Celebrating Community Action: What We Learned at the Hope Conference
- Jon Salmon
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
At the Speakers Collective Hope Conference at Liverpool John Moores University, three powerful voices came together.
Photographer and community storyteller Emma Case, Chasing the Stigma founder Jake Mills, community leader and Clinical Lead at James' Place Jane Boland to explore what it really means to build, sustain, and fight for grassroots community action.
What emerged was an honest, vulnerable, and energising conversation about purpose, storytelling, sustainability, and the gritty reality behind doing work that matters.
1. Stories Start in Unexpected Places
Emma Case spoke beautifully about her accidental route into photography, not through college, but through a camera gifted to her by her now husband. That simple moment sparked a journey rooted in empathy, community spaces, and the everyday extraordinary.
Her work especially with the Deaf community is about building bridges, and creating belonging.
2. Accidental Journeys Can Change Lives
Jake Mills described his own “accidental journey” into mental health advocacy one that began with speaking openly about his lived experience. From that came Chasing the Stigma and the Hub of Hope, now the UK’s largest mental health support directory with over 14,000 services.
And yet, behind the success lies the uncomfortable truth:“We are five to six months from closure at all times.” It’s a reality echoed across the sector.
Donate here to support Chasing the Stigma.
3. The Third Sector Runs on Heart — But Heart Doesn’t Pay Bills
A powerful theme ran throughout the panel: grassroots organisations are built from pain, passion, and purpose — not business plans or financial strategy.
But that same passion often leads to burnout, instability, and a culture where people work for free because the work has to happen.
Jane Boland captured this tension perfectly:
“Most people start these organisations because of a pure need. But how is that going to be sustainable?”
4. Working With Brands: Potential and Pitfalls
There was lively debate about whether corporate partnerships might be a route to sustainability. The panel agreed brands want authenticity, community stories and “impact” but they don’t always understand how to work with communities safely or respectfully.
Emma said:“The benefit has to be more for the community".
Jake added another real-world challenge big companies linking to the Hub of Hope without ever contacting or supporting the charity.“Exposure doesn’t pay bills… it actually increases our costs.”
5. We Need to Stop Apologising for Wanting to Be Paid
Perhaps the most important takeaway was about value and worth. Charities are often expected to “make do,” to prove their virtue through sacrifice.
But as Jake said:“A charity is a business. People deserve to be paid and paid well for the impact they create.”
And Emma admitted something many in the room related to, the internal struggle between being a “people pleaser” and setting boundaries around being paid for your work.
A Call for Collective Strength
In a landscape where funding is uncertain, demand is soaring, and the pressure never stops, the message was clear:
Change will only happen through collective voice, shared stories, and a refusal to downplay the value of community work.
The Hope Conference reminded us that while grassroots action often begins accidentally, it grows through courage, connection and a spark that refuses to go out. Even when the system makes it almost impossible to keep going.
And that’s why Hope matters.
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