As a team, we have felt a deep sadness as we’ve observed or directly experienced the violent disorder which has risen across the UK, including in places close to our homes and in communities we’ve worked alongside. The media response has largely focussed on the messaging that the rioters are thugs and criminals and are not reflective of the wider community and it has been inspiring to see and be part of counter peaceful protests which have sprung up to support refugee and asylum communities being directly targeted. Outside of the large riots, we have heard from colleagues fearful of leaving the house and seen an increase in racial motivated hate crimes on our streets.

From our long years of experience of working across some of the most deprived and disaffected communities across the UK, we understand that tensions within communities are sadly widespread. The integration of transient communities into existing communities who feel failed and forgotten by the people in charge is often progressed with little or no system level investment or strategy, with no focus on building relationships and networks between neighbours.

As is often the case, this is repeated at a micro and macro scale – we visit brand new estates which boast mixed communities but in reality, certain blocks are for certain ethnic groups or tenant types, to towns where neighbourhoods have become uncomfortable, unsettling and sometimes perceived as threatening for some of the people who were born there. Even in places which are talked of as diverse, you often see limited integration between different nationalities within the immigrant and ethnic communities. And unfortunately, we’ve seen investment in projects focussed on building communities withdrawn over the last decade. You’re asked to provide robust evidence or impact in the short term to justify funding, which is practically impossible, and the evidence of withdrawal comes painfully to the fore years later in events such as those taking place now.

So what can we do?

To truly bring communities together, we need to apply a long-term strategy for integration which focuses and invests in bringing people together and building relationships. We’ve had particular success in relation to cross-community childcare provision as a way to build bridges between communities. If people build long term relationships with other parents through the care of their children, this can really break through cultural division. We’ve also long championed integrated community care and housing provision. Mixed development and service provision can avoid the creation of siloed communities where certain groups are seen as prioritised over others. Even modest scale investments, for example in an annual programmes of neighbourhood level community celebrations run by local people which bring people together around all faith festivals where Eid, Passover, Christmas or Burns night, have a real impact, especially if they run over a number of years and become embedded in the life of the community. Supporting activity led and owned by the local community was a core component of the Well North programme and led to a wide range of grassroots creative community arts projects in Newcastle and Gateshead, intercultural cycling in Bradford and community celebrations in Halton and Skelmersdale to mention just a few. These were all successful in the short term and unfunded over the longer term.

As we emerge from this disorder and dislocation, communities on all sides will need support to recover from the trauma of recent events. Whilst supporting the need to react strongly to the violent actions of individuals, the long sentencing will leave a significant legacy on the families of those effected. For young people especially who are incarcerated, will this prove “crime university”, or will there be a supportive and therapeutic environment, so that when they are released, they will make a positive contribution to society? We’ll also need to wrap our arms around those communities’ experiencing hatred and fear. We need to step towards communities, have honest conversations, listen to their realities and work in collaboration with them to build trust, demonstrate a commitment to community investment and change, and most importantly forge relationships. None of this has come out of a vacuum. The anger, disaffection, even despair, is very real, even if it was cruelly manipulated and used. Are we ready to hear uncomfortable truths that challenge the way we think and act, so that going forward collectively we address the underlying causes. Because if we don’t, how hopeful can we be for the future?

Our Response to The Recent Riots

Key Themes from Our First ‘Be More’ Breakfast Networking Event.

Weaving Past and Present: The Stanton Guildhouse Placemaking Story