Pembury Community Day was a huge success

Over 300 residents from Pembury Estate came together last Saturday 14 May at the Community Day event – it was a huge success and everyone, including the children, took part and had lots of fun.

The purpose of the day was to consult residents and find out what they thought of the services they receive locally in their neighbourhood and what their local priorities are. In this lively atmosphere 81 questionnaires were completed, covering a wide range of local issues from:

• Residents’ involvement opportunities
• Repairs
• Crime and nuisance
• Access to our services
• Satisfaction with services provided by other stakeholders

The feedback on the day was great and there was something for everyone. Children from the estate played on the bouncy castles, had their face painted and had their names designed on frames which they took home. "It is nice to see all the kids playing together rather than fighting,” said Ms Ozdemir, resident on the estate."

The adults spoke openly to Peabody staff and representatives from local police and Osborne (our repairs contractor) about any issues they had experienced. Osborne staff even took the opportunity to carry out repairs inspections on the day.

Everyone benefited from the relaxed environment. Some people received free information from Ecolab (about pest control) while others received free goodies from Peabody and found out about projects and training opportunities. Even dogs from the estate benefitted from the event!

Elvira Meucci-Lyons, Dog Trust’s Head of Campaign and Community, said: "The event was very useful, because in addition to providing dog health and grooming advice, we have been able to microchip at least 15 dogs, which is very unusual for a family event. We have also been able to establish a relationship with dog owners which will be helpful in resolving dog nuisance issues on this estate."

"I think it was great, everybody has enjoyed themselves enormously, all to the credit of Peabody," said Steve Lord, Chairman of the Pembury Estate Tenants and Residents Association (PETRA).

Head of Neighbourhoods, Sebastian Taylor, highlighted: "Our aim was to provide a relaxed and entertaining environment where residents from a diverse cross-section of the neighbourhood could not only tell us what the local issues were, but be part of the local solution.

"Judging from the initial feedback from those who attended, I am confident that a close working partnership between residents, Peabody and other community stakeholders can bring about sustainable improvements in areas which matter to local residents.

"We would like thank all our colleagues and partners for taking the time to make this event a huge success, he continues.

"Our next step is to analyse the data collected, feedback the results to our residents at Pembury and work with them, as well as our stakeholders, to make improvements and find local solutions to local issues."

Pictured above: residents completing the questionnaire while children from the estate enjoy the bouncy castle.

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