By Cain Lindsay
The Whitfield community had their voices heard yesterday after a visit from local councillors.
Members of the local area congregated at Lifegate Church as councillors Steven Rome and Willie Sawers spent the afternoon listening to what the residents had to say.
Representatives from the community garden, the community cafe at The Crescent, Resolve & Evolve, Dundee Changemakers Hub and, of course, Lifegate Church, were in attendance as they voiced their thoughts, feelings and concerns within Whitfield.
The group, with whom Changemakers have been working alongside for several months now, were quick to inform the councillors of Changemakers’ important influence on community projects, from both a networking and financial standpoint.
After a meet and greet at Lifegate, where hosts Geoff and Debbie Findlay gave a tour of the building, it was down to the community garden then onto the local cafe at The Crescent.
It was a fantastic opportunity for Councillors Rome and Sawers to see for themselves the close proximity and tight knit community that is Whitfield.
Lifegate is currently in negotiations with the Church of Scotland over the building’s ownership. The church’s role in facilitating the numerous groups is crucial; its loss would be a huge blow to the community. Therefore, it proved an ideal location for the meeting, allowing the councillors to witness Lifegate’s value and potential first-hand.
After checking out the many provisions of the church, everyone made the short stroll past Ballumbie Primary School to the community garden. Like Lifegate, the garden is an integral asset for hosting events and connecting community members. Here, the councillors were informed of the teams' visions for the garden as a green hub, as well as which groups and activities have already been welcomed within the space.
The pair were guided through the grounds, introduced to the tools, equipment and amenities on offer by the gardening team, before being quickly caught up to speed with the situation regarding the council building next door.
Despite running beyond the meeting schedule both councillors were eager to make a brief visit to the community cafe at The Crescent. Once again, it created a chance for the voice of the community (its members) to open up with the councillors, and in some cases finally put a face to the names they’ve shown support to.
As a parting message to all involved both councillors were keen to assure the community that they’re never far away.
“We’re here”, said councillor Rome. “As much advance as possible is great, of course, but we’re always here. I tend to not show up out of the blue, somewhere I’m maybe not wanted, but if you get in touch with us we’ll always try our best to attend.”
Both councillor Rome and Sawers received invitations to join Changemakers and partners as we celebrate our collective work with a fun day including tree planting, ScrapAntics play, and food and drink on Saturday March 8th at Whitfield community garden.
By introducing community members to their councillors, local voices can be heard, assisting Whitfield’s exciting project plans to progress.