Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire

Act Build Change @actbuildchange.com · 1d

This Is Our Town, Don’t Let Us Down – Community Power Against Cuts

In our latest blog post we sat down with @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social to discuss how they successfully organised against council budget cuts.

Read the full discussion here: actbuildchange.com/ideas/this-i...

2 2

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 2d

NEW BLOG #GrapevineAt30 | Divides that keep people apart, a lack of genuine two-way connections and relationships that allow cruelty and harassment to flourish—the power of connection and relationships to overcome these divides flows through our work 👉 bit.ly/3KByV6n

View over a wooden slatted bridge with metal rails either side. At the end is a red lifebuoy and a path leading away into the trees.

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 14d

"...too high and that removing the support we provide would plunge people into crisis," said our deputy CEO Mel Smith. Read the story of how we won our #Reference25 campaign and its impact on our community organising work now: bit.ly/4gDZ5kA 6/

This Is Our Town, Don’t Let Us Down – Community Power Against Cuts

How Grapevine successfully fought back against local budget cuts and what they learned in the process.

bit.ly

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 14d

Delivering a reality check for decision-makers on their perception of "low-level needs" as being quite the opposite was high on our list of priorities too.
"We needed to emphasise that the people we support aren’t low-need but that the threshold for state support is..." 5/

1

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 14d

We needed an effective campaign plan, a timeline for council consultation opportunities, a strong narrative and clear asks for people's support. Urgently and loudly. 4/

1

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 14d

Grapevine CEO Clare Wightman and deputy CEO Mel Smith share how when the news came in just before Christmas 2024, we had to act fast to mobilise the community and lobby local authority decision-makers to stop the cut within a three-week timeframe. 3/

1

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 14d

We were proud to tell @actbuildchange.com the story of how we won the fight to overturn council proposals to cut funding to voluntary sector support for people with learning disabilities in #Coventry by almost half at the start of this year. 2/

1 1

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 14d

NEW BLOG | "THIS IS OUR TOWN, DON'T LET US DOWN—#Coventry community power against cuts: How Grapevine successfully fought back against local budget cuts and what we learned in the process."
Here's a bit of context on what we shared with @actbuildchange.com for this new blog... 1/

A large group of protestors stand before Coventry council house on a cold, dark evening in January with handmade placards about stopping proposed cuts to funding for essential voluntary sector support for people with learning disabilities in the city. Among the messages is one saying: "Cuts today, struggles tomorrow. Coventry won't stand for it." Grapevine helped overturn the plan.

1 1 2

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 20d

Funded by @tnlcommunityfund.org.uk and @esmeefairbairn.bsky.social 🙏

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 20d

Building trust, hope and agency in times of conflict and fearmongering—ambitions to bring communities together to form solutions on common ground can’t be realised without actively showing people they can shape the future. What we're doing in #Coventry: bit.ly/41YIIcw

An illustration by artist and Grapevine community organiser Melissa Smith of an interwoven ecosystem, connected by vines and with illustrations of birds, hands, justice scales and a megaphone. Words include agency, collective power, action and CfG ecosystem.

1 1

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 22d

#JOB #WorkWithUs | Just six days left to apply to join us as a community organiser turning ideas into action and helping #Coventry communities move from building their power to wielding it for a fairer, more equitable city. Closing 9am Monday 22 September! bit.ly/41tiuyE

A campaign plan on flipchart paper on a table next to a chalkboard sign reading, 'Need The Loo'. This campaign, part of our Connecting for Good ecosystem, wants better public toilet provision in Coventry city centre

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 22d

@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk @thekingsfund.bsky.social

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 22d

Lasting solutions and a fairer future can only come when communities are at the heart of shaping them. Read our interview with Dorothy: bit.ly/3NveRk6 For an in-depth review of the impact of HCT in Willenhall, follow this link to our reports: bit.ly/4m5atHr 6/6

1

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 22d

One year since their first Peak District hike, Willenhall woman Dorothy, fellow Waka Waka Fitness members, their friends and families completed another long walk through the Derbyshire hills. Supporting Dorothy as she supports her community. 5/

1

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 22d

They opened a bank account, wrote a funding bid and secured support to run free exercise sessions in the local community centre. The impact is felt across the community. Waka Waka now receives referrals from the GP surgery and its approach is recognised by local professionals. 4/

Following a path along a stream, the group begins the climb.

