Missendens Community Board continues to work proactively in local community

Democracy and Local Affairs
Missendens traders benefited from a grant to help decorate the town centre at Christmas and will be working with the community board to encourage people back into the high street as lockdown eases.

Becoming a proactive and positive force for change in the local community is one of the aims of the Missendens Community Board, as voiced previously by Chairman, Peter Martin.

At the board’s recent meeting, members, local residents and groups who tuned in were able to listen to just how that vision is being achieved.

At the meeting on Tuesday evening (9 March) updates were given on the work the board is doing across a number of areas:

  • The health and wellbeing sub-group is working closely with social prescribers in the community to focus on key issues including scoping out the possibility of introducing a Dementia Friendly Community.
  • The youth group is keen to engage and recruit young people who live in the local area to join the group to better inform future projects for young people.
  • A new group  will be focusing on economic regeneration of the area. Working with the regeneration team at Buckinghamshire Council the group hopes to get local traders and business owners on board in measures to boost trade and footfall.
  • Special thanks was given to the community members who continue to volunteer to support others during the pandemic. This included Jane Fallon and Lindsey Farn who received recognition in the Proud of Bucks awards last year for their efforts.
  • Robert Gibson and Sgt Darren Walsh from Thames Valley Police reported on ongoing community safety work and highlighted that crime figures in the area had gone down in recent months.

In addition to the many and varied projects the board has supported with funding, two further applications were agreed at the meeting:

  • Misbourne Area Youth (MAY) was granted funding to retain an experienced youth worker to continue to engage with young people in the area as lockdown eases as part of their Youth Café Covid Recovery project. The group has successfully supported many young people during the pandemic, moving their regular support online. As life begins to return to normal the group hopes to continue to engage and support young people, particularly those who have struggled with their mental health and wellbeing over the past 12 months.
  • Holmer Green Sports Association/Holmer Green Football Club were granted funding to address an immediate issue of vandalism and antisocial behaviour at the club believed to be caused by a small group of young people. The funding will be used to install further security measures but further work will be carried out in partnership with the community board to look at ways of engaging the young people with a view to creating diversionary activities and finding out what facilities the young people would like to see locally.

Peter Martin, Chairman of the Missendens Community Board said: “Our board is not unique in wanting to work proactively with our local communities to make improvements, that is the aim of all 16 community boards across Buckinghamshire. I am really pleased at the way the board has integrated itself into the local community, engaging with individuals and groups to get to the heart of the issues that really matter. We will continue to do this and would love to hear from anyone who would like to get involved in any of our working groups.”

If you would like to get involved with any of the work the Missendens Community Board is doing email: missendenscb@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

View a recording of the meeting online: https://www.youtube.com/embed/OzGRekWFOGQ

You can keep up to date with the latest information from the Missendens Community Board on Facebook.