LocalMotion is a collaboration of six major UK grant-making trusts who have chosen Middlesbrough as one of six places to work with people and organisations to create long term systemic change. I've been supporting the initiative since last year, and am keen for more people to be involved. We want to help people shape what happens, what resources are available and what the priorities should be for creating and sustaining social and environmental change in Middlesbrough.
The LocalMotion programme has reached out on a number of occasions over the past 12 months and some good links have been forged. We're still keen to explore what networks of local residents, volunteers and activists can contribute to the process through the development of some wider networks.
About LocalMotion
LocalMotion’s vision is to use their collective experience and resources to support local people to address the social, environmental and economic priorities that matter to them and to derive as much learning as possible from that process. The six funders which created LocalMotion are Lloyds Bank Foundation, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Lankelly Chase Foundation, Tudor Trust, and City Bridge Trust.
In the words of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation:
"The circumstances facing communities and charities across the country are increasingly difficult. The long-term and continuing squeeze on funding to local government and for local services against a backdrop of long-established regional differences, has left charities – themselves resource-constrained – increasingly having to pick up the pieces. As independent funders, we have been investing and supporting charities to survive and adapt for a number of years but we know that there is more we should do to support and boost the potential of people and communities, and crucially to do so through a place-based approach.
"We have therefore come together “To use our collective experience and resources to support local people to address social, environmental and economic priorities selected and driven locally and derive as much learning as possible from that process”.
"As six funders we are keen to understand how to be more effective collectively in supporting issues facing communities across the UK and how this might change practice. We know we don’t have the answers, and we know the risks of top down imposed approaches – especially if they’re led by funders – so we think the only way this can be achieved is by working with local partners who are working in or want to find solutions to the social and environmental issues on their doorstep."
Lankelly Chase is one of the 6 funders and has some interesting things to say about system change. You can read more about them here: https://lankellychase.org.uk/our-approach/system-behaviours/
Get involved
If you want to be part of a network of people that want to drive change from the streets upwards, please let us know. Call or text John Atkinson on 07852 269486 or email john.atkinson@mvdauk.org.uk
You can read more about the LocalMotion programme
John Atkinson
MVDA
Community Action and Development Officer at MVDA.