What happens at Area Forums

When you arrive at an Area Forum our friendly staff will welcome you and help you to get the best out of the event. They will also help with any personal questions you may have.

You can head into the ‘marketplace’, where many different community groups and council services have information stalls. Find out about the services and the support on offer and get help with everything from housing and health, to finding out what’s going on locally.

You can then:

pause for some free tea or coffee and something to eat. People often catch up with friends and meet new people from their local area. 
hear from local community groups and council services about projects that they’re working on and find out if you can join in and help.
some forums also provide entertainment, so you might see some music or dancing from a local group.

In the main session, the Area Forum Chair leads a discussion on chosen topics. Council service leads, local partners and community groups often give presentations. They might also share updates or run interactive sessions. These might look at concerns and ideas specific to the local area. People may also discuss new ideas, sign up to help with an action and listen to progress reports on ongoing projects.