Celebrating 20 Years: Brightening Up Wilbraham Street

Over the next year, we are celebrating Community Gateway’s 20th birthday by giving back to our communities through 20 community projects. We recently returned to Wilbraham Street in St Matthews, in an ongoing project tackling litter and anti-social behaviour in the area.

While out and about on a community pop-up earlier this year, our Engagement and Communities Officers noticed a rise in littering and reports of anti-social behaviour in the area. Tenants shared their concerns for these issues and suggested how the area could be improved, with many saying they would love to see more colour by planting trees and flowering shrubs.

After the pop-up, a joint visit was arranged with our GreenCare team to take a closer look at the area. During the visit, it was noticed that wooden fences in communal areas had started to fade over time, despite being in good condition. Conversations with tenants led to an agreement that the fences would benefit from a fresh coat of paint, not only increasing their lifespan but also brightening up the area.

The outcome of the project

In June, the area saw a real transformation as colleagues rolled up their sleeves and collected three bags of litter and painted six fences.

In November, we returned to the area to complete another community clean up in preparation for Winter planting. Listening to tenant feedback, we planted bushes in areas that faced repeated fly-tip to serve as a detergent, and bring colour to the space in the spring.

We want our tenants to be actively involved in making their communities better places to live and this project is a great example of how your feedback can improve your neighbourhood.

Following this work, we spoke to a tenant who raised initial littering concerns earlier this year.. The tenant said,

"I think it's brilliant what you are doing, the space looks beautiful. It's made me want to look after the area. I've bought and planted some of my own bulbs as well".