Ever felt powerless in your community and wanted to create change but not known where to start? Our Stories, Our Power is about putting decision-making back into the hands of local people and supporting positive change shaped by lived experience and local priorities.
Thanks to £80,000 funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, with match funding support from Norwich City Council and Healthy Norwich, The Shoebox has launched a community-led project focused on the Mancroft and North City Centre area of Norwich. We are proud to announce that, alongside 16 other organisations across the UK, we have been selected as a development partner for The National Lottery Community Fund’s Community Power programme – a £100 million, 10 year initiative designed to help communities have greater influence over the places they live, the services they use and the decisions that affect their lives.
Through this partnership, The Shoebox will help shape how this national programme is developed and delivered. The project will test new ways of strengthening community voice, influence and leadership, ensuring learning from Norwich helps inform community power approaches across the country.
Community power
By placing decision-making with local residents and encouraging collaboration with our Community Connectors and Community Organiser, this project aims to:
- Increase community power and confidence
- Improve health, wellbeing and resilience
- Strengthen democratic participation
- Support community cohesion
- Reduce pressure on public services through preventative, community-led solutions
Community insights
This work builds on learning from our Community Connector project. From November 2021 to March 2025, we embedded Community Connectors – trusted local residents trained in asset-based community development (ABCD) – within Norwich neighbourhoods. Connectors spark honest conversations, uncover strengths and connect people with each other and opportunities to shape change. They held over 5,400 conversations, with insights thematically analysed by our partner Norwich City Council and published through the Insights Hub.
In April 2025, following reduced project funding and capacity (with one Community Connector currently in post), we focused delivery on the North City Centre area of Norwich, which had been identified as a target area for reducing inequality.
To date, Connectors have held over 300 unique conversations across the North City area. Residents have shared a rich mix of strengths, community assets, challenges and aspirations. Through door-knocking, pop-up events and regular community conversations, we are continuing to work alongside residents and empowering them to share their ideas, build on the strengths in their community and take collective action on the things they care about.
Interested in getting involved?
We’re always keen to connect with local residents, community organisations and services working in the area, and to explore opportunities to work together.
Thanks to our project partners and supporters the National Lottery Community Fund, Norwich City Council, Healthy Norwich and the ICB Integrated Neighbourhood Team.
