The earliest Live Well work came in the form of accelerator sites, starting in 2024 (and running until 2026). There are five in total, covering:
- Salford (Little Hulton)
- Rochdale
- Tameside
- Oldham
- Bolton
Each site focuses on testing radical new ways of working in line with Live Well's principles and goals. In Salford, we wanted to test ways of working that shift community power. Specifically, this came in the form of:
- Letting communities lead their own conversations and decisions
- Understanding who trusted voices are in the community, and giving them the power to guide residents to the support the need
This work has been a partnership between Salford CVS and CommUNITY Little Hulton, recognising its vital role as an anchor organisation in the area. There have been several phases to the work, not all chronological.
Community Research – over 600 voices
CommUNITY Little Hulton, working alongside the Salford CVS Development Worker embedded in Little Hulton, hired local residents to lead a community research piece speaking to over 600 residents on the doorstep, understanding how they felt about the area, their own health and wellbeing, and who they trust in the community.
This allowed communities to lead their own conversations.
It was clear that residents didn’t know about all the support available on their doorstep, and were keen to find out about it through offline channels, not just online.
It was also apparent that their trusted people in their community were made up of primarily of family and friend networks, VCSE organisations, and GPs.
Building a Trusted Voices Network
The results of the research has helped inform the start of a trusted voices network, made up of community leaders often cited in the research.
This network helps community leaders to build relationships and strengthen signposting.
Fundamentally, by equipping them with both knowledge of support and the opportunity to shape how support is communicated to residents, it shifts power to these leaders.
The trusted voices work will build on this with further work with GPs and health centres in the final six months.
Influencing the System
Cutting through all this work is the opportunity to influence the system and showcase the value of giving power to local communities, in whatever form that takes. From a collaborative group session involving public sector partners, to talking about the work at events and conferences, influencing the system has been a continuous strand. There is plenty more work to do here in the final six months.