Are you a member of a neighbourhood network? A WhatsApp group just for your road? A Facebook group for your estate? A residents’ association even?
Yes? Great! Please have a look if it’s in our list here, and if not, please go to our online form and add your group! You will no longer miss information that is shared via the Skerries Neighbourhoods Network WhatsApp group (on average, 1-2 posts per week). Joining the network means that you’re asked to pass on those messages to your own group – unless they are not relevant, of course.
No? Well, then check whether the area where you are living is covered by any of the groups below.
If your street is covered, send an email to network@skerriesca.com with your name and address and contact details, and we’ll pass them on to the group in question.
If it’s not listed, ask around first. And if there is no group yet in your area, just start one! Have a look at our Tips & Tricks for Starting a Neighbourhood Group below. And thank you to all the groups who already responded and shared their experiences! Their information is what our tips and tricks are based on.
Our list is by no means complete yet!
Are you in a neighbourhood whats-app / Facebook / email group not covered in our list (below)? Then please help the progress by registering your group with the SCA!
Maybe you live in the area of one of the groups mentioned here, and didn’t even know it existed! If you’d like to be put in touch with one of them, just send an email to network@skerriesca.com
The current Skerries Neighbourhoods Network
- Ardgillan View
- Ballygossan Park WhatsApp Group
- Barnageeragh Cove and Hamilton Hill Residents Association
- Churchfield Residents Association
- Downside Residents Association
- Greenlawns Watch
- Hillside Together (Hillside Close and Hillside Gardens)
- Kelly’s Bay Rocks WhatsApp Group
- Kelly’s Bay Strand Neighbours
- Kelly’s Bay Tower
- Martine Court Residents
- Mourne Estate Residents Management Association
- Quay Street Residents
- Red Bank Residents
- Seacrest Residents
- Selskar Court group
- Skerries Rock: The Crescent
- Skerries Rock: The Vale
- Townparks street WhatsApp group
- The Haven
- Togher Hill Residents
What is this Skerries Neighbourhoods Network?
The Skerries Community Association (SCA) is facilitating this network of neighbourhood groups in order to bring together all the neighbourhood groups in Skerries. This will help exchange of information and more.
The idea is that the SCA and its committees (e.g. Tidy Towns, Town Twinning, Age Friendly, Sustainable Skerries, Skerries Cycling Initiative) will be able to contact all or some of the neighbourhood groups to pass on information or to get in touch with them about various initiatives. This happens via a dedicated WhatsApp group – each neighbourhood group has one person on that Skerries Neighbourhoods WhatsApp group and is asked to pass on information to their own group.
What about other groups?
At the moment, we only have capacity to facilitate a network of neighbourhood groups. The SCA may in future decide to widen this to other groups, such as writers’ groups, bridge clubs, or book clubs – if you are in such a group, or a similar one, please go to the online form and add your group so that when we do, we can contact you easily!
Tips and Tricks for Setting Up a Neighbourhood Group
These are – in no particular order – some of the experiences existing groups shared with us.
- Just start and keep it simple!
- The sooner you start a neighbourhood group the better – you never know when it’ll come in handy!
- A WhatsApp group can be the easiest to start with.
- Google Groups are a bit more accessible for those who do have email but not a smartphone (needed for WhatsApp).
- Facebook Groups work for some as well (then again, not everyone is or wants to be on Facebook).
- Approaching a few neighbours you know personally first, and then asking those to spread the word among those they know in your street, works.
- Fingal County Council offers some support for residents associations – do check it out here!
Street or streets or housing development?
Maybe both. Perhaps a neighbourhood group for your street and a residents’ association for the development / area is best!
For some things, like a neighbourhood barbecue or sharing seeds, a smaller area made up of one or a couple of streets is best. For others, like raising issues with a developer (for new estates) or with Fingal County Council, a residents’ association works!
What Neighbourhood Groups do
Again, just a taste of what the existing groups are doing. Some are doing a number of these things, others just one or two.
- asking questions / sharing information re water outages, lost cats, or missing parcels (WhatsApp is particularly useful here)
- representing the residents in discussions with builders (for newer estates) / the County Council
- neighbourhood street parties / picnics
- table quizzes and Bingo for the neighbourhood (online during Covid-19)
- sharing / borrowing tools and machinery
- sharing seeds and plants locally
- estate clean ups
- summer BBQs
Last updated on 6 November 2024 by Sabine McKenna. Contact: network@skerriesca.com