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Climate for Communities Introduction Bridging Change are excited to be part of the Climate for Communities project. Funded by the National Lottery, the Trusting for Developing Communities have been awarded £1.3 million over a 3-year period to empower unrepresented groups in Brighton and Hove. Us along with the 17 other organisations, will understand our community’s challenges such as the increase cost of living and the health and wellbeing issues that people face. With our focus being on Black and racialised monitories (BRM), we’llassess how BRM groups are more likely to live in areas of high pollution, limited accesses to green spaces and poorer housing factors that amplify vulnerability to extreme weather, heatwaves and flooding. Furthermore, BRM are underrepresented in climate-decision making, meaning their specific needs are knowledge are often overlooked in policy responses and language barriers, economic marginalisation and experiences of racism can further limit access to information, funding or support in adapting to climate impacts. The results is a layered and systemic challenge that demands an intersectional approach to climate justice- one that centres equity, lived experience and meaningfulinclusion. The long-term vision of the project is for the city to become a thriving ecosystem of accessible, inclusive and impactful climate activity, with a green economy that brings communities together with public, private, education and voluntary sectors to ensure a just and equitable transition to a sustainable future. Linked projects: Sussex Bay (May, 2025) In this report, Bridging Change aimed to understand the priorities and issues that respondents faced around the coast. We gather views on a personal and collective level and also consider the wider concerns raised around accessibility, exclusion and overcrowding. Read the report here: Interested in Climate for Communities? For more information about Ageing Well contact: projects@bridgingchange.co.uk

Reports Brighton and Hove Brighton and Hove Brighton and Hove Brighton and Hove Decision makers (September, 2025) A report outlining how CVG works for Decision makers in the Council and NHS Read the report here. Community Voices (October, 2024) Community Voices Group (CVG) is a community forum set up to address inequalities experienced by people of colour in Brighton and Hove. It is led by Bridging Change in partnership with the Hanlgeton and Knoll Project and Sussex Interpreting Service Read the report here. Bridging Change NHS Workshop (November, 2023) Bridging Change was awarded a grant by NHS Sussex to deliver a face-to-face, 2.5-hour workshop in November 2023 with racialised minority communities based in Brighton and Hove. The event's aims were two-fold: to close the community engagement loop by feeding back to communities and to engage with the local communities. Read the report here. Vaccine Equity Project (June, 2022) A report providing a snapshot of 20 people who identified as Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic and who were able to share their experience of COVID-19 vaccines. Read the Vaccine Equity Project report here. My Life in Brighton A series of facilitated coffee mornings that, encouraged Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic people to discuss their experience of living and working in Brighton and Hove. Read the My Life in Brighton report here. Men's Health Survey Report (January, 2025) Bridging Change conducted a men’s health survey with the Communities Health Inequalities Programme (CHIP). The survey began with demographic questions and then followed with questions on access to GPs and dentists, mental and physical health, medication, exercise, eating habits, and community interventions. Read the report here. Healthwatch report on digital technology among ethnic minority elders (May, 2024) Bridging Change was involved in research in partnership with Healthwatch Brighton and Hove on ‘Understanding the use and attitudes of digital technology among ethnic minority elders in Brighton and Hove’. Bridging Change recruited and facilitated interviews and focus groups and aided with the development of the topic guide. The research was funded by the NIHR Clinical Research Network in Kent, Surrey and Sussex. Read report here . Emergency Food Access Project (March, 2023) This study describes the experiences of a small cohort of Black racialised minority (BRM) people in Brighton and Hove, who are accessing food provision in the city. Read the Emergency Food Access Research Project report here. The NHS, COVID – 19 and Lockdown: The Black, Asian, Minoritised Ethnic and Refugee Experience in Brighton and Hove (September, 2020) In July 2020, Trust for Developing Communities and five partners: Sussex Interpreting Services, Hangleton & Knoll Project, Voices in Exile, Network of International Women and Fresh Youth Perspectives, surveyed 310 people from Black, Asian, minoritised ethnic, refugee and migrant communities in Brighton and Hove to find out about their experiences of the NHS, Covid-19 and lockdown. Dr Anusree Biswas Sasidharan led the research which was funded by Sussex NHS Commissioners. Read the report here. Sussex Sussex Sussex Sussex Sussex Bay Report (May, 2025) In this report, Bridging Change aimed to understand the priorities and issues that respondents faced around the coast. We gather views on a personal and collective level and also consider the wider concerns raised around accessibility, exclusion and overcrowding. Read report here. Reaching Out: growing our understanding of the researched (December, 2022) In 2022, Bridging Change conducted two, in person, workshops for Black Asian and minoritised ethnic leaders and individuals in Brighton and Hove. The workshops aimed to capture their experience of health and social care research including challenges, barriers and the benefits of working in partnership with researchers. Read the report here. Reaching Out: building relationships to increase research impact (December, 2021) Since mid-2020, Bridging Change has been working with National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) partners in the southeast of England, along with community groups serving Black, Asian and minoritised communities. This led to the development of an online ‘Reaching Out’ event in June 2021. Read the report here. VCSE and NHS Sussex Workshop Report (September, 2024) This report represents four workshops run across Brighton and Hove, East Sussex and West Sussex (Chichester and Bognor Regis) with Black and racialised minority individuals and groups. It allowed NHS Sussex to meet with local communities to explain some of the insights they have gathered over the last three years and the opportunity to hear about some of the issues, concerns, challenges and barriers that Black and racialised minorities faced. Read report here. Adur and Worthing Councils Minority Communities Engagement Report (May, 2022) This report was produced on behalf of Adur and Worthing Council as a part of the Contain Outbreak Management Fund. It represents a snapshot of the lives of minoritised ethnic respondents who engaged with this project within a relatively short time span and before the 2021 census. The individuals and groups taking part were keen to share their stories, ideas and frustrations. It provides suggestions of processes of future engagement and ideas generated by the community we spoke to. Read the report here. Coming soon Coming soon Coming soon Coming soon Women's Mosque Survey Report This survey was involved with... and aimed to understand women's views and perspectives at the Mosque around GP services, their accessibility, access to different forms of health information, and areas that respondents found particularly helpful.

