fallin local community plan

16
Fallin Local Community Plan 2004 Produced by members of the local community

Upload: lethien

Post on 03-Jan-2017

219 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Fallin Local Community Plan

Fallin LocalCommunity Plan

2004

Produced by members of the local community

Page 2: Fallin Local Community Plan

2

Fallin Local Community Plan 2004

Page 3: Fallin Local Community Plan

3

How did we get to this stage?

A series of four evening workshops were held duringFebruary, March and April 2003 which resulted in thedevelopment of this community plan for Fallin.

These sessions allowed local people and officers fromStirling Council and other agencies to

• Identify local issues• Map what is currently happening• Match service delivery to what the community

said it needed• Evaluate present service provision in the area• Identify gaps in services to the community• Identify positive ways of bridging any gaps

At the end of the workshops all these issues werebrought together in this action plan

Those who took part in the workshops see the benefitof community planning and the difference it can make

for the local community. There is much excitementsurrounding the development of the plan and officers,agencies and local community members are keen towork together towards the identified actions.

You can be involved in this!!!!

This plan is being distributed to every household inFallin. The plan will be an ever changing documentand will be updated periodically to indicate theprogress being made towards the identified actions.

If you want to influence future updated versions of theplan, perhaps with new issues which you think needattention, or simply wish to make comment on the planin its current form, please complete the tear off sheetat the back.

If you simply want some initial information, pleasecontact Andy Davis on 01786 432341.

Fallin Local Community Plan 2004

Introduction

To find out more about the Local Community Plan and to have your say, come along to

The Launch Thursday 18th March 2004Fallin Parish Church Hall7pm - 9pm

Refreshments and Creche will be provided for over 60’s

Transport is available. To book transport contact the Alpha Centre on 811221.

All those who attend will be entered into a Free Prize Draw. 1st Prize £15 voucher and 2nd Prize£10 voucher.

Page 4: Fallin Local Community Plan

4

Fallin Local Community Plan 2004

Page 5: Fallin Local Community Plan

5

PageWhat are we going to do? 6

• Career/Employment Information for Young People 7

• Transport Links to Stirling 7

• A New Village Hall 7

• Improving Hollow Burn 7

• Community Information 8

• Address the Issue of Drug Misuse 8

What is Happening in the Community? 9

• Alpha Centre 9

• Fallin’s Future 10

• Polmaise Community Councol 11

• Other Community Activities 12

What Happens Next 13

Acknowledgements 13

Getting Involved 14

Issues in Our Community

Page 6: Fallin Local Community Plan

6

Fallin Local Community Plan 2004

In all the planning sessions there was unanimousagreement that the sense of community spirit in Fallinwas a particular strength of the village. This is evidentin the community networks and the range of groupsactively involved in getting things done in Fallin.

The local community plan was seen as an opportunityto build on this community spirit and the work of thelocal organisations - Fallin's Future, Alpha CentreCouncil, Polmaise Community Council, the CreditUnion, the schools, the churches and the variety ofactivity groups.

A wide range of issues were discussed at the planningsessions but it was felt that it was important to have afew priorities that real progress could be made on,rather than a wish list that was never achieved.

The initial priorities are• Career/Employment information for young people• Transport links to Stirling • A new Village Hall• Improving Hollow Burn• Community Information• Addressing the issues of Drugs Misuse

To make this happen it is proposed that the communityshould work with local officers from the Council andother agencies to ensure that all points identifiedthrough the community planning process are carriedforward.

It is also further proposed that representatives of thedifferent organisations should meet regularly to takeforward the Community Plan. This should ensure thatthere is a coordinated approach to progress the planand any other issues that emerge.

Additionally, the group will have responsibility for

• Identifying sources of funding• Gathering the views of local people and involving

them in the Community Plan• Gathering and sharing information on examples of

good practice

What are we going to do?

