Achievements
2006
June - Community Connections are commissioned to provide community work support to the Comeunity Programme.
November - Residents Perceptions Study and base-lining work conducted to inform the development of the Neighbourhood Action Plan.
December - Communication Strategy developed.
2007
January - The Grey 2 Green Programme starts at three pilot locations across the neighbourhood.
February - Rainbow Saver Credit Union Established, serving South and Central Yarmouth, with a collection point in the Priory Centre.
March - 413 residents have engaged in the Comeunity Programme in the first year, through Community Development Work. 7 new community groups have been established and £13,955 has been awarded in Comeunity Builder grants. 16 new information racks have also been established across the neighbourhood.
June - The Neighbourhood Centre launches from 143 King street, housing a CLIP, Shelter, the Credit Union and the Comeunity Team.
July - The first two Grey 2 Green projects at Swirles Place and Fox’s Passage are awarded funding through the Cleaner Safer Greener Fund.
July - The Sunshine Crew ( a group of local volunteers) launch a period of summer activities for children in the Market Roads area.
July - The Town Centre Music Festival includes 500 young local musicians in a week long band fest.
August - Community Connections and the YMCA launch a period of detached youth work across the neighbourhood.
September - The M Factor presents a day of music and entertainment and unveils the young talent on the Middlegate Estate.
September - The Cleaner and Tidy Agreement is launched across the neighbourhood, encouraging residents and service providers work together to better improve the quality of the local environment.
September - The Community Newspaper is launched. 5,000 copies are produced for the pilot and delivered through every household in the neighbourhood.
October - The Family Intervention Team launch some targeted work with young people at risk of anti-social behaviour in the neighbourhood.
October - Target Opportunities launches a range of volunteering, training and employment opportunities across the neighbourhood.
October - Grey 2 Green gains national recognition by the Department of Communities and Local Government and is mentioned in Hazel Blears address on "Empowerment Champions".
October - In partnership with the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, NORCAS start an outreach street-based programme engaging with people with alcohol issues in the neighbourhood.
October - Halloween hosts a night of ghoulish treats at the Neighbourhood Centre in conjunction with the Safer Neighbourhoods Team. Over 90 young people and families participate in a range of diversionary activities on Halloween.
November - 10 local residents embark on an accredited course in Research Methods supported by Priory Research Services and contribute to the mid-term evaluation of the programme.
November - The I heart GY campaign launches aiming to bring the feel good factor back to the neighbourhood and to promote relationships between groups in the neighbourhood.
December - Four successful Christmas Wrap events at the Neighbourhood Centre, bring the visitor number total to 1,604 since June 07.
2008
January - The Middlegate Visioning Exercise commences supported by MAC Associates.
January - Target Opportunities engages 75 residents in training, volunteering and employment pathway opportunities in just three months since its launch.
February - The Neighbourhood Management Board embark on the plans for a Forward Strategy post 2010 for the Comeunity Programme.
February - The Swirles Place improvement scheme is the first Grey 2 Green project to be completed. The Sunshine Crew host a planting day at the site during half-term week.
March - The mid-term evaluation and residents perceptions survey is produced. Informing the direction of the programme for 2008-2010.
April - Over 60 local residents attend the engagement activities of the Community Partnership for South and Central Yarmouth, re-branded the Comeunity Forum and have a direct input on the positioning of new recycling facilities for the area.
April - Local business Guardline donate time and equipment to the Peggotty Road Grey 2 Green scheme, which involved the positioning of a 170 year old tree trunk donated by Sherringham Park
April - Children's Services Youth Work Team incorporate the youth group for young people at risk of anti-social behaviour into their core delivery.
May - Children's Services dedicate a Youth Engagement Worker to the neighbourhood management area to support the work of community projects such as the Revolution Skate Squad.
May - The Middlegate Visioning exercise is completed, supported by MAC Associates. An Estate Action plan is in development.
June - Glass Recycling facilities are made available at St James Health and Resource Centre for residents living in South Yarmouth. This is as a direct result of the April Comeunity Forum meeting.
July - The 3rd Town Centre Music Festival to be supported by Comeunity brings 9 days of music by local performers. Over 200 residents from South Yarmouth engage in activity.
July - College in the Community launch a programme of "soft skills" training for unemployed residents living in the neighbourhood.
July - The Comeunity Forum engages 66 participants in its July meeting.
August - Target Opportunities continues to engage residents in training, volunteering and employment opportunities.
September - 60 local residents engage in the first of a series of Health Roadshows in South Yarmouth.
September - Great Yarmouth Borough Council starts public consultation around the future of St Georges Theatre. Over 100 local people engage in the process.
October - Great Yarmouth's Local Strategic Partnership endorsed plans to roll-out locality working to other parts of the borough. A consultation commences.
October - Respect Action Week sees the launch of the Middlegate Estate Action Plan as a result of the Middlegate Visioning Exercise. Due to an intensive multi-agency approach anti-social behaviour is confirmed to have dropped on Middlegate by 70% in 2 years.
November - 40 South Yarmouth residents have gained employment with the support of Target Opportunities since its inception.
November - A clear bag recycling scheme is introduced in the neighbourhood to ensure every household has recycling provision.
December - The Revolution Skate Squad raise £140k to build a Skate Park on St Nicholas Recreation Ground.
2009
January - The Grey 2 Green Team completes the 4th project, Runham Vauxhall, through some great partnership working with Norfolk County Council.
February - Great Yarmouth hosts Regional Empowerment visit, and feedback received after the event is extremely positive. The work of the Comeunity programme in South and Central Yarmouth, through its partners, is seen as exemplary practice in delivering a community empowerment agenda.
March - Comeunity plays a key role in the public consultation process for the St George's Chapel and King Street Regeneration Project, and, as always, ensures that local residents have a say in what is being proposed.
March - The Grey 2 Green Team completes the 5th project, Louise Close, which sees local residents taking on the maintenance of the newly planted beds.
March - The Grey 2 Green Team, together with Norfolk Constabulary, Great Yarmouth Borough Council and Norfolk County Council, get underway with Victoria Place. This is a true flagship project for Comeunity, as it is a great example of excellent partnership work between all agencies. Norfolk Constabulary put in 2 alley gates, GYBC upgrade the lighting, and NCC and Comeunity work together to do the resurfacing and landscaping of the area. A community planting day is planned for early June.
April - Comeunity complete its first project for 09/10 - the Resident Support Guide, a project initiated through the Comeunity Wellbeing Working Group. The aim with this is to provide local residents with an easy-to-use guide to queries around health, finances, housing and environmental issues in these difficult times. The guide can be downloaded from here Support Guide.
November - Comeunity receives award from International Journal for Neighbourhood Renewal for its success in engaging and empowering local people and was awarded "Best UK Neighbourhood Renewal Programme for Local Impact".
