What's happening here?

This is an article from the most recent 'The Mairehau' community newsletter about the exciting project 'Pay It Forward'...

Residents will soon notice some changes happening at the shop on the corner of Nancy Ave and Weston Road. The shop is to become part of the Pay It Forward project initiated by Neighbourhood Trust. Trust Manager and New Projects Worker, Ginny Larsen says, 'The name comes from the saying, 'You can't pay back love, you can only pay it forward.' The shop will become a community space of life-long learning and creativity. A place Mairehau residents can contribute into and take from as they need.'

The project will house SeniorNet. Ginny says 'We've been listening to our community and something a lot of the older adults in our community have been saying is, 'When will SeniorNet be moving back into our area?' Readers will remember that Senior Net used to be at the Shirley Community Centre that fell victim to the February 2011 earthquake. They had to move to Ferrymead and now the building they are using there needs to have work done on it. They had always intended to move back into the Shiley/Mairehau area, but had not be able to find a suitable venue. They hope to tak up residence in the shop at 45 Nancy Avenue early August.

Ginny says, 'There's a lot of work to be done. A wall with a slider doorway will be erected to separate the learning part of the premises from the shop part. We have a lot of crafts people in our midst, who have been traipsing from market to market over the weekends, but with the Arts Centre being out of operation, have nowhere to permanently display their goods. Pay It Forward will fill this gap in a small way, with a mix of crafts and second-hand books - another activity that disappeared from our community a few year's back.'

Ginny says she has been pleased with the support from local organisations such as St Albans United Church, Te Puna Oraka and Shirley Community Trust, and individuals from Mairehau. 'It's important this is a community project and we're pleased to have local builder, Malcolm Davis, on-board to make the changes to the shop and Mairehau woman, Hazel Schreiner, who readers might remember from the Craft Love Festival she initiated earlier in the year at Mairehau High, to bring together the crafts side of things.'

The shop will have a swap box for children's books and a box for over-supply of fruit and veg. So if, for example, you have 20 lemons ripe at the same time and don't know what to do with them, you might like to contribute to the box and feel free to take home silverbeet and tomatoes. There will also be a drop-box for people in temporary accommodation and free wi-fi during the daytime. The aim is to be a community resource and drop-in place. The Pay It Forward project has been made possible by a contribution from the Christchurch City Council Capital Endowment Fund.

If you would like to be part of this project, contact Ginny - ginny@nht.org.nz 

More information for registering as a craftsperson will be available within the next six weeks.