HUB’s Post

A big welcome to 2025. It was quite a Christmas for me. A few big personal ups and downs and overall emotional quite overwhelming and tiring. But, that's life isn't it?! An emotional rollercoaster. Work wise, POP enters 2025 with a steady eye on March 2026 when our core funding drops significantly. We face a challenge - not a nasty one, but a natural one. How do we stay true to our core beliefs and the insight we've gained from the #sharednarrative #BeMorePlymouth, whilst trying to seek the financial resources to keep the work alive - when next to no funding recognises the value of infrastructure support and even less recognises the huge chasm between current actions and progress we're collectively making on the big issues we all seek to impact. Our sights are set on further demonstrating the power of community and #grassroots action - we need forms of finance that can reach deep into communities. Despite comprising 80% of the Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector, grassroots organisations (with annual turnovers under £100,000) receive only 2.4% of funding - a drop from 3.97%) - this directly shows existing grant making methods and approaches are not working to reach these organisations and groups. Only through this vital layer of activity can we hope to build #BelonginPlymouth. To achieve this we will continue to be focussed on building resilience in the grassroots whilst #systemconvening conversations city wide around the critical conversations we seem to (mostly) avoid. Only today I was at a meeting that showed, yet again, the disparity in children's outcomes between a neighbourhood like #Stonehouse and the #Plymouth average. Don't we need to be a bit embarrassed that year or year we treat a generational issue with 6-12 month responses? This is why we will also be continuing to work in #Stonehouse with Nudge Community Builders to weave various pieces of work in a demonstration of what we can all do when we work together. At the same time we extend our reach through SPINDL-CIC working with Simon Sherbersky, aligning our passion for supporting others on similar journeys. Creating the change is not easy, but if we can be doing our part to sow seeds across the UK, together we might see a tipping point reached. So lots of exciting stuff going on - more than I can mention here so expect changes to the way we work this year. If you're interested in how you can be involved in the conversations that count, DM and contact us. In the meantime I'll leave you with a picture of my first ever knitting project! Turns out it's quite a good way for me to find some calm!

Social value – is something missing? 🧐 We’re always thinking about value. Both social and economic, and how they work together and balance, to provide real value for everyone; individuals, communities, developers, investors and governments. Interesting to note the themes of the recent Social Value Week 2024:   - Social value and sustainability - Employment, training and skills - Governance and infrastructure - Supply-chain awards - Celebrating social value All are valuable, for sure 💰. And measurable, which is important 📏. But something is missing to create meaningful change. We appreciate this definition of social value by a young man who has attended and contributed much to his local Youth Zone* over the past seven years: “It’s not the stuff society values like status and jobs and money - it’s the stuff you value that’s in your heart. And what you give from your heart as well.”   We couldn’t agree more. And in developing Cura’s measurement tool over the past year – the Cura Regenerative Index – we worked out how to capture and quantify the spirit of the people and the place. In partnership with the Centre for Thriving Places. Part quantitative and part qualitative, the Index tracks success by measuring the mental, emotional, behavioural and social wellbeing of citizens. Because we know that universal wellbeing is what leads to lasting value, for all. This approach also chimes with the definition of the word Cura; Latin for care, concern, responsibility. Jenni & Maryline #placemaking #socialvalue #wellbeing #realgrowth #measurement #cura Thanks to Nicola Lynch for sharing her conversation with Donald. * Youth Zones are state-of-the-art, multimillion-pound youth centres in the UK’s most economically disadvantaged areas, funded and built by the national youth charity OnSide.

