Podcast featuring the Community Climate Action Plan for Camelon and Tamfourhill and news of local environmental activities in April.

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I would like to begin this months blog in a unique way by providing the link to a recent podcast which was broadcast by the Scottish Community Climate Action Networks 1000 Better Stories Series which was focused upon the Community Climate Action Plan (CCAP) for Camelon and Tamfourhill. Please have a listen as the community safety engager along with Maya, Olivia and Ms Stroud from Falkirk High School chat about their experiences of creating our CCAP.

https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?from=embed&i=wtp6p-13d4e9c-pb&square=1&share=1&download=1&fonts=Arial&skin=f6f6f6&font-color=auto&rtl=0&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=7&size=300

1000 Better Stories : The Story of the Camelon and Tamfourhill Community Climate Action Plan

At the CCAP Core Group meeting on the 27th March it was agreed to implement the following aspects of the plan for this spring:

Develop the raised beds at Tamfourhill Community Hub and adjacent community woodland and support other local community growing projects.

Organise the planting of trees, including fruit trees at different locations of the community and supported by Tidy, Clean & Green, Our Place and the Forth Valley Sensory Centre.

To work with the Forth Environment Link to deliver additional food and cooking workshops and also in partnership with Forth Environment link establish a new bike maintenance Hub which will train up local people and potentially start a local bike library.

Organise a canal clear up and conservation day for pupils from Falkirk High School.

Support Tamfourhill Community Hub with their energy efficiency audit and explore options for installing a sustainable and non carbon based heating system.

Support local volunteers who are setting up a Rubbish uplift and collection service for the local area.

Work with local groups and organisations to confirm regular monthly community litter picks targeted at key locations.

SPRING CLEAN UP 2023

And finally I would like to highlight this fantastic community event which is scheduled for this Saturday 8th April being organised by Tidy, Clean and Green in partnership with Go Forth and Clyde as part of the Keep Scotland Beautiful Spring Clean 2023. Please go along if you can the details are below or contact tidycleangreen@gmail.com

community

Twilight Sports Drop -in Resumes and new innovative Youth Action Project to be launched.

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The Twilight Sports programme was piloted over the spring and summer of 2022 as part of the wider community safety strategy for Camelon and Tamfourhill, and the pilot phase of the Programme was made possible through funding and support provided by the Camelon Community Sports Hub and Police Scotland. The Pilot project took place on Friday nights in local parks and was focused upon providing sporting and healthy activities for local young people and the intention was to address some of the community safety concerns and risky behaviour that many young people are vulnerable to getting involved with at the weekends. The local community Police Officers and the Fire and Rescue Services from Larbert and Falkirk were regular visitors to the sessions and took part in the different sports that were on offer, including: the Falkirk Wheelers and Rollerblading, fun football, Rugby, and outdoor nature activities. The Programme was also enhanced through the Dr Bike Service provided by the Forth Environment Links Active Travel Hub with their free servicing and maintenance of push bikes which has greatly contributed to the local community safety agenda. The sessions were a great success, were very well attended and are widely recognised as an important and enjoyable community activity.

Twilight Sports Interview for TV

The success of the pilot Programme has now attracted longer term funding and the Our Place Camelon and Tamfourhill Project is overjoyed to announce a three-year funding package from the Falkirk Community Schools Fund (2008) which will embed the twilight sports programme for the next three years and enable additional youth outreach activities to be developed throughout Camelon and Tamfourhill. I will further detail in a future blog the vision and plans for this additional funding which will form a significant strand of a new local Youth Action Project. This Project will be focused upon connecting with young people throughout the community over the next three years and I would like to thank the Falkirk Community School Funds for generously supporting the work of the Our Place Camelon and Tamfourhill Project and recognising the essential community support provided by the Tamfourhill Tenants and Residents Organisation. This is a really important investment in our community and young people in particular and the outreach programme will again be aligned to the broader objectives of the local community safety plan.

The Camelon Community Sports Hub and Police Scotland have also continued to support and fund the Friday night Twilight sessions and along with our existing partnership with the Falkirk Wheelers we have now also entered into an exciting new partnership with the Warriors in the Community, who will now be responsible for the footballing aspect of the Twilight Sports Programme throughout all of 2023. The Warriors In the Community are part of Stenhousemuir Football Club and they have been developing innovative community involvement projects for a number of years and we are certain that this new partnership will facilitate lots of new footballing and personal development opportunities for local young people. The Falkirk Wheelers who will continue to work on the programme are also a dynamic community-based sports organisation, and it is great to see the enthusiasm that local young people have for rollerblading and the level of skill and ability that has been nurtured over the programme. This Programme is an excellent example of partnership working where different agencies and sports clubs have come together to provide a quality sporting and youth work development programme whilst also addressing local community safety priorities. The Programme winter drop-in programme resumed on Friday 3rd February, its open to all 10–16-year-old from the Camelon and Tamfourhill areas, all equipment is provided as is a snack with something to drink and it’s all free of charge. The full programme with additional youth work activities will return to local parks in the spring when we hope the weather improves and we will off course have the lighter evenings.

