How do you strengthen connection and inclusion?

4 November 2025

Ritains sense of togetherness is fraying. Loneliness is on the rise, and people’s trust in Government is at an all-time low. How do we fix this? According to a new report from one of England’s biggest place-based charities, Local Trust, the key ingredient to stronger, safer and happier neighbourhoods isn’t just more money or government intervention – it’s social capital: the vital web of friendships, trust and community ties that bind people together.

Their latest report How investing in social capital builds cohesive communities, draws on over 12 years of experience showing that when residents are truly empowered – given the resources and authority to decide what’s best for their own areas – communities can be transformed. By building up social capital, you can create an environment which will strengthen connection and inclusion in some of the most deprived areas across the country, say Local Trust.

It is urging all ministers and local authorities to seize the moment and invest in the people, places and relationships that hold communities together. The report makes three vital recommendations:
Long-term investment in community-led social infrastructure

Every community, it says, needs spaces where people can meet, share ideas and build trust – not just those lucky enough to live in wealthier areas.

Give people more power to make their own decisions about the communities they live in Decision-making must move closer to the ground. Residents need to be given the tools to have a real say in setting their local priorities and be able to work closely with local authorities to implement them.

Opportunities and spaces for young people 
Young people must be at the centre of community regeneration plans. The report highlights the success of community-led initiatives such as youth mentoring, homework clubs and work experience programmes, which give young people a safe place to connect and grow.

Case study: FROM DERELICT FIELD TO BEATING HEART OF A COMMUNITY: THE ST MATTHEW’S STORY 
A shining example of what’s possible can be found on the St Matthew’s Estate in Leicester – once one of the most deprived areas in England, has now been transformed into a vibrant community.

Home to around 4,500 residents, St Matthew’s faced the challenges that many communities know too well: poverty, unemployment and a lack of safe spaces for young people. Then came St Matthew’s Big Local, a resident-led partnership supported by over £1 million in long-term Big Local funding. Residents, combined with the council and the Football Foundation, turned an abandoned field into a vibrant new sports hub. “We’ve seen a complete turnaround,” said one community volunteer. “The kids who used to hang around with nothing to do are now running activities, helping younger ones, and taking pride in their area. It’s changed the whole feel of the estate.”

Rachel Rowney, Chief Executive at Local Trust, commented: 

“The transformation at St Matthew’s through Big Local shows what’s possible when residents are given the tools, trust and time to shape their own communities.

“All the evidence tells us — if we want safer, stronger, and more cohesive neighbourhoods across the country, we must invest in three things: spaces that bring people together, local decision-making that gives residents real power, and opportunities that inspire and support our young people.

“This isn’t just about policy — it’s about pride. When communities have access to welcoming, inclusive places, when they’re trusted to make decisions for themselves, and when young people are given safe, meaningful opportunities to grow, the results are transformative. St Matthew’s is proof that with long-term investment and genuine local leadership, communities can rebuild the connections that hold our country together.”

You can read the full report here. 
You can also read an in-depth blog on the topic by Local Trust here. 
For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact ben.jackson@localtrust.org.uk 
0203 588 0428
Notes: 

About Local Trust  
Local Trust is a place-based funder supporting communities to transform and improve their lives and the places in which they live. We believe there is a need to put more power, resources, and decision-making into the hands of communities. We do this by trusting local people.

Our aims are to demonstrate the value of long term, unconditional, resident-led funding, and to draw on the learning from our work delivering the Big Local programme to promote a wider transformation in the way policy makers, funders and others engage with communities and place.

To read more of our research, please visit localtrust.org.uk 

About Big Local  

Big Local is a programme funded by The National Lottery Community Fund (TNLCF). It is a unique programme that puts residents across England in control of decisions about their own lives and neighbourhoods. In 2011, TNLCF awarded £1m to each of 150 Big Local areas.

The Big Local programme was designed to reach communities that had not historically received Lottery money or public funding. The areas chosen were amongst the 20 per cent most deprived on the Index of Multiple Deprivation and also lacked civic assets. The hypothesis was that they were not receiving their fair share of funding because they lacked organisations and individuals with the knowledge, skills and contacts to raise it.

From the outset, Big Local was designed to be radically different from other funding programmes. Contrasting with conventional, top down, time-limited, project-led funding, awards were made to Big Local areas on the basis that they could be spent over time, at communities’ own pace, and according to their own plans and priorities.

 

SOURCE: LOCAL TRUST