Lottery funding brings communities together

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) tenants and residents have been celebrating the rich history of their neighbourhoods after a £30,000 lottery fund grant enabled three ground-breaking projects to get off the ground

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) tenants and residents have been celebrating the rich history of their neighbourhoods after a £30,000 lottery fund grant enabled three ground-breaking projects to get off the ground.

The RBH Engagement Team worked closely with Tenant and Resident Associations to secure funding for the projects, which have brought together local people from all backgrounds with the help of Community Interest Organisation “Everyday People”.

In Greave, children involved in the project have been busy building a map of how the area looks today as well as a map of how it looked in the 1930’s before the homes were built. The next stage is to build another map of Greave of the future, through a child’s eyes.

They are also planning a special World War II music night to bring local residents of all ages together. Parents of children involved in the project have completed questionnaires about their childhood memories and even discovered one of the children is related to one of the original Rochdale Pioneers!

Barbara Todd, Chairwoman of Greave Tenants and Residents Association, said: “This has been a fantastic project which is bringing the community together and highlights the many positive aspects of living in Greave”

Following a well-attended launch event at Cutgate Methodist Church, the first session of the “Yester-Years” project took place alongside the Cutgate Pensioners Coffee Morning on a Friday morning. The group were really eager to share their stories and memories, and these will be used to create a ‘Cutgate of Yesteryear’ booklet.

Rose Crabtree, Treasurer of Cutgate Tenants and Residents Association, commented: “I’m delighted that the project has got off to a great start.”

Local residents and tenants of all ages in Brotherod, including mums with toddlers, grandparents and children, have been working on creating a map of the area. This has provided the opportunity to get people together to talk about the neighbourhood and look how life has changed over the years.

A ‘Remembering Brotherod’ Facebook page has been created and has received over 1,200 views so far. Local people are putting on their own photographs and sharing their memories through the site, and there have been visits from as far away as Canada.

Joan Turner, Secretary of Brotherod Tenants and Residents Association, said: “Our Facebook page has gone beyond our expectations with over 100 members and 1000 visitors sharing the positive memories of our estate”.