Belong in Plymouth @ Matters of the HeART
On May 18th, Belong in Plymouth hosted an event at Ocean Studios to emphasize the importance of listening. The event aimed to make participants feel heard, regardless of their roles or labels, and to inspire them to apply insights gained from listening to their personal and professional lives. The day included creative conversations and activities centered around listening, with the goal of fostering understanding and connection among attendees.
Hope in the Heart, an advocate for relational practice, partnered with Belong in Plymouth for this event. Their "Messages from the HeART" project, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, aims to amplify the voices of those with lived experiences of various challenges. The project seeks to ensure these voices are heard by decision-makers. The event was part of a series running from May 5th to 22nd at Ocean Studios.
Belong in Plymouth is a network dedicated to making Plymouth a city where everyone feels noticed and connected. Supported by the National Lottery Community Fund and the Kings Fund, the initiative focuses on amplifying citizen voices to foster stronger collaborations across the city.
The event featured workshops and reflections organized with POP and Belong in Plymouth to address loneliness and social isolation. Participants included psychologists, GPs, city council commissioners, and healthcare professionals, alongside artists and service users. The aim was to prioritize relationships over systems, creating a space where people felt safe to express themselves and be heard by decision-makers.
Tam Martin Fowles from Hope in the Heart led the initiative, describing the experience as profound: “There was something so powerful about people knowing that they were being heard; that they were safe to express themselves and that their stories and messages were being heard by the very people who make the decisions that can affect them. It was extraordinary.”
City Councillor Zoe Reilly, deeply moved by the experience, expressed her commitment to bringing this approach to her constituents in Honicknowle & Ernesettle. She found the artworks powerful and recognized the bravery of the artists: “Recognizing their bravery, and knowing that each individual picture validated someone’s experience, was, honestly, like a lightbulb moment for me. I just know that, as a city leader, I feel bound to bring it to more people and give them the opportunity to create their vision for Plymouth and the area in which they live.”
The event successfully highlighted the transformative power of listening and the importance of fostering connections to create a more inclusive community.