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

I'm definitely a fan of the street parties but not so good an idea in winter!
I'd like to do more events in our village halls! Maybe Halloween/Christmas parties, afternoon teas etc

An annual get together on the local field/park/green including a BBQ, music and fun things for the kids to do, I'm sure that would bring the community together and the Co-op could help by making a small contribution to the food; the get together could have a small entry fee which would pay for entertainment such as a band, a bouncy castle company would love to get involved and often our local ice cream company would send a van.

Although we live in Yorkshire and everyone is mostly friendly, a quick hello when you pass in the street, an annual event would allow people in the community to get to know each other a bit better thereby instilling a community feel like it used to be in the 60s.

One of my friend's who is over eighty invites all the neighbour's when she has her birthday for lunch in her garden and asks them to bring a dish. As her birthday is in August families come along as well as individuals.

I'd like to be able to do something like that in our are as I am sure there are really a lot if lonely people old and young.

i think a coffee morning is a great idea, then people who do not wish to attend dont feel pressured to :)

I'd love to bring back street parties to bring everyone together (if the weather was good!)

I think something that's not too intrusive and not forced upon people. Maybe a gathering at the local park where people can bring their homemade crafts or anything they see fit.
Since the awful night in Manchester my community are having gatherings at a local pub but it's not really my cup of tea - I think an outside space may be better and more family friendly!

A local jumble sale would be great!

Get everyone together to tidy up our local mere, we all love walking around it but it soon gets littered.

our village is pretty community orinatated if your an adult we have clubs for everything we have local conservation doing the ponds up there's barn dancers and festivals the later being so expensive a community orchard but there's very little for the older children/teenage's in the area we have a youth club term time only that about 5 people go to because its boring nothing to do except play pool there's a drama club and tennis lessons and the primary school puts a film on once a month but there always old films that don't interest them and they also open the swimming pool up a few times a year and with our nearest town/swimming pool/cinema being 10 miles away i would do something for them maybe have movies at the youth club once a week with up to date films and maybe a disco there too once a week were they can get things like hot dogs and burgers also things like archery and rock climbing wall or even a community camp out because we have lots of open fields around us plus put the cost of entrance down to the carnival and bonfire because family's don't attend due to cost

getting the community together through the school is always a good thing. Getting parents to get involved in fundraising activities of the school or local charities is always fun x

NUKE IT FROM ORBIT, it's the only way to be sure....

I would like to see more going on in the village hall, although I do think that even if events are put on people don't tend to go anymore :( such a shame. I would try and find events to put on in the village hall that would bring people out, something for everyone, from arts and crafts to computers etc

Our large village/small town has a real mixture of elderly and families- I would like to see the schools do more to support the elderly and put in formal programmes to get the kids to engage with the elderly and give the elderly the benefits that can come with interaction with younger people

We try to visit as many local activities that we can, community groups dont function without members.

I would love to create a facebook group for our street, using the group we could keep watch for each, share resources, advice. Perhaps even bulk buy things so we could all save some money.

We have a tenants and residents association which organise local events from bake sales to stalls at local festivals etc but if I had a choice I would love to run a gala day like we used to have when I was younger with a parade, a fair on the local field, a party/kids disco inside the social club and stalls outside. It was lovely and always used to be so busy and so much fun. I'd love to do something like that again

I would set up a dog walking and social group. I think that it's important that dogs get to socialise and it would give people a chance to make friends xx

I like the idea of community gardens. Taking an unloved patch of ground and growing food as well as somewhere to sit and watch bees and butterflies. Good for the whole community, young to old.