Stephen Frost
@sfrost.bsky.social
Managing Director, Bridges for Communities, supporting people to live well together 📍Bristol 🇬🇧 Posts on: Bristol, community cohesion & social inclusion, climate & nature, deliberative democracy, public engagement and positive news. Views my own.
ICYMI. This is well worth a read. “35% of the US electorate are disaffected, characterized by high levels of disillusionment and low levels of trust in government and politics. Our democratic revival depends on solutions that transform people from disaffected bystanders into powerful civic agents.”
How do we defeat authoritarianism? By building a sense of belonging | Julie Fernandes and Katrina Gamble
Eighty-five million Americans are disaffected and less likely to vote, our survey found. Our democratic revival depends on a sense of community
theguardian.com
Over the last few weeks I’ve been out on high streets in Bristol testing the deep listening approach described in Monbiot’s article. Here’s a short blog describing why this matters and what I’ve found: www.bridgesforcommunities.com/2026/08/05/s...
Streets are made for talking: so that's what we did - Bridges For Communities
We’ve been trying something new at Bridges. Popping up on high streets and town centres in Bristol to talk to people about community life and the issues that are impacting […]
bridgesforcommunities.com
George Monbiot@georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 3mo agoThere is a way out of our political spiral, and it is thrilling and inspiring. We could have a very different country. This week's column. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
High streets as spaces for connection and cohesion. This piece well worth a couple of.minutes of your time
Stephen Frost@sfrost.bsky.social · 6h agoOver the last few weeks I’ve been out on high streets in Bristol testing the deep listening approach described in Monbiot’s article. Here’s a short blog describing why this matters and what I’ve found: www.bridgesforcommunities.com/2026/08/05/s...
Over the last few weeks I’ve been out on high streets in Bristol testing the deep listening approach described in Monbiot’s article. Here’s a short blog describing why this matters and what I’ve found: www.bridgesforcommunities.com/2026/08/05/s...
Streets are made for talking: so that's what we did - Bridges For Communities
We’ve been trying something new at Bridges. Popping up on high streets and town centres in Bristol to talk to people about community life and the issues that are impacting […]
bridgesforcommunities.com
George Monbiot@georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 3mo agoThere is a way out of our political spiral, and it is thrilling and inspiring. We could have a very different country. This week's column. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
“As Aydin jumps a scooter over ramps set up in the middle of the road, children around him are drawing with chalk, blowing bubbles and kicking a football in a spot where cars are usually driving through.” Good job Leeds. More children should have the chance to play in their neighbourhood like this.
Leeds: The city closing down streets so children can play
In Leeds, streets are being temporarily closed to traffic so kids have more space to safely play - an initiative proving beneficial to both children and adults.
bbc.co.uk
“As Aydin jumps a scooter over ramps set up in the middle of the road, children around him are drawing with chalk, blowing bubbles and kicking a football in a spot where cars are usually driving through.” Good job Leeds. More children should have the chance to play in their neighbourhood like this.
Leeds: The city closing down streets so children can play
In Leeds, streets are being temporarily closed to traffic so kids have more space to safely play - an initiative proving beneficial to both children and adults.
bbc.co.uk
Quotes: "during our period of study (1993-2024), mechanisms designed to regulate spending tended towards input control and short-term decision-making, struggled to support strategic investment and often failed to deliver sustained improvements in outcomes."
Giles Wilkes@gilesyb.bsky.social · 2d agoThis is the Nuffield research that the incredibly productive Diane Coyle refers to in this article. www.bennettschool.cam.ac.uk/publications...
If you met someone who had fallen out of love with reading, and you had one shot at getting them back into it, what book would you give them? For a thing.
Some interesting context: a summer of extreme weather (or, cultural discussion around it) has spiked the issue salience of climate for voters. Is back as a top 5 issue, ahead of housing, education, crime. But elite polarisation means politicians largely still too scared to talk about it for now.
Sofie Jenkinson@sofiejenkinson.bsky.social · yesterdayToday I've written for @labourlist.bsky.social on why working class communities deserve to see a bold plan from Labour on climate. Quite simply we all deserve to be safe and be protected. And there's quite a clear political case for the government too. labourlist.org/2026/08/work...
Yes please. Page from @romankrznaric.bsky.social’s book ‘The Good Ancestor’ on the design principles of ‘deep democracy’. Sounds good to me 👍
Leaders of flag-raising group Raise the Colours Oxfordshire placed trackers on highway workers’ cars to find out their home addresses, the High Court has heard. RTC then attempted to intimidate the highway staff into no longer removing flags by repeating their addresses to them.
"We need to take the role of trees and green spaces in our towns and cities more seriously – these aren't just nice-to-have, they are critical infrastructure." Read the latest research from Priestley Members on trees in urban areas: climate.leeds.ac.uk/news/tree-co...
