Hillfields place based profile

Why is this important?

Understanding the local network of assets, resources and community organisations help facilitate sharing and understanding to improve the health and wellbeing of local communities.

The Community Information Directory is also a useful tool for knowing what groups, events and activities are happening in the area.

The Community Resilience Team has worked with a variety of groups to gain funding and support in Hillfields, below is a table of groups and assets known to the team in the area at the time of writing.

Residents of Hillfields feel that their sense of belonging and safety is closely tied to their connection with the community. Many highlight a lack of community, which impacts how they perceive the area. Building stronger relationships with neighbours and spending time in shared spaces is seen as essential to fostering community spirit, pride, and security.

The absence of common gathering spaces contributes to this disconnect. Residents support the idea of creating more community hubs, parks, and events to encourage interaction and build trust. Greater investment in these initiatives could improve the sense of belonging and make Hillfields a safer, more unified neighbourhood.

“Invest much more in culture and creative sector, build on what has been started in 2021”.

“Focus more on the outskirts of the city centre. Prosperity doesn't need to start and end in the centre. Community hubs. Funding for children's groups.”

Supporting local charities and smaller organisations to deliver support and community work was highlighted as a missed opportunity. Community groups are best place to understand the needs from their community and can be used as an asset in delivering services. Local groups, organisations and charities can act as valuable assets, building trust and rapport with community members, offering tailored solutions, and delivering services in a way that may be more responsive and adaptive than larger, more centralised entities. However, failure to partner with or fund these smaller organisations means missing out on their potential to create more meaningful, localised impact. Therefore, fostering collaboration with community groups could result in more effective support structures and better service outcomes.

"Visit communities listen to what they say and then incorporate these ideas rather than using feedback as a tickbox exercise"

Residents have expressed the need for the council to listen to their feedback and incorporate their ideas. Residents commented that they would like more opportunities for their voices to be heard with suggestions on how to do this being regular council meetings creating a platform for ongoing dialogue. It is felt that these meetings would allow for real-time engagement, where the community can share concerns, offer ideas, and hold the council accountable for addressing their needs.

“Visit the areas and spend more than a afternoon or a morning. Need to focus on creating communities first then the inequalities will improve. I love in cv1 and there is a distinct lack of community.”

“Invest more in local voluntary sector rather than large organisations to deliver”

Communication was highlighted as key to ensuring that individuals gained knowledge and understanding of other services. Social media was praised for raising the profiles of some of the smaller groups in the community, however that is not to say leaflets and posters were not valued by the community.

“Communication is the key, in these days of social media anything that is going on or is planned goes there. Leaflets, letter drops and posters however old fashioned are effective in getting a response in my opinion “

Harmony Family Hub collaborates and co-ordinates a range of services in the area. It could also be used to make connection with individuals and maximise the success of partnerships.

Citizen has implemented an ambitious Local Neighbourhood Plan covering a range of social, economic, and environmental issues that includes housing, community safety, and access to services for its tenants.  Citizen approached Coventry City Council as it recognised that this was an opportunity to work together, using learning from other place-based initiatives, making the most effective use of our collective resources to have maximum impact in an area of multiple deprivation.