Maureen meets with the fire serviceEach week on Action Network we meet people who have made a difference in their local area.

This week we meet Maureen Horn who helped turn Grange Park in Blackpool from a bleak council estate to a flourishing community. She talks about how her neighbourhood came to win an award from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

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It was one of the most highly deprived areas, with very low employment. There was no hope really; we were just like an island. We had high levels of crime, environmental dereliction, education levels were poor. Cars were being burnt out on the estate. You kept yourself to yourself. My children were younger then and we just had to survive.

New housing was built by one of the housing associations but it didn't change anything. There needed to be communication between the people living on the estate and the people working for it. So we began to talk and that's when things got started.

Everyone gets a say

The residents started to have partnership meetings with the council, the fire service, the police and the housing associations. At the meetings everyone is equal and can voice their opinion.

When they started doing the build of the latest houses the residents were in with the architects from choosing bricks to deciding on décor and bathrooms. .'Children are the tenants of tomorrow'
There is a family on the estate with two young disabled children and they were involved in the build of their own house so that it was right for them when they moved in.

The residents make sure the council is getting it right. We went to inspect one empty house and I said: 'Why do we always have to have a black toilet seat? It looks like a town centre toilet.' It's just a small thing but it makes a difference to the people living there.

A sense of pride

What's absolutely wonderful is that on former difficult areas of the estate we've got houses that people are taking pride in. That's happening because people are involved in making decisions about their homes.

There is now an area that we call the Campus. The first thing built was a medical centre, then the City Learning Centre and Boundary School followed. The children are in their new school and their new uniforms. They are the tenants of tomorrow.

Connecting the generations

I was involved in setting up a new initiative called the Dream Scheme. One of the things we did was to take the children up to the old peoples' home. The kids were awarded points for coming along and for helping out. If they saved up the points they could go to the football at Trafford Park, or out for the day as a reward. At first they were just coming for the points but they forgot about them, they were enjoying it so much. Now they know much more about their area from communicating with the older people. Those kids came out in the wind and the rain, they were committed.

Recognition for Grange ParkFamilies can access the internet

I felt very honoured when we were given the deputy prime minister's award for sustainable communities. That night I felt that all the hard work had been worth it. We see this as ours, it's our baby. As residents we have done it.

The certificate will go up for every resident to see. We'll be showing it wherever we can – look what we've done, the award winning Grange Park!

I am very privileged to be part of this. I've seen a change in people's spirit. I love living in Grange Park now. If I won the lottery tomorrow I would stay where I am.