Category: Tenant Involvement

By The Tenant Involvement Team, Rachel Cole, Rob Gooding and Sandra Lonnia

This month marks the start of an exciting new chapter for Kimberworth Park TARA’s community-run charity shop and café.

Thanks to a welcome boost in funding, plans are now underway to completely refresh and revitalise the centre. The first major phase of the project will see the replacement of the ageing furniture with modern, practical furnishings designed to create a more welcoming and comfortable environment for everyone who uses the facility.

The improvements are about much more than appearance. By rethinking how the space is used, the new layout will help the team make the most of the available floor space and improve the overall flow of the centre.

One of the biggest benefits will be within the charity shop. The redesigned layout will allow for additional display areas, enabling the team to showcase a wider range of donated items. This increased capacity means more opportunities for local residents to find great bargains while helping to support a worthwhile cause.

Every item sold generates valuable income that is reinvested directly back into community activities and services. The expansion of the shop will therefore play an important role in helping Kimberworth Park TARA continue to support local people and deliver positive outcomes across the community.

The team is looking forward to sharing updates as the project progresses and to welcoming visitors into the newly transformed space in the months ahead.

By The Tenant Involvement Team, Rob Gooding & Rachel Cole

After four years of supporting creativity, connection, and community spirit in Canklow, The Community Tree has officially closed its doors at Canklow Pavilion.

While the closure marks the end of an era, the group’s legacy will continue through a generous handover of crafting equipment and resources to the Crafty Talk group in Brinsworth.

The transfer ensures that the tools and materials used to inspire the creative sessions over the past four years will continue to benefit local residents, helping to spark new projects, conversations, and friendships within another grassroots community initiative.

The Community Tree became much more than a creative space during its time in Canklow, offering residents opportunities to learn new skills, build confidence, and connect with others.

While the group’s closure is undoubtedly a loss for Canklow, there is reassurance in knowing that the resources and community spirit fostered by The Community Tree will live on through Crafty Talk and the people it supports.

By The Tenant Involvement Team, Debra Gill

Mark first contacted us in January 2026. Accompanied by a support worker, he shared that he has Asperger’s syndrome and felt understandably anxious about attending and what to expect. 

Following conversations with Mark’s employment specialist, it became clear that his long-term goal was to find a job and build his digital skills. With this in mind, Mark was matched with our newest digital volunteer, Ali, for one-to-one support. 

Ali gave consideration as to where it was most comfortable for Mark to learn in Riverside Library. Mark chose to learn based at a desktop computer and attended sessions consistently whilst been supported weekly by Ali.

Mark wanted to learn skills to help him apply for jobs online, including how to upload documents for perspective employers. And after the first two weeks he felt more confident and had surprised himself at what he had learned.  

Last week Mark couldn’t attend the usual Thursday session as he had an interview! We are keeping our fingers crossed that Mark is successful, and we hope he continues to use his newfound skills.  

By The Tenant Involvement Team, Rob Gooding & Rachel Cole

We often talk about the importance of our community engagement sessions, but a recent success story from the Deaf Futures session perfectly illustrates why our presence on the ground matters so much.

During this session we met a resident whose quality of life was being significantly hindered by a health issue. Due to chronic knee pain, she was struggling with basic mobility at home—specifically, getting on and off the toilet.

Using Rotherham Councils online reporting tools, we assisted the resident in submitting a request for home aids and adaptations.

At the following engagement session, the resident returned with a smile and a major update. The council had processed the request and successfully installed a raised toilet seat.

Despite what seems like a small adaptation, it has restored her independence. She expressed her gratitude for listening and taking action.

By The Tenant Involvement Team

Swinton Community Focus Group is a well-established group whose aims are to make Swinton a safer, more connected, cleaner and healthier place to live.  The group has currently recruited two new members.  The group organises social events, litter picks and holds regular meetings.  They also engage with the residents to find out what residents want to see happen in the area where they live.   

This month, the group held, what has become, their annual Winter Warmer event at the Civic Hall in partnership with the Honeypot Café.  This is a free event to bring the community together to help prevent the post-Christmas blues.  Over 40 local residents enjoyed pie and peas followed by trifle and refreshments.  There was also bingo, a quiz and a raffle.  The residents were kept entertained by Steve Gore, a professional magician, who had them all stunned with his magic acts.  Feedback from the residents was very positive, they all thoroughly enjoyed themselves and this feedback will be useful to the group when applying for future funding.   

The group applied for funding to make this a free event and open to all residents in the area.  Sponsorship came from Cllr Monk, Century Cladding, Excel Money, and Underfloor Heating Services.   

The group continues to hold their regular litter picks, usually two a month covering all areas of Swinton.  Last year they collected an impressive 243 bags of rubbish and this year they are hoping they can beat that.  Big well done to the group! 

The group are currently looking at other funding opportunities to potentially put activities on for St George’s Day, Yorkshire Day, Remembrance Day and Christmas.    

