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POP Collectives Rating & Advice
Thank you for taking the time to rate and support your peers.
Further down this page, you will find proposals for each of the amazing Collectives currently going through this funding process. You can leave your comments, offer to attend a support session or rate the Collectives.
Collectives with an average rating of 7.5 or higher from 25 unique POP member organisations will be awarded funding of £5,000.
POP Collectives Rating & Support Form
Collectives seeking ratings
Collective’s aims and ideas
Introduction
In a bid to bring art to Chaddlewood’s subways and promote the importance of protecting nature, Mrs Murals has teamed up with:
• Pollenize, a community interest company aimed at protecting bees & pollenators,.
• Clean Our Patch a popular community interest company passionate about keeping our local community free from litter,
• Art and Energy, an art collective that’s delivering engaging and thought provoking art & environmental school sessions.
The background
• Chaddlewood has 6 well used underpasses at 5 locations.
• Historically, they have suffered from unauthorised graffiti and subject to some antisocial behavior which is the source of many complaints.
• Typically the subways have been white washed on an infrequent basis to maintain the aesthetics, but these are soon covered with graffiti, tags and dirt.
• White washing walls creates a ‘blank canvass’ for unwanted graffiti, which no one wants to see.
This community lead project will help:
• Engage local schools to promote art and citizenship
• Brighten up often dark and dreary subways
• Reduce the fear of crime and promote walking
• Promote environmental awareness, community cohesion, health and wellbeing through art.
• Lower the cost of ongoing subway maintenance for the council, so some of this money can be used to fund & maintain the art.
• Provide a space for art inspired by local schools created at our art and education sessions planned for Autumn 21
A full project brief including subway art designs has been produced which includes art stencils from Pollenize. They can be viewed at https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/chaddlewood-subways-art-project
The designs at the Glen Road & Westfield subway will finalised with the help of pupils at:
• Glen Park Primary School
• Chaddlewood Primary School
This project plans to include a schools based engagement activity during the autumn term which will support curriculum based learning focused on how environments can change as a result of human actions, such as littering. Workshop sessions will be designed to make pupils think about how we affect nature & how we can protect it. An interactive and creative session designed in collaboration with teachers will give pupils the opportunity to present their thoughts and ideas though art which will inform the designs at the Glen Road & Westfield subway.
Children will be able to say ‘ I did that!’ and ‘I’m helping nature, by not littering’
So, what will the funding cover?
The funding will pay for:
• The time that local artists commit to this project, supporting our local artists through a difficult period.
• All art materials such as paint, brushes and cleaning materials
• Scaffolding and platforms
• Insurances
• The provision of workshops in local schools.
• Some ongoing maintenance of art works, if there is sufficient funds.
When will the project start?
We plan to start the project in August 21 and complete all six subways by the summer 2022, subject to weather conditions.
How will they work together to achieve this?
All our POP members are active in the Plymouth community, so it makes sense for them to combine their efforts to tackle issues which are at the core of their individual mission statements – to protect the environment and promote community cohesion through art, education and action.
This project uniquely combines to tackle issues such as unwanted graffiti & community safety while promoting the protection of wildlife, such as pollinators. The proposed educational provision will help deepen young people’s connection to nature and the art will leave a lasting reminder of why it is important for all of us to protect nature. With larger suburban gardens in Chaddlewood and an abundance of public green space there are greater opportunities to improve the way we manage nature at home and in the community, but that can only be achieved with public support.
Mrs Murals is passionate about her local & wider community and about protecting wildlife. She is more recently noted for her street art in Hooe, Plymouth, involving the local school Hooe Primary Academy. Research suggests that painting multi-coloured designs or murals on surfaces will discourage graffiti, since tagging is more difficult. Such mural projects, especially when they involve local artists and high school students, have solved many graffiti problems. Nothing is guaranteed of course, but the aim is to help prevent unwanted antisocial graffiti at the same time as working with schools and local businesses to educate about littering and protecting the environment.
Pollenize CIC have successfully launch a campaign called ‘Seeds of Schools’ using the City’s Change Fund. The project aims to provide every pupil with a seed pack they can use to help re-wild the city.
