For the past six years, I (and my longsuffering family and friends) have lived and breathed New Deal for Communities. Now I am standing down as Chair and from the Board. It has been a great opportunity for me to do useful work with others, building relationships and striving to improve our community. I have always wanted us to have nothing but the best and we deserve nothing less.
I feel proud that together we have been putting Burngreave on the map. I’ve sat round the table at the Sheffield First Partnership Board, where the strategy for the city is pulled together and heard Burngreave cited as an example of good practice in creating employment and training opportunities. The work of the business champion and the business forum is now used as a model for the city as a whole. This and many other examples show that Burngreave is contributing to the regeneration of the city as a whole and that increased opportunities and resources are beginning to flow into the area.
Everyday I hear the stories of how the services, facilities, activities and relationships that we now have in Burngreave are providing the stepping stones that help people find and follow their path forward in life. It’s these stories that make all the work of the last six years worthwhile.
Regeneration is tough and complex; no body knows how to get it right all the time. Sometimes results take so long to appear that you feel that nothing is happening and no one is listening to you. These are some of the things that I won’t miss – that and the twilight shift of meetings and the endless paperwork and… I will miss the sense of shared purpose and energy that has come from working with the Board members and the staff team. I want to thank all of them and I wish them every success for the future. I also want to thank everyone from across our community who has supported and encouraged me along the way – I couldn’t have done it without you.
Rose Ardon,
Outgoing Chair of the Burngreave New Deal for Communities Partnership