Rochdale, Manchester – Humanity Project

Supporting community connection, participation and collective voice in Rochdale

Caring and Sharing is a community organisation working with local residents who experience poverty, social isolation and barriers to accessing support.

Rochdale has some of the highest levels of deprivation in Greater Manchester, alongside strong traditions of mutual aid, volunteering and community solidarity. Caring and Sharing provides practical support and trusted spaces where people can come together, build relationships and respond collectively to local needs.

Working with Humanity Project, Caring and Sharing is exploring how People's Assemblies can help strengthen community voice, deepen participation and create new opportunities for residents to shape the issues that affect their lives.

Assembly culture in Rochdale

From support and connection to shared voice and participation

For many years, Caring and Sharing Rochdale has supported local people through practical help, community activities and opportunities to build relationships and reduce isolation.

Alongside this work, the organisation is exploring how assemblies and other participatory approaches can help residents move beyond individual experiences towards collective discussion, shared priorities and community action.

Since joining Humanity Project, local organisers, volunteers and residents have been developing the skills, confidence and relationships needed to host meaningful community conversations. Through listening, facilitation and deliberation, they are creating the foundations for more inclusive participation rooted in lived experience.

Rochdale is now becoming part of a growing movement across Greater Manchester, exploring how communities can come together to listen, think and act on the issues that matter most where they live. Together, this work is helping to strengthen community voice, build local leadership and create new opportunities for people to shape decisions affecting their neighbourhoods.