Spotlight on Dandelion Savers

Darren | 10 Apr 2024

Read our interview with Lina, Committee Member at Dandelion Savers, find out about one of the newest groups in the Savers Network who are already achieving great things!

Can you tell us a bit about Dandelion Savers? When did you start, where and how often do you meet? How many members do you have?

Dandelion Savers is part of the Dandelion Community, this is an established Community, where workers and volunteers have been serving the Woodhouse Park area and other parts of Wythenshawe areas for as long as the United Reform Church Building has been standing, and is under the leadership of (Rev) Kate who works there.

Dandelion Savers are a newly established Savers Group that started in January 2023, the Committee Members are made up women who are existing volunteers or service users of the Dandelion Community. Initially a group of 7 women came together with a view to establishing a Savers Group and joining the Community Savers network. This was following a visit to an existing network member in Miles Platting.

Dandelion Savers are a small team, it was initially created and run by two committee members, the number has now increased to three committee members. Who are Fathima- Committee Treasurer of the Dandelion Savers, Lina- Committee Leader of the Dandelion Savers, Zoe,- Committee Leader of the Dandelion Savers. I feel that the group exist, remains in existence, due to the amazing technical support it receives through the support agency CLASS.

Who meet at the Dandelion Community - Oakland Road M22 1AH from 10am – 1pm on Wednesday

We have 23 members active members.

Dandelion Savers members where invited and some attend the Christmas Party/End of Year Party in December 2023 hosted by the support agency CLASS, a fun time was had by all who attended, for the committee members, it was great to meet and get to know some of the other Savers in an informal Christmas/End of Year setting.

Savers at the weekly Dandelion Savers group

As a group, what would you say are the main benefits for the individuals who save with you?

Dandelion Savers, benefits the Dandelion Community, its workers and volunteers and seeks to provide an opportunity to bring people/residents in the Woodhouse Park area together.

The Savers Group seeks to help existing Savers and encourage residents :-

To be more in control of their own money.

To think about saving money for a special occasion or holiday.

To think about saving money for repairs or to buy an item that costs a lot.

Encourage saving thereby reducing the chance of needing a loan, using loan sharks or credit cards

Encouraging resident to save so that they feel less stressed about money and debt, during the cost of Living crisis.

How long has Dandelion been working with the Community Savers network? Has working with the other groups helped Dandelion to develop, learn, expand or do things differently?

The Dandelion has been working with the Community Savers network for 1 year now, receiving technical support from the Support Agency, Community Led Action & Savings Support (CLASS). We are a brand new group of committee members, working together for the first time.

Throughout 2023 we attend quarterly Community Leaders Network Meetings, where we met with other Community Saver Leaders. The agenda were set by the Leadership Team and we planned, learned and developed together.

Throughout 2023, we had the option to attend training on mental health, neurodiversity and safeguarding in community groups.

Extra Training was provided for SEN System and schools

We had the option a learning network events to connect with Birmingham & Coventry organisations also funded by Renaisi/Smallwood.

We have had an option to attend a CLASS Trustee meeting to introduce ourselves, as a new Savers Group

Last but not least, we had the option to attend, the annual Community Savers Retreat: in Llandudno 10-13 July 2023

All these training opportunities, and technical support from CLASS (the Support Agency) have allowed us Committee Leaders to develop in our role as Leaders, allowed us to set up really good systems, as well as undertake our weekly Savers Group meetings on Wednesdays. All the committee members are volunteers, they also volunteering for other groups and are involved in other community groups.

As well as the savings group, are Dandelion Savers involved in any other community projects and what are the impact of these?

As leader for our Saving group, it quickly became evident that this was a role that was encouraging us to get involved in community action, we initially went to visit another Savers Group in Miles Platting that was organising a local housing campaign.

We have been encouraged to join a network of other women led groups in Wythenshawe, called Women of Wythenshawe, we have been meeting quarterly and seeking to focus on community actions that affect Gender Justice. The group have voted to focus on three Topics, Special Education Need (SEN), Domestic Violence (DV) and Housing.

The community action within the Housing Group has really taken off, due to a number of local issues, with the focus of the campaign on promoting Social Housing and Social Rent in the Woodhouse area. This is because the Places for Everyone consultation, took out the wording social rent and secondly in the local area Manchester City Council (MCC) have bought the Civic Centre and there is a drive of community action to influence the MCC to include social rent housing in their plans and not "affordable housing" as it has quickly become apparent that the term “affordable housing” is not covered by the Local Housing Allowance rate and is unaffordable.