Page 7: Fallin Local Community Plan

7

Fallin Local Community Plan 2004

Career/Employment informationfor young people

There is the need to provide this type of information foryoung people from Fallin in Fallin. It is proposed thatCommunity Planning Partners will look at communitybased workshops and advice sessions in a variety ofvenues throughout Fallin. There is also the need tohold Career Days at appropriate times in the year. It was agreed that the services would require a greatdeal of publicity, which should be user friendly and ina variety of different formats.

Which partners might co-ordinate this activity?Stirling Council's Youth Support Service,Careers Scotland and EmploymentConnections.

Transport Links to Stirling

There is a need to look at improving the transport linksto Stirling from Fallin, in particular from The Green andthe east end of the village.An improvement in transport links from this areashould be done in partnership with people in Throsk,as it is believed that both villages have raised this asan issue and working on the solutions together wouldbe of benefit to both villages

Which partners might co-ordinate this activity?Community representatives from Fallin andThrosk, Transport Co-ordination Unit, StirlingCouncil and the Bus Companies (First Busand Ferguson)

A new Village Hall

A substantial amount of work has already beendone on this idea by Fallin's Future. It is proposedthat the local community plan will support thedevelopment of the new Village Hall, which wouldinclude market research and wider communityconsultation about the facilities.

Which partners might co-ordinate this activity?Fallin's Future along with partner agencies andservices already involved.

Improving Hollow Burn

Those who attended the planning sessions felt therewas a great deal to be gained from improving thewalkway along the river, including the installations ofbenches at the Half Mile and the Mile. It was felt thatthis was something that everyone could enjoy and thatthis was an ideal development for all ages in thecommunity to work on. This idea is still in its earlystages and a great deal of planning , along with all theother work, will be needed to make this happen.

Which partners might co-ordinate this activity?Community members from the local community

planning group, Community Council and

Stirling Council

Page 8: Fallin Local Community Plan

8

Fallin Local Community Plan 2004

Drugs & Alcohol

The issue of drug and alcohol use and its impact onthe community was discussed in great detail. Therewas a unanimous agreement that alcohol use was asbig an issue as drugs and any actions should addressthis as well.

Those who attended felt that this issue had to beaddressed from a number of different angles.• Supply of alcohol/drugs needs to be addressed by

the Police with the cooperation of the community.• An appropriate training and education programme

on the issues of drugs and alcohol should beprovided for young people and adults.

• There should be a publicity campaign, whichshows the effects of drug misuse in the community.

• The support services available to those usingdrugs and alcohol should be better publicised in thecommunity.

• The treatment services available to those usingdrugs and alcohol should be examined in terms oftheir effectiveness.

Which partners might co-ordinate this activity?Signpost Forth Valley, Stirling Drugs Forum,Stirling Family Support Service, Forth ValleyHealth Board, Central Scotland Police and thecommunity

Community Information

Getting the message out to the wider communityabout the activities of community groups working ontheir behalf is of vital importance. Keeping peopleinformed, with up to date information, allows them tosee progress, get involved in community activity andprovides the opportunity to feedback on issues andpriorities.The local community planning partners propose tolook at a number of different ways that this can bedone, from having a local correspondent who collectsnews for the newspapers to a regular communitypaper.

Which partners might co-ordinate this activity?Community Council, local community planningpartners, community volunteers and allCommunity groups

Page 9: Fallin Local Community Plan

9

Fallin Local Community Plan 2004

What is Happening in the Community?

Alpha Centre

The Alpha Centre, located next to the Primary School,since 1969 has provided opportunities for individualsand groups to participate in a wide range ofcommunity, learning, social and recreational activities.

Today, the day to day running of the Alpha Centre ismanaged by a group of volunteers, the Alpha CentreCouncil. The Centre Council also organises and runsthe Youth Clubs. These are the splits boys, beaversclub, splits girls, drop in club and the Friday club. Inprevious years, funding from the CoalfieldsRegeneration Trust have allowed the Alpha CentreCouncil to run a Girl Power project and a FamilyLiteracy project. In recognition of the achievementsthat the Alpha Centre Council has made with its youthclubs, it was commended by the Calor ScotlandCommunity of the Year Awards 2002.

