Tenants and Residents Associations (TRA) are my preferred option for community action groups.

The obvious advantage is that all the people coming together are already confirmed as living in the area of the TRA.

In Tower Hamlets social landlords are obliged to fund and support any Resident Association, which forms and requests support from the social housing provider. Your social landlord website should include instructions how to form an association if it doesn’t exist already.

Residents Associations can also be formed privately.

The difference between Neighbourhood Watch and TRA is that on the Neighbourhood Watch system anybody can register online without being known to their actual neighbours but in a TRA people are known to live in the the vicinity.

On many estates in Tower Hamlets Residents are supplied with a communal hall too.

To see which Residents Associations exist in Tower Hamlets see the list available from the Council.

Community Food Gardens are closely aligned with Residents Associations.

Litter picks are also a great initiative for people wanting to keep their neighbourhood clean.

more pictures to follow