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UOK Rooted in Wellbeing Bridging Change have launched our Rooted in Wellbeing project as part of the UOK programme in January 2026. We run monthly drop-in sessions for the Black and racially minoritised community, a space where we offer a person-centred support and a place to connect with others and learn about activities and services that can help with improving your wellbeing. Sessions are every 2nd Thursday of the month. 11am-3pm Our next sessions are (2026): 14th May 2026 11th June 2026 9th July 2026 13th August 2026 10th September 2026 8th October 2026 12th November 2026 10th December 2026 Venue: Conference Room, Community Base, 113 Queens Road, BN1 3XG For more information, please contact: riw@bridgingchange.co.uk or call 01273 234808/ 07395314944 Bridging Change now part of the UOK Brighton & Hove Relaunch offering free wellbeing support for adults  UOK Brighton & Hove has relaunched under a new contract with an expanded partnership of trusted local charities, community groups, and experts. Bridging Change is now part of the relaunch partnership. The aim of this partnership is to strengthen mental health and wellbeing support for adults across the city. Have you or a loved one ever felt overwhelmed and not sure where to turn for help? Do you work with someone who is seeking guidance or support? UOK Brighton & Hove is here to make that easier for everyone, offering free mental health support for anyone aged 18 or over living, working or studying in Brighton & Hove. Led by Southdown our new, expanded partnership brings together trusted local charities, community groups, and experts to connect people with practical advice, friendly activities, and tailored support – whether life feels tough, or you just want to feel better.  UOK brings together a wide network of organisations, making it simple to access useful information, join supportive groups, or get expert advice – including help with wellbeing, debt, benefits and more. For more information about the UOK programme please visit: Mental Health & Wellbeing Support in East Sussex, Brighton & Hove Interested in UOK: Rooted in Wellbeing? For more information about Rooted in Wellbeing contact: riw@bridgingchange.co.uk 01273 234808/ 07395314944

Ageing Well Gather and Grow A warm, welcoming multicultural space for those over 50, promoting healthy and informed ageing. We are have Gather and Grow drop-in sessions, a place to: Build friendships and strengthen networks a safe and positive multicultural space to connect Learn about ageing well and ask questions about what is available locally A welcoming space Get support with issues the effect you A safe space to meet racially minoritised people in Brighton and Hove Dates for Gather and Grow fall on the first Tuesday of the month: 2nd June 2026 7th July 2026 4th August 2026 1st September 6th October 3rd November 2026 1st December 2026 Interested in Ageing Well? For more information about Ageing Well contact: community@bridgingchange.co.uk

See our latest news here Bridging Change aims to create a more equal and diverse society with positive outcomes for Black and minoritised ethnic people. We do this through the building of strong alliances, connections and networks. Programmes Bridging Change runs several community programmes to support racialised individuals, groups, organisations and communities. Ageing Well Our work with older communities, ensuring accessible support is provided Learn More UOK- Rooted in Wellbeing The aims of this project is to strengthen mental health and wellbeing support for adults Learn More Community Voices Group A community process that works to improve services and experience of our communities in our city Learn More Climate for Communities This project aims to understand the intersections of racial and environmental inequalities Learn More Training/ Infrastructure Building robust support for BRM/ BME communities to grow and thrive in the city Learn More Phoenix Community Trust This project looks at ending structural racism through investment and transformative support Learn More

Community Voices Group What is CVG? What is CVG? What is CVG? What is CVG? Community Voices Group Do you identify as Black, brown, Asian or from another language, ethnic or migrant community? Do you want to improve how public services are delivered locally? Do you want the chance to speak directly to representatives from the Council and NHS and get your voice heard? Members of the group attend meetings as individuals or as representatives of a community group they belong to. We meet monthly, either online or in-person, to discuss issues that matter to us and to talk to representatives from Brighton and Hove Council and NHS Sussex about how they can be delivered. Past meetings Past meetings Past meetings Past meetings Reports Reports Reports Reports Community Voices (October, 2024) Read the October 2024 report on CVG, which outlines our achievements, feedback from our members and the next steps. Read the report here. Bridging Change NHS Workshop (November, 2023) Bridging Change was awarded a grant by NHS Sussex to deliver a face-to-face, 2.5-hour workshop in November 2023 with racialised minority communities based in Brighton and Hove. The event's aims were two-fold: to close the community engagement loop by feeding back to communities and to engage with the local communities. Read the report here. Become a CVG member Become a CVG member Become a CVG member Become a CVG member Interested in joining us? Contact Beth Harrison at Bridging Change, email: hello@bridgingchange.co.uk If you do not speak English and would like to be involved, email: laura@sussexinterpreting.org.uk or call 01273 234016 and leave a message in your language

