Singapore’s Friendly Neighbourhood Award 2023

Connecting at Our HV Little Library

Block 2 Holland Avenue

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Big love in a little library

Led by Ms Wong Kae Chee, 2 Holland Ave boasts a group of 15 dedicated volunteers known as the Kampung Elves. Their mission? To foster stronger bonds among neighbours and give back to the local community. Enter the HV Little Library, a 24-hour hub that offers not just books but a space for neighbours to connect. Gatherings of pet owners, sewing and fitness classes as well as festive celebrations are often held at the hub. The community extends their warmth to estate cleaners and migrant workers too by organising dinners to show their appreciation, with Ms Wong even hosting these dinners at her home during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Paying It Forward with Fruits Basket Day

Regency Park Condo

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A basket of appreciation

Regency Park residents go above and beyond to show gratitude and kindness to the workers who serve their community. Every Friday, they collect fruits from their community to distribute to the security guards, cleaners, and gardeners working within the estate. Initiated by Ranbir and his family, the heartwarming ‘Fruit Basket Day’ project has gained the support of over 200 neighbours. During the challenging Covid-19 pandemic period, residents displayed resilience by offering workers free masks and sanitisers, and even provided them financial aid. Festive celebrations and self-initiated gatherings like the ‘Regency Beer Fest’ further strengthened the bonds within the community, creating a compassionate neighbourhood that cares for all.  

Dragon Chiller Food Rescue

Toa Payoh East Zone 6

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The coolest way to be neighbourly

A group of close-knit residents from Toa Payoh East Zone 6 known as DARK (Dragon Angel Rescue Klub) truly embody the kampung spirit, by lending a helping hand to those in need. The volunteers fully funded and initiated the collection and distribution of food items through their community fridge, the Dragon Chiller. Their remarkable food distribution efforts benefit approximately 50 low-income families each week. The residents also tend to a community garden and share the harvests with their fellow neighbours, and run regular donation drives to give away pre-loved items like books and clothes. By extending care to their fellow neighbours, DARK is creating a space where neighbourliness can thrive.

Community Support at Bedok Reservoir

Bedok Reservoir

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Super residents in Bedok Reservoir

From weekly tuition, free haircutting to food rescue and distribution, residents in the Bedok Reservoir community chip in to support their neighbours in myriad ways. During the Covid-19 pandemic, some even assisted seniors with their vaccination and doctor appointments. At the heart of it all is Ms Sandy Goh, who is the “voice” of the community. Sandy manages multiple WhatsApp groups to facilitate support and communication with residents in need. She then collaborates with welfare organisations to help these residents find the help they need. The work that she and her large network of volunteers put in has enabled the Bedok Reservoir community to stay a connected and caring neighbourhood.

Celebrating Friendships at Compassvale Helm

Compassvale Helm

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Building lasting connections with neighbours

The kinship among Compassvale Helm residents epitomises unity in the community, as seen through the robust support groups they have, along with regular events like introductory potluck feasts organized for new residents. Lively WhatsApp groups allow for communication and information-sharing between neighbours, deepening their bonds. A strong sense of compassion was also evident during the Circuit Breaker period, when neighbours helped one another to buy food and conducted regular walks around the estate to ensure the wellbeing of their elderly neighbours. Their strong community spirit extends to the estate’s workers, with the community coming together to celebrate a Bangladeshi cleaner’s birthday with food from his home country.

Cultural Exchange at Yishun Floral Spring

Yishun Floral Spring

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Blossoming diversity in the neighbourhood

Yishun Floral Spring is always abuzz with activity. Residents actively share information via the estate’s Facebook page and WhatsApp group chat. They come together to celebrate festivities at block parties and distribute goodies bags to spread the festive cheer. To foster greater understanding and respect amongst different ethnicities, residents share food from their local cuisines with each other. The strong bond between residents also fuelled acts of kindness such as house visits, distributions of grocery or pre-loved items, and free tuition during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our Friendly Street Ambassadors

Villa Verde

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Ambassadors who connect

Led by Street Ambassadors, Villa Verde is a vibrant multi-generational community that cherishes strong traditional values while embracing modern living. The ambassadors keep the community abuzz with activities by organising street parties, home-hosted events and hiking tours. New residents are warmly welcomed through chat groups where they can connect with their fellow neighbours. Residents also take pride in leading interest groups over shared hobbies like cooking and pets. Under the ‘Neighbours Helping Neighbours’ initiative, the community comes together to share information, resources and pre-loved items, as well as homegrown harvests. During the Covid-19 pandemic, residents also supported one another with homemade treats, care packs, and essential supplies.

