It’s an exciting time for our community organising work in Coventry as we welcome two new organisers to the Grapevine stable—and later this year, another campaigner working on disability justice with our Coventry Youth Activists!
As ever at Grapevine, we enjoy introducing new people to our long-time supporters and new friends because our power comes from the skilled and passionate people who live and breathe our mission everyday. They bring brilliance to our work.
When it comes to community organising, we know that collective power wins real change.
Community organisers like Ari Fairgrieve and Priya Gondalia will help Coventry people lead the change they want to see, building their power through shared strategy and collective action so those most affected by local decisions have a voice in making them.
Meet Ari and Priya!
Ari is our community organiser for Nature Towns and Cities, delivered in Coventry as the ‘Green For All’ programme. Nature Towns and Cities is a partnership initiative between Natural England, the National Trust and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Our Coventry partnership is led by Coventry City Council with partners including Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, Historic Coventry Trust, John Muir Trust, Garden Organic, Coventry University and the University of Warwick.
Originally from Grimsby, Ari stayed in Coventry after university—most recently working on the Sherbourne Valley project where they gained practical nature knowledge and a better understanding of how urban nature flourishes when it’s looked after by people who care.
Ari can’t wait to build on those foundations across Coventry, developing green leadership in those communities with least access to nearby green spaces and the positive benefits of nature on wellbeing.
Ari is looking forward to starting to listen to people’s stories of their relationship with nature—helping them build on their passions to create ideas that will shape their community’s future.
Contact Ari at afairgrieve@grapevinecovandwarks.org to explore Green For All in more depth. Read up on our other Shifting Power work here.
Priya joined us as a community organiser with Connecting For Good Cov at the start of 2026 and has been getting to know her colleagues and our work across the city ever since.
Connecting for Good is a movement making change in Coventry—rooted in community and connection, it is building collective power through people’s ideas, skills and lived experiences in the city.
Step up, speak out and help shape Coventry by joining us here. Now, let’s meet Priya!
Hi Priya… what were you doing before you joined the team?
“I was working in youth empowerment and personal development, leading workshops and managing community programmes focused on building confidence and leadership. I’m also a qualified Transformational Coach and that approach shapes how I work.
“I fundamentally believe people have far more power than they think and I’m excited to bring that energy and belief to Grapevine!”
Why work for Grapevine?
“I applied because I’m motivated by community-led change. The Community Organiser role felt aligned with how I like to work, by building relationships, listening deeply and supporting people to come together around shared priorities. Grapevine stood out to me as an organisation that values connection and collective action.”
What experience do you bring that you hope will help?
“I really value making spaces feel welcoming and purposeful where people feel comfortable enough to speak honestly and confident enough to act.
“I bring experience in facilitation, coaching and community programme delivery. I’m used to bringing people into the room, helping conversations flow and turning big ideas into practical next steps.”
What are you most looking forward to?
“I’m most looking forward to getting out into the community, meeting people and building strong relationships. I’m excited to be part of work that strengthens connection and supports people to shape change together.”
Fun fact, skill or something interesting to share?
“I love bringing people together in different ways, I’ve run cooking workshops and catered for community events. I genuinely believe that food is one of the best ways to build connection—it gets people talking, sharing and staying a little longer than they planned.”
Great to have you on the team, Ari and Priya. To go behind the scenes with community organising at Grapevine, visit our journal on Medium here.
Thanks for reading!