Last November, Community Gateway’s Engagement and Communities Team teamed up with Year 6 pupils and staff from Ashton Primary School to take a closer look at the local area and explore how it could be improved.
The school approached Community Gateway to support the project as part of the pupils’ Geography lessons. Building on the success of previous projects the school and Community Gateway have worked on together, the aim was to give pupils the opportunity to look at real issues affecting their community and think about how they could make a difference.
During the project, the Year 6 pupils joined the Engagement and Communities Team on a community walkabout, taking time to observe their surroundings and identify issues affecting local residents. Among the concerns raised by the children were dog fouling, littering and fly-tipping.
These issues have also been highlighted by residents during a community pop-up event in the area, reinforcing the importance of continuing to work together to keep the neighbourhood clean and welcoming for everyone.
To help raise awareness, pupils joined the team again in February 2026 to put up posters around the community that they had designed, encouraging people to take pride in the area and dispose of their waste responsibly.
The project is set to continue as part of a wider community development initiative in Ashton, with Community Gateway keen to build on the ideas and enthusiasm shown by the pupils.
Working with local schools like Ashton Primary is a great way to empower young people to have a voice in their community and play a role in shaping the place where they live.