Groundwork was established in 1981 at a time of political, social and economic challenge as an experiment to help communities cope with change and work together to improve their lives and neighbourhoods. We’re passionate about creating a future where every neighbourhood is vibrant and green, every community is strong and able to shape its own destiny and no-one is held back by their background or circumstances. What drives us is the recognition that in every community – however disadvantaged – there are deep reserves of pride in the local area and people with the passion and ideas to improve their circumstances and surroundings. Groundwork exists to harness that pride and unlock that passion through services, projects and programmes that change people’s lives now but also make our communities more resilient for the future. We work with partners to address these challenges in three ways. • We improve people’s prospects - by increasing the confidence, skills, wellbeing and employability of those struggling in education or out of work. • We create better places - by making communities greener, safer and healthier and by enabling people to work together to bring about change in their local area. • We promote greener living and working – to help people and businesses reduce their environmental impact, improve their health, cut waste and save money.