Community Voices Group What is CVG? What is CVG? What is CVG? What is CVG? Community Voices Group Do you identify as Black, brown, Asian or from another language, ethnic or migrant community? Do you want to improve how public services are delivered locally? Do you want the chance to speak directly to representatives from the Council and NHS and get your voice heard? Members of the group attend meetings as individuals or as representatives of a community group they belong to. We meet monthly, either online or in-person, to discuss issues that matter to us and to talk to representatives from Brighton and Hove Council and NHS Sussex about how they can be delivered. Meetings Meetings Meetings Meetings Men's Health Meetings Following our meetings on Men's Health with our CVG members, we are inviting decisions makers to meet our members and discuss the issues that were raised. These were: Cancer Mental Health and the stigma around it Support for migrants and refugees If you are Black and racially minoritised, this meeting is for YOU to speak directly with the people who run services and are decision makers. We hope to see you there. Reports Reports Reports Reports Decision makers (September, 2025) A report outlining how CVG works for Decision makers in the Council and NHS Read the report here. Bridging Change NHS Workshop (November, 2023) Bridging Change was awarded a grant by NHS Sussex to deliver a face-to-face, 2.5-hour workshop in November 2023 with racialised minority communities based in Brighton and Hove. The event's aims were two-fold: to close the community engagement loop by feeding back to communities and to engage with the local communities. Read the report here. Community Voices (October, 2024) Read the October 2024 report on CVG, which outlines our achievements, feedback from our members and the next steps. Read the report here. Become a CVG member Become a CVG member Become a CVG member Become a CVG member Interested in joining us? Contact Beth Harrison at Bridging Change, email: hello@bridgingchange.co.uk If you do not speak English and would like to be involved, email: laura@sussexinterpreting.org.uk or call 01273 234016 and leave a message in your language