By The Tenant Involvement Team

On Monday 15 December, the Buddy’s group had the pleasure of welcoming the Mayor of Rotherham, Rukhsana Ismail, to one of their regular sessions. The Buddy’s group is made up of autistic adults who meet weekly for a friendly chat and a chance to connect with others in a supportive environment.

During the visit, members offered light refreshments and enjoyed an engaging conversation with the Mayor. The session provided a great opportunity for her to learn more about the group’s work and the positive role it plays within the community. The warm atmosphere made the occasion memorable for everyone involved.

By The Tenant Involvement Team

This is a lovely active group who see the Centre as an extension of their homes and say they would be lost without it; this Centre is the perfect example of how a neighbourhood centre can be used to support the residents who live close by.  Many of the residents near this Centre live alone so meeting up regular gets them out of the house and is company for them all.

On a weekly basis they hold coffee mornings, craft sessions, armchair aerobics and bingo.  They also meet at the Centre for lunch on Sundays, they have this delivered in from the local Cafe.  As well as activities in the Centre they have trips out as a group when they can and are looking forward to their annual trip to Rotheram Civic in January, to see the Pantomime, which this year is Snow White.

I visited the Centre this month for this first time since the Summer.  It was lovely to see the residents and the group were really pleased to see me; however, I was saddened to hear that two of the residents, who were regulars at the Centre, had passed away recently.

The Centre is all trimmed up for Christmas and the group have a made a chimney at their craft session which is lovely.  

The residents all enjoyed wreath making recently, this was funded and delivered by RMBC.  This is the first time they have done this, and everyone really enjoyed it.  They also held their Christmas fair at the beginning of the month.  The groups make items to sell at the fair throughout the year at their craft sessions. 

I also attended the groups Christmas party this month, were they enjoyed a buffet, music and played bingo.  The craft group had made their own crackers containing dobbers for the all important games of bingo!  One of the residents, Jean, was also celebrating her 90^th birthday so there were extra special celebrations. 

I will continue to support this group, where I can, in the New Year. 

By The Tenant Involvement Team

Two outstanding tenant volunteers from Rotherham have been honoured with national awards at this year’s Association of Retained Council Housing (ARCH) conference, in recognition of their exceptional contributions to their communities. This year the conference was held in Lincon.

Nominated by staff at Rotherham Federation (Rotherfed), Barry and Jordan were selected for their continued dedication to volunteering, community support, and driving positive change in council housing. With so many committed volunteers in the area, choosing just two nominees was no easy task. 

Barry was awarded the ARCH Tenant of the Year Award for his long-standing involvement in tenant representation, community engagement, and service improvement. His work includes supporting a local foodbank and a range of other community-focused activities, helping to build stronger neighbourhood connections and ensuring tenant voices are heard. 

Barry said “I was totally shocked by receiving the award for Community Champion” 

Jordan received the ARCH Young Tenant of the Year Award, which recognises volunteers under the age of 30. He was acknowledged for his inspiring leadership and commitment to mental health awareness, as well as his efforts to bridge the digital divide through regular digital inclusion sessions at Riverside House Library. 

Jordan said” I was really honoured to receive the award and I’m really proud to be part of a great group of people working hard to make improvements to our community” 

The awards were presented at the annual ARCH conference, which brings together tenants, councillors, and housing professionals from across the UK to celebrate best practice in the sector. 

These achievements reflect the vital role tenants play in shaping services, building stronger communities, and improving lives across the housing sector. 

By The Tenant Involvement Team

The spirit of Maltby shone brightly last week as the community gathered for a vibrant Cultural Kitchen event, a celebration of the diverse residents who call the area home. More than 70 people came together at the Edward Dunn Centre to share food, entertainment, and connection, making the event a resounding success.

The delicious evening was a collaborative effort, spearheaded by the Maltby Ward Councillors, the Town Council, and the Rotherham United Community Trust (RUCT). Their shared goal was simple yet powerful: to create a space where neighbours could connect and showcase the different communities within Maltby.

The main attraction was, of course, the food. Attendees were treated to an exciting culinary journey, indulging in the rich spices and flavours of Asian and African cuisine, followed by a tempting selection of European desserts. Sharing these dishes proved to be the perfect ingredient for breaking the ice and sparking conversation among community members.

But the event offered more than just a feast. The atmosphere was lively and buzzing, with entertainment for the whole family. Local drummers provided an energetic soundtrack, an outside space was turned into a dance floor inspiring people to join in some impromptu dancing. For those looking for a bit more action, a casual game of badminton was also on offer.

The Cultural Kitchen truly highlighted the rich mix of people and activities available right in the Maltby neighbourhood. It was a testament to what can be achieved when local leaders and organisations work together to foster a sense of belonging and community pride. Events like this make it clear that Maltby is a welcoming place where everyone can find a seat at the table.