The Leeds Community Anchor Network (LCAN) has been busy lately, so we thought it was time for a quick update! 

A big part of our work continues to be delivering the Household Support Fund to some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. Across the city, food pantries and food banks are doing incredible work, powered by an amazing army of volunteers. It’s been heartening to see how much of a difference this support is making. 

But not everything we do is about crisis response. One of our recent projects was the  Community Recovery Fund where each LCAN member distributed small grants – up to £300 – to local grassroots groups. The result was a patchwork of beautiful, interconnected activities across different wards that brought people together in really meaningful ways. We called it  Together Leeds. You can read about it and watch the video here.

We’ve also been busy with Neighbourhood Matching, now in its third and final year. This project has shown how volunteer-led initiatives can spark real change – connecting neighbours, building trust, and creating spaces where people feel they belong.  Year three is based in Hunslet ward and Gipton and Harehills with Give a Gift, Space 2 and St Lukes Cares being the anchor co-ordinators reaching out to small volunteer-led groups for their project ideas. 

Another exciting piece of work is  The Listening Project, which is now in its second year. This time we are building on everything we heard in year one and working with communities to turn those insights into action together. 

Our relationships with other anchor networks across the city are growing stronger too. Last month, anchors got together for a big ‘afternoon tea’ at the  Slung Low Warehouse. It was a chance to share what we’ve been hearing through the Listening Project and start shaping some shared actions. This gathering was part of the Good Jobs, Better Homes, Fairer Futures  programme – a 3-year programme funded by the Health Foundation to strengthen connections between the city’s large anchor organisations and local communities in order to address health and economic inequalities.    

Finally, we’re really excited to share some short videos we’ve made about LCAN and the work we do. Each one is just a few minutes long and gives a little window into our impact. Huge thanks to Adarak LTD for their brilliant filming work, and we are eternally grateful to The National Lottery Community Fund for funding us to do all this great work! 

Leeds Community Anchor Network – an overview

 

Leeds Community Anchor Network – Supporting Community Organising – We Are Seacroft

Leeds Community Anchor Network – Strengthening Community Participation-New Wortley Community Centre

Leeds Community Anchor Network – Partnership – Give A Gift

 

Article by Claire Graham (Voluntary Action Leeds) 

To find out more about LCAN click the link here Leeds Community Anchor Network – Doing Good Leeds

Voluntary Action Leeds