Making progress sometimes means stepping back

While it’s always satisfying to talk about Onward Homes projects that promise to make a difference in our communities, a greater impact is made when our customers deliver the changes they want to see for themselves. As placemakers, it’s sometimes useful to be reminded that we don’t always need to be in the driving seat as long as our customers know we’re with them for the journey.

Five years ago, a group of community-minded residents from our Murdishaw neighbourhood in Halton decided to be the change they wanted to see locally. Murdishaw Matters to Residents Association was launched, supported by Onward and other housing associations working in the area, centring around an active Facebook community which now counts more than 4,600 members.

Murdishaw Matters quickly established a lively forum for exchanging ideas and solutions to address shared challenges or aspirations in the local area. A Community Design Team was formed in 2021, who would focus on driving improvements to the neighbourhood for all residents. It was from this group that a vision was born to create a new local centre in the heart of the community. It was the Community Design Team that evolved this vision in consultation with the residents, enabling them to create a shared space that reflects their knowledge, experience, and aspirations for the area.

The Community Design Team in partnership with Onward, fellow housing association Riverside, and Halton Council developed their own proposals for a new, vibrant hub at the Gorse Wood, a wooded area in the centre of Murdishaw.

The team started small with a number of ‘pop up’ events in the space including a makers’ market, community crafts, and a summer barbecue. As the community got used to using the space, plans developed to renovate a former boxing gym to create a brand-new café.

In February 2023, the Gorsewood Green CIC was registered as a volunteer-led social enterprise to help steer future decision-making. This summer, the first stage of those plans bore fruit, as the new Tea Tree Café officially opened its doors. The café will be wholly run and owned by the community, with a dedicated team of volunteer directors who are residents of Murdishaw making decisions on the space. All money made will be reinvested back into the project to provide more opportunities for local people.

Boosted by this initial success, the CIC is already progressing plans to create a market square nearby to support pop-up shops, makers’ markets, and food events, as well as improvements to the green spaces around the café for residents to enjoy.

This work has been complemented by investment to refurbish 132 bungalows and by managing the maintenance of the wooded and green areas in a co-ordinated way to make the whole area look and feel better.

Unlike traditional housebuilders, we are here for good within our communities, allowing us to witness the long-term impact of any local investment first hand. We are confident that the ‘Murdishaw model’ will go on delivering value and generating its own, because it has been developed and delivered by those with a long-term commitment and deep understanding of their community.

Onward’s role has also been an enabler, providing access to skills, facilities, contacts, and funding opportunities, or offering other practical guidance and support. Onward colleagues involved have enjoyed the chance to use their skills in design, building management, finance and legal to support the development of the CIC. However, it is the community that has been very much in the driving seat of this project, and we can’t wait to see where the journey takes us next.