AT THE click of a mouse button, tenants from miles around can share ideas, advice and the latest information about housing issues thanks to a new website.
The Cumbria Tenants and Residents Participation Forum hopes to give tenants "a voice" through its internet site, and a chance to get in touch with other tenants to find out what is happening across the county.
The forum is keen for young people to share their thoughts on housing, and hopes the internet-savvy younger generation will be attracted to www.Cumbria-tenants-forum.co.uk
The forum meets every month and is made up of tenants and officers from landlords around the county including Home Housing, Eden Housing Association,
South Lakeland District Council.
The aims are to help and support fledgling and existing residents' associations get off the ground, foster a feeling of togetherness in communities, give tenants the latest information about housing and their rights through training events and conferences, help to solve problems, share best practice, and feed tenants' views into decisions made about housing.
"It's marvellous, isn't it," said forum chair Gwen Murfin of the website.
"Imagine how many tenants we will be able to reach, imagine how many youngsters we can reach."
She said ordinary folk in Cumbria excelled at "getting off their backsides and doing something about their comm-unities," and that Kendal's Hallgarth Community Centre was the ideal place to launch the website, because it was such a good example of tenants working together.
A roving information caravan is also to be launched by the forum in future.
Vice-chairman Dee Turner said it would visit every community in the county, particularly rural areas.
The National Lottery awarded the forum £5,000 last year which it spent on a laptop computer, scanner, digital camera and printer.
The equipment can also be loaned to residents' groups who do not have their own kit.
l The forum's next tenant-led conference is to take place at Kendal Town Hall on September 18.
Enyone is welcome to attend the free event.
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