Big Local

There is a new 'Big Question' poll on the 3 Parishes Big Local website. Please take the time to register your vote. www.big-local.org Thanks, Bridget.

I don't think that I will be tweeting for at least the next month or so as I'm working on the Community Plan at the moment which will take some time. Moving forward, as there are more milestones and activities to share it will definitely be something to consider. Do you think that it would be a successful way of keeping in touch with the 3 Parishes Communities?

Thank you, Maggie. I welcome any feedback or suggestions that anyone may have.

Bridget Laraway has been appointed as Big Local Co-ordinator from April 2014 and will be working with us for a 3 month period initially. She will be focussing on completing our Community Plan, communicating with our communities, and organising activities to take place in the coming months. The news section of our website http://www.big-local.org/news has been updated with the recent progress of the Big Local programme and will be kept up to date as we move forward. There are currently opportunities for residents to get involved with the Big Local at Spring Events being held around the UK in early May 2014. There are free events being held at Manchester and Birmingham, with travel and childcare costs being paid by the Local Trust for those attending the events. More information can be found at http://www.localtrust.org.uk/big-local/networking/spring-events-2014/ To get in touch with 3 Parishes Big Local, Bridget can be contacted at Qube, Oswald Road, Oswestry on 01691 656882 or by emailing b.laraway@qube-oca.org.uk

Local Trust, which manages the Big Local programme nationally, publishes a monthly newsletter. The latest one is out today - here it is. There are a number of learning events around the country over the coming months, which anyone is entitled to go to - so if you see a topic which interests you, either get in touch with 3 Parishes Big Local to book a place for you, or if you prefer you can book directly with Local Trust. They cover all expenses - travel, provide lunch, they will cover the cost of such things as childcare as well if you need it. Our own 3 Parishes Big Local area is 'entitled' to 2 places at each event, but of course they can only take a limited number of people at each event so it's a good idea to book as early as possible if you want to go to one. We'll be starting to distribute our own local newsletter next week on 'progress so far'. Advance notice - there will be a public meeting on Wednesday 18th September at 7.30pm, at Gobowen Scout Hall. This will be a chance to catch up on progress, and to start to put some ideas together for the first 'Community Plan' - starting to use some of the money over the next year or two. Big Local August newsletter Welcome from Debbie Ladds We are pleased to be able to share information with you and invite you to sign up to two learning and networking events coming up. Both access to credit and transport are issues which Big Local areas are addressing and we look forward to finding out the practical things that Big Local can do to try and find solutions to these issues. If you don’t attend a leanring event, we will always share resources with you afterwards. We recently held an event on local media and below you will find useful information and guidance for you to use and share in your area. Finally, if you are interested in accessing additional support to help with making local economy and social enterprise a strong part of your plan, do read about our boosting the local economy pilot. Debbie Ladds, chief executive Access to credit – understanding borrowing and saving Saturday 14 September 10.30am-4pm, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear Why do people turn to doorstep and payday lenders, some charging over 5000% APR? What does 5000% APR mean anyway? How does personal debt impact on the local community? What are the alternatives? What can Big Local do to help people break out of a spiral of debt and high cost loans, or avoid getting sucked in in the first place? In this practical one day workshop we’ll be exploring how debt and lack of access to affordable credit is affecting people in Big Local areas, along with some of the ideas being developed to help people break out of the vicious circle of debt upon debt. This event is for people in Big Local areas that want to: find out how credit problems are affecting people in other Big Local areas understand more about the alternatives to high interest personal loans explore the practical steps that Big Local areas and others are doing to increase the choices residents have with their money make contacts in other Big Local areas to continue sharing knowledge afterwards. Further information, agenda and booking ‘Moving it’ – a study visit about Big Local and transport Thursday 10 October – Friday 11 October, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire How can Big Local support people in areas with poor public transport who either can’t afford to run a car, or don’t drive? How can Big Local help them get to work, to where they study, to the shops, the cashpoint, doctors, or chemists, or keep in touch with friends and family? We are holding this overnight study visit in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire where Ramsey Million are tackling their community’s transport challenges by working with the local community bus service, by getting scooter-loan charity Kickstart to set-up in the town, and by trying to get their own dial-a-ride service going from scratch. Further information and booking Pilot: boosting the local economy – an offer to Big Local areas Local Trust, UnLtd and the Star People team would like to identify and work with four Big Local areas that are interested in accessing additional support. This support is to help Big Local areas come up with strong plans around the local economy and enterprise, to include them in your Big Local plan and make them happen. Who is it for? Any Big Local area can apply to be a pilot area. Areas can be at any stage of the Big Local pathway. Whether you are developing your Big Local plan or starting to deliver it. For more information including how to apply, what support areas will get and what we can offer areas that are not selected see our website. Deadline – Friday 27 September 2013. Local media – learning event, how to guides and resources We recently held a learning and networking event for Big Local areas on how to work with local media. We learnt new skills through workshops, heard from two jounalists who shared their top tips and insider knowledge, and we talked about what Local Trust can do to help. People also exchanged stories of what they’d been doing in their areas. If you weren’t there, we have lots of useful information and short easy to use guidance. In the workshops we used guides for how to write a press release, how to create media friendly photos and how to prepare for meetings with journalists. The Local Trust website has resources including press key messages, notes to editors, and photo consent forms. We also have a guide to promoting Big Local in your area, as well as a sample of press coverage. If you’re interested in finding out what Big Local areas have been doing around working with local media, we have a great new case study. In it, residents in Big Local areas who have established good relationships with their local media talk about their experiences and share some top tips! Plain English – what is it and are you using it? When you are writing, how much do you think about the style of your writing, or whom you are writing for? You might be writing an email to a group of volunteers, an article for your Big Local blog or website, or a public sign for your event. Are you clear on what the aims are? What do you want people to do once they’re read what you’ve written? Are you thinking about your audience? Do you want to make sure that people understand, the first time they read your writing? Our blog and how to write in plain English guide provides easy to follow guidance. So, how plain is your English? So you want to know what’s in the Big Local plans? You’re not alone! This blog witten by Rachel Rowney, programme manager, draws together information on the 20 Big Local plans we have received so far. It shows a picture of what the plans look like nationally. There are some common themes in the plans as well as some common challenges or factors to balance. Rachel has written about three factors that partnerships are balancing when producing their plans, find out more. Other news and opportunities Money for Life Challenge – learn new skills and gain financial experience. A financial capability programme where a team of learners (aged 16 – 24) accompanied by an adult sponsor can apply for a £500 grant to devise and demonstrate their own novel ways to teach others in their communities how to manage money. Foyle Foundation’s small grants scheme – designed to support smaller charities in the UK, especially those working at grass roots and local community level, in any field, across a wide range of activities. Grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 are awarded to charities which can demonstrate that such a grant will make a significant difference to their work. There is no closing date. Directory of Social Change Awards – are for all those working to achieve a positive change in society – individuals, charities, community groups, funders, companies, public bodies. You can nominate yourself or your own organisation. The nomination process can be completed in less than 30 minutes and closes 16 September 2013. Improvements to Big Lottery Fund’s Reaching Communities – responding to people’s concerns, the improvements are making the programme more flexible and responsive. Guidance and how to apply.

