Tamworth Borough Council has won a prestigious MJ Award for community engagement, one of the highest honours in local government. The We Are Tamworth programme, which emerged from challenges facing the borough in 2024, has grown into a resident-led movement making a real difference in the community.
The programme's success is built on listening. It began with the Honest Conversations project, which gathered feedback from more than 500 residents and 40 organisations across Tamworth. These conversations directly shaped everything that followed, with judges impressed by the innovative approach to healing deep-rooted divisions within the borough.
The results demonstrate the impact of community-led action. The Kaleidoscope of Dreams festival attracted over 3,000 people, while a community art project called Unity Shield was built by residents. A crowdfunding platform has now raised almost £85,000 for local projects, showing how Tamworth residents are investing in their own neighbourhoods.
Chief Executive Stephen Gabriel said the award belongs to everyone who contributed. "This programme was built on a simple principle: listening first," he said. "By giving people a genuine voice and trusting communities to lead, we are seeking to see meaningful and lasting change."
The next major event is coming on Saturday 4 July 2026, with another Kaleidoscope of Dreams festival planned. The We Are Tamworth programme continues to show how local residents can drive positive change when given the opportunity to shape their community's future.