Community Involvement

Belfast City Council
Belfast 2024 - Our largest cultural programme co-designed by citizens

Belfast 2024, a strategic pillar of Belfast’s 10-year Cultural Strategy, was our city’s largest celebration of home-grown culture led by Belfast City Council and developed through co-design with stakeholders, the arts sector, and most importantly our citizens. Authentic co-design was core to Belfast 2024. Rather than having a traditional audience role, Belfast citizens co-created and participated, via community led development and decision-making including:• Participatory Budgeting • Community Takeovers of public spaces• Creative Bursaries for 16 artists working in socially engaged practice• Inclusion and Participation of under-represented communities: LGBTQIA+, minority, people with disabilities, women’s groups, young people

Cambridgeshire CC
Fenland Youth Work Network and Fenland Youth Tribe

We are choosing to highlight the outstanding work and achievements of the Fenland Youth Work Network, a partnership led and facilitated by our Communities Service .In 2024 the Network secured funding to develop innovative and brave projects successfully targeting and engaging young people living in the most disadvantaged wards in Cambridgeshire, at greatest risk of serious violence and criminal exploitation. These grassroots community projects have meaningfully connected young people to safer spaces, trusted adults and their community, and we are proud to be led and informed by their voice, to achieve better sustainable outcomes for youth and community alike.

Greenwich RBC
Engaging and empowering ​the residents of the ​Woolwich Common Estate

The Woolwich Common Estate Improvement Project, a partnership between the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the Greenwich Cooperative Development Agency (GCDA), exemplifies community-driven innovation and engagement. By addressing key issues such as safety, socio-economic disparities, and environmental sustainability, the initiative has transformed the estate into a cleaner, safer, and more connected community.

Lambeth LBC
Transforming research and health equity

The Lambeth Health Determinants Research Collaborative (HEART) is transforming how local government addresses health equity. Through the Community Knowledge Network, HEART unites residents, grassroots organizations, and researchers to co-produce knowledge that directly informs policy and strategy. By prioritizing inclusivity and applying an anti-racist framework, HEART empowers communities to take an active role in shaping research that addresses systemic health disparities. Its sustainable, community-led approach ensures long-term impact through capacity-building, collaborative decision-making, and innovative knowledge-sharing methods. HEART exemplifies Lambeth’s commitment to equity and justice, setting a benchmark for participatory research that fosters trust, amplifies diverse voices, and drives meaningful change.

Medway Council
The Medway Food Strategy

The Medway Food Partnership was established in 2020 with a vision to create healthy and happy communities by ensuring that everyone has the access, knowledge, and skills to enjoy healthy nutritious food, whilst ensuring that we create an eco-friendly and sustainable local economy. The partnership brings together 185 partners from a diverse range of organisations across its 5 subgroups and has set out an ambitious roadmap in its long-term food strategy to tackle some of the most pressing challenges that Medway residents face, as identified by residents and key stakeholders.

Norfolk CC
The REDI team in conjunction with Parent Champions

The REDI team at Norfolk Children’s Services exemplifies community involvement by supporting migrant and EAL families to integrate and thrive. Initiatives like the Parent Champion Project empower culturally diverse parents to guide their communities, fostering peer support and leadership. Through trauma-informed practices, multilingual resources, and innovative collaborations, the team addresses families’ educational, housing, and financial needs. Recognised for their resilience, inclusivity, and transformative impact, the REDI team has supported over 550 children and supported the training 17 EAL parent champions. Their commitment to building stable, inclusive communities in Norfolk highlights the power of teamwork and local service delivery.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Community First: A vaccine success story from The Potteries

"Community First” is a bold initiative involving communities to address vaccine hesitancy and low uptake in underserved communities through targeted, culturally sensitive engagement. In partnership with trusted community organisations, thirteen pop-up clinics were set up in diverse locations including shelters, family hubs, and refugee support services. These clinics focused on engaging underserved groups, including asylum seekers and ethnic minorities, with tailored messaging and culturally appropriate resources. Since the project began there has been a significant increase in city-wide vaccination rates. Beyond that by embracing diversity and community collaboration, the project has created a sustainable model for future health interventions.

Tower Hamlets LBC
Communities Keeping Well: reducing health inequalities

Tower Hamlets’ Communities Keeping Well programme is an innovative community partnership between local residents, the Council, Primary Care and the voluntary sector which aims to reduce health inequalities in some of the most deprived, diverse and multilingual neighbourhoods in the borough. Throughout 2024, the programme involved around 850 residents in identifying community priorities through street conversations, world cafes and community voting. This culminated in 115 trained local residents pitching their ideas, dragons-den style, to their neighbours. Residents who are often excluded are now enthusiastic about the prospect of around 45 locally conceived and driven projects and priorities coming to life.

Waltham Forest LBC
Citizens' Assembly on the future of neighbourhood policing

Waltham Forest’s Citizens’ Assembly on Neighbourhood Policing was the first of its kind in the UK. This was our response to the stark failings in policing identified in the Casey Review and our borough having the lowest level of trust in policing in London. It spearheaded a dynamic, innovative, truly participative approach, empowering communities to shape how they are policed to build trust, community cohesion and safety. At the core of our approach was our commitment to amplifying voices of those seldom heard, using their insight to drive transformative change to ensure all our residents feel safe, included and welcome.

Wealden DC
Community Orchards

The Community Orchards project, funded by DEFRA's Coronation Living Heritage Fund, aims to plant and maintain community orchards across Wealden. It engages residents, schools, community groups, and local councils to transform underused land into vibrant greenspaces, fostering environmental stewardship and community bonds. The project planned to create 12 orchards by March 2025, enhancing biodiversity and green space use. It supports the Council's goals for a greener district, involving the community in planning and care. Success is driven by clear communication, accessible sites, and volunteer support, ensuring sustainability through community ownership and ongoing engagement.

Wyre Forest DC
Adopt a Street - our volunteer litter picking initiative

Adopt a Street is built on a collaborative vision, closely aligned with the council’s value of "working together." In line with Wyre Forest District Council’s vision of “a safe, vibrant, and clean place to live, work, and visit,” the "Adopt a Street" initiative, launched in August 2023, has been a strategic response to the community's desire for environmental action This initiative has mobilised residents across the district's towns and villages, creating a dependable and sustainable model for litter collection and street maintenance that genuinely puts communities first.