* LET'S TALK SOCIAL ECONOMY * The West Midlands is a thriving region for purpose-led, social, environmental and community organisations. 💡 We know many are highly sustainable and successful in their sectors. 🌱 Some are just starting up, early trading, micro-enterprises. Most face challenges of some kind, at some point - it might be capacity, skills, finance, growth, innovation, diversification, burnout, technology, contracts (or lack of them). There are also fantastic opportunities across the VCFSE sector - passion, commitment, collaboration, new supply chains, changes to public sector commissioning, new ways of understanding and articulating the social value you create. The Social Economy FORUM, kindly supported by West Midlands Combined Authority, is your VCFSE knowledge network to gain expert insights, share sector learning, and have your voice heard. We have over 100 #VCFSE organisations across the 7 WMCA localities already getting in the room, joining the conversation, and who are rooted in growing the regional Social Economy. Our next FORUM is Wednesday 10th July 2024, generously hosted at Better Pathways Mental Health Charity. 3 actions you can take... > Click on the links below and sign up > Share this post across your socials > Invite colleagues and connections to the WM Social Economy conversation 3 things that happen next... 1️⃣ FIND OUT MORE > https://lnkd.in/eK44gVdu 2️⃣ REGISTER TO JOIN FORUM NETWORK > https://lnkd.in/eh3cfiMv 3️⃣ EVENT INVITES TO YOUR INBOX > each session invite will be mailed to your inbox as an event for your RSVP. #VCSE #VCFSE #socent #socialenterprise #cooperatives #employeeowned #communityowned #NFT #CIO #CIC #friendsprovident #faithled #socialpurpose #purposeandplanet #environmentalenterprises #WestMids

🤝 Devolution: Unlocking Healthier Homes in the West Midlands 🏡 Angela Rayner’s announcement of the English Devolution White Paper earlier this week, is more than just a policy it’s an opportunity to empower local leaders to tackle real challenges. For regions like the West Midlands Combined Authority, it’s a chance to address social housing, regeneration, healthier homes, creating long-term benefits for communities. Why This Matters: ▶️ More Local Control: Powers over housing and transport to better align resources with community needs. ▶️ Strategic Budgets: Multi-year funding that supports focused, impactful investments. ▶️ Better Living Standards: Integrating housing, skills, and infrastructure to transform lives. As Head of Operations for Equans UK & Ireland UK in the West Midlands, working across Birmingham City Council’s social housing stock, I see the enormous potential in this bill to directly support the work of the #APPG on Healthy Homes and Buildings. By driving healthier, energy-efficient homes, we can create communities that thrive addressing issues like fuel poverty, housing quality, and sustainability. What Could This Mean for the West Midlands? ➡️ Accelerated Retrofits: Energy efficient upgrades to make homes greener and more affordable. ➡️ Regeneration at Scale: Modernising housing stock to meet current and future needs. ➡️ Stronger Local Economies: Aligning education and jobs to support housing and infrastructure growth. The potential here is huge, but collaboration will be key. With devolved powers, the West Midlands can lead the way in delivering homes and communities that work for everyone. What’s your take? How can these reforms unlock a better future for housing and regeneration in the West Midlands? Let’s discuss. #Devolution #HealthyHomes #SocialHousing #WestMidlands #Regeneration #EquansUK

If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.” Maya Angelou, civil rights activist.   It's on that note that I say hello to Home Grown Club and goodbye (au revoir?) to 116 Pall Mall.   Having spent the last 4 years developing my portfolio life - or 'tapas style' life as LaToyah McAllister-Jones FRSA termed it, in and around Bristol, Bath, Cheltenham and Cardiff, I'm now investing time in the big smoke.   It's been a long debate in the Bristol & Bath ecosystem as to the role of London on the local economy, or vice versa. Is Bristol a suburb of London? Is London the "HQ" and Bristol and Bath (other great cities are available), branch offices?   It's way more complex than that. In the UK we have a rich mix of fabulous places, rich with talent, entrepreneurial spirit, innovation capacity, established and emerging sectors and living environments all in varying strengths and combinations. We must see the complementarity of different places and, while healthy competition can be productive, get away from whiffs of self-righteousness, unhealthy competition and myopia to alternative perspectives, strengths and opportunities.   I've used an 'exam question' to cities in the past: if you're pitching to locate a foreign investor into your place and they go to another UK place, is that a success or a failure? Of course, it's a success that the investment has been made in the UK and collaboration is the tool to build value from such an investment elsewhere. That can be tough for politicians to grapple with. - especially local politicians who are holding individual, hyper-local citizen concerns (like bin collections) in balance with supporting UK PLC with nationally important clusters. A question that was posed to me by a senior Whitehall bod, on a project I was working in the SW, was how do you ensure the project benefits young people from deprived communities in, for example, Manchester. I use that a lot now.   The LDN2BRS missions, initiated and facilitated by Oli Barrett, have been brilliant in breaking down barriers, myth-busting and connecting - but perhaps now's the time to get some inter-city missions that don’t need London as the 'hub' to help us all work to the common purpose of a thriving UK economy.   So, here's the gripe. All the work I have done, within my tapas-like 4 years, has come to me. All the NED or adviser roles I have applied for in London, have not progressed. Feedback has been, written or unwritten, has been: "you're prominent in Bristol, therefore you aren't relevant nationally and won't have a network". But rather than stay hacked off with that and self-righteous about the true value of the place I'm in, I'm tweaking my attitude.   So, it's great to be settled in the Home Grown club, extend my network in the entrepreneurial community in the London bit of the UK and, as every day is a school day for me, continue learning and adapting my attitude.   BTW, the welcome and the coffee here, are superb!