COMMISSION ON RACE AND ETHNIC DISPARITIES' FINDINGS: BRIDGING CHANGE RESPONSE The report from the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities has been deeply disappointing. This report after reflecting on the impact of education, community, health (including COVID-19), employment, crime and policing on minoritised ethnic people concluded that institutional racism does not exist. Bridging Change strongly disagrees with the validity of the findings, its conclusions and the "changing the narrative" motivation which has sought to undermine the experience of racism of minoritised ethnic people in Britain. Whilst reading the report we have chosen not to make a detailed response at this time, as the problematic framing of issues in the report are too extensive to broach here. However, this response will draw on a few of the report's findings. In every area the Commission examined disparity, they constructed imaginative ways to excuse racial or ethnic disparity, suggesting instead that they were due to factors such as: . . . living in a densely populated inner-city area, socio-demographic characteristics (deprivation and occupation) living in larger and multi-generational households. The report also blames poorer outcomes for Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic people with: poor and/or lone parenting; co-morbidities; counting methods or simply not liking the numbers. The report, for example, describes stop and search figures from Devon (where there are lower numbers of Black and Asian minoritised ethnic people, specifically Black people) as 'skewed' - but the fact remains, not liking the odds does not diminish simple mathematics. Suggesting that the 'national relative rate is not always accurate' at measuring stop and search rates is problematic, it appears in this report 'not always accurate' refers to when facts do not suit the Government's narrative. Whilst the report acknowledges the disparity of maternal deaths for Black (5 times higher) and Asian (2 times higher), it calls for using absolute numbers, as not to do so was 'unfair to expectant mothers everywhere'. Previous commentary have contextualised the figures in terms of per 100,000, in absolute numbers and/or disparity is attempted to diminish the significance and importance of disparity. It does not change the fact the Black women are 5 times more likely to die in childbirth compared to white women; Asian and mixed heritage women are almost 2 times likely more likely to die in childbirth than white women. Further, disparity in maternal health is symptomatic of negative outcomes faced by men, women and children from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic groups, particularly those minoritised ethnic people who are not white. Using the highly divisive stereotype of 'model minority' as if this was an antidote to racism is a privileged and uninformed construction of meritocracy. This 'model minority' construction was pitted against other minoritised ethnic people who were constructed as living with family breakdown, being unprepared and demotivated to succeed, as were 'attitudes to integrate'. Both stereotypes are equally damaging in suggesting that one group of minoritised ethnic people are hapless whilst the other minoritised ethnic group simply floats through British life without barriers or experiencing racism. Outrageous still is the polling by British Future for the Commission who heralded their poll as 'encouraging' around perceptions on anti-Black prejudice, which asked respondents if they 'saw a lot' of prejudice against Black people. They asked people who were not Black if there were increased level of prejudice for Black people. The only people who can credibly pass comment on the Black experience of racism is Black people , how can any other ethnic group assume to know how racism is experienced by another ethnic group? The report is constantly looking for creative adjustments, reframing, excusing and attempting to undermine disparity for Black and Asian minoritised ethnic people. The report is outrageous in its findings, in its bid to 'change the narrative' and to conclude that institutional racism does not exist is astonishingly inaccurate, premised on creative, misleading evidence and lack academic rigour. At Bridging Change we will focus on the reality of instititional and systemic racism and move away from the Commission's misleading conclusion in its attempt to 'change the narrative'. We want to reclaim the narrative which acknowledges the impact of the 'hostile environment' and the disproportionately negative impact and outcomes for Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic people in the the UK.

