Magenta Living Praises the Volunteers Helping to Shape Wirral Communities
Tenant-led volunteering projects aimed at strengthening communities across Wirral have been showcased at a special event hosted by leading housing provider, Magenta Living.
The Connecting Communities event, which took place at Tranmere Rovers Football Club, was designed as a thank you to the many tenants and residents who volunteer and help deliver community initiatives and shape the housing provider’s community regeneration agenda.The event gave tenants and residents a platform to highlight the broad variety of volunteer projects they’re involved with that help make their neighbourhoods better places to live.
Magenta Living has representatives from across each of its 22 neighbourhoods, which it engages with on a regular basis to gain feedback and neighbourhood improvement ideas. The housing provider also takes steer from the ‘Wirral Residents Umbrella Association’, which comprises volunteer tenant and resident representatives from across its neighbourhoods.
Those attending the Connecting Communities event heard from Magenta Living Board Director, Muriel Wilkinson, who is also Chair of the Wirral Residents Umbrella Association and a Magenta Living tenant. Muriel explained the Umbrella Association’s role in influencing Magenta Living decision making, and encouraged others to empower themselves and promote the interests of their neighbourhoods by joining the group.
A series of short films was also used to tell the story of individuals and groups of volunteers who are delivering successful projects in their neighbourhoods and helping to support the more vulnerable members of their communities. These range from free luncheon clubs and knit and natter groups to help tackle social isolation, ‘social supermarkets’ to help address food poverty, stay and play sessions for children, counselling services, smoking cessation support, youth groups and confidence building classes.
Many of the volunteering projects and schemes highlighted are based out of Magenta Living community properties. The housing provider currently owns, manages and maintains 13 community properties in Wirral, which provide a venue for dozens of local community groups, who offer hundreds of activities to local residents every week.
Magenta Living Chief Executive, Brian Simpson who spoke at the event said, “Engaging with residents and tenants through forums like Connecting Communities is a central part of our vision to support vibrant homes, lives and neighbourhoods. We are committed to working closely with all of our volunteer groups to help bring about positive change and deliver social value in communities. By coming together and sharing ideas – talking about some of the amazing things happening out there, we can help to plant the seeds of new community initiatives that will enhance people’s lives and help tackle some of the challenges communities face today.”