Good one from Justin Milner and the Urban Institute, covers a lot in a short amount of time. . Until the priorities and experiences of community are (deeply) reflected in research agendas (as well as the design of strategies/programs/practices) and the investments that build/drive those agendas, we will continue to wring our hands about demand, uptake, scale, saturation, sustainability, outcomes and ultimately policy. . Community controls uptake, scale, saturation, sustainability, and outcomes, not us - we think we're in control. . Implementation Science can't just be a one way-street. Its not just the the translation of evidence and research into practice, It also must be the translation of community priorities and experiences into research, evidence, design, and investment. . Gonna start all my meetings and conversations with the question - whose priorities do you represent and how do you know that - . #evidence #evidencebased #implementation #evidencebasedpolicy #implementationscience

Ending the Week on a High Note! This week wrapped up with two energising organising meetings that have set the stage for exciting new partnerships in 2025: 1️⃣ Addressing Multiple Disadvantage I have the pleasure of working with the brilliant Greg Headley from Making Every Adult Matter and our fabulous core team with Chantahl R. as co-lead (I couldn’t ask for anyone better!) to explore how we can better address the immense inequalities faced by people experiencing multiple disadvantage. These often stem from childhood adversity and are exacerbated over time by structural inequalities. I’m optimistic about the potential for Cumberland to lead the way in creating meaningful change for this group and our wider community. 2️⃣ Building an Anchor Collaborative The second workshop brought together several anchor organisations prior to our summit in January to deepen our work on a collaborative approach to delivering real benefits for our communities with shared goals and approaches. We’re focusing on four key areas: • Workforce • Estates • Environment • Social Value It was inspiring to listen to the conversations in each of the workstreams on the shared commitment to maximising collective impact in these areas! I’m also eager to dive deeper into what’s ahead for #WorkAndHealth initiatives in 2025. With the North East and North Cumbria ICS receiving £18m for the Accelerator programme and Enterprising Cumbria leading on #connecttowork (part of the new Get Britain Working strategy), again there’s significant opportunity to make a real difference. I’m particularly keen to ensure the invaluable skills and experience of the #VCFSE sector are embedded in both these programmes. In addition to the above, I’ve taken on an interim role in social enterprise, stepping in while Martin Allman transitions to Westmorland and Furness. Social enterprise is a sector close to my heart—my ALP experience and BSc were rooted in this area, and I’ve been involved with Social Enterprise Cumbria ever since. It feels like coming home, and I’m looking forward to collaborating with partners to drive this agenda forward. Martin will be a loss to Cumberland Council but I look forward to continuing to work with him as a counterpart and valued colleague in Westmorland and Furness Council. Across all of this, my focus remains on addressing #Inequalities in Cumberland, harnessing the power of communities and partnerships to create sustainable change. Here’s to a busy, impactful year ahead! a new plan to address #poverty 🙏 - and a personal one for me - to hopefully have good health, as this year I’ve not been well at times and have had to cut some of my personal commitments due to this - for example I look forward to getting back to Susan’s Farm next year I’m missing my 🐑 cuddles! #CommunityPower #SocialEnterprise #PartnershipWorking #collaboration #Cumberland #Cumbria #healthinequalities