1 1

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 22d

Community organiser Edwin met Dorothy at church as he tried to connect with local people. Both originally from Cameroon and with a passion for boosting mental health through exercise, they knocked doors, handed out flyers and gradually built momentum. A small group formed... 3/

1 1

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 22d

Our Edwin has been supporting Dorothy since Waka Waka Fitness' inception under the four-year Healthy Communities Together (HCT) programme—that saw Grapevine,
@coventrycc.bsky.social, local NHS, voluntary and community sector and local people working in partnership on health and wellbeing. 2/

The group poses for a quick photo along the path which carves its way between hills. Grapevine community organiser Edwin (a black man wearing a white long sleeved t-shirt) is in front.

1

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 22d

Arriving here many years ago as a refugee, and through the immigration process, Dorothy has relied on community for support. Founding free 'Waka Waka' fitness classes for herself and other women living in Willenhall #Coventry. Here's a quick update on their latest challenge. 1/

Waka Waka founder Dorothy (in yellow) and fellow community members make their way through the valley with hills either side of a gravel path.

1

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 27d

We believe people have the answers to the challenges in their own communities—if you do too and have experience in community organising, campaigning or a related role, we would love to hear from you! Details and apply: bit.ly/41tiuyE Closing at 9am on 22 September. 4/4

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 27d

You’ll join a supportive, values-driven team that encourages innovation, collaboration and personal growth. You'll build strong, trusting relationships, uncover what matters to people and help them act collectively for the common good. 3/4

Three white women, two of them older, sit behind an information stand in a residential retirement complex in Earlsdon, Coventry with placards and leaflets on their Need The Loo campaign for better public toilet provision in the city centre.

1 1

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 27d

...#Coventry people flip the switch from building power to wielding it. Because real change doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens when we come together, share our strengths and act on what we care about. 2/4

Three white people - two men and one woman - stand on a lawn in a residential street potting plants together for the Ball Hill neighbourhood in Coventry.

1

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 27d

#JOB NEWS | We want a city that is fairer, more compassionate and equal. Where lived experience matters, care leads to action and injustice is challenged together. We are looking for a full-time community organiser to join our Connecting for Good team helping... 1/4

Three women and one man, all white, stand holding litter pickers behind clear plastic bags filled with rubbish they have collected from the local area.

1 1

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 27d

What a difference a day makes 💜 #Coventry Grows with
@coventrycc.bsky.social, e.on, Grapevine, @gardenorganicuk.bsky.social and Citizen Housing is helping communities take ownership of “unloved” pieces of land towards a greener future. Stoke Heath is progressing nicely we see!

A patch of unused and overgrown land between brick walls and houses.

The same piece of land after clearing, ready to bring the ground back into use for a community garden in Stoke Heath, Coventry.

Six people pose for a photo with their (green) thumbs up after the clearing job they've taken part in. Three are wearing the council's Urban Rangers team uniforms.

1 2

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 27d

Together, we’re creating a #Coventry where people have a voice and the power to act. This isn’t a project or a programme. It’s a network of solidarity where lived experience matters and locals take the lead. Where care turns into action and change happens: bit.ly/41JKP3N

A sketch illustration in burgundy on a white background shows a hand holding a 'CfG ecosystem' placard with the scales of justice, a megaphone and a lightbulb connected by drawings of birds, flowers, leaves and other words such as agency, solidarity and hope.

1

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire @grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · Sep 4

Visit covactivists.co.uk to learn more about CYA. Contact our community organiser Chloe Andrew to get involved with all this and more on 07916 234977 or [email protected] 💛 5/5

Coventry Youth Activists

covactivists.co.uk