October 2006 Ryburgh Parish Council invited Norfolk RCC along to discuss close of shop.

• Oct 06-May 07 Meetings between Norfolk RCC and group wanting to take things forward

• May 07 Public meeting about village shop

• June 07-March 09 CIC Established and funds raised for shop

• Funders include: Norfolk Community Foundation, Co-Op, Norfolk County Council, and EEDA.

• 2nd March 2009 Shop opens!

Challenges that village faced

• Primary school closed

• Village shop closed

• Post mistresses retired

• Limited activities for young people

• Youth club closed some anti-social behaviour on the playing field.

Good Neighbour Project

• What is it?-Voluntary local initiative run by group of local people.-Groups respond to need of local peopleIe Giving a lift to Drs surgery, shopping,

befriending/home visiting, gardening etc-Similar projects running successfully in

Bedfordshire, Wiltshire and Suffolk for past ten years.

(Above Glemsford Good Neighbour Project in Suffolk)

Case Study

• Dorothy Page – Shotley and Erwarton Good Neighbour Project in Suffolk

• Age 82 living on her own, one of her sons before suddenly very ill.

• Suddenly she was left with son’s dogs and a round taxi trip to hospital costing £25 to see her son.

• Good Neighbour project found volunteers to take her to hospital and to walk the dogs daily over the next 2 months.

• Other volunteers helped with cleaning windows, fixing a broken bed and taking Dorothy to the eye clinic.

Who will benefit?

• Community as a whole- more cohesive. • Project is flexible-each community can

determine what tasks they will assist with• Support may range from supporting a parent

with supervising homework time to taking an older person to a Drs appointment.

• Community benefit-create more links between members of the community.

• Isolated members of community- gives them a safety net.

• Volunteer benefits-Feel part of the community.

How will it work?

• Each project will have a mobile phone• Steering committee members alternate having

phone.• When they receive call for help they will assess

request and contact available volunteer. • Volunteer will visit client and assist.• Steering committee will keep log of tasks

completed.• Average number of calls per scheme 24 per

month ( Suffolk ACRE- Good Neighbours scheme)