Coventry Poverty Alliance – where grassroots frontline organisations, medium and larger charities and the public sector come together with a focus on action and a shared agenda of joined up help – has decided its priorities for 2024. The two joint priorities, chosen from a shortlist of five during a session last month, will set […]
In March, Grapevine and Central England Law Centre convened an event on poverty to look at how local agencies, services, charities, voluntary and community groups and organisations could develop the best connected network of help to respond quickly and effectively to the growing cost of living crisis. Coventry is actually rich in ways people can […]
There are lots of us – services and community groups – that work with people who are struggling. Yet we still don’t seem to be able to make the difference needed to really shift the dial on poverty. It’s frustrating and we want to see if, by joining forces, we can do something about it. […]
Our long-established Help and Connect project helps autistic people and people with learning disabilities in Coventry make a plan, get connections, get work, and stay healthy and safe. Often we are meeting people in their hardest moments — but this isn’t just about surviving a crisis. Over a six-month period, we’re building individual strength, resilience […]
Fresh from speaking at last Friday’s ‘Climate Change – Rebuilding the Consensus and Changing the Narrative’ conference at the University of Warwick, our CEO Clare Wightman shares her thoughts on why we’re mistaken if we believe the climate consensus is broken — it might simply be the way we’re doing it. Clare writes: “Two thirds […]
This week our CEO Clare Wightman was invited to speak on a panel about Pride in Place, hosted by the Future Governance Forum and Local Trust. Here Clare shares her thoughts as we approach the start of the programme’s first delivery phase in April. “There is a lot to be excited about in the government’s […]
Grapevine’s Board of Trustees play a vital role in our organisation—bringing their lived experiences, professional expertise, passion and ideas to help shape, sustain and grow our work. Jed Francique – Board Co-Chair Jed works for the NHS East London Foundation Trust as the Borough Director for City and Hackney Adult Services, covering mental health services […]
In the second of our short blog series ‘Organising Change’, we share thoughts from the founder of The Relationships Project, David Robinson on ‘The glitter and the glue’ – putting relationships at the heart of changing lives and systems. David, one of the speakers at our June event about building relationships and power through tough […]
Shifting power to communities is increasingly in the spotlight and there’s scope for really exciting, important, wider change. In 2024 we set out to be active contributors to a national conversation that shows clearly and compellingly what that shift also depends on – the deep community organising practice and local relational infrastructure of organisations like […]