Renfrew Development Trust are launching their Community Action Plan for the town on Friday 12 September in Renfrew Town Hall.

Foster Evans, Chair of the Trust said:

“We were delighted with the level of involvement and engagement we had with local people n developing the plan. Over 1,000 filled in our survey, and over 200 took place in various meetings and discussion. As a result we now have a plan, which will make Renfrew a better place to live, visit and work. We have produced a short summary of how we intend to develop community facilities, services and promote jobs and enterprise throughout the town.”renfrew boat

 

The launch will involve local people, groups and politicians. There will also be an exhibition of 20 photographs of the town and stalls from various groups. It starts at 11.00 am in the Committee Room of Renfrew Town Hall. Everyone is welcome.

More information from

Foster Evans 0787 637 1974
Foster_evans@hotmail.com

This event has been organised with grant support from the Big Lottery’s Awards for All Grant and also their Our Place Renfrew West programme.

Copy of Community Action Plan Leaflet
http://issuu.com/foster_evans/docs/rdt_leaflet_final_version

Background detail on community action plan
Over 5 months we took extensive soundings we identified 4 main themes:
Our Environment – Our Architecture and our Landmarks
Our Community Facilities for All Ages
Our Jobs and Enterprise
Our Events for local people and visitors
The Environment – Natural, Built and Cultural

Renfrew’s rich heritage is evident throughout the town, particularly in its architectural features and landmarks. However, there is a sense that the town is in decline and could ‘lose its heart’. We agree with the community that there is a need for renewal with a focus on making use of and enhancing the many assets it already has.

Community Facilities for All Ages
Building community cohesion is a central part of peoples’ vision of Renfrew. First class social and community facilities are seen as vehicles for achieving this.

Jobs and Enterprise
Our vision of Renfrew includes a community that is self-reliant, resilient, responsive, innovative and willing to work collectively to create a better Renfrew. Community ventures act to galvanise the local population, address unmet needs and harness local passion and drive.

Events for local people and visitors
There are too few opportunities to socialise in the town and the loss of community ‘gatherings’ are keenly felt. There is a strong desire to (re)create opportunities to showcase the very best of Renfrew and connect people within Renfrew and also those from ‘outside’.

Who We Are….LOCAL PEOPLE DEVELOPING LOCAL PROJECTS
The Renfrew Development Trust is a brand new community based organisation in the town. Local people started the group and the entire board is made up of local people whose key aim is to develop projects that make Renfrew a better place to live work and visit.

What We Did…SURVEYED RENFREW PEOPLE TO GET IDEAS FOR THE FUTURE
We decided that any project ideas we had needed to be driven by the people of Renfrew so we commissioned a community plan and tried to include as many Renfrew people as possible. 599 people contributed on Facebook. 1424 responded to a local survey. Over 200 attended open meetings and focus groups and there were lots of one to one discussions and two successful photo competitions showing what people valued about the town
What You Said…MANY THINGS LIKE THE FOLLOWING:
o 77% of people like Renfrew and want to stay here
o For those that don’t, an unattractive environment and lack of jobs were the big issues
o 44% wanted better local facilities to gather people together and get them involved
o There is a need for skills, training and enterprise, particularly focussed on young people
o There were significant frustrations with traffic

Author

Founder of Paisley.org.uk in 1998 and constantly strives to change peoples attitudes to the town, Brian is a self described Paisley Digital Champion who promotes Paisley via any means necessary. You can also follow me on X