A group of Monmouth MHA residents have won a TPAS Cymru Good Practice Award for ‘Communities helping Communities’ at their annual awards ceremony held in Cardiff on 5th July.
TPAS Cymru have been supporting social housing tenants and landlords in Wales for over 30 years and annually celebrate best practice across the Welsh housing sector.
The Monmouth Motivators comprise MHA residents, who have come together with the sole purpose of making their own community a better place to live.
With a shared vision of ensuring what they do is inclusive and reflects the wants and needs of their community, they undertook an extensive consultation exercise comprising door to door canvassing, coffee mornings and events. The group prioritised 3 aims: to help people make their money go further, health and wellbeing and providing activities for children.
The Monmouth Motivators meet monthly unless a community event necessitates a greater frequency.
Since it’s inception in 2021, the group has gone from strength to strength and has organised and delivered lots of health and wellbeing events utilising local businesses and organisations ranging from; Xmas and Halloween parties, keep fit and eat and drama and dance for children to hair and pedicure sessions, yoga classes and eat well for less cooking sessions. Drop in’s from external agencies can be organised, to discuss hot topics such as money advice, energy saving tips and mental health.
The group also signposts people needing immediate financial and welfare help to MHA’s inclusion team for immediate support.
Everybody is benefitting from the group’s activities creating a feel of social cohesion with people no longer saying, “there’s nothing for young people to do” but now saying “what can we do next”? A feeling of malaise within the community has transformed into a proactive go-getting attitude.
Rob Carey, MHA’s Senior Engagement Officer said:
“Monmouth Motivators are a small group of caring, hardworking, tenacious ‘community champions’ making a significant impact on the lives of people living in their local community, and MHA are so proud to have played a part in their evolution.
The group certainly live by its name, not only do they motivate but they inspire everybody around them too – it’s infectious!
The impact their support has had on the community has been huge, they are always looking to maximise their gains for their community at the lowest cost or even for free and have fostered effective relationships across all sectors.
Their community is so grateful to have them. A sprinkle of that very special community fairy dust landed over this group and has benefitted so many members of their community. Well done to the Monmouth Motivators, they richly deserve this Award”.
As well as making a massive impact in their local community, their new found confidence has enabled them to achieve their own personal goals including launching a hair dressing business, a baby bank, community hub with food pantry and becoming a dance teacher.
