News

Helping build "Big Society" in High Wycombe

Staff from Buckinghamshire Community Foundation have recently taken part in a local planning exercise in High Wycombe to help identify local needs and help local people plan for solutions to those needs.

Bev Trevitt, the Foundation's Outreach Officer, and Richard Dickson, the Foundation's Director, joined with more than 50 other representatives from various community groups in High Wycombe to discuss issues relating to safer communities, health and wellbeing, cohesive communities, a thriving economy and a sustainable environment.

The "Meet the Expert" event took place at The Hub in High Wycombe and formed part of the County Council's local planning initiative. Participants included representatives from local residents' and neighbourhood action groups, local schools and faith groups, public service organizations such as the police and NHS, Bucks New Uni and also local parish, town, district and county councils.

"It was hugely inspiring to get so many people together in one room to talk about how we could work together to help each other develop the capacity to meet some of the challenges of community life in High Wycombe" said the Foundation Outreach Officer Bev Trevitt (pictured right in blue). "There can be no doubt that there is huge appetite in High Wycombe to build local communities!"

Since the Foundation was set up in 2000, it has supported local community groups in a variety of ways, bringing people together to find local solutions to local challenges. "It's not just about the money ", said Bev "but thanks to our supporters the Foundation has been able to invest more than £700,000 in Wycombe projects since 2000 which has been the scaffolding to get many groups up and running effectively."

The reports from the "Meet the Expert" event will be used by local Council staff in preparing local community plans. "We're already discussing a number of new initiatives with community partners in Wycombe having made contact with them at the event," said Bev.