What we have learnt from our pilot test in the community.

We’ve arrived at the end of our 6 weeks of testing out our community led approach, and what a 6 weeks it’s been. Here in Camborne, I’ve led volunteer and community member meet ups where we’ve come together and created action plans around British Red Cross’ strategy and the needs of the community, as decided by the people of Camborne.

Some of Our Highlights:

Over the last 6 weeks we have worked on 3 different activities that related to problems identified by the people of Camborne.

Problem 1: Through our research and conversations in the community, we regularly heard how unhappy people were with how Camborne ‘looks’, with buildings looking scruffy and weeds overgrowing. This caused people to lose pride in where they live, often affecting their mental health.

We understand that for a community to feel positive and motivated it needs to look positive rather than overgrown and uncared for.

Our volunteers wanted to address this by coming together to do some ‘guerrilla gardening’ outside the old fire station in Camborne; a historical part of the community that many would like to see looked after. It had been completely overgrown and as you can see by how many bags we filled, was in need of some care. It coincided with Camborne Town Council’s ‘Green Week’, with our event being promoted as part of it, enticing others to get involved. We had 3 new people join our motivated group, taking steps to positively impact their community as they could see the action in progress. Because of the positive response that was seen on the streets and social media, the group felt like this is something they could continue to build on.

Us volunteers outside the old fire station after a few hours of hard work!

Problem 2: Camborne has a litter problem which is, in part, due to a lack of adequate recycling infrastructure and efficient bins available.

Our volunteers explored positive things they could do with non-recyclable waste. They came up with ideas such as making a community seating area out of eco bricks, as a first step to bigger things. For example, Penzance is a plastic-free Cornish town, something Camborne could aspire to be. While we know that the ideal would be a plastic-free world, we’re dedicated to educating others about the problem and providing a temporary solution (if you’d like to learn more about the positives of eco bricks — click here.

And so, we tried eco bricking for ourselves, built a bookcase out of eco bricks and created an exhibition which we currently have at the local library in Camborne. We were generously donated the eco bricks by a local brownie, Jill , 11.

Our educational eco brick exhibition at Camborne Library.

Problem 3: Isolation, loneliness and mental health.

Another fantastic project our volunteers came up with was partnering up with a local charity, Kehelland Trust, to leave potted plants around Camborne with kind messages on, and our support line. Kehelland Trust provides a rural, horticultural setting for the support of young people and adults with learning and, or physical disabilities, develops personal and social skills and individual opportunities. We used their plants, provided with stickers about their charity, stickers with our support line, local postcards and motivational messages. We left these pots of kindness around town for people to pick up.

Here are two of our volunteers Spencer, and Sue, filling in postcards with motivational messages to be left with the plants.

What Have We Learnt?

Masses! Here’s a few of our key learnings:

· It’s so important to be on the ground in the community so that people feel heard and seen; my role means there is someone local for the volunteers to relate to and connect with, which has really supported the group in building relationships.

· Continuity and consistency build strong group dynamics and gives people confidence that they can create change in their community. We started our meetings with ice breakers that helped to break down barriers and give the volunteers confidence to share experiences with each other. It also supports the more hesitant team members to find their place in the team, and once they did they never looked back!

· Our volunteers are passionate about making an impact and creating positive change through driving projects forward.

· In the pilot alone we have built so many connections with local councillors, the town council, the library, and other charities which has enabled us to be seen and heard by a wider audience.

Building community connections: here we have our volunteers, community members, teachers and other charity members, a wealth of knowledge and connections in one room.

While the projects we’ve done have been small-scale, our volunteers have been ready and raring to go! They have big ideas. We’re working on what’s to come next, here in the British Red Cross, but one thing’s for sure, the volunteers and I have created positive change in Camborne and an increased awareness in what the British Red Cross does locally.