You said...
Well cared-for neighbourhoods make a real difference to how home feels
Clean, well-maintained shared spaces can make a big difference to how you feel about where you live.
Throughout 2025-26, you told us what mattered most in your neighbourhoods.
We listened, and used that feedback to make improvements to shared areas, worked closely with local organisations to tackle issues and supported projects making a difference within your community.
Looking after shared spaces
We continued to focus on keeping communal areas and green spaces clean, safe and welcoming. When things were missed, we heard your feedback and worked to put things right.
You told us that fly-tipping, litter and poorly maintained communal areas can affect how proud you feel of where you live.
So, we worked with councils, contractors and community groups to make practical improvements that helped neighbourhoods feel cleaner, greener and better looked after.
We:
- Improved shared gardens and green spaces with new plants, raised beds, compost, paint and water butts.
- Supported community gardening projects and helped customers get involved with local groups.
- Helped customers recycle more through local visits, events and practical advice.
- Added extra recycling bins to some schemes to make responsibly throwing away rubbish easier.
- Cleared and tidied communal areas, including bike stores, to help tackle fly-tipping.
- Donated litter pickers, gloves and bin bags to support customers who are keeping their communities clean and tidy, through collaboration with contractors.
You helped shape local improvements
We know that every neighbourhood is different, and what matters most in one community might not be the same somewhere else.
We spent time listening to what matters most where you live, through:
- Estate walkabouts,
- Neighbourhood visits,
- 17 community events,
- Conversations with you,
- and working with local groups and organisations.
Your thoughts, views and feedback helped us understand what’s important in different areas and where improvements were needed most.
Our Community Champions helped us better understand local issues and spot opportunities for improvement within their communities.
In 2025-26, they carried out 71 walkabouts of their neighbourhoods, highlighting things like grounds maintenance, parking, fly-tipping and community safety. Their local knowledge helped us to focus on the things that mattered most in the area.
The difference our Community Champions have made:
- A new sign to help delivery drivers find addresses more easily at Waterside Court.
- Helped arrange the planting of seeds, creating a colourful display of tulips at Bushy House.
- Supported and promoted local activities, helping to increase attendance at CPR sessions and community events at Burgundy House.
- Encouraged customers to work together to keep communal areas clean and tidy at Colossus Way.
- Arranged for a community bench to be repainted and new security measures to prevent fly-tipping at Raglan Court.
- Raised concerns about cleaning standards, leading to improvements at Bentinck Street.
- Brought the community together to support new customers moving into James Caird House, including signposting them to a Longleigh grant.
- Helped set up customer WhatsApp groups, improving communication and neighbourly support at Raglan Close and Burgundy House.
- Supported plans for a new community garden at St Mary’s, Wantage.
- Helped us to set up Happy to Chat benches at Hungerdown Lane.
These are just some of the ways our Community Champions have helped make neighbourhoods cleaner, greener, more connected and more welcoming this year!
And, between May to December 2025, 13 new Community Champions joined the team!
" I love that the role gives me the chance to learn new things and make real improvements in our community. Often, small changes can make a big difference!"
We transformed green spaces at Edencroft by planting 29 new trees, including a community orchard. Shaped by customer feedback, the project helped create new habitats, improve biodiversity and provide a greener, more welcoming space for the community.
We want to help create places where people feel connected to their community and proud of where they live.
More than 150 customers attended community events held during Summer 2025. Conversations that took place across these events helped to shape plans for improving neighbourhoods - like better recycling facilities, improved communal storage areas and enhancements to shared garden spaces.
What happens next
What you've told us through neighbourhood visits, community events and feedback is helping us to build a more local approach.
By spending more time in your neighbourhoods and listening to what matters where you live, we're focusing on the improvements that will make the biggest difference to your community.
“Since becoming a Community Champion, I’ve seen massive improvements in the area, and Stonewater have been great!”