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Podcasts Talk In Equality Dr Anusree Biswas Sasidharan and Lillian Ndawula (Ethnic Minorities in Canterbury) explore, with guests, the role of research in addressing health inequalities experienced by minoritised ethnic groups. This series is funded by NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Kent, Surrey and Sussex and supported by the Research Design Service Southeast and Clinical Research Network Kent, Surrey and Sussex. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. Episode 1: What do community development organisations think? In this episode, guest host Dr Gary Hickey from Agora Digital Centre at University of Southampton, quizzes Dr Anusree Biswas Sasidharan from Bridging Change, Lillian Ndawula from Ethnic Minorities in Canterbury and Patrick Nyikavaranda from Diversity Resource International. He asks them about their perceptions and experiences of health inequalities experienced by ethnic minority communities and their hopes for increasing the representation of people from ethnic minorities in both the participation and involvement in research. Click below to listen. Episode 3: A perspective from the Health Research Authority In this episode, Anusree and Lillian speak to Dr Matt Westmore, Chief Executive at Health Research Authority. They quiz Matt about the steps taken by the Health Research Authority to increase representation in research and the important role that community organisations can play. Click below to listen. Episode 5: A researcher's perspective In this episode, Anusree and Lillian speak to Dr Ibidun Fakoya, Senior Research Fellow at King’s College London. Ibi shares her experiences of undertaking research with people from ethnic minority communities, emphasizing the importance of developing relationships and the need to take a holistic approach to research rather than focusing on a single illness or condition. Click below to listen. Episode 2: What do funders think? A perspective from the National Institute for Health and Care Research In this episode, Anusree and Lillian speak to Jeremy Taylor OBE, Director of Public Voice at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Jeremy talks about the work the NIHR is doing to increase representation in research from people from ethnic minorities and the importance of engaging with communities and developing trust. Click below to listen. Episode 4: A perspective from the Academy of Medical Sciences In this episode, Anusree and Lillian speak to Simon Denegri OBE, Executive Director at The Academy of Medical Sciences. Simon speaks not only about what The Academy of Medical Sciences is doing to promote the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion agenda, but also developments in other countries. Click below to listen. Episode 6: Reflections In this final episode, Gary Hickey (Agora Digital Centre at University of Southampton) returns as a guest host to ask Anusree, Lillian and Patrick to reflect on their podcast journey, what still concerns them and what positives they can take from the guests they have spoken to. Click below to listen.

Meet The Team Founder & CEO Anusree Biswas Sasidharan This is your Team Member description. Use this space to write a brief description of this person’s role and responsibilities, or add a short bio. Tech Lead Ashley Jones This is your Team Member description. Use this space to write a brief description of this person’s role and responsibilities, or add a short bio. Office Manager Beth Harrison Beth Harrison is Project Coordinator at Bridging Change. She has worked in the community and voluntary sector for over twenty years in community development, information and advice, public involvement and coproduction. She is a trained community development worker with a Masters in Applied Anthropology and Community and Youth Work. She has worked for a number of organisations including Brighton and Hove Black History, Age UK East Sussex, the Hangleton and Knoll Project, the National Institute for Health and Care Research, Applied Research Collaboration Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Diversity Resource International. She is passionate about inclusion, diversity and equity with a particular focus on the Health and Education sectors. Product Manager Lisa Rose This is your Team Member description. Use this space to write a brief description of this person’s role and responsibilities, or add a short bio. HR Lead Kevin Nye This is your Team Member description. Use this space to write a brief description of this person’s role and responsibilities, or add a short bio. Customer Support Lead Rini Ghosh Am a qualified ACMA (CGMA) accountant with several years of’ experience working for global charities and not-for- profit organisations concentrating in the International Development sector.. I work closely with external and internal business partners and stakeholders, and bring my 20+ years of financial management expertise to aide strategic decision making for senior management teams. I also help orgs to implement their long-term financial plans and ensure that they align with the approved business strategies and objectives. I currently work as a finance business partner for an animal welfare charity concentrating on process transformation for effective financial reporting to help interpretation of financial information for project delivery. I also have experience of writing and submitting commercial funding proposals for all sizes of budgets and projects. Customer Support Lead Alex Young This is your Team Member description. Use this space to write a brief description of this person’s role and responsibilities, or add a short bio. Meet The Team Anusree Biswas Sasidharan Director I’m a paragraph. Double click me or click Edit Text, it's easy. Nora Mzaoui Director I’m a paragraph. Double click me or click Edit Text, it's easy. Beth Harrison Project coordinator Beth Harrison is Project Coordinator at Bridging Change. She has worked in the community and voluntary sector for over twenty years in community development, information and advice, public involvement and coproduction. She is a trained community development worker with a Masters in Applied Anthropology and Community and Youth Work. She has worked for a number of organisations including Brighton and Hove Black History, Age UK East Sussex, the Hangleton and Knoll Project, the National Institute for Health and Care Research, Applied Research Collaboration Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Diversity Resource International. She is passionate about inclusion, diversity and equity with a particular focus on the Health and Education sectors. Rini Ghosh Am a qualified ACMA (CGMA) accountant with several years of’ experience working for global charities and not-for- profit organisations concentrating in the International Development sector.. I work closely with external and internal business partners and stakeholders, and bring my 20+ years of financial management expertise to aide strategic decision making for senior management teams. I also help orgs to implement their long-term financial plans and ensure that they align with the approved business strategies and objectives. I currently work as a finance business partner for an animal welfare charity concentrating on process transformation for effective financial reporting to help interpretation of financial information for project delivery. I also have experience of writing and submitting commercial funding proposals for all sizes of budgets and projects. Anita Johal I’m a paragraph. Double click me or click Edit Text, it's easy. James Doe I’m a paragraph. Double click me or click Edit Text, it's easy. James Doe I’m a paragraph. Double click me or click Edit Text, it's easy.

