Transcript
Speaker: Welcome the Exchange Podcast. I'm Beth Smith and part of the Good Practice Exchange Team here at Audit Wales. As part of our current podcast series on community and town councils in Wales, today we'll be chatting with the leader and chair of Cumbrian Community Council, discussing the council's task force and how that's helped support vulnerable members of the community. We'll also discuss how community focused the council are in the events and groups they support and how they've changed civic events to be more inclusive.
Speaker: I'll hand over it to my colleague, Sean. I am here at Cumbrian's Community Council in their chamber and it's a lovely chamber. And if you could please introduce yourselves.
Speaker: Hello, I'm Gareth. I'm the chair of Cumbrian Community Council. I'm Leanne Lloyd-Tolman and I'm currently the leader of Cumbrian Community Council. Thank you. So we're here to talk about your task force and and also the efforts you make as a council to improve wellbeing in Cumbrian.
Speaker: um So would you just give us a brief description of what you do then? So Task Force has been a project um with Cymbran Community Council for approximately 15 years. um It is run primarily to serve the residents of Cymbran and we help with decorating and um gardening. So it's a subsidised service. We charge £20 per hour for two men who will come into your garden and and and do whatever you need to do or decorate however you need to decorate. We also offer a um discount on that price for any um household which is pensionable age or have disabled residents in the house. The aim of the service is just to underpin and support those most vulnerable households.
Speaker: We run it by directly employing two members of staff. um They've been with the service for a very long time. They've built up really good relationships within the community. They have lots of regular repeat customers, and that enables us to just keep an eye on our residents, um They'll then ah they'll ask, you know, if we'll notice if things are going wrong. We can then act as a signpost into other support services. um Yeah, and it's a really, really popular, really valued service. It doesn't. We're very mindful that we don't want to compete with commercial businesses. um And I think our numbers really reflect that we don't. Over 95% of our users are eligible for the task force discount.
Speaker: So we are really targeting those most vulnerable households.
Speaker: Yeah, it's covered everything there. It's it's really a community-focused thing. we We like to get out there. And like Leanne said, it gives an overview of what's happening within the community. Yeah, and so what was the SPAC to start that service I think the spark was councilors just being embedded in their community and noticing that their elderly residents were really struggling to maintain their properties and to maintain their gardens and feeding that back into the council. And us as a council then seeing actually this is something that we could support, this is something we could do. and The service has evolved over time. So um originally it was only, the discount was only applicable if there was an adult in the household with a disability. That's recently changed in the last couple of years because we recognize that carers of of children with disabilities are impacted, their time is impacted, their finances are impacted by their caring duties. And that's something we wanted to reflect. um So, yeah, it's about councillors being embedded. It's about councillors knowing their community and seeing those needs and then being proactive and willing to just take a chance and thinking, well, you know, can we fill that gap?
Speaker: oh yeah so So how does our service, the task force, work then? Yeah, so we have two very highly trained employees who are very active out in the community. They go into people's homes. They'll speak to them. They'll, you know, absolutely...
Speaker: address any needs that they have. It's a very flexible service as well, which I think people value. So we have elderly residents who have their tea at three o'clock, you know. So our our guys are more more than happy to just pause work because they have their tea at three o'clock and that's what has to happen in that household, which you wouldn't get with a commercial service. So I think that ability to be a little bit more flexible, to be a little bit more accommodating of these vulnerable households is very much appreciated. um it's been, it's been
Speaker: It's been a progression. Obviously it's started much smaller than it is now and the aim is to progress it even further. There's there's plans to... we were in discussion with some local housing associations who are having issues with um residents who can't maintain their garden. They don't have the funds or the resources... they have the Sorry, they have the resources to meet that need, but they don't have the ability to deliver that need. So the next step in the project is to potentially become a more formal partner in that so that we can then address those um most pressing households that are really in crisis because we recognise that it's not only that household that's in crisis, those those living conditions aren't appropriate, but they impact neighbours as well and they impact neighbourhoods. So it's about seeing our role in that big much wider picture. Yeah, and and it's back to that contribution from the council to the community's wellbeing. Absolutely, yeah.
Speaker: In conversation before, press record, mentioned that as a council, the well-being of the community is really, really important to you. Yes, absolutely. So after COVID, I mean, obviously this cohort of councillors came in almost directly after COVID and the need in our communities was was just glaringly evident. um And there's been a real focus to offer a general package of well-being and a far-reaching package of well-being. I think probably more far-reaching than the council's ever done um For example, we we directly deliver our own well-being package. So we fund art classes with a tutor that run here and in in a community venue. We run mindfulness and meditation classes, which again run here. um We directly deliver fitness classes. So we um we pay for a fitness instructor to deliver over 60s gentle exercise to um two different community venues and we also do parent and child fitness classes. um
Speaker: More than that, we just underpin community delivery. We support financially through grants and um direct donations, warm hubs, food banks, community cafes. These are all venues that the residents are accessing on a daily basis because the cost of living pressure um and the social pressure of that isolation which is still a remnant of COVID that's still going on we're still seeing that i run a community venue myself um we're still seeing that every day that impact um and these are just vital vital small parts in the community but by funding them we're creating that map with it's always somewhere where a resident can go
Speaker: find solace, find companionship, have a warm meal, and be signposted into more statutory services. So I feel like we're really playing in that vital role. We're underpinning those statutory services. We're not taking them on. They're not our responsibility. But we are...
Speaker: ensuring that they're at the lowest possible level so that that pressure on statutory services is is is not becoming overwhelming and those that really do need it and reach that that that point are able to access it. So yeah, um <unk>s been a real change there's been a real change of focus for the for the for the council over the past four years and there's still lots of plans to continue continue doing that. um And again, it'll go back to, sorry, I'm talking a lot. It'll go back knowing your community, having your councillors heavily embedded in their community, being that known person, being that community leader, being that point of contact to people, any resident who needs, I don't know, they might need a new bin. They might need, you know...
Speaker: I don't know, they've we've we've had an issue with feral cats, you know, it could be anything and going right up alcohol and and drug support, we might not have all the answers and 99% of the time it's not our place to have them, but we know where we can point them and I think that is vital and that's where were that's where us as a council are heading.
Speaker: Yeah, so Gareth, as the um Community Council Chair, you're not only responsible for how the Community Council comes to these decisions, but you've got a civic role as well. um What kind of thing do you do as Chair then in that civic role?
Speaker: As Chair, I get to do all the fun things. mean, it's i go out there, I get to meet people, I get to interact with the public, I get invited to all sorts of things. We've done then the International Women's Day with the Gurga community. which was several hours it was just amazing. It was colorful. The food was great. They're such a, they're such fantastic hosts. And we, you know, there was dancing and music and bingo in the middle of it. It was quite an afternoon. i've um attended an event for the local sea cadets, one of their parades, which was amazing. because You get to see how, know, the,
Speaker: everybody's doing their stuff, how the kids are enjoying the sea cadets. i mean, we've just had our big event, which is a massive celebration of the of the community. And again, we've had them lots of stalls, lots of free activities for the kids and family and the families. and And we had the police cadets there with the police. The army cadets were there showing about camping, all about the cadets and first aid. So it just gives all the kids a show lot what's out there, what opportunities are available.
Speaker: And then you have the some, okay, a couple of weeks ago we had the rededication on the Sanataf in Pont Newid, which was a lovely event. It was well attended, but it was one those quieter events where you give that time to reflect and then it's off for a cup of tea and a slice of cake and then a chat with everybody.
Speaker: And it's genuinely fun. i mean, it's a lot more fun than being leader, I can tell you that. And asway that's where i mean we're lucky because we work so well because Leanne is all covers all the details and I get her to meet andre and greet and hands. I love that bit.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah, we I think we've we've seen that in the answers and the responses and it's, yeah. I've literally literally, we just walked in before you guys came in, I was like, right, next year's big event.
Speaker: I want to be chair again, if i if I'm still here. And instead of doing a speech, i want to do a musical number. Let's just google does happen have fun with it. And that's that's the great thing. that is I mean, I get to put on a suit.
Speaker: I get to wear, you know. I mean, I will say myself, i look like good Daniel Craig from the neck down in a suit. And it's fab. And I all the chains. And people love it. And it's... really I mean, they said people have mixed you up with chair and mayor.
Speaker: So i um I might have to discuss about bringing the mayor back because people seem to like that, but it's fab. I mean, I was terrified of vice chairs, like a lot of similar things, but you know you've got a little medallion. Once you put those chains on, it's like kids think you're Iron Man. They expect to walk a press in the front of it, expect something to happen. It's brilliant.
Speaker: wish I'd done it years ago. I haven't heard the Iron Man one before, but it does make sense. If I could if i could press it and it would light up, it would be the kids would just go much. have to put a request into council for updated chains. It's like a civically appropriate light up chain. A bit of music as I walk into the room.
Speaker: But it gives you an opportunity to meet people that ordinarily you wouldn't meet. Yes. so And I think that's really important. So we we do a celebration for the Windrush community. And there's a high number of Windrush um elders that live locally. So we've started that three years ago. Three years ago. um started Again, started really small. One of our counsellors is a second generation Windrush. And...
