Tag: Witton Lodge

Linda Hines MBE: No pay made her powerful

I have a guilty secret. I have favourites.

Among the dozens of brilliant people I’ve interviewed for the Grassroots Channel Podcast, Linda Hines is right up there amongst the ones who really made an impact on me.  She is an unstoppable pragmatist and optimists (and has even begun blogging, although we still need to help her along with this).

Linda is a volunteer director of the Witton Lodge Community Association and has just been awarded her MBE for services to the community in North Birmingham.

It was Linda who told me that “no pay makes me powerful” – something which should be the mantra of volunteers everywhere. Listen to why she does what she does through this link or by clicking on the arrow below. Then you might understand why she has been honoured.

 

Does no pay make you more powerful? Grassroots Channel Programme 21


I’ve just spent a wonderful morning with two women who are both directors of Witton Lodge Community Association. Linda Hines has been involved for 15 years while Michelle Ashmore got stuck in just two or three years ago.

The Association has been working really closely with Birmingham City Council and other partners to drive through a huge regeneration project for Perry Common in the north of the city. It began with the bombshell that hundreds of homes were so structurally unsound they would have to be demolished.

The association is really central to its success for two reasons. First the 14 unpaid (and mostly resident) directors have a common sense idea of how to help the community thrive. Secondly the council was unable to raise the money for rebuilding on its own. The finance was only possible because of the association. Their hard won expertise is now being shared through the governments Guide Neighbourhoods programme (along with Balsall Heath and Castle Vale)

If you scroll down you can listen to their lively (and sometimes tearful) conversation and find out why both directors are convinced that much of their power derives from them being unpaid. So much so that wouldn’t want it any other way. Oh and please leave any comments here on the blog.