Local people invited to shape change in Scarborough through new Community Power Project

People living in Scarborough and along the North Yorkshire Coast are being invited to get involved in a new Community Power project, supporting local residents to influence decisions and take action on the issues that matter most to them.

Thanks to National Lottery players, Coast and Vale Community Action has received £79768 over 12 months from the National Lottery Community Fund – the largest community funder in the UK.   This truly life changing funding comes from the first phase of its Community Power Fund – to support underserved communities in England to affect positive change in their local area and to influence the places they live, the services they use and the decisions that affect them The insights from this initial funding will shape a much bigger £100 million Community Power Fund spanning a decade and ready to launch by the National Lottery Community Fund later this year.

This exciting initiative will work locally to develop community power in the form of both social action and systemic influence.  We are looking for members of the community who care about a local issue that feels outdated, unfair or isn’t working; who want to understand why things are the way they are; who want to respond to a local issue with a practical idea; and who are interested in working together to influence change or to make something positive happen.  Rather than starting with pre-set priorities, the project will be led by the experiences. Ideas and energy pf local people.

Melanie Bonney from CaVCA said ‘Scarborough has strong communities and a huge amount of local knowledge.  This project is about bringing power closer to home – helping people recognise their own influence and supporting them to turn ideas into real change’.

Coast and Vale Community Action is delighted to be joining with 16 other community based organisations from across the country to participate in a Community Of Practice with the National Lottery Community Fund to develop its approach to Community Power.  Here in Scarborough we want to work with people who live here to make real change happen locally.  Community power is about people shaping the places they live, not waiting for change, but being supported to make it happen themselves.

This is a real opportunity to get involved in shaping community power, both locally in Scarborough and by working with the other Community Power Fund partners across the country.

For more information, or to register interest in getting involved, please contact Mel Bonney at or by calling 01723 480033