Latest news 2026 news 2026 news 2026 news 2026 news CVG Meeting Update Following our meetings on Men's Health with our CVG members, we are in If you are from a Black and Racialised Minority group living in Brighton and Hove, Community Voices Group is for YOU. Our March meeting is focussing on the work we have been doing in 2025 and beyond, come and hear about what has happened with everything you have shared with us. To join - contact Beth Harrison at hello@bridgingchange.co.uk We look forward to seeing you there Launch of our new Gather & Grow Programme Our NEW Gather & Grow programme is a welcoming, multicultural space aimed at people aged 50+ from racially minoritised backgrounds. This space is an opportunity to make new connections, share experiences, ask questions about what is available locally and access local support. Launch of our new Rooted in Wellbeing Project On the 8th of January we will be showcasing our new project, where you can learn more about Bridging Change and meet with the team and other community members If you are interested, please contact: riw@bridgingchange.co.uk / 01273 234808 Men's Health Meeting Speak with decision makers form UOK, NHS Sussex Mental Health services, Brighton and Hove City Council and Act on Cancer Infrastructure Training Update Gain free, interactive training sessions led by Terry Adams. Gain practical skills and broaden your understanding for Board Members. Tuesday 20th January 2026- 10:30am to 13:30pm 2025 news 2025 news 2025 news 2025 news Men's Health A CVG event with Bridging Change Over the next three meetings, we will be covering a range of men's health-related topics (in October and November 2025 and January 2026) Our November meeting is on Wednesday 19th November 2025, 6pm-7:30 If you know of someone; partners, husbands, friends, who would be interested in attending, please pass on the flyer and contact: hello@bridgingchange.co.uk Souk it and See An Ageing Well event with Bridging Change Join our 'Souk' style day with stalls, celebrating health, wellbeing and culture. For more information contact: projects@bridgingchange.co.uk 01273 234808 Community Voices Group Older People's Health and Wellbeing Bridging Change, in partnership with the Hangleton and Knoll Project, Sussex Interpreting Services and the Trust for Developing Communities, invites you be part of the Community Voices Group, please click here for more information. We also have this information in different languages, please contact us directly about this. Previous news Previous news Previous news Previous news VCSE Alliance Newsletter Older People's Health and Wellbeing Bridging Change's very own Dr Anusree Biswas Sasidharan features in the July 2024 issue of the VCSE Alliance Newsletter. Read the newsletter here. Sewell Report Runnymede Responds Runnymede hosted a snap event to discuss the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities' findings and why it has failed to address structural and institutional racism in the UK. Read Bridging Change's response to the Sewell Report here. Brighton and Hove becoming an anti-racist city The council has pledged to be an anti-racist council. Brighton and Hove City Council has said that they will work in partnership with Black and Minority Ethnic people including council staff, residents and community groups to directly shape our anti-racism strategy through their lived experiences and diverse perspectives. You can find out more from their website .

