We can’t achieve our vision of building successful, vibrant communities by ourselves. We work with a wide range of partners across all sectors to promote social, environmental and economic well-being, and provide creative solutions to address local issues. Here are some examples of key partnerships from across the neighbourhoods where we play a significant role.
If you would like more information on the partnerships listed, or are interested in working in partnership with Great Places please contact us.
Great Places is part of the Modular Allianz, a North West based partnership which intends to seek new routes to increase the supply of homes. By working together partners can share knowledge and analyse data from pilot projects to understand the best ways to achieve this. The University of Salford leads the group in the form of a commissioned Knowledge Transfer Partnership and the management board is chaired by Manchester City Council.
Though off site construction methods have been around for many years, they have failed to meet their full potential.
The Modular Allianz seeks to review efforts of the past, options available today and understand the benefits of maximising off site construction with a view to increasing housing delivery.
Further advantages include reduced levels of defects, faster delivery, improved safety and more environmentally friendly output.
Great Places (as representative of Innovation Chain North West), other procurement frameworks including JV North and Cutting Edge, other housing associations, Manchester City Council and University of Salford.
Great Places represents ICNW on the Modular Allianz management board, an unincorporated association with non-commercial purposes. Great Places, along with other partners, jointly fund the Modular Allianz.
A full review of the current off site construction situation in the UK, experiences of the past, understanding of the market and options and a review of pilot projects has been completed. This report made recommendations for further research and analysis, as well as further pilot projects.
By exploring options and sharing knowledge to deliver more homes in a faster, more environmentally friendly and consistent manner.
As part of a three-year programme, further reviews of pilot projects are underway and this information will be shared with partners and analysed to understand its implications. Routes to procure modular and off site construction will then be further reviewed and options for delivery considered.
Langworthy Cornerstone is a large modern multipurpose community centre in the heart of Seedley and Langworthy, Salford. The centre hosts and provides a wide range of services and activities for the local community and has a variety of both hourly rental rooms and office space available for hire.
The centre is managed by a local charity called Langworthy Cornerstone Association, whose main purpose is to improve the health & wellbeing of the people of Salford, especially those of Seedley & Langworthy.
Great Places both supports and leads on a wide range of activities and services taking place at the centre, providing funding, coordinating projects, promoting provision and running events. Recent and ongoing projects Great Places is helping to provide include:
The Northmoor Community Association (NCA) is a fantastic charity in our priority neighbourhood Northmoor Longsight, offering a wide range of inclusive services to people in the local area via its community centre and laundrette.
These services are well accessed by the local community and include adult learning, IT classes, employment support, homework club, sewing classes, cooking classes and other wellbeing activities. Relieving poverty is one of the core objectives of the NCA, one way in which they help towards this is through providing an affordable, healthy meal every Wednesday at their Community Café. The centre has a strong volunteers programme with over 25 active volunteers helping to run the activities as well as gaining experience and skills themselves.
The laundrette provides professional laundering services at affordable prices. It also has an internet café and is an information hub and meeting place.
There is a weekly youth club run by the Levenshulme Youth Project for people over the age of 13, providing a range of activities, games and an opportunity for young people to socialise. The Friendship Group is a weekly social group for men and women over the age of 55 where they can enjoy tea, coffee and bingo.
A range of partners including Great Places, Macmillan Solutions, Manchester City Council and local residents.
The Community Centre Manager for the NCA is employed by Great Places. We own the listed building on Northmoor road where the Community Centre and Laundrette operate from and we manage the flats above the centre.
We contribute both funding and staff time to support the NCA and as a result we have a seat on the Board. Hannah Clark, Regional Manager attends Board meetings six times a year and also line manages the Centre Manager. Dave Owen from the finance team is also on the Board as the treasurer, helping with the financial management of the NCA. Our Community Development Coordinator supports a range of activities in partnership with the NCA, including Northmoor Together which is a platform for residents and partners to resolve local issues together.
Despite operating in an increasingly challenging financial environment, the NCA has continued to secure funds to deliver services which are accessed by over 500 residents per week. There are over 25 active volunteers. The laundrette is accessed by over 200 users every week.
Great Places has 500+ properties in the Northmoor area, so it’s inevitable some of its customers and their families access the centre and benefit from its services.
Great Places is part of our unique partnership involving Sheffield City Council, Urban Splash and the Homes and Communities Agency in the Park Hill regeneration project. Great Places was selected as the registered housing regeneration partner in 2004.
Park Hill is Europe’s largest grade 2 listed residential structure and when constricted between 1957 and 1963 it is comprises 998 apartments for rent, however the complex fell into disrepair in the 1990s. In 2013 the first tenants and leaseholders moved into the new refurbished apartments in the North block of the complex.
Some residents moved from the old Parkhill into the newly refurbished part of the site. Phase 1 is now fully occupied with 263 apartments of which 96 for rent to 2 for shared ownership and 165 for leasehold. The building also accommodates 12 digital and creative businesses and an award winning Grace Owen.
Great Places is not only provider is managing agent responsible for facilities management and leasehold services including security, cleaning and grounds maintenance at the site. Park Hill is a building of National significance and attracts a lot of interest, consequently staff play host to a number of visits including architects planners professionals from their construction and regeneration industry, schools and universities.
This is a resident forum at which local people can attend and express their views on life in the local area, issues they would like to see tackled and aspirations for neighbourhood and community improvement.
The forum takes place every 3 months, and is supported by a number of local organisations and agencies, such as Landlord Licensing, Environmental Services, The Neighbourhood Management Team and Greater Manchester Police. A smaller resident Steering Group meets more regularly to drive forward the items raised at the quarterly forum events.
Great Places coordinates, funds and supports the forum and the associated Steering Group, providing links to other groups and partners who can assist the Steering Group and recruiting new members.
The group had not taken place in some time, Great Places led on reviving the forum and giving residents a greater say in how it was run.
In response to the local issues identified, a number of actions have been taken in the local area:
It is hoped that Great Places can help strengthen and build the capacity of the Steering Group so that it becomes an equal partner working alongside other organisations involved in improving the local area, and move towards the quarterly forum events being increasingly resident led.
Sheffield Housing Company is a unique partnership between Sheffield City Council, Keepmoat and Great Places.
The SHC builds spacious properties to get the highest standards that will provide quality, flexible homes for the residents of Sheffield for decades to come.
At wide range of house types are available to buy outright, for affordable rent or shared ownership. Over a period of 15 years, 2300 new homes are planned in seven city neighbourhoods, helping Sheffield to remain one of the best places to live in the UK. That first phase of 293 new homes in Shirecliffe, Norfolk Park and Parson Cross was completed in 2016.
More new homes are under construction at Fir Vale and Manor. In addition to letting and managing homes for rent and shared ownership, Great Places provides a range of leasehold services which include grounds maintenance.
Great Places has developed a strong relationship with Wybourn Community Primary School since 2007 with diverse projects such as junior wardens, environmental schemes, breakfast, lunchtime and afterschool activities, learning clubs and provided funding for activities, resources and support to children and family members.
However this relationship was developed further in 2016 with Great Places joining forces with the school to deliver the Wybourn ambitions project aims to build the career aspirations of of pupils who are participating from year 5 to year 11 in high school.
The project is developing the children’s understanding of higher education and encouraging them to begin to formulate their own plans for their future.
Wybourn is a neighbourhood with very high levels of deprivation. Some examples relate to worklessness and educational attainment;
The school also organised various professionals to come into school to talk about their careers which Great Places contributed to. We prepared mini job roles for caretaker, maintenance operative, admin assistant, IT trainer and TSOL teacher and job applications for the children to complete. Interviews were arranged in school with 5 members of the regional team.
The partnership involves working visits to universities and the recruitment of 6th form mentors for the children to support the children to complete a ‘my future’ plan considering their strengths, interests and ambitions. Great Places supports the plans which include home and neighbourhood tasks and commits families to help support their children, who will take on ‘responsibilities’ and develop a work ethic and interest in their local environment. Parents are invited to a summer celebration event.
The ‘Strong Women’ course was designed as an entry point to engage women in an appealing, fun and useful programme designed to equip them with the life skills, self-confidence, resilience and decision-making capabilities not only to deal with their day-to day-lives, but also to allow them to move on to further opportunities whether this be education, training, further support groups, voluntary roles or even into work.
As learners become more self-aware they will be able to increase their personal resilience, mental and physical well being.
The aims of the project are themed under the following areas:
Open Doors 2 and Occupostive – course facilitators and neuro-linguistic practitioners, Knutsford Children’s Centre and Early Help (Now managed by Oakenclough children centre), Cheshire East Lifelong Learning, The Welcome, Local Area Partnership (Cheshire East Council), NHS health visitors.
It gives staff time, manages the Adult Learning Contract which means admin such as self-assessment, one-to-one tutors and in-house teaching and learning observations. It also chairs the steering group and helps to recruit learners.
Women have moved on to:
Other achievements for the course:
Learner’s comments
A few weeks before doing Strong Women I was diagnosed with post natal depression. I had been struggling with post natal depression for about a year before going to the doctors and getting help.
I was struggling with day to day stuff, I could not even decide what to have for tea. I hated leaving my flat so avoided going out, avoiding friends and family. I felt anxious and down most days, my confidence was at an all-time low. I could not think about my future, it felt so dark and gloomy. – Person A
Strong Women helped me build my confidence. I can now talk to a big group of people I don’t know, with confidence. This is something I could not have done before doing the course, even before my depression.
Doing Strong Women has taught me so much about myself. – Person B
Women are encouraged to attend the signposting session where multiple agencies are present to help them choose their ‘next steps may this be volunteering, further education or employment. Progression tracking also happens at 3 and 6 months. The course ‘Stronger Women’ is also offered as an alternative:
Stronger Women builds on the skills developed during Strong Women project. It introduces the learners to the importance of personal values and the impact of limiting beliefs. The course continues to build on the understanding of emotional intelligence, enabling women to develop resilient relationships within their families and the wider community.
The network of ‘Stronger Women’ will develop a more powerful voice in the community to influence local policies.
The Welcome is based in one of Great Places priority neighbourhoods in Knutsford. It was started in 1995 and over the years The Welcome has grown into a fully functioning Community Centre offering a wide range of activities, services and support to the people of Longridge and Shaw Heath. They offer affordable, good quality, home cooked meals from our café and provide a variety of free and great value activities to suit a range of age groups and interests.
A range of partners including Great Places, Cheshire East Council, local residents and the Welcome’s patron George Osborne. Its funding currently comes from a mixture of supportive individuals, local businesses and charitable trusts.
Hannah Clark, Regional Manager, is a trustee of the charity and attends monthly board meetings as well as providing time to support the work / management of the charity. Our Community Development Coordinator Lucy Barton supports a range of activities in partnership with the Welcome including Strong Women, Creation of a Community and health and wellbeing. Our fundraising coordinator, Daniel Mountford, helps to provide support with fundraising bids.
In 2011 the Welcome received the Prime Minister’s Big Society Award. In 2013 The Welcome received the Queen’s Award for Volunteers.
The community comes together at The Welcome, there’s a wonderful spirit, with most of the time and effort being put in by committed volunteers who at the moment number in excess of 25.