Just checking, to see if anyone would spot it....... Although the date was correctly entered in the main text of the article, the item was loaded onto the site around the same time as we were responding to invitations to attend the Annual Parish meetings at St Martins and Gobowen on 25th April, which I suspect led to the wrong box on the calendar being clicked. At least, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Comforting to know we're being kept such a close eye on.

Just a small point, the Big Local meeting on 24th April will start at 7.30pm - this is slightly later than usual. Anyone who'd like to know more about Big Local before committing themselves might like to consider coming to the Gobowen Annual Parish meeting the following night, April 25th. We've been invited to give a short presentation on progress so far (many thanks for this invitation) and will be happy to answer questions. Involvement in Big Local really is open to anyone and everyone - do please join in.

The next 3 Parishes Big Local meeting will be on Wednesday 24th April, at St Martins Methodist Chapel, Ellesmere Road. It will start slightly later than usual, at 7.30 in the evening. There will be a written progress report given to the meeting, which will be posted here beforehand as well, and as always we'll welcome questions and constructive comments. Everyone is welcome to come and take part - particularly if you think you might be interested in joining the Partnership which will manage the programme in the future. We've also been invited to give short updates to the Annual Parish Meetings in St Martins and Gobowen, both of which take place on Thursday evening, 25th April at 7pm, so if you're not able to come to the Big Local one, why not pop along to your Parish meeting ? The agenda for the meeting, and the draft minutes of the March meeting, are attached to this post for you to look at. 20130424-Agenda.pdf 20130320-DraftMinutes.pdf