Reports Brighton and Hove Brighton and Hove Brighton and Hove Brighton and Hove Decision makers (September, 2025) A report outlining how CVG works for Decision makers in the Council and NHS Read the report here. Community Voices (October, 2024) Community Voices Group (CVG) is a community forum set up to address inequalities experienced by people of colour in Brighton and Hove. It is led by Bridging Change in partnership with the Hanlgeton and Knoll Project and Sussex Interpreting Service Read the report here. Bridging Change NHS Workshop (November, 2023) Bridging Change was awarded a grant by NHS Sussex to deliver a face-to-face, 2.5-hour workshop in November 2023 with racialised minority communities based in Brighton and Hove. The event's aims were two-fold: to close the community engagement loop by feeding back to communities and to engage with the local communities. Read the report here. Vaccine Equity Project (June, 2022) A report providing a snapshot of 20 people who identified as Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic and who were able to share their experience of COVID-19 vaccines. Read the Vaccine Equity Project report here. My Life in Brighton A series of facilitated coffee mornings that, encouraged Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic people to discuss their experience of living and working in Brighton and Hove. Read the My Life in Brighton report here. Men's Health Survey Report (January, 2025) Bridging Change conducted a men’s health survey with the Communities Health Inequalities Programme (CHIP). The survey began with demographic questions and then followed with questions on access to GPs and dentists, mental and physical health, medication, exercise, eating habits, and community interventions. Read the report here. Healthwatch report on digital technology among ethnic minority elders (May, 2024) Bridging Change was involved in research in partnership with Healthwatch Brighton and Hove on ‘Understanding the use and attitudes of digital technology among ethnic minority elders in Brighton and Hove’. Bridging Change recruited and facilitated interviews and focus groups and aided with the development of the topic guide. The research was funded by the NIHR Clinical Research Network in Kent, Surrey and Sussex. Read report here . Emergency Food Access Project (March, 2023) This study describes the experiences of a small cohort of Black racialised minority (BRM) people in Brighton and Hove, who are accessing food provision in the city. Read the Emergency Food Access Research Project report here. The NHS, COVID – 19 and Lockdown: The Black, Asian, Minoritised Ethnic and Refugee Experience in Brighton and Hove (September, 2020) In July 2020, Trust for Developing Communities and five partners: Sussex Interpreting Services, Hangleton & Knoll Project, Voices in Exile, Network of International Women and Fresh Youth Perspectives, surveyed 310 people from Black, Asian, minoritised ethnic, refugee and migrant communities in Brighton and Hove to find out about their experiences of the NHS, Covid-19 and lockdown. Dr Anusree Biswas Sasidharan led the research which was funded by Sussex NHS Commissioners. Read the report here. Sussex Sussex Sussex Sussex Sussex Bay Report (May, 2025) In this report, Bridging Change aimed to understand the priorities and issues that respondents faced around the coast. We gather views on a personal and collective level and also consider the wider concerns raised around accessibility, exclusion and overcrowding. Read report here. Reaching Out: growing our understanding of the researched (December, 2022) In 2022, Bridging Change conducted two, in person, workshops for Black Asian and minoritised ethnic leaders and individuals in Brighton and Hove. The workshops aimed to capture their experience of health and social care research including challenges, barriers and the benefits of working in partnership with researchers. Read the report here. Reaching Out: building relationships to increase research impact (December, 2021) Since mid-2020, Bridging Change has been working with National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) partners in the southeast of England, along with community groups serving Black, Asian and minoritised communities. This led to the development of an online ‘Reaching Out’ event in June 2021. Read the report here. VCSE and NHS Sussex Workshop Report (September, 2024) This report represents four workshops run across Brighton and Hove, East Sussex and West Sussex (Chichester and Bognor Regis) with Black and racialised minority individuals and groups. It allowed NHS Sussex to meet with local communities to explain some of the insights they have gathered over the last three years and the opportunity to hear about some of the issues, concerns, challenges and barriers that Black and racialised minorities faced. Read report here. Adur and Worthing Councils Minority Communities Engagement Report (May, 2022) This report was produced on behalf of Adur and Worthing Council as a part of the Contain Outbreak Management Fund. It represents a snapshot of the lives of minoritised ethnic respondents who engaged with this project within a relatively short time span and before the 2021 census. The individuals and groups taking part were keen to share their stories, ideas and frustrations. It provides suggestions of processes of future engagement and ideas generated by the community we spoke to. Read the report here. Coming soon Coming soon Coming soon Coming soon Women's Mosque Survey Report This survey was involved with... and aimed to understand women's views and perspectives at the Mosque around GP services, their accessibility, access to different forms of health information, and areas that respondents found particularly helpful.