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Sketty Park has over 42% of its residents aged over 60. With so many older people living in the community, it is vital that we work to ensure their voice is heard, services are run to meet their needs and they are a part of developing opportunities for their peers in community life.
A large number of older residents are involved in the Communities First Partnership and its local work, with many supporting much needed services as volunteers.

Following consultations and feedback from residents, an Older Person Forum was launched in March of 2011 with over 70 people attending. Three forums have been held so far with the next to take place in March 2012. Each forum has been themed – the first was to ask how age friendly the community is, the second was IT related with 76 people signing up to IT training, and the third was linked to community safety. The next forum will cover the area of financial inclusion, offering the opportunity for people to take advantage of the services provided by LASA Credit Union.

The Older Person Forums have been very successful with good attendance. As well as having lots of fun they have helped identify local needs and concerns. Pam Williams, the Community Activity Coordinator for the Hazel Court residential complex, states her involvement in the work of  ommunities First and the Older Person Forum, has helped her and the complex become a greater part of the Sketty Park community. Hazel Court has benefited from the networking and knowledge mapping afforded by the Communities First Partnership and Pam believes this has led to a greater sense of community identity, helping residents grow in confidence, socialise and acquire new skills.

The Communities First programme will change significantly from October 2012.

 Sketty Park will become part of a larger cluster, which is yet to be defined. The work of the new cluster will be targeted at specific issues relating to deprivation and poverty and this will have an impact upon the way local work is carried out. During the transition of 2012, into the new model of Communities First, it is our endeavour to ensure the community remains at the heart of all the programme does.

The work which has already taken place will shape the way future work is carried out and who will be involved. It is critical that all the groups maintain their level of involvement in the programme and are supported in their own development and projects. The Sketty Park Partnership is determined to maintain its status and influence within the Communities First programme, fulfilling its remit of representing local people in the issues that affect their lives, particularly with regard to deprivation.

In 2011, Communities First and partners ran a Safer Sketty Park survey with 305 people completing surveys. Feedback was positive with a number of priorities identified for action.

Local people and organisations generally believe Sketty Park has improved significantly, with fewer community safetyconcerns raised than previously, and more stating they like and feel safe in the area. The survey succeeded in raising Sketty Park’s profile within the local authority and particularly in its role of making Sketty Park a priority for future road safety work.
Traffic monitoring and various works have taken place as a result, including road crossing improvements and Sketty Park will now be the area put forward to the Welsh Government for the Safer Routes into Communities bid in 2012.

Sketty Park Communities First Partnership’s response to the Welsh Government on the consultation: Future Of Communities First has been submitted to Welsh Government, please check above on ’about us’ and then ‘Communities First – The Future’ to see the response document.

Partnerships and Communities Together (PACT)

The PACT meetings are intended to give you an opportunity to highlight community issues that have an impact on your quality of life, and to assist in deciding which issues are dealt with as priorities. It is not a surgery to discuss individual issues or concerns; your neighbourhood policing team holds PACT surgeries separately for that. The PACT meetings also give you the opportunity to get to know your local officers.
Well despite the good news that overall crime is falling it has been recognised that our fear of crime and how safe we feel aren’t falling in the same way. Through the meetings you will see that perceptions of crime often don’t reflect the true position.
You will also be reassured by witnessing the police and their partners working with community to deal with the issues that matter most to you.
This process needs your voice to ensure we concentrate on the issues relevant to your area. If you don’t say, we can’t listen!

Next PACT meeting is…
Date: 08/09/2011
Venue: Sketty Park Community Centre @ 7pm
Summary: All are welcome. Parking is available at location. For more information about PACT meeting detail and have a look at local crime maps please visit www.ourbobby.com
PACT Surgeries are held every 3rd Friday of the month at Sketty Library 3-4pm. Come down if you would like to talk to a PCSO about an issue
or concern.

Sketty Neighbourhood
P.C. Katryna M-Evans                                        07584 004276
P.C.S.O. Fred Lerwel                                           07805 301619
P.C.S.O. Mark Parker                                          07584 771201
P.C.S.C. Nadia Curry                                           07805 301583

Well lots actually. Still a lot left to do but a great amount has been happening. If you want to talk about any of the activities below please call the Area Youth Worker David Stallard on 07786910207.

