Community leaders, volunteers, faith groups and local organisations came together this week for the ‘One Hertsmere: Strengthening Community Connections Conference’. Hosted by Hertsmere Together, our Local Strategic Partnership, the annual conference focused on building stronger, more connected communities across the borough.
The event was opened by Dr Liam Chapman, a local GP in Borehamwood and the Health representative on Hertsmere Together.
Cllr Jeremy Newmark, Leader of the council and Chair of Hertsmere Together then opened the morning session, explaining that the conference marked an important step in moving from “doing things to the community” to “doing things with our communities”.
Speaking at the conference, Cllr Newmark stressed the importance of partnership working, recognising that the issues we all face, such as health inequalities, climate change and housing do not all sit within one organisation alone.
Cllr Newmark said:
This local strategic partnership is a place where those partnerships can go even further to align priorities, share data and insight and design the kind of interventions that cut across the different sectors. Every person in this room has at least two communities they move between – their neighbourhood, their workplace, their faith group, their network and we can all play a role in connecting those worlds, to share information and spot opportunities.
It means thinking about becoming story tellers because too often the stories people hear about our borough, and our country, are ones of division, of conflict and of decline. We need to stop talking our places down and start telling the stories we see - volunteers supporting refugees, our youth workers transforming lives, and interfaith dinners where friendships are formed over falafel and fish balls.”
Keynote speaker Jeni Vine, from Belong Network spoke about ‘Strengthening Community Connections in a Diverse Society’, while workshops attended by over 100 guests at the event, explored online safety, tackling community tensions and building bridges across faith and culture.
The event closed with a panel discussion chaired by Cllr Newmark with Keely Siddiqui-Charlick form Sunnyside Roral Trust, Kirsty Thakur, Head of Service, Community and People Wellbeing Team & Money Advice Unit, Richard Binns, Chair Citizens Advice, Hertsmere, Her Grace Visakha Dasi, President, Bhaktivedanta Manor reflecting on how organisations can work together to strengthen community cohesion.
Cllr Newmark continued:
We need to start to act as if community cohesion was our shared job title. We are in the end builders of community. Lean in, open doors and live out the idea of one Hertsmere. In Hertsmere nobody stands alone.”
Her Grace Visakha Dasi, Bhaktivedanta Manor said:
The Hertsmere conference on community cohesion successfully brought together diverse members of the county who together explored practical ways to strengthen community unity. We heard about practical strategies, partnerships, and lived experiences that help communities thrive. Additionally, we had time to mingle and get to know each other — it was a wonderful experience. We look forward to more of the same!”
Richard Binns, Chair, Citizens Advice Hertsmere said:
The conference highlighted how diverse perspectives within communities can strengthen community cohesion. This was evidenced by the practical insights offered by both the conference speakers and delegates. To my mind, 'community cohesion' describes what is needed to foster trust and good relationships between and within diverse communities. The conference panel stressed the importance of partnerships and how bringing communities and local organisations together are fundamental to supporting cohesion.”
The conference builds on Hertsmere’s wider programme of work to strengthen community cohesion, which includes continued engagement with faith leaders, looking at safety grant funding to support community security, and engaging on a national level, such as the recent visit of the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to listen to communities' concerns and discuss the work the council was doing to address their fears.