Pioneer Guide

Things to consider

As a community, you can identify local needs in the round, based on a real understanding of people’s lives and experiences, and of the different factors that affect them.

Of course, plenty of official data is available on all these, but often not at such a local level. Even when it is, it won’t show how different factors may be connected. But you may find some data useful as a check and evidence of need once you explore further.

Things to consider

Every community has strengths you can build on and resources you can call on. Using an ‘asset-based’ approach, rather than focusing on gaps and barriers, means starting out in a positive way.

The idea is that everyone has something to contribute; you just need to work out what it is and how to unlock it. It can be surprising and inspiring to see how many assets there are – and the sum is often greater than the parts when you bring them together!

Things to consider

Community co-operatives are businesses run by and for local people, with everyone encouraged to become a member with an equal say. Whatever kind of business they are in, they usually act as a community hub with wider aims, such as reducing social isolation, loneliness and poverty.

Advantages of a co-operative approach include:

• the ability to draw on local knowledge, skills and assets
• the option to raise working capital from a community share issue, while generating an income from services provided
• equal membership including for those who will use services, so giving them a say and safeguarding their interests

Things to consider

When it comes to turning your pioneer idea into reality, it is good to look at different ways this might be done – starting to explore who would be involvedand how it could be run.

It partly depends of course on what you are thinking of: perhaps you are exploring a single, well-defined service or facility, or it could be a more complex proposal involving different services and contributors. Going back to your notes of local assets to draw upon may help, together with your outline of what services or facilities you want to offer.

What are our next steps?

This guide is intended as a first step to help you explore the particular challenges around health, care and wellbeing in your community. You can do this on your own or start involving others.

To develop your ideas into a successful community-led enterprise, you will need to do a little more. From our experience, it helps getting some expert advice and guidance, suited to the ideas and potential solutions you want to explore. Or you may want to pick up on other ideas such as running a health walk, nutrition class or dementia cafe.

We are now working with pioneers but, if you have an enterprising Being Well idea, you can either simply contact us or share your answers with us by giving us your email here. That way, we can get a better idea of whether we could still help you. Thank you!