Principally through our email messages going out to over a hundred people we are keeping the ward informed about events and campaigns and facilitating people’s participation in everything from parties to protests.
We are really big on networking with all the other community groups active in Romsey and in the Mill road area in general. So we are working with the Mill Road Winter Fair Committee to ensure that we keep up the Romsey end of the commercial and festive aspects of the fair to counteract the tendency for the town-end, ie Petersfield, to get more foot-fall. The HATS! competition will be based in Romsey Mill again and draws in hundreds of kids (and adults) to make hats from recycled materials and we encourage our traders to brighten up the fair with their headgear as well. Detailed information will appear on www.millroadwinterfair.org and in the MRWF programme.
We know that not everyone in the ward is on email so we have collaborated with Mill Road Bridges ensuring that their Newsletter, which goes out to thousands of houses on both sides of the bridge, has plenty of copy about Romsey.
We endeavour to be a positive group but sometimes we just have to say ‘No, Thank You’ to developers’ plans for the area. We have campaigned against the closure of the Royal Standard and against aspects of the Cromwell Road development. We stimulated discussion on and made submissions to the Local Plan consultation process.
When topics are hot, for instance, the Community Cycle Parking Scheme or disabled access on Mill Road, we make sure you have timely information and the councillor and council officer contact details you need to express your views cogently. We’ve circulated petitions on behalf of the Black Cat Café and the Friends of the Cherry Hinton Brook. Of course it’s up to you what you choose to support or oppose. We know that opinions vary across the spectrum with regard to issues like Tesco on Mill Road, the Romsey lakes, and the Mosque. What we have in common is that we all live or work here and have a commitment to making Romsey an even better place through mutual respect and active participation in the democratic process.
There’s a social side to Romsey Action as well. We support our local community centre in Ross Street and participate in events such as their International Women’s Day celebrations. We let you know about art shows in the Hope Street Yard and over the pedestrian bridge at Aid and Abet. We promoted music too with DJ Skunk’s dance nights with African bands at the Labour Club. We even organised a Sunday afternoon musical event at Urban Larder on June 10th, a chance for neighbours to get to know each other, drinking tea and chatting in a convivial atmosphere.
We keep an eye on our environment in every sense – from care of trees and green spaces to keeping in touch with our local cops help to monitor and reduce crimes in Romsey and helping the City Rangers keep the place clean and tidy.