Love Where You Live - Community Engagement event, Derby Road 21 May 2022

Service providers reach out to local residents

The Love Where You Live campaign came to Derby Road on Saturday 21 May, to host a community engagement event for residents and service providers alike.

With waste disposal, littering and fly tipping ranking at the top of local concerns, this event was an opportunity for Southampton City Council to work with residents to tackle all three issues.

An hour-long litter picking competition kicked off the event and one lucky winner was presented an award by Lord Mayor of Southampton, Councillor Jacqui Rayment. The Waste Disposal and Development Team were on site, with a waste collection vehicle, to educate people on waste disposal and recycling.

Running from 11am - 4pm, the event attracted a steady stream of local families, learning about the services accessible to them, enjoying food and drink, dancing and kids’ activities. The Love Where You Live campaign was designed to optimise engagement and break barriers between Southampton City Council, service providers and residents.

The successful event on Saturday was a shining example of how the campaign is enhancing community spirit and cohesion. Dr. Abdoulie Sanneh, Community Cohesion and Diversity Officer, said: "The first most important thing for me is waste. This community has struggled with it for a very long time. Not many people feel proud of this area and so don’t look after it. This is crucial for us. So, with an event like today, not only are we restoring pride in the area, we’re also enabling the community to feel like it can work very closely with the council, and our waste teams, and bring something special to Newtown. We want people to love where they live. If they can’t love it as residents, nobody else can!"

Cabinet Member for Communities, Councillor Toqeer Kataria, said: "As Cabinet Member for Communities and a Ward Councillor for Bevois Valley, I’m proud and happy to see residents coming together to make the most of the area they live in. It’s important that residents feel pride in their local area, as well as realising that we all need to take responsibility and ownership to maintain happy, healthy and clean neighbourhoods for us all to take pride in."