Community Anchor Network

We're appointing a local lead to support the CAN programme and deepen its connection to community networks over a 10-month period. Responsibilities will include:

• Overseeing the delivery of all requirements of the National Lottery Community Power grant. 
• Building and stewarding relationships with up to 150 local organisations. 
• Supporting CAN governance, Action Group coordination, and leadership development. 
• Producing high-quality mapping, research and insight for strategic decisions. 
• Delivering community events, including one 150-person community forum. 
• Driving systems-change activity with Park institutions. 
• Leading communications, storytelling and digital contributions. 
• Ensuring inclusive, equitable and lived-experience-led practice across all work.

The deadline for applications is Sunday 15th February at 11:59pm. Find out more and apply here

Because:

1. Communities have a right to an equal voice in shaping the Park and its future — influencing decisions that affect their daily lives.
2. Institutions are more successful with credible, trusted access to local perspectives, networks and lived experience that can strengthen strategy, delivery and accountability.
3. Community organisations work more strategically through equitable partnerships and sustainable relationships, with access to resources and opportunities that amplify their collective power and strengthen their resilience.
4. East London will only thrive when communities and institutions grow stronger together — creating shared ownership, trust and long-term social infrastructure

The long-term aim is for the CAN to be fully community-led, with LLDC and Park institutions acting as supporting partners

The Community Anchor Network (CAN) is an emerging model, but its strength lies in the fact that it has been developed by well-established local organisations many of which have been active in East London for decades. Collectively, these organisations have deep roots in their neighbourhoods, with trusted relationships and a track record of delivering community-led change.

Although CAN as a network is new, its members have already demonstrated what is possible when community voice is placed at the heart of Park-related initiatives. Everything tested so far is small scale but it’s the process that has been most successful.

Examples include:

• Establishment of the CAN action group - creating the relational foundations were crucial in the development of trust and togetherness to drive the key stages of collectively designing the CAN.

• Your Neighbourhoods Talk – a large-scale community forum convened to test accountability and transparency, bringing local groups and institutions together on equal terms.
• Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Framework for Inclusive Growth – CAN members contributed to shaping LLDC’s placemaking strategy, ensuring local values and lived experience informed long-term priorities on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
• Commissioning framework– community organisations within the CAN have begun- a co-designed new approach to commissioning, with the aim to be adopted by all partners across the Park, influencing how resources are distributed more equitably.
• Networks- Reaching deeper networks for engagement that go beyond the usual voices. CAN partners have piloted ways to integrate community insight into Park design and programming.

We are currently in a development and testing phase — shaping the model, building capacity and strengthening long-term collaboration.