For anyone thinking of coming to the meeting on Wednesday evening, 20 th March, it will probably be helpful to have a look at these three short pieces which are the background to Agenda item 8 - 'Partnership Development'. If you have questions about any of this before the meeting, I'll be happy to try to answer them if you give me a call - 07749 - 786544. Thanks, David Boyce - Co-ordinator WHAT THE PARTNERSHIP DOES: (This is based on: http://www.localtrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Making-Big-Local-Happen-v2-Dec-20121.pdf) The partnership uses your area’s Big Local shared vision and creates the detailed Big Local plan of how this is going to be achieved. It makes sure the Big Local plan is carried out and that Big Local money is used in the best way possible. It should keep residents at the centre of decision making and Big Local activities. It should make links with many different individuals, groups, and organisations in your area. It should also make a particular effort to develop networks with groups and communities whose ideas and thoughts may not be reflected in the partnership at any point in time It makes overall decisions about how to spend the money – but it does not actually ‘hold’ or distribute the money. A more “precise” description is included in the “Memorandum of Understanding” included as part of the Toolkit IT WILL NEED: • a clear sense of purpose expressed through your area’s shared Big Local vision and Big Local plan • an effective chair who is respected by your partnership’s membership • good working relationships and trust between members, even if you disagree on some issues • inclusion of different types of people, communities or groups that reflect the diversity of individuals in your area • an acceptance that there will be conflict and disagreements and a commitment to address these in a constructive way • regular reflection on achievements made and learning lessons for the future • visibility, good communication, openness and transparency • a regular membership review to ensure the partnership remains vibrant and attractive to new members, particularly to those that live in the local area • methods in place to regularly inform the range of people and organisations in your area about what Big Local is doing and also ask for feedback to make sure the area’s views are reflected. BIG LOCAL VALUES EXAMPLE These are values which align with Big Local. Big Local partnerships should discuss and determine if they would like to amend or add values or ways of working for their Big Local area. Your partnership should agree values and attach them to the memorandum of understanding. 1. We are committed to quality and excellence in everything that we do. 2. We will support residents and people locally in improving their own communities. We know that communities which face problems contain the people who will create the solutions. 3. We actively share knowledge and skills, encouraging learning and cooperation. We collaborate with others to build the best possible solutions to the challenges we face together. 4. We are responsible, open and accountable. We will be honest and transparent in all our dealings. We will collect, share and review evidence of our progress and be open to advice and criticism. 5. We believe in social responsibility. We want our work to have a positive impact on people locally, the area and the environment, now and for future generations. 6. We are committed to equality and promote diversity. We seek to overcome all forms of discrimination and prejudice so that everyone can participate in, contribute to and benefit from Big Local on an equal basis, whatever their background, ethnicity or beliefs. 7. We will be innovative and embrace change, approaching problems proactively and creatively. 8. We are enthusiastic, energetic, positive and proud of Big Local, and will bring these qualities to all our activities. CODE OF CONDUCT EXAMPLE (Source: Making Big Local Happen “TOOLKIT”) The purpose of the code of conduct is to ensure that all members of the partnership operate the highest standard of integrity at all times. Each partnership should discuss and agree an appropriate code of conduct for their partnership and attach them to the memorandum of understanding sent to Local Trust. As a member of the partnership I agree to abide by our area’s Big Local values. Additionally, I agree that: . Everything the partnership does will be able to stand the test of scrutiny by the public, charity regulators, community members, stakeholders, funders and the courts. . Integrity, respect and honesty will be the hallmarks of all conduct when dealing with others within the partnership and equally when dealing with individuals and institutions outside it. . The partnership will strive to maintain an atmosphere of openness throughout the community to promote confidence of the public, stakeholders, Local Trust, the Big Lottery Fund, charity regulators and government. In particular: . I will not break the law, go against charity regulations or act in disregard of partnership policies. . I will abide by our local Big Local procedures. . I will always strive to act in the best interests of Big Local. . I will declare any conflict of interest or of loyalty, or any circumstance that might be viewed by others as such, as soon as it arises. . When I am speaking as a member of the partnership, my comments will reflect the work of the partnership even when these do not agree with my personal views. When speaking as a private individual I will strive to uphold the reputation of the partnership and those who work in it. . I will not personally gain materially or financially from my role as a member, nor will I permit others to do so as a result of my actions or negligence. . I will strive to read all documents and attend all meetings, giving apologies ahead of time to the chair if unable to attend. . I will engage in debate and voting in meetings according to procedure, maintaining a respectful attitude toward the opinions of others while making my voice heard. I will accept a majority committee vote on an issue as decisive and final. . I will maintain confidentiality (where this has been agreed in the partnership’s guidance on confidentiality) about what goes on in the meeting unless authorised by the chair or committee to speak of it. . I will participate in induction, training and development activities for members. . I understand that substantial breach of any part of this code may result in my removal as a member. . Should I resign as a member I will inform the chair in writing, stating my reasons for resigning. Additionally, I will participate in an exit interview.

