Published December 6th, 2021
Residents of Chapel Field and Boldventure Road in St Austell were given the chance to discuss community improvements with local agencies at an open day last month.
The event was held at Bethel Methodist Church Hall on Friday 26 November. Organised by social housing provider, Ocean Housing, which manages a number of homes in the area, it brought residents together with representatives from Devon and Cornwall Police, as well as a local councillor, and many more agencies which provide support in the community.
Ocean Housing’s tenant partnership co-ordinator, Abigail Vercoe, said: “Our Community Action Days are all about giving our residents a voice – an opportunity for them to tell us how we can make their neighbourhood a better place to live.
“It was great to hear from residents of Chapel Field and Boldventure Road about their thoughts and concerns, and how we at Ocean can pull together with some of the other agencies that joined us to help make a difference in the community.
“We are looking to hold a bigger event in the area in the spring, where we can build on the positive discussions we had at this event.”
Free refreshments and activities for children were arranged for residents to enjoy whilst they discussed their issues with Ocean staff and the wider network of support available.
Safer Cornwall was one of the agencies which attended the event. Its community safety officer for mid-Cornwall, Helen Toms, said: “Both the anti-social behaviour officer and I were keen to support this event and join partner agencies to meet and discuss concerns with residents. A big thanks goes out to Ocean Housing for arranging the event, and we look forward to doing more in the future.”
Local councillor for Bethel and Holmbush, Jordan Rowse, also attended. He said: ”It was brilliant to get all the key stakeholders together for this community event.
“The community in this area is facing some challenges at the moment, so this outreach work proved to be valuable and worthwhile.
“I’m hugely grateful to Ocean Housing and all the other agencies that joined us, and also to those residents who visited to share their stories and raise their concerns. It was a great event.”
For more information about Ocean Housing, visit: oceanhousing.com.
