Tell Co-op how you would bring your local community together - chance to win a £300 voucher! NOW CLOSED

[EllieMumsnet]

Making a difference within our local community is something most of us would like do or are already a part of. To coincide with their push for more Member Pioneers Co-op would like to find out what you would do to bring your community together and how the Co-op might help.

Sarah MacKenzie from Co-op says: “At the Co-op, local communities are so important to us. In fact we're currently looking for Co-op Member Pioneers to help bring people together and make a real difference where they live. Member Pioneers are a network of individual members on the ground to make good things happen in communities across the UK. They do this by connecting and mobilising members, colleagues and local causes locally to do what matters most to them - arranging local meetings and events, encouraging volunteering and co-operation in their local community.

If anyone is interested in applying to be a Member Pioneer themselves, they can find out more here. We're always looking for ideas about events and initiatives the Co-op or our Member Pioneers could help with or organise and we'd love to hear what MNers think.”

So if you could do something to help bring your community together, and make it a better place to live and work, what would it be? Would you organise a big event? Set up a weekly coffee morning? Are you a keen fundraiser or a fan of a street party?

Whether you are already involved with your local community or just have some good ideas for things you’d like to do, share your thoughts below and you will be entered into a prize draw to win a £300 voucher of your choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck

MNHQ

Standard insight T&Cs apply

A local clean up, even if only for 15 minutes would be a great help on our local streets, kids park.

Another idea that the Co-op might consider is a Free Fridge.

Items about to go out of date are placed there, and anyone can help themselves to the items without charge.

The Free Fridge can also involve the wider community by giving space to, for example tomato or courgette or plum gluts, that gardeners often have, and again could be taken freely.

Waste not, want not, in action!

My Husband and I both grew up on the same street as children - We now live together in the house he was brought up in, with our children.

Back in the days, the community was close -You could go next door for a cup of sugar, or an egg!
These days, new people have moved in everywhere - And it just isn't the same.

Maybe one of those street parties would bring the community together!

By organising a great big barbecue /party in our local park, put flyers through doors and knock on their doors to help out!

I'd really love a community 'Grow Wild' project in our local park- it's a large space well used by local families, with a play area and lots of open green space, but some of this is underused and I'd really love to transform a patch into a 'wild' or 'nature garden' full of wildflowers to support our struggling bees and other wildlife.

It would hopefully appeal to all ages and would be great to get everyone involved in together.
Cheers

A good old fashioned street party!

What a great scheme, have clicked on the link to read more.
I'm also not a fan of enforced fun, I find the street party committee here very cliquey. But instead we do small things like cut our elderly neighbours lawn whenever we do ours. Finding our what help people wanted and matching up with volunteers would be a great way to help develop a sense of community.

There needs to be a good indoor play area and indoor waterpark for each community

People are more willing to give time and things than money as they know where its going. An event such as weeding an area of wildlfife ( clearing litter etc ) OR painting an area such as playground or comminity centre, Provide refreshments

I would love to hold a street party with BBQ's and music outside

I would hold a community garden party like the Queen

An OAP/Young Person befriending project would bring a community together, There are many elderly people in the area, both groups have a lot to offer each other, as well as learning. Our OAP's should be respected and not forgotten and our young people can be a link to the ever changing world as well as learn about our heritage and bring what can be seen as the poplar extremes of our community closer.

Our village doesn't have a baby group, and there's scant resources for new parents - so I'd like to create a (cheap) one for parents and babies/toddlers to go to. With plenty of tea and cake, of course.

We have a fabulous history club, which keeps us all entertained and brings young and old together for chats and short talks.

I would love our library to open more and hold groups such as a sewing group, more children's groups. I think it could act as a community center as it's a wonderful building which is hardly used. It's only open for a few mornings a week and people don't use it as they never know if it's a day it's usually open of not.

I definitely think more bigger village events are needed. Perhaps a fun race for families to bring everyone together.

I'd love to do a community book exchange! Some charity shops are refusing book donations these days, so this would be a great way to get the community together, donate unwanted books (or even favourite books that people want to share with others) & pick up some that do appeal!
A great way to introduce & encourage kids to read. Kids love a good rummage in a book box!
If it goes well - it might lead to a book group - or a regular book exchange.
I love reading - always have done. I love reading alone. I love reading with my son. He now loves reading too & this make me really happy as there is so much joy to be had from reading.

I grew up in a village where everyone knew each other and community was important. I now live in a cul-de-sac and hardly know anyone else who lives there. It is a shame as we have lived there 10 years and most of our neighbours just keep their heads down as they scurry from their front door to their car.

By holding regular events in the community to bring everyone together so people get talking and get to know each other as I live on one of the biggest estate in the country I think it's important for people to come together and develop a good relationship with the neighbors bring back the community spirit

A community litter picking scheme would be a great idea to both clear litter and improve the environment as well as bringing people together.

As this world is becoming a scary place to live, we need to make more efforts to meet and get to know our neighbours. I live in an area where there are different nationalities, and when walking my dog in the evening, I love the fact I can see the decorations for different festivals in peoples windows, and around Eid, the fabulous aromas of food being prepared. I like to bring together my community at our local community centre to enjoy and participate in other faiths celebrations. We held a community barbecue this summer and sent flyers around the neighbourhood, and the fabulous sense of 'coming together' was lovely, we tasted Asian food, which has been lovingly made, and we had jacket potatoes, roasted peppers and an ice cream van who came. We need to smile, understand and get to know our neighbours more. The world would be a nicer place.

There is a patch of ugly wasteland that looks awful and has become a dumping ground for fly tippers.

A few of us have decided to get it cleared up and planted with flowers and a couple of small trees (a donation would help with this!) A local business is going to donate a bench and the local community will do the work.

It's a great way to get to know people you see every day and make new friends.

We move into our home last May and the estate is extremely quiet, I hardly see anyone to be honest let alone know many of the neighbours. It would be nice to have a some sort of street party, get everybody involved and finally get to know people!

I would hold a fun day at the local park with stalls, games and food. That way we would fundraise for the village and help with making the village look pretty again!