Weddings to Rewilding
Over the last two weeks I’ve gained a family member and a heap of new relations at the eldest sons wedding, having the most joyous and fun time with family and friends. Then we took off to the
It’s A Sad Day for Democracy
After agreeing chat and a cuppa with local Councillors, over a brew, in the heart of the community, it now turns out that Labour Councillors have been advised by the Town Hall Legal team not to attend
Cuppa & Cake with Councillors
At NH&S we believe that the more you support a community to get involved in doing things and making decisions together, the more they become interested in representative democracy. In ensuring its
Imagine
Imagine if there was an alternative process for how resources reach neighbourhoods? Today I’ve spent time with some remarkable folk from across Greater Manchester. People who have been involved with
Be More Pirate – Re-Write the Rules
You may remember that I wrote a while ago about us ignoring the advice of the GM Poverty action team when they recommended a toolkit should be used only by professionals. We gave it directly to people
Beyond Reform?
I read another paper today about the need to reform public services. I suppose it’s too anxiety provoking for many to say perhaps it’s time to compost? Especially when that idea can be confused wi
Producing what we Consume
Yesterday we had a wonderful time hosting a community play day, alongside women from the community. It’s brilliant to see how the women have grown in confidence & can see their skills & capa
The Vulnerables
I’ve realised how lucky I am working in the community I live and being able to see people as human beings as opposed to labels. It’s rare these days that I sit in meetings where I feel the h
Come and talk to us or can we talk with you?
I’ve been musing on this for a couple of days after seeing a programme put together by professionals for a community. On the programme I noticed ‘come and talk to us’ and I wondered if it should
Who Owns the Conversation?
It feels to me like there’s a long way to go in understanding the purpose of community conversations as a tool to build community rather than engage. I heard a story the other day about an instituti