Community Unboxed showcases the power of community by voicing the people that make it so.
Community Unboxed is our brand new podcast that celebrates the power of people coming together. Each episode is packed with stories, laughter and insights from our Community Connectors and the residents and groups they meet across Mile Cross, North Earlham and Norwich City Centre (Mancroft).
Join Saskia, Chloe, Rainy, Sonya, Claire and Ally as they drop in on local activities, chat with residents and uncover the special keepsakes people would place in our imaginary shoebox – personal treasures that represent connection, resilience and what really matters in their communities.
We’ll be releasing five episodes in total: two from Norwich City Centre, one from Mile Cross and two from North Earlham. Keep an eye (and ear!) out as we share them over the coming weeks.
You can listen right here on our website or find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.
Why we created Community Unboxed
The podcast grew out of our Community Connector project, which sparked over 5,500 conversations to understand what matters most to people, empowering them to take control of their lives in communities and bring their ideas to life. Along the way, our Connectors uncovered countless inspiring stories of community connection and activities – and they themselves grew through the process. We felt these stories needed to be shared more widely and a podcast seemed the perfect way to do it!
A special thanks to Norwich City Council and the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund for supporting this project, and to Soundyard CIC for patiently helping us bring the podcast to life.
Although the initial funding came to an end in March 2025 and we sadly had to say goodbye to some of our Connectors, we’re delighted to have secured additional support to retain our City Centre (Mancroft) Connectors, Saskia and Chloe.
- Saskia continues to work closely in the community, exploring residents’ experiences around health and wellbeing, how and where they access support and helping our partner Norwich City Council shape a brand new community network for the Norwich North area.
- Chloe has stepped into an exciting new Community Kickstarter role at our Norwich Hub, where she’s supporting members to sustain much-loved community and peer support groups and spark fresh activities.
What’s next?
We’re still reviewing and sharing insights gathered through the Community Connector project – you can explore these on our Insights Hub or hear them first-hand by tuning into the podcast. We’re also actively seeking new funding and partnerships to grow this work further and to make series two of Community Unboxed a reality!
If you’d like to use the insights to inform or shape your work, or explore ways of supporting this project, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch!
We’re grateful for the support of our funders and project partners Norwich City Council, Norwich Health and Wellbeing Partnership and Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board and the Community Voices programme.