Yesterday was such a special day for the Growing Together Fund. We began by celebrating the Decision Makers from the first round of Give it a Go funding before bringing people together to help shape what comes next through the Strengthen & Grow pot.
It was wonderful to have so many people contributing to how decisions will be made in the next stage of the Growing Together Fund. There were thoughtful conversations, different perspectives and plenty of brilliant ideas, but above all there was a real sense that people wanted to build something fair, inclusive and authentic which would have a long-term positive impact for Grimsby and North East Lincolnshire.
One participant put it perfectly:
“I want to be able to say what I want, not have someone else say what they think I want.”
We heard lots of different perspectives, and some clear themes emerged.
• The people who know a place best are best placed to shape its future.
• Fair decisions require everyone who calls a place home to be represented.
• Expertise should support local knowledge, not replace it.
• Communities grow stronger when people back each other.
Thank you for sharing your ideas, experiences and questions so openly. We’re now taking away everything you contributed and using it to shape the next iteration of Strengthen & Grow. Your input will directly influence how the model develops.
Strengthen & Grow opens later this year and will offer grants of up to £50,000 to help ideas, groups and organisations become stronger, more sustainable, or take their next big step.
The Growing Together Fund Fund is about more than money, it’s about creating processes for local people to have a meaningful voice
If you’d like to revisit the session, click the below button to view the slides.
