13 Jul 2006 - How I turned my community around
Meet the young mother who has been honoured at Downing Street for improving life on her estate.Written by: Jane Cartledge
Picture by : Barry Richardson
Gemma Darby swapped her teenage dreams for motherhood when she fell pregnant at 17. Although she'd been determined not to join Britain's army of young single mums, nature and naivety conspired against her.
Within a moment her new life as a single mum was mapped out and she quit college to realise her daughter. Within a few years she was pregnant again but Gemma being a battler was determined to get more out of life. She soon noticed there weren't any facilities for kids or parents on her Sheffield estate so she set about changing things.
And what a difference she's made. So far Gemma, now 24, has helped set up a toddler group, a youth group a full time nursery and sex and drug education workshops. In fact she's made such a difference to the Winn Gardens estate at Middlewood that she's won Volunteer of the Year award and a national childcare champion award presented at Downing Street by Chancellor Gordon Brown.
The determined young mum remembers how it all started with the birth of her little girl Ella, now six.
I sat at home thinking how there weren't any toddler groups on the estate. Mums had to walk to Forbes Road in Hillsborough if they wanted to meet other mums, so I decided to do something about it. I've got five brothers and sisters and for years my mum had been fighting for better facilities for the kids around here. We didn't have any proper park or anywhere to meet. So after listening to my mum for years I obviously thought along the same lines. Having a baby made me realise there was nothing for mums and toddlers so I set about organising a group.
With the help of SCCN, Gemma helped to set up a toddler group, which is still going strong today and now run by her sister. Gemma delighted at making a difference to her community quickly moved onto other projects endearing her to a generation of kids on the estate. She was instrumental in setting up a youth club and obtaining £250,000 funding from Sheffield futures and connexions, the city's youth and careers service.
The result was Middlewood winners, a youth club for 12 to 21 yr olds. A junior club for 8 to 11 yrs olds quickly followed and from that sprung drug awareness sessions and sex education workshops. Gemma, who attended Wisewood School, returned to college to study for a NVQ Level 2 in childcare and says if there is a training course planned her name is the first on the list.
As you'd expect being a young mum, Gemma strikes a chord with the kids and runs the weekly youth club where she organises craft sessions, ice skating trips and sports days. I respect them and they respect me" she says as we sit in the newly refurbished Winn Gardens Pavilion, home of Little Winners Nursery. "One of the reasons I do is because they listen to me, especially when it comes to sex education. I stand up and say 'do you want to end up like me, a mum at 18?' "A lot of people slag off Winn gardens and the kids around here, but if you treat them as you'd expect to be treated they're lovely. They're not all little angels but they're not all awful either".
Gemma whose work is completely voluntary spends two days and one evening each week helping out at the pavilion be it in the nursery, the youth club or with the general administration of the office. Her mum Jane Darby is the paid development worker, so working together for the future of the estate is a real family affair.
Later this summer mum and daughter plan to run sports activities during the school holidays and after meetings with the estates community safety officers they've also planned a litter pick.
"There's so much planned and I'm so passionate about the work I do, I just love it" Like her entire family Gemma still lives on the estate where she was brought up. "l'll never move away from Winn Gardens" she says defiantly as we look out over the newly restored Middlewood Park with its spaceship shaped youth shelter, secure toddlers play area and all weather courts - all of which Gemma played a part in securing.
"I love living here. All my family still live on the estate. I've got a great maisonette and to me it's the best place to live in Sheffield. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. There's great community spirit here and we've got some fantastic facilities now. What more could you wish for?"
"There a massive new estate over the road where the houses sell for half a million but they haven't got a fraction of what we've got. Over here it's a different story and we're very proud of what we've got. I only wish there'd been half of what we have now when I was growing up?"
Within a moment her new life as a single mum was mapped out and she quit college to realise her daughter. Within a few years she was pregnant again but Gemma being a battler was determined to get more out of life. She soon noticed there weren't any facilities for kids or parents on her Sheffield estate so she set about changing things.
And what a difference she's made. So far Gemma, now 24, has helped set up a toddler group, a youth group a full time nursery and sex and drug education workshops. In fact she's made such a difference to the Winn Gardens estate at Middlewood that she's won Volunteer of the Year award and a national childcare champion award presented at Downing Street by Chancellor Gordon Brown.
The determined young mum remembers how it all started with the birth of her little girl Ella, now six.
I sat at home thinking how there weren't any toddler groups on the estate. Mums had to walk to Forbes Road in Hillsborough if they wanted to meet other mums, so I decided to do something about it. I've got five brothers and sisters and for years my mum had been fighting for better facilities for the kids around here. We didn't have any proper park or anywhere to meet. So after listening to my mum for years I obviously thought along the same lines. Having a baby made me realise there was nothing for mums and toddlers so I set about organising a group.
With the help of SCCN, Gemma helped to set up a toddler group, which is still going strong today and now run by her sister. Gemma delighted at making a difference to her community quickly moved onto other projects endearing her to a generation of kids on the estate. She was instrumental in setting up a youth club and obtaining £250,000 funding from Sheffield futures and connexions, the city's youth and careers service.
The result was Middlewood winners, a youth club for 12 to 21 yr olds. A junior club for 8 to 11 yrs olds quickly followed and from that sprung drug awareness sessions and sex education workshops. Gemma, who attended Wisewood School, returned to college to study for a NVQ Level 2 in childcare and says if there is a training course planned her name is the first on the list.
As you'd expect being a young mum, Gemma strikes a chord with the kids and runs the weekly youth club where she organises craft sessions, ice skating trips and sports days. I respect them and they respect me" she says as we sit in the newly refurbished Winn Gardens Pavilion, home of Little Winners Nursery. "One of the reasons I do is because they listen to me, especially when it comes to sex education. I stand up and say 'do you want to end up like me, a mum at 18?' "A lot of people slag off Winn gardens and the kids around here, but if you treat them as you'd expect to be treated they're lovely. They're not all little angels but they're not all awful either".
Gemma whose work is completely voluntary spends two days and one evening each week helping out at the pavilion be it in the nursery, the youth club or with the general administration of the office. Her mum Jane Darby is the paid development worker, so working together for the future of the estate is a real family affair.
Later this summer mum and daughter plan to run sports activities during the school holidays and after meetings with the estates community safety officers they've also planned a litter pick.
"There's so much planned and I'm so passionate about the work I do, I just love it" Like her entire family Gemma still lives on the estate where she was brought up. "l'll never move away from Winn Gardens" she says defiantly as we look out over the newly restored Middlewood Park with its spaceship shaped youth shelter, secure toddlers play area and all weather courts - all of which Gemma played a part in securing.
"I love living here. All my family still live on the estate. I've got a great maisonette and to me it's the best place to live in Sheffield. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. There's great community spirit here and we've got some fantastic facilities now. What more could you wish for?"
"There a massive new estate over the road where the houses sell for half a million but they haven't got a fraction of what we've got. Over here it's a different story and we're very proud of what we've got. I only wish there'd been half of what we have now when I was growing up?"