Welcome
From the Right Reverend Rob Wickham, Group Chief Executive Officer
Welcome
From the Right Reverend Rob Wickham, Group Chief Executive Officer
Following many months of stakeholder engagement, in 2024 we made a firm commitment to partnership work aimed at ending poverty and challenging the unjust structures of society. This, we believe, is an imperative that comes from Jesus Christ, which we embed in an inclusive and holistic way, working with people of all faiths and none for the sake of the flourishing of all.
In our impact report, you will witness powerful stories of transformation and examples of how churches and faith communities are responding to real needs with compassion and innovation, bearing testimony to this commitment.
It is essential that these stories are shared, as they highlight the realities of poverty and inequality while demonstrating the power of churches and faith groups to drive change. By working alongside local communities, CUF champions social action rooted in understanding, collaboration and faith, shaped in the principles of asset based community development.
This year, we deepened our partnerships with key stakeholders in the third sector across civil society. This includes diverse Christian denominations (including the Church of England) and network organisations. We have also continued to build partnerships with local and national government. We continue to advocate for the vital work happening in communities, ensuring that faith remains a powerful voice in addressing societal challenges.
One of our key achievements last year was the relaunch of our hugely popular Look Up Tool, which helps churches, individuals and institutions gain deeper insights into their communities, better understand local demographics, and identify key social challenges such as poverty, housing, and education. Strong groundwork is essential when planning mission and outreach, and the Look Up Tool plays a vital role in shaping effective responses, and often leads to further work using our Growing Good resources, and more in depth work through ‘Know your church, know your neighbourhood’.
Internally, with staff and trustees, we have focussed on simplifying our governance, policies and procedures, including an independent audit on our safeguarding policy and procedures. This, we hope, will enable our support of churches, faith groups, and communities to be more robust, agile and effective as we respond to need.
Externally, we have spent time listening to churches, dioceses and partners to understand how CUF can best serve them in supporting some of our most deprived communities. These conversations have shaped our new strategy, set to launch in 2025, alongside refreshed vision, mission statements and values that will clearly define who we are and what we seek to achieve.
By ensuring our foundations are strong, we work alongside churches and community groups across England to make our neighbourhoods better places to thrive. Looking ahead, we remain committed to walking alongside, co-producing resources through lived experience and equipping with tools, knowledge, and resources that are needed to make a lasting impact across the many diverse communities.
