New Inspirational Achievement shows how SNG is backing local partners to bring a Hertfordshire community hall back to life

In this Inspirational Achievement, Sovereign Network Group (SNG) shows what can happen when a housing provider steps back and lets community energy lead. Adapted from a story originally published by Community Catalysts, the feature follows the revival of The Grange, a community hall on a sheltered housing scheme in Ware, Hertfordshire.

After years of little use, The Grange came back to life when community enterprise Local Social asked to host a regular coffee morning, prompting residents to organise their own events, while SNG funded shared lunches to hear what local people wanted from the building.

The network has since grown, with Always Bee You, another enterprise supported by Community Catalysts, bolstering the vision for the space. Its ‘Pleased to Meet You’ project has secured SNG funding, with Local Social supporting as catalysts, and both connect with others through SNG’s local partnerships forum, which now has around 15 members.

The feature highlights the role housing providers can play in backing small community organisations to lead local change, reflecting SNG’s five-year plan and its wider Public Living Rooms programme with Clarion Housing Group, Peabody and Camerados.