Locals Are Doing It for Themselves

Ever thought the neighbourhood was looking a bit tatty and wished you could do something about it?  Or seen a disused building and had a genius idea for how to put it to good use?

One in three of us would like to get more involved in our local neighbourhoods, and now can, thanks to the launch of Your Square Mile - an organisation dedicated to helping people make the changes they’d like to see in their own neighbourhoods. 

A brilliant new website will help you find out what’s going on and how to get involved, based on where you live and what you’re interested in. It will also help you link up with other people like you in your area.  There’s helpful information under the label of Be A Savvy Citizen – explaining everything from becoming a school governor or starting an allotment, to how to have your say in the way the council spends its money.

Your Square Mile is a citizen’s mutual. Joining up will get you access to a range of benefits specifically tailored for volunteering: public liability insurance, personal accident insurance, a legal advice line and discounted printing. Membership of the mutual costs just £10, around a third the value of the benefits, with lots more benefits in the pipeline.