The newsletter summarizes various community engagement events hosted by the Community Engagement Team to discuss changes facing Kirklees Council. Over 86 events were supported that engaged over 980 residents. Events included The Big Lunch, which brought together mixed groups of people from different backgrounds, as well as meetings with community organizations like the Friends of Beaumont Park and Pakistan and Kashmir Welfare Association. The discussions focused on sharing skills and successes between community groups, as well as concerns around support for volunteers and opportunities for training and activities for youth.

1. Community Engagement Team Newsletter
It’s time to talk Community Events
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2. Time to Talk at the Deaf Club with
The leader of the Council Mehboob Khan
It’s Time to Talk in Kirklees
The Community Engagement Team supported over 980
residents to get talking at 86 events.
This newsletter looks at some of the diverse groups
and events that took part in It’s Time to Talk throughout
June.
Some were part of The Big Lunch events and some took
place at normal community meetings. Either way, it was
great opportunity to encourage residents to start the
conversation about the changes facing Kirklees Council.
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3. Big Lunch in Heckmondwike
Salvation Army
Attended by 40 adults and children.
The highlight was bringing together a mix of different
people who shared their opinions and respected each
others points of view.
“I’ve enjoyed having lunch together with
people I have met for the first time”
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4. Thornhill Trojans
Held a barbecue and disco on a glorious sunny day.
The Big Lunch was community focused with volunteers
from the area providing all the food and entertainment
and doing all the organising themselves.
Whilst the Trojans are well known for their sports
based activities, they also provide community activities
and want to develop these more.
“With a little more help and support and
resources, we could really widen our
community activities and provide so much
more in the Thornhill area”.
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5. Friends of Beaumont Park
The Friends of Beaumont Park met with
Councillor Carole Pattison.
A lively discussion took place around the
scenario topics for Its Time to Talk. One
of the key points made is that the Friends
of Beaumont Park have developed skills
and achieved successes in the process of
renovating the park which they would like
share with other groups.
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6. Big Lunch at
Fartown Village Hall
The event was organised by Agewell
and 50 residents from Birkby
and Fartown enjoyed a 3 course
meal. Students from the North
Huddersfield Trust School served
the up the food at the Big Lunch.
The Lana Kurdish Ladies
Big Lunch
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7. Jigsaw Enterprise Training
Huddersfield Big Lunch
Saturday 18 May
Jigsaw Enterprise Training is a Social Enterprise
offering personal development and training
opportunities to young people and adults, with a focus
on those with physical or learning disabilities.
The aim of this Big Lunch event was to invite people
with physical disabilities to have lunch with people
who are able bodied and who may not usually have the
opportunity to socialise with each other.
14 people had lunch together at the organisation’s base.
The event was a success with people expressing positive
comments - see left.
“Activities like this give people a chance to get to
know their neighbours. There is an assumption that
people do, but there are a lot of streets where people
don’t know each other”
“It would be fab if we could
organise one for next year”
“More things like this should happen for
people to get involved in”
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8. Ashbrow Forum
The Ashbrow Forum held the first Time to talk
conversation in Kirklees; all 3 local Councillors were
present along with 20 local residents.
In some communities local groups held smaller events or were visited during their regular meetings.
Chestnut Centre Family Forum
Chestnut Family Forum are a group of parents who live
in the Ashbrow area who meet monthly at the Chestnut
Centre and organise various activities with support
from the children’s centre, for example: health walks,
organise trips, story time sessions.
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9. Pakistan and Kashmir Welfare
Association
Local residents discussing the scenarios with Councillor
Gwen Lowe at the where they discussed enrolling
local business in to helping the centre and setting up a
gardening group.
Windy Bank Tenants and
Residents Group with Councillor
David Hall
Their conversation focussed on how they can keep
on doing the things they do now. Such as keeping
people informed about developments on the estate;
organising opportunities for the community to meet and
encouraging people to take up training opportunities.
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10. Greenfields Family Centre
Parents of pupils at Dalton Junior
Infants and Nursery School
The parents discussed the need for support locally for
people with learning disabilities and also discussed
working with the Greenfields centre to explore the
opportunity to develop a food bank.
Greenfields centre is in the process of setting up a job
Club after the parents discussed the need for a job club
to support young people back to work.
Friends in the Square Batley
They suggested helping neighbours with Bins and
clearing footpaths.
They also discussed having more events and activities
in Batley.
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11. Kumon Y All
Making sure what is given out is given fairly was one of
the suggestions that this group made along with clarity
on who to contact for help.
Dewsbury Minster
Who suggested a shift from the Council always being the
expert and letting people get on with their volunteering
with less bureaucracy.
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12. Almondbury Wesley Centre
Friendly lunch club
Members of the lunch club expressed their opinion
about services that they find invaluable; the access
bus; receiving their free bus pass and the opportunity
to socialise and have an afternoon of good company.
Kirklees Imams Advisory Board
Access to different levels of training for volunteers was
an important support for the advisory board.
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13. Greenfields Family Centre Good
Companions
The Good Companions shared their concerns regarding
recruiting volunteers.
Dalton and Rawthorpe
Children’s Centre Parents Forum
The Family Forum discussing setting up a local Time
bank to help to co ordinate volunteering in the area.
They value the support they get from Staff at the
Children’s centre
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14. Heckmondwike Jamia
Masjid al Haramaine
They suggested more work with young
people to provide positive role models
along with providing guidance support
and making sure everyone knows what
is going on locally
The Lakes
Neighbourhood
Watch
Councillor Peter Mc
Bride talking to The
Neighbourhood Watch.
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15. www.KirkleesTalk.org
#kirktalk
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