whatimpact

VCSE Value Forum The Great North

  • Four hours
  • Online
Register and complete the survey
Map of The Great North: North East, North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber

Social value inThe Great North

Across the North of England: the North East, the North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber. From Northumberland to Cheshire, and from Cumbria to the east coast — home to almost 16 million people, more than a quarter of England’s population, and one of the country’s strongest voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors.

Public contracts increasingly carry social value obligations. The organisations that make those commitments real — charities, social enterprises, community groups and schools — are rarely in the room when local priorities are set, commitments are written or impact is judged.

It is time to discuss the role of VCSEs and schools in procurement-related social value, policy cycles and strategic decision-making, rather than expecting them to deliver on decisions they had no say in.

Most regional analysis stops at local authority district level, with narrow datasets and limited public perception data. Most sector consultation stops at asking the sector what resources it needs for existing projects, matched to social value criteria in hindsight.

On 24 November 2026 we are putting the evidence and the decision-makers in one room to fix that.

Welcome

Welcome to a cross-sector research and co-creation initiative from whatimpact — National Social Value Marketplace® — placing the emphasis on high-quality data, connectivity and a proper understanding of how VCSEs and schools work, so they can contribute fully to decision-making.

Listen

Plenty of research already exists about The Great North. Deprivation data is rich. Residents are polled on how they feel about where they live. VCSEs and schools hold working knowledge of their areas that no index captures. Infrastructure bodies and think tanks have ideas about how connectivity and investment could join up across the region.

Each is credible. None is usually read alongside the others. We bring them into one dataset and test them against each other.

Convene

A four-hour online forum bringing together CVS bodies, community foundations, councils, the NHS, combined authorities, housing associations, government suppliers, corporates, schools and VCSEs.

They represent all parts of The Great North, and bring their sector views to draw ideas out of the data. Every panel answers the same two questions: what works the same way anywhere in the North, and what has to be tailored to local infrastructure, economy and culture.

This is genuine cross-sector co-creation, moving towards data-driven social policy, social value strategies, intervention design and impact analysis — with VCSEs, schools and their infrastructure bodies at the decision-making table.

Report

Everything said on the day will be captured and commented on by the audience, supported by the registration survey answered by hundreds of professionals working in social value. This feeds a comprehensive briefing, published and distributed across all sectors after the event to commissioners, funders, procurement teams, and central and local government bodies carrying forward the conversation about the role high-quality data and VCSE and school expertise play in creating prosperity and wellbeing across The Great North.

Agenda

Deