Who we are

We’re just local residents trying to do our bit to help build community life, whether in social events, representing the community voice, and seeking development that promotes community life:

Social

Our beginnings stem from a forerunner group organising social events, called COG, 20 years ago. Events included musical evenings, barn dances, quiz nights, local geology and guided walks, a treasure hunt, and craft displays. This group had become dormant, but recently we have resurrected the aim of running social events! For more about this, see here

Community voice

In the last 5 years, we have focused on community welfare issues that allow shared values to be expressed. We are a cross-party group, with all the political parties represented among our active supporters. We aim to give a voice to those who have found it difficult to involve themselves in the political decisions which affect their lives and their environment.

This has included:

  • Notifying the community of important planning developments that can affect them.
  • Designing people-friendly response forms.
  • Forming visiting teams to enable residents to record their anxieties.
  • We have taken these concerns to Government Planning Ministers, on behalf of the community, both in person, and in written representations.
  • Representing the community voice at Council planning decision meetings
  • Monitoring and responding to ongoing planning developments.
  • Continuing to inform the community on relevant issues.

 

Community-friendly development

Isolation and loneliness are a big problem in our locality. Causes include:

  1. The onward march of the supermarkets

Every time a new supermarket opens, over 200 local jobs are lost (to see why, see [link to shops menu and link at side of this webpage]). This has acutely affected the villages of Longdendale, decimating the number of local small shops. The ones that remain fight for their survival. Small shops are vital because:

  • research shows that people spend less time socializing in supermarkets, compared with in small shops. Small shops play a vital role in letting the community mix and meet.
  • Small shops also provide relatively more jobs! According to a Parliamentary report, family owned small retailers, provide more jobs per sale than large retailers! To see why, see here. The report added:
  • Small shops can often recognise their community role and show interest in their customers’ welfare.
  • The price of products will remain fairly low until supermarkets reach saturation point. Prices are then likely to increase with fewer competitors in the market.
  1. Loss of community facilities

A number of local facilities have been lost, including libraries and sports facilities. For more on this, see here.  With the erosion of such facilities, the number of meeting places is in decline, along with the events they hosted.

Help us to reverse these trends!

We think community matters! There are lots of ways you can make a difference. Be part of the solution. Share your abilities and help build community life. Contact us for how you can be involved by clicking here