About Cornwall Neighbourhoods for Change

Cornwall Neighbourhoods for Change is a tenant led community development organisation. The organisation was established in 2001 by tenants and officers of Devon and Cornwall Housing, Kerrier Homes Trust and Penwith Housing Association, who work together to create meaningful lasting change, opportunity and choice for those who live in social housing. Our core values are accountability, transparency, professionalism and determination to work with and for our communities towards a better life for everyone.

The organisation aims to empower social housing tenants and residents, working at a local level to ensure that disadvantaged communities are consulted. A multi-agency approach delivers local solutions to local problems, making a lasting difference in the battle against poverty and exclusion. The organisation works in partnership to deliver a growing number of innovative community projects.

http://www.cn4c.org.uk/

Cornwall Neighbourhoods for Change's Project

Cornwall Neighbourhoods for Change (CN4C) decided to do something about the lack of play provisions on West Cornwall’s social housing estates. Playing It Up was funded through EQUIPE. It worked with tenants and other agencies to develop long-term play and play training strategies. It also provided a programme of holiday activities and opportunities for children. The project aimed to encourage, help and support social housing residents in setting up and providing their own local play provisions. Their main objectives were:

• To develop management and delivery tools for small service providers in the voluntary sector.
• To develop information and communication.

Project Outputs

• Introductory playwork training – 48 people trained to NVQ levels 1 to 3.
• Development model measured success by continued engagement with the programme when people were given additional learning support alongside holistic support in their lives delivered from a local base.
• Project positively targeted people living on social housing estates who had been socially excluded - 42 of the 48 people who benefited from training, were residents of social housing.
• Summer Playdays, half term playdays, environmental play training days, play activity training days, beneficiaries Christmas and good practice visit to play project in Plymouth.