View our latest news here Bridging Change aims to create a more equal and diverse society with positive outcomes for Black and minoritised ethnic people. We do this through the building of strong alliances, connections and networks. ABOUT BRIDGING CHANGE Brid ging Change is an independent organisation with the intention of building strong, dynamic and successful Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic groups, communities, organisations, businesses and individuals that are empowered to flourish, free from inequality and discrimination. Bridging Change was established by Nora Mzaoui and Dr Anusree Biswas Sasidharan who met as fellow elected Community Works Reps, representing Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities in Brighton and Hove. They realised that there was a gap in support and representation of minoritised communities within the community, voluntary and public sector. Bridging Change want to fill that gap. They were driven by the belief that Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic organisations, groups, communities and individuals were strongest when they worked together to challenge systemic barriers. Bridging Change want to see a society where all individuals and communities have equal opportunities and feel valued and a sense of belonging in their locality. What we do BUILDING ALLIANCES AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT At Bridging Change we are about relationship brokerage and building up agency in minoritised ethnic groups and organisations. We do this by: facilitating spaces, events and networking meetings focusing on specific issues affecting Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities; co-producing workshops with the Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities and decision-makers to discuss, develop and design policy and recognising that social capital and agency amongst minoritised groups, communities and organisations will see agents of change in our city. RESEARCH At Bridging Change, we are dedicated to ensuring that our work is evidence based, rooted on lived experience. At Bridging Change we are about: developing strong links with universities, think tanks and local organisations to produce robust data and reports; developing of a bank of resources for social action and influencing change and improving access to information and data for Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities. TRAINING & WORKSHOPS We do this by: creating bespoke training for minoritised ethnic groups to address topics or areas of interest and value providing bespoke equalities, diversity and inclusion training that is sector specific to support allies to examine their practices within their groups and organisations

Community Voices Group What is CVG? What is CVG? What is CVG? What is CVG? Community Voices Group Do you identify as Black, brown, Asian or from another language, ethnic or migrant community? Do you want to improve how public services are delivered locally? Do you want the chance to speak directly to representatives from the Council and NHS and get your voice heard? Members of the group attend meetings as individuals or as representatives of a community group they belong to. We meet monthly, either online or in-person, to discuss issues that matter to us and to talk to representatives from Brighton and Hove Council and NHS Sussex about how they can be delivered. Past meetings Past meetings Past meetings Past meetings Reports Reports Reports Reports Community Voices (October, 2024) Read the October 2024 report on CVG, which outlines our achievements, feedback from our members and the next steps. Read the report here. Bridging Change NHS Workshop (November, 2023) Bridging Change was awarded a grant by NHS Sussex to deliver a face-to-face, 2.5-hour workshop in November 2023 with racialised minority communities based in Brighton and Hove. The event's aims were two-fold: to close the community engagement loop by feeding back to communities and to engage with the local communities. Read the report here. Become a CVG member Become a CVG member Become a CVG member Become a CVG member Interested in joining us? Contact Beth Harrison at Bridging Change, email: hello@bridgingchange.co.uk If you do not speak English and would like to be involved, email: laura@sussexinterpreting.org.uk or call 01273 234016 and leave a message in your language

Infrastructure Fundraising www.resourcecentre.org.uk/information/planning-a-funding-application Budgets for community groups , Bank accounts for community groups , Constitutions , Fundraising ideas and Writing a funding application . Responsibilities of Registered Charities Charity Reporting and Accounts

