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Bridging Change aims to create a more equal and diverse society with positive outcomes for Black and minoritised ethnic people. We do this through the building of strong alliances, connections and networks. ABOUT BRIDGING CHANGE Bridging Change is an independent organisation with the intention of building strong, dynamic and successful Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic groups, communities, organisations, businesses and individuals that are empowered to flourish, free from inequality and discrimination. Bridging Change was established by Nora Mzaoui and Dr Anusree Biswas Sasidharan who met as fellow elected Community Works Reps, representing Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities in Brighton and Hove. They realised that there was a gap in support and representation of minoritised communities within the community, voluntary and public sector. Bridging Change want to fill that gap. They were driven by the belief that Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic organisations, groups, communities and individuals were strongest when they worked together to challenge systemic barriers. Bridging Change want to see a society where all individuals and communities have equal opportunities and feel valued and a sense of belonging in their locality.

OUR FIRST MEETING INTRODUCING BRIDING CHANGE Bridging Change hosted their introductory meeting on Zoom, which was well attended with 58 attendants. If you missed our session you can have a look at our presentation below to give you a flavour of what we spoke about. Please contact us if you would like to know more at BridgingChange@outlook.com

Resources Discover how we’re making an impact. Listen to our thought-provoking podcasts , read our latest reports , and stay informed about upcoming events and news . Newsletter Newsletter Newsletter Newsletter Discover our March 2026 newsletter here ! For past newsletters, click here .

Community Voices Group What is CVG? What is CVG? What is CVG? What is CVG? Community Voices Group Do you identify as Black, brown, Asian or from another language, ethnic or migrant community? Do you want to improve how public services are delivered locally? Do you want the chance to speak directly to representatives from the Council and NHS and get your voice heard? Members of the group attend meetings as individuals or as representatives of a community group they belong to. We meet monthly, either online or in-person, to discuss issues that matter to us and to talk to representatives from Brighton and Hove Council and NHS Sussex about how they can be delivered. Past meetings Past meetings Past meetings Past meetings Reports Reports Reports Reports Community Voices (October, 2024) Read the October 2024 report on CVG, which outlines our achievements, feedback from our members and the next steps. Read the report here. Bridging Change NHS Workshop (November, 2023) Bridging Change was awarded a grant by NHS Sussex to deliver a face-to-face, 2.5-hour workshop in November 2023 with racialised minority communities based in Brighton and Hove. The event's aims were two-fold: to close the community engagement loop by feeding back to communities and to engage with the local communities. Read the report here. Become a CVG member Become a CVG member Become a CVG member Become a CVG member Interested in joining us? Contact Beth Harrison at Bridging Change, email: hello@bridgingchange.co.uk If you do not speak English and would like to be involved, email: laura@sussexinterpreting.org.uk or call 01273 234016 and leave a message in your language

