By John Baron
A project to strengthen community life in Farnley and Wortley has been set up – and its first act could be to start a roaming community market.
Our Farnley & Wortley CIC has been set up by Farnley resident Peter Allison with the aim of bringing together residents, community groups, businesses, local services and volunteers to create positive opportunities in the community.
The project was announced in the public forum at the start of yesterday’s Outer West Community Committee meeting held at Farnley Hall.
Speaking about the project, Mr Allison told councillors: “What we sometimes lack are the resources, capacity and coordination needed to turn good ideas into reality and attract opportunities into our ward.
“The CIC has therefore been established to help bridge that gap. Our aim is simple: to strengthen community life across Farnley and Wortley by bringing together residents, community groups, businesses, local services and volunteers to create positive opportunities for local people.”
Our Farnley & Wortley aims to tackle social isolation, promote digital inclusion, support volunteering, improve access to services, deliver community events and create projects that bring people together.
“One of the first ideas we are actively exploring is the development of a roaming community market that would rotate around different parts of Farnley and Wortley,” Mr Allison said. “The aim is to support local traders, community organisations, charities and small businesses while bringing activity, footfall and opportunities directly into neighbourhoods across the ward.
“Rather than expecting residents to travel elsewhere, we want to bring opportunities to them.
“My vision doesn’t stop there. I want to see more services delivered within our own communities. Too often, residents have to travel outside Farnley and Wortley to access advice, health support, employment services or other forms of assistance. If we can work with partners to bring more of those services into our ward, we make them more accessible and strengthen the communities we all serve.
“This isn’t about replacing or duplicating the excellent work already being carried out by existing organisations. It’s about supporting them, complementing what they do, encouraging collaboration and helping to attract new funding, investment and opportunities into Farnley and Wortley.”
Outer West Community Committee chair, Councillor Adrian McCluskey (Lab, Farnley & Wortley) thanked Mr Allison for his presentation and asked for him to keep councillors in the loop with the initiative.
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