Above a row of shops on Kentmere Road the offices for the East Neighbourhood Team are freshly painted and carpeted. ‘It’s much better than our last offices’ Lisa tells me as everyone makes their lunch in the kitchen and I explain how I’d been to their old building by mistake; ‘They’ve knocked some walls down and it’s made it brighter.’ The walls are peppered with Latin sayings, original artworks and an ‘In case of fire’ checklist with a photo of flames and a tick boxes with the staff names against them.
There’s a companionable atmosphere in the office where the team is built up of people working in a range of roles from Percent for Arts officer to Health Development Worker. Lisa is a Community Development Officer a role that involves working with groups and individuals in the local area, offering them opportunities they would otherwise have been excluded from and empowering them to make positive changes in their community.
When I ask about a typical day it all gets a bit tricky, ‘It can all change’ says Lisa ‘You can have allowed 10 minutes to make a phone call but then if something comes up it can take 2 hours.’ We decide to start by looking at the whole week. On Monday Lisa left the office and worked fromBreightmet UCAN centre instead. This means she has the opportunity to be introduced to customers by UCAN staff.
Today she’s been out in the morning door knocking with Pearl the Health Development Worker. One of Lisa’s projects is Breightmet film club which is designed to get people through the door and provide a platform for engagement activity. There are three strands one of which, the ‘Silver Screenings,’ is held at a nearby community centre for older residents. Despite them consulting with the luncheon club on every last detail of the first session they held from what film to show to the snacks they would serve there was a poor attendance.
Lisa recognises it isn’t straightforward dealing with the public and sometimes you just have to sit down and think about what you can do differently when you try again. This time there is a hearty winter soup planned with a showing of Les Miserables afterwards. The Neighbourhood team has just taken over the centre from Tenancy Support and Sustainment and once an audience has built up Lisa hopes to be able to use these screening sessions to engage local residents and get their feedback on it’s use in the future.
After we’ve been through this project its off to one of the group’s Lisa supports, a women’s group at Deepdale Community Centre. Today they’re doing some simple yoga with Claire, Lisa’s old yoga instructor and we disturb the class half way through. There’s no hiding at the back though and despite the room already being a little warm and crowded space is quickly found for us in the circle so we can take part. The class ends with 10 minutes guided relaxation and a couple of the women are soon asleep in their chairs. Following the class the instuctor gives some advice on healthy eating and the importance of exercise and the women regroup for a cup of tea.
Lisa has a very specific relationship with this ‘officer led group’ and is there as an impartial guide and advisor. She advises a new member on how to get involved with a community project that would suit her skill set and checks what materials are needed for their craft session next week. The group have big plans including decorations for Christmas and card designs using CDs. Tensions in the group can sometimes result in people being unhappy or natural progression can mean people move on and the group dynamic changes.
Lisa says it’s important as a facilitator to remain impartial and remember that the women are adults who can manage themselves. She does offer support to new group members who can be referred to the group if other organisations such as adult service or Age UK have identified they need a bit of extra support from a social network. Some group members can join at a particularly low point in their lives, after being isolated for a long time, being ill or a traumatic event and the group can help them rebuild their self confidence.
A lady who is taking on a leadership role in the group tells her ‘I don’t feel at home here because we haven’t got a cupboard to call our own.’ She follows up with; ‘We want… No we need our own cupboard.’ Although a corner of a community centre might seem like a small ask Lisa is happy that the group are taking some ownership over what they want and moving forward on their own. A newer member of the group doesn’t have the same confidence of the ‘regulars’ but seems happy to sit and watch the proceedings.
The women are now sitting round a table with various phones and an iPad out swapping numbers; ‘You’d be in a world of silence if you didn’t have your phone wouldn’t you?’ One of the women says to a friend. Another group member is showing someone else a YouTube video on a smartphone.
Through these groups and meeting individuals Lisa builds a relationship that encourages people to want to challenge themselves, increasing their self esteem and self worth. Residents in the area are feeling the negative opinions and are aware of the perception of them held by the outside world. Many are looking for work but might not be ready for various reasons. Projects run by the CDOs can help them build in confidence and gain skills making them more attractive to employers.
One of the groups made up of young men on the estate are particularly keen to challenge people’s misconceptions. Following on from their success with a Bolton at home funded film project, Mr One Million, they have gone on to produce a performance piece talking about young fathers, a music video around mental illness and having become a constituted community group have just put in a funding bid for a project on mens’s health using puppets.
Back in the office Lisa tells me that an important part of her job is linking people to a wider political and social agenda and empowering them to believe they can make things change but sometimes it’s the little things that make a difference. ‘They might never have had someone congratulate them on their achievements or say they’re proud of them. Some people miss out on that wider social structure, family and friends that we all take for granted. It’s about appreciating the little steps people make and helping them feel proud of themselves.’
When asked to sum up her job Lisa refers to her manager Tony’s Twitter profile, it says ‘Changing Breightmet. One person at a time.’
If you know someone who might benefit from a bit more support or activities in their community there are Bolton at Home Community Development Workers in areas across Bolton.
You can follow Lisa on Twitter: @LisaF_BaH
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