A Year of Whitfield Changemakers

By Cain Lindsay

Spring is usually a time to celebrate new beginnings. It’s a season of renewal, longer days, nature blooming and - beyond nature’s revival - practical and formal shifts such as the beginning of a new financial year.

Like many other funded organisations, this time of year brings an opportunity to reflect on what our projects have delivered over the last year, and our time in Whitfield so far has been an absolute joy. Whitfield is a close-knit community and my own personal experience has been a testament to their kind-hearted accommodations.

My first meeting at the beginning of October at The Roundhouse was an opportunity to meet folks from Lifegate Church, Whitfield community garden, Dundee City Council, WhatMatters2U and ScrapAntics. It was both my first time in the area and meeting these bright new faces. Fast forward to the final meeting just last month, and I couldn’t comprehend walking through Whitfield without popping my head into Lifegate to say hello or stopping by The Crescent’s community café for a warm coffee and even warmer welcome.

Nobody is ever far away, almost every community group is a stone’s throw from one another. Whitfield’s community groups and volunteers have been collaborating with and supporting each other long before Changemakers was ever conceived. But their role has been to act as facilitators, bringing the groups around the table, supporting with micro-funding and working with local changemakers to benefit the community, with a keen eye on their own goals and ambitions to amplify community voices.

Regular meetings were the staple of the project. Meeting at Roundhouse or Lifegate to give community members a voice, and to ask what Changemakers could do to support, often this resulted in further networking. Developing the community garden as the green hub of Whitfield, reaching out to groups elsewhere, or acquiring trees to begin planting an orchard. The community garden is now better equipped for hosting events, the tree planting encouraged children to interact with nature and learn a new skill, while the signs will allow for further attention to the garden.

The SOUP event was a real highlight - piggybacking on the ever-popular Lifegate Lunch on Fridays, three community groups presented to packed rooms and were awarded micro-grants to develop their projects. Alex from the Community Garden said:

“The soup money enabled us to buy a large water butt that will store captured rainwater for the garden. We were also able to buy a large amount of seeds as well as seed propagators and potting compost that will allow us to grow a wider variety of veg and fruit… as well as loppers, hand sheers and other items to help with garden maintenance.

The most recent Spring celebration day was a tremendous success, shared in a recent blog: Whitfield Digs In: Orchard Planting & Family Fun! - one which could never have materialised without the coming together of groups and volunteers.

Without a doubt the best part of this pilot project has been the formation of a collective of Whitfield changemakers who now regularly meet and work together to create a thriving community and better environment for residents. As we look ahead, this ‘pilot project’ is no longer a pilot. We tested a concept, proved that it works, and will move it into a new phase to do more of the same. Stay tuned for more Whitfield news as we go through the year!