NNS Bridging Communities
20th October 2025
Introduction
Our Place Support are thrilled to share that we have mobilised a new service as part of the Birmingham Neighbourhood Network Scheme; NNS Bridging Communities. This service funded via Birmingham City Council through The Heart of England Community Foundation aims to use Asset Based Community Development to reach underrepresented communities across our city.
This blog will explain to you what asset-based community development and Neighbourhood Network Schemes are. How the NNS – Bridging Communities project came to be and what we are aiming to achieve.
What is Asset Based Community Development? (ABCD)
The ABCD approach concentrates on connecting people of the same community based on their assets. Assets in a community development context are the strengths, talents, and resources an area has, this could include local spaces, buildings, individuals or groups.
This community driven development approach focuses on identifying grassroots activities that are already there and building on ‘what works’, communicating their impact across a wider network to improve reach and service offerings and where there are identified unmet community needs; the ABCD approach will bring together local people and assets to create groups, activities or spaces to address and meet the identified need.
To summarise; through ABCD, local people are be empowered to drive their own community development, starting with supporting and improving existing assets.
What is a Neighbourhood Network Scheme (NNS)?
The NNS scheme is run by the Birmingham City Council to help adults aged 50+ and adults aged 18-49 with a disability to lead healthier, happier, and more connected lives. Every constituency in Birmingham has their own NNS with different priorities which reflect their local community.
What is the NNS – Bridging Communities Project and how does this project fit into the wider picture?
The NNS Bridging Communities project being delivered by us at Our Place Support is responding to the research-based gap analysis from every NNS in Birmingham, which identified three demographics as accessing the least amount of community activities and services. Reduced access to such community and early intervention provision is linked to an increase in mental health wellbeing and physical health challenges and so removing barriers and increasing opportunities is key.
The communities identified are:
- Deaf BSL
- Gypsy
- Roma
- Traveller
- LGBTQ+
Bridging Communities is a city wide NNS project that works in partnership with every constituency and seeks to connect to all relevant third sector organisations. This is because we know that the communities we are aiming to engage are dispersed across our whole city.
This project is separated into multiple stages; we are currently raising awareness of the project across the city with local professionals and community members.
This phase is followed by the facilitation of a series of informal listening groups where we will encourage individuals, groups and communities from the Deaf BSL, Gypsie, Roma, Traveller and LGBTQ+ communities to share with us directly any challenges they have in accessing activities and service, how they would like service providers to change and what they would like to see made available.
Following this we will:
- Support local people, groups and communities to utilise the resources already available to develop the activities, support or services needed.
- Share our findings with current service providers and help them build capacity or adapt their provision to make services more inclusive and accessible for every community member.
Our support will be wide ranging and include connecting people and groups together, supporting access to capacity building funding and with our partners at Birmingham Community Matters we will be empowering communities by supporting people to establish their own formalised constituted groups, businesses or charities – supporting a sustainable approach to community provision.
How you can get involved
If you are an individual and resident of Birmingham, 18+ years old, and identify as part of the Deaf BSL, Gypsy, Roma, Traveller and/or LGBTQ+ community we would love for you to attend one of our listening sessions to hear your personal experiences of accessing activities and services in Birmingham.
The first round of sessions will be taking place on the days and times below:
| Community | Session Type | Date | Time | Session Description | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deaf BSL Community | Online | Tuesday, 4 November | 6:00 pm | Early Evening Session | Online |
| Deaf BSL Community | In-person | Tuesday, 28 October | 1:00 pm | Afternoon Session | Our Place Community Hub, Farthing Lane, Sutton Coldfield, B72 1RN |
| Deaf BSL Community | In-person | Thursday 30 October | 10am – 12:30pm | Morning Session | DeafPlus, The Exchange, 3 Centenary Square |
| LGBTQ+ Community | Online | Monday 20 October | 1:00 pm | Afternoon Session | Online |
| LGBTQ+ Community | Online | Monday 20 October | 6:00 pm | Early Evening Session | Online |
| LGBTQ+ Community | In-person | Thursday, 16 October | 5:00–7:00 pm | United with T Event | The Coffin Works, 13–15 Fleet Street, Birmingham, B3 1JP |
| LGBTQ+ Community | In-person | Thursday, 30 October | 6:00 pm | Early Evening Session | Our Place Community Hub, Farthing Lane, Sutton Coldfield, B72 1RN |
| Roma Community | Online | Thursday, 6 November | 1:00 pm | Afternoon Session | Online |
| Roma Community | Online | Thursday, 6 November | 6:00 pm | Early Evening Session | Online |
| Gypsy Community | Online | Tuesday, 11 November | 1:00 pm | Afternoon Session | Online |
| Gypsy Community | Online | Tuesday, 11 November | 6:00 pm | Early Evening Session | Online |
| Traveller Community | Online | Friday, 14 November | 1:00 pm | Afternoon Session | Online |
| Traveller Community | Online | Friday, 14 November | 6:00 pm | Early Evening Session | Online |
If you are a professional working in Birmingham with the Deaf BSL, Gypsy/Roma/Traveller and/or LGBTQ+ communities and would like to connect with us please do contact us
Email: NNSBridgingCommunities@ourplacesupport.org
Call: 0121 354 4080
Together we can bridge the service gaps of our city and make our communities more accessible and inclusive for everyone.