Leading with Impact: How our B Corp Certification Elevates Us All! Purpose Social Homes envision a global economy that uses business as a force for good, to support our company's Vision of ‘A valuable contribution to society’. We are therefore delighted to announce that we’re counted among Certified B Corp. Certified B Corporations are leaders in the global movement for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy. B Corp certification is evidence of high-performance and value-adding cultures. This accreditation will benefit all stakeholders and partners in our supply chain by enhancing their credibility and opening opportunities for collaboration on Sustainable initiatives. It will help all of us differentiate ourselves in the market, reduce risk and attract conscious clients while strengthening long-term relationships and preparing for the future. B Corp Certification isn’t an award - it’s an embedded part of our journey towards continuous improvement and collective action. It enhances our vision of an equitable society by infusing social and environmental responsibilities into our operations, driving us to deliver our Mission of ‘Raising the quality bar of Specialised Supported Housing’ for vulnerable individuals. It ensures continuous improvement in our standards, helping us exceed industry norms and promoting fairness in our Specialised Supported Social Housing sub-sector. Many people with a learning disability and/or autism end up in mental health units not because they need inpatient treatment, but because of a failure to invest in the right community support with a focus on early intervention and preventing crisis. Read more on our latest blog: https://lnkd.in/ecXJXRxN Please get in touch if you would like to be a part of this incredible journey and want to deliver a long-lasting positive impact in the lives of the most vulnerable people in society. #SocialImpact #ImpactInvestment #FamilyOffice #SustainableGrowth #BusinessForGood #homesnothospital #SustainableHealthcare

Great piece from ICON Commissioner David Halpern in The Times, discussing his new paper published today by think tank Demos. The piece highlights social capital as a key driver of economic growth, exploring initiatives that build trust and the associated increases in economic productivity. ICON chair Baroness Hilary Armstrong commended the paper’s publication: “At a time when the search for growth is at the centre of the national debate, this timely report from ICON Commissioner David Halpern and Andy Haldane shows the importance of social capital in getting the country’s economy back on track.” The paper’s findings will be instrumental for ICON’s ongoing research into the relationship between social capital and other UK policy challenges. As noted by Baroness Armstrong “ICON will look at the role of social capital in improving outcomes in neighbourhoods. We will also investigate whether increasing social capital can have positive impact in other policy areas from health and wellbeing to social mobility.” https://lnkd.in/eSt8J5fG

What would be the perfect 'system' for the #publicsector to adopt? I asked for exam questions recently and, Jim Nicholls threw me a doozy! I've spent 25 years or more thinking about this, so rather than agonise, I'm just typing my answer straight. There are two answers, which point the way to a third. __ First: do really really good work analysing your citizens, their needs, your priorities for shifting public outcomes, and then design an adaptive, outside-in organisation which really works on the needs you have identified. Each part of that is important, and deserves a breakdown I don't have time or space for here. But in being part of kicking off the transformation of Hammersmith & Fulham council in the early 2000s, I've seen this work well - as far as it goes. __ Second: work with individual citizens to deeply understand their needs and 'pull' in the required expertise. It's really really the Vanguard model, which I was bowled over by in 2002, and which informs so much of the 'community paradigm', 'human learning systems', 'the liberated method' and so on, and which aligns with the way Cormac Russell has taken Asset-Based Community Development forward. It's brilliant - when you can create a bubble to deliver. And it's brilliant at creating passionate converts and bitter enemies And then the organisational immune system kicks in, and takes over. That's because it's a threat, and because it doesn't offer all the answers to the pressures of meeting demand within reducing budgets, nor does it tell you how to actually build an organisation that can do this in either a targeted or a scaled way. __ Both approaches have complementary blind spots. The third approach is to recognise that we are trying to help people achieve their purposes in life. So what counts is what adds value in their lives: 1- we need big clunking production of 'services', capabilities and outcomes at scale where we know the overall needs 2- and we need intensely focused, human-centred partnering to work with individuals and families and groups to create value that makes sense in their context 3- so (1) need to do both mass-production to meet large-scale needs, and to offer the capacity and capability in the right place at the right time to be 'pulled' (2) for truly citizen-centred services This requires a type of thinking and a type of organisation which recognises both sets of approaches and needs and can work with both. The work isn't fully done yet and nobody - save a few people with services to sell - is claiming it is. But I am working on it. What do you think I need to add to explain this fully? #publicsector #innovation #transformation #publicservices [EDIT - I should point out that the slides are 'some of' the thinking 'up until this point' - they don't speak directly to this post in any linear way, other than to illustrate some of the points of (1) and (2)]