The Rising Energy Costs and their crippling impact upon Tamfourhill Community Hub

It is off significant concern that the costs for heating and lighting the Tamfourhill Community Hub have risen to astronomical levels since the autumn of last year. The payment of the current energy bills are not sustainable, and the Hub could not remain operational at its existing levels if long term sustainable solutions are not identified and implemented. These circumstances will not be unique to Tamfourhill and the Third sector and all charities with premises to be maintained and managed will be dealing with this energy crises. I personally feel that Governments along with regional and national agencies have been slow to respond to this crises. I would therefore ask that tangible support is more forthcoming and that regional and national networks gather and confirm an immediate plan of action focussed upon the smaller community organisations and support them to access some shorter-term relief whilst also confirming a longer-term strategy for the Third Sectors sustainability. Asset Transfer is again a big issue as Falkirk Councils Strategic Property Review has identified around 130 community buildings which may have no futures without an Asset Transfer or leasing arrangement with the various communities. In this respect Tamfourhill Community Hub has very recently been through a less than streamline process to asset transfer the Hub over to the Hall Committee. My understanding is that the Council now have a dedicated community team in place and a ring-fenced budget to facilitate any asset transfers which take place as a consequence of their Strategic Property Review. I would hope that these circumstances can also be beneficial to Tamfourhill in at least the short term. I also acknowledge that not everyone is on board with the science and social narrative of the Climate Emergency and global warming, however I am absolutely certain that communities which are already disadvantaged through economic inequalities will have to take long term radical and innovative action and explore alternative options for creating energy efficient and affordable community spaces and buildings. I am aware that the Tamfourhill Community Hub committee are giving this matter priority and I also know that they will want to avoid at all costs losing the current programme of activities and services which operate from the building and that moving the costs onto user groups is entirely unrealistic and socially unjust. From a community safety perspective, the loss of any provision from the Hub would be devastating to Camelon and Tamfourhill, I could not underscore the importance of the current programmes and their contribution to local community cohesion. On a more positive note, our Community Climate Action Plan identified options for carrying out energy efficiency audits of the Hub and there is the potential to secure part funding for alternative energy sources like heat pumps and solar panelling. The long-term sustainability of the Hub will be reliant upon grossly improving energy efficiency and generating energy through new sources independently and for that to happen then new green technologies will be essential. In the shorter term the bills mut be paid and I would want to support the Hall Committee in any way that I can to get the Hub through this significant challenge. I do have an optimistic outlook that there can be a sustainable future for the Hub through shorter term relief and through securing the longer-term use and development of new green reusable and sustainable technologies.

Community Safety Highlights for January and February 2023:

The Open Doors Community Safety Event took place on Friday 20^th January, and I would like to thank the Forth Valley Sensory Centre for being such wonderful hosts. This was the busiest of the recent events with lots of quality engagement taking place and it was especially positive to involve the Sensory Centre and many of their regular users with the community safety partners who were in attendance. We also welcomed for the first time Home Energy Scotland who set up a well utilised advice stall which also included support and resources to encourage better use of our domestic water supplies through reducing waste and increasing water efficiency. The success of this event is reliant upon the commitment and inputs of all the Partners so I would like to express my personal gratitude to everybody from each organisation who has supported and contributed to this programme over the last few months. The intention is to continue running community safety open doors events which provide local people and organisations with the opportunity to directly engage with services around any relevant issues or concerns and to introduce their own ideas and suggestions for improved local community safety. I recently attended the inaugural meeting of the Camelon, Tamfourhill and Bantaskin Community Council and I am certain they will also want direct involvement with the Open Doors Events. I will be meeting with the Partners in the next few weeks and I will provide further details as to how these events will be rolled out going forward.

Community Safety Partners at the Forth Valley Sensory Centre
Info stalls
Home Energy Scotland
Open Doors
Some of the Partners

Congratulations to the John Muir Discovery Group who received their Awards at ta recent John muir presentation evening which was held in Tamfourhill Community Hub. This was very much a local project with the group of 12 young people, discovering, exploring, and conserving wild places around their community, including: The Forth and Clyde Canal, Easter Carmuirs Park, Antonine Wall and the woods around Tamfourhill. The Awards presentation evening was also an opportunity for the group to share their experiences with family friends and other young people who attend the Monday evening youth club.

Family and friends attending the recent John Muir Presentation evening.