Meet The Team Founder & CEO Anusree Biswas Sasidharan This is your Team Member description. Use this space to write a brief description of this person’s role and responsibilities, or add a short bio. Tech Lead Ashley Jones This is your Team Member description. Use this space to write a brief description of this person’s role and responsibilities, or add a short bio. Office Manager Beth Harrison Beth Harrison is Project Coordinator at Bridging Change. She has worked in the community and voluntary sector for over twenty years in community development, information and advice, public involvement and coproduction. She is a trained community development worker with a Masters in Applied Anthropology and Community and Youth Work. She has worked for a number of organisations including Brighton and Hove Black History, Age UK East Sussex, the Hangleton and Knoll Project, the National Institute for Health and Care Research, Applied Research Collaboration Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Diversity Resource International. She is passionate about inclusion, diversity and equity with a particular focus on the Health and Education sectors. Product Manager Lisa Rose This is your Team Member description. Use this space to write a brief description of this person’s role and responsibilities, or add a short bio. HR Lead Kevin Nye This is your Team Member description. Use this space to write a brief description of this person’s role and responsibilities, or add a short bio. Customer Support Lead Rini Ghosh Am a qualified ACMA (CGMA) accountant with several years of’ experience working for global charities and not-for- profit organisations concentrating in the International Development sector.. I work closely with external and internal business partners and stakeholders, and bring my 20+ years of financial management expertise to aide strategic decision making for senior management teams. I also help orgs to implement their long-term financial plans and ensure that they align with the approved business strategies and objectives. I currently work as a finance business partner for an animal welfare charity concentrating on process transformation for effective financial reporting to help interpretation of financial information for project delivery. I also have experience of writing and submitting commercial funding proposals for all sizes of budgets and projects. Customer Support Lead Alex Young This is your Team Member description. Use this space to write a brief description of this person’s role and responsibilities, or add a short bio. Meet The Team Anusree Biswas Sasidharan Director I’m a paragraph. Double click me or click Edit Text, it's easy. Nora Mzaoui Director I’m a paragraph. Double click me or click Edit Text, it's easy. Beth Harrison Project coordinator Beth Harrison is Project Coordinator at Bridging Change. She has worked in the community and voluntary sector for over twenty years in community development, information and advice, public involvement and coproduction. She is a trained community development worker with a Masters in Applied Anthropology and Community and Youth Work. She has worked for a number of organisations including Brighton and Hove Black History, Age UK East Sussex, the Hangleton and Knoll Project, the National Institute for Health and Care Research, Applied Research Collaboration Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Diversity Resource International. She is passionate about inclusion, diversity and equity with a particular focus on the Health and Education sectors. Rini Ghosh Am a qualified ACMA (CGMA) accountant with several years of’ experience working for global charities and not-for- profit organisations concentrating in the International Development sector.. I work closely with external and internal business partners and stakeholders, and bring my 20+ years of financial management expertise to aide strategic decision making for senior management teams. I also help orgs to implement their long-term financial plans and ensure that they align with the approved business strategies and objectives. I currently work as a finance business partner for an animal welfare charity concentrating on process transformation for effective financial reporting to help interpretation of financial information for project delivery. I also have experience of writing and submitting commercial funding proposals for all sizes of budgets and projects. Anita Johal I’m a paragraph. Double click me or click Edit Text, it's easy. James Doe I’m a paragraph. Double click me or click Edit Text, it's easy. James Doe I’m a paragraph. Double click me or click Edit Text, it's easy.

OUR FIRST MEETING INTRODUCING BRIDING CHANGE Bridging Change hosted their introductory meeting on Zoom, which was well attended with 58 attendants. If you missed our session you can have a look at our presentation below to give you a flavour of what we spoke about. Please contact us if you would like to know more at BridgingChange@outlook.com

Infrastructure Governance Responsibilities of the Management Committee Roles of Officers (also available in Arabic ) Legal structures for community and voluntary groups Constitutions Charity Reporting and Accounts

Podcasts Talk In Equality (Transcipts down below) Dr Anusree Biswas Sasidharan and Lillian Ndawula (Ethnic Minorities in Canterbury) explore, with guests, the role of research in addressing health inequalities experienced by minoritised ethnic groups. This series is funded by NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Kent, Surrey and Sussex and supported by the Research Design Service Southeast and Clinical Research Network Kent, Surrey and Sussex. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. Episode 1: What do community development organisations think? In this episode, guest host Dr Gary Hickey from Agora Digital Centre at University of Southampton, quizzes Dr Anusree Biswas Sasidharan from Bridging Change, Lillian Ndawula from Ethnic Minorities in Canterbury and Patrick Nyikavaranda from Diversity Resource International. He asks them about their perceptions and experiences of health inequalities experienced by ethnic minority communities and their hopes for increasing the representation of people from ethnic minorities in both the participation and involvement in research. Click below to listen. Episode 3: A perspective from the Health Research Authority In this episode, Anusree and Lillian speak to Dr Matt Westmore, Chief Executive at Health Research Authority. They quiz Matt about the steps taken by the Health Research Authority to increase representation in research and the important role that community organisations can play. Click below to listen. Episode 5: A researcher's perspective In this episode, Anusree and Lillian speak to Dr Ibidun Fakoya, Senior Research Fellow at King’s College London. Ibi shares her experiences of undertaking research with people from ethnic minority communities, emphasizing the importance of developing relationships and the need to take a holistic approach to research rather than focusing on a single illness or condition. Click below to listen. Episode 2: What do funders think? A perspective from the National Institute for Health and Care Research In this episode, Anusree and Lillian speak to Jeremy Taylor OBE, Director of Public Voice at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Jeremy talks about the work the NIHR is doing to increase representation in research from people from ethnic minorities and the importance of engaging with communities and developing trust. Click below to listen. Episode 4: A perspective from the Academy of Medical Sciences In this episode, Anusree and Lillian speak to Simon Denegri OBE, Executive Director at The Academy of Medical Sciences. Simon speaks not only about what The Academy of Medical Sciences is doing to promote the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion agenda, but also developments in other countries. Click below to listen. Episode 6: Reflections In this final episode, Gary Hickey (Agora Digital Centre at University of Southampton) returns as a guest host to ask Anusree, Lillian and Patrick to reflect on their podcast journey, what still concerns them and what positives they can take from the guests they have spoken to. Click below to listen. Transcripts Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6

