Opening plenary: Building thriving neighbourhoods
Rachel Rowney is Chief Executive of Local Trust, with more than 20 years’ experience in neighbourhood renewal, community engagement and community-led change. Since joining Local Trust at its inception in 2012, she has been part of the team designing and delivering Big Local, which put residents in control of long-term funding across 150 neighbourhoods in England.
Rachel now leads Local Trust’s final phase and legacy work, drawing on Big Local’s learning to influence policy and practice. Her focus is on the people, skills, institutions and support communities need to exercise power and lead lasting change.
LinkedIn: Rachel Rowney | Local Trust
Website: localtrust.org.uk
Facebook: LocalTrustBigLocal
YouTube: @BigLocal
Locality is the national membership network supporting local community organisations to be strong and successful. Tony has led Locality since 2014 and oversees all aspects of the organisation.
He has a background in supporting communities to have more say over their local areas in the third sector and the public sectors. He led the national charity Living Streets between 2008-14.
Before joining the sector, he was a civil servant for nine years and held a number of senior policy adviser roles in the Government. He worked on neighbourhood regeneration and renewal, and health improvement and was one of the original members of staff of the Government's Neighbourhood Renewal Unit from 2001.
Tony was awarded an OBE in the King’s Honours for services to local community organisations.
LinkedIn: Tony Armstrong
Angie Wright is the Chief Officer at b inspired based in Braunstone, Leicester. b inspired is a Community Anchor in its twenty-sixth year and the successor body of the 10-year New Deal for Communities regeneration programme in Braunstone, Leicester.
Angie grew up in Braunstone, as have generations of her family. Her passion and drive to improve the area and support local people to reach their full potential, has meant that, under her leadership over the past 22 years, b inspired has developed into a successful charity and community business.
By utilising an asset base of £10 million, trading primarily in commercial and residential letting, and investing all profits back into the charity, b inspired exists to continue a strong track record of neighbourhood renewal in Braunstone and for its proud community. It offers a wide range of local services and creates real social impact.
Angie is a Commissioner on the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods (ICON), which was launched in 2024 to review the state of neighbourhoods across England. Previously, Angie was the Leicester City Development Manager for the roll-out of the Sure Start, Neighbourhood Nurseries and Children’s Centres initiatives. Angie worked in Local Government for 14 years managing grant programmes, working to help the most deprived areas in the city.
LinkedIn: Angie Wright | b inspired
Website: b-inspired.org.uk
Instagram: binspiredleics
Facebook: BInspiredLeicester
Afternoon plenary: Anchors of the future
Afzal Hussain is a driving force for community-led change. Passionate about the power of people and place, he champions bold collaborations that unlock opportunity, challenge inequality and strengthen communities. His work demonstrates how community leadership can transform neighbourhoods, influence systems and deliver lasting impact from the ground up.
LinkedIn: Afzal Hussain | Witton Lodge Community Association | Birmingham Community Action Network
Website: wittonlodge.org.uk
Instagram: wittonlodge
Facebook: WittonLodgeCommunityAssociation
YouTube: @wittonlodgecommunityassoci9082
LinkedIn: Coin Street Community Builders
Website: coinstreet.org
Instagram: oxotowerwharf
Facebook: CoinStreet
YouTube: @coinstreet7817
LinkedIn: Tracey Good | Centre4
Website: centre4.org.uk
Facebook: Centre4Grimsby
Instagram: centre4grimsby
Closing plenary: Building connection - ideas to unleash the power of your community
Tim Magowan is Director of 174 Trust, a Belfast charity supporting local people more than 65,000 times each year in a community deeply impacted by The Troubles.
In 2018, Tim co-developed the Circle of Change programme, currently funded by Locality, which has enabled 100 leaders from different communities across Belfast to build relationships across divides and raise over £85,000 for common causes.
LinkedIn: Tim Magowan | 174 Trust
Website: 174trust.org
Facebook: 174trust
Anamaria Garcia is a dynamic leader and passionate changemaker at The Race Equality Centre since 2002; she has championed racial justice, community empowerment and inclusive leadership across Leicester. From leading major funded programmes and influencing policing scrutiny to advancing climate justice, youth voice, and inclusive housing, her impact reaches far and wide. Recently, she climbed Mount Snowdon with women hikers, helping raise £30,000 for charity.
LinkedIn: Anamaria Garcia | The Race Equality Centre
Website: trec.org.uk
Facebook: TRECLEICESTER
Instagram: trecleicester