Welcome to the March edition of Barnwood Connect 

This time of year can feel a bit all over the place – one minute it’s cold, grey and windy, and the next there are blue skies, blossom and warm sun on your face. On top of this there is plenty of change going on at Barnwood and in the wider world.  Good people coming and good people going. And a high degree of complexity and moving parts in the world around us; more than I have seen for many years. 

All this change can feel unsettling, but it also generates possibility and opportunity (green shoots and new growth). That’s why this edition of Connect is a little bigger than usual. 

No matter your age, it’s always nice to receive an ‘A’ grade, or in this instance an ‘A’ rating and be recognised alongside respected national organisations. We’re proud to share that we’ve received an A in the Foundation Practice Rating. You can read more about what that means, why it matters and how it benefits organisations in the county. What it really demonstrates is the hard work and commitment of our staff, volunteers and trustees over the last few years to develop this organisation, its relationship with community and its stance on social change. They deserve this recognition very much. Thank you to all of them. 

There is, of course, always more to be done. Change and development never stops.

In this edition you can also find updates on the SEND reform and other important work. We believe it is important that the voices of local parents, carers and young people are heard by the Government as the SEND plans are developed. We encourage everyone to take a look at what is being proposed and share their views if they can. 

Thanks,
Matt Little
Chief Executive

Updates from the Influencing Team 

The Influencing Team are continuing to develop their function and are regularly out engaging with partners, networks and decision-making groups -listening, sharing and being “nicely annoying” where it counts.

In this update, we wanted to focus on some of the seemingly ‘smaller’ bits of influencing – the things that didn’t necessarily feel like influencing at the time.

Influencing the Local Growth Plan  

We were invited to share feedback on the county’s Local Growth Plan – which sets out priorities for investment and infrastructure until 2030. The Plan was strong and ambitious but didn’t include enough focus on disability. We were able to work with the Council to create a clearer mission around inclusive employment and working with employers. We hope this will influence how employment support programmes work.

Influencing the Digital Inclusion, Innovation and Infrastructure Strategy  

We have recently published our learnings from our Digital Inclusion Fund. This learning was shared with Council officers and an Advisory Group we were part of. This helped make sure disabled people were properly considered in the strategy. Read the Digital Inclusion Fund Learning Report

Access to Nature 

This next phase of work will see Access to Nature move from a closed learning programme and network to a campaign that will engage nature organisations and people working in nature to have a bigger impact in Gloucestershire. 

 We’re doing this by building an Access to Nature online hub and creating a campaign. We have been working with colleagues from  Marketing and Comms, Involvement and Participation, and Research, alongside Barnwood Circle members, to create practical resources and case studies.  

We hope this will motivate and guide more people to improve access to nature.  

Keep an eye out for the release of the Hub!

Black Mental Health Conference

We are proud to be supporting Restore Black in the planning and delivery of a Black Mental Health Conference on Wednesday 27th May at Kingsholm Stadium in Gloucester, working alongside Black South West Network as a partner. 

‘The Black Man’s Burden,’ written by Reverend Henry Johnson, remains a powerful response to Rudyard Kipling’s ‘The White Man’s Burden,’ highlighting the enduring legacy of colonialism, systemic injustice, and racial oppression that have placed unique burdens on Black communities. Restore Black’s goal for this inaugural conference is to unpack this burden, understand its origins, and foster discussions around healing, resilience, and systemic change. 

Find out more details about the event, including timings and how to book a ticket here

Funding

So far in 2026, we have awarded five Accessibility Awards to organisations across Gloucestershire, supported by a £500k budget for this round. Through our Funded Partner Programme, we have also distributed over £120k in Small Grants. 

We are currently progressing through our first multiyear funding round of 2026, for which we have received 47 Expressions of Interest. In addition, individual grants continue to be awarded through our ongoing work with Citizens Advice and our community partners. 

To stay up to date with our current Funding Rounds, check out the Funding Page on our website: Funding for change – Barnwood Trust 

Closure of Gloucestershire Funders

After a period of reflection and consultation, members of the Gloucestershire Funders collective have agreed that the current model has reached its natural conclusion.  

