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Udecide in Newcastle
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Great News! The Shieldfield Green Udecide Working Group have made it through to the finals of the Evening Chronicle's Environment Awards! The Udecide Team would like to say well done to all the members of the Working Group who have shown so much commitment to the project over the last 9 months. The awards ceremony will take place on 28th February - cross your fingers and we'll let you know how the Group get on!
You can now take part in Udecide from the comfort of your own home by accessing the new Udecide discussion board. The board is updated regularly with information on current projects and allows those who register to take part in discussions and influence how these projects develop. In future, we hope to use the board to share videos and photos of Udecide with users.
2010/11 Udecide Projects:
UDecide is in Shieldfield in 2010 and 2011. The project will enable local people to decide how £100,000 is spent on improving the local green.
Udecide is also working with the Neighbourhood Management Team in Scotswood to keep children and young people safe during the earthworks.
Read the Scotswood Young People's Udecide project report (pdf, 771.5Kb)
The Council's Children's Services Directorate are working with the Udecide Team on an Aiming High project which will see disabled young people spend £30,000 on activities to benefit them and their peers.
Greening Wingrove Udecide - November 2011 to Febrauary 2012
.... get into the green scene, it's your decision!
Greening Wingrove Udecide has £40,000 to spend on environmental projects in the Wingrove ward (Arthurs Hill, Spital Tongues, Wingrove Terraces, Milvain Estate, Fenham area from Hadrian Road to Fenham Hall Drive).
We are seeking bids from community groups, voluntary sector organisations, public service providers and religious organisations who have a project idea to improve the environment in the Wingrove Ward and benefit local residents.
Download the poster here: Greening Wingrove Udecide Poster
To find out more about the kind of project ideas we are looking for, who is eligible to apply and the key dates and stages of the project please read our invitation to apply letter and the project brief
Or contact Ali Lamb on 0191 277 7681 or email alison.lamb@newcastle.gov.uk
Greening Wingrove Udecide Grand Voting Day - Saturday 18 February 2012
Over 70 local residents and stakeholders came together to hear presentations from 19 local groups about their project ideas to further the aims of the Greening Wingrove initiative. Participants scored the ideas against set criteria and the projects they rated the highest, won a share of the £40,000 on offer.
Visit our flickr account to see some photographs taken at the Grand Voting Day
The successful projects were:
Millhouse Tenants Alliance - Floral Planters
The entrance of the flats will be more attractive and residents will be encouraged to use the seating area and get involved in managing the flowers and shrubs.
Time Exchange - Crossroad improvements at Crossley Terrace
The brick planters will be restored and replanted and a new, locally designed and carved seat will be installed to enhance the area.
Angelou Centre - Magical Mosiacs
Up to 60 local children will have the chance to be involved in arts workshops creating tiles for a mosaic which depict their unique view of their local environment.
St Mary Magdalene and Holy Jesus Trust - Intergenerational Work
Residents of St Mary Magdelane, pupils from the school and Allotment holders, will work together to improve the grounds of the housing development and provide floral gifts for local people.
Robert Stewart Memorial Church - Cook your own Lunch
Cookery skills, growing your own food and healthy eating messages combine in this project to benefit 15 local residents.
Wingrove Primary School - educational trips
Pupils at the school are learning about being young environmental wardens and will deepen and strengthen their knowledge by visiting local facilities.
New Mills Tenants & Residents Association - Tidy Gardens competition
This newly formed group will run a competition which will give the estate a great face lift and raise awareness of local environmental issues.
St Luke's Church - Garden Renovation
An untidy and uncared for corner of Claremont Road will be remodelled and cared for by the parishoners of St Luke's Church.
Stanhope Street TARA - young people in the community Garden
Local youngsters get the tools and equipment they need to take an active part in this award winning community garden.
Nunsmoor Trust - Environmental Community events
Four times a year, the community can come together to celebrate all things green in the Wingrove Ward - recycling and reusing waste, environmental improvements and working together to green Wingrove will be the central themes for a year of community events in 2012.
Time Exchange - Beautiful Backyards
First time gardeners will get access to equipment, materials and much needed advice to get them gardening and making their backyards beautiful.
Romulus Court Residents Association - Community garden
An unattractive and windblown cut through will become a community garden referencing the hertiage of the area and providing a beautiful landmark for all.
Moorbank Botanic Gardens - outreach work
Newcastle University bring the expertise of the botanic gardens at Moorbank into the local community with their programme of nature parties.
Moorside Allotments Association - disabled gardeners adaptations
The Allotment Association will be able to provide opportunities to even more local people by creating raised beds which will meet the needs of elderly and disabled gardeners.
Spital Tonges Beacon Community Association - outdoor facilities
The Association will be turning their outdoor space into attractive and usable space with seating, picnic tables and wildlife friendly plants to create an oasis in Spital Tonges and give the users of the Centre the option of both in and outdoor facilities.
If you would like contact details for any of the projects mentioned please contact Ali Lamb in the Udecide Team (details above).
Udecide, or participatory budgeting, is a way of giving local people the power to spend some public money to benefit their communities. This means they can share some of the responsibility for what happens where they live, and make some real changes.
What is different about Udecide?
U decide is different because it knows you - the people who live here - understand best what is needed in your areas and it gives you the chance to make your own decisions about how money is spent.
This is a great opportunity for local people to make a real difference to the places where they live. And we know people want to get involved. Recent surveys tell us that 66% of local people think residents should be able to decide how to spend money to improve their quality of life, and 79% think people are keen to get involved in solving community problems.
Please read our frequently asked questions document for more information.
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Read about the various projects we have run.
U Decide has a number of benefits for an area. Read some evaluations of the programme.
At a ceremony in The Hague on Thursday 27th November 2008 as part of the Eurocities AGM, the U Decide programme won the international Eurocities Award in the Participation category. Leader of the Council John Shipley accepted the Award on behalf of the Council, the Newcastle Partnership and the U Decide working groups in front of a crowd of 350 people drawn from all of the European major cities. The other winners were Espoo (Finland) for Innovation and Ghent (Belgium) for Cooperation. The awards recognise European City Councils' success in involving their citizens in local governance. Udecide has already won two national awards. Read about our success.
Read some of the comments we have received about Udecide in Newcastle.
For more information go to contacts page.
Page last updated: 29 February, 2012