The facilities in the centre allow for a wide range ofother clubs and activities to take place. The gameshall and changing rooms allow local football teams touse the centre for their training sessions. One club,Football Fever, provides football coaching for Fallin'syoung people. The games hall is used by FallinPrimary for games training and sports lessons. FallinPrimary is currently using the Alpha Centre for twotemporary classrooms whilst it is undergoing itsrefurbishment.

Other activities that take place in the Alpha Centreinclude:• A mothers & toddlers group, a Swinging 60's club

and a soft furnishings group. • The Alpha Centre also provides meeting spaces for

groups to use. • The Centre Council and staff organise, fundraise

and run Fallin's annual firework display.• Stirling Council in partnership with Clackmannan

College and Falkirk College runs the adult learningclasses that take place in the centre.

Funding from Stirling Partnership for UrbanRegeneration (SPUR) has allowed a computer to beinstalled in the Alpha Centre, the computer isconnected to the Internet and is available for publicuse. Building on this the Centre Council secured agrant from SPUR to install the desks and cabling for acomputer suite for use by its clubs and adult learningclasses. The work is complete and all that remains isto find the funding to equip the computer suite with 10computers.

In the future, the Alpha Centre Council hopes tosecure funding for the youth clubs to allow furtherdevelopments and projects to take place, for examplea personal safety project for girls.

Many of the clubs and activities that take place in theAlpha Centre are run by volunteers, without thevolunteers these clubs would not happen. To makesure the clubs are viable in the future the Alpha Centreis always looking for new volunteers.

For further information on any of the activities, or tobecome involved, contact the centre tel: 811221

Page 10: Fallin Local Community Plan

10

Fallin Local Community Plan 2004

Play equipment- A gap in play equipment for 13 to 15years olds was identified. Funding from SPURallowed Fallin's Future to install the new playequipment in Drypow Park.

Composting bins- to help reduce household waste andencourage composting Fallin's Future purchased 300compost bins. These were given out free to people inFallin, Throsk, Cowie and Plean.

For these and other projects, Fallin's Future andPolmaise Community Council won first prize in theenvironment category at the Calor ScotlandCommunity of the Year Awards 2002.

Fallin's Future has not stopped there. For the futurethe group is working on a new village centre, arecycling project and numerous other smaller projects.The group is also developing a website to informpeople of theirs and other village groups activities. Thewebsite address is: www.fallins-future.org.uk .

Fallin's Future needs the support of the village andalways welcomes new members and will consider anyideas for projects.

Fallin’s Future

Fallin's Future was first formed in 1998 to dosomething for the Millennium. Since then, with theassistance of Forward Scotland and Stirling Council,Fallin's Future has developed into a group ofvolunteers whose main concern is the futuredevelopment of the village, its quality of life and theenvironment.

Funding, largely from Paterson's Quarries Ltd throughthe Landfill Tax Credits Scheme and other grants hasmeant that Fallin's Future has spent nearly £300,000on projects and improvements for the village.

Fallin's Future has undertaken and successfullycompleted a wide range of projects including:

Cycle/Walkway- In partnership with Stirling Council'sCountryside Team the old overgrown pit railway thatran from the colliery to Mill Hall was transformed into asafe cycle/walkway.

Multi Court- it was identified that there was a problemof young people playing football on the streets. Tohelp solve this Fallin's Future built a multi court (five-a-side football and basketball court) in Drypow Park.This was the first of its kind in Stirling.

Football pitches- Due to planned developments, Fallinwas in danger of losing its football pitches. Fallin'sFuture stepped in and built two football pitches on theformer pit site. A football match between StirlingAlbion and Dunfermline marked the opening of thepitches.