Infrastructure Past training

Podcasts Talk In Equality Dr Anusree Biswas Sasidharan and Lillian Ndawula (Ethnic Minorities in Canterbury) explore, with guests, the role of research in addressing health inequalities experienced by minoritised ethnic groups. This series is funded by NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Kent, Surrey and Sussex and supported by the Research Design Service Southeast and Clinical Research Network Kent, Surrey and Sussex. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. Episode 1: What do community development organisations think? In this episode, guest host Dr Gary Hickey from Agora Digital Centre at University of Southampton, quizzes Dr Anusree Biswas Sasidharan from Bridging Change, Lillian Ndawula from Ethnic Minorities in Canterbury and Patrick Nyikavaranda from Diversity Resource International. He asks them about their perceptions and experiences of health inequalities experienced by ethnic minority communities and their hopes for increasing the representation of people from ethnic minorities in both the participation and involvement in research. Click below to listen. Episode 3: A perspective from the Health Research Authority In this episode, Anusree and Lillian speak to Dr Matt Westmore, Chief Executive at Health Research Authority. They quiz Matt about the steps taken by the Health Research Authority to increase representation in research and the important role that community organisations can play. Click below to listen. Episode 5: A researcher's perspective In this episode, Anusree and Lillian speak to Dr Ibidun Fakoya, Senior Research Fellow at King’s College London. Ibi shares her experiences of undertaking research with people from ethnic minority communities, emphasizing the importance of developing relationships and the need to take a holistic approach to research rather than focusing on a single illness or condition. Click below to listen. Episode 2: What do funders think? A perspective from the National Institute for Health and Care Research In this episode, Anusree and Lillian speak to Jeremy Taylor OBE, Director of Public Voice at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Jeremy talks about the work the NIHR is doing to increase representation in research from people from ethnic minorities and the importance of engaging with communities and developing trust. Click below to listen. Episode 4: A perspective from the Academy of Medical Sciences In this episode, Anusree and Lillian speak to Simon Denegri OBE, Executive Director at The Academy of Medical Sciences. Simon speaks not only about what The Academy of Medical Sciences is doing to promote the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion agenda, but also developments in other countries. Click below to listen. Episode 6: Reflections In this final episode, Gary Hickey (Agora Digital Centre at University of Southampton) returns as a guest host to ask Anusree, Lillian and Patrick to reflect on their podcast journey, what still concerns them and what positives they can take from the guests they have spoken to. Click below to listen.

Membership CONNECT WITH US If you are interested in becoming a networking member or would like to support us as an ally, please fill in the membership form .

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Reports Emergency Food Access Project This study describes the experiences of a small cohort of Black racialised minority (BRM) people in Brighton and Hove, who are accessing food provision in the city. Read the Emergency Food Access Research Project report here. My Life in Brighton A series of facilitated coffee mornings that, encouraged Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic people to discuss their experience of living and working in Brighton and Hove. Read the My Life in Brighton report here. Reaching Out: growing our understanding of the researched In 2022, Bridging Change conducted two, in person, workshops for Black Asian and minoritised ethnic leaders and individuals in Brighton and Hove. The workshops aimed to capture their experience of health and social care research including challenges, barriers and the benefits of working in partnership with researchers. Read the report here. Adur and Worthing Councils Minority Communities Engagement Report This report was produced on behalf of Adur and Worthing Council as a part of the Contain Outbreak Management Fund. It represents a snapshot of the lives of minoritised ethnic respondents that engaged with this project within a relatively short time span and before the 2021 census. The individuals and groups taking part were keen to share their stories, ideas and frustrations. This research is a starting point of a journey into engagement to connect with the minoritised ethnic communities of Adur and Worthing. It provides suggestions of processes of future engagement and ideas generated by the community we spoke to. Read the report here. Vaccine Equity Project A report providing a snapshot of 20 people who identified as Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic and who were able to share their experience of COVID-19 vaccines. Read the Vaccine Equity Project report here. Reaching Out: building relationships to increase research impact Since mid-2020, Bridging Change has been working with National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) partners in the southeast of England, along with community groups serving Black, Asian and minoritised communities. This led to the development of an online ‘Reaching Out’ event in June 2021. Read the report here. The NHS, COVID – 19 and Lockdown: The Black, Asian, Minoritised Ethnic and Refugee Experience in Brighton and Hove In July 2020, Trust for Developing Communities and five partners: Sussex Interpreting Services, Hangleton & Knoll Project, Voices in Exile, Network of International Women and Fresh Youth Perspectives, surveyed 310 people from Black, Asian, minoritised ethnic, refugee and migrant communities in Brighton and Hove to find out about their experiences of the NHS, Covid-19 and lockdown. Dr Anusree Biswas Sasidharan led the research which was funded by Sussex NHS Commissioners. Read the report here. Healthwatch report on digital technology among ethnic minority elders Bridging Change was involved in research in partnership with Healthwatch Brighton and Hove on ‘Understanding the use and attitudes of digital technology among ethnic minority elders in Brighton and Hove’. Bridging Change recruited and facilitated interviews and focus groups and aided with the development of the topic guide. The research was funded by the NIHR Clinical Research Network in Kent, Surrey and Sussex. Read report here .

