Beginning a Transformative Journey, Together
Around August 2025, we funded Northern Heart and Soul to deliver a 12 month Community Coaching programme: ‘Cultivating Community Power’.
This programme was conceived to train eight people in community leadership, asset based community development and more! Each attendee received a £5,000 bursary to cover their time in response to feedback we’ve heard around courses like this not being financially viable for groups.
We funded Northern Heart and Soul with £51,000 (£11,000 to run the course, £40,000 to cover the bursaries.) due to their experience in community development – examples including workshops like their Asset Based Community Development Network – and their connections with other community focused organisations across Greater Manchester.
Why did we do this?
We funded this programme as over the next few years there’s a lot of resource expected to flow into the Wigan Borough to enable communities to grow their leadership, convening & stewarding capabilities. This may mean coming together in all kinds of ways and we wanted to ensure there are more local community leaders who could do this effectively.
We were looking for people who…
- Were actively involved in community at grass root level
- Were wanting to deepen your practice
- Believed that communities know best what they need
- Enjoyed learning and unlearning
- Enjoyed connecting with like minded community peers
Attendees had to commit to…
- 2 days training in September 2025 looking at Asset Based Community development principles and practice.
- The art of hosting, powerful questions, community reporting,
- A monthly 2 hour gathering practicing the art of deep listening and sharing the learning and insights from local conversations.
- Half a day learning about Northern Heart and Soul, Springfield Beech Hill and Gidlow Community Mutual aid group and their learning journey/experiences.
- 2 days at the end of the programme collecting and sharing insights and ripple effect mapping.
And we prioritised individuals who…
- Were actively engaged on the ground within their local community.
- Were not employed by large charitable organisations.
- Focused on strengths and opportunities, rather than barriers and problems.
- Were typically too busy doing the work to attend meetings or formal development programmes.
- Enjoyed engaging with others and are confident starting conversations.
- Demonstrated self-awareness and can learn from their own experiences
- Represented the depth and breadth of community across the borough.
“We hope that we’ll end up with a group of neighbourhood stewards who can continue to activate communities, avoiding us only engaging with the sector.”
Alice Coren – Wigan Borough Community First
Nine Community Leaders Begin Transformative Journey Together
In September 2025, Gill from Northern Heart and Soul sent us a quick update on the first session of the course. We figured rather then rewriting, you’d get the best understanding of the sessions from her own words!
“Nine inspiring community leaders from across the borough came together for the first time at Hindley St Peters Pavilion, marking the beginning of a powerful nine-month journey.
As the group began getting to know one another and setting shared expectations, they also explored the principles of Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) and the Art of Powerful Questions. These foundational tools helped spark meaningful conversations about strengths within their communities and how thoughtful, intentional questioning can drive deeper understanding, connection, and change.
Over the next 9 months, this group will explore the meaning and impact of community leadership, deepen relationships, and build collective strength to better support the vital, and often challenging, work they lead in their communities.
Meeting monthly, they’ll share insights from their unique contexts, engage in cross-learning, and develop strategies to create lasting, positive change. It’s a shared commitment to learning, connection, and collective impact.”
– Gill Wright, Northern Heart and Soul