Supporters of Joining In! Project Hear How It’s Gathering Pace Fast!

Published on: 30 Apr, 2013
Updated on: 30 Apr, 2013

Friends of Joining In!, the project that is supporting community involvement in Westborough and Park Barn, enjoyed an afternoon to hear all about its latest developments and plans for the future.

Joining In! project co-ordinator David Rose (white shirt) pictured wth, from left, team vicar, the Rev Steve Pownall; team rector, the Rev Stefanie Hodges (both parish of Westborough, St Clare’s and St Francis’ Churches); and Graham Hoslett, the minister at Westborough United Reformed Church.

Hosted by the project’s co-ordinator David Rose, along with the area’s community safety wardens Tracy James and Richard Musgrove, more than 20 invited guests gathered at St Francis’ Church Hall in Weston Road on Thursday last week.

Not only were there some delicious refreshments, including cakes baked by the caterers at the Park Barn Centre, but guests were given a preview of the Joining In! website that has just been launched.

David Rose gives a presentation on the new Joining In! website.

The website complements the free Joining In! booklet – a directory with more than 50 listings that includes details of mums and baby groups, youth groups, the local residents’ association, social groups for the elderly, churches and their activities, and schools.

Community safety warden Tracy James holds up a map of the local area showing the streets where the Joining In! booklet has already been delivered.

With help from volunteers, the booklet is being delivered to all households in the Westborough ward, with further copies available at local groups, schools, churches and so on.

Joining In! encourages people to get involved with activities and events and aims to help strengthen local groups and the community in general.

Pictured from left: Tesco Community Champion Sue Keeley, Surrey Wildlife Trust’s Tasha Feddery, and volunteer Ray Springer.

David Rose said: “We are really pleased how the project is being received. The get together was a thank you to the people who have supported it from its inception about two years ago. They are the people who have suggested how it should be run and developed.

“I outlined where the project is at the moment (gathering pace all the time). We then invited our guests to make suggestions on further developments and how it can reach out to more people in the community and perhaps encourage those people to join in some of the many things going on and even offer their services as volunteers too.

“We have already recruited, if that’s the right word, people who have been delivering the booklets and who are keen to help deliver more community based material door to door in the future.”

The Barn Youth Project’s project manager Georgie Lamble and its chairman Fred Smith.

Joining In! is currently managed by Voluntary Action South West Surrey and is a partnership between it, the area’s two community safety wardens and those who live there.

David added: “The key point we emphasised is that we want all those who are listed in the booklet and on the website to be a major part of Joining In! It’s not just me, Tracy, Richard and Voluntary Action South West Surrey, who are Joining In! We want people to feel it is theirs so that more people can work together for the whole community. I see the website as being a kind of platform for telling residents what’s going on in their area. I aim to update it regularly and hope all the groups and organisations will send me details of what they are doing and the volunteering opportunities they have available.

“If a group needs some help with volunteers for a specific event or on and on-going basis, let’s get it on the website for all to read.”

Click here to visit the Joining In! website.

David Rose can be contacted on 07825 419408. Email: d.rose@vasws.org.uk

David Rose works 14 hours a week on Joining In!. Funding for Joining In! has come via the Surrey County Council initiative Travel SMART.

He is, of course, also a major contributor, writer and photographer for The Guildford Dragon NEWS.

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