In March 2020 ‘Your Back Yard’ was commissioned by Windmill Hill Big Local to help them write their new 5 year plan which will take them through to the end of the 10-year Big Local Programme in 2025.
The project got off to a good start but as the Coronavirus situation worsened, many of the traditional, face to face methods of community consultation and communication had to come to a halt. We have had to adapt and get creative to ensure the project continues track and doesn’t come to a complete standstill.
As with all Big Local projects, community is at the centre, we have managed to connect with Stakeholders, partners, local organisations and residents all via the internet. Instead of our usual door knocking methods, we have conducted semi-structured interviews via telephone. We have also moved our meetings online, hosting a Zoom stakeholder workshop with around 15 people, that thankfully, went very well and was free of any technical issues!
We have now completed the plan, hopefully the outcome is a plan that people are happy with.