A Better Way is holding a series of workshops with the Future Governance Forum to feed in your experience and ideas into its new Social Insights Panel, which will be making recommendations to the Government’s Test, Learn and Grow programme - a great chance to improve communication and collaboration between central government and civil society. Each event will focus on prevention from early to late stage. Key questions for the Transition to adulthood workshop will be:

• What makes young people struggle in transition to adulthood and maintain a sense of optimism about their future?

• What interventions from communities and the state can improve children's sense of inclusion in society when they become adults?

• When and how does the system let them down, and how can this be prevented?

  The topic will be introduced by Tim Fisher from Kinship Care, Dez Holmes from NCB, Research in Practice, and Bethia McNeil from the YMCA (England and Wales), who will talk about lessons from their work, before breakout groups and a plenary discussion. 

  Polly Neate, the Chair of the Social Insights Panel and Panel member Caroline Slocock, who are both members of a Better Way’s core group, will be participating and will end with some concluding thoughts.

More about the Social Insights Panel
The Social Insights Panel, hosted by the The Future Governance Forum, supported by the Henry Smith Foundation, and led by Polly Neate, an FGF associate and core group member of A Better Way, is a brand new initiative designed to demonstrate and shape a new relationship between civil society and government in their shared mission of tackling complex, seemingly intractable challenges.  
The panel is made up of an independent group of leaders, all of whom will have previously held roles delivering missions in complex and challenging contexts in civil society (and, in many cases, in other sectors as well) but who are no longer representing a single organisation. 

Through a series of workshops and roundtables, delivered in partnership with A Better Way Network, the panel will listen with open minds to a wide range of perspectives from across civil society, and will then come together to reach a shared set of recommendations for government on how to drive transformational change on cross-cutting, ‘wicked’ challenges. 

In its first phase the panel is focused on supporting and advising the government’s‘Test, Learn and Grow’programme for innovation in public service reform, which could benefit from the wisdom and experience of civil society. We know that civil society voices can come together to be greater than the sum of their parts, especially when working in collaboration with other sectors to transform policy and practice.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place for this online meeting you can either fill out our booking form or contact info@betterway.network.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

Every two weeks we hold an informal Zoom event for people in our network ‘family’ to provide a space for support and action in response to the far right.. All meetings are Wednesday mornings from 9am to 10am.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place you can either fill out this booking form or use our contact page.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

A Better Way is holding a series of workshops with the Future Governance Forum to feed in your experience and ideas into its new Social Insights Panel, which will be making recommendations to the Government’s Test, Learn and Grow programme - a great chance to improve communication and collaboration between central government and civil society. Each event will focus on prevention from early to late stage. Key questions for the Violence against women and girls (VAWG) workshop will be :

• What can be done in schools and communities to try to reduce and prevent misogyny and violence against women and girls, both online and in real life?

• How can teenagers be empowered to seek healthy relationships and supported to openly discuss sex and relationships in a safe environment?

• What is the appropriate response to violence perpetrated by teenagers which will both protect their peers and prevent them from perpetrating further harm in adulthood?
  
  The Social Insights Panel, from The Future Governance Forum, supported by the Henry Smith Foundation, and led by Polly Neate, an FGF associate and core group member of A Better Way, is a brand new initiative designed to demonstrate and shape a new relationship between civil society and government in their shared mission of tackling complex, seemingly intractable challenges.  

The panel is made up of an independent group of leaders, all of whom will have previously held roles delivering missions in complex and challenging contexts in civil society (and, in many cases, in other sectors as well) but who are no longer representing a single organisation. 

Through a series of workshops and roundtables, delivered in partnership with A Better Way Network, the panel will listen with open minds to a wide range of perspectives from across civil society, and will then come together to reach a shared set of recommendations for government on how to drive transformational change on cross-cutting, ‘wicked’ challenges. 

