MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS, BY HOLLY MILLS -
People
I lived in Sneinton Heritage for a couple of years and rarely ventured into the heart of Sneinton, as the city centre was almost on my doorstep. I had no idea that there were so many active community groups in Sneinton. Although each community group may have a different agenda, they all share a passion for Sneinton.
We met several people along our tour – for me Steve Doig from Growin Spaces and Stacey from the SEND project at the Greenway Centre were particularly inspirational. Steve – for encouraging the unemployed to work on the allotments and Stacey for the encouraging teenagers to use the fantastic recording studios etc at the Greenway Centre. The people running the various community groups came across as genuine, down to earth people, who cared about the people they worked with.
During the tour, various people mentioned that the community groups didn’t particularly share resources or connect with one another. Perhaps there’s an opportunity for us to map the various community groups, the people involved, the links between them and the demographics?
Places
I also hadn’t realised that Sneinton had so many architectural gems hidden away, such as the William Booth Birthplace Museum as well as some fabulous houses. It’s ashame that they aren’t better signposted. Dasha and I didn’t spot the sign for the windmill initially when we got off the bus, as it’s not particularly noticeable.
I thought that the Old School Hall where we met initially, was derelict due to roof slates missing etc. I was surprised to hear that it was still in use, but at the same time pleased that it hadn’t been abandoned. I hope that some funding can be found from somewhere to restore the building before the damage to the building becomes so bad that it has to close. If this happens, it will inevitably fall into a state of disrepair.
It’s clear that Sneinton is a vibrant and proactive community due to the passion and caring attitude of the people who live and work there. I am very much looking forward to working with the community over the next month.
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