Clean Our Patch CIC is an active community litter picking group which operates city wide and has a strong presence in Plympton, Chaddlewood. The project will see the promotion of litter picking and community engagement.
Art and Energy will provide an educational workshop session in schools which starts with telling the story of Marley the Moth and ends with a creative session designed to produce art works from children that will go on to inform the subway art.
Members of the collective are already individually active in each other’s groups as patrons, ambassador or volunteers, so there is already a collaborative framework to build on.
Collective members will provide fun, engaging and educational school based sessions to pupils aged between 4-10 years old. A broader activity inviting teenagers already engaged in graffiti is planned, with outputs from all the schools based activities informing the art designs in at least one of the subways. We have made contact with the Youth Centre based at the Rees Centre, Plympton and Plymouth City Council’s Youth Worker.
This project aims to support the aims and objectives of these community groups to reinforce the message through art and education. Literally cross pollenating ideas and action!
Where possible we will investigate lessons learned from other projects, such as the Art Project at Weston Mill school.
Collective’s aims and ideas
Wellbeing Workshops, Colebrook and Memory Matters will work together to produce and deliver dementia friendly and inclusive wellbeing workshops to the community. The workshops will aim to reduce anxiety around reintegrating into society after the lockdown, whilst also equipping those in attendance with the skills, knowledge and understanding to manage and maintain their own wellbeing throughout their lifespan. To achieve this, we will work together to produce a series of wellbeing workshops which embed elements of positive psychology. A recent report completed by the Lancet COVID-19 community recommends the use of positive psychology methods to improve wellbeing and positive emotions, as a low-cost evidence-based strategy which improves community wellbeing and increases positive emotions.
Throughout the pandemic and multiple lockdowns, mental health and wellbeing has been highlighted as a cause of concern and an area which needs to be focused on. During this time the community has become isolated, lonely, and anxious about leaving the house. Our series of in-person workshops will give these people a safe area to reintegrate into the community and develop their confidence, whilst also equipping them with the skills, knowledge and understanding to enable to manage their own wellbeing. Not only supporting them within the present time but also within the future.
We plan to deliver 12, 2-hour workshops across 6 weeks. One on a weekday and one on a weekend to make the workshops accessible for more people, in total we will aim to have 30-40 participants across both sites.
The workshops will include the following objectives, aims and topics. However, if there is a change within restrictions, we may alter the content to reflect this.
Objectives:
To begin to equip the community with the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to manage and maintain their own wellbeing.
Specific Workshop Aims:
• To reduce anxiety around reintegrating back into the community after lockdown
• To develop knowledge and understanding of how the pandemic has affected you as an individual and how you can use this to grow
• To give the community an opportunity to discuss and share their experiences within the pandemic
1. What is wellbeing and what does it mean to you? How did lockdown effect your wellbeing at the time and what challenges do you have going forward?
2. Reintegrating into the community – what emotions does this bring up for you? How can you manage these emotions?
3. Understanding yourself in the new world – identity focused – post traumatic growth
4. Happiness – what are your expectations, have they changed from before covid to now? what does happiness look like to you going forward?
5. Mindset – what mindset do you currently think you have? How can we use what we have learnt in the pandemic to shape and change this?
6. Final action plan for managing your wellbeing post-lockdown and being prepared the unknown
Throughout the workshops we will continually collect feedback and use this to help shape what we do and the content which we deliver. Also, at the beginning and the end of the workshops we will use a validated wellbeing questionnaire which will enable us to evaluate the impact of the workshops. We will also use the feedback to work out as a collective which direction we should take the workshops after the funding e.g. paid by participant workshops/look for further funding to continue with the workshops.
How will they work together to achieve this?
This will be the first time each of the organisations have worked together.
