This Loneliness Awareness Week, we welcomed advocates, community leaders, and changemakers to our third annual Belonging Forum breakfast reception to explore one of the most vital questions of our time: How do we build a society where everyone belongs?
From housing and health to education and opportunity, so many of the challenges we face today come down to connection. Belonging isn’t the end of our efforts - it’s the foundation on which real change is built. When people feel rooted in place, connected to purpose, and valued by those around them, they’re more likely to thrive. That’s where meaningful progress begins.
Belonging is not a destination - it's a practice
As our moderator Victoria Wakely, UK National Editor at Bloomberg, reminded us: belonging is an active concept. It’s not something we achieve once and for all; it’s something we nurture, at every stage of life, across every part of society.
We heard this clearly in the reflections of panellist Dr William Bird, CEO of Intelligent Health, who spoke about how belonging begins in childhood. When children experience safety, play, and connection, they grow. But when trauma or instability take hold, the brain stays in survival mode. Creativity, trust, and learning become harder to access. This is why safe, welcoming environments - from green spaces to community centres – matter so deeply. They lay the groundwork for participation and belonging later in life.
What the 2025 Belonging Barometer tells us
This year’s Belonging Barometer – the UK’s largest survey on belonging—revealed striking regional contrasts. While London currently leads in reported belonging, several areas of the Midlands ranked among the lowest.
Panellist Lily Makurah, Public Health Consultant at Coventry City Council, reflected on these findings, highlighting that communities in the Midlands have often shown extraordinary resilience through historic and ongoing change. But resilience alone isn’t enough; communities also need continuity, identity, and a shared sense of rootedness to flourish.
Fellow panellist Matt Hyde, CEO of Lloyds Bank Foundation, posed a key question: what do we really mean by “community”? He challenged us to think about how pride in place intersects with housing, health, and infrastructure, and how barriers like poverty and instability make it harder to build meaningful connections.
Dr Bird added a powerful truth: belonging is not separate from health – it is health. Whether it’s walking in green spaces, taking part in local activities, or simply feeling safe enough to leave home, these moments of connection shape how we feel, how we live, and how long we live.
Listening to lived experience
We heard moving reflections from volunteers at the Green Skills Library, who work with individuals who have experienced trauma. They spoke of how difficult it can be to re-engage with the world without access to truly inclusive, accessible spaces.
Their message was clear: belonging cannot be designed from the outside. It must be built with care by and with the people who know what disconnection feels like.
We also learned about efforts to reimagine the West Midlands as an “outdoor region,” inspired by Burnley’s success in creating safer, greener public spaces. This work is a reminder that real transformation doesn’t always start with major systems - it often begins with small, local interventions that signal care, presence, and possibility.
A shared responsibility
This gathering wasn’t just about discussion. It was a space for honest reflection and shared learning. One idea that echoed throughout the room was the need to better support carers, those who hold families, services, and communities together.
Belonging flows in both directions. It must extend to those who give their time, energy, and care to others - volunteers, frontline workers, neighbours, and friends. Supporting them is not a side issue. It’s central to building a more connected, compassionate society.
Several audience members highlighted another important point: strong communities build stronger democracies. Where people feel connected, division and extremism lose their grip. Local models like Frome’s community-led care show what’s possible when people feel part of something bigger, not just socially, but structurally.
Looking ahead: the Charter for Belonging
As we continue shaping the global Charter for Belonging, we’re grounding our work in lived experience. This Charter won’t be a top-down prescription - it’s a shared foundation drawn from what’s already working on the ground. From Hexham to Ayr, from the Belonging Barometer to roundtable conversations, the principles of People, Place, Power, and Purpose are coming into sharper focus.
What we heard throughout the morning was this: belonging begins with safety, grows through purpose, and deepens when people are seen, included, and trusted.
Let’s keep building a future where purpose replaces powerlessness, and where everyone has the chance to belong.