Youth Club

Seven months down the line and the Youth Club night has proved to be a great success. On average about 15 young people attend each week to meet up with each other and have some fun. The youth workers David, James, Andy and Vicky are there to be a welcoming face and support the young people of Sketty Park. The activities on offer at the club arose from what the young people wanted to see, ranging from table tennis and pool to large screen games such as Fifa, Dancing and Racing, with Karaoke proving a big hit!
There is also a small café and a chance to either catch up on some homework or browse the Internet. The atmosphere is very friendly and the young people have really benefited from having a place to go on a weekly evening.
“My view on the Youth Club this past few months is that it is a really helpful place for youth to come and enjoy a variety of activities. I feel that this place helps young people grow social skills as a range of ages interact.” Chloe Jones, 17 years old.
Over the summer the youth club will be having a break but it will return once school starts in September. So if you’re aged between 11 and 25 come on down and join in!
Also coming up in autumn there will be an outdoor activities weekend away. In order to go on this trip young people are being encouraged to get involved in community events and projects.

Summer Activities

The youth club may be taking a break but don’t worry there’ll still be lots going on over the summer:
Sports Wednesdays
On Wednesday afternoons from 2-4pm our 5×60 officer Debbie will be in Dunvant Park with her coaches and lots of sports equipment, so make sure you come on down for that. It should be good fun. The Basketball Wednesdays at Olchfa will be returning when school starts back in September.
Evening Outreach
Every Monday and Thursday youth workers Andy and Vicky will be about Sketty Park in the evenings 6-9pm to say hello to any young people who may be about and if the weather’s good hopefully play a few games like rounders, football or cricket.
Forest School
On Wednesday 27th July there will have been (by the time you read this) the first Forest School activity in Olchfa Woods, accessible on  Aneurin Way just after the Sports and Social Club. A day filled with fun and learning bushcraft skills.
We hope that the young people will have had a great time and that we can work more with Forest School over the course of the year to encourage young people to make more use of this great natural resource on our doorstep.

30hour challenge
David and James will be working with the Swansea Youth Service summer programme’s 30hour Challenge which will consist of going to a secret location for two days and completing challenges for your team’s survival. Young people from Sketty Park have been encouraged to sign up for this and hopefully a good few of them will be part of this adventure over August.
It’s a Knockout
On Tuesday 9th August young people from Sketty Park will be going over to the Gorseinon Youth Centre to compete in a Swansea wide It’s a knockout Competition. It should be a great laugh so make sure your name is on the list!

Other news

There have been four meetings of the Youth Provision Network over the past year during which good relationships have been built between the people who work with youth in the area, including the local PCSOs and police.

This partnership work has had a positive impact on facilities for young people in Sketty Park.
The Youth in the Park Forum has also been working with this network. So if you’re a young person who wants their voice to be heard in the development of what happens in Sketty Park please contact David on 07778 6910207.
As you may know five key areas for development were identified during last year’s consultation with schools and the community on what young people would like to see in Sketty Park. These were a Youth Centre, Sports Playing Fields, a Skate Park, a Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) and a Playground for Older Children.
Youth Centre: Whilst not a dedicated Youth Centre the Thursday Night Youth Club at the Sketty Park Community Centre has gone some way to fulfilling this need. Parklands Evangelical Church also runs a youth club on Fridays as detailed in their article.
Playing Fields: Parkland Primary School has kindly given permission to the Youth Team to use its grounds for Playing Fields.
Skate Park: Parklands Evangelical Church and their Youth Worker Dan are in the process of applying for funding to build mobile skate ramps and jumps that can be used in its car park during youth work sessions.
MUGA: Olchfa School and the Council are currently working together to see if a MUGA can be installed on its grounds.
Playground for Older Children: The new Environmental Action Group mentioned elsewhere in this newsletter have identified, as one of its priorities, the development of Parry’s Field. This project led by the Environment Group will bring together members of the Youth Provision Network, children’s activities group Doodles Events and anybody in the community who wants to get involved to work with organisations who have experience in community projects like this. They will be looking at funding opportunities and will be consulting with the community, especially those residents who live beside Parry’s Field. The aim is to transform Parry’s Field back to a place where children can gather and play safely.

The Sketty Park Online IT Collaboration Initiative started from an identified need for local learning and access to IT.

This work was the result of 9 organisations working hard over many months, to tackle issues around the lack of IT resources, training and learning support available in Sketty Park. Early this year, the partnership submitted a bid to Communities 2.0 to employ a tutor/coordinator, to work within the community providing learning opportunities and access to IT resources.
This partnership now involves Olchfa Comprehensive and Parkland Primary School, Coastal and Family Housing, Lifelong Learning, Sketty Park Community Association, Parklands Church, CCS Youth Service and of course Communities First. Since receiving our award for this funding, we have had two additional partners join us: Age Concern and the Library Service.

