By Rachel Cole, the Tenant Involvement team
Leverton Way TARA has been running now for just over 6 years and Rachel has worked with this group since just before Covid started. Peter Keyworth, who is the Chair, started the TARA up with another local resident just over 6 years ago and the group has continued to grow and go from strength to strength. The group holds a breakfast morning every Tuesday and they have fish & chips delivered to the Centre every Friday lunchtime. Also, recently they have started to hold a lunch club once a month where Pete Whitehead, who is the Treasurer, cooks a hot meal for everyone. We have recently supported the group to get their food hygiene certificate and register their premises. The group has been a great success in bringing the residents and community together and to enjoy each other’s company. The residents also use the Centre to play pool and darts, and some just pop in to watch a bit of TV together.
The group received £500 refunding recently from RMBC and this month the group organised and held an afternoon at the Centre where all residents were welcome to come along and join them. Leaflets were delivered to every resident around the neighbourhood centre advertising the event. There was a free buffet and raffle and a singer so residents could have a singalong and dance too! The following day they all enjoyed a barge trip along the canal from Swinton Lock.
This is a great group who want to make a difference in their local community whilst using their neighbourhood centre. Even during lockdown, the TARA made sure that those who were shielding in his community didn’t miss out on their fish & chip lunch by delivering it straight to their door. Residents would phone or stop Peter whilst he was out walking his dog to place their orders which he then collected from the local fish & chip shop and delivered to their homes. Peter said he didn’t want people to miss out on a Friday favourite just because they couldn’t go out.