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.

Infrastructure Past training

BRIDGING CHANGE Bridging Change aims to create a more equal and diverse society with positive outcomes for Black Asian 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. Meet The Team Nora Mzaoui Founder Dr Anusree Biswas Sasidharan Founder Beth Harrison Project Coordinator Beth has worked in the community and voluntary sector for over twenty years in community development, information and advice, public involvement and English language teaching. She is a trained community development worker with a Masters in Applied Anthropology and Community and Youth Work. She has worked for a number of organisations including Brighton and Hove Black History, Age UK East Sussex, the Hangleton and Knoll Project and the National Institute for Health and Care Research, Applied Research Collaboration Kent, Surrey, Sussex. She is passionate about inclusion, diversity and equity with a particular focus on the Health and Education sectors. Rini Ghosh Finance Rini is a qualified ACMA (CGMA) accountant with several years of’ experience working for global charities and not-for- profit organisations concentrating in the International Development sector.. She works closely with external and internal business partners and stakeholders, and brings her 20+ years of financial management expertise to aide strategic decision making for senior management teams. She also helps organisations to implement their long-term financial plans and ensure that they align with the approved business strategies and objectives. She currently work as a finance business partner for an animal welfare charity concentrating on process transformation for effective financial reporting to help interpretation of financial information for project delivery. She also has experience of writing and submitting commercial funding proposals for all sizes of budgets and projects. Our Supporters

Meet the team What We Offer 01 Service Name This is a Paragraph. Click on "Edit Text" or double click on the text box to edit the content and make sure to add any relevant information that you want to share with your visitors. 03 Service Name This is a Paragraph. Click on "Edit Text" or double click on the text box to edit the content and make sure to add any relevant information that you want to share with your visitors. 05 Service Name This is a Paragraph. Click on "Edit Text" or double click on the text box to edit the content and make sure to add any relevant information that you want to share with your visitors. 02 Service Name This is a Paragraph. Click on "Edit Text" or double click on the text box to edit the content and make sure to add any relevant information that you want to share with your visitors. 04 Service Name This is a Paragraph. Click on "Edit Text" or double click on the text box to edit the content and make sure to add any relevant information that you want to share with your visitors. 06 Service Name This is a Paragraph. Click on "Edit Text" or double click on the text box to edit the content and make sure to add any relevant information that you want to share with your visitors.

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.

Contact Us Thanks for submitting! Submit Contact details: For Ageing Well: community@bridgingchange.co.uk For Climate for Communities: projects@bridgingchange.co.uk For CVG: hello@bridgingchange.co.uk For Infrastructure: development@bridgingchange.co.uk For Phoenix Way: directors@bridgingchange.co.uk For UK; Rooted in Wellbeing: riw@bridgingchange.co.uk 01273 234808/ 07395314944 For Phoenix Way: directors@bridgingchange.co.uk For any other queries : directors@bridgingchange.co.uk

Climate for Communities Introduction Bridging Change are excited to be part of the Climate for Communities project. Funded by the National Lottery, the Trusting for Developing Communities have been awarded £1.3 million over a 3-year period to empower unrepresented groups in Brighton and Hove. Us along with the 17 other organisations, will understand our community’s challenges such as the increase cost of living and the health and wellbeing issues that people face. With our focus being on Black and racialised monitories (BRM), we’llassess how BRM groups are more likely to live in areas of high pollution, limited accesses to green spaces and poorer housing factors that amplify vulnerability to extreme weather, heatwaves and flooding. Furthermore, BRM are underrepresented in climate-decision making, meaning their specific needs are knowledge are often overlooked in policy responses and language barriers, economic marginalisation and experiences of racism can further limit access to information, funding or support in adapting to climate impacts. The results is a layered and systemic challenge that demands an intersectional approach to climate justice- one that centres equity, lived experience and meaningfulinclusion. The long-term vision of the project is for the city to become a thriving ecosystem of accessible, inclusive and impactful climate activity, with a green economy that brings communities together with public, private, education and voluntary sectors to ensure a just and equitable transition to a sustainable future. Linked projects: Sussex Bay (May, 2025) In this report, Bridging Change aimed to understand the priorities and issues that respondents faced around the coast. We gather views on a personal and collective level and also consider the wider concerns raised around accessibility, exclusion and overcrowding. Read the report here: Interested in Climate for Communities? For more information about Ageing Well contact: projects@bridgingchange.co.uk

Infrastructure Introduction This Infrastructure Project is a 'by and for' project that is run by and for BRM/BME community groups and organisations . The aim is to build robust support for existing vibrant BRM/BME community organisations to grow and thrive in the city. Several BRM/BME community group and voluntary sector organisations (with the support of Brighton and Hove City Council) have been working for two years to develop infrastructure support, leading to its launch in January 2025. Free training and network events The next Infrastructure training date is the 29th of April 2026 Find the future dates below. For more information contact: development@bridgingchange.co.uk Please also find past training here : The upcoming dates are: Wednesday 29th April Tuesday 26th May Thursday 18th June Thursday 24th September Newsletter Please see more about the BRM Network Newsletter for December 2025 here . Please also find past newsletters here : Reports and Useful Resources Background and history In this section, please find all the reports and presentations to give more background to this work. Out of these findings, some of the key support needs defined so far have been: Governance support (constitutional and trustee support and training); Funding, Monitoring and evaluation; Networking and partnership brokering. Communications; Finding venues and resources. Please let us know if you want this support or any other type of support in the getting involved form here . Reports and findings Brighton Hove BME CVS Infrastructure 05 12 24 BME CVS Infrastructure Network Findings Final CAG BRM CVS Infrastructure Support Presentation Final BRM CVS Infrastructure Options Appraisal External Resources Please find links to free additional external resources: Governance (click for more info) Fundraising (click for more info) Get involved Please take the time to fill in this form as you can tell us what you need and be part of this journey. Interested in Infrastructure? For more information about Ageing Well contact: development@bridgingchange.co.uk

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.

Community Voices Group What is CVG? What is CVG? What is CVG? What is CVG? Meetings Meetings Meetings Meetings In 2025, we covered Maternity Services, Racism in Education, Older People’s Health and Wellbeing and Men’s Health. So far in 2026, we have covered Men’s Health and Adult social care as topics. Reports Reports Reports Reports Decision makers (September, 2025) Our 2025 report aimed at decision makers in the Council, NHS and Voluntary, Community, Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector details the Community Voices Group approach to community engagement. Read the report here. Bridging Change NHS Workshop (November, 2023) Learn about the workshop we delivered on health in partnership with NHS Sussex in November 2023 with Black and racialised minority communities in Brighton and Hove. Read the report here. 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. 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

How we operate Here are the policies that help us to operate. For more information, please contact bridgingchange@outlook.com "Click on any policy below to view the document" Financial Procedures Bridging Changes' Financial Procedures as a Community of Interest Company (CIC). Research ethics Bridging Change carries out research projects. Understand the ethical principles we uphold. Privacy and Data Protection Understand the type of personal information we collect, and how and why we collect it. Safeguarding Read about our commitment to safeguarding practices when we organise group activities in the wider community.