North Leamington has its say
Youth activities, building respect between the generations, recycling and more will be on the agenda at the next meeting of the North Leamington Community Forum on Thursday 17 September.
The forum will be held at Lillington Free Church from 6.30pm.
Other items on the agenda at the meeting, which is open to all North Leamington residents, include an update on community chosen policing priorities and improving the environment through ‘The Big Tidy Up’.
Community Forums are regular public meetings that allow you to raise issues or local concerns and are a way of keeping you up-to-date with what is happening in YOUR community.
From 6.30pm there will be light refreshments and residents will be able to visit a number of information stands. There will be free reusable shopping bags to take away and a small supply of food caddies, red boxes and red bags.
At the same time those attending will be able to chat one-to-one with the police, councillors and representatives from local agencies and service providers about any issues or concerns they may have before the main meeting begins.
At 7pm, Councillor Robert Cunliffe (Royal Leamington Spa Town Council), Chair of the North Leamington Community Forum, will formally welcome residents to the meeting. There will be an update from the Leamington North Safer Neighbourhood Team about the activities they committed to undertake at the last meeting to address the community priority of auto crime.
Liz Young from the Community Partnership Team will also present the results of the Place Survey in North Leamington.
Dave Jones, from Warwick District Youth Service, and Hollie Hutchings from Lillington Youth Centre will give an update on youth work in the area.
Councillor Robert Cunliffe says: “The first North Leamington Community Forum, held at North Leamington School in June, saw a great turn out of over 70 residents, councillors and officers from all the public agencies.
“An enthusiastic group of young people from the school, Lillington Youth Centre and Youth Parliament made a fantastic contribution to the workshop discussions and took the lead in some of the groups.
“Although June’s forum was really well attended, we want to hear from and see more local residents at the next meeting on Thursday 17 September.”
The young people who attended June’s forum came up with a number of suggestions, including extending the range of everyday facilities and out of school activities for young people; having more ‘chill zones’; having a ‘Tidy up’ campaign; re-generating green spaces and parks; and providing opportunities and facilities to promote intergenerational activities in order to build respect.
Actions achieved so far as a result of suggestions put forward at previous community forum meetings have focused on community safety.
Examples are ‘Geared Up’, an eight-week course on practical vehicle maintenance skills for young people not in employment, education and training; visual audits on hotspot graffiti areas to provide priorities for removal; and Vehicle Crime Action Days to raise awareness of the problem plus increased permanent signage, stickers and leaflets for hotspot areas.