After nearly a year of negotiations the Adamsdown Community Project was delighted to be informed that as of 1st February 2008 Adamsdown would become a full part of the Communities First Programme in Cardiff. “Communities First” is the Welsh Assembly Government’s Flagship programme designed to enable communities to begin to make the positive changes that they want and shape the place they live in. The Community Project, on behalf of the Adamsdown Forum, will take on the responsibility of working with residents and local service providers to deliver on this opportunity by arrangement with Cardiff County Council and the Assembly.

This opportunity will allow us to support local residents and organisations with practical help and funding for projects and establish a dedicated project team within the Resource Centre on Moira Terrace. We can also work with local people to set up new projects and source the resources needed. Don’t forget a large part of Adamsdown – 3 of the 5 sub wards or LSOAs are now eligible areas from which community groups can apply for project funds to the Communities First Trust Fund – see the section on funding.

Without a good local response and involvement in the recent consultations, stretching back over the previous 6 months, this would not have been possible. It is the responses from the questionnaires that were sent out in summer 2007 and feedback from the focus groups, community groups and service providers such as Cardiff Council, Health and Cardiff Community Housing Association that formed the basis of the Communities First application by identifying local priorities and some of the main future tasks for the project.

The main priorities identified from the consultations were grouped into a number of themes, which focused mainly upon Employment, Education & Life Long Learning, Health, Environment, Youth and Community Safety and set by action groups which included a mix of residents, service providers and businesses. An annual work plan is drawn up for approval by the Adamsdown Forum and then submitted Cardiff Council and then the Assembly for final approval.

Cardiff County Council acts as the Grant Recipient organisation drawing down the monies from the Assembly. Both have agreed to Adamsdown retaining a degree of independence in managing the resources and it has been agree that the staff and budgets will be managed by People Can (formerly Novas Scarman) on behalf of the Forum via a Service level Agreement with Cardiff Council.