In its first phase the panel is focused on supporting and advising the government’s‘Test, Learn and Grow’programme for innovation in public service reform, which could benefit from the wisdom and experience of civil society. We know that civil society voices can come together to be greater than the sum of their parts, especially when working in collaboration with other sectors to transform policy and practice.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place for this online meeting you can either fill out our booking form or contact info@betterway.network.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

An Invitation to a Better Way with Nikki and Miranda

We stand at a turning point in history. The systems we once relied on — the NHS as we knew it, local authorities with resources to meet demand — are no longer able to carry the growing weight of need. Across our communities, we see fragility of both mental and physical health, families under strain, children with special educational needs left without the right support, and a world grappling with conflict and disharmony.

Yet within this challenge lies our greatest opportunity. The time has come to embrace a new normal — one where wealth is created not in distant boardrooms, but on our streets, in our villages, and among our people. Every day, behind closed doors, millions across the UK are already doing extraordinary things: neighbours helping neighbours, friendships forming, health and wellbeing nurtured, and true wealth built in community.

This is the Better Way. A network of like-minded people, rooted in love, hope, and practical solutions. A safe and supportive space where voices can be heard, ideas shared, and strength found.

Do you have something to share?

·       Have you unleashed the power within your community?

·       Are you ready to join the movement that is re-imagining wealth as connection, care, and collaboration?

·       We invite you to be part of this vision. Join us at the Better Way Drop-In every other Monday, 9–10am, starting 22 September 2025.

Championed by Miranda Wixon and Nikki Fuller this is your chance to step into a future built on community, compassion, and collective action.

Who are we?

Miranda Wixon a Queen’s Nurse, community leader, and relentless advocate for social justice who has dedicated her career to tackling poverty and inequality. She is the founder of the Community Larder movement in Northamptonshire, which delivered over 40,500 food boxes to 91 villages during the COVID-19 lockdowns. She continues this work as Chair of Food for Thought Daventry, leading more than 300 volunteers to ensure no one in the community need go hungry.

Alongside this, Miranda is Chair of the VCSE Assembly in Northamptonshire, strengthening the county’s voluntary sector, Chairing the Nene Valley Care Trust for Care Experienced people in the county and Chair of the Employment Advisory Group at HMP Five Wells, where she works with employers to create meaningful rehabilitation and employment opportunities for prison leavers.

Her impact is based on many national experiences. She has shaped policy through founding Think Local, Act Personal, promoting personalised care, and the Care Providers Alliance, raising standards in social care. She founded Healthwatch Brent to amplify community voices in healthcare and was instrumental in creating the United Kingdom Home Care Association, establishing home care as a recognised profession. A former trustee of Hourglass, she continues to campaign against adult abuse and is a sought-after public speaker on health and social care in the UK and abroad.

Miranda began her career as a registered nurse before founding and leading a healthcare provider for over 25 years. She now serves on the Integrated Care Partnership in Northamptonshire and the Youth Justice Management Board, reflecting her deep commitment to inclusive communities where everyone can thrive.

She lives in Towcester with her husband, they have four children and four grandchildren, and also cares for her elderly parents. In 2023, she was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Northamptonshire in recognition of her service.

Contact: miranda.wixon@gmail.com

Nikki Fuller’s life and work is rooted in the belief of the importance of compassionate human connection & interactions as the key significant foundation to happy, healthy people & communities.

Nikki currently works for the British Red Cross Health & Care Team part-time, as a Service Manager for the Community Health & Wellbeing Project in Torridge, North Devon.

Alongside this, Nikki spends time with her co-director developing her CIC; Compassionate Devon, established in February 2025. Its main focusses are on the support & wellbeing of people who support people, as well as building & celebrating compassion in communities.

Nikki became a member of A Better Way in early 2024 and values her membership and the time to connect with like-minded others in the spaces provided.

Nikki has worked across the system over the past 20 years in paid & voluntary roles within private, statutory and VCSE organisations, carrying out various frontline, management and system transformation roles.

Nikki continues her current voluntary role held since 2017 at her local social club for adults with learning and physical disabilities, as well as recently taking on the role as the treasurer to help ensure the continued sustainability of the club.

