Has something been bugging you? From a rough patch of grass that you can see covered with flowers, to a passion for looking after old people. If something’s been niggling at you for years, why don’t you think about starting a community group?
It’s people just like you, who have a passion for a subject, that start, run and grow thousands of community groups all over this country. Together you contribute massively to making it a better country to live in.
Don’t wait for someone else to take charge and sort it out. Don’t be shy and hang back! There’s an odds on chance that if you don’t do something, ten years down the line you’ll still be grating your teeth!
How to go about Starting a Community Group
Probably the best way to drive your ideas forward is to gather together a group of like-minded people. People power can make a real difference!
In those first few months all you need to do is recruit your friends, family and neighbours. Form yourselves together into a small group. You might initially meet over a coffee at home, a drink at the local pub, or even virtually online.
Decide roughly what you’d like to do. Do what’s called a ‘SWOT’ analysis – that’s the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of your particular subject. It will help you to get a good all round view of what you could do – and the obstacles you might face.
What you need to do next depends on what you want to sort out.
For example:
- If you want to start a Neighbourhood Watch you need to contact the police.
- Want to sort out a rough patch of green, or your local park? You need to contact your Council. As the landowner you’ll need their permission. Expect a warm welcome, because Councils love people like you who will help them. They really need community support, so should do what they can to support you on your way.
- Do you want to provide support for old people or children in your area? All that you might need to do in the first instance is gather together a group of mums or neighbours and start on your way.
What do people think?
It’s always a good idea to do some consultation, and find out what other people think.
Draw up a simple questionnaire, photocopy it and push it through letterboxes in your locality, or give it to people affected by your issue. You’ll be surprised at the response you get, which can vary from lacklustre to overwhelming. Don’t expect everyone to agree with each other or with you!
At this stage, you might want to call a public meeting. You’ll need a committee and a team of people to work with you to drive your ideas forward.
You can hold your meeting at most of the local libraries without any charge or in a local pub or cafe. You might want to meet at a public building like Cleveleys Community Centre on Beach Road (where you will have to pay a small fee to hire a room).
Getting Organised
Decided at your first meeting who’ll be on your committee and who will hold which posts. You’ll need:
- a Chairman (which will probably end up being you!),
- a Secretary who takes the minutes, keeps records and handles the paperwork,
- the Treasurer will manage the money,
- and about half a dozen other committee members.
- About a dozen people is ideal. You can still hold meetings if a couple of people are absent. And this size of team is big enough to manage practical projects and fundraising. But it’s not too many people to end up with chaos!
Laying Down Roots
At this point you also need to decide some fundamental things.
- What’s your group going to be called,
- what are you aiming to achieve,
- how often will you meet,
- how will you communicate with each other,
- you’ll need a bank account and decide who will sign cheques,
- plus other similar basic things.
Draw up a meeting schedule. Start to think about some milestones and what you would like to do overall – sort of a wishlist. Some of it will be achievable, some of it won’t, but it will give you direction to travel in.
You’ll learn everything else you need to know as your group grows and moves forward. You might want to become a membership group and charge people to join as a way of raising funds to cover your costs. You might need to recruit new volunteers to help. If you are working with vulnerable children and old people outside your family and friends, volunteers will need DBS checking. If you have ambition and one thing leads to another, you might become a Registered Charity. Who knows where it might lead!
Starting a Community Group with Small Projects
You’ll go away from these early meetings with some actions to complete, and report back on at subsequent meetings.
Starting a community group with some simple projects is always a good idea. When you get some achievements under your belt it will give you confidence. And it will spread the word about your group and make things gather momentum.
Try to organise something that can be done easily without much money or equipment. For example, if you’re looking after a rough patch of ground start by clearing up the rubbish and litter. You won’t need permission and it won’t cost you anything to do. Tell people when it’s happening, get some publicity, share it on social media.
Doing a small task will give your new group the confidence to tackle the next slightly bigger job. Baby steps!
Take a look at just some of the other Fylde Coast Community Groups
Where to find help when Starting a Community Group
There’s a number of places where you can go for advice. Not least of all the many, many other groups and organisations out there. Start asking and you’ll be surprised who is involved in what!
A number of official bodies can help you in your growth and development. Start with your local council who should be able to point you to lots of different sources of advice, depending on your issue.
- Healthier Fleetwood has a temporary information shop at Affinity Fleetwood. Call in there for helpful hints and tips. Although primarily serving the Fleetwood area, a lot of the information will be useful anywhere.
It’s a good idea to contact your local Councillors, who’ll also be able to help you with advice. They often have access to small pots of money or knowledge of funding pots to help you to get started with equipment or expenses. A number funding streams exist to help small groups with amounts of money usually up to £500. You’d be surprised at just how much is available when you start looking.
As your group grows you’ll find out such a lot more on an ongoing basis. Further down the line you’ll be amazed at what you’ve learned.
Just Do It!
The important thing is that you have the impetus to start!
Once you get moving the rest will become clear with time.
The sense of achievement of knowing that you’ve made a difference is well worth having. There will be tough times, probably tears and arguments. But overall the friends that you make, the community that you grow and the things that you achieve will be well worth the downsides.
Good luck with what you want to do, and remember…
If you want something doing, do it yourself!
How the Rossall Beach Group Started
Here at Visit Fylde Coast we’re not just talking the talk! The photo at the top of this page is the Rossall Beach Group – which we are very much a part of.
Way back in the mists of time we had anti-social behaviour issues that we wanted to solve as a group of neighbours. Coming together be accident led to a group being formed. As they say, the rest is now history! It’s now a registered charity and holds a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service – the equivalent of an MBE.
None of us had any knowledge of starting or running a group – we’ve learned on the job.
We’ve also shared our skills with other groups (and you!) and done many other voluntary roles over the years. If we can do it you can too…
While you’re here…
What do you think? Why don’t you join in and leave a comment below?
Have a look at the homepage of the Visit Fylde Coast website for more of the latest updates.
Love the Fylde Coast? Sign up for your weekly email newsletter. Packed full of interesting things it arrives in your inbox all 52 weeks of the year.
Join us on Facebook at our Visit Fylde Coast Facebook Group
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @visitFyldeCoast
