Coalfields Community Futures
Waterside, East Dunbartonshire
It was timely that CRT approached the village of Waterside to participate in the Coalfields Community Futures programme as the community stated that plans set out by East Dunbartonshire Council would transform the area and make the village a suburb of Kirkintilloch, taking away the community identity.
The Steering Group submerged themselves in the process and worked hard to produce an Action Plan that gave them the opportunity to look at where they stand, and what kind of future they would like to see unfold for the good of their community.
Due to the biodiversity that surrounds the village projects included a Bat Walk which takes villagers around the areas where bats are prevalent and enables them to learn about local nature. Another project involved people learning to map-read skill and how to use a compass to enable them to explore the surrounding countryside.
Oakley & Comrie
The first Oakley and Comrie Community Action Plan ran from 2013 to 2018 and proved to have many successful outcomes during this time.
This year, CRT teamed up with Fife Council and members of the local community to work on reviewing the plan, working with focus groups, including young people, to see what should be included in the new action plan.
With this parnership approach, the priorities that were identified were aligned with the four Fife Community Plan Strategic Priorities: Opportunities for All, Thriving Places, Inclusive Growth, Jobs and Community Led Services.
This has now given a clear direction for not only the community, but also its service providers who have adopted this key document as the Oakley and Comrie Neighbourhood Plan.
Blantyre
The Coalfields Community Futures process was introduced to Blantyre at a public meeting in August 2018, which saw somewhere in the region of 150 local people attending to hear more about this opportunity for their town.
The community’s interest and involvement with the process continued with a small dedicated steering group of people who saw the process through from start to finish. They were instrumental in encouraging around 40 local people to attend the deliberative event, facilitated by the Electoral Reform Society, a staggering 700 people attending the voting day and around 100 people, including many service heads, politicians and other influencers attending the launch of the Action Plan.
The result of the process was the establishment of Blantyre Futures, a forum which aims to encourage and facilitate new partnership working in the area to address the priorities set out in the Action Plan.
Cowdenbeath
The Coalfields Community Futures process in Cowdenbeath was led by a steering group representative of several groups in the town, including the Civic Week Committee and the Community Council.
The Civic Week Committee’s representation was especially notable as they have a strong presence in the town and the public engage well with them through their regular annual events.
They assisted hugely with the deliberative event and the voting day, with this event attracting around 300 members of the public. Alongside the Coalfields Community Futures process, an initiative called “Love Cowdenbeath” has been developing a range of initiatives including the “#be” hashtag.
This group which also have representation from the Community Council and Civic Week Committee have agreed to adopt the Action Plan with a view to addressing the priorities identified by the community.