Nikki is driven by the empathy she has for people and communities facing difficulties. This fuels her passion and commitment to supporting systemic transformation that puts people, places & relationships at the heart.

Nikki lives in North Devon with her Husband and recently adopted Cockatiel Lenny.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place you can either fill out this booking form or use our contact page.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

Several Better Way members are currently in positions of influence with senior levels of government, and this is an opportunity to hear from them about what is going on behind the scenes and, importantly, for you to feed in your insights and advice to help influence future work. Topics to include:Our speakers to kick off the discussion will be:

• Our co-founder, Caroline Slocock, will talk about the new Covenant between civil society and government, which was launched by the Prime Minister and Lisa Nandy in July, and commits to working in partnership with civil society – across every department and at national and local level - to deliver shared objectives, and to protecting civil society independence.  A new Joint Civil Society Covenant Council is to be established this autumn. Two priority areas for its work include developing local partnerships and Compact compliant commissioning and funding arrangements.  Caroline has been closely involved in its development.

• Polly Neate from our core group will speak about her new Social Insights Panel, which has been set up with the Future Governance Forum to draw together civil society insight and knowledge – from community activists to national leaders – on how to drive transformational change on cross-cutting, ‘wicked’ challenges. As well as driving a national debate, it will feed ideas into the Cabinet Office’s innovative Test, Learn and Grow programme.  A Better Way will be holding a series of workshops for the Social Insights Panel to give you a chance to contribute to these ideas, including a session at our annual conference on how to change the operating model.  We will also be working with Test Learn and Grow on how to help them build a wider movement.

• Our co-founder, Steve Wyler, will talk about a shift in government procurement in favour of voluntary and community organisations and social enterprises: In February this year, in a significant shift of direction, the Government published a new National Procurement Policy Statement, which requires national and local public bodies to ‘maximise procurement spend with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises’ and remove ‘barriers to participation’. Every government department now has to come up with a plan to make this happen. Steve is a very active member of the group advising the Government on these developments. 

We believe that, taken together, these are all opportunities to change the operating model in significant ways, in alignment with Better Way thinking. But as always there is a great distance between high level policy and the realities on the ground.  Our event on October 16th will, we hope, help to reduce that gap.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place for this online meeting you can either fill out our booking form or contact info@betterway.network.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

Every two weeks we hold an informal Zoom event for people in our network ‘family’ who would like to say hello, share news, exchange ideas, get something off your chest, and just check in with each other. It’s also a good way for people new to the network to get to know us and explore what we can offer. All meetings are Wednesday mornings from 9am to 10am.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place you can either fill out this booking form or use our contact page.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

An Invitation to a Better Way with Nikki and Miranda

We stand at a turning point in history. The systems we once relied on — the NHS as we knew it, local authorities with resources to meet demand — are no longer able to carry the growing weight of need. Across our communities, we see fragility of both mental and physical health, families under strain, children with special educational needs left without the right support, and a world grappling with conflict and disharmony.

Yet within this challenge lies our greatest opportunity. The time has come to embrace a new normal — one where wealth is created not in distant boardrooms, but on our streets, in our villages, and among our people. Every day, behind closed doors, millions across the UK are already doing extraordinary things: neighbours helping neighbours, friendships forming, health and wellbeing nurtured, and true wealth built in community.

This is the Better Way. A network of like-minded people, rooted in love, hope, and practical solutions. A safe and supportive space where voices can be heard, ideas shared, and strength found.

Do you have something to share?

·       Have you unleashed the power within your community?

·       Are you ready to join the movement that is re-imagining wealth as connection, care, and collaboration?

·       We invite you to be part of this vision. Join us at the Better Way Drop-In every other Monday, 9–10am, starting 22 September 2025.

Championed by Miranda Wixon and Nikki Fuller this is your chance to step into a future built on community, compassion, and collective action.

Who are we?

