This is how one man made such a difference to a 'notorious' estate in Milton Keynes

One of the most notorious estates in Milton Keynes has become a place were residents are proud to live – thanks to a unique community scheme.

Fishermead is home to the most diverse and vibrant community in the city, with the three storey townhouses and blocks of flats housing more than a thousand people from many parts of the world.

But over the years it has sadly suffered from high volumes of deprivation, multiple occupancy housing and street crime.

Three years ago, thanks to grants from MK Community Foundation and the National Lottery, a group called Fishermead Citizens Alliance was formed, with the aim of creating a new broad-based alliance of faith, education and other community organisations to tackle together the social issues plaguing the estate.

Tom Bulman was appointed as Community Organiser on a three year contract to spearhead the project.

Today Tom’s contract is nearing the end – but the community spirit he has created will hopefully live on for many years.

Instead of moaning about their estates, residents now have a pride in it and insist there is much to celebrate about living there. To prove this, the community came together to organise a large carnival earlier this month to mark Fishermead’s 50th birthday and its history, diversity and positivity.

There was dancing, singing, a portrait photo booth, sports competition, games, a Fishermead Business Olympics, an array of cultural dress and abundant world food stalls supported by donations from local businesses.

“Any kid who comes to this will grow up knowing Fishermead as a good place, “ one resident said.

In the first screening of a new film, hosted by Fishermead Mosque, residents talked about their pride in the estate. A model of the original 1970s plan for the estate was also exhibited and the children of the Jubilee Wood School sang a new song composed specially for Fishermead.

You can view the success story on a YouTube film here.

Residents and organisations are already planning how to continue the work and run another Carnival in 2024.

Pavle Trajkovski, pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist Church on Fishermead: “Learning about the principles of Community Organising has helped me be more impactful within my own institution as well as more confident in building relationships with other leaders in the community.”

David Hart, a long-term local resident, said: “Our Community Organiser has made a big difference in the estate. Despite Covid, he managed to get people talking to each other and inspired us to demonstrate how great Fishermead is.”

One current project is to make the estate a safer place by introducing a 20mph speed limit across all its street.

A petition called ‘Twenty is Plenty For Fishermead’ has been submitted to MK Council and is now in process of consideration.

Tom Bulman said: “We hope this campaign will bring the community together to make a difference on Fishermead. Most residents feel proud of their estate and want to feel safe. This will make them feel safer.”

Other plans include a Neighbours Day, improved streetlighting and forming litter-picking teams.