Pocket Places Programme and improved road safety in Camelon are two distinct projects which are linked by the notion of the Low Traffic Neighbourhood, improved road safety and the promotion of active travel. The Easter Carmuirs Pocket Places Steering Group met recently and looked and design proposals for a new layout of the school campus as phase one of the Project and the introduction of zebra crossings on the surrounding streets as phase 2 of the Project. Further consultation and community involvement will be required in relation to phase 2 of the Project and that engagement work is planned to take place towards the end of February with hopefully also some preliminary design work being implemented within the school playground. I am also coordinating and supporting a partnership approach to improving road safety and encouraging safe active travel in Camelon around Nailer Road, Stirling Road, and environs. The local primary school, Early Years Centre, the Sensory centre and the Management Committee of the Camelon Community centre have all been working on their respective street reviews and this process is now nearing completion. A published report with a series of recommendations will be available in the next month or so and thereafter there will be a community event or conference held to look at how the key stakeholders can respond and where possible ensure that the recommendations and suggested improvements are acted upon and actioned. I would like to thank Forth Environment Link who have worked closely with me in coordinating and supporting the different partners to carry out their own bespoke street reviews and studies. I will off course keep the community updated with both of these projects.

community

A Community Charter that is having positive impacts for the local area.

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One of the key partners within the Community Climate Action Plan Core Group has been Falkirk High School, they have been onboard with this Plan from its inception back in April 2022. The school has been represented on the Core Group by Ms Stroud along with groups of young people who have been involved with various school initiatives. The CCAP Core Group process has complimented the ongoing work that I have supported at the school involving litter picks around the school’s immediate neighbourhood and along the route used by many pupils at lunchtime through Lock 14 at the canal and into Camelon Public park. The canal has also been the focus for a paddle pick up session on the canal back in May and more recently with the school’s community champions again focussed upon the route between the school via the canal into Camelon last month.

Community Champions from Falkirk High School taking part in a recent litter pick

This work has been supported by Falkirk Councils Waste Services and I have very much enjoyed delivering joint inputs with Ella Gorman the Services educationalist where we have engaged the young people with topics relating to global warming, the climate emergency, the social and economic costs of littering and off course our own local Community Climate Action Plan. Ella has supported the school with producing their own litter prevention action plan and this work dovetails nicely with several of the Our Place Camelon and Tamfourhill community-based action plans. This is a fruitful partnership which is delivering action on the ground, and for the benefit of the wider community through the clearance and recycling of litter, whilst also facilitating important and meaningful learning outcomes for the young people. I was very impressed with the schools work on confirming their own Community Charter which is detailed in the photo at the top of this article. This initiative represents an engaging community development process, recognising young people and the school as key stakeholders whilst also clearly highlighting their responsibilities for the wellbeing, environmental improvement, and quality of local community life. I highly commend this work and will continue to support activities and projects throughout 2023 which can significantly contribute to the school’s positive community involvement. The young people from the school produced this excellent documentary which showcases much of their community engagement through the last school year, please have a look below:

Energy Efficiency for Camelon and Tamfourhill: A dual track approach

As winter has really begun to snap over the last few days it should remind us all that fuel poverty, the cost-of-living crisis and the rampantly rising energy costs are all going to have a massive negative impact upon the local community. The matter of energy efficiency is woven though our local Community Climate Action Plan and this is reflected in a dual approach in terms of the Plans response to these local energy efficiency priorities. Firstly, community buildings like the Tamfourhill Community Hub will be required to cut costs and massively cut their energy bills if the building is to continue operating at its current capacity, any loss of services, provisions or activities is quite simply unthinkable. To this end I will be working with the Committee to carry out an energy efficiency audit of the building with the view to making considerable savings through improved efficiency but also look at the possibility and potential of operating the building with renewable energy sources such as solar panels and heat pumps. Secondly, I am in the process of confirming a partnership arrangement with Home Energy Scotland who are an organisation who provide support and advise with making your own home more energy efficient therefore reducing your costs whilst also contributing to a just transition to net zero. In the first instance HES will be providing an energy efficiency advice stand, along with a Scottish water stand, as Falkirk is within a high priority water area, so they have access to water saving devices. This will be taking place at the Safer Streets Open Doors event on Friday 20^th January 2023 from 11am-2pm in the Forth Valley Sensory Centre. Please put this in your diaries as it could make a big difference to your gas and electric bills and keeping your home warm over the coming months. The partnership we are entering into with HES will also provide a local community portal for Camelon and Tamfourhill so you will be able to access their services directly through the Our Place Camelon and Tamfourhill Project.

More can be found out about Home Energy Scotland at this link: https://www.homeenergyscotland.org/

In Summary:

Home Energy Scotland helps people in Scotland create warmer homes, reduce their energy bills, and lower their carbon footprint. They are funded by the Scottish Government and managed by Energy Saving Trust.

They work with people and organisations to help tackle fuel poverty and the climate emergency – both key priorities for Scottish Government (and humans in general).

They do this through a network of regional advice centres covering all of Scotland, which offer local knowledge and expert advice on:

saving energy and keeping warm at home

funding options including Scottish Government grants and interest free loans

installing renewable energy at home

greener travel including electric vehicles and ebikes

cutting water waste.