Miranda Wixon a Queen’s Nurse, community leader, and relentless advocate for social justice who has dedicated her career to tackling poverty and inequality. She is the founder of the Community Larder movement in Northamptonshire, which delivered over 40,500 food boxes to 91 villages during the COVID-19 lockdowns. She continues this work as Chair of Food for Thought Daventry, leading more than 300 volunteers to ensure no one in the community need go hungry.

Alongside this, Miranda is Chair of the VCSE Assembly in Northamptonshire, strengthening the county’s voluntary sector, Chairing the Nene Valley Care Trust for Care Experienced people in the county and Chair of the Employment Advisory Group at HMP Five Wells, where she works with employers to create meaningful rehabilitation and employment opportunities for prison leavers.

Her impact is based on many national experiences. She has shaped policy through founding Think Local, Act Personal, promoting personalised care, and the Care Providers Alliance, raising standards in social care. She founded Healthwatch Brent to amplify community voices in healthcare and was instrumental in creating the United Kingdom Home Care Association, establishing home care as a recognised profession. A former trustee of Hourglass, she continues to campaign against adult abuse and is a sought-after public speaker on health and social care in the UK and abroad.

Miranda began her career as a registered nurse before founding and leading a healthcare provider for over 25 years. She now serves on the Integrated Care Partnership in Northamptonshire and the Youth Justice Management Board, reflecting her deep commitment to inclusive communities where everyone can thrive.

She lives in Towcester with her husband, they have four children and four grandchildren, and also cares for her elderly parents. In 2023, she was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Northamptonshire in recognition of her service.

Contact: miranda.wixon@gmail.com

Nikki Fuller’s life and work is rooted in the belief of the importance of compassionate human connection & interactions as the key significant foundation to happy, healthy people & communities.

Nikki currently works for the British Red Cross Health & Care Team part-time, as a Service Manager for the Community Health & Wellbeing Project in Torridge, North Devon.

Alongside this, Nikki spends time with her co-director developing her CIC; Compassionate Devon, established in February 2025. Its main focusses are on the support & wellbeing of people who support people, as well as building & celebrating compassion in communities.

Nikki became a member of A Better Way in early 2024 and values her membership and the time to connect with like-minded others in the spaces provided.

Nikki has worked across the system over the past 20 years in paid & voluntary roles within private, statutory and VCSE organisations, carrying out various frontline, management and system transformation roles.

Nikki continues her current voluntary role held since 2017 at her local social club for adults with learning and physical disabilities, as well as recently taking on the role as the treasurer to help ensure the continued sustainability of the club.

Nikki is driven by the empathy she has for people and communities facing difficulties. This fuels her passion and commitment to supporting systemic transformation that puts people, places & relationships at the heart.

Nikki lives in North Devon with her Husband and recently adopted Cockatiel Lenny.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place you can either fill out this booking form or use our contact page.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

In the face of the resurgent and emboldened Far Right, in politics, in social media, and in our streets, what should we do? 

Through our network and though the contacts we have to other networks we have a wide reach. Could we use this to generate a positive, united response?  For example, the Far Right have appropriated and weaponised our national flag. So, to start with, could we identify a symbol or image that we can all use to declare support for a different approach, one which seeks to bring people together not drive them apart?

At this event Peter Holbook, CEO of Social Enterprise UK, Arvinda Gohil, Better Way co-convenor, and Steve Wyler, co-founder of the Better Way, will share some ideas. We would love to hear from you – what you are doing already, what ideas you have, how you might be able to help?

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place for this online meeting you can either fill out our booking form or contact info@betterway.network.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

Every two weeks we hold an informal Zoom event for people in our network ‘family’ who would like to say hello, share news, exchange ideas, get something off your chest, and just check in with each other. It’s also a good way for people new to the network to get to know us and explore what we can offer. All meetings are Wednesday mornings from 9am to 10am.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place you can either fill out this booking form or use our contact page.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

The Better Way principles: what are the principles all about, and how can they make a difference to ‘business as usual’?

