Great ideas and inspiring stories about communities, collaboration and co-production.
Read about the people who are getting on and making things happen.
We’re experiencing a cost of living crisis. Martin Lewis, the Money Saving Expert, says the worst time for people financially wasn’t the 2008 financial crash. It wasn’t during COVID. It’s right now. Food, energy and housing costs continue to rise. Incomes aren’t keeping up with inflation. As prices rise, more people from across society are being tipped into poverty. People…
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The Not Another Co-Production Festival took place at Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry on Tuesday 5 July. This special event, the first of its kind, a celebration and culmination of a year’s work in Manchester, lived up to its name of co-production as happenings and conversations evolved during the day. In the spirit of embracing principles of co-production we…
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Linda, Elephants Trail Rochdale Co-Worker, part of the Not Another Co-Production Festival on Tuesday 5 July in Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry shared some of the history of co-production with visitors. If you are curious about co-production, read on for Linda’s explanation. What is co-production and when did it first appear? Co-production is a method of working, where providers…
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The SE15 Community Fund was established in May 2020, as a response to the financial difficulties people were experiencing during the pandemic and a requirement to fund the needs of local mutual aid efforts. Here, Becky Seale and other administrators of the fund share their achievements, the principles they hold to, the dilemmas along the way and plans for the…
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It is well known that exercise and fitness brings huge benefits for our mental and physical health across all ages, increasing our mobility and strengthening our bodies. As well as boosting communities and the economy, UK Active say every £1 spent on sport and physical activities generates almost £4 in return, and prevents 30 million additional GP visits, and 37,000 premature deaths, in the UK each year. UK Active, whose…
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Mental health can be hugely challenging for children and young people. The Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) says that, by the time they’re 16, three children in every classroom will have experienced a mental health problem. And post-pandemic, those working with children and young people identify one issue as presenting more commonly than any other: anxiety. In Scotland, the…
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Helen Sturman, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire Area Development Manager for Parkinson’s UK, shares her experience of being new in the job when joining Not Another Co-Production Project. She outlines the importance of flexibility when rebuilding community connections with people with long-term health conditions, and how co-production values the range of life experiences, knowledge and skills that people can bring. …
Mel Parks shares ideas on using collaborative creative writing in community settings to bring people together, creating a unified experience often with the added benefit of new insights and surprising connections. As well as being lots of fun! Many people are scared of poetry and creative writing often brings back memories of school, and often not good ones, so I…
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It’s almost one year since we began our Not Another Co-Production Project and it’s time to celebrate all the amazing work that’s been happening with our partner organisations in Greater Manchester. And to help us celebrate, we’d like to invite you to join us at our Not Another Co-Production Festival! The first of its kind anywhere. We are working with…
For almost 40 years, Bridges Project has been supporting some of the most vulnerable young people in Midlothian and East Lothian in Scotland. For some, working with Bridges Project is the first time they’ve had a supportive adult in their lives. “A lot of our clients have said they feel like no one has shown faith in them, or believed…
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In late 2020, I was booked to speak at two very different conferences a few days apart. Both were public events where the content and the line up of speakers were the main draw. The first one lasted two days. On the whole it was excellent, but I noticed one thing that rankled me. On both days, the first two…
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During the autumn of 2021, Ideas Alliance teamed up with Groundswell to present a series of live screenings of Clarissa, a film created to help share the experiences of people affected by homelessness while accessing healthcare. The audience was made up of invited healthcare practitioners, NHS staff and staff working in homelessness support services, who all play a vital role in engaging…
We talk about poverty more than we used to. What was once considered something that happens elsewhere is now undeniably a part of everyday life in the UK, for a growing number of families. And West Lothian-based charity Smalls for All (Smalls) can trace the line of this change from when it was founded as an African aid organisation in…
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Neil Denton explores his lived experience of working with disaster-affected communities, relates this journey to the Covid-19 pandemic and considers a recovery based on connection, collaboration and trust.
Supporting collaboration and innovation between the council, people with learning disabilities and their families, providers and supporters to kickstart change in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, London.
“The Hub acts as a glue bringing together people and organisations who are doing so much to positively disrupt their local systems.”
Burcu Borysik, Mayday Trust