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Report

Evaluating cross-community work in Holme Wood: Making connections?

The wider learning from a local project to improve cross-cultural relationships at Holme Wood, an outer-city estate in Bradford.

Written by:
Andrew Orton
Date published:

This report considers the possibilities and challenges of promoting cohesion and meaningful interaction between different groups in a particular setting. Holme Wood in Bradford has traditionally been populated by people from white British ethnic backgrounds. This is gradually changing.

The report covers:

  • the importance of taking the local context into account when designing interventions;
  • the tendency of 'newcomers' from different cultural backgrounds to be isolated;
  • the importance of bringing these isolated newcomers together for mutual support, while also developing their opportunities for wider relationships;
  • the significance of the challenges, including:
    • the time-consuming nature of relationship-building work; and
    • potential tensions between developing opportunities for mutual support between newcomers and also connecting newcomers with the more established residents and organisations.