Speaker: the The event has just grown and grown. We now engaged with local schools, so they do a whole topic on an aspect of Windrush. They come in, we display all their work, so the whole class comes in. They get to taste some... um Caribbean food, get to talk to the elders. um It's really engaging. And in the evening, we have a really vibrant, lively um event where we ah ah initially of awarded um awards. And now it's so just about celebrating that contribution that that community has made to Cumbrian. That what, you know, Cumbrian wouldn't be what it is today without... the sacrifices that that generation have made and without the sacrifices that their descendants continue to make. um
Speaker: And that's something that Gareth and i we wouldn't have been in contact with them. So being in our role is a privilege. Being a leader, being a chair is a privilege because it puts us in touch with these communities that we ordinarily wouldn't have contact with. And then it gives us that opportunity to promote them, to...
Speaker: allow people to see a little glimpse into the sacrifices that these communities have made and it is huge, you know, people left their entire lives behind and and answered the call for britain that Britain made to come and help us rebuild um and they've stayed and they've and they've continued to contribute. So I feel quite privileged that we're being allowed into these arenas that we ordinarily wouldn't be. um And I feel privileged as a as a council, we have the foresight to be able to be in a position to support them and we have the will to be in a position to support them. So yeah, it is really fun and it is really good, good thing. But it's again underpinning that there's this privilege that we have, we're we're in a position to support these these things and these events and these communities.
Speaker: And it's all coming back to being a part of the community, both as participants and servants, isn't it? Absolutely, yeah yeah yeah. I mean, at the big event, part of my speech is to say a community is not defined by its borders, it's defined by its people inside.
Speaker: And we've got some wonderful people here and they just do such a fantastic job. And I mean, it's... I'm getting quite emotional about it. It's really bad. I mean, the people you meet.
Speaker: And we have a Civic Award. And it's a lovely meal with all the award winners and all the characters. We have all the, you know, the Lord Murphy will turn up. Nick Thomas Sims will be there. We have the...
Speaker: Lord Lieutenant. And it's just nice because you get to give, you normally only get to hear people's stories and how they contribute to the community, but these are ordinary people who wouldn't be in a room like that any other day of the week. And you just get to give them a little something and they get their award and it's just, it's all.
Speaker: And that's another example of how the focus of the council has changed. Previously, the guest list was The high and mighty. And I was chair three years ago and I looked at the guest list and said, absolutely not. Like, why? Why are we absolutely not doing that? So the focus of the awards changed to real heroes of our community, the people who are putting in shift day after day, running warm hubs, running in food banks, running clothes exchanges, you know going out in your spare time and just tidying up that plant border you know there's a 93 year old woman who makes jams and donates them into food banks they're heroes you know they're the people who have done this for our community 20 30 years and they're the people that i want in that room being recognized for their impact and their effort And and that's what we do. That's what we do every year and now. So every April we have our our awards and they are about real ordinary residents who are making an impact, big or small, but it's their time and it's their passion and they're doing it. They're not being paid. They're doing it because they care about Cymbran. And that's what we want to reflect as councillors and as a council. Yeah, our first meal we did, we went there and to be fair, it was just so boring. We were just sat at the table, the food came to us. you just sat at your own table, you're not talking to anybody, you're just talking to the people you've brought with you. But now, we everybody's mixed up, there's a hot buffet going on, so you have to queue up and talk to your neighbour. And we have live music, it's such a nice atmosphere. And people get to talk, you get to walk around this is Lord Murphy, and it's like, good God, that's...
Speaker: yes The guy who helped her broker the Northern Ireland Agreement. i mean it that These are names in newspapers usually, and then they they're there. and's We still have with our community leaders. you know Lord Murphy's contributed, Nick Thomas-Symonds contributed. They still have those, but the the focus is is about recognising that.
Speaker: Untold story the people who don't get recognition and still do it still to yeah, because it was all about celebrating them But they weren't actually in the room and it's like that's not that's not a celebration. That's just you having a slap-up meal and That's it. So it's all about it's all about the community and the people in in the community yeah, the the
Speaker: the importance of the community to you has really come through, I think. I could carry on for ages. So one of the other things, one of our other projects that we've that we've got, and that we inherited, we have an annex building that was sitting empty, it was doing nothing, wasn't being used day to day. So as a council, we've made a decision to operate that on a non-commercial basis. So that now houses some really, really sensitive and niche support groups so we we support a baby lost group, we support a bereavement group, we support the ethnic mothers group to meet there and they all meet there free of charge because we we understand that that need wasn't being a met in our community. We also have um
Speaker: the most amazing craft group that meets there that was set up by the most amazing, and I'd like to give her a shout out, her name's Brenda Flewellyn, she's a personal friend of mine, 80,
Speaker: somewhere, I won't say don't know exactly, but she's, you know, she's an elderly lady um who saw a gap for a craft group, income brand. She now runs it over two days because demand is so high. um And she primarily supports people who are socially excluded, people, adults with learning disabilities, who previously would have accessed maybe statutory services that no longer exist. um And again, we provided her a start-up grant for that. She she uses the um the Annex free of charge. um
Speaker: And we provide provide officer support in terms of setting and breaking down. But that's a really important... provision for those, like again, a vulnerable community group that just, it doesn't exist anywhere else. There isn't anywhere else for them to go, to come to be together. You know, they, it's expanded. She does now, does days out. She does um trips to the theater and to, to like historical and sites. So yeah, it's,
Speaker: These things start small, but then knowing the need is there and identifying it and then being able to support it, they've they've all really grown and grown and grown. And I think that's really important to note that, yeah, just as like as ah as a...