Page 11: Fallin Local Community Plan

11

Fallin Local Community Plan 2004

Polmaise Community Council

Polmaise Community Council is a statutory electedbody that covers the villages of Fallin, Throsk andLoanhead. The Community Council communicateswith Stirling Council on matters relating to Housing(but not allocations), Planning, Environment,Education etc, etc. The current office bearers areArchie Bone (Chairperson), Stephen Evans (ViceChairperson), Alison Downie (Secretary) and WilliamRattray (Treasurer). They are supported by a numberof Community Councillors. The Community Councilhas been very active over a number of years in tryingto assist residents with their problems, but it must bepointed out that this is after the resident correspondswith the Elected Council Councillor.

Projects carried out over the years have includedThe erection of a Miners Memorial at the site of theformer Polmaise 3 & 4 Colliery. The reduction of the speed limit to 30 mph through thewhole village. The erection of a zebra crossing on the Main Road atPolmaise Crescent, again this was after strongrepresentations to Stirling Council. Funding of a project to upgrade The Square, Fallin. We present Awards to people from the village whohave carried out work voluntarily over a number ofyears. This has been most successful and we havejust completed our 5th Annual Awards.We successfully opposed a Waste Station beingerected at the Old Walled Garden at Lower Polmaise,which is only Yz mile from Fallin. A huge effort byeveryone in the village led by the Community Council.A small area at King Street, overgrown and used as adumping place, was successfully turned into a gardenarea which has helped to beautify the area. Bollards erected in Siding Road and King Street toprevent illegal parking and to keep footpaths andpavements clear. The Community Council has close links with some ofour local shopkeepers and were invited to open theAroma Kebab shop in the village last year.In 2002 the Community Council won a HighRecommendation Award from Calor Gas for ourcontribution to Community Life and our strong interest

in making our Community a better and safer place tolive in. This award was presented by MagnusMagnusson at a ceremony in Edinburgh, We work closely with the Primary School and ourChairman regularly talks to the children about thehistory and heritage of the village. The videos andslides on mining and community life are thoroughlyenjoyed by the children who take a keen interest intheir village. We have challenged the building of 2500 houses closeto our village and the subsequent roads issues.

We are at present in negotiation with Stirling Council tohave the two seats on the A905 brought up to a usablecondition.We are creating an outdoor Mining Museum in thevillage. We have purchased some undergroundmining equipment and will be concentrating a lot of ourtime during the summer months to set this up.Another project that we are leading is the fencing off ofland around Stirling Road, Moss Road and King Streetas a matter of public safety to protect the children fromrunning onto the roads.

Meetings are held on the third Monday of the month(all year) at 7.00pm in Unit 2, Polmaise Business Park,Main Street, Fallin. Telephone: 01786 814480(meeting nights only) or 01786 817355 (Chairman).All members of the Community are eligible to attendthe monthly meetings.

Page 12: Fallin Local Community Plan

12

Fallin Local Community Plan 2004

Other Community Activities

Polmaise Credit UnionThe Credit Union encourages members to saveregularly, can give loans and financial advice. Theyare based at Unit 2 and have a number of collectiontimes in the Unit and the Alpha Centre.

Fallin Miners WelfareThe Welfare offers a variety of activities includingKarate, Bingo, Pool, Snooker, Dancing, Dominoes andBowls. The Welfare also provides premises forfunctions.

Fallin LibrarySurf the Internet and have a go with 'teach yourself'courses or put your name down for one of thecomputer classes. The library has photocopying andfax facilities. As well as books, the Library offers a CDand Video lending service.

The Village Information Point is run from Fallin Libraryand offers free internet access on Mondays 10am -12pm. The VIP is staffed by volunteers who will beable to help you access information on a wide range ofsubjects.

For more information on the services available at theLibrary contact the Librarian on 812492.

Pipe BandDrummers meet at 7pm on Tuesday evenings in FallinPrimary School.

