Latest News


Street Associations spread around the UK through ‘As One’ campaign

By Martin Graham
Wednesday, February 14th, 2024

As a key response to the pandemic, since 2022 the As One campaign, featuring Street Associations as the key ‘thing to do’, has spread from Dudley,…

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10th anniversary party

By Martin Graham
Monday, August 2nd, 2021

The first Street Association to be launched, Yew Croft Avenue in Harborne, Birmingham, celebrated its 10th anniversary on 1st August 2021.  A garden party was held,…

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Street Association at heart of As One campaign

By Martin Graham
Monday, March 22nd, 2021

Emerging as a key initiative to ‘lock-in’ the surge in community spirit seen during the pandemic, Street Association are at the heart of the As One…

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Advent displays on 24 windows!

By Martin Graham
Thursday, November 26th, 2020

St Laurence Road Street Association in Northfields, Birmingham has come up with a novel way of getting the whole street into the Christmas spirit.  Nearly all…

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Lock-down heroes

By Martin Graham
Thursday, November 26th, 2020

Aston University is currently undertaking research on what Street Associations did during the Lock-down in the Spring of 2020.  Because there was an infrastructure of relationships…

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Tea Party spawns local Street Associations

By Martin Graham
Friday, July 19th, 2019

Southgate Family Church pioneered the first ‘Permission to Smile’ Tea Party, which was all about stimulating community-building in the locality of the Three Estates, King’s Norton,…

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Buckinghamshire celebrates Street Associations success

By Martin Graham
Friday, July 19th, 2019

Led by Buckinghamshire County Council, and supported by Thames Valley Police, town and district councils, churches and others, a big Street Associations initiative, started three years…

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How residents value their Street Association!

By Martin Graham
Thursday, October 11th, 2018

Here are some extracts from letters received from grateful residents: “[Sue and Sarah] are doing a great job for the community.  I am very proud of…

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Diving in – the first S.A. in Poole

By Martin Graham
Thursday, October 11th, 2018

Blog by Paul Hockley Poole, Dorset now has its first STREET ASSOCIATION! Martin & Gina Graham came this way in February 2016 to speak to a few…

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Street Associations spreading

By Martin Graham
Monday, October 8th, 2018

A new Street Association in Islington, London, is going great guns, after receiving backing from Islington Council.  It’s being taken forward by Nicky Legate, a local…

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First London Street Association launched

By Martin Graham
Thursday, June 7th, 2018

Commissioned by Islington Council, and taken forward by local community worker Nicky Ludgate, the first street association in London was launched at the beginning of June,…

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Permission to Smile campaign

By Martin Graham
Monday, April 30th, 2018

Launched in Birmingham in May 2018, the Permission to Smile campaign is being spearheaded by Uturn UK C.I.C., alongside it’s work in pioneering and developing Street…

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Currying favour

By Martin Graham
Thursday, November 9th, 2017

A spate of candle-lit curry evenings has recently been reported around Kingstanding, Birmingham and parts of Solihull. These involve a delicious and inexpensive meal, a quiz,…

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Built on sand

By Martin Graham
Thursday, September 21st, 2017

Coach trips to the seaside at Weston-Super-Mare have been a huge success over the summer of 2017.  220 residents have gone from Kingstanding in two ‘waves’,…

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Christmas parties in full swing

By Martin Graham
Thursday, December 8th, 2016

The first of many Christmas parties have taken place, with some breaking all records for attendance.  Virtually 100 residents packed into the Danbury Crescent party (featured…

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New partnership with LSE, RSA and UClan

By Martin Graham
Friday, September 23rd, 2016

A major project, supported by the Birmingham Better Care Fund, has recently started in Kingstanding, Birmingham. In addition to working closely with the residents of 10…

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Queen’s 90th street parties

By Martin Graham
Wednesday, July 27th, 2016

Street parties were held across the West Midlands by Street Associations wanting to be patriotic – or enjoying an excuse to get together! Thanks to everyone…

