Many people with lived experience had previously been asked to complete surveys, attend consultations or share difficult personal experiences without seeing how their contributions had influenced change. There was a risk that participation would feel extractive rather than empowering. 

The programme also needed to ensure that voices reflected the diversity of Bury’s communities, whilst providing appropriate support for people sharing experiences of trauma, mental ill health, addiction, homelessness, caring responsibilities and recovery. Building trust between residents, commissioners and providers required time, relationships and a different way of working.  

Collaborate Out Loud CIC was commissioned as the Lived Experience Partner and established a collaborative of local residents with lived experience of mental health challenges and related issues. Drawing on existing community relationships and networks across Bury, the team recruited and supported people to participate in a way that felt safe, inclusive and meaningful.  

The collaborative created regular spaces where people could reflect on their experiences, build relationships with one another and connect their personal stories to wider systems change. Collaborators were supported to contribute to recruitment processes, service development activities, operational discussions and strategic conversations about the future of mental health services in Bury.  

A key part of the work involved developing a collection of lived experience stories. These stories explored experiences including addiction recovery, trauma, autism, homelessness, peer support, family challenges, hospital admissions and navigating mental health services. Rather than being used as one-off case studies, the stories became a lasting resource that could help professionals understand what life was really like for the people using services.  

Collaborate Out Loud also focused on creating psychologically safe spaces where people felt listened to, respected and valued. Through ongoing support, regular contact and relationship building, collaborators were able to grow in confidence and develop their ability to influence conversations about service improvement.  

The project created a sustained lived experience collaborative that remained involved throughout the development and implementation of Living Well, rather than participating through isolated engagement activities. Collaborators reported feeling that their experiences, insights and ideas were valued and that they were part of a shared journey to improve services.  

The lived experience stories created a powerful evidence base that highlighted both the strengths and shortcomings of the mental health system. Themes emerging from the stories included the importance of peer support, the need for more personalised care, better communication, clearer pathways into support and greater collaboration between services. These insights helped ensure that lived experience remained visible within discussions about service development.  

The collaborative also helped strengthen relationships between local residents, commissioners and providers. Through recruitment activities, away days, operational meetings and ongoing dialogue, collaborators were able to contribute directly to service conversations whilst system leaders gained a deeper understanding of people’s lived realities.  

Perhaps the most significant impact was the creation of a group of local people who saw themselves not simply as recipients of services, but as active partners in shaping them. The work demonstrated that when people are properly supported and involved, lived experience can become a powerful driver of learning, improvement and innovation.  

“Working with Collaborate Out Loud CIC has been a pleasure. Their commitment to amplifying lived experience voices ensures that our service designs are person-centred, they have supported the Bury community mental health transformation work for 18 months. Their professionalism, ability to support people, and their dedication to co-production make them a valued partner in shaping mental health services.” 

Jannine Robinson 

Commissioning Manager – Mental Health Community Commissioning 

Bury Council  

We learned that people value ongoing relationships far more than one-off consultation exercises. Collaborators consistently told us that they wanted to feel connected to decisions, understand how their contributions were being used and remain part of conversations over time.  

We learned that regular communication, clarity of purpose and strong relationships are essential to sustaining involvement. When collaborators understood their role and could see how their experiences connected to service development, they felt hopeful, empowered and motivated to continue contributing.  

We also learned that lived experience involvement works best when it offers a range of opportunities, from open conversations and relationship-building spaces to specific project-based work with clear outcomes. Future investment should continue to support recruitment of new members, broaden the diversity of voices represented, provide robust induction and wellbeing support, and create regular opportunities for people to influence both Living Well and wider mental health services across Bury.  

Most importantly, we learned that meaningful co-production is not about asking people to tell their stories. It is about creating the conditions for people to use those stories, alongside their strengths, ideas and expertise, to help shape a better system for everyone.