Friendly Connected Communities of Leicestershire

During 2023 VAL consulted with the local voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) sector about Leicestershire County Council’s (LCC) Friendly Communities approach.

Details of the Friendly Communities approach at that time can be found here: https://valonline.org.uk/how-to-start-a-friendly-community/

Using the feedback from the consultation, VAL has assisted LCC colleagues to look at how this approach can be implemented by meeting individually with a number of VCSE organisations who completed the consultation.

This has led to the initiative being rebranded as Friendly Connected Communities.

The concept of Friendly Connected Communities of Leicestershire is a simple and easy way to help and support communities to be more resilient, and to help individuals to feel welcome, supported, safe and integrated wherever they live in Leicestershire.

A guide to Friendly Connected Communities of Leicestershire aims to support communities around Leicestershire to coordinate this approach, which can be accessed here.

The How to Start a Friendly Connected Communities guide goes into more detail on implementing this approach such as who can be involved and sustaining the approach. The guide can be accessed here.  

In addition a Friendly Connected Communities of Leicestershire Supporting Values and Principles document outlines what the core values and principles are of a Friendly Connected Community, which can be accessed here.   

If your community group or organisation wishes to endorse and support a Friendly Connected Community approach you are invited to commit to those core values and principles and to contact Leicestershire County Council to request a copy of the Friendly Connected Communities logo.

You can contact Leicestershire County Council for this purpose by emailing: leicestershirecommunities@leics.gov.uk