Fallin Parish ChurchThe Church offers a range of activities including theSunday School, Girls Brigade and Disco Dancing.

Polmaise Bowling ClubThe Bowling Club operates a Ladies section, a Gentssection and a Junior Section.

The Gothenburg Public House Society LimitedThe function room is used for a variety of purposesincluding meetings, Highland Dancing and a variety ofsocial events.

Page 13: Fallin Local Community Plan

13

What happens next?This plan is the beginning of the work!

Those who have taken part in the planning sessionswill continue to meet to make sure this plan doesn’tend up gathering dust on a shelf. This group will co-ordinate all the action set out in the plan and monitorprogress. All the organisations mentioned in the planwill begin work on making the ideas, actions andprojects mentioned in the plan actually happen. Therewill be consultation with those partners who have notbeen involved to date, but who have been identified asa possible key partner.

There is also the opportunity for residents in the area,who have not been involved up to now, to let the LocalCommunity Planning Partners know if something hasbeen missed out, if there is something you think isreally vital for the area - and if you agree or disagree

with what's in the plan. There is a sheet on the pageopposite - please use it to highlight anything to us.

The plan is just the beginning - there will be otherissues which people will want to work on. This is agood opportunity to take collective action and getresults for Fallin as a community.

You can still be involved!!

If you are a local person, local officer or belong to alocal project and want to be involved, please fill in andreturn the sheet opposite to indicate your interest.

Similarly, if you simply want to make comment on theplan or get general information about the process,please contact Andy Davis on 01786 432341.

Acknowledgments

Janet Gowran Children's Services, Stirling CouncilWillie McCallum Fallin Miners WelfareHelen McGregor Alpha Centre CouncilBetsy McGregor Alpha Centre CouncilMaureen Lockwood Employment ConnectionsJacqui Ballantine Alpha Centre CouncilPeter Black Community Services, Stirling CouncilClaire Watts Environmental Services, Stirling CouncilLaura Doherty Community Services, Stirling CouncilJanice Beaton Stirling Family Support ServiceAnne Fowler Clackmannan CollegeGary Burton Community Services, Stirling CouncilGordon McEachern McEachern MacDuff ArchitectsDrew Yule Council for Voluntary Services, StirlingTony Cummings Central Scotland PoliceRoss Miller Alpha Centre CouncilRoy McCallum Fallin Football TeamsJohn Thomson Fallin's FutureJanette McCormick Stirling Health and Wellbeing AllianceWillie Hamill Community Services, Stirling CouncilMichelle Meechan Community Services, Stirling CouncilDavid Brown Transport Coordination UnitBrian Peat First BusBill Robertson First BusRuth Martin Community Services, Stirling CouncilArchie Bone Polmaise Community CouncilGrace Davidson Polmaise community CouncilLillias Thomson Friday ClubSandra Skinner member of community

Page 14: Fallin Local Community Plan

14

Getting InvolvedYour Details

Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tel: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Email. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I would like to be involved in (please indicate)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I would like more information about (please indicate)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Signed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Community Information - How we use your InformationYour information will be used for the purpose of supporting your organisation and informing you of opportunities intraining etc. It will not be shared with any other parties without your consent.Under the terms of the Data Protection Act you are entitled to a copy of the information we hold on you. Contact theInformation Strategy Team on 01786-442926 for assistance.

Stirling Council is registered under the Data Protection Act.

Please put the completed form in one of the boxes provided at Fallin Library, Fallin Local Office and the Alpha Centre or return to Andy Davis, Community Worker, Community Learning and Development, Stirling Council, 2nd Floor, Wolfcraig Building, 1 Dumbarton Road, Stirling FK8 2LQ.

Page 15: Fallin Local Community Plan

15

Fallin Local Community Plan 2004

Page 16: Fallin Local Community Plan

For more information on thisproject contact (01786) 432302 or (01786) 432341