Hilgrove Community Research
Between November 2020 and February 2021, the Community Organisers had in-depth interviews with Hilgrove residents.
In these conversations, discussed shared their experiences of life on Hilgrove: what they liked, and what could be changed for the better and how they would like to contribute their skills and passions to improve life on Hilgrove
The Community Organisers reflected on the interviews, thinking about what was most important to residents. The three main themes that emerged were:
The Built Environment
Whilst Hilgrove has many wonderful green spaces, residents were concerned about the lack of an indoor communal space. There is also a lack of accessibility within flats and outside buildings. As well as this, there’s a lack of knowledge about how to use and access certain outdoor spaces.
Mental Health and Connecting the Community
Neighbours looked out for each other during the pandemic. However, residents were aware of the toll the pandemic took on the mental health of young people, single parents and shielders. Residents also mentioned how the estate community has generally gotten quieter over the years.
Community Safety
Residents care about their community, and take action when they see something that isn’t right. Residents were however still concerned by: drug use, rubbish-tipping and anti-social behaviourMany residents expressed frustration with those in charge in not dealing properly with incidents.
COVID and Young People
As well as this, almost all of the conversations mentioned the impact of the pandemic, and how the last few years have affected young people. For example, residents mentioned how:
COVID and social isolation made community connection much harder
Young people have particularly suffered mentally due to the pandemic
Cuts to local services and closures of facilities have affected young people and their behaviour on the estate.
These themes will therefore cut across the three primary ones.
