A new podcast in a series about putting relationships at the heart of public policy has been released featuring Clare Wightman, Grapevine CEO.
Her interview for ‘Love in Covid Times’ with Dr Michael Little explores how Grapevine looked inwards, not outwards, to find the answer of how to respond to the pandemic (you can also read Clare’s recent blog on this for NPC).
Their discussion moves through Grapevine’s origins in the 1990s as a learning disability charity – when stigma and segregation held people back from becoming part of the community – to now, where the ‘help people make friends and uncover their identity beyond disability or diagnosis’ ethos encompasses anyone experiencing isolation, poverty or disadvantage in their lives.
When ‘crunch time’ came in March and April this year during the first few weeks of national lockdown in the UK, tough decisions were being made everywhere. Clare describes Grapevine’s own decision-making process at this time.
Grapevine looked to the 536 people it was helping and the 15 community-led intiatives co-habiting a supportive anti-isolation ecosystem. Those relationships and connections had to stay strong under enormous pressure. The path to keeping them strong is detailed in the podcast – click below to listen.
https://soundcloud.com/ratiotalks/love-in-covid-times-with-claire-wightman
With thanks to Dr Little, Ratio and On Our Radar for this opportunity.
It allows Grapevine to offer insight into how we are turning community spirit into community activism.
When 155 people gather at the table for a virtual summit with the shared goal of making a difference, the capacity and potential for change is huge. Read the findings of our ‘CommUNITY is not just for pandemics’ summit and watch this space as the changemakers find solutions to our problems together.
