Everybody needs good neighbours…

We all long for connection with other people, but many of us have forgotten how to connect with those we live closest to. We might smile at each other as we put out the bins or say good morning whilst walking the dog. However, many of us appreciate a conversation, which might even lead to a friendship. We know that breaking the ice isn’t always easy, we understand that sometimes we need an excuse or a helping hand to build these relationships with our neighbours.

Most of us remember how much we needed our neighbours when the floods hit Gloucester in 2007. It was a challenging time for everyone as the rains came down, affecting the water supply and the electricity. To get clean water we had to queue with our buckets at the water bowsers, which often resulted in surprise conversations with neighbours we had never met before. Whilst it was a difficult time, it did reconnect us to people living nearby.

We certainly don’t want to experience flooding again, but we do believe in supporting people to connect with their neighbours and build relationships before they might be needed in the future.

Our way of doing it is by helping people to share with each other ideas about what might be possible where they live and find the strengths in their community to make their vision a reality. It’s much easier to come together around fun and interesting projects than it is responding to problems. Through meeting new people and having fun together, we build lasting connections that help us build thriving communities.

If you have an idea of how to get your neighbours together, we might be able to help, even if you just want to talk through an idea. We have Community Builders working across the city, so let us know what your dream is and we’ll try to connect you to others to make your idea happen.