Ellowes Hall TRA is situated in part of the Lower Gornal area in the Dudley Borough and was formed in 2009 after being approached originally by the existing Neighbourhood Watch who at the time were having issues and it was suggested that the area form their own TRA. Once volunteers came on board and from training and advise that was given the association started to make bonds with various partnerships such as council departments, local councillors as well as its own community.
We are always looking for more support and welcome anyone from our local area to join us. Although we have only been formed for 3 years we have achieved some successes already and are very proud of these.
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One of our first major issues we tackled was that of underage drinking and purchasing of alcohol. Together with the support of the Police and the owner of the shop this has now been rectified. Local residents in the area that had experienced the worst of this have stated there is a vast improvement in the area and they have thanked everyone involved in making this happen.
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We have been able to help with the removal of a bus shelter which was causing distress for the surrounding area with ASB issues. This particular issue caused a lot of stress for tenants and residents alike not only for those who live directly in front of the shelter but those adjacent to it also. The shelter attracted youths at night on a regular basis with loud music constantly being heard until very late at night. The TRA together with the local councillor sent a letter of complaint to Centro and from this we were requested to attend a hearing in Birmingham, this was successful in getting the shelter removed and replaced with a bus stop. The difference this has made to the area has been welcomed and has made it a much better place to live in.
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We have started to arrange for some of the more vulnerable tenants security lights for their homes, and from the feedback we have had this has been a great success and very much appreciated.
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We have been able to request the tidying up of the car park in Stickley Lane which was in a very poor condition and which we hope will provide some form of parking for cars in the area.
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We are very proud of our most recent achievement in the success of petitioning Centro to reinstate our 297 bus to include Ellowes Road & Stickley Lane so that are elderly tenants are able to use the bus once again from this area rather than make the long walk into Gornal Wood if they need to get to the hospital. This would not have been achieved it had not been for the close partnership we have with our local councillors and the work that all parties are prepared to do for our community.
If you would like to get involved, then email our participation development officer emma.jones@dudley.gov.uk or telephone the participation development team on 01384 815168.
We would like to take the opportunity of advising our tenants and residents and any other interested organisations that we are continuing to work towards a better community for our area and forge stronger links with our local Sports College, Housing Managers, Councillors and the Police. The majority of our committee have been together since forming the TRA in April 2009 and have welcomed 2 new members in that time. Our existing Chair is Paul Greenaway and our Vice Chair is George Jones who also represents the area on the Area Panel meetings on a regular basis. Most of our members of the TRA are involved in other meetings whereby this gives us the opportunity to represent our area and also to be recognised with other associations.
We have had constant support and advise from our dedicated Participation Development Officer who, whenever she can, attends most of our meetings and from this it has enabled us to go forward and speak up for ourselves and also the people we represent.
The committee attend various workshops / training events / seminars on a regular basis to upgrade their knowledge and experience as and where it is necessary to do so.
With the partnership we have with our local Sports College representatives of the TRA and pupils delivered harvest festival hampers to local elderly tenants. This is now a permanent part of our calendar.
We have been able to have the car park area in Stickley Lane tidied up and for the first time in many years it is now being used for the right reasons, cars are actually parking on the ground.
We have been very successful in organising an annual litter pick which takes place in September and with the support of the Council officers, Police and the local Scouts and Cubs this has brought about such a difference to the area and we would like to take the opportunity of thanking them for their continued support with this particular event. Many bags of rubbish were collected and everyone who helped had a hard but very rewarding day finishing off with a well earned lunch. The children all received goody-bags and certificates and we would like to say a special thank you to them.
One of our committee members received an Award last year for his continued support towards the community and we would like to share this with you. Mr George Davies ‘Peter’ is our oldest member of the Committee and his dedication is an inspiration to all. Peter received the “Certificate of Achievement” for his work with Neighbourhood Watch and one of the founder members in forming the Ellowes Hall TRA.
Our Aspirations for 2012
· To continue to help towards keeping our area a safe place for all
· To continue to tidy up the surrounding streets in the TRA area on an annual basis.
· To apply for security lights etc for our most vulnerable tenants.
· To help towards improving any areas that are overgrown within the TRA area.
· To help anyone who has difficulty in maintaining their gardens by sourcing out any
help that is available to them through any partners.
· To help anyone with any problems they are experiencing by making the initial contact on their behalf.
Ongoing achievements:
Our litter pick as stated above will continue on an annual basis and will be organised in September.
The TRA Newsletter is now in its second year and has again been a success to the committee members who have put together articles and information. The Newsletter will be produced on an annual basis in November.
Once again our success in gaining a second round of security lights for our vulnerable tenants and hopefully we will be successful again as we apply once more. To date we have now obtained over 60 security lights for our tenants .
One of our most important achievements is the partnership that is growing between ourselves and our local Sports College. The head teacher, Mr Griffiths, is as enthusiastic as ourselves in building this very valuable partnership and hopefully this will continue to grow.
We have introduced regular walkabouts within our area which gives us the opportunity to invite the Housing Managers from the Council, Police and our local Councillors to attend. This service provides a much quicker way of highlighting issues to the correct people and to date this has become a success. Please do come along and join us your input is very valuable to us. The dates for our walkabouts are as follows:
Walkabout dates for 2012:
Tuesday 3 April starting at 11.30 am
Thursday 31 May starting at 11.30 am
Tuesday 12 June starting at 5 pm
Tuesday 24 July starting at 5 pm
Tuesday 4 September starting at 5 pm
Tuesday 9 October starting at 11.30 am
Tuesday 27 November starting at 11.30 am
Meeting point for all of the above walkabouts start on the corner of Wood Road, Lower Gornal
Our association is aware that there may be still more to do for the area we represent and hopefully with the determination that we have for the community successes will continue to grow.
For more information please contact Emma Jones, Participation Development Officer by email Participation Development Team or telephone 01384 815168.
Meeting dates:-
Meeting Date & Time: 10th May 2012, 7.15pm
Venue: Royal British Legion Club, Ruiton Street
Type of Meeting: Annual General Meeting
All of our meetings are held at The British Legion Club, Ruiton Street, Lower Gornal, Dudley and starting at 7.15pm with representatives from local Councillors, Housing Managers and Police together with a speaker when available. We would like to take this opportunity of thanking the British Legion for their continued support for using their facilities for our meetings.
Thanks
Ellowes Hall TRA
