Regenerating Communities: By taking a holistic approach to community regeneration and listening to what local people want we ensure the resulting benefits are more that just over people's heads.

As Arena's regeneration work shows, the involvement of an effective social landlord goes far beyond looking after the fabric of a building and making sure the rent is paid on time. Making entire communities a better place to live, tackling problems such as environmental neglect, unemployment, lack of training opportunities or plain boredom, helps to give communities back their self respect and pride in what people can achieve themselves.

The work being done at Leasowe is part of a wider regeneration strategy, while smaller schemes, such as Burleigh Road South in Anfield, have benefited from Arena's understanding of housing issues. Here, low demand, anti-social behaviour from some of the existing residents and difficulty in letting properties was overcome by Arena, following a bold move to demolish and replace 39 unpopular flats and bedsits with 17 new three-bedroom houses, creating a sought-after location.

Brookvale Community Centre in Halton, for example, provides a valuable resource for residents of the estate. Home to 15 project groups, the centre is now managed by a community development worker employed by Arena to take a proactive role in empowering local community groups.

Complementing the physical building work, many Arena communities have benefited from initiatives to improve employment prospects, such as the One Stop Shop in St Helens, or to bring people together in improving their surrounding environment, as has been achieved through the creation of a number of Millennium Greens and support for the Sankey Canal Restoration Society.