Outstanding Contribution by a Local Organisation Award winners

Knowsley Housing Trust’s ‘Outstanding Contribution by a Local Organisation’ Award winners Northwood Parents and Toddler Group are more than just a group of mums who meet for tea and chat. They are determined to create a safe and green community for their children to grow up in and be proud of.

Seven years ago, Rose Brown and sisters Tina and Nicola Drury campaigned by having a six week sit-in to keep the Boys Club open in Northwood where they held their Parents and Toddlers Group, but to no avail. They then moved into the back of the local pub, when the landlord stepped in to help them out. Awareness of their campaign was picked up by the local Sure Start and Early Years, which enabled the group to move into the Community Centre.

Twelve months on the group have breathed fresh air in to the area by joining with pensioners at the Centre to clean up and take pride in the community allotments on Roughwood Drive with the help of Local Solutions. Each group at the Centre has its own allotment that they work on from pensioners through to play, including Youth, who have now involved the Young Offenders Team in tending their allotment. One of the original campaigners Christine Gallagher sadly died before seeing the allotments take shape and a special ‘Memories Garden’ has been created in memory of her. On the allotment site a portacabin has just arrived funded by Knowsley Voluntary & Community Sector Support Programme which will become a classroom to teach horticulture.

Tina Drury was ‘made up’ to be nominated and then win the Award,

“When I found out that we had been nominated for the KHT Award for Outstanding Contribution by a Local Organisation I was in shock that June Carr from the pensioners group at the centre recognised the hard work we are doing.”

“The Parents and Toddlers group have been absolutely brilliant and I have achieved a lot by being involved. There is so much out there on offer for Communities like ours and we have been able to provide so much for residents wanting to get involved.

“The future for me would be to get more members of the Community involved and get them taking pride in the area that they live in. For me this is the way to keep our youth on the straight and narrow, by getting them involved. I want people to respect their community and take responsibility for it, residents have to stick together to make it a safer environment for our youth to grow up in.”

The growth and development of this group is thriving and with many exciting plans a foot they are sure to be hitting the KHT headlines again.

If you would like to get involved then call Northwood Community Centre on (0151) 443 4409 and ask for Tina or Kelly.