Community engagement

Real community engagement, done in person

Community engagement is one of the deepest threads through my career. I have been doing this work for over 40 years, in one form or another, whether it has been organising theatre visits, leading workshops, or just going out and engaging authentically with people. My work in this area is for arts organisations, theatres, galleries, museums and heritage sites who want to do community engagement properly, not as a tick-box exercise but as a real, lasting relationship with the people on their doorstep.

You cannot engage with a community if they do not know who you are. You cannot do it from behind a desk and you cannot do it in a single email. The whole point is to be present, to listen, and to build trust. That is what I do, and it is what I do best.

How I work in community engagement

Community engagement looks different for every project, but the core of how I work stays the same.

• I get a clear brief from you about who the community is, what you want the relationship to be, and what success would look like
• I go and meet people. Face to face wherever possible. Community leaders, group organisers, faith leaders, school heads, family workers
• I build the rapport. People often tell me I am personable and relatable, and that really helps me in this work
• I bring your offer to the community in a way that respects their time and their interests
• I support the activity, whether that is a theatre visit, a workshop, an exhibition opening or an ongoing programme
• I observe, take notes and feed back to you so the relationship deepens over time

Who I work with on community engagement

The communities I have worked with over the years have come in every shape and size. Young people, elders, students, families, people with disabilities, young people with SEND, faith communities, cultural communities, community groups in every corner of the UK.

I treat them all the same way, with respect, with an open mind, and with a real interest in what they want to do with art and culture. Sometimes they know exactly what they want. Sometimes they have never been to a theatre, a gallery or a heritage site, and they are open to being introduced. Both of those are wonderful starting points.

A story I love telling

I worked with a community group whose young people had never been to the ballet. It was a young person’s ballet, dancers their age, and the group leader trusted me enough to bring them. Some of them thought it was the cinema, bless them, they did not realise it was a live performance. By the end they were on their feet cheering. Absolutely amazing.

That is what good community engagement opens up. It is not just one event. It is the door to a whole world of culture that those young people now know is for them.

When community engagement consultancy is the right fit

This service is a particularly good fit if:

• You are an arts organisation that wants a real relationship with your local community, not a one-off project
• You are a heritage site whose history connects directly to communities you have not yet engaged
• You are a producer planning an outreach programme around a tour and need somebody on the ground
• You are running an access or relaxed performance and want the right groups to know about it and feel welcome

What you get when you bring me in

• 40 years of community engagement experience in the arts
• A genuine, personable presence in the room and on the phone
• Real relationships with community leaders across the UK
• Honest reporting on what is working, what is not, and what to try next
• A consultant who treats every community as worth her best work