For Seniors, By Seniors

Blocks 676A and 676B Woodlands Drive 71

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Cultivating wellness and health amongst the elderly

Nestled within Kampung Admiralty, the residents of 676A and 676B Woodlands Drive 7 find unity and care under the guidance of Mdm Doris Yuen. As the key connection, Doris leads her team of volunteers to organise engaging activities for seniors, such as weekly morning exercises and biweekly weekend walks at various nature parks, to keep them active. She also shares her gardening skills and organises recycling DIY workshops for her neighbours. With her consistent efforts, the community garden has been transformed into a bonding space, where neighbours gather and care for the garden every morning. This nurturing environment encourages the community to support and provide companionship to one another.

Kampung Circuit Community Pasar

Kampung Circuit

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A circuit of support

Kampung Circuit's neighbourly bonds shine brightly through various community initiatives and celebrations. Led by Mr James Seet, the monthly Pasar@Blk 94 sees residents contributing and distributing food and grocery items to 150 needy neighbours. Neighbourhood volunteers also go the extra mile to send the items directly to residents who are less mobile. Free meals are provided to vulnerable seniors twice weekly, while programmes such as the 24/7 Care Table and the Barang Barang allow residents to donate pre-loved items to those in need. Since 2012, the volunteers have also been spreading the festive cheer to seniors by organising a reunion dinner during each year’s Chinese New Year.

Food Rescue at Chai Chee Street

Ping An Green

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A little help goes a long way

Acts of kindness like delivering food to quarantined residents and supporting frontline workers during the Covid-19 pandemic are all part of the loving environment at Ping An Green. Located in Chai Chee, the community organises food distributions twice a week for the less privileged, with residents using the activity as a way of getting to know each other. Residents in the estate plan to get more community fridges by collaborating with community partners, and have the area near the fridges double up as a community node for residents to gather and interact. Weekly breakfasts, interest groups for gardening, ukulele, exercises and festive celebrations continue to cater and strengthen the bonds between different groups of neighbours.

Weekly Storytelling for Children at West Terra

West Terra @ Hong Kah North

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Where neighbourliness sprouts

Despite being a younger estate, the residents in West Terra exemplify a community united through kindness. Neighbours proactively care for one another by ensuring the children’s safety during Halloween trick-or-treating, helping residents locate missing pets, and assisting quarantined households during the Covid-19 pandemic. To provide a conducive learning environment to help the estate’s children learn Mandarin, weekly storytelling sessions are organised, with residents generously sharing equipment such as PA systems and projectors, and volunteering to support these sessions. At the block/floor level, families also celebrate the birthdays of each other’s children. Communal events like Grandparents' Appreciation Day, birthday parties for pets and Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations also foster a more vibrant community.

Connecting Through Festive Celebrations

Skyline II @ Bukit Batok

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Planting smiles, laughter and love

Skyline II @ Bukit Batok is home to a vibrant community that organises a range of activities to foster neighbourly bonds. Mr John Tan, a dedicated resident, spearheads initiatives regularly to enliven the neighbourhood, such as the fairy lights installation during Covid-19 to uplift the community’s mood. He and his fellow volunteers also organise and encourage participation in group activities like soccer and weekly farming sessions with the harvests shared amongst those in the community, and tasks like weeding and planting. Virtual events such as ketupat making and Rangoli sand art are also held during festive occasions to strengthen multicultural bonds and promote greater understanding among the different ethnicities.

Singapore’s Friendly Neighbourhood Award 2023

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