Dean Court CAG
Dean Court is part of the Parish of Cumnor and our estate is composed of approximately 50/50 housing association tenants and owner/occupiers. There is also a sprinkling of private tenants with non-resident landlords, so we are a very mixed community. What we all have in common is the desire to make our environment into what it was originally conceived as in the era of Homes for Heroes - a place to be proud of.
Judging from the success of our recent litter pick in March 2009, though, we will probably be focussing on litter and waste.
We started the Dean Court Estates Residents' Association about six years ago, but ran out of steam because there were so few people willing to get involved. The idea of converting the existing association to a Community Action Group, though, has really struck a chord. The first meeting of our CAG is going to be on April 16th 2009, in the Dean Court Social Club, so we haven't really sorted out all our priorities yet.
It's going to be hard to get across the concept of a waste-free society, but several of the younger children have been keen participants in our litter picks. We hope to get activities like bike-repair workshops organised, together with collections of recyclable materials that are not at present undertaken by the Vale: things like ink cartridges, mobile phones, spectacles, strip lights, light bulbs, Tetrapaks and electrical items. Getting a scheme going which will use just one vehicle to a near-by recycling centre could be a step towards a car-free environment . . . well, we can dream about the day when our once-green verges will again be a source of pride and a place to play.
Big Lunch Celebration
A Big Thank you for your support in the first Big Lunch on 19th July 2009.
"At the end of the day we felt we had a community spirit, which we didn't have before. Now when we see each other we say hello, how are you doing: we are on first term names, it's brilliant! People are actually smiling."
What happened
On Sunday 19th July 2009:
Up to 2 million people took part - Big Lunches took place across every type of community including some of the poorest neighbourhoods in the UK.
36% of the population are now aware of the Big Lunch: some 22 million people.
What happens next
We want The Big Lunch to be an annual event - almost like a Thanksgiving for neighbours. So let's use the momentum from this year's nationwide party to go on and make the 2010 Big Lunch even more fab.
The Big Lunch team is also gearing up for next summer, working with our sponsors and partners and joining up with new ones who can help us to help the nation throw a most spectacular bash in 2010 - and beyond.
When they come out in the spring it'll be a timely reminder to get the next Big Lunch off the ground in your community. You'll find all the resources to do this - before 30 November - at www.thebigbulbplant.com
If you want to get in touch with other people who've already organised a Big Lunch, for tips and hints, visit www.thebiglunchers.com
For further information:
Email: Dean Court CAG
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