What Makes us Different?

There are many other community groups that serve the Queen's Park Ward run by dedicated, passionate and hardworking paid or unpaid workers. At Queen's Park Trust, we are incredibly supportive towards local councils, charities and community groups, but what Queen's Park Trust offer is we are:

Unaffiliated to any Council

Open Membership for all Locals

Governed by Local Residents Only

Free Membership

Non-party Political

Un-funded, Non-budget Run

No Religious Affiliation

All Governers are Unpaid

Why this matters for residents

  • QPT can act quickly without waiting for council processes.

  • It can host free events, build networks, and support neighbours without needing funding approvals.

  • It provides hyper‑local communication, especially through WhatsApp groups.

  • It offers a neutral space free from political or institutional influence.

  • Residents have a direct voice in shaping activities, themes, and priorities.

Neighbourhood Watch Awards 2026 Finalist

We have recently received this email from Neighbourhood Watch. Very exciting news!

We are thrilled to share the exciting news that you have been selected as a finalist for the Special Recognition Award at the Neighbourhood Watch Network’s Volunteer Recognition Awards 2026.

Your nomination stood out among many inspiring entries and is now in the hands of our panel of judges. This achievement is a wonderful recognition of your outstanding dedication, hard work, and the positive difference you make in your community.

Winners for each of our five award categories will be notified at the end of September, and we will be inviting them to join us for a special celebration event later in the year to honour the incredible contributions of volunteers like you.

We want to thank you sincerely for all that you do – you are an essential part of the Neighbourhood Watch community, and we’re so pleased to see your efforts recognised in this way.

How We Differ from Town Council and RAs

Community Trust

A community trust (not to be confused with a charity trust) is a non-profit organisation that helps local residents and focuses on free services and fundraising with the intentions of making the community better. It is often a collective of other local groups such as Neighbourhood Watch, Resident Associations (not in QPT), Charities (and in our case, a WhatsApp Community). It is run by a committee that is not elected and not affiliated with any political party or government office. Decisions are made by trustees who govern the trust but membership is also open to the public who also get opportunities to vote at public meetings. Our membership comes via our email subscription, WhatsApp group and Neighbourhood Watch group. This means QPT is run by residents for residents and members can all join and be heard, having a voice in what we do. We have a constitution and democratic vote but no elections.

Town (or Parish) Council

A town council is an extension of the Ward Council and is a government body. They also have a constitution, must have a minimum number of meetings and a minimum number of members at each meeting. Councillors are unpaid local residents that are voted in to do hands on work for the council but also support local residents. A town council does also have paid staff that are not elected in. There are many town councils across the world though not many in cities and they are funded by additional charges to the council tax of locals. Town councils may have many powers that community groups do not have so can make decisions without always needing to consult local council and they receive lots of funding opportunities especially for events.They often organise classes and events, offer local services to benefit residents, provide signage as needed, assist residents, provide gardening and much more. 

Residents' Association

This is a group of residents mostly with council tenant memberships and a small mix of other tenures. The resident committee get to make decisions but supported and funded by council, and follow a council constitution. The committee members are elected in by member vote and a certain amount of meetings must be held each year with  general members and the committee panel. An annual budget is given by WCC and the RA committee decide how it is spent to benefit the neighbourhood. When there is an RA in place, the council must consult the RA before making any decisions that affect the area that the RA governs. A name and geographical boundaries are decided upon. Every RA MUST have a Chairperson, a Secretary and a Treasurer and if possible, a leader of diversity and equality. These roles are also put to vote during meetings after residents from committee put themselves forward. Only covers a small area.