And finally for 2022 I would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a guid new year, this has been a very busy year and I would like to believe a very productive one for OPCT. There are so many people to thank but I wont go through a very long list, but I would want to send my good wishes to the staff, volunteers, and young people who made the twilight sports such a great success and the committee, staff and volunteers at Tamfourhill Community Hub for their continual support and good humour. A special thanks to all of the Community Safety Partners who have made a massive contribution to making Camelon and Tamfourhill a safer, happier, and more attractive place to live.

Merry Christmas

John R Hosie

Community Safety Engager

Our Place Camelon and Tamfourhill

community

Making our Streets Safer for Active Travel and Providing Positive Community Activities for our Young People:

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Thanks to Isla Rous who made this poster at Easter Carmuirs Primary School: It provides a really positive and creative message about the importance of active travel to and from school

In one of my very earliest blogs back in 2020, I highlighted the role that Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTN) can contribute to creating a safer community. This reflected the feedback I had received from the community safety survey and the various consultation activities that I had undertaken. A key outcome of the Community Safety Strategy was therefore stated as: There will be greater road safety and an increase in the level of Active Travel, and to achieve this I would support projects that encouraged low traffic neighbourhoods, promoted greater active travel, and created safer school streets. In this respect it was great to be able to announce in last month’s blog the Sustrans supported project: Easter Carmuirs Pocket Places which is focussed upon making it safer for children travelling to and from Easter Carmuirs Primary School. This will involve a partnership with the school, community, Falkirk Council and OPCT where Sustrans will deliver simple and low-cost adaptations around the school gate and surrounding streets with the intention of these interventions helping to increase safety, improve place quality and encourage active travel in the area.

Camelon Road Safety and Active Travel Project:

I am very pleased to introduce a new initiative which is focussed upon the streets around Carmuirs Primary School and Camelon Community Centre and will also involve the Camelon Early Years and Childcare Centre along with the Forth Valley Sensory Centre. The concerns about road safety and the danger especially for young people accessing local community amenities and the Nailer Road Park in particular were initially raised with myself by members of the Camelon Community Centre Management Committee.In response to this I am grateful that Forth Environment (FEL) Links Active Travel staff have responded positively to these concerns and have enthusiastically come on board to provide resources, guidance, and direct inputs to develop a Project that empowers local groups and organisations to examine the exact nature of the road safety concerns at these particular locations and work with them to identify potential solutions. Drew Taylor from FEL has been working closely with the young people and teaching staff at Carmuirs Primary School who recently conducted a detailed road safety survey around the streets of Camelon and have identified changes which they believe will make the streets safer for the young people and encourage safe active travel to and from the school and other local amenities and community facilities. The respective partners will all be working on their own priorities for road safety, active and accessible travel from their own perspectives. FEL will collate all the different groups survey results into a combined report which will then be used to involve the other key stakeholders with the view to bringing about the necessary changes and improvements which will make that area of Camelon safer for active travel. I will present the key findings and suggested improvements for road safety and active travel in this part of Camelon once the final report has been published.

Twilight Sports returns for a winter programme:

After the success of the Twilight Sports Pilot Programme throughout the summer its absolutely fantastic to announce that there will be an indoor version of the programme kicking off on Friday November 4^th in Tamfourhill Community Hub from 6pm-8pm, the Programme will again be free for all 10-16 years olds, and this will run initially for 6 weeks with the last session for 2022 taking place on Friday December. Similar to the outdoor programme the plan will be to move the locations around Camelon and Tamfourhill, however at this time of writing I can’t yet confirm where the venues for January and February 2023 will be, but I will off course announce these well in advance of the start dates. The focussed sports for the first six weeks will be rollerblading provided by the Falkirk Wheelers and fun football once again run by our qualified football coach Grant Ferguson. This will be a different experience from having the sessions out in the freedom of a public park and that will bring some new challenges, but it is very much hoped that there will be the same welcoming, open and positive atmosphere. A tremendous new addition will be the involvement and support of new youth work staff who will have a specific role to engage with and get to know the young people who attend every week, and we are hoping that this will provide a useful and wider service for local young people which and can be the start of further young person led community projects. A big part of the role of the youth workers will be to listen to young people’s issues and respond to their ideas and aspirations and they will also be able to provide young people with advice and support as required. The Twilight sports is very much about community safety and in this respect the Community Police Officer and the local Fire Service will continue to regularly visit the Twilight sessions and get involved with all the young people who come along. Dr Bike will be back to service bikes for free and where possible carry out basic repairs, the full programme will be available in the next couple of weeks on our Social media platforms and through the distribution of flyers. I look forward to seeing lots of the young people returning and taking part and Friday nights will once again be a great experience for all the young people, staff, and volunteers.

This is what young people told me they liked about coming to the Twilight Sports Programme

All Games Allowed at Nailer Road Park:

I have been supporting this Arts project over the last year, the initial idea had been developed by community artist Mark Bleakley and it has been further rolled out with the support of the Camelon Arts Project. We were at Nailer Road Park last Wednesday where we were joined by an enthusiastic group of young people who spent the afternoon creating their own version of the All Games Allowed ground based creative games court. We appreciated the support of the Nailer Park Tenants and Residents Organisation who came along and helped out, and the young people came up with some colourful crazy designs and ingenious games, the photos illustrate their temporary creations made with the spray chalks and gaffer tape.