Hello Keith, There's no reason at all why something like this couldn't form a part of the Big Local programme, if there's enough support for it. One way it might work would be for the local partnership to deposit a part of the £1m as a 'corporate deposit' with a suitable organisation (such as Just Credit Union, who are the credit union for Shropshire). They would then manage the money on a day-to-day basis on behalf of the Big Local partnership - but I imagine the partnership would have responsibility for deciding which applicants get the loans, and would also have responsibility for deciding other details (such as maximum/minimum loan sizes, length of term, possibly interest rate charged, etc). This is all in the very early stages at the moment, but I'm trying to open the dicussion with the credit union so that, if there is enough local support, we can develop the idea knowing that we have a willing partner who would undertake the day-to-day management of the scheme, and also what the various practicalities are. I'd be interested to know how many people think this might be an idea worth pursuing. The next Big Local Delivery Group meeting is on the evening of Wednesday next week, 20th March, at 7pm at Gobowen Scout Hut. If you're able to come along that would be great, but it would also be good to see an open discussion of the idea on this forum, and particularly hear from anyone willing and able to help develop the idea (assuming enough people think it's a good one, of course). If you've got time and inclination, there's some interesting stuff about this sort of thing on the Local Trust website (under the heading of 'Social Investment' in the resources section), which will also be on our 3 Parishes Big Local website when it goes live in the next week or so.

The next Delivery Group meeting will be on Wednesday 20th March at 7pm in Gobowen Scout Hut. The Agenda for the meeting will be posted shortly, together with the minutes of the February meeting. Everyone with an interest is warmly invited - it would be helpful if you could let us know if you're coming so that we can set the room out with enough seats. Either post your message here, or RSVP to the calendar event You can also give me a call on 07749 - 786544, or email at d.boyce@qube-oca.org.uk

I've been pulling together a directory of businesses in the area, from a variety of sources, and although it's true that the trading estates in St Martins and Weston Rhyn are an obvious sign of business activity, it's interesting that there are quite a lot of businesses registered with Gobowen addresses - some of them seem to be service businesses which people may be running from home, in other instances they may be businesses which actually operate elsewhere, but have their 'official' address in Gobowen. In either case, there seems to be quite a lot of entrepreneurial spirit - perhaps more than we'd think, certainly more than is obvious. I'm sorry Keith feels that we're slow to reply - I'm not aware that there's anything which he's asked which I've not replied to in recent months (if there is, I apologise) but I'll try to reply quickly to emails at d.boyce@qube-oca.org.uk, and phone calls in 'business' hours on 07749 - 786544. David Boyce, Big Local Co-ordinator

Tony Griffiths came to our second Business Breakfast on 11th December, and stayed on afterwards to join our Delivery Group meeting. Tony has offered to take on the task of developing the Business Forum on behalf of the Delivery Group, and presented a very helpful paper on how the Forum might develop over the next few years, in order to benefit both businesses and the wider community. The DG had a useful discussion on what the short-term priorities for the Forum might be - which will include establishing Forum meetings on a regular basis with a consistent format and content which would be useful both for established and new (or even embryo) businesses, and businesses of varying sizes. I imagine this could be quite difficult, and if it's the case in the short term that there are a few glitches, and maybe even one or two blind alleys explored, I'd be inclined to say that's a price for establishing something new - the main thing being to learn from the 'mistakes', if mistakes they are. At the moment, I don't think the Delivery Group have got a hard-and-fast concept of how the Business Forum will end up, other than that it will be one vehicle for representing the interests of the business community on the Partnership. Longer-term, it certainly doesn't need to be a creature of 3 Parishes Big Local, although it could be. On the other hand, it might be better if it develops an independent life of its' own, with the connection to BL being purely via a place on the BL Partnership. In the short term, while it's getting established and creating its own identity, there needs to be a closer connection with BL and I'd accept that allows the possibility that if there are any apparent shortcomings (in failing to respond to contact attempts, for example) that might reflect unfavourably on BL - although if it does something really good without our prompting, I'm sure we'll be quite happy to take some reflected credit. In my book, that means cutting a bit of slack, but I'll have a quiet word about not responding to contact attempts. Yes, I'm sure a great many followers outside our BL area - possibly one of the drawbacks of Twitter, not being as 'discriminating' as it might be. On the other hand, one of its' great strengths if it creates the possibility of drawing in ideas and inspiration from outside our immediate locality.

