By Liz Duffy, Big Luncher from Yr Aelwyd Sheltered Scheme, Carmarthen
“For the past two and a half years I have lived in a 24 flat council sheltered housing complex in the middle of a large housing estate in Carmarthenshire. Most tenants in the complex are elderly or disabled.
This year the council reduced our warden service which greatly impacted our neighbourhood social activities – she had put on events and classes in our lovely communal hall. While already working full time, I was inspired to step up and help organise something myself and invite the community at large as nothing had really been organsied together before - I felt that could help the community gel a little better.
In December last year, in an effort to encourage more community engagement our County Council Housing department introduced the complex to an organisation called SPICE to develop Timebanking. For every hour volunteered benefitting the community, people are rewarded with a time credit to spend locally; from cinemas and leisure centers, to theatre or museum tickets. The list of partners keeps growing and local businesses see the benefits of offering a few places to people who may not usually be able to afford it. A year after our complex was introduced to Timebanking nearly half of the tenants are now actively involved!
Liz (centre) with fellow Spice Timebankers
Holding a Big Lunch seemed the ideal vehicle to engage the community, break the ice and for people to volunteer and earn credits in the process. With the support of my Timebanking facilitator, I gained a £200 grant from the local tenant’s network for entertainment and food. I thought this would make the event feel more accessible for those who felt they couldn’t afford to contribute. We advertised the lunch on Facebook, in local shops and by letter drop. A young Community Councilor also helped. The Council offered to print for free flyers for us and we used this to also advertise a litter pick we were planning for the week before the lunch.
Although our Big Lunch didn’t have a large turnout, it was great to meet so many new people and encourage the tenants to get involved in more events. We now have a regular film night and are planning more events together including Christmas Fetes and other Big Lunches next year. The more we organise on the complex, the more people come along from all areas of the community. And word has spread fast! Other people I have spoken to have been inspired to hold their own Big Lunches and recently a local disbanded residents association donated £350 to our complex, to contribute toward a free lunch club in January for all our tenants!
One lady nearby, though physically fit, has previously been quite nervous about getting involved in things. Now she helps with letter drops for our events, using her love of walking to help the community. Doing this activity she also earns time credits which she uses for going out with her grandchildren. They now ask what’s going on in the complex and if they can come too!
Since organising our Big Lunch my confidence has grown a lot. Now I’ll stop people in the street to tell them what events are coming up in the complex and invite new people along. I would never have done that before!”