Safer Streets Open Doors Events:

There will be a continuation of the Safer Streets roadshows which we are now calling Open Door Events and they to will also be moving inside for the winter period. The format will be similar to the roadshows but will be more structured with each community safety partner having their own stall set up within the various community venues. The statutory services will again be in attendance, including Falkirk Council, Police and Fire Services and a wide variety of local third sector organisations will also be participating: Forth Valley Recovery Community, Transform Forth Valley, Neighbourhood Watch Scotland and the Forth Valley Sensory Centre, there will also be stalls and information available from local community organisations and groups. Full publicity with dates and locations will soon be available and the intention is to begin the events on Thursday 3^rd November. This is a good opportunity to raise issues, concerns and bring new ideas to all off the main community safety services and agencies and to be able to access them all under the one roof, tea and coffee will be available and there will be a very warm welcome from all of the Community Safety Partners and local Groups.

Safer Streets Partners at Tamfourhill October 2021

camelon, community, Our Place, tamfourhill

And now….

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Community Coach Blog, Dan Rous, 24 February 2022

So this is it. This is my final blog as your Community Coach.

I have mixed emotions as I write and I am not going to drag this out any longer than necessary. The last 2 years have been a rollercoaster of emotions as we’ve dealt with all the restrictions Covid threw at us, and here at OPCT there is so much we wanted to do but never got the chance to. Many things on my list remain untouched mostly due to Covid. But there have also been some surprise activities that we didn’t anticipate which has been great. I have spent so much time dealing with frustrations of not being able to do things, and as many of you will know, there’s only so much of that you can take. That’s not why I’m leaving though. Infact, as I come into land in this role, many fruits are forming from the seeds sown. Many things are coming to fruition from the foundations laid. As I’ve been trying to wrap things up for a handover to an as yet unappointed replacement, so much has been coming into my inbox in relation to really positive developments. That’s exciting and gives me hope for the future. All it needs now is for more of you, the lovely people of Camelon and Tamfourhill, to come out from behind the scenes and get involved – it’s the only way positive change is going to happen in our community.

I’ll not disappear completely – sorry! I live here. This is my community. You are my neighbours. Those who know me will know where to find me! (I also know where to find some of you!!!!) I will support local development as much as I’m able through various ways. So I simply encourage you to put your full effort behind John and my replacement when they’re in post. You have the power to be part of the change for good. You can be involved in positive developments. You can be part of a really exciting future for Camelon and Tamfourhill.

I leave you with a favourite song that I’ve performed many times before – don’t worry, this isn’t me singing though! I use it here as it sums things up from my time in this role as, whilst I know I haven’t got everything right or achieved everything that I wanted to, I can say with hand on heart that, right or wrong, I did it My Way. These words particularly stand out: “Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention. I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption. I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway. And more, much more than this, I did it my way. Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew, when I bit off more than I could chew. But through it all, when there was doubt I ate it up and spit it out. I faced it all and I stood tall and did it my way.”

Until we meet again…….

camelon, collaboration, community, development, growing, litter, Our Place, Support, Tidy Clean Green

Community Renewal

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Community Coach Blog, Dan Rous, 17 February 2022

We are so pleased to be able to reveal to you that a decent chunk of funding is coming into various projects and organisations in the Camelon and Tamfourhill area thanks to the UK Government Community Renewal Fund.

The UK Community Renewal Fund is a UK Government programme for 2021/22. This aims to support people and communities most in need across the UK to pilot programmes and new approaches to prepare for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. It invests in skills, community and place, local business, and supporting people into employment. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-community-renewal-fundprospectus

John teased some of this news in his blog this week but here’s the full info.

The whole consortium was brought together initially by Scottish Canals, but is led by the Green Action Trust. As well as them and us, the other partners are Artlink Central, Go Forth and Clyde, Keep Scotland Beautiful/Canal College, Forth Valley College and Forth Environment Link. Things were initially meant to start in August/September time last year but delays from the funder mean we’re all only just able to get going now. This has been frustrating for all partners as many briefs have had to be amended or completely rewritten. But now we can get going with a total of over £700,000 coming in across the whole consortium – and we’ve only got until June to wrap things up!

