Pioneering, curious, optimistic.
Hello, we’re Grapevine. We’re a pioneering example of how to help people work together to solve their problems for good. Together we’re making a sea change for communities in Coventry and Warwickshire.
Our vision is local citizens with the skills and confidence to act on what they care about; connecting through their shared humanity, taking power into their own hands and regenerating their communities. We want to help every area of the UK do the same.
Click this link to read about our impact on people, communities and systems.
30 years of deep social change
Three decades of Grapevine! Over those 30 years we have become a nationally acclaimed example of deep social change.
Founded in 1994, Grapevine strengthens people, sparks community and shifts power across Coventry and Warwickshire.
Our work illustrates how people and communities can meet one another’s needs, claim power and take action on what matters to them—and transform services and systems along the way.
We’ve invested time and energy capturing how we’ve gone from a small single-issue charity to an organisation at the centre of work to build power, build belonging and strengthen people across our region.
In the process, we’ve grappled with many of the knottiest questions facing our communities and social systems and developed boundary-pushing responses.
Read ‘The Grapevine Story: three decades of deep social change 1994-2024’.
Told in three parts – decade by decade up to present day – our story includes moving away from “places to hold people”, a co-operative ethos, Blackpool to Bruges, solutions beyond services, campaign successes, The Power of The Ordinary, weathering austerity, living our values, connecting at scale, a global pandemic, and what we think decade four might look like.
Please grab a cuppa and get to know what we’re all about.
Please click on this link to read an accessible text-only version of our story.
Acknowledgements
We are very grateful for the warmth, generosity and openness of everyone who shared their story. Thanks also to writer Matt Lloyd-Rose and designer Katie Slee for helping us build our story ready to share.
Heartfelt thanks also to everyone who has supported and funded Grapevine’s work over the last three decades.