Getting to know your Neighbours
Moving into a new Neighbourhood
When moving into a new home apart from being a busy task you are moving into a new street or road, a new community & neighbourhood. There will be neighbours who have lived there for various lengths of time. It can be a challenging experience, just overnight your living next door and close to people you don’t know, strangers. They don’t know you and you don’t know them. Maybe some appear to have different cultures and different nationalities.
Come what may, everyone living in that terrace, street, road or close has something in common with each other as soon as they arrive there to live. They share the same access or roadways and paths and the public services that service these areas. The postman, street cleaners, street repair teams. They also share the environment, fly tipping, littered streets, clean streets and maybe experience the same anti-social behaviours, other crime and nearby shops, services, and maybe schools and health centres. You are all part of that physical neighbourhood that you all use and share together.
When someone new moves into the neighbourhood, it’s a perfect opportunity to make a friend. Did you know only one in three of us bother to introduce ourselves to our neighbours when we move because we’re ‘too busy’.
Building stronger, safer communities through connection and care
1. Introduce Yourself
Get to know your neighbours better by making the first step, knock on the door and introduce yourself. Say hello, go one step further and offer a welcoming gift. Warm cookies, a bunch of flowers, it doesn’t have to be expensive; it’s the thought that counts!
Moving to a new area can be a bit daunting. You don’t want to overwhelm your neighbour with information, so make the introduction short and sweet, a couple of minutes will do.
2. A smile can go a long way
Our lives are often so busy that we sometimes forget how important it is to smile and say hello. You won’t look friendly or approachable if you are looking at the floor or are permanently on the phone. Smiling also makes us look younger and more attractive! Next time you walk past your neighbour, even if you are in a hurry and late for work, smile and say hello!
3. Invite them over
Once your new neighbour has started to settle in, learn more about your neighbour over a coffee or tea. You may feel comfortable inviting your neighbour over for a home-cooked meal or if the weather’s nice, why not have a barbeque? Not a good cook? You can always go out for dinner in a local restaurant.
4. The Grand Tour
Show your new neighbour around the area. This will give you something to talk about if you are not good at starting conversations! Point out the local corner shop, the local supermarket, the playgrounds, the restaurants, etc. Find out more about them.
5. A helping hand
The best way to welcome your neighbours is to be there if they need help. If they have children, you can offer to help babysit. If they are elderly or disabled, you can offer to move snow or cut the grass. Be there for them when they need you and not just when you feel like it.
Don’t let them feel like a stranger in their new neighbourhood.
6. Join Neighbourhood Watch
For many years Neighbourhood Watch, often called ‘People Connectors’ has helped bring strangers together, so they are no longer strangers. Simply by acknowledging a neighbour in the street is a first step. If at first, they don’t respond don’t be too worried, they could simply be too busy at that time or simply not be as confident so give them time to acknowledge you.
Benifits of Neighbourhood Watch
There are benefits to getting better acquainted with your neighbours. Knowing the difference between when they should be at home and their home being occupied by an uninvited guest can help to reduce crime.
Should the conversation with your new neighbour extend to them asking you questions, i.e. what’s in it for them, here is a list of benefits.
A. Neighbourhood Watch has a history that dates to 1964 when the first group was set up in the United States to inform and reassure residents about a local crime. Since then, it has grown wide and far, to include many communities in the UK. Over 2.4 million are part of the growing network.
B. The aim of NW is to help people create communities where everyone feels safe by encouraging neighbours to care and who look out for each other, regardless of class, age, and race barriers. Our primary partner, the police also help towards crime free communities. There are many benefits of setting up your very own Neighbourhood Watch
C. You can invite the local police to speak to your group on home security improvements
D. It can help encourage residents to work together on projects such as alleyway clean-ups
E. It promotes friendships in neighbourhoods, preventing people from becoming isolated or afraid
Provides the elderly with regular contact from neighbours
• It can help to reduce the cost of your home insurance
• Helps to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour
F. They are welcomed by Peterborough Neighbourhood Watch Association.
G. They would be automatically a member of the Peterborough Neighbourhood Watch Association. They lead on all aspects of the Watch scheme for the Peterborough area.
- Household/members Guide (one per household)
- Street promotion leaflets
- Window stickers (one per household)
- Posters
- Street signs – (£13 each. The signs are the only ones permitted for the Council area)
- Connection with other registered schemes in the area
- Help to set up set up a ‘ Buddy Scheme ‘ if requested.
- Help and advice with issues or problems in your area
- Invertation to Peterborough Area Coordinators Meetings (every 6 weeks) .
- Photo ID badge for Coordinators
- Free Public Liability insurance for local events
- Local police officer contact details for Coordinators
Please try and get more neighbours involved, the more the merrier! Visit our website at https://Nwpeterborough.org.uk for further help and assistance.
Saying Hello in Different Languages
Here are a few examples of saying hello to any non-English speaking neighbours. A simple search on the internet will guide you to say that first hello or good morning.
In Lithuanian
Labas (pronounced “lah-bahs”) is the most common and versatile way to say hello. You can use it in both formal and informal situations.
Sveikas (for males) and Sveika (for females) are also used to greet someone. These are slightly more formal than “Labas.”
If you’re greeting a group of people, you can say Sveiki (pronounced “sveh-kee”).
In Polish
To say “hello” in Polish, say “cześć.” This very common, although maybe informal greeting, is pronounced roughly like “cheh-sh-ch.” Non-Poles may find it difficult to pronounce this word correctly. Following a “sh” sound with a “ch” sound is something that is almost never done in English.
In French
“Bonjour” (bohn-zhuhr) – suitable for almost any situation. “Salut” and “Coucou” – also informal and friendly.