The Gloucestershire Funders online funding portal closed to new applications on the 11th of March. This means applications can no longer be submitted through the Gloucestershire Funders website.  

Working in partnership with Gloucestershire Funders during the pandemic helped us to develop our approach to funding. It strengthened our understanding that our role in the county is not only to provide funding, but also to support social change and work with others to make that happen.   

With the closure of the Gloucestershire Funders shared portal, applications to Barnwood Trust should now be made directly to us.   

Due to budget availability, the fund is currently closed to new applications.

You can read more about this change on the Gloucestershire Funders blog. 

Or if you have any enquiries about Small Grant funding, please contact us at orgfunding@barnwoodtrust.org 

Foundation Practice Rating

We’re pleased to share that we have received an A rating in the Foundation Practice Rating project. 

This rating recognises our commitment to being more accountable, transparent, and inclusive in how we work — particularly in our funding practice.

Only 12 out of 100 organisations evaluated received an A rating, placing Barnwood Trust among the highest-performing funders in the UK. 

This achievement reflects the work of colleagues across the organisation and our ongoing focus on learning and improving how we support social change. 

We know there is always more to do, and we remain committed to building on this progress. 

Explore the full results and see the organisations we are listed alongside

Trustee Recruitment

Join us in shaping our work. We are looking for 2 new trustees to join our board who share our values and care about making Gloucestershire a more inclusive and accessible place for disabled people and people with mental health conditions.  

You don’t need board experience to help us make social change, we’re looking for fresh ideas and lived and learned experience.  

By becoming a trustee, you will gain strategic experience, learn skills such as teamwork, critical thinking, influencing and negotiation, and have the opportunity to make a significant difference to a cause that matters to you.

To learn more about what the role involves, please come along to our last ‘Meet the Trustee’ session on Thursday 9th April at 12:00 – 1:00pm (online via Teams). To receive the meeting link or request more information about applying, please email Elsa on elsa.henderson@barnwoodtrust.org or call 01242 539 935

Have a say on the new SEND Proposals 

On Monday, the Government announced its long-awaited school reforms, ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving.’ It proposes changes to the ways children and young people with SEND are supported in their education. These are only plans for now – nothing will change until at least 2029 – and the Government is asking for feedback until 18th May 2026. Read more about what the government is proposing in our new blog

We believe it is important that the voices of local parents, carers and young people are heard by the Government as these plans are developed.  

We will continue to support our partners, work with individuals and advocate locally and with our MPs to influence these changes. We are here to support in whatever way we can.   

If you have an idea about how we can work together during the Government’s consultation, to help make local voices heard on this issue, please contact Dan Jacques, Social Change Manager at dan.jacques@barnwoodtrust.org 

Exploring a social model of mental health

Our work may be focused in one place, but the fields of disability and mental health are vast. Each covers countless individual experiences, possibilities and challenges. That’s why how we direct our energy – and how we talk about these issues – matters very much.

Creating change starts with connection and clear goals to pursue together. If we don’t have a common understanding, or even a common language, that becomes much harder to do.  

It seemed to us that the social model of disability (though not perfect) offers the disability movement a helpful starting place to spring from. It identifies disabled people not as the problem but a vital part of the solution. When it comes to mental health, the dialogue becomes less consistent and less clear.

For example, Barnwood has shifted terms – from mental health “problems” to “challenges” to “conditions.” Partly because resources are finite and funding criteria need to be focused, and partly because there’s no universally accepted framing of mental health to lean into and understandings here are evolving all the time. 

To explore this further, we commissioned NDTi to undertake a literature review of the mental health landscape to help inform our work – to see how mental health activists, charities and statutory bodies grapple with this issue.   

We didn’t imagine there would be a clear answer or mandate for our work, but moving a little closer to a shared understanding and language seemed a good place to start.  

Feedback welcome

We want to learn as much as we can about what works, and what doesn’t. If we can make this newsletter better, please let us know.

If you want to get in touch with us, please email us at info@barnwoodtrust.org