Stephen Frost

Nicely put👇

“It is even more vital that the government’s new plan recognises that social cohesion is made or lost in millions of everyday acts, and not just in moments of national celebration…”

Govt’s Pride in Place targets areas with economic deprivation and weaker social infrastructure. Yet, our analysis reveals 2 challenges.

We find 430 doubly disadvantaged neighbourhoods in England (home to approx 3.5 million people) are unfunded, incl many ranked as facing the greatest challenges 1/3

Excellent piece👇

“… the societies that mobilise most effectively in a crisis are the ones with the deepest social fabric, the highest trust between citizens and institutions, and the most distributed sense of responsibility.”

What to do when the sunlight hardens Crisis makes the strongest case for a different kind of state.

Time to put the fluffy stuff about community and relationships aside so the grown-ups can take charge?

No: my latest piece explains why this would be a dangerous mistake.

howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/what-to-do...

Protecting What Matters: Towards a more confident, cohesive, and resilient United Kingdom

Pleased to see the government launch a national strategy for community cohesion today. Some initial thoughts on its strengths and gaps 🧵

www.gov.uk/government/p...

My first thoughts on "Protecting What Matters", the government’s social cohesion action plan: important foundations for bolder future action to tackle polarisation and hatred
www.britishfuture.org/new-cohesion...

Rainbow drawn in chalk at the entrance to Bristol’s city hall

Current highlight of the day = colourful chalk at the entrance to the City Hall in Bristol. Joyful & makes me instantly feel more welcome.

Is this Bristol's smallest bookshop? The new bookshop has opened within a repurposed shipping container

Beware. This bookshop may be very small but it will not stop them making a large dent in your wallet.

Official opening is tomorrow and it’s well worth dropping in to say hi & support a new local independent bookshop.

Epiphytes are plants that grow on trees, and their abundance anywhere in the world indicates rainforest.

This epiphytic wood sorrel in my own place, an Irish Atlantic rainforest, is just coming into flower.

Today marks the first day of meteorological spring 🌷

March has arrived, and with it comes longer, lighter days. Over the next few weeks most of us will enjoy around two extra hours of daylight ☀️

How new South Bristol boxing club is bringing the joy "The biggest success is seeing the smiles"

A new boxing club in South Bristol has opened & is putting on free training sessions for kids.
I went along to find out more, and found an inspirational man in Ricky Leach.
www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol...

4yr old running into the distance along a path in an old woodland

Glorious day to hop on the X6 (reminder these are now every 30mins from Bristol city centre) to Tyntesfield and release the 4yr old to roam the woods. Abundant signs of spring for him (and me) to delight in. And plenty of mud…

Don't miss out! This March, walk 30, 60 or 100 miles to support refugees in the UK.

Choose your distance, fundraise, and take steps toward a more welcoming country. Every mile makes a difference. Sign up! https://act.refugee-action.org.uk/page/185843/data/1?ea.tracking.id=M4ROrganicSocials

Front cover of journal article

Public engagement and climate change: exploring the role of hairdressers as everyday influencers

⭐New paper!⭐ Two research projects exploring the influence that hairdressers—as widespread professionals in conversational spaces—have w/ clients about climate & sustainability.

doi.org/10.1057/s415...

Love it! Thanks for sharing!

I’d love to chat about it with you and hear more about LRM. I’ll follow up in a bit!

Locals transform Bury St Edmunds 'bin alley' into garden Volunteers say the alleyway has been an eyesore blighted by fly tipping and anti-social behaviour.

I’m a sucker for a “we saw a problem, we fixed it” story. Even on a small scale a community taking a stake in the space outside their homes gives me a top up of hope.

My research indicates that in a increasingly politically polarised online and real-life environments, urban food growing projects have the potential to bridge divides. They can help integrate newcomers to the neighbourhood, providing opportunities for volunteers to talk across spheres of life. 👇

Photo of a black coffee.

This strong black coffee is being drank in solidarity with other parents whose kids got them up before 5am today 🥱

Thanks for writing it! Has inspired lots of ideas for projects here in Bristol

Loitering without intent: how taking aimless walks can create community and help you feel part of a city Walking together can be a powerful way to feel a sense of belonging in our environment.

"Opening up, sharing stories, making, holding, extending space walking together... is the opposite of planting a flag + claiming dominance" doi.org/10.64628/AB....

Out today @theconversation.com an intro to what I do + why @plutopress.bsky.social #TheFeministArtOfWalking #psychogeography #BookSky

Red headed toddler walking down steps in a park under blue skies

My toddler is demonstrating some fine loitering skills as he leads our walk through the park this afternoon.

Spring feels like it has truly sprung in Bristol today, much to the delight of everyone on the school walk/wheel/run this afternoon ☀️

Loitering without intent: how taking aimless walks can create community and help you feel part of a city Walking together can be a powerful way to feel a sense of belonging in our environment.

Great article by @thelrm.bsky.social on loitering, the joys of walking together and value of shared public space.

💯 “… public space, non-commercial open places, where people can gather, ask questions, start conversations, or simply just be, are vital.“

Across England, community organisations are acquiring buildings as long-term tools for social justice & ecological resilience 🏘️

So, what does it take to start the journey from one precarious lease (or no space at all) to a portfolio that transforms a neighbourhood?

1/ 🧵

Also keen to follow packs/feeds/accounts that cover community development, public participation, social action etc

Essentially I’m interested in belonging, how people connect with each other (particularly across difference) & community life + ways people take collective action to shape local areas.

Having recently changed jobs, social cohesion is now an explicit focus of my work and delighted to have stumbled across this excellent starter pack by @jillyrutter.bsky.social.

Recommendations for similar packs or people posting on these themes gratefully received 🙏

Local government’s missing layer: Neighbourhood governance - We're Right Here As councils merge and decision-making moves further from local people, getting new neighbourhood governance right is critical.

In the final blog of our series, @localis.bsky.social argues that:

“If binding routes for community power are not hard-wired alongside local government reorganisation, England risks simply redrawing centralisation into a new network of local Whitehalls.“

Excellent idea, would love to have joined but I’m on solo parenting duties that night. Hope you get plenty of people along and I’d be keen to join a future drinks

Inspired by @t0nyyates.bsky.social, I'm organising Bluesky drinks in Bristol on Wednesday 18th March at 7 pm at a pub between the city centre and Temple Meads. DM me for the details.