What will Communities First achieve?

Building confidence and self-esteem of those living in communities - developing a 'can do' culture;
Encouraging education and skill training for work;
Creating job opportunities and increasing the income of local people;
Improving housing and the surrounding environment;
Improving health and well being through active and healthy lifestyles by addressing issues which affect people's well being;
Making communities safe and secure places in which people can live, work and play;
Driving forward changes in the way public services are delivered.
 

Who does what?

A Communities First Coordinator is employed with Development Worker and a Support Officer to take on the day to day running of all Communities First activities just for the Cwmclydach area;

The Coordinator for Cwmclydach is Keith Jenkins;
The Development Worker for Cwmclydach is Phil Jenkins;
The Support Officer for Cwmclydach is Anne Jones;
The Play/Child Coordinator is Jan Holvey;

All four posts are there to provide support for the most important participants of Communities First - YOU!

How can we make things happen?

The first step - each community has to set up a Partnership Board, which should include a good cross section of representatives from all areas of the community - the Community Sector;
The partnership will also include representatives from the local business sector, the voluntary sector, and the statutory sector.
 

What will the Partnership do?

Once the Partnership has been established, what next?

First the partnership has to develop a three-year action plan for the area and a ten-year vision.

The action plan has to include the following themes:

Jobs and Businesses;
Environment;
Health and Well Being;
Education and Training;
Active Community;
Community Safety.
 

How can I become involved?

What we need to do in order to begin the process of building a Communities First Partnership is:

Make sure that everyone who has an interest in Cwmclydach knows about us!
Have as much information about the area as possible;
Find out what community groups there are at present in Cwmclydach;
Know what statutory services exist in the area;
Find out about education, environment, health, jobs and business services in the area.
Please let us know!!!

We will be holding public meetings, pushing leaflets through your doors (with the invaluable help of local volunteers!), sticking up posters in any available space we can find. Holding drop in surgeries all over Cwmclydach, hijacking fetes and open days, filling in questionnaires with you...