Community project to unite young and older residents » Housing » 24dash.com

Tea and talk were the order of the day for a group of Rye residents last week (Tuesday 11 November), as they got together to kick off a new community project which aims to bridge the generation gap between the area’s younger and older residents.

Residents of local housing provider Rother Homes in Tilling Green, Rye and others from the surrounding area, gathered to find put more about the scheme from housing association staff at Magdala House Day Centre.

Representatives from community film-making charity Sound Architect, Sussex Police and Youth Development Service also volunteered their services for the project and were on hand to invite residents to join the intergenerational project, supported by the Mayor of Rye, Councillor Sam Souster.

If the project goes to plan, the end product will be a film made by Tilling Green people of all ages.

More than 35 local residents came along to share their experiences and memories of living in Rye, recalling Tilling Green from its roots as a new housing development in the 1950s to the current day. Representatives from Sound Architect were on hand to share their expertise and brought along film making equipment for visitors to try out.

Angela Sharman, Community Development Co-ordinator for Rother Homes, said: “We have identified Tilling Green as a priority area, where we want to provide more services for our residents, to give them the best chance to get involved with their local communities.

“The next step will be involving younger people from the area, bringing the two generations together to compare their views and share memories.

“The intergenerational project aims to give a voice to residents of all ages and should be a great chance for Tilling Green’s younger and older generations to chat about their local area, and understand each other a little better.”

Rother Homes, part of the AmicusHorizon Group of housing associations, has provided funding for the scheme along with national charity Help the Aged. Sound Architect has been enlisted to organise the project.

Project Coordinator for Sound Architect, Meg Depla-Lake, will be organising the project. She said: “We have spoken to many interested residents today and hope to hold a few more sessions with residents of all ages in the next two months.

“We then plan to make a film with them early in 2009, showing their memories of living in Tilling Green and their views of life and the community today.”