Parkland School continues to provide Friday afternoon learning during term time, in partnership with the Sketty Park Online initiative. To attend, either contact Kevin or Parkland School on 205462.

The Sketty Park Online initiative was successful in attracting over £37,000 to the area. The work is valued at over £58,000 with the difference given as contributions from partner organisations. Sketty Park Online will help meet the learning needs of many residents within Sketty Park, providing additional opportunities for ongoing learning and support.
This initiative will now enable us to source training for community members, actually deliver regular training through a familiar tutor and offer progression paths to further learning. We can also support local people, who do not have easy access to PCs, to use Skype, shop online, use email, and access financial and employment services. The partnership set up to take on this initiative is strong and demonstrates how persistence and cooperation can benefit local people.

Some typical learning opportunities will include:

• Basic Introduction to Computing
• Family History
• Local History
• Accessing the Internet
• Skype
• Mobile Phones and Tablet computing
• Shopping Online
• Word Processing
• Digital Photography
• Community Journalism
• And much more… you decide!

Just contact Kevin on 07976 233338 or Communities First on 284740 to talk about your needs.
All partners will have beneficiaries within their own work and the coming weeks will see training schedules established within the community, together with drop-in session timetables.
At our drop-in sessions, further support can be made available, potentially leading to employment support for local people as well as support services such as LASA Credit Union and Citizens Advice Bureau.
Kevin Hedges has now started work as the Tutor and Coordinator for the Sketty Park Online initiative and will be visiting local groups and organisations.
Please do contact Kevin on 07976233338 or skettyparkonline@gmail.com, if you wish to find out more, take advantage of free training or support this work.

Communities First in Swansea promotes Max Your Money Week
Communities First in Swansea is organising a ‘Max Your Money Week’ that takes place during the first week of October (3rd – 7th Oct. 2011).

This is supported by the Swansea Financial Inclusion Steering Group. The week will be organised through the Communities First central and local teams.
The key aim of the week is to help residents to make the most of their money by reducing energy bills, accessing cheaper credit and ensuring that entitled benefits are claimed. It primarily aims to reach those who are under financial pressure and may be dependant on loan sharks. The project will achieve this by raising awareness of the Wales Illegal Money Lending Unit, promoting energy saving, cost-cutting, debt reduction, income maximisation, credit union membership and benefit/grant entitlements.
For further information, visit www.swansea.gov.uk/maxyourmoney

Many Sketty Park residents have spoken of a need to access local IT facilities for recreation, learning and job seeking. A major challenge experienced by Communities First and its partners, has been the facilitation of locally delivered learning using IT and regular access to IT. Many residents, of all ages, still have no access to IT at home, with those on low incomes or out of work put at a disadvantage. Also, children and students who do not have regular access to IT are unable to support their learning and research.

 In response to this need, a partnership of organisations, including Parklands Primary and Olchfa Comprehensive Schools, Family Housing, Coastal Housing, Parklands Church, the Youth Service, Life Long Learning, SCVS, Communities First and Sketty Park & District Community Centre, has worked to develop an IT Consortium to submit a proposal to Communities 2.0 for funds, to help bring local learning and access to computers and the Internet at various locations.

 The IT Consortium’s work is moving rapidly forward and we were successful on a bid in February for the IT project to start by the middle of this year. We are in a process  to employ a  tutor/coordinator to deliver IT training and courses using IT, to the community of Sketty Park. Please contact us on 284740 to register your interest in any learning.

The City and County of Swansea, together with other local organisations has developed Max Your Money, a project to help you cut the cost of your bills.

You may be paying more than you should for energy, or paying very high charges on money you’re borrowing.  But you may be entitled to help that you are not claiming.

Max Your Money will show you where you could make savings.

Contact the services listed on these pages.  Their FREE advice can help you make the most of your money

 8 November – 12 November 2010 On Tuesday 9th and Wednesday 10th November, there will be an events trailer situated at Clyne Court, Block 1 outside the Housing Office. On Thursday 11th and Friday 12th November, the events trailer will be at Aneurin Parkway Car Park opposite the florists. Come along and speak to the team. The team will also be visiting community groups and calling at people’s homes to give advice. If you would like them to call at a specific time, please call Communities First on 01792 284740