We work in neighbourhoods across the city in partnership with residents and stakeholders to help create communities that thrive
Our team of Community Workers work collaboratively on initiatives and events throughout the year to create opportunities for people, help to improve our spaces and promote community cohesion and ownership.
Community development initiatives
Bringing grassroots boxing to Hillcrest - Carl's Boxing Stable
Located in the heart of Plympton, Carl's Boxing Stable brings grassroots boxing back to the community, providing boxing training, fitness sessions, and a support network for local residents.
Run by Carl Goldsborough and his wife Sarah, alongside his team Gavin Bolger Jamie Landricombe, Vernan Pemprase, JP Eccles and Darren Lawton - the team operate from The Hillcrest Community Centre, a building leased to Carl by Plymouth Community Homes, which not only offers fitness and boxing sessions for all skill levels, but serves as a community hub, often hosting community led events and support gatherings.
Hazel Alexander, a Communities Worker from Plymouth Community Homes, is sometimes based at the centre, where she works closely with residents who visit the centre and helps identify the support and events needed in the area.
Money Tree Fund mural taking shape in Stonehouse
Earlier this year the Communities Worker and Housing Officer for Stonehouse managed to secure funding from PCH’s Money Tree Fund to brighten up a large space in Stonehouse with a community mural.
After consulting with resident and gathering views and ideas the mural is now beginning to take place with the help of talented artist Roy Christie.
A large area behind Union Street Flats is now starting to look much brighter, more welcoming and tidier thanks to this initiative. We have also already noted a drop in the amount of illegal graffiti happening in this particular area. Watch this space as more of the mural is created.
Food cooperative at The Beacon
This Summer the food coop at The Beacon reached its 1st Birthday. The food coop is run by residents and facilitated by the Communities Team and Fareshare South West.
Each of the 20 residents pays £3 weekly and receives a bag of food that is nearly out of date, some that day, that otherwise would have gone to landfill.
Each member also has to volunteer at the food coop sharing weekly duties on a rota that include unloading, packing and counting, and distributing the food.
Some of the highlights of the Beacon food coop’s first year include:
- Total FSSW food redistributed: 10,350 kg (Your Membership for this year- 7,500 kg: 150 kg x 50 weeks)
- Retail value to your community of food redistributed: £33,740 (Your Membership has cost £3,000 this year: £60 x 50)
- Provided meal equivalent: 24,640 meals (492.8 meals every week)
- 67% of the foods redistributed during the last year have been Fruit, Vegetables, Dairy, Bread and Ready Meals.
Tree planting in Plymouth
Over the last four years, the team at PSDCF, a project facilitating woodland creation across South Devon led by Plymouth City Council (PCC), has worked with Plymouth Community Homes (PCH) to help plant more trees around our homes and neighbourhoods using Defra’s Trees for Climate Fund.
PSDCF have worked alongside PTP since the launch of the project and over the last two years PTP have been awarded funding to deliver several tree planting schemes as part of their wider delivery across the city.
Janners Men's Shed to raise money for a community defibrillator
The Janner Men’s Shed have invested in a laser printer and can now laser intricate patterns and designs into wood. The laser printed pen below, can have any words printed on it, and would be an ideal birthday gift. They only cost £2.50 each.
Together with other local partners, such as the local shops, the local pub and the bingo group, the Shed have also started to collect money for a community defibrillator. The nearest one is over a mile away and would be of no use in an emergency. Over winter, there were 3 medical emergencies near the Hall when a defibrillator would have been useful.
So far, they’ve raised £1,000 and need to raise £3,000 for all the equipment.
The Janner Men’s Shed meets weekly at Leigham Community Hall. This popular group comes together to socialise, have lunch and complete wordwork. It’s a safe place to meet, converse, share skills, create, and make new friends. The group is supported by a PCH Community Development Worker.
Fishing Friends
We are currently working in partnership with The Conscious Sisters on Fishing Friends to increase residents’ interaction with the sea, as well as improve mental and physical well-being, teaching skills to cook and addressing food poverty.
Last year’s Marine Edibles project was so successful that PCH and The Conscious Sisters worked in partnership to successfully obtain £20k from the National Lottery Fund and £2k from Sports England for fishing equipment to repeat the project over the next two years.
We have already started the first intake this year and have so far included shore fishing, boat fishing, a talk on the maritime history of Plymouth and a VR swimming with Dolphins experience.
We are currently doing more fishing and later we will be learning to cook the fish we catch, making a fish pie and a Spanish fish stew.
The Beacon summer activities
The Summer Holidays proved to be a very busy time for the Communities team, especially at The Beacon and North Prospect library.
Hayley and Ashleigh ran regular workshops twice a week at The Beacon and twice at North Prospect library for children to do crafts with their parents/guardians. In all we did 14 sessions, each attended by at least 20 children, plus their parents.
The activities started with decorating a scrapbook so that the children could then fill it up each week with what they were doing during the summer holidays. Many of the children then took their scrapbooks in to ‘show and tell’ when they returned to school. All of the sessions were free for attendees so that even those whose families couldn’t go away on holiday had some activities to talk about. Some of the other crafts we did included decorating tote bags and pencil cases for school, air clay, wind chimes, bird feeders, sea glass and shell pictures, which were of a really high standard.
The adults enjoyed that as much as the children and have asked to make some for Christmas presents. We also with the Conscious Sisters arranged a trip to Mount Edgecumbe where the children and adults all enjoyed making fish mobiles from willow and reused netting.
PCH strengthen local litter picking partnership
Plymouth Community Homes (PCH) is proud to continue its strong partnership with Clean Our Patch (COP), a local litter-picking initiative dedicated to keeping the community clean and green, with the recent sale of a retired PCH vehicle.
As part of the ongoing collaboration, the fleet vehicle will start a new life and assist COP with the fantastic work they do.
PCH works closely with COP, collaborating to maintain the cleanliness of local streets and enhancing the quality of life of its residents in the neighbourhoods. By providing COP with a van, PCH reinforces its commitment to keeping our streets clean, safe, and appealing for residents.
Rheinallt Huws, Communities Worker at Plymouth Community Homes said: “Clean Our Patch does an incredible job ensuring that our PCH neighbourhoods remain free from unsightly and environmentally damaging litter.”
Sharing a post on Facebook, COP said: “So we’ve got some exciting news! As you all know Doris (the car) went off at start her new life just before Christmas. We obviously needed a new vehicle so we decided to invest in something that will last COP. Thanks to Plymouth Community Homes we have upgraded and got ourselves a VAN!”
This collaboration highlights the importance of supporting community initiatives and local organisations, allowing them to work hand in hand to create a cleaner and greener Plymouth.
Rockpool ramble and beach clean with Mount Batten Watersports & Activities Centre
During the summer, younger PCH residents were hosted by Mount Batten Watersports and Activities Centre for a day of activities including canoeing, a rockpool ramble and beach clean.
Hayley Kemp, Community Worker, said: “We are so pleased to be working in partnership with Mount Batten Watersports and Activities Centre and truly appreciative of this opportunity they have given our younger residents.
"Not only did they have the most fun day together, they learnt to work together as a team and connected with other younger residents whilst learning to respect our seas. It was apt that this was an activity for children and the ocean, both of which are essential to our future. We’re looking forward to working with Mount Batten Water Sports Centre again in the summer holidays.”
