Working together
by Lisa Swift

Staff at Burngreave Community Action Trust (BCAT) and Burngreave Community Action Forum (BCAF) volunteers pulled together a fantastic AGM in October. It focused on activities for children and young people and helped the forum see the bigger picture.

Among the speakers was Amanda Boughton-Brown of Sure Start, who explained what the programme is trying to achieve for over 1,000 children under four in the area. Sure Start is investing in new buildings at Owler Brook School and hopes to build a facility on Spital Street.

Ellesmere Youth Project’s Lorraine Blake explained how their detached youth workers have been spending time with young people around Ellesmere and Carwood, and helping them use facilities like All Saints. The project is hoping to expand with money from New Deal and by recruiting more volunteers.

BNDfC’s director John Clark got a warm reception as he reported back all that New Deal has achieved in the last year. The forum’s chair, Steve Cook, thanked John for all his hard work saying he had “really brought the community together”.

But the greatest thanks went to Clare Burnell as she stepped down as chair of BCAF’s Children and Young People’s group after more than three years. The group have been instrumental in bringing organisations together; for the first time providers of summer provision have been able to plan ahead and produce a booklet of activities for parents. Clare told the Messenger, “We needed New Deal money to make this happen, we got the money and it happened! I’m still going to be part of the group; I just feel its time to let someone else have a go at chairing.” The Children and Young People’s Group meets at the Furnival on the first Monday of the month at 7.30pm.

Lynn Hoy, director at BCAT, and other staff members explained how they are available to help community groups, and that BCAT hopes to become a development agency, managing projects like the Language Support Agency. Unfortunately, as we go to press, Lynn has announced her resignation after less than a year in post. We hope to bring you the full story next issue.