Reporting period: 1 February 2025 to 31 January 2026. Local Champions CIC exists to build a fairer, more connected future. We support women and young people from global-majority and low-income backgrounds through enterprise, sport and technology. Building on the previous year’s work, our UK activities continued to be co-designed with communities and partners, connecting practical skills, wellbeing and networks of opportunity. YEA! Thamesmead: With Peabody, we delivered ten weeks of entrepreneurship support, including ten masterclasses, individual mentoring, coaching and peer learning. Nine founders aged 18-30 completed the programme; six were women and three reported a disability. Participants developed skills in finance, digital tools, partnerships and pitching, culminating in a public pitch event. Alumni returned as mentors, extending leadership opportunities across cohorts. The September evaluation recorded a recommendation score of 4.4/5 and an average rating of 4.3/5 for impact on participants’ entrepreneurial journeys. Average business optimism was 3.6 at baseline and 4.3 afterwards, public-speaking confidence was 3.6 and 4.0, pitching confidence 3.6 and 3.7, and connection to the local community 3.1 and 3.3. These self-reported group averages are based on nine baseline and seven post-programme respondents, they do not represent matched individual changes. Feedback described greater confidence, clearer plans and valuable networks. Propel / UPCHANGE and Mothers & Care: Building on the girls’ mentoring and Mothers & Babies in Sport work described in our previous report, we continued enterprise and sport-based mentoring with Active Communities Network and Olympia Infinity FC. Quarterly monitoring recorded 13 young people engaged in April–June 2025, one new young person in July–September and two new young people in October–December: 16 recorded across those three quarters. These figures cover April–December 2025. The July–September report also recorded nine new mothers joining Mothers & Care. One was under 25 and included in the youth count; the other eight were outside that age criterion. Football, mentoring and childcare helped mothers participate in their own development while their children were supported. Participant feedback described reduced isolation, greater confidence and stronger family connections. Two mentees completed an ACN youth-work certificate, supporting progression towards mentoring roles. Ad hoc mentoring and signposting continued when seasonal constraints paused weekly outdoor sessions from November. Propel also supported elements of YEA!, so these programme counts are not added together as separate, unique beneficiaries. Wisdom Exchange - Carib Eats / SHIFT: Local Champions supported the intergenerational pilot held at Dalston Lane Community Centre on 21 February 2025. The observer recorded 10 young people attending alongside older community members. Our project handover records outreach to 13 organisations and eight follow-up engagement calls, with preparatory outreach beginning in January. We designed pre- and post-event survey tools, supported youth recruitment and provided observation and evaluation. Observations described growing rapport, encouragement and knowledge-sharing between generations. The work gave Carib Eats practical tools and learning to inform future delivery. Community-led civic learning - UK Democracy Fund: During May-July 2025, we completed and developed learning for internal and external audiences from earlier pilots involving Carib Eats, Skate Cabal and The Agency. The work highlighted trusted messengers, culturally relevant engagement, peer support and the value of intermediaries connecting funders with grassroots organisations. JRRT welcomed the report for board-level learning and collaborated on an external version. The earlier pilots are not counted as newly delivered activities or beneficiaries this year. Community Anchor Network / LLDC: During 2025 we worked with CAN members and LLDC colleagues to develop a shared visual model of community-led collaboration. The December development document records successive concepts being revised in response to Action Group feedback, leading to a continuous-loop model expressing connection, collaboration and co-design. This provided a practical communication resource for a shared approach to community voice, trust and institutional collaboration. HEAL Academy: From September 2025, we supported TRIUMPH CIC with programme coordination, partner liaison, recruitment communications and delivery planning for inclusive UK youth-sector leadership. By December, the recruitment landing page and application forms were live. By 16 January 2026, curriculum handbooks for two leadership pathways had been circulated for review. These were programme-development outputs; participant completion, secondments and later conference outcomes are outside this report. UpChange network capacity-building: In March 2025 we developed an organisational needs-assessment questionnaire to inform future training provision and frequency. We also arranged a public-speaking workshop delivered by Kat Craig in August. ACN's subsequent feedback confirmed the session was useful to participants with different experience levels and well facilitated. This complemented direct mentoring by supporting the people and organisations working with young women. Sustained alumni support: Support continued beyond individual YEA cohorts through mentoring, check-ins and introductions. In June-July 2025, we connected a previous participant developing community shops with Peabody's enterprise-support team. Alumni also returned as mentors for the Thamesmead cohort. January 2026 correspondence reflected continued contact and reported benefits in confidence, belonging and access to networks. These examples demonstrate sustained relationships and access to opportunities beyond the initial programme. Across the year, our work combined direct support with community-led research, practical evaluation tools and organisational development. It strengthened opportunities for young people and women while helping partners listen, collaborate and sustain community capacity. Programme figures are presented separately because some participants received support through more than one activity.

Our approach remains rooted in co-creation, trust and reciprocity: a continuous cycle of listening, reflection, design, delivery and learning. Stakeholders included young entrepreneurs and alumni, mothers and families, older community members, mentors, freelance delivery colleagues, grassroots organisations and partner institutions. Partners included Peabody, Active Communities Network, Olympia Infinity FC, Carib Eats, SHIFT, JRRT, TRIUMPH CIC, LLDC and CAN members. This continued the previous year's emphasis on networks of trust and community participation in shaping delivery. Consultation took place through participant surveys, mentoring conversations, case studies, quarterly monitoring and partner review meetings. YEA! participants described their experiences and identified practical barriers; the September evaluation and partner correspondence documented venue access, Wi-Fi and compressed recruitment timelines. Mothers & Care feedback described the importance of childcare alongside activity, confidence and belonging. In response to YEA feedback, we recorded priorities for future delivery: checking venue accessibility and digital facilities in advance, agreeing shared delivery calendars, allowing longer recruitment lead-in times and strengthening alumni mentoring. Propel delivery adapted to seasonal constraints through requested mentoring and signposting. Mothers & Care retained childcare as a practical response to participation barriers. For Wisdom Exchange, survey tools were reviewed with the client, formats were adapted for younger and older participants, and an inclusivity statement addressed concerns raised by a referring organisation. Observation and handover findings identified improvements to survey preparation and completion. CAN's visual model changed in response to member feedback, moving away from static representations towards a continuous cycle of exchange. The UpChange needs questionnaire invited organisations to shape training priorities, while HEAL partners reviewed recruitment materials and application arrangements. These examples show how consultation influenced delivery, tools and planning. Future improvements are distinguished from actions already completed within the reporting period

£500

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