How to inspire action in Hampshire

Local leaders from Winchester came together in November 2021 to make meaningful change happen. 

On Wednesday the 10th of November, Action Hampshire (a local Hampshire charity dedicated to supporting not-for-profit organisations for 70 years) held their first in-person networking event at Incuhive Winchester.

The event included many of Winchester’s charities and social enterprises. this included Winchester Youth Counselling, Unit 12 CIC,  Move Momentum and our Brightful founder, Richard Coope.

As part of Brightful’s ongoing commitment to doing a little good each day, Richard gave an inspirational talk about why he, our Brightful team and a group of volunteers set up a not-for-profit social enterprise called Winchester Creatives.

 Born in the height of the pandemic in March 2020, Winchester Creatives was accurately described by Richard as a story as a  journey of hope. More details can be found here on the Winchester Creatives website.

Richard described all the hard work he and the volunteer team put in to create their Mind/ Mend/ Jump the gap campaigns. He inspired the room with examples such as the ‘Create not Hate’ poster campaigns, as well as an exciting project sponsored by Casella Family Brands to advertise a shiraz wine called PepperBox (now available at Tescos!). 

To watch a full version of the inspirational presentation Richard gave watch this video.

Richard Coope presenting Winchester Creatives Year of Hope

Businesses supporting change

The event at Incuhive was teeming with bright minds working for a better future. All present were joined by a common goal to make Winchester a better place for young creative people and make a meaningful change. Organisations like Action Hampshire,  Hendog graffiti, Unit12, Winchester Youth Counselling, Move Momentum, Homestart, and Experience Hampshire gathered all looking to learn from Winchester Creatives and their story.

After the talk, attendees took the chance to introduce themselves and the organisation they represented. A community spirit began to establish itself within the room as they understood their shared objective. By following the lead of Winchester Creatives, other organisations were inspired and encouraged to collaborate to make Winchester a thriving city for young people again.

Many emails were exchanged, and the main takeaway from the event was a strong sense of community and solidarity that will no doubt go on to further the efforts of Winchester Creatives to better our city and our futures.

As Richard mentioned, getting local institutions to help grass-roots initiatives by supporting one another can help shape the future we all want to see. Thank you to Jamie Robinson and Nickki Prentice-Jones from Action Hampshire for the kind invitation to present at this inaugural Action Hampshire speaking event.