Street Associations hailed a major success

SETTING up a series of Street Associations has helped bring communities closer together, Solihull Council has argued.
Councillors recently considered a report which assessed the impact of nine associations which have been established in the borough.
The first two programmes started in Smith’s Wood in September 2014 and since then seven others have sprung up. All but two of these cover areas in North Solihull.
The associations tend to be set up in neighbourhoods where there are above-average levels of crime, anti social behaviour and isolation. The overriding aim is to help address these problems by organising community events bringing neighbours together.
A council report concluded that the schemes had achieved many of the objectives and there are now hopes that the project can be expanded to other locations, including Kingshurst.
Melanie Lockey, the council’s head of partnerships and communities, said: “Each Street Association is run by a core group of six-ten people.
“[They] meet once a month for an hour and organise events to bring people together...encourage friendships and find ways to help neighbours who might need a lift or help with a bit of DIY.”
Vauxhall Crescent, which was one of the first two street associations, has been held up as a particular success.
When locals were initially surveyed, one in nine said they felt lonely or isolated and a significant proportion admitted they knew very few of their neighbours by name.
Since a barbecue launched the initiative over two and a half years ago, residents have organised events including a Christmas fair and Easter egg hunt.
While the street associations have been set up with council backing, the original idea came from a Birmingham couple, Martin and Gina Graham, and more than 100 schemes have started around the country.