Good Idea: Children in Surrey rewarded for sprucing up the neighbourhood

Provider Mole Valley Housing Association
Name Dreamscheme and Making Good
Summary This summer, young people from across Dorking and Leatherhead transformed their ?neighbourhoods in return for access to activities

The Mole Valley Housing Association held sessions over the summer that gave young people the opportunity to make a difference in their communities. The Dreamscheme initiative involved young residents aged from seven to 11 helping out in their neighbourhoods and earning access to free activities, while the Making Good project worked with 11- to 16-year-olds.

Participants undertook tasks such as smartening up their housing estates and improving community spirit through litter picking, painting park benches, cleaning road signs, weeding green spaces and revamping phone boxes. Some of the young people also helped to bake cakes for elderly residents living in sheltered housing.

In return for their hard work, the young residents were rewarded through activities such as street dance and sports. The youngest children who completed their tasks enjoyed additional activities, such as swimming and climbing, at a celebratory finale at the end of August. Meanwhile, older children went on a trip to Thorpe Park.

Katherine Liddle, the community development officer at the Mole Valley Housing Association who oversaw the project, says: “The young people on this project were just fantastic – it’s brilliant that they are so willing to put their energy and enthusiasm into improving their neighbourhoods. It’s all part of our wider work to enhance the life chances of our residents. We are grateful for everyone’s hard work and hope that they thoroughly enjoy the rewards.”  

The initiative received help from The Links Partnership, YMCA, Leatherhead Youth Project, Mole Valley District Council, United House and Leisure Connection. It also received funding from Dorking Schools Partnership and Ashtead & Leatherhead ?Confederation.