The Phoenix Way Introduction Soon to be updated. Interested in Phoenix Way? For more information about Ageing Well contact: directors@bridgingchange.co.uk

BME Infrastructure The report from the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities has been deeply disappointing. This report after reflecting on the impact of education, community, health (including COVID-19), employment, crime and policing on minoritised ethnic people concluded that institutional racism does not exist. Bridging Change strongly disagrees with the validity of the findings, its conclusions and the "changing the narrative" motivation which has sought to undermine the experience of racism of minoritised ethnic people in Britain. Whilst reading the report we have chosen not to make a detailed response at this time, as the problematic framing of issues in the report are too extensive to broach here. However, this response will draw on a few of the report's findings. In every area the Commission examined disparity, they constructed imaginative ways to excuse racial or ethnic disparity, suggesting instead that they were due to factors such as: . . . living in a densely populated inner-city area, socio-demographic characteristics (deprivation and occupation) living in larger and multi-generational households. The report also blames poorer outcomes for Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic people with: poor and/or lone parenting; co-morbidities; counting methods or simply not liking the numbers. The report, for example, describes stop and search figures from Devon (where there are lower numbers of Black and Asian minoritised ethnic people, specifically Black people) as 'skewed' - but the fact remains, not liking the odds does not diminish simple mathematics. Suggesting that the 'national relative rate is not always accurate' at measuring stop and search rates is problematic, it appears in this report 'not always accurate' refers to when facts do not suit the Government's narrative. Whilst the report acknowledges the disparity of maternal deaths for Black (5 times higher) and Asian (2 times higher), it calls for using absolute numbers, as not to do so was 'unfair to expectant mothers everywhere'. Previous commentary have contextualised the figures in terms of per 100,000, in absolute numbers and/or disparity is attempted to diminish the significance and importance of disparity. It does not change the fact the Black women are 5 times more likely to die in childbirth compared to white women; Asian and mixed heritage women are almost 2 times likely more likely to die in childbirth than white women. Further, disparity in maternal health is symptomatic of negative outcomes faced by men, women and children from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic groups, particularly those minoritised ethnic people who are not white. Using the highly divisive stereotype of 'model minority' as if this was an antidote to racism is a privileged and uninformed construction of meritocracy. This 'model minority' construction was pitted against other minoritised ethnic people who were constructed as living with family breakdown, being unprepared and demotivated to succeed, as were 'attitudes to integrate'. Both stereotypes are equally damaging in suggesting that one group of minoritised ethnic people are hapless whilst the other minoritised ethnic group simply floats through British life without barriers or experiencing racism. Outrageous still is the polling by British Future for the Commission who heralded their poll as 'encouraging' around perceptions on anti-Black prejudice, which asked respondents if they 'saw a lot' of prejudice against Black people. They asked people who were not Black if there were increased level of prejudice for Black people. The only people who can credibly pass comment on the Black experience of racism is Black people , how can any other ethnic group assume to know how racism is experienced by another ethnic group? The report is constantly looking for creative adjustments, reframing, excusing and attempting to undermine disparity for Black and Asian minoritised ethnic people. The report is outrageous in its findings, in its bid to 'change the narrative' and to conclude that institutional racism does not exist is astonishingly inaccurate, premised on creative, misleading evidence and lack academic rigour. At Bridging Change we will focus on the reality of instititional and systemic racism and move away from the Commission's misleading conclusion in its attempt to 'change the narrative'. We want to reclaim the narrative which acknowledges the impact of the 'hostile environment' and the disproportionately negative impact and outcomes for Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic people in the the UK.