A PROJECT hoping to bring Chesham people together by inviting the community to varied workshops has been launched and appeals for local volunteers to join in.

The U project, developed by the Young Foundation, in partnership with the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), will be teaching a wide range of skills free of charge to Chesham residents for four months.

All the session’s hosts, around 12, are to be found within the village and surroundings, and training will take place on April 6 and 13.

Workshops will be offered from April 15 in various cafes, halls, pubs and leisure centres.

People are invited to learn skills useful for their communities such as first aid and defusing conflict, as well as to get to know their neighbours better.

According to research by Ed Mayo, secretary general of Co-operatives UK, the level of neighbourliness has declined significantly over the last three decades.

And, it was in face of an ever growing pace that has pushed people away from each other and from their neighbours that the workshops have been designed.

The U director Radhika Bynon said: "Populations are churning at a faster pace.

"This all makes it very difficult for people to get to know their neighbours and the people living around them.

"Our ambition is that people will get out of a sessions and may say hello to somebody they saw in there and talk to each other on the street."

Buckinghamshire County Council Cabinet Member for Community Engagement Martin Phillips said: "The U Project is an excellent example of the way the county council and local partners can work to help draw people in our communities together."

Networking and practicing positivity will also be touch in The U sessions.
To volunteer, for more information or to register for an upcoming session, go to www.the-u-org.uk/chesham.