This is an event for those who are new to the network and who want to explore how they can be part of a bigger movement for change.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place for this online meeting you can either fill out our booking form or contact us at info@betterway.network.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

An Invitation to a Better Way with Nikki and Miranda

We stand at a turning point in history. The systems we once relied on — the NHS as we knew it, local authorities with resources to meet demand — are no longer able to carry the growing weight of need. Across our communities, we see fragility of both mental and physical health, families under strain, children with special educational needs left without the right support, and a world grappling with conflict and disharmony.

Yet within this challenge lies our greatest opportunity. The time has come to embrace a new normal — one where wealth is created not in distant boardrooms, but on our streets, in our villages, and among our people. Every day, behind closed doors, millions across the UK are already doing extraordinary things: neighbours helping neighbours, friendships forming, health and wellbeing nurtured, and true wealth built in community.

This is the Better Way. A network of like-minded people, rooted in love, hope, and practical solutions. A safe and supportive space where voices can be heard, ideas shared, and strength found.

Do you have something to share?

·       Have you unleashed the power within your community?

·       Are you ready to join the movement that is re-imagining wealth as connection, care, and collaboration?

·       We invite you to be part of this vision. Join us at the Better Way Drop-In every other Monday, 9–10am, starting 22 September 2025.

Championed by Miranda Wixon and Nikki Fuller this is your chance to step into a future built on community, compassion, and collective action.

Who are we?

Miranda Wixon a Queen’s Nurse, community leader, and relentless advocate for social justice who has dedicated her career to tackling poverty and inequality. She is the founder of the Community Larder movement in Northamptonshire, which delivered over 40,500 food boxes to 91 villages during the COVID-19 lockdowns. She continues this work as Chair of Food for Thought Daventry, leading more than 300 volunteers to ensure no one in the community need go hungry.

Alongside this, Miranda is Chair of the VCSE Assembly in Northamptonshire, strengthening the county’s voluntary sector, Chairing the Nene Valley Care Trust for Care Experienced people in the county and Chair of the Employment Advisory Group at HMP Five Wells, where she works with employers to create meaningful rehabilitation and employment opportunities for prison leavers.

Her impact is based on many national experiences. She has shaped policy through founding Think Local, Act Personal, promoting personalised care, and the Care Providers Alliance, raising standards in social care. She founded Healthwatch Brent to amplify community voices in healthcare and was instrumental in creating the United Kingdom Home Care Association, establishing home care as a recognised profession. A former trustee of Hourglass, she continues to campaign against adult abuse and is a sought-after public speaker on health and social care in the UK and abroad.

Miranda began her career as a registered nurse before founding and leading a healthcare provider for over 25 years. She now serves on the Integrated Care Partnership in Northamptonshire and the Youth Justice Management Board, reflecting her deep commitment to inclusive communities where everyone can thrive.

She lives in Towcester with her husband, they have four children and four grandchildren, and also cares for her elderly parents. In 2023, she was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Northamptonshire in recognition of her service.

Contact: miranda.wixon@gmail.com

Nikki Fuller’s life and work is rooted in the belief of the importance of compassionate human connection & interactions as the key significant foundation to happy, healthy people & communities.

Nikki currently works for the British Red Cross Health & Care Team part-time, as a Service Manager for the Community Health & Wellbeing Project in Torridge, North Devon.

Alongside this, Nikki spends time with her co-director developing her CIC; Compassionate Devon, established in February 2025. Its main focusses are on the support & wellbeing of people who support people, as well as building & celebrating compassion in communities.

Nikki became a member of A Better Way in early 2024 and values her membership and the time to connect with like-minded others in the spaces provided.

Nikki has worked across the system over the past 20 years in paid & voluntary roles within private, statutory and VCSE organisations, carrying out various frontline, management and system transformation roles.

Nikki continues her current voluntary role held since 2017 at her local social club for adults with learning and physical disabilities, as well as recently taking on the role as the treasurer to help ensure the continued sustainability of the club.

Nikki is driven by the empathy she has for people and communities facing difficulties. This fuels her passion and commitment to supporting systemic transformation that puts people, places & relationships at the heart.

