Community life in Gloucestershire is woven together by good people giving their time and energy to make things better for others - not for their own individual gain but for the common good.
The thousands of people who are there in a crisis, lead campaigns, share skills, stand up for vulnerable groups, care for our natural world and much more.
The hard work of running sports clubs, arts festivals, food banks, faith groups, hospices, youth clubs, libraries, community allotments, citizen scientists projects, union groups, school governing boards, parish councils, our jury service - people every day giving up their time, usually without getting paid.
This is civil society. Threads of connection that make it possible for people to find a common interest and work together to get stuff done. Without it communities might exist but they don’t thrive.
Civil society works without fuss or fanfare. People just get on with what needs to be done because they see a need. And ~~~~as a result it can be hard to know exactly how civil society is doing in Gloucestershire as it navigates challenging times- to get a clear picture of who’s plugged in with their community and who is not.
What we do know is that our current world has piled pressure upon pressure on people and families making it harder to find the time or energy to give to others. Increasing red tape and bureaucracy can take the joy out of doing things together. Getting the smallest amount of funding requires huge effort. So its getting harder to recruit and retain the people civil society relies on. Services and activities are scaling back or closing down with everything feeling like it is held together with paper and string.
When civil society weakens and frays, it impacts on the thousands of lives that gain so much from the opportunity to get together. If people connect less, they lose their sense of belonging, community tensions rise and can quickly harden into mistrust and division. Growing hostility adds to the pressure to not get involved - to stay under the radar.
Which is why we want to act. Common Good Glos is an growing network of people, who live and work in Gloucestershire, exploring how to strengthen and sustain civil society. Across 2026 we will pool our experience drawn across different communities to build a clearer picture of what is happening on the ground in Gloucestershire.
As people have started to talk and share their hopes and fears for their communities, fresh approaches and new energy has been sparked- from individuals and groups. businesses as well as local government organisations. We can’t solve everything, but if we act together we can solve some things and be in a better position to influence how civil society is valued and resourced, making it easier and more rewarding to take part. Making a bigger difference for the people of Gloucestershire, as more needs are met and services and groups sustained.
We want as many people as possible to share ideas and views about how civil society can thrive in Gloucestershire- and whats getting in the way.
Common Good Glos will be as much about giving as it is about getting back with new connections and networks, ideas about resources and hopefully a boost of energy from connecting with others who recognise and appreciate your hard work and efforts.
If you want to know about how you can get involved and join in with the events and discussions we are holding in 2026 sign up here.
Common Good Glos is a growing network of people and organisations who care about how civil society can thrive in Gloucestershire. It is being woven together by Pippa Jones MBE, Tim Davies (Practical Participation) and Andy Kitt (nowhere) with a wide team of contributors have supported its development.
Find out more about the contributors to Common Good Gloucestershire here.