Our involvement in this consortium is in two smaller projects totalling just under £40,000, supporting groups to work alongside you, the wider community, to vision how various spaces could look and become in the future, both short and long term. More on this is a sec, but for now, a little on what visioning really means. This quote from Simon Sinek says it nicely:

“Vision is the ability to see that which does not yet exist. As we slowly bring that vision to life, more people will start to recognise the work we’re doing and join our crusade. But, like an iceberg, there will always be much more waiting to be revealed underneath the surface.” Simon Sinek

For some time now, a small band of volunteers have been working on a number of projects and activities. Many of them are tired but still full of passion for what could be, which is why they keep going. So, the middle bit of Sinek’s quote is gold, and I think reflects where many people are. They want to be involved but prefer to wait until things have started, then they might consider jumping in once they’ve assessed the lay of the land. That’s totally understandable but, with the work that will happen over the next 4 months, now is the time to jump in. There will be a wide range of ways to get involved and have your say between now and June. Online, offline. Activity, discussion. Formal, informal. And more! So, I hope that many of you will take up the opportunities to do so, otherwise quite simply, if you don’t like what develops then you have little room for complaint if you haven’t had your say! And as Sinek says, more information, ideas, passions and skills will come out of hiding as more people get involved. That’s absolutely what we want to happen!

So, what is going to be funded? There are 2 projects.

Easter Carmuirs Park
The Green Action Trust (formerly known as the Central Scotland Green Network Trust) is back to work alongside the community on taking forward hopes, plans and visions for the park. A draft masterplan was prepared by them back in 2017 that led to the installation of paths, trees and some meadow areas in 2019. But what next? Many ideas were suggested back then, however people have used the park more and begun to understand it in a different way now that you can walk on paths across it and appreciate its scale more. The consultant will work with us and you to bring a meaningful plan together that satisfies community aspirations, attends to community safety matters that have been raised, and present a workable timeline for developments so that full clarity is there for all – something that was missing last time around. Crucially, this will be a chance for the Friends of Easter Carmuirs Park group to come together properly. We teased this back in the Fun in the Park event last October with the hope that this funding would have been in place before now. But now is the time for this group to form, with our support, and become the vehicle to apply for funding and take future developments forward. Watch out for all the ways you can get involved if you live around or use Easter Carmuirs Park in any way at all.

Carmuirs Area
Tidy Clean Green will be leading a range of activities and consultations assisted by us and with external help from The Conservation Volunteers. This is to build on the work that’s been happening over the last year or so with particular focus on the area next to Camelon Juniors car park, and the Brown Street Park. These next few months will give a chance to start pulling together all the strands of research, consultation and activity, and present a workable and fundable plan at the end of the process that can be taken forward either by Tidy Clean Green or another local group. As mentioned earlier, John’s blog this week talks more about this project and reflects on an event in the area last week that was bringing further ideas together from local people. Activities will include litter picks, planting, training sessions, pop up parks, community events and more! Plus this will link with the existing art work and climate action projects that are in process alongside this activity.

So there you have it. We are absolutely thrilled that these areas will get a much needed step forward over these next 4 months. It won’t deliver anything large or secure all the funding needed. But it will take us a massive step forward, importantly, with you the community absolutely engaged. There’s obviously a lot more to what I’ve highlighted here, and we’ll keep you posted as time progresses. This is simply a summary to get your minds whirring. We look forward to working with the consultants, Green Action Trust, Tidy Clean Green, and of course, you, to make further positive change in our community.

Until next time….

Dan Rous
Community Coach
07444 873151
communitycoach@tamfourhilltro.co.uk

community

Family Fun for the Future Last Friday

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The sun shone on the Juniors Car park and the people gathered for Fun for the Future Community Safety event last Friday 11^th February. A good turn out with a variety of outdoor activities for the family, including make your own bird feeders, cooking marshmallows on an open fire and some den building and all taking place on the grass area and on the car park. I would like to thank TCV , Tidy, Clean and Green, Go Forth and Clyde and other local volunteers who made all the outdoor activities an enjoyable success. This activity programme is all about illustrating how that space can be better used and for it to be a safe space for local young people and families. Please watch out for further community safety activities taking place at that location including litter picks, pop up parks and outdoor learning opportunities.

Inside the Camelon Juniors Social club there were tabletop workshops for everyone to take part in , one was facilitated by Aniela from Camelon Arts Project where every person got a chance to design their own community wall mural. A wide range of ideas and creativity were used, and I look forward to examining the creations in greater detail as I am sure some of these themes can be worked upon and can form the basis of a more permanent community mural for the wall outside the football ground. I ran a workshop where I encouraged everyone to choose and prioritise the facilities , equipment, and types of activities that they would like to see included within a local safe play facility. Again, the results were wide ranging and interesting, and I will of course be reflecting upon many of these ideas and collating the results into a report which will be used for further community discussions. The third discussion table was facilitated by our two community Police officers PC Robert Hill and PC Amy Muir, there were some free goodies to take away and lots of discussion about keeping the community safe and secure. It is absolutely clear to me that the permanent installation of CCTV and adequate lighting at that location are paramount local community safety concerns.

