Last Saturday, 14th September, Foxhill Futures, a local residents group, held a celebratory fete to mark the close of a three-year community project.
The fete, which included traditional stalls, face painting and a BMX display, was organised by local residents, supported by the walking and cycling charity Sustrans and housing association Curo.
The two organisations have been working in partnership for the last three years on the Local People Foxhill project, supporting residents to make small changes to public spaces for the benefit of the community.
The overall aim of the project was to improve people’s health and wellbeing by uncovering the skills, experience and wisdom of local people, enabling them to reclaim urban space and to help re-knit the social and physical fabric of their area.
The Foxhill fete was held at Springfield Park, a community space that has been enhanced during the course of the project.
Residents have worked to improve the park, through litter picking and gardening activities.
They’ve also worked with Sustrans to test out seating options in the park, leading to a number of benches being installed.
Sophie Lowe, Project Officer at Sustrans said: “It’s been a real pleasure working on this project, seeing the Foxhill community go from strength to strength.
“At Sustrans, we work to make towns and cities more ‘liveable’, and this is what we’ve seen happen in Foxhill.
“The community has come together to make physical improvements in the area and, at the same time, people have uncovered skills they didn’t know they had when it comes to understanding and advocating for the needs of the community.
“I look forward to seeing what the people of Foxhill do next.”
Mike Grist, Regeneration Director at Curo, added: “We have been delighted to host the Sustrans Project team at our offices in Foxhill over the last three years and have enjoyed working together on a range of environmental improvements around the estate with our residents.”
