Dave McEvoyPlease can you introduce yourself, and explain what your role involves.
I am Dave, Elected Chair of WERA and have been in post for the association for 3 terms (3 years nearly) since I moved from Dulwich in 2007. My role is quite varied and can be extremely challenging from meetings with housing, Lambeth and external bodies such as the local police. I also take charge of our monthly meetings and ensure the actions and issues raised are dealt with, again this can be anything from resident issues to repairs.


What motivates you to do this role?
My motivation is simple, to improve our community and make it a better place to live for those living on Weir Estate and myself.

What do you most enjoy about representing the residents of Weir Estate?
It’s the satisfaction of knowing your making a difference to people’s way of living and quality of life. I most enjoy seeing the efforts that I put into what I do and making things happen and what I hope our positive results.

Do you think Lambeth council and Lambeth Living engage with residents and the association enough?
I think they do a pretty good job in engaging with us as an association as one of the main things I have tried to establish is good relations and communication between Lambeth, Lambeth Living and all our other community partners. Part of this is also maintaining those relations. More can always be done to engage and work together but Weir Estate doesn’t do too badly. As for one on one, yes I am sure many residents would like to at least feel there is more communication and sharing of information, thankfully this is where WERA comes in.


If you had the power to change any law, what would you change and why?
Being an ex police officer, I can think of many, but I think rather than changing the laws, I would like to see the law come down harder on criminals and give appropriate sentences and be consistent with it. The police do a pretty difficult job but it’s the laws themselves that let us down. I would definitely change sentencing laws.


What does community mean to you?
Community means being part of a place where everyone can live together to improve and share. By taking care of the more vulnerable and elderly as well as engaging with those who live around you and taking responsibility for the place in which you live no matter their age or background.

What aspects of society would you most like to see changed?
This would have to be more people getting out there to make positive changes in the area where they live and not being frightened of what is beyond the doorstep. Many voices are far louder than a few. I would like to see society taking charge of the place in which they live and getting taking more of a stand to demand change and improvements.

What is your vision for the future of Weir Estate?
I am recently quoted in the press as saying I want other Residents Associations to aspire to be like us, this is because I want Weir Estate to be the best model there is for leading the community by continuing to find ways to improve our estate and make it a cleaner, safer, friendlier and attractive place to live for many more generations to come.

What advice can you give to residents about improving their community?
We can all make a difference in many different ways from attending meetings and having a say to taking part in events. The best advice I can give is don’t be afraid to get stuck in, many hands make light work and by being a collective voice we can all make a huge difference, the simplest way is to take part in your association.

What is your most memorable moment in your role?
My most memorable must be securing getting the new windows and doors on Weir Estate. This was a long running issue that had blighted our estate for many years, getting them would make a enormous difference to residents, their families and their homes. This took a lot of hard work over a long period and involved some dedicated people who supported me and this association; it shows what difference WERA can make.

What does WERA do to communicate and inform residents?
Over the past couple of years we have continued to develop many new ways of keeping residents informed from wera.org.uk which has gone from strength to strength. This of course has run the latest news and updates for what has been happening on and around Weir Estate. Our website has a wealth of information and exclusive interviews constantly being updated. However, as we know that we have slightly older residents and those without internet access, we have also put together a bulletin sent to every property on the estate and many people in Lambeth such as housing and the police. Alongside this, we have also embraced social networking sites, using such websites as twitter, where we have quite a following across the whole country and further afield which raises the profile of WERA and we post regular up to the minute developments, news and information. We also have our email system which we always welcome residents to contact myself or the other executive officers or general inquires on.
I am always keen to get feedback and views from residents as at the end of the day, it’s us the residents who matter most. Last but by no means least we have our monthly meetings which are a great forum to keep residents informed and I am always sure to update on what we have achieved and what’s happening at the start of the meeting.

Do you feel you have managed to accomplish what you initially set out to do?
I think we are getting there, however there is still a long way to go before I can say I have accomplished what I set out to. I believe we made a good start and I do feel I have achieved success in many of the areas I set out to improve with WERA. Sadly however, the work is never done as change is progressive.

What is your favourite area in Lambeth?
Of course it’s where I live, right here, home and Weir Estate is my favourite place in Lambeth. I am a very proud Lambethian, being born and bred in Lambeth for most of my life and it’s actually a great borough. My favourite place to visit has to be South Bank on a sunny day, I love the atmosphere and some great things to see and do!

What are the main successes WERA has had recently?
I am proud and pleased to say we continue to see much success with appointing a new great vice chair in Rohema along with my other Executive Colleagues Sue and Mags. We have seen success in continuing to improve the estate with long over due repair works to our estate railings which has in turn enabled us to establish a new relationship with the Youth Offending Service who are re-painting the old tired and tatty railings. We have made good progress on developing a new community Garden in the corner of Anfield Close which is very exciting, of course seeing the end to the windows and doors work and lastly we have managed to help individual residents with long standing issues in their homes.

If you could change one thing about this country what would it be?
For me personally and this will probably be quite controversial but the Coalition Government. However I would also like to see a better quality of living and better standard of homes.

How would you encourage an area without a residents association to set one up?
Talk to your neighbours and members of your local community and you will surely find many will have the same concerns and fears as you. By getting together you can start making change happen. Its not as difficult as you may think and by forming one voice you really can make things happen and change for the better.

Describe yourself in a short sentence.
I am a caring, compassionate and sensitive person who believes in making change happen.

Who is the most influential person you have ever met and why?
The biggest influence on my life has to be my Mum, as she has been through so much and has battled in the face of severe illness, never giving up and always still managing to be there for everyone else showing courage unlike I have ever known. I am the youngest of eight brothers and sisters and despite her own challenges she has still remained strong to us all. I like to think this influence somehow rubs off on me!

What is ahead for WERA, residents and Weir Estate now?
We will continue to ensure Weir Estate is served well by Lambeth Living, contractors and the local Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT). We have many great things ahead with the new Community Garden to look forward to and enjoy. We also have some great new WERA Asks to come on the website (I don’t want to give too much away but we have some BIG ones ahead), Weir Estate will continue to see differences unlike it has ever seen before and residents will of course be able to be proud of living as part of this community.

Explain how residents can contact, and be part of WERA.

There are many ways to contact WERA as we want to make our association as accessible as possible. We have email info@wera.org.uk.  We can be contacted through the website www.wera.org.uk. You can drop messages or notes off at The Weir Link, 33 Weir Road) and also by attending meetings which take place at the Weir Link every second Tuesday of the month from 7pm. Also I am often around the estate so please don’t hesitate to stop and say hi.