Nikki lives in North Devon with her Husband and recently adopted Cockatiel Lenny.

The first session:

British Red Cross- Community Health & Wellbeing Worker (CHWW) Project

The CHWW programme is designed to build relationships, reduce health inequalities, and empower residents by addressing the wider determinants of health- from housing and finances to mental wellbeing and access to care.

The CHWW model, inspired by Brazil’s successful approach to community- based healthcare is already showing remarkable results across the UK.

Find out more about how the British Red Cross are bringing this model to Torridge in North Devon and beyond.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place you can either fill out this booking form or use our contact page.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

Every two weeks we hold an informal Zoom event for people in our network ‘family’ who would like to say hello, share news, exchange ideas, get something off your chest, and just check in with each other. It’s also a good way for people new to the network to get to know us and explore what we can offer. All meetings are Wednesday mornings from 9am to 10am.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place you can either fill out this booking form or use our contact page.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

The Better Way behaviours: what are the behaviours all about, and how can they make a difference to our practice?

This is an event for those who are new to the network and who want to explore how they can be part of a bigger movement for change.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place for this online meeting you can either fill out our booking form or contact us at info@betterway.network.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

Every two weeks we hold an informal Zoom event for people in our network ‘family’ who would like to say hello, share news, exchange ideas, get something off your chest, and just check in with each other. It’s also a good way for people new to the network to get to know us and explore what we can offer. All meetings are Wednesday mornings from 9am to 10am.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place you can either fill out this booking form or use our contact page.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

Every two weeks we hold an informal Zoom event for people in our network ‘family’ who would like to say hello, share news, exchange ideas, get something off your chest, and just check in with each other. It’s also a good way for people new to the network to get to know us and explore what we can offer. All meetings are Wednesday mornings from 9am to 10am.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place you can either fill out this booking form or use our contact page.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

Join the Rural Health Equity group for a lunch time chat where we share experiences and learn from each other.

This session we will discuss the values and principles that can support collaborative working towards rural health equity. We will hear from @William Nicholson about how A Better Way have approached defining their values and principles and why this was an important part of creating a better future.

Join us to find inspiration and to discuss how you define your values and the principles you use to guide the work that you do.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place for this online meeting you can either fill out our booking form or contact info@betterway.network.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

Every two weeks we hold an informal Zoom event for people in our network ‘family’ who would like to say hello, share news, exchange ideas, get something off your chest, and just check in with each other. It’s also a good way for people new to the network to get to know us and explore what we can offer. All meetings are Wednesday mornings from 9am to 10am.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place you can either fill out this booking form or use our contact page.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

The High Street Task Force found that the single most important factor in delivering and sustaining positive change in our towns and cities is partnership working.  Join A Better Way Members Ian Harvey and Jean Ball from the Institute of Place Management (IPM) in discussing the findings from the recently published High Street Task Force Report on what’s working to revive our high streets and town centres.

In 2019, led by the IPM, the High Streets Task Force (HSTF) was established to provide a coordinated voice for town centres, expert support, encourage the sharing and use of data in decision-making, and form and maintain local networks and partnerships. After more than five years of dedicated effort, the HSTF has concluded its programme, leaving a legacy of positive transformation across England. 

As part of A Better Way’s aims to facilitate greater relationships and support joining forces within and across sectors, we are hosting this joint meeting to share the key learnings from the work of the High Street Task Force and to discuss the recommendations of the report, exploring how A Better Way Principles and Behaviours can inform next steps. 

About the IPM - Based within Manchester Metropolitan University, The Institute of Place Management is a professional network that creates positive impact and transformation in places through place-based research, education and knowledge exchange with a trusted and respected community of academics, students, practitioners, policy makers and local and central government. 

