Recent work

Developed a new Community Strategy for a Town Council, informed by engagement with stakeholders and residents. This included design and oversight of the overall approach, as well as delivering all components, final reporting, and preparing the Strategy itself. We started with desktop research and ‘discovery conversations’ with stakeholders from voluntary and public sector organisations, before launching an online public survey which achieved over 800 responses. Additional face-to-face engagement took place with residents through community groups and a ‘walkaround’ with local police. We hosted a participatory event to review insights and capture ideas and commitments from stakeholders who worked and / or volunteered in the town. We produced an aspirational but achievable final draft strategy.

Capturing the untold heritage stories from communities who may be marginalised or underrepresented in traditional heritage narratives. This work explored identity, creativity, different themes and lesser-known parts of the town’s story, and individuals’ own journeys to belonging. We built relationships with groups including those working with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, people with autism, and women from the global majority, and held ‘story circles’ with LGBTQ+ people, and people with global connections who had made the town their home. Outputs will inform a redesigned Heritage Centre, ensuring it is representative of all local communities, and people can ‘see themselves’ in relevant displays and exhibitions, improving engagement and community cohesion. 

Work with a Primary Care Network (PCN) to explore why their area has a significantly high rate of suicide and to understand how services and communities might work together to address this sensitive and challenging issue. We reached beyond the agencies that have an explicit role or formal responsibility to reduce suicide rates and into communities, networks and organisations who have experience of suicide and suicidality, and insight, assets and ideas about what could and should be different. Bringing together those who have formal responsibility with those who deeply understand their communities yielded often unexpected results and opportunities to work differently.

Design and delivery of the learning and support offer for 15 grant-funded multi-agency partnerships, including hosting monthly online learning days and an annual, participatory face-to-face event for over 80 people. We have gathered and analysed insight and worked collaboratively to design effective and purposeful sessions which respond to expressed needs and maximise impact. Key to this has been the creative use of online facilitation tools, creating ‘safe spaces’ and continually capturing learning to drive improvements. We have helped partnerships to connect and learn together, and build a sense of common purpose and ambition.

Two-day, face-to-face hosting training for 16 colleagues from a national charity. The training was tailor-made to support participants to be more effective in their day-to-day work, recognising their particular context, including cross-directorate and cross-organisation relationships. The training provided a framework for approaching meetings and programmes differently, focusing on individuals’ own agency and human connections, and equipped attendees with a toolbox of techniques to support ‘thinking outside of the box’, and getting the most out of opportunities, as well as new ways to tackle persistent challenges.

Preliminary engagement with parents, families and NHS staff, and development of options for wider consultation around the relocation of a garden of remembrance. We approached this work with sensitivity, working through existing groups, and with key staff members, to understand the current context, the history, and individuals’ concerns, as well as how the Trust could provide reassurance and best handle the process of change. Our listening activities included online and face-to-face workshops, and one-to-one conversations, as well as informal written feedback. Our concluding report highlighted key themes across different views and experiences, and proposed concrete actions for compassionate communication and building trust.

Participatory event to explore how an Integrated Care Board (ICB) could best reward and recognise people who get involved. The event brought together people from the ICB, the local authority, NHS organisations, the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector, and people with lived experience. Participants were guided through a series of exercises including imagining the future, identifying the components, and exploring the overall purpose and context, to agree a series of enablers and how to put these into effect

Supporting an NHS charity to assess and understand their strategic context and next steps. This included reviewing existing insight, desktop research, a workshop with members of the responsible committee, and guided interviews with Executive and Non-Executive Directors, and key members of staff. Conversations considered the charity’s priorities and position within the Trust, challenges and opportunities, as well as capturing concerns and suggestions. Our final output included themed summaries of engagement findings, and a recommended action plan, including governance, Trust-charity relationships, and future stakeholder engagement.