COMMISSION ON RACE AND ETHNIC DISPARITIES' FINDINGS: BRIDGING CHANGE RESPONSE The report from the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities has been deeply disappointing. This report after reflecting on the impact of education, community, health (including COVID-19), employment, crime and policing on minoritised ethnic people concluded that institutional racism does not exist. Bridging Change strongly disagrees with the validity of the findings, its conclusions and the "changing the narrative" motivation which has sought to undermine the experience of racism of minoritised ethnic people in Britain. Whilst reading the report we have chosen not to make a detailed response at this time, as the problematic framing of issues in the report are too extensive to broach here. However, this response will draw on a few of the report's findings. In every area the Commission examined disparity, they constructed imaginative ways to excuse racial or ethnic disparity, suggesting instead that they were due to factors such as: . . . living in a densely populated inner-city area, socio-demographic characteristics (deprivation and occupation) living in larger and multi-generational households. The report also blames poorer outcomes for Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic people with: poor and/or lone parenting; co-morbidities; counting methods or simply not liking the numbers. The report, for example, describes stop and search figures from Devon (where there are lower numbers of Black and Asian minoritised ethnic people, specifically Black people) as 'skewed' - but the fact remains, not liking the odds does not diminish simple mathematics. Suggesting that the 'national relative rate is not always accurate' at measuring stop and search rates is problematic, it appears in this report 'not always accurate' refers to when facts do not suit the Government's narrative. Whilst the report acknowledges the disparity of maternal deaths for Black (5 times higher) and Asian (2 times higher), it calls for using absolute numbers, as not to do so was 'unfair to expectant mothers everywhere'. Previous commentary have contextualised the figures in terms of per 100,000, in absolute numbers and/or disparity is attempted to diminish the significance and importance of disparity. It does not change the fact the Black women are 5 times more likely to die in childbirth compared to white women; Asian and mixed heritage women are almost 2 times likely more likely to die in childbirth than white women. Further, disparity in maternal health is symptomatic of negative outcomes faced by men, women and children from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic groups, particularly those minoritised ethnic people who are not white. Using the highly divisive stereotype of 'model minority' as if this was an antidote to racism is a privileged and uninformed construction of meritocracy. This 'model minority' construction was pitted against other minoritised ethnic people who were constructed as living with family breakdown, being unprepared and demotivated to succeed, as were 'attitudes to integrate'. Both stereotypes are equally damaging in suggesting that one group of minoritised ethnic people are hapless whilst the other minoritised ethnic group simply floats through British life without barriers or experiencing racism. Outrageous still is the polling by British Future for the Commission who heralded their poll as 'encouraging' around perceptions on anti-Black prejudice, which asked respondents if they 'saw a lot' of prejudice against Black people. They asked people who were not Black if there were increased level of prejudice for Black people. The only people who can credibly pass comment on the Black experience of racism is Black people , how can any other ethnic group assume to know how racism is experienced by another ethnic group? The report is constantly looking for creative adjustments, reframing, excusing and attempting to undermine disparity for Black and Asian minoritised ethnic people. The report is outrageous in its findings, in its bid to 'change the narrative' and to conclude that institutional racism does not exist is astonishingly inaccurate, premised on creative, misleading evidence and lack academic rigour. At Bridging Change we will focus on the reality of instititional and systemic racism and move away from the Commission's misleading conclusion in its attempt to 'change the narrative'. We want to reclaim the narrative which acknowledges the impact of the 'hostile environment' and the disproportionately negative impact and outcomes for Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic people in the the UK.

Infrastructure Governance Responsibilities of the Management Committee Roles of Officers (also available in Arabic ) Legal structures for community and voluntary groups Constitutions Charity Reporting and Accounts