Here's an idea

We wanted residents to have a say in the regeneration projects that took place around their homes, so we decided to organise a study programme to turn residents into regeneration experts.

Our aim is to enable residents and tenant association members to contribute to the debate about regeneration programmes in Lambeth, and give them the skills required to find funding for them.

The course takes place this summer at a local project, the High Trees Community Development Trust, which offers various types of educational training. The course is part of the Housing Directorate's regeneration programme, which works directly with tenants and is firmly grounded with community partners.

We see it as part of a golden triangle linking the council, tenant organisations and a community development approach. In this case, although we are working with the local community development trust, we've also had significant input from other local tenant-led community projects such as the Stockwell Partnership.

At the moment our course is being piloted and runs for 10 weeks with between 12 and 16 people. It costs about £9000.

There are 10 modules that take place every Saturday until midsummer. These include both classroom learning and site visits, so residents can learn about a variety of topics like raising resources, prioritising problems, consulting communities, project design, planning and delivery.

There's been a lot of interest and we have a waiting list of 16 people who want to sign up to the next available intake.

We hope the scheme will make a real and positive difference to the quality of life for local people. Setting up this type of course is only possible if you are working with people who have a genuine vested interest in the community but there is tremendous scope for some fantastic projects – and it seems only right that the residents, who will benefit directly, get to take a lead role in getting these projects off the ground.