Brinnington
Groundwork has been active in Brinnington for over 10 years, supporting communities to lead positive changes in their neighbourhoods. As new initiatives develop, including Pride in Place, we aim to keep learning from places like Brinnington, drawing on what worked well and staying grounded in local experience. We will ensure that community voice and power remain central to decision-making, especially with the significant new programmes, priorities, or funding streams that are emerging, so change continues to be shaped by the people it affects.
Since 2015, Groundwork acted as the locally trusted organisation for Brinnington Big Local, providing financial management and project management support to help deliver the partnership’s objectives over a ten-year period.
Residents hold the deepest knowledge of their neighbourhood, their history, relationships, and needs, and are best placed to shape solutions. The impact of community-led initiatives has been huge and has included everything from memorial gardens to domestic abuse support services.
Brinnington’s Community Champions
We’ve supported residents to move from participants to leaders, people who not only shape ideas but have the capability to deliver, adapt, and sustain them.
Through training, hands-on experience, and peer support, individuals and groups have built the skills needed to manage projects, secure resources, and support others in turn.
What matters to Brinnington residents
- Community leadership and ownership – There needs to be a clear desire for initiatives and decisions to be driven by local people themselves. There is a consistent call for a bottom-up approach, where communities feel empowered to take responsibility and shape outcomes.
- Trust and relationships – Building and maintaining trust, particularly between residents, organisations, and services such as the police, is viewed as essential for meaningful progress and long-term impact, alongside a strong desire to see social isolation tackled.
- Listening to residents – Creating safe spaces for people to share their views, valuing lived experience, and ensuring that community voices directly influence decisions and actions.
- Partnership and collaboration – Recognition is needed to ensure that better outcomes come from organisations and groups working together toward shared goals rather than operating in isolation.
- Community involvement and volunteering – This is the key to sustaining local initiatives. This includes supporting existing volunteers, developing new ones, and encouraging wider participation across the community.
- Young people – Young people are a priority, with a need to better engage them, amplify their voices, and provide opportunities, education, and appropriate spaces and facilities to support their development.
- Community safety – A strong emphasis on improving feelings of safety, by addressing concerns around antisocial behaviour, drug dealing, bag snatching, and intimidation. This concern highlights the importance of shared spaces where people can feel safe and understood.
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