Tree cover is key to cooling cities - Priestley Centre for Climate Futures
Trees in urban areas are highly effective in reducing harmful heat exposure and improving outdoor comfort in cities, according to a new study led by Priestley members.
climate.leeds.ac.uk
Got a fair few odd looks lugging my flip chart on the bus over to Filwood Broadway this morning. Now just gotta hope some people are up for a chat with me about community & how they feel about the neighbourhood.
Good job Bristol. “This charter is about recognising the intrinsic value of our rivers and streams and the ecological systems they support. It is also about understanding the responsibility we all share to protect the Avon, and nature more widely”
Council formally recognises rights of the River Avon
The council joins others across four counties in endorsing the UK's first bioregional charter for river rights
bristol247.com
🔥 New today 🔥 The first publication from The Marshall Plan for Civic Life 👇 Today @kinship.works and @demos-uk.bsky.social have published a Discussion Paper to open a conversation about how to fund a decade of civic renewal. marshall-plan.netlify.app (1/n)
If the Government wants to end rough sleeping, they need to scrap their own immigration policies that are making more people homeless. Tell Angela Rayner, Secretary of State for Housing: To end rough sleeping, scrap the Home Office's hostile immigration plans. act.praxis.org.uk/tell-housing...
Email Angela Rayner: To end rough sleeping, you must scrap the Home Office's hostile immigration plans
New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has committed to end rough sleeping in the UK. But his Government is pushing forward with immigration plans that will make more families homeless. The plans will see mo...
act.praxis.org.uk
I used to sit up on Dunwich Heath, surveying bitterns in the reedbeds of Minsmere below It's a beautiful area, and one of the most important in the country for birds and other wildlife This is so sad
Holiday park evacuated as 90 firefighters tackle Suffolk heath wildfire
Major incident declared, Sizewell B power station closely monitoring blaze and RSPB nature reserve closed to visitors
theguardian.com
England on track to suffer highest-ever heat deaths this summer, official data shows - Almost 3000 people died in May and June heatwaves that were supercharged by the fossil-fuel-driven climate crisis #climatecrisis Data from @ukhsa.bsky.social Story by me www.theguardian.com/environment/...
UK on track for record heat-related deaths this summer, official data shows
UKHSA estimates 2,877 fatalities during heatwaves in May and June, almost twice same period for 2025
theguardian.com
the four stages: 1. Allister Heath's columns are not real 2. Allister Heath's columns are not serious 3. OK, they are real and serious but it's too late to do anything about them 4. Our only hope is to find a way of adapting to Allister Heath's columns
I believe this as well and it has changed profoundly how I see various periods in history, too.
The Fig Economy@figgityfigs.bsky.social · last wk.One of my Crank Theories of Everything, at least of Everything in the Recent Past, is that we are dealing (badly) with COVID trauma we’d mostly prefer to pretend never happened.
The Prime Minister of Spain: “This climate emergency is exceeding every threshold and scale that scientists have long warned all of Spain and Europe about.” This is the realistic climate discourse the world needs. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/w...
We're looking for a dynamic, passionate individual with a clear commitment to social justice. You'll help employers learn how to take action that will support workers and reduce in-work poverty in social care. Please like and share to increase visibility! www.povertyalliance.org/about-us/rec...
Want to put your skills to work for a more accessible future? We're hiring! Come join the disabled-led team working to break through barriers to disabled people's freedom to travel. Find out more and apply: https://bit.ly/3KJbYyn
Reposting in case anyone missed this tour of the amazing Wakelyns pioneering agroforestry farm and community hub – they are doing well with their fundraiser to become community benefit society but still need more support!
The Guardian@theguardian.com · last mo.‘Living laboratory’: Suffolk agroforestry farm seeks community ownership to survive
There’s a man in Bristol, known only as ‘Otter Man’ at the moment, who is being taken up court by Wessex Water. He’s refusing to pay his bill in protest at sewage being released into rivers. Full story here 👇🏼 www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol...
'Otter' man refusing to pay water bill over river sewage faces court
'The Otter' - who wants to remain anonymous - owes £1,200 after boycotting Wessex Water's bill for more than four years
bristolpost.co.uk
This August children across England will have access to free bus travel. The policy was inspired by a scheme in WECA - we invited Ingrid Skeels, from a Hartcliffe (south Bristol) based charity to talk about the history of the policy and the importance of accessible travel for young people ⤵️
Free bus travel for children – a transformative policy for children's mobility and life chances - Social Market Foundation.
Affordable buses are crucial for children's mobility. Ingrid Skeels shares the story behind this summer's national free buses for kids scheme
smf.co.uk
Today is the 75th anniversary of the UN Refugee Convention. To mark this anniversary, we're sharing the remarkable story of how Lord Alf Dubs escaped the Holocaust on the Kindertransport at just six years old.