As part of this bid Colebrook SW will provide community premises, refreshments and staff to support the programme for 2hpw for 6 weeks. Colebrook SW will also market the programme through our social media, wellbeing hub, Colebrook’s support services and other networks as well as the diverse range of community members we work with. Memory matters will provide exploring dementia training, work with all organisations to ensure the workshops are dementia friendly, provide a warm, caring, friendly environment for workshops including refreshments and staffing for 2hpw over 6 weeks. As well as promoting this within the moments café as we want to start more groups/workshops, which are Dementia friendly and inclusive to all, and we feel this is a perfect place to start. Wellbeing workshops will plan, create, deliver and evaluate the bespoke workshops, whilst also networking with the community groups prior to starting the workshops to develop trust and confidence.
Both Memory Matters and Colebrook will also provide first-hand insight into the mentality and issues currently seen within the direct communities they are working with daily. This will enable Wellbeing Workshops to create and deliver impactful and relevant workshops to the communities. We will all work with together to measure and evaluate the impact that the workshops have had within the community. We have chosen to work together as each organisations morals and values align regarding our focus on wellbeing and improving mental health within the community. Also, each organisation has a specific speciality which will help support us to deliver high quality wellbeing content and have an impact on the communities we work within.
Our collective operates on shared values – (People-focused, Compassionate, Open, Positive, Creative & Fun) and we believe this is an amazing opportunity for us to create positive change throughout Plymouth. We want to develop our offer to the community by starting this project to create a stable support network for people in the community and enabling them to reintegrate back into their community after lockdown, with help to manage their own wellbeing going forward.
Collectives seeking advice
During the first round, POP members will be asked to advise you. What advice would be most helpful?
We would like advice on how to roll the project out further in to Plymouth if the pilot is successful.
Collective’s aims and ideas
Our idea is to create a pilot project that will deliver food bank items to those in need in the community of Whitleigh. The food will be delivered using electric Cargo bikes. Deliveries will happen 1-2 times a week (depending on demand) over a 3 month period.
The aim of the project is to:
Deliver food to isolated and vulnerable community members.
Show how zero carbon transport alternatives can replace petrol / diesel vans.
This project is based on the experience of Bikespace working with Four Green Community Trust. Four Greens borrowed a cargo bike to do food bank deliveries, which was successful. Funding is now required to expand that initial pilot project and understand what works, how can this be expanded to other parts of the city and what is the true cost to deliver this type of project.
This project will see Bikespace going to Four Greens each week and deliver food bank parcels to local people in Whitleigh. We would expect to reach at least 10 families on a weekly basis. The project will last for 3 months, this will enable us to understand how the project works, what works well and how we can improve it.
The project is important because it will help tackle food poverty and isolation in Whitleigh (for those who can’t get to Fourgreen’s to pick up food) and showcase the potential of a zero carbon transport alternative, which will educate people about other methods of delivery.
We want to achieve the following outcomes:
Reduce food poverty in communities.
Increase the awareness of zero carbon alternative transport methods.
We believe this is important because it means people who are still isolated from COVID can receive much needed food. It will support those who lack confidence to get food from a food bank because they may be embarrassed by their situation, and showcase the potential of alternative transport vehicles.
How will they work together to achieve this?
Bikespace has experience of working with Four Green Community Trust and has a very positive relationship with their team. Mark Rowles is excited by this pilot project and is very keen to see the impact electric cargo bikes have on food bank deliveries.
Paul from Drift has worked with both Gareth from Bikesapce and Mark from Four Greens, Paul will use his experience of project management and evaluation to support the creation and monitoring of the project. The evaluation report will inform future applications to expand on these projects in the future.
Bikespace will bring the bikes and experience of cargo bike delivery to this project. The Bikespace team will maintain and manage deliveries. The team will collect food from shops and of course deliver to families.
Four Greens will collect and store food bank items. They will also compile the details of those who require food bank deliveries.
Drift will support the setup of the project and develop the monitoring and evaluation process. Drift will also produce the final report.
The partnership covers all the bases to ensure this is a successful project, which is professionally delivered and evaluated.
The joint skills and experience should ensure that this project grows in the future and hopefully inspire similar projects across Plymouth.
During the first round, POP members will be asked to advise you. What advice would be most helpful?