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place for this online meeting you can either fill out our booking form or contact info@betterway.network.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

Every two weeks we hold an informal Zoom event for people in our network ‘family’ who would like to say hello, share news, exchange ideas, get something off your chest, and just check in with each other. It’s also a good way for people new to the network to get to know us and explore what we can offer. All meetings are Wednesday mornings from 9am to 10am.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place you can either fill out this booking form or use our contact page.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

Most existing networking platforms (eg Mighty Networks, Circle) make collaborating and sharing information with other networks extremely difficult. Other tools for managing networks such as WhatsApp or Slack result in communication that is either too frequent and public or too 'management-like' and difficult for all to access in a timely fashion. On top of this, each of our networks and organisations end up requiring our members and staff to sign up to multiple different platforms which makes life really challenging to #DoWith.  

In our explorations we have found an exciting opportunity.  Socialroots is a new platform being built for our context - research from 500 impact networks is directly feeding into its design. 

Join #DoWith members Matt Bell of Plymouth Octopus and Will Nicholson of A Better Way to discuss some of the challenges of existing networking platforms and to learn about the technology needs for network collaboration from detailed research of over 500 impact networks conducted by Christina Bowen and Ana Jamborcic of Socialroots who will present their research findings on network dynamics and platform design.

The meeting will conclude with discussion of an exciting opportunity for 10 organisations/networks to get involved in a 6-month #DoWith project to build the movement through practical testing and developing of a #DoWith space within the new Socialroots online platform to enable us to better connect, share ideas and keep updated across our organisations. 

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place for this online meeting you can either fill out our booking form or contact info@betterway.network.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

Every two weeks we hold an informal Zoom event for people in our network ‘family’ who would like to say hello, share news, exchange ideas, get something off your chest, and just check in with each other. It’s also a good way for people new to the network to get to know us and explore what we can offer. All meetings are Wednesday mornings from 9am to 10am.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place you can either fill out this booking form or use our contact page.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

The Better Way principles: what are the principles all about, and how can they make a difference to ‘business as usual’?

This is an event for those who are new to the network and who want to explore how they can be part of a bigger movement for change.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place for this online meeting you can either fill out our booking form or contact us at info@betterway.network.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

A Better Way in Greater Manchester - Monday 23rd 10-11am with informal networking from 11-11.30am

Following conversations with a number of Better Way members based in Greater Manchester, please join us for an online networking event providing the space for people to meet other Better Way members and share their work in the Greater Manchester area. We'll have the chance to hear from 4 of our members about the work they are involved in before breaking out into groups to network. Our speakers are: 

- Nicky Connell - Head of Corporate Programmes in the Transformation Team at Bolton Council  

- Michelle Hill - Group CEO of Talk, Listen, Change based in Manchester 

-  Ian Harvey and Jean Ball of the Institute of Place Management based within Manchester Metropolitan University. Ian is Head of the Institute and Jean has been working as an expert consultant as part of the High Street Task force that has recently produced this fantastic Report.

- Emma Newman - Communications Officer, Voluntary Sector North West who is also organising a #DoWith event with the Kings Fund in Manchester on Monday 14th July - Save the date for #DoWith North West — VSNW

Save the date for #DoWith North West — VSNW

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place for this online meeting you can either fill out our booking form or contact info@betterway.network.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

Every two weeks we hold an informal Zoom event for people in our network ‘family’ who would like to say hello, share news, exchange ideas, get something off your chest, and just check in with each other. It’s also a good way for people new to the network to get to know us and explore what we can offer. All meetings are Wednesday mornings from 9am to 10am.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place you can either fill out this booking form or use our contact page.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

The Better Way behaviours: what are the behaviours all about, and how can they make a difference to our practice?

This is an event for those who are new to the network and who want to explore how they can be part of a bigger movement for change.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place for this online meeting you can either fill out our booking form or contact us at info@betterway.network.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

Every two weeks we hold an informal Zoom event for people in our network ‘family’ who would like to say hello, share news, exchange ideas, get something off your chest, and just check in with each other. It’s also a good way for people new to the network to get to know us and explore what we can offer. All meetings are Wednesday mornings from 9am to 10am.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place you can either fill out this booking form or use our contact page.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

A Better Way Members, Sharon Collins and Patrick Fowler have been commissioned by NHS England to deliver a review of the housing pathway from prison across the Hampshire and the Isle of Wight footprint (including Portsmouth and Southampton) in response to growing system concerns about the housing outcomes for people leaving custody into homelessness and no fixed abode (NFA), particularly those with needs relating to mental ill health/substance use.

