Building the Pride of Place movement through the power of local connections
Sue Husband OBE, Community Impact Director at Business in the Community, reflects on BITC’s Pride of Place Summit, which united UK leaders to drive local change through place-based partnerships.
June 23, 2025
Building the Pride of Place movement through the power of local connections
Sue Husband OBE, Community Impact Director at Business in the Community, reflects on BITC’s Pride of Place Summit, which united UK leaders to drive local change through place-based partnerships.
A powerful gathering in Manchester
Business in the Community’s longstanding commitment to improving local lives was on full display at the inaugural Pride of Place Summit, kindly supported and hosted by Aviva in Manchester in May 2025.
Over 200 leaders – representing local and national government, major UK employers, and a diverse and inspiring range of community organisations – joined our hosts and a plethora of expert panellists and speakers across a day of action and reflection.
It was a truly energetic and exciting day that helped to connect people both new to ‘Place-Based’ partnership working and those with valuable experience of working across sectors and contexts to drive strategic change.
On-stage, I was delighted to invite our guests to join our fast-growing but decidedly long-term journey towards restoring hope and pride in some of the UK’s most disadvantaged communities.
From the audience, I was struck by these powerful quotes:
Business leaders backing the vision
It was also humbling and inspiring to hear from Dame Amanda Blanc, Chief Executive Officer at Aviva, who shared with both community leaders and other business leaders why she feels the Pride of Place approach is not just the right thing to do for local communities, but also makes good business sense.
This energy and motivation is echoed by a growing number of decision-makers across the country. From Southampton to Perth, Pride of Place Partnerships are bringing together hundreds of local leaders to unlock local potential and build stronger communities. The Summit allowed for these leaders to share their experiences, learn from each other and develop new insights to drive forward further change on the ground.
Local success stories making a difference
Simple things done well can make a huge difference to people’s lives. The Summit showcased some of the very best community-centred initiatives – from warm spaces in Norwich to free training opportunities in Newport – that have been upscaled and improved thanks to the advocacy and support of BITC members and other businesses.
A shared commitment to long-term change
The placemaking experiences shared at the Summit showed that lasting, structural change takes time. It relies on the people and organisations involved feeling heard, able to offer constructive criticism, and welcome to test new approaches.
It’s no coincidence that it is Blackpool, where BITC’s Pride of Place Programme officially began in 2017, where local people and organisations have been able to drive the largest and furthest-reaching impacts, from new homes to economic growth.
I had a genuine ‘pinch me’ moment surveying the crowd: the Mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham, sat alongside Minister Lord Blunkett, three Dames, and some of the UK’s most inspiring community leaders. It was a line-up that showcased how much our movement is growing, the impact we’ve already demonstrated, and how seriously our national leaders are now taking the Pride of Place agenda. For me, it was a powerful reminder that this isn’t just a moment of momentum — it’s the beginning of a long-term commitment to doing things differently, together.
Looking ahead with purpose
This is why BITC is committed to working with you – whether you are involved in government, lead or work for a business, or help to fund or run your local charity, school, or community centre – to help you make a positive, lasting difference to the Places you care about.
Whether you’ve got something to offer in one of our existing Places, or have an idea for launching a new local Partnership, my colleagues at BITC and Aviva (and our thriving network of changemakers and leaders) have huge ambitions to help restore Pride of Place right across the country.
I was incredibly proud to give the closing speech at our very first Pride of Place Summit, because I know it was just the first of many more opportunities. Together, we can celebrate the success of our growing Partnership model, ask the right questions, and have the right conversations to maximise the potential for Places across the UK.
