Connect with your community council
Now is a good time to connect!
The Newtongrange Community Council is an active one but certainly this past pandemic year has tested our capacity. We currently have a number of live priorities around the development of Welfare Park as it approaches it’s centenary, the vast Springfield development at Lingerwood and beyond and the support of number of community initiatives including our community’s new development trust and our village masterplanning and we could use some help.
We also have a responsibility to be representative and look out for those in the village who might not normally speak up. Maybe because they are a bit unsure of what the community council does or just put off by the thought of meeting agendas and minutes.
Maybe you are good with capturing issues by photo or marking them up to help illustrate issues with the council…?
Maybe people aren’t really your thing, we still want to hear from you!
It’s easier, more interesting and more rewarding than you might think
Not everyone has the time to commit to the full range of community council activities, many of us already contribute in other ways, so if you are interested but unsure about community council activities, here’s a few thoughts and options to show that you can get involved with little or no commitment and just your support really helps :
- Start spreading the news! Some folk sit in on meetings with no further commitment. Now you might wonder how that helps, but it really does! Even if you choose not to share your thoughts, you will have heard, usually first hand, what our councillors and neighbourhood services are doing and how this community through the community council members influences the things happening in our village. You will then be able to share with your own network, friends and neighbours which is fantastic!
- Voice your passions and concerns… You might well let us know how you feel about things that are going on, and the members are always grateful for that input, whether you’re passionate about calming traffic, saving trees, our library or village heritage. Hearing your voice shapes NCC responses on matters.
- Get in loop. Start getting copied into correspondence that matters to you, connect to decision makers in local government and increase your opportunity to learn and influence.
- Volunteer some (digital) skills. Maybe you could help layout our newsletter (indesign), update the website (wordpress) or social media – communication is a constant with the community council!
- Make it official. Being an NCC member is at its simplest, any or all of the above with a very reasonable commitment to meeting attendance required.
- Do some short life work. Pick up a project like a litter-pick, newsletter drop or join a subgroup like the Lingerwood development or the street planters. you might have specific skills you could lend for a time-limited period, and boy would it be appreciated just now!
- Become an office bearer. If you’ve sailed through all of the above, we always need to share the load on admin duties and particularly right now we’d love help with the secretarial role, focussing on correspondence.
Hopefully this provides a encouragement or inspiration, above all else the NCC is welcoming and inclusive. With meetings online just now, and much of our work visible on this website, it is easy to dip in.
If you’ve read to here, email us and say hello. You need not do anything more, but at least we know you are there!