Ways that the resettlement support service could be improved – perhaps gaining some ideas direct from refugees and asylum seekers as to what may need and what they would like to access which they can’t
Are there any local businesses that we can support direct with any purchases we make (we like to support local businesses when sourcing specific items)
Describe your aims and ideas
Refugee Resettlement Support.
The scope of this project and fund, is simply about making those who have either been resettled here or are seeking asylum, to feel safe and welcome in the city. The way we achieve this, is by supporting them at a foundational level with access to essentials items and services. We want those who have fled conflict to feel welcome and give them confidence to rebuild their lives without fear. Whilst also providing the support to create a home once again or an environment which is comfortable and not full of broken or stained items, or electrical goods that do not work. This is such an important part of resettlement and for those seeking asylum, especially they are traumatised by their experiences. It is so important especially for the children that they feel welcome and know that they are cared for within the wider community. What better to show this then through this type of provision. A donated broken fridge or stained mattress doesn’t really show care for others and is not a great start to a new life!
In 2016 a government community grant was cut impacting on many people, and affected the refugee community quite negatively; with less access to funds and support this cut was noticeable. So, due to social media support OHOB decided to create the Resettlement Support Project to support organisations, such as START and DCRS in Plymouth to provide them with what was needed for their service users. Since this time the project has been supporting 100’s of refugee families and individuals as well as asylum seekers across the city.
Through referrals from DCRS and START, OHOB provide either furniture, white goods, payments for goods and services, travel costs, clothing, food vouchers and various smaller household items; support is provided to new mothers and their babies, as some cannot access the maternity grant. OHOB have also provided hot plates and fold-away beds (for refugees/asylum seekers in temporary accommodation) and have helped with storage, and furniture delivery costs.
To sustain the project OHOB have received previous grants and funding, and put together fundraisers and small events to raise the funds needed. In the last 2 years, OHOB has spent nearly £20,000 across the city on various payments, and purchases for items needed; this has even included educational resources during lockdown. Support is provided which may not be accessed elsewhere. The need increases each year, so the amount spent inevitably increases too!
The requests and referrals are fulfilled by either: purchasing or ordering the items and getting them delivered direct; at times items are sourced from the community; small grants are provided, or payments are made for goods and services. If there is not enough money in the budget items fundraisers are set up in the community. We work with local businesses to provide the furniture and white goods and have policies and procedures in place to support the project, but what makes the project unique is that support and assistance is provided quickly and efficiently because of the circumstances of the client or service user. We believe in support and aid with dignity, we believe in providing what they need, rather than what others think they need. Now with the situation in Afghanistan this support and type of project is required more than ever.
Describe how you will work together to achieve this.
For the last 5 years, OHOB, START and DCRS have been working closely together with resettlement support; OHOB have been providing items, funding or small grants required to support their service users with what is needed. OHOB receive referrals and these are processed quickly and smoothly and they have always been flexible. START and DCRS know their service users very well and what they need, and combined we have a good working relationship built on trust and understanding of need for the service users. OHOB are always happy to provide where they can and have been organising and delivering this type of support for many years, they have the skills administratively, logistically and the fundraising capabilities. OHOB will make phone calls to order items, go direct to the collect item, order online, or source items from what has been donated. They have become quite skilled at it! OHOB even have our own delivery driver who has delivered many a fridge freezer and sofa. He also does some work for START and helps to move refugee families across the country.
As a collective we met to discuss the fund and felt that it was a much needed resource which could be utlised by the three organisations to support what was needed especially in areas which other funders may not support. Often purchases, grants or payments can take time to come through for service users from other charities, and additionally they may not be able to fund the request, but OHOB have a good system in place whereby they understand the need and how this can sometimes be instant. OHOB do not have long drawn out processes for the START and DCRS service users and staff, and this is understood and welcomed; OHOB can provide support as and when needed and this fund will continue to help to do that.
As a collective we want to provide support which is dignified and not subject to reams and reams of paperwork – it needs to be accessible and simplistic in its structure and serve the purpose it was set up for. The three organisations work well with this, and will continue to do so.
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