Date/Time: Thursday 3 September 2026, 11:00am–1:00pm
Format: Online (link sent on registration) Cost: Free
About this event
Building genuinely inclusive governance in diverse communities is one of the most demanding aspects of long-term place-based work. This session explores what that looked like in Big Local areas that took it seriously, drawing on the experiences of people who were directly involved.
Speakers from Pimlico Million in London share their story of building participation across a complex, diverse community, exploring what meaningful inclusion required and how it was sustained. Framing from Lucy Thurley (Local Trust) sets the wider context, with facilitated breakout discussion giving participants space to connect the learning to their own practice.
You will come away with:
Insight into what meaningful inclusion and equitable participation look like in practice
Understanding of how power, support, and community capacity interact in long-term place-based programmes
A clearer sense of how funders can design for inclusion and assess it in the organisations they support
Who should attend:
This session is open to anyone working in or around place-based and neighbourhood change. It will be particularly relevant to funders, VCSE organisations, local authorities, public health practitioners, and those working with migrant, refugee, or underrepresented communities.
Delivered by West Midlands Funders Network and Heart of England Community Foundation, in partnership with Local Trust.