John Battle MP congratulates award-winning Neighbourhood Warden

Leeds Neighbourhood Warden Hannah Abury won a national award on November 28th. She was presented with her Warden's Achievement Award in Manchester by Environment Minister Tony McNulty.

Wardens are a key part of the National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal, launched by the Prime Minister in January 2001, which aims to narrow the gap over the next 10 to 20 years between England's most deprived communities and the rest of the country.

The Government are funding 1,300 community wardens across the country, in over 100 schemes. Leeds has 36 wardens. Barbara Roche, Minister for Social Exclusion and Equality, announced on 5 June 2002 a further £22.5 million to put an extra 300 street wardens in crime hotspots in ten police service areas - including 12 more in Leeds.

Hyde Park & Burley Lodge Neighbourhood Warden Hannah Abury won the "Environment - Liveability" award. Hannah has identified and solved problems of graffiti and other local eyesores like derelict land, resulting in letters of commendation from residents, police and community groups.

Hannah said "When I first started my post as a Neighbourhood Warden I had to have some quick successes so that my name would get known. The most efficient way of doing this was to post leaflets saying that I'd started along with a form for a free fire safety check and smoke alarms. Quite a lot of people took up the offer and it got my name known.

"I have been able to recruit many volunteers and match them up to projects they are interested in, for example I introduced a resident to a community café, and he now bakes cakes for them on a regular basis.

"I have helped reduce the fear of needles on the green spaces by removing the few needles I find and informing people the needle problem is nowhere near as bad as they might think.

"As I got more comfortable with my role I moved on to larger projects, one of which is my graffiti wall project at Kendal Close, LS3. I had taken off the graffiti from the area several times and I realised it was pointless to keep on removing it as it kept on coming back. I decided to find out about getting a previously redundant wall converted into an official graffiti wall, which I managed to do. It has been very successful in reducing illegal graffiti and seems to have improved the local residents' pride in their area. I am now moving to stage two of the project, a wall in Royal Park Primary School."

Hannah's next project is to set up a women's self-defence class.

John Battle said: "Congratulations to Hannah for this much-deserved award. The physical improvements to Burley Lodge - things like the house improvements and the binyards - are great, but it's also important to improve community spirit and put people in touch with each other, and Hannah's work combines the two. Community Wardens work for less crime, cleaner streets, and better community spirit, bringing people together and working with all ages. They help people to reclaim their streets."

Hannah has established close working links with local community groups, youth projects and church groups and assisted with environmental improvements such as clearing rubbish and removing abandoned cars.

The Warden Achievement Awards 2002 recognise the dedication and achievements of wardens working in neighbourhoods, across ten categories. Regeneration Minister Tony McNulty presented the wardens with their awards at the Neighbourhood Wardens Conference, examining links between environment and community safety.

Wardens aim to improve the quality of life by providing a uniformed presence in residential areas. They promote community safety, contribute to community development and assist with environmental improvements and housing management. They can care for the physical appearance and management of their areas and foster social inclusion.

Wardens are a key part of the National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal, launched by the Prime Minister in January 2001, which aims to narrow the gap over the next 10 to 20 years between England's most deprived communities and the rest of the country.

The Government are funding 1,300 community wardens across the country, in over 100 schemes. Leeds has 36 wardens.
Barbara Roche, Minister for Social Exclusion and Equality, announced on 5 June 2002 a further £22.5 million to put an extra 300 street wardens in crime hotspots in ten police service areas - including 12 more in Leeds.

John congratulates Hyde Park & Burley Lodge warden Hannah Abury on her award.

The dog in the photo was the much-loved pet of an older local resident, who painted the picture as a memorial.