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The Northern Community Area Partnership (NCAP) was established in 2004 to work together with local communities in Cricklade, Wootton Bassett and surrounding villages. It is a group of people all wanting the same thing – to drive through improvements to services, the economy and environment and to retain those things people value most in North Wiltshire. In 2005, after listening to local people, it published a Community Plan listing those issues of most concern to them. Amongst others, these included the protection of the Rural Buffer, the lack of local youth facilities, poor road maintenance, refuse collections and recycling, lack of police staffing in rural areas, retention of high street business and inadequate local bus services.

The Community Plan was then distributed to households throughout the area. This was the first step and since then the Partnership has been working to resolve issues. It works closely with North Wiltshire District Council (NWDC) and Wiltshire County Council (WCC) - both use the Community Plan to inform decision-making. Both are fully committed to taking forward the identified needs of local people.

There has already been some success. NCAP has been able to influence, through the Community Plan, the distribution of NWDC funding through the Community Award Scheme. Now 75% of the money available must be awarded to projects linked to the Community Plan and during the last 12 months around 20 local projects have been awarded grants under this scheme. NCAP has supported a small community group in its bid to finance a footpath project in Wootton Bassett as well as using the Community Plan to help support a much larger lottery bid for the exciting Cricklade Country Way project. The Partnership has also been able to secure money from the European Social Fund to help build on its relationship with community groups and help small local organisations to make things happen. It can also, where appropriate, act as a lobby group on local issues.

We welcome into the Partnership more local people and community groups who can spare time, share ideas and offer expertise so that even more can be achieved. They will be given an opportunity to talk to other like- minded people about their own ideas and projects, no matter how small, which may help to improve the quality of life in the area they live in and then work together to make it happen.