A woman stands at a lectern giving a presentation to an audience seated at round tables in a conference room. A laptop and water glasses are on a table beside her. A woman stands at a lectern giving a presentation to an audience seated at round tables in a conference room. A laptop and water glasses are on a table beside her. Voice,
partnerships
and influenceOur impact 2025/26Connecting community knowledge with
the people shaping services, funding and policy.Explore the impact

Community voice into action

Better decisions begin with stronger connections and better insight

Connecting community knowledge with the people shaping services, funding and policy.

We created opportunities for voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations to connect, share experiences and raise the issues affecting their communities. These insights were carried into conversations with local authorities, NHS partners, the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, MPs, government and funders.

Our role is both connective and representative. We help organisations access networks, partnerships and opportunities while ensuring that smaller charities, community groups and people with lived experience are visible in strategic discussions.

Grassroots experience belongs in wider decisions

Networks and partnerships connect local knowledge with public services, funders and decision-makers, helping community experience inform what happens next.

Community organisations connecting and working together

At a glance

Reach, connection and representation

These figures show the scale of engagement and the growing network through which community experience is shared.

1,200+

VCSE organisations engaged

A 30% increase on the previous year.

2,000+

Sector interactions

A 41% increase across casework, networks, training and partnerships.

One voice

Representing Yorkshire’s VCSE sector

One voice with local authorities, NHS partners, the Combined Authority, government and funders.

Multiple

Strategic boards and partnerships influenced

Multiple routes for bringing community knowledge into important conversations.

Almost 200

Age Friendly Network members

Almost 200 members, including more than 50 organisations.

30%

Growth in organisations engaged

Increasing the reach and diversity of sector insight.

What we did

Listen, connect, represent and influence

Combining partnerships and community voice makes the route from grassroots insight to wider influence clearer.

Networks and connection

We created spaces for organisations and individuals to share learning, build relationships and identify common issues.

  • Sector networks
  • Events and peer learning
  • Connections to partners and opportunities

Gathering community insight

Casework, conversations and network activity helped reveal the pressures, priorities and opportunities experienced locally.

  • Lived experience
  • Grassroots organisational insight
  • Emerging community needs

Strategic representation

We represented community organisations in discussions with public services, funders and decision-makers.

  • Local authorities and NHS partners
  • Combined Authority and MPs
  • Government and funding partners

Partnership and collective action

We helped organisations and institutions work together on shared priorities and more joined-up responses.

  • Cross-sector collaboration
  • Shared learning and resources
  • Community-informed action

How change happens

How community insight becomes influence

The process starts with listening and becomes meaningful when insight is connected to action.

  • Listen

    1

    Gather experience through networks, casework and local conversations.

  • Connect

    2

    Bring organisations, partners and decision-makers together.

  • Represent

    3

    Make community priorities visible in strategic discussions.

  • Influence

    4

    Support better-informed services, funding and policy.

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What changed

What stronger voice and partnership working can change

The impact is seen in better representation, stronger relationships and decisions that respond more closely to local need.

Community knowledge made more visible

Smaller organisations better represented

More joined-up relationships across sectors

Better-informed services and priorities

Greater opportunities for residents to influence decisions

Stronger collective responses to shared challenges

Areas of influence

Community insight informing key regional conversations

The report identifies a range of issues where Community First Yorkshire helped strengthen the sector’s voice.

Rural housing

Supporting community-led responses and ensuring rural housing pressures remain visible.

Mental health

Connecting VCSE insight with health, care and community wellbeing conversations.

Digital inclusion

Highlighting barriers to access and the importance of trusted local support.

Neighbourhood services

Helping community experience inform how local services are planned and delivered.

Community wealth building

Supporting discussion about local investment, opportunity and resilient economies.

Health and care

Representing the contribution and experience of voluntary and community organisations.

Continue exploring

Related impact areas

The three pages work together to show how stronger organisations, stronger places and stronger community influence reinforce one another.

Stronger organisations and people

Explore the support that helps organisations, leaders and volunteers build confidence and capacity.

Explore this page

Stronger places and communities

See how local assets, digital inclusion, housing and climate action strengthen places.

Explore this page

Help community experience shape what happens next

Join a network, share insight or connect with Community First Yorkshire’s partnership and influence work.

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