As I pointed out too many people last Friday, we are a very long way away form any permanent play facilities or play parks getting built at the location or anywhere else in the Carmuirs area, however these events are part of a wider community discussion that I am very keen to keep going and I would like to encourage more people to come forward and engage with these events and community conversations. I know talk can be cheap but the plan over the coming months will be to support a programme of ongoing environmental improvement for that area. This will involve hands on experiences, training opportunities, focus groups and off course lots of fun activities for the youngsters and their families to regularly take part in. We may be a long way from making permanent structural changes to that area but through the work of the Tidy, Clean and Green Community Group and the resources they have secured to commission a consultant there will be a wide array of environmental improvement work being carried out around that neighbourhood. This will be enabled through the Community Renewal Fund that has been secured by Tidy, Clean and Green where the Juniors car park, the old Brown Street park and surrounding areas will be a very lively and active location over the spring and summer months. This is about community engagement and involvement and there will be loads of learning opportunities, but they will be delivered in a fun and enjoyable way. Please keep an eye out for further activities and events , I have some people’s contact detail which is great, but I will also ensure that all the environmental programmes and opportunities planned for the next few months are well publicised and they will feature prominently on the Our Place Camelon and Tamfourhill Social media platforms and other local Facebook pages. As always please get in touch with me: John R Hosie Community Safety Engager, communitysafetyengager@tamfourhilltro.co.uk 07391524528

The temporary ice rink was a very popular outdoor activity

community, Mental Health, Support, training

THRIVE is back!

31/01/202230/01/2022 Our Place Camelon and Tamfourhill

Community Coach Blog, Dan Rous, 30 January 2022

You may remember that we piloted the NHS THRIVE to Keep Well programme at the end of last year. This went well and produced some great results with most of the participants. We’ll publish a report once it has been finalised from all the relevant authorities, but the positive change reported and clearly seen in many of the participants was a joy to be a part of. So, I’m so pleased to say that that programme is back, this time in collaboration with Carmuirs Primary School and to be held at Camelon Community Centre. (I’m only sorry that I won’t be around to be a part of it.)

To remind you, the THRIVE to Keep Well programme supports adults who are experiencing mild to moderate mental health and wellbeing challenges. Participants are brought together in individual male and female adult groups within their local communities. The programme was developed to assist individuals to rebuild their lives by increasing their skills, knowledge and awareness of their own personal health and wellbeing, and aims to support participants to feel more integrated into their community by helping build positive social networks, improve personal development, and support participants to develop their own social and economic lives. It is a life-changing programme for participants that attend, helping them to feel empowered with skills, insights, confidence and tools in order to take control of their life; it brings out the very best of them to embark on a new journey to making a change.

This community asset-based programme reaches parents and adults aged 16+ within their own community, to encourage social connectedness and increase peoples control over their health and lives.

The programme is delivered over 16 weeks through one session of 4½ hours per week within a community setting using a three-stage model that has been designed and developed with structured learning outcome sessions which has enabled the integrity and continuity of its delivery. During the sessions, participants learn about stress, anxiety and how to make positive changes through a variety of group and self-reflection activities. Participants also take part in relaxation, creative, health, safety, and community awareness sessions.

The THRIVE to Keep Well programme uses the acronym THRIVE to demonstrate a participant will have the opportunity to be Transformational in their journey to making positive Health and wellbeing changes, by being a Responsive Individual, to feeling Valued and Empowered by improving knowledge, skills and opportunities in a variety of ways to move towards a positive destination.

The programme aims to improve participant’s:

knowledge and management of day to day stress and anxiety.
self-esteem and confidence through self-development and reflection techniques.
motivational goal setting techniques to enable health behaviour change.
awareness of the NHS Keep Well programme and promote higher uptake of the health assessment.
confidence and motivation to improve on life skills to further learning, volunteering and employment.
role as a parent to further develop the skills and confidence that will improve family relationships, support children’s learning, behaviour and attainment and enhance wider wellbeing.

So, for the next running of this programme, have a look at the poster below, that gives all the information about when and where the programme is running, and who to get in touch with to get involved. I really hope that this programme will continue to grow and provide more fantastic support to local people.

coach, Our Place, Support

Community Coach Announcement

20/01/202219/01/2022 Our Place Camelon and Tamfourhill

Community Coach Blog, Dan Rous, 20 January 2022

This is a transcript of the video shared on social media today. If you’ve landed here and would rather listen in, the video is also inserted at the foot of this blog.

Hi there. Dan here, your Community Coach. I’m bringing you a very different blog this week as it’s me talking directly to you. I have something important to share so wanted to do it personally rather than just type it out. (Although you’ve chosen to read this instead so ignore that bit!! To be honest, I wouldn’t listen to me either!!)

So what is this important piece of news? Well, quite simply, I am here to announce that, with regret, the time has come for me to move on from this role with Our Place Camelon and Tamfourhill. An opportunity has presented itself to me which I pressed into and found it to be of interest to me on many levels. So I will be finishing up as your Community Coach at the end of February.