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New street associations launched with BBQs

By Martin Graham
Tuesday, April 26th, 2016

The new season of street association launches has started with a series of barbecues, each dodging typical April showers successfully – although one, in Alspath Road,…

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Solihull goes egg-static

By Martin Graham
Wednesday, April 13th, 2016

Easter Saturday 2016 saw a clutch of Solihull Street Associations going crazy – for eggs! Ely Close and Ipswich Walk in Chelmsley Wood got in first,…

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Elves fill Vauxhall Crescent

By Martin Graham
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2015

Elvish antics made the running at the Vauxhall Crescent street association Christmas party in Smith’s Wood, Solihull.   The party attracted about 45 children and 30…

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Street adopts brain injury unit

By Martin Graham
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2015

Middle Park Road street association, in Weoley, Birmingham, has for the second year running held a carol service at the Brain Injury Unit, which adjoins their…

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Santa arrives at Christmas party

By Martin Graham
Monday, December 21st, 2015

The Ely Close and Ipswich Walk street association Christmas party was given a huge lift when Santa himself chose to drop in – arriving in his…

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“They made me feel so young again”

By Martin Graham
Monday, December 14th, 2015

The Green Hill Way Christmas party, in Shirley, Solihull, was supposedly all about the kids.  But that’s only part of the story.  Bringing together people of…

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Solihull Council showcases Street Association

By Martin Graham
Tuesday, December 8th, 2015

The ‘Your Solihull’ magazine, which is delivered to every door in the council area, has showcased what is happening with the Vauxhall Crescent Street Association as…

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Christmas party season gets into swing

By Martin Graham
Monday, December 7th, 2015

Kingsley Street Association in The Pleck, Walsall, just had its second Christmas party.  A visit from a children’s entertainer, and another from Santa himself, made it…

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‘Love my street’ comes to Solihull

By Martin Graham
Friday, September 25th, 2015

The first Street Association in Solihull, with the strap-line ‘love my street’, has been launched in Solihull. Vauxhall Crescent, in the Cars Estate, Smiths Wood –…

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May the Force be with you!

By Martin Graham
Tuesday, February 17th, 2015

A thriving Street Association in a challenging neighbourhood has made a new alliance with the local police to help transform the street. The meeting, on Scarborough…

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East Cheshire Council adopts Street Associations

By Martin Graham
Thursday, January 15th, 2015

East Cheshire Council has backed Street Associations with a £25,000 grant to promote it locally, funding a local co-ordinator to work with strong backing from the national…

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Community spirit meets Christmas spirit!

By Martin Graham
Saturday, January 3rd, 2015

Street Association Christmas parties showed communities, not least in poorer areas, being incredibly generous, with residents donating food galore, expensive raffle prizes, decorations – and creating…

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Pleck communities put things right – with a Christmas party!

By Martin Graham
Wednesday, December 17th, 2014

Two streets in Pleck, Walsall have each thrown a family Christmas party just for their street, bringing the community together with something really positive. In both…

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Community spirit goes up in smoke

By Martin Graham
Thursday, November 6th, 2014

A big firework party to bring a whole street together has ‘sparked’ a revival in community spirit, following the establishment of a Street Association, part of…

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Key new alliance with Neighbourhood Watch

By Martin Graham
Friday, October 17th, 2014

Neighbourhood Watch is teaming up with Street Associations in an unprecedented alliance, helping both models of local community activity to ‘reach the parts’ they would otherwise…

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Street in deprived Walsall neighbourhood unites

By Martin Graham
Wednesday, September 17th, 2014

A free barbecue, held to bring together residents of a troubled Pleck street, was attended by 50 residents from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds and…

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Multi-racial is no barrier

By Martin Graham
Saturday, July 26th, 2014

A free barbecue was recently held by Street Association founders, Martin and Gina Graham, in Kingsley St, Pleck. Pleck is a deprived area of Walsall, one…

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