Kasia Ganzera takes up the post of Preim’s Community Mobiliser

Passionate about people and getting a buzz from bringing communities and groups together; fun-loving marketing and social media guru Kasia Ganzera has become Preim’s community mobiliser for Tadpole Garden Village, Swindon. Originally from Poland, music fan Kasia made the life-changing move to TGV from London around 18 months ago and loves everything about her new surroundings; from the green open spaces, a love of nature and even the opportunity to ride her motorcycle to the local supermarket. We catch up with her and her plans …

Congratulations on your new role as community mobiliser at Tadpole Garden Village, Kasia! Can you start by telling us a little bit about you and your experience?

Thank you, I’m very excited to begin this new journey! I moved to Tadpole Garden Village nearly a year and a half ago and it’s been a life changing experience.

I lived in London where I’ve spent 13 years of my life after migrating from Poland with my family as a teenager.

While in London, I’ve been running a music and arts project promoting hip hop culture for eight years. I was organising what’s called a “jam”- an outdoor community event bringing together DJs, dancers, rappers, singers, street artists, locals and other people who were also embracing the culture’s ethos of “peace, love and having fun”.

Although I loved organising those events, it’s been my dream to move to the countryside to be closer to nature, slow down the fast pace of life which I’ve had in the city and just live a healthier lifestyle.

The proximity to Wales and Cotswolds has also been a massive selling point for me as I love riding my motorcycle and camping, so those two destinations are one of my favourites.

I was also looking for that community spirit which I’ve experienced while living in Poland, where your neighbours become your family, you support each-other and you feel safe to raise a family of your own.

One other amazing thing about moving to Tadpole Garden Village was that I already knew some residents – and having my best friend moving in also from London at the same time  was an absolute dream.

Career wise, it has been a mixture of roles this far, but I’ve spent five years in management for a construction company in London and after completing my master’s degree in marketing, my professional and creative adventure began; working for an advertising agency and currently as an executive for an online store selling gardening plants.

How do you see that experience fitting in with the community mobiliser role and Tadpole Garden Village?

I absolutely love working with people and creating new projects! As mentioned, community spirit is very important for me, therefore having experience of running events which got together hundreds of people I would love to create the same kind of strong connection in the place I live.

Can you tell us a little about your hobbies/interests and any involvement you already have within the TGV community?

Music, motorcycles and content creation are my biggest passions. I love and take inspiration from almost every music genre there is and ride my motorcycle everywhere I can ( including popping to the supermarket for groceries!).

Also, as the chapter or running events in London came to an end, I began hosting a talk show called Katy Fly Talks on YouTube where I interview amazing people with passion to bring inspiration and motivation to others.

Within TGV I’ve joined the TGV in Bloom group the minute I moved in, as mentioned I really wanted to be closer to nature, so gardening was the perfect fit. It also allowed me to get to know the wider community and learn something from the ‘pros’ within the group as I’m a newbie!

What is first up on the agenda for you as community mobiliser?

I’m looking forward to setting up a Facebook live drop-in session where residents will have the opportunity to ask questions. It will serve as an alternative to posting questions on the Facebook group and give us a chance to connect to residents better by having an actual conversation.

Next up, I will be working on creating an FAQ section on the Tadpole Garden Village website to give all residents quick access to the most common questions which will be beneficial to established residents as well as the new ones joining the community!

Can you quickly summarise for us what you believe is most important as a community mobiliser?

I believe that the core of this role is to simply bring the community together. That said it means creating various opportunities for residents to connect, as we are all from different backgrounds and have different needs but what joins us all is the beautiful Tadpole Garden Village which we all can call a home.

How can Tadpole Garden Village residents get in touch with you?

The first port of call for getting in touch really is the residents’ forum.

Visit tadpolegardenvillage.com and click on the forum tab. This is a private forum, exclusively for residents at Tadpole Garden Village, so you will need your Preim resident login to access the forum.

Ask us any questions you may have about the community here, post your ideas for groups or get-togethers, or simply introduce yourself to your neighbours!

The website is also a hub for resident information, whether it’s the opportunity to register your interest for an allotment, find out more about local wildlife at the garden village and learn about upcoming events.

Alternatively, my email is kasia.ganzera@preim.co.uk