Wymondham Community Partnership


Wymondham Community Partnership winds up its operations
After eight years of service to the community, Wymondham Community Partnership Limited is shutting down its operations. The decision was taken at the Annual General Meeting last October.

In a report circulated to members during the summer of 2007, the Partnership’s board gave the reasons for its recommendation. These include changes in the funding climate and local government environment, which no longer offer the necessary level of support for community partnerships; the unsuitability of the Partnership’s present structure for any likely future role; and a lack of members able or willing to take over the responsibility of running the Partnership from the volunteers who have been doing so for many years

Partnership chair Ann Roberts said: “This decision is being made with considerable regret. As a relative newcomer to Wymondham, I can see that the Partnership has been a remarkable performer, delivering projects worth many hundreds of thousands of pounds for the town, with much of this money coming from outside Norfolk. It has been one of the leading agents in reversing the decline that Wymondham was experiencing in the 1990s, and has constantly nursed and delivered new ideas for community benefit.

“However, the funds needed to help us continue are drying up, the volunteers who have driven this enterprise for many years want to apply their efforts in other areas of town activity, and it is not clear that there is a role for partnerships like ours in the changing structure of local government

“I do believe, however, that a new means can be found to help local organisations work together at the grassroots level. There is so much ability and enthusiasm within our community which can be tapped into, and we have to make sure that this is properly recognised and supported, and applied for the good of Wymondham.”

The Partnership has helped to launch and nurture many town initiatives, including Wymondham Learning Centre, the town website, farmers’ markets and a comprehensive town ‘Healthcheck’. It has organised many public events including health fairs, an environment fair and events to celebrate the work of local volunteers. It has produced two action plans and Partnership members are still working with the ‘Wymondham’s Future’ group to prepare a new town strategic plan to be published in 2008. It has run a small grants scheme for voluntary community organisations. Its most recent project has been the historic bronze model in the Market Place to celebrate the Abbey’s 900th anniversary, unveiled last autumn.

A public meeting was held after the Partnership’s AGM to discuss the future of voluntary community working in Wymondham, and how this might continue in a new forum open to all town organisations and individuals. Activities might include meetings to exchange information about town activities, sharing skills and resources, organising training, advising on funding and discussing and developing new ideas and concerns. A working group has been discussing how it might operate, and the first meeting of the new forum will be held in February 2008.


Brief history
The Partnership was established with the name of Wymondham Development Partnership in 1999 as a voluntary community organisation. Its aim was to encourage town organisations, local councils and statutory bodies to work more effectively together for the good of the wider community.

The Partnership was the first of its kind in South Norfolk. It changed its name in January 2006 to Wymondham Community Partnership to reflect its primary role as an organisation dealing with community issues rather than economic or building development. Similar partnerships were later formed in Diss, Harleston and Loddon/Chedgrave.

The Partnership had nearly 50 members, rather more than half representing local organisations, but with many individual members. Members of the public often attended quarterly meetings, and some joined because of an interest in community partnership work, or through working groups co-ordinated by the Partnership and dealing with green issues, planning matters and press and publicity. Partnership meetings have been valuable for exchanging information which would not otherwise be generally available and as an area for sounding out opinion and testing new ideas.

In 2003 the Partnership became a company limited by guarantee to enable it to employ staff and apply for and hold grants for community activities. It was run by an elected board of directors. The Partnership has no paid staff, and all its directors and members give their time on a voluntary basis.

The Partnership has been instrumental in nurturing and launching many town initiatives, including Wymondham Learning Centre, the town website, farmers’ markets and a regionally-funded town ’Healthcheck’. It has organised many activities for the public including health fairs, an environment fair and events to celebrate the work of local volunteers. It has produced two action plans and worked jointly with the Town Council to prepare a third strategy document early in 2008. It has run a scheme for making small grants for voluntary community organisations. Its last independent project was the historic bronze model unveiled in the Market Place last autumn to celebrate the Abbey’s 900th anniversary.

Three of the Partnership’s working groups are continuing to meet and work informally, These are the Environment Group, working through local nature group WyNG to keep an eye on ‘green’ issues in the local area, the Vision Group dealing with planning and development issues arising from growth and change in the built environment, and the Publicity Group which helps local organisations with publicising their activities.

More information: John Wood on 01953 602051 or Ann Roberts on 01953 604311