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Getting Alongside Communities

In 2015, Corra began the Getting Alongside Communities programme, and a bold ten-year committment to the programme was made in 2016.

The team has been working since 2023 on a transition to community leadership, and in the final year we have worked hard with communities and staff to end as well as possible.

The evaluation of Getting Alongside Communities showed:

Communities felt that Corra believed in them, when they had previously often felt left behind or forgotten.
Accessible resources and support –including small amounts of money that were easy to access – helped people to increase their skills and confidence.
The approach supported local people’s aspirations and plans for long-term community-led change.
Longevity was critical in building trust.
The work has created a legacy of community action, with many groups thriving and local people leading the change they want.
Getting Alongside Communities has also played a significant role in helping to shape Corra’s grant making, particularly our approach to participatory models and funding small community-led groups.

2013-2014

Identified places in Scotland where we were not reaching, recognising that traditional funding models do not work for everyone and that we needed to work differently.

Identified nine communities to work alongside.

2015

Listened and learned to understand the strengths of the communities.

Commenced phased recruitment of a Community Coordinator in each place.

2015-2025

Worked alongside communities to keep listening, build capacity, widen participation and support ideas into action.

Invested over £3m from Corra and leveraged a further £2m.

52,000 people engaging in local activities, with 16,000 volunteering hours being given by community members.

Community leadership, voice, ambition and action grew.

2023-2025

Worked towards a planned conclusion of the programme and transition to community leadership.

Shared learning about what’s needed so local people can thrive in the driving seat of change.

Co-designed an event where communities came together in the Scottish Parliament to celebrate, connect and have their voices heard.

Getting Alongside Communities was supported by partnerships with eight local authorities – Falkirk, Fife, East Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire. It was also shaped, and co-funded, by a range of partners over the past ten years, including Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Lankelly Chase, and Tudor Trust.

Corra was also grateful to have expert insight from members of the Getting Alongside Communities Observer and Advisory Groups. The Observers were chaired by Sir John Arbuthnott, and then by Dame Julia Unwin, and Corra is deeply thankful to them both. Above all Corra is indebted to the communities who allowed us to travel alongside them, who shared their time and trust, and who are a powerful example of what is possible when local people lead.