I have genuinely loved every second of the last 21 months as I’ve walked alongside you, the lovely people of Camelon and Tamfourhill. The time will come to review things properly but for now, the highlights have been:

the creation of some new resident led organisations, especially Tidy Clean Green,
helping bring the THRIVE to Keep Well programme to the area, supporting and encouraging local women through that,
Supporting community growing activities in collaboration with residents and organisations in the area, including securing funding for community tool sheds and planting trees and bulbs in the area,
Bringing a bicycle repair scheme to the area that will be kicking off again soon with a new local group,
Helping existing local groups access relevant funding and other development support,
Facilitating the Fun in the Park event in Easter Carmuirs Park,
Bringing new training opportunities to local people,
Helping people with CVs and Job Applications and now seeing them in work,
Raising the profile of the area both with local authorities and organisations, but also nationally, to help a move towards bringing positive change.

There has been so much more but those stand out for me just now.

Of course, there are disappointments as well. Many things are left undone (either not started or paused midway through) and some groups have not moved forwards. With a quick scan around, many will say that nothing has changed and you could be forgiven for thinking that way. But in collaboration with John as we work alongside you, so much foundational change has happened and the future does look brighter – it just might take longer to get there than anyone hoped. Of course, Covid hasn’t helped us and it’s been frustrating to say the least not to be able to do many of the things we wanted to. But we must not be downhearted. There is so much to celebrate and, because I live here, I will continue to celebrate all that is good around here.

After the end of February I’m not going to disappear completely – it’s not in my nature to do so. (Sorry!!) There’s a couple of things that I’ll put my weight behind as a community volunteer but more on that at the appropriate time. I cannot remain in this community and not get involved. Hopefully others of you will continue to step forward and get involved in being the change. We cannot sit back and wait for things to happen. Unless we throw our collective skills and experiences together into the ring, the area will just stand still.

So there you have it. That’s the news for now. We’ll update you on what the plans are for a replacement for me in due course. Maybe there’s an opportunity for one of you to get involved? In the meantime, I will continue at pace to fulfil what is required of me. If you have any suggestions, questions, or need some support or guidance with something for you or your organisation to develop, then get in touch in the usual ways.

Take care. Stay safe. And keep getting involved.

Until next time…….

Dan Rous
Community Coach
07444 873151
communitycoach@tamfourhilltro.co.uk

Video version of the above text

Christmas, community, Mental Health, resilience

Tidings of Comfort and Joy?

16/12/202116/12/2021 Our Place Camelon and Tamfourhill

Community Coach Blog, Dan Rous, 16 December 2021

I love Christmas. But not everyone does. Infact, a YouGov survey in 2019 revealed that 1 in 7 people don’t like Christmas. And to be honest, I’ve probably had a love/hate relationship with it at different times in my life too.

I spent most of my life as part of the Salvation Army, including playing in the band. This of course meant copious amounts of playing of Christmas Carols on cold street corners or occasionally we got to go indoors. It was always fun at the start of the month but slowly waned as the month went on! One highlight back home in Canterbury though was the Christmas Eve Community Carol Singing in the town centre which, on a good night, would have around 5000 people in attendance. However I’d felt over the rest of the month, I always got lifted by this event. A little part of me still misses this workload – but I soon get over it!

In later life, I was running a Furniture ReUse Project linked to a Homeless Resettlement Unit. It was my privilege to give the team a couple of weeks off at Christmas. However, it became clear that whilst this seemed a great gesture, it was not well received. This project was a lifeline for my team and what I was sending them off to was usually 2 weeks of solitude. I felt bad that it never crossed my mind. So before long, I organised that if they wanted, they could go into the warehouse and do some cleaning and basic maintenance work. Christmas had become a negative time for them – reminding them often of what they had lost in their lives. They needed to keep busy and not be left to wallow in their own company.

During this time, my view of Christmas changed considerably. While understanding more about the team I was supporting, I also got married and became a dad. I had two opposite extremes of the season. Avoiding loneliness versus childhood amazement.

So, to quote from the carol God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, do you experience “tidings of comfort and joy” this Christmastime? Or do you take more inspiration from Charles Dickens’ creation of Ebeneezer Scrooge with a touch of Bah Humbug? Or maybe you’re just wavering somewhere in the middle. Wherever you are, it’s important to recognise that not everyone is in the same place as you.

I’ve mentioned Camerados in this blog before and for this week’s blog, I’m actually handing the rest of the space over to them. Their CEO Maff Potts, a former colleague of mine in Salvation Army homelessness work, has just written a fantastic blog entitled (in his usual mildly eccentric way) “Why we all need to be a little alien this Christmas”. Maff describes his “complicated relationship with Christmas”. He says “it’s a time of year when I remember witnessing the very best feeling of belonging – and yet all the noise, the Christmas fanfare everywhere you look, is rarely about that magic.” The blog is a fantastic read that focuses on the pressures on all our Mental Health this Christmas time and how we can get through it together by simply being more human. Please take the time to read what Maff has to say – I promise you won’t regret it. You can get to his blog by clicking on the image below.

Until next time…..

Dan Rous
Community Coach
07444 873151
communitycoach@tamfourhilltro.co.uk