In the first of a new series, Lisa Kershaw, Community Builder at the Forever Manchester charity, talks about her role.
There’s no typical day in this job as it’s not an ordinary, office-based, nine-to five sort of role. My background was originally working in social housing, but I got involved with Forever Manchester when I saw all these people going to one of the community events. I was so impressed with what I saw that I spoke to Forever Manchester and they offered me a job. I love working with the team and I’ve been here 10 years now.
I’m based out in the community supporting local people. I do what I call “ethical stalking” where I go out into a community and find out what’s going on, what problems local people have and what support they need. We focus on asset-based community development with the community leading the way. The asset might be a community building but it’s also about looking at the talent and skills local people have.
Many of the areas we deal with are classed as deprived. In the past the attitude to these areas has been that they needed to be provided with services to help them deal with the issues they were facing. People in these communities had that attitude too. They wanted the council or some other organisation to run the service for them. Residents of Lancashire Hill in Stockport, for example, wanted to have group for local parents and children over the school holidays. We showed them that, with a bit of support, they could actually run the group themselves, so they now have a solution that is locally run and is sustainable.
We work across the 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester to help build better connected communities. People often have preconceptions about which areas need support. When you look at all the posh new high-rise buildings in the city centre it’s easy to think that people there don’t need help. That’s what I used to think myself, but since we’ve become involved with the Great Northern Village in the city centre, I’ve come to realise that’s not the case. Loneliness is a big problem in the city and there are plenty of people who need that social support.
Sometimes a solution can be very simple but really improve someone’s life. For example, we had one man who was very lonely and he was getting involved with people who weren’t good for him. We asked him what his interests were and he told us he liked collecting foreign coins. We were able to find him a coin collecting club and it’s made a huge difference to him as he’s found like-minded people to connect with.
I was born in Gorton and have lived in different parts of Greater Manchester, so I know what great communities we have here. My job is very rewarding as I get to see the first-hand the impact that we’re having on these local communities, and you feel you’ve made a real difference to local people and that you’re a part of that community. Just because the Community Building Team isn’t based in an office doesn’t mean we don’t keep in touch with each other. We’re in contact throughout the week, so there’s always someone there to support you and we’re always bouncing ideas off each other.
Find Out More
Forever Manchester is Greater Manchester’s Community Foundation, the only charity that raises money to fund and support community activity across Greater Manchester. For more information on the work of Forever Manchester and how you can support it, visit https://forevermanchester.com/.
In Conversation With
Nick Massey, Chief Executive of Forever Manchester, has already appeared in the Chamber’s “In Conversation With” series talking about his long association with the charity and the vision that drives his work – read more here.