Some very good points here, well made. Use Community Online to discuss 'the vision' and come up with some concrete proposals ? YES PLEASE. That's one reason why there'll be a direct link between the website and Community Online, to help make this happen. But the Delivery Group is conscious that not everyone uses electronic media, so we have to make sure there are other ways for people to feed in their ideas as well (and there's a whole lot more work to do in that respect, certainly). Developing the Partnership is certainly a priority - and one of the reasons for the 4th December meeting is to start to find more people willing to be a part of this, as well as the people currently on the 'Delivery Group' (the committee referred to in this post). We ought to clear up one slight misunderstanding, though. You could put together a Partnership which just had representatives from County/District/Town/Parish Councils, Health Authority, the Police, Schools, and such like - which you could say represents 'the community'. But this isn't what Big Local is about - it's about a Partnership of the people living and working in the community who are not just representing one of the 'usual suspects'. In that respect, the current Delivery Group is pretty much 100% community representatives - though the group does need to have representatives from a wider range of interests than it does at the moment. Lastly, don't forget this is all a work in progress. Although there's been a lot of good work done already, there's a lot more to do to develop the Partnership and the plan for how to make best use of the £1m, and that will continue to develop for a long time yet - even after the money starts to be drawn down. If you can come to the meeting on the 4th, please do - but if you can't there'll still be plenty of chance to be heard, and take part.

At St John's Church, Weston Rhyn, Tuesday 4th December at 7.30pm. Update on progress, preview the new website, become a Community Champion or Community Journalist, help us start to write the Community Plan which will say how the £1m will be used. Please come and get involved. Please bring a friend or neighbour.

Good afternoon, Simple Simon is absolutely right about escalating transport costs being a really big problem - will a traffic - free route into Oswestry help people get to work in Chirk, or Wrexham Industrial Estate, or Rednal Industrial Estate, if they haven't got their own transport, I wonder. A car-sharing scheme might help people in that position. Big Local doesn't have access to any of the £1m until the BL partnership is set up, and the Community Plan is written, saying how the money will be spent. That is starting to happen now. Until then, any small-scale 'pilot' projects have to use money from other sources - £600 from LJC in this case, to run some support sessions to help people use the new online jobsearch system which jobseekers now need to use. If they're successful, these could then be included in the Community Plan and be supported long-term using some of the £1m. Come to the Big Local Public Meeting, St John's Church, Weston Rhyn - Tuesday 4th December, 7.30pm. Help to start writing the Community Plan, become a Community Champion or a Community Journalist.

Good evening. The meeting was arranged from 7.30 to 9 in the morning in the hope that the time would allow a fair number of business people to come before they start work. But it depends what kind of business you've got, of course. Realistically, I don't think we'd ever find a time which would suit everybody so we just have to go for the best compromise. If you'd like to drop me an email at d.boyce@qube-oca.org.uk I can keep you posted on what's happening, and maybe set up a future meeting which would be a better time for yourself and some others who maybe can't manage an early session. Regards, David Boyce, Big Local co-ordinator

Good evening - Yes, there's a meeting for the Delivery Group to discuss progress, etc. If you'd like to drop me an email at d.boyce@qube-oca.org.uk so that I've got your email address, I'll be happy to send you an agenda and a progress report so that you know what's going on. When the website is running (soon) I'll be posting this sort of information for everyone in the community to see, if they want to. Regards, David Boyce, Big Local co-ordinator.

Hi, I am David Boyce and the Big Local Coordinator for Weston Rhyn, St.Martins and Gobowen. I will be posting news and information about Big Local activities and events in the area.

Business people in Weston Rhyn, St Martins and Gobowen are being invited to join Big Local for a bacon butty and a hot drink at Henlle Park Golf Club on Tuesday 16th October. The breakfast meeting will be an opportunity for business people to find out more about Big Local, and how it could help businesses in the area flourish over the next 10 years. See the press release attached :) Big Breakfast.pdf