As Jigsaw Homes Group we provide annual events and community involvement in Miles Platting. The housing team and neighbourhood engagement officer work together to provide seasonal activities to involve the local community. To evaluate events and to promote the use of new community spaces we asked Jigsaw Rewards members for their opinions on previous projects and for their thoughts on potential future activities. Members provided feedback on three diverse initiatives; the Miles Platting Summer Festival, the Community Library Café, and Autumn activities in Miles Platting.
What we learned from the results (findings):
The Miles Platting Summer Festival: This is always well attended and a very popular event for families with young children. The survey respondents rated the face painting, fairground rides and the animal experience as their favorite activities. Improvements suggested included, more child-friendly food options, placing activities in a more concentrated area- making it easier to navigate with children, more targeted marketing to ensure the community is aware of the event.
Autumn Activities in Miles Platting: This quick survey allowed people to comment on the last Halloween Party and discuss a range of other options. The most popular alternatives were, an organised firework display and a community theatre performance. Respondents also commented that activities often took place during working hours and therefore they were unable to attend and were family focused, which could exclude community members without children.
The Community Library Café: This survey enabled respondents to suggest their ideal price point, opening times and food options for the project. Most suggested a price point of £1-1.50 per portion. People chose opening times that coincided with drop-off and pick-up times at the local school. Preferred food options were hot food, breakfast and sandwiches.
What we will do with the results (outcomes):
- We will ensure that popular activities at the Miles Platting Summer Festival 2018 are included in the 2019 festival.
- We will review the food and location of activities at the Summer Festival to consider families with young children.
- We will consider an alternative autumn event to take place outside of normal working hours, that will engage both families and community members without children.
- The Community Library Café will be trialled before and after school drop-off and pick-up times and the menu will include hot food, breakfast and sandwiches, these will be offered on a ‘pay-as-you-feel’ basis to establish the best price point for customers and the viability of the cafe.
- We will employ a tailored marketing plan for each of our events and projects to maximize their success.
Key findings:
