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.
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 was on April 16th 2009, in the Dean Court Social Club. The Social Club ceased trading on 31st May, and a working group has been set up to investigate the possibility of using the building as a Community Centre.
The CAG has been a great way to get people together and enjoy picnics, bulb planting, litter picks and we now have a monthly swap shop on the first Saturday of the month. Future Swap shops will be held on Pinnock's Green (weather permitting). See CAG events for details.
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
We had our first Big Lunch on 19th July 2009 and despite the weather - it was nearly a wash out - we still had a few who enjoyed the day. This year's Big Lunch is on Sunday, 18th July. It will be in the new play park, which will allow for lots of fun activities as well as highlight the value of having a community building at hand. Get thinking about what delicious home-made (and/or home-grown!) food you might bring! Barbeques will be available for cooking: one for meat and one for vegetarians.
What happened
On Sunday 19th July 2009 up to 2 million people nationally 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. The Big Lunch team is also gearing up for this 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.
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 visit Dean Court website or:
