During the winter of 2011 and the spring of 2012, volunteers and staff took to the streets of Knowle West to investigate the social connections that exist within the community. Over 350 surveys were completed on the doorsteps of local homes.

In September 2012, local people and stakeholders met to view the findings of the survey and plan new projects to address the needs and gaps that were identified. The main findings included a lack of information locally to encourage people to use existing services and spaces, which led to our Lost & Found project. Another major finding was a high number of isolated older people seeking advice from their GP for problems unrelated to health/medical issues. This led to the Social Mirror project – a community prescribing tool for GPs to use with patients. Other findings included lack of satisfaction with the area and negative expectations.

Read the full report here: Knowle West Survey Findings
Read the short local report here: Knowle West Findings Summary

It is hoped that further projects will be planned, based on learning from the survey and community workshop.