I am the Big Society

It is easy to see why - the taxpayer pays into national insurance for services he or she is now supposed to provide for themselves!

Particularly galling when the bankers who caused our national deficit are buying Ferraris with their huge bonuses whilst many an ‘old dear’ goes without food or warmth just to survive on their meagre pensions. Survival of the fittest some Tebbit-like creatures of the Con-Dem parties cry.

Well, I am the Big Society.

I am one of those beastly unemployed single mums – and I do all I can for Northwich whilst chasing jobs with the rest of the hardworking unemployed out there!

And the Big Society is not a new idea nor is it the preserve of the Tories trying to “hoodwink the nation” as some papers suggest. The Big Society is a quiet little revolution going on in towns like Northwich, and has been actively going on for at least the past year here and way before the election results!

The Neighbourhood board for Rudheath and Witton has recruited a team of locals known as Community reps. Their job is to represent their community and speak for them as a part of a community network programme which aims to regenerate the area according to what the people want.

It involves multi-agencies, residents, private and community groups alike and it is working. More people need to come on board, putting their doubts to one side and see what can be achieved.

This is not about politics; it is about owning our communities and shaping our society our way.

I am going forward with everything I am doing because I believe in the good people of Northwich.

I believe that slowly things can change, but they won’t if nobody does anything.

Apathy gets you yobs littering and vandalising, it gets you depressed about the future, it gets your children poisoned by incinerators, it gets you fearful and isolated, it gets you without any hope of a career, it gets you dog dirt on your shoes and hopelessness in your heart.

Don’t just moan about things, join our revolution and take control.

More local people are needed to be a voice or a helping hand, how else will charities cover the terrible cuts and how else can we tell those that have, that the have-nots are NOT having it!!

People volunteer for many reasons.

My impetus – apart from gaining skills which will benefit me on my job search- was to co-create a place where the community pulled together regardless of background to give us all a future in a despairing world governed by people often completely out of touch with the reality of our lives.

The government whether blue, yellow or red don’t always really care about us, about our children, about our streets, about our health, about our efforts.

They get media coverage to spout ideas not their own but those of eggheads or the private sector, they get £64,000 a year, and they get ‘expenses’!

They don’t always get us.

If they did, they would have backed Big Society with funds - perhaps with a massive tax on those massive bonuses.

Thank goodness we can rely on our councillors and our wonderful new Mayor. Thank goodness we have a council willing to spare our libraries and children’s services in the face of budget cuts.

Thank goodness for all those frontline volunteers who work hard regardless of their status for the benefit of us all. Thank goodness for you – our newest member of the community network?

For more info on how to get involved on a street by street level, contact the Neighbourhood Working Team on 01606 353536.

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