What can we expect to see next from Dandelion Savers next - does the group have any plans for the future?

The Committee Leaders recently attended a Network Meeting in January and made plans for 2024, which included feedback from the Learning Exchange in Nairobi Kenya, a display on the Community Savers Board in the Dandelion Community, Committee Leaders want to increase membership by going out into the community to recruit members, Committee leaders would like to arrange an a day out for its members, and prepare for an AGM.

Give them a follow on FB here https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551388052760

Tags:

Dandelion Savers, Women of Wythenshawe, Wythenshawe

Introducing…

Darren | 16 Sep 2023

CLASS is delighted to have been able to develop our staff team throughout 2023! We welcomed Kate Parsons, our new Operations Manager, in March, and Fathima Naseer the new Women of Wythenshawe Admin Assistant in July; while our brilliant intern Ieva Pojuner was promoted to Neighbourhood Networks Coordinator in September. We asked Fathima, who is also Treasurer at Dandelion Savers (header image), and Kate (below), to share a few words about themselves, and their experience of joining the CLASS team and working with Community Savers and WoW…

Fathima:

Getting a job with CLASS and Women of Wythenshawe has been very emotional for me!

I came to the UK from Sri Lanka in 2011 with my family, and for a long time I was just at home being a housewife and mum. I had never worked in my life and I was always at home, but during COVID I saw a message from The Dandelion Community saying they needed volunteers. I texted them and Rev. Kate Gray from Dandelion asked me to come in the same day. So that’s when I started volunteering for 3 years at Dandelion foodbank.

Over time, I was able to take on more responsibility with the Foodbank, and I started managing the food bank vouchers and paperwork. Kate asked me, 'what kind of job would you like if you could have a job?' I said ‘paperwork - that’s what I like doing', and she said ‘that’s called admin work’, – so that’s when I knew what it was called!

Then at Dandelion in January, we started up a new group called Dandelion Savers and this was really helpful for me because I didn’t ever use money before, my husband managed all the finances and looked after everything very well.

Since I became Treasurer at Dandelion Savers it was so good for me because I learned how to use money, how to manage money, going to the post office and using an ATM - I had never used those things, or even at the shops, or going on the bus, I had never used money. I never travelled on my own!

So, I have learned so much, and then this year, I was so pleased to get a job as Admin Assistant supporting the Women of Wythenshawe network!

The first two months have been really interesting: I have learned many new things and I am learning more every day. I had a bit of anxiety about some things like making bookings and sending emails but then I do it and that gets easier because I am just doing it. And I am talking to people on the phone all the time. I am still worried about doing meeting minutes but the other staff at CLASS are helping me learn this new skill.

It's unbelievable to me, I thought I was never going to work in my life I thought I would be a housewife for ever! But my children started asking me questions like “mum, why do you not go to college; why are you not working?” They see their friends’ mums working so they wonder. And now, I give them £10 from my salary as pocket money and it makes me so happy! And they are already good savers – they save £5 for savings, £5 for snacks!

Kate:

After seven years of working at a mental health charity in an operations role I was looking for a
new challenge. A colleague recommended that I look at the role at CLASS and I read with
interest about the background of how the organisation had begun. The idea that these
groups are formed and driven from the ground up really appealed to me. Co-production is a
much talked of activity but few organisations achieve it. CLASS and Community Savers are doing an excellent job of working together to collaboratively create and strengthen groups and networks
that are representing community priorities and needs and with mutual respect are delivering
successful outcomes.

Since starting in my role as Operations Manager at the beginning of March 2023, I have met all the affiliated Community Savers groups and networks and have been impressed with their commitment to improving their communities and raising awareness of issues they have identified as important for their areas. Reflecting on my first six months in post, I have learned a lot from an amazing team of leaders who are addressing an impressive range of issues including housing, climate change, the cost of living and surviving on a low income. Their projects include the development of community hubs, green spaces, food banks and crisis funds. Women-led groups come together to share their knowledge and skills to make improvements that have an important impact in their local communities.

I have attended meetings where people have spoken passionately about wanting to help others and bring about the change that they want to see. After attending the annual retreat in July this year, I can really see the power that comes from bringing people together with similar aims to support and uplift each other. The network is stronger together and the support and skills offered are impressive. The wide range of activities is exciting and I am looking forward to the opportunity of supporting the leadership with their aims and objectives in the months ahead.