14/07/2025
On 17 April 2025, we held our very first Sharing Day. And honestly, it was a bit of a moment for us. A proper proud day. It gave us the chance to pause, reflect, and share our journey into community participation with peers from across the system.
The event was hosted at Briscoe Primary School’s HAF Club. A place that’s become central to so much of what we do. With support from Basildon Borough Council and the school itself, it has opened up countless opportunities for the local community. As we welcomed guests that day, one question kept coming back to me.
It all started years ago when I was a social housing manager trying to reach young people on an estate in Shoeburyness. We were getting regular complaints about anti-social behaviour, and nothing seemed to be working. Traditional approaches just didn’t connect. So, I followed a bit of a hunch, trained as a football coach, and started running free sessions. Not to produce star players, but to build trust and actually hear what the young people needed.
That ended up being the first step into community participation for what would later become Achieve Thrive Flourish (ATF).
One of the early lessons hit me straight away. If you were a young person without money or access to transport, you simply couldn't play league football. The answer? Set up our own club. No travel, no fees, just football. In 2011, ATF was born as a grassroots football club, built on inclusion and opportunity.
Back then, we never imagined it would grow into a medium-sized charity supporting hundreds of young people and families across Essex every week. But that’s exactly what happened.
Looking back, the reason it worked is because it was always rooted in community. We weren’t parachuting in with a plan. We started small, listened, and worked alongside people. That opened the door to partnerships with youth offending teams, probation services, education providers and more.
At the centre of it all was one clear belief. Put the young person first and let the community lead. That approach turned out to be powerful. It could be adapted and applied across different settings to tackle different challenges. By 2019, with the support of Active Essex, we officially became a charity. Achievement Through Football evolved into Achieve Thrive Flourish.
Our aim stayed the same. To build resilience and raise aspirations for young people and their families across South Essex. Over time, we realised it didn’t really matter what the hook was. Football, bikes, food, climate action. What mattered was the opportunity that came after. The chance to build relationships, grow local leadership and create system change using our Practice of Change.
Since then, we’ve grown, replicated, and adapted the model across other communities and systems. Always sticking to the same approach. Focus on what’s strong, not what’s wrong. Work with the community, not on behalf of it. Build from within.
Our partnership with The Active Wellbeing Society (TAWS) has helped take things even further. It brought new ideas and national experience into Essex and gave us the chance to connect our work with a bigger picture. Their approach to Sharing Days added another layer, highlighting work across different themes. From sport and wellbeing to community food and climate action, the events give people the chance to connect, learn, and be inspired.
Together, we’ve created spaces where people can explore what community participation really looks like. Where they can meet others, hear real stories, and see how these ideas come to life. Blending their model with our Discovery Days has given us a way to support even more people. Helping them find local strengths, back emerging community leaders and spark meaningful connections.
Our first Sharing Day was a big moment. Not just for what we’ve achieved, but for everything we’ve learned along the way.
Want to find out more? Come along to the next one. We’d love to have you there.
Guest blog by
Carina Nea - The Active Wellbeing Society
Stuart Long - Achieve Thrive Flourish