As part of A Better Way’s aims to facilitate greater relationships and support joining forces within and across sectors, in March 2025, we held a vibrant discussion with Sharon and Pat where they shared the aims of the project and Better Way members contributed their experience and knowledge of best practice to inform their project and how we can take action to influence local and national policy. Building on the key themes of the first meeting, on Wednesday 14 May 2025 between 10am-11.30am we are hosting a second meeting with Sharon and Pat to specifically explore:

1. Holistic risk assessments

2. Better information sharing (including data) - tell story once, consent, what is relevant info - may be focus this initially on immediate releases?

3. Co-commissioning (including shared metrics/indicators/outcomes)

Following the energy of the first meeting, we will also spend time exploring ways in which we can work together more collectively and contribute to “A Bigger We”

With a background in social housing, supported housing and homelessness, Sharon and Pat joined forces 10 years ago as independent systems convenors, bringing together public and third sector resources using the home as a lens to shared and common problems. Working in the muddy middle between organisations and sectors they are skilled at working independently of systems yet position themselves as an integral part of it rebuilding interagency trust by weaving new ways of working into the fabric of strategic and day-to-day operations, creating advocacy and agency for change at all levels of leadership with the overriding aim of keeping people safe and well at home.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place for this online meeting you can either fill out our booking form or contact info@betterway.network.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

Every two weeks we hold an informal Zoom event for people in our network ‘family’ who would like to say hello, share news, exchange ideas, get something off your chest, and just check in with each other. It’s also a good way for people new to the network to get to know us and explore what we can offer. All meetings are Wednesday mornings from 9am to 10am.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place you can either fill out this booking form or use our contact page.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

A Natural Health Service? Joining forces for place-based health and wellbeing – A Better Way in partnership with Wildlife Trusts

In the second of our series exploring how we can Join Forces for Place Based Health and Wellbeing, on Thursday 13 May between 10.00-11.30am we are excited to be holding a joint meeting with A Better Way member Dom Higgins, who is Head of Health and Education at The Wildlife Trusts. The Wildlife Trusts is a grassroots movement that brings together people from a wide range of backgrounds and all walks of life, who believe that we need nature and nature needs us. There are 46 Wildlife Trusts across the UK with more than 900,000 members, over 39,000 volunteers, 3,600 staff and 600 trustees.

The meeting will build on our work with NHS England over the last 5 years, in particular our most recent learning partner report, which emphasised the need to build place-based, cross-sector health and wellbeing collaborations and develop greater relationship building and joining of forces between Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and local place-based anchor organisations.

We will introduce the concept of “A Natural Health Service” and how nature has a fundamental role to play in tackling health, access and societal inequalities, and achieve one of Michael Marmot’s key strategic objectives: to "create and develop healthy and sustainable places and communities".  

Following this introduction, we would like to explore together what policies and interventions we need to prioritise, including those that reduce health inequalities, mitigate climate change, as well as supporting people to adapt, and to improve access to good quality., open green and blue spaces. We will also learn more about the role that Wildlife Trusts can play as a bridging organisation between ICB’s, place-based philanthropists, local voluntary and community sector groups and local people.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place for this online meeting you can either fill out our booking form or contact info@betterway.network.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.

Every two weeks we hold an informal Zoom event for people in our network ‘family’ who would like to say hello, share news, exchange ideas, get something off your chest, and just check in with each other. It’s also a good way for people new to the network to get to know us and explore what we can offer. All meetings are Wednesday mornings from 9am to 10am.

Reserve your place

If you would like to reserve a place you can either fill out this booking form or use our contact page.

By submitting this form, you consent to your data being saved by A Better Way according to GDPR standards. We will only use your data for A Better Way purposes. You can opt out at any time, please just let us know.