Speaker: As a general view, our council's view is well-being, knowing your community, knowing your residents, being in touch, being available, and then offering all the support that we can offer within the realms of our powers.
Speaker: um and being willing to. might i always say it, that this isn't our money, this is the community's money. We are we are just the, we we we were just the holders of that and we and our duty is to spend it for their for their benefit. and And being, we're very,
Speaker: We're much better at listening to our residents, to harness their views, to um put on projects that they're asking for. So it's not about us sitting in the room and thinking, well, we know best for the community. It's about listening to what our communities are saying and really, really furnishing those needs.
Speaker: And that's the vision for the future, then, is to carry on with that work. Absolutely, yeah. Yeah, so one of our um biggest projects this year has been about supporting community groups.
Speaker: So there's been um s spf funding, obviously, from Central Government that was being administered by Torvain. um that only goes so far so what we've we established a regeneration committee um and have offered match funding so groups could go for sbf funding we would then match fund it and we've managed to kit three community buildings out with solar panels um and the feedback from that has been absolutely fantastic it has reduced the energy bills astronomically um
Speaker: which obviously then freeze up those funds for for actual delivery. So in terms of sustainable impact, that's probably been one of the biggest things we've done over the past two years. um And we have plans to continue that. Obviously we have a budget for that a committee this year and we're looking for to engage more community groups. um And it's great, it's great for the environment, it's great for the groups, it's great for the residents because those groups then can deliver more things. could say I run a community um venue and at one point we were spending close to £3,000 on ah fuel a month. It was just unsustainable. So the more of that we can do, the better. yeah
Speaker: I think ah but probably also while worth mentioning. We do quite a lot. So we also, we're one of the biggest core funders of Torvind Play, which a lot of people don't realise. Torvind Play was initially evolved out of a community council project. um we we fund them to the the the tune of £90,000 a year which funds the summer provision. So that enables, you know, our residents to work, it feeds back into the economy and it means that the young people of Cymbran are getting quality play-based provisions every single day. They run four weeks out of the summer holidays. um
Speaker: And ah alongside that, they have the biggest volunteering programme, probably in Wales, maybe in the UK. they They recruit thousands of our local young people, train them up. They go to a really comprehensive training programme who then support the young people through the summer holidays weekend provisions.
Speaker: um They do a additional learning needs sites. So yeah, we that that's one of our huge projects. um Another one that we support, focus on young people again, um is we are the biggest core funder into Cymbran Centre for Young People. So a slightly different age range, it's a youth centre just outside Cymbran Town Centre. We own the building and Cymbran Centre for Young People operate it on a lease.
Speaker: on ah on a lease But we we fund them £60,000 a year which covers their core staffing costs, which enables them to open the door. I'm actually the chair there at Cymran Centre for Young People and they do amazing work, amazing youth work, open access, true youth work where they're dealing with um really hard, really vulnerable children, um but doing an absolutely amazing job. So yeah, we support those, them quite highly as well.
Speaker: Yeah, that all sounds amazing. yeah Busy people. It's insane the amount of stuff. And we could just continue, yeah, there's lots and lots. We could rattle it all off and it's it's all about the community. We wrote literally we bought we came into this these chambers four years ago.
Speaker: i mean, I didn't know much about the community council at that point. And the stuff we've undertaken is just... It's insane the amount of stuff you can get done if you really, if you if once you get the people on board, the stuff you can do, if it's good for the community, it's good for everybody and it just and it just goes to show.
Speaker: And it'll grow and grow and hopefully. Absolutely. One other thing I'd like to add is that none of this would have been possible without an amazing staff team. We've really got a committed community focused staff team where the values of the council align with the values of the staff team and they they would just go above and beyond to We're great, we can sit around here and come up with ideas all day long, but you haven't got the officers then to put those into action and do do the due diligence and do the legwork, then it's not going to happen. And we've been really lucky enough in our term that those two things have aligned, and I think that's evidence in what we've been able to achieve.
Speaker: Yeah, and on that note about collaboration, doing well for your community and doing the best for your community. Absolutely. Thank you very, very much for sharing with us. Thank you very much.
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