So, you’ve spent the last few years decorating your entire home and everything is pretty much perfect. But what happens when you walk outside? You might think there is nothing you can do for your neighbourhood – but you would be wrong. In this guide, I’m going to go through some of the ways you can spruce up your community and make things look just as nice as they do in your home. Ready to change your neighbourhood? Then try these awesome ideas. It seems like there isn’t much of a community feel these days but there can be (and I think, should be).
Be a Good Neighbour
First of all, it’s not really fair to expect everyone else to buck up their ideas if you are a lousy neighbour yourself. So, be more aware of your surroundings and do your bit. If you see litter lying around, don’t leave it for the next person to pick up and dispose of it. Keep your boundary areas tidy and clean. Even saying hi to people when you see them can raise the community spirit. Once you are seen as a good example, then you can start to take the lead a little more.
Go to Community Meetings
If your neighbourhood is a mess, there are probably very good reasons why. But, unless you get to know what is happening in your community, you won’t find out. So, your next step is to attend any local meetings and find out what people are saying. You will also get to meet people of influence, and start to know who is who in your community. If you can’t physically attend a meeting, see what is going on a you can get involved with the council online. They are trying to open a supermarket in our village and I have been involved in petitioning against it through online polls and discussions with the council (we really don’t need one and it would be such a bother if there was one).
Organise a Clean Up
Once you have been to a few meetings, you will start to feel more confident about speaking up. Use your time to throw around some ideas – a community clean-up, for example. Take the names of everybody that is interested and spend an afternoon knocking on doors to drum up more support. Make the day a lot of fun, and see if you can get other neighbours to lend their support by providing coffee or soft drinks. It’s so easy to do that you will be surprised by the numbers that help you out. And, most importantly, it will give your locale an instant facelift.
Investigate a Neighbourhood Scheme
Neighbourhood schemes are a good way for communities to start working together better. You could run it yourself and create cleaning rotas, or draw up a list of responsibilities. You could also go down a different route and find a professional company who can help you out. HOA specialists Cedar Management say that firms like these can give all of your voluntary work the extra backing it needs to get things done. Plus, if everybody in the neighbourhood signs up, they will have more of a stake in their community life. With a little coercion, you should find that everybody will start to take a little more care of the neighbourhood.
Invest in Facilities
If you start a paid membership community scheme, then eventually you will have some money to spend. You can use it for a number of things, including paying for a child’s play park, or even just getting a few flower beds put in place. You may even be eligible for a grant – so check your local council community pages to find out more.
As you can see, there is a lot of work to get through – but sprucing up your neighbourhood can be done.
I’d love to hear from you if you have had any success stories – so let me know!
Rebecca x
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