Every locality was at a different stage of its journey. Each place had its own culture, relationships, priorities, strengths and challenges. There was no single solution that could simply be rolled out across Greater Manchester.  

The challenge was to create conversations that went beyond reporting progress and instead surfaced honest reflections about culture, co-production, collaboration, governance and the relationship between communities and systems. People needed opportunities to speak openly about what was helping change happen and what continued to create barriers.  

There was also a need to ensure that all voices could be heard, regardless of role, seniority or organisational affiliation. Capturing meaningful insight required a facilitation approach that could navigate power dynamics while creating space for genuine dialogue.  

Collaborate Out Loud was commissioned to design and facilitate ten conversations across the ten Greater Manchester localities. The team worked with local stakeholders, Greater Sport and the evaluation team to understand local contexts, shape the approach and ensure that the key evaluation questions were explored in ways that felt relevant to each place.  

Rather than relying on traditional meeting formats, Collaborate Out Loud designed conversations that enabled participants to actively contribute, reflect and capture their own insights. The focus was on creating inclusive spaces where people could share their experiences and perspectives in their own words.  

The facilitation process deliberately centred around hearing different viewpoints, identifying themes, capturing actions and helping groups reflect on the deeper shifts that would be needed to embed the Local Pilot approach over the longer term. Outputs were curated and fed back to ensure accuracy and shared ownership of the learning.  

Throughout the process, the Collaborating Out Loud principles shaped the work, ensuring that conversations remained simple, social and focused on building understanding across different parts of the system.  

The conversations helped bring together a wide range of perspectives on the future of the Local Pilot approach and what would be needed for it to thrive beyond its initial phase. Across the different localities, several common themes consistently emerged.  

Participants highlighted the importance of: 

• Community ownership and leadership 

• Developing a culture that supports collaboration 

• Genuine co-production rather than consultation 

• Building and strengthening local networks 

• The need for collaboration over competition 

• The role language plays in shaping relationships 

• Transformational approaches to governance 

• Stronger relationships between systems and communities  

The process created a shared understanding that embedding change was not simply about continuing projects. It required ongoing shifts in mindset, behaviours, power dynamics and relationships. Participants reflected on how systems could work more effectively alongside communities and how communities could play a greater role in shaping decisions that affect them.  

By bringing these themes together, the conversations provided Greater Sport and local partners with a clearer picture of where energy, support and future investment should be focused.  

We learned that sustainable change is fundamentally about culture and relationships. 

The strongest conversations were not focused on programmes or projects but on how people work together, how decisions are made and how trust can be strengthened between communities and institutions.  

We learned that co-production continues to be both an aspiration and a challenge. Many people are committed to doing it well, but embedding co-production requires ongoing attention to power, language, inclusion and shared decision making.  

We also learned that collaboration cannot be taken for granted. People consistently reflected on the tension between collaboration and competition and the need to create environments where learning, sharing and collective action are valued over organisational interests.  

Most importantly, we learned that communities and systems are at their strongest when they work in partnership. Embedding the Local Pilot approach is not about replicating a model. It is about nurturing the conditions where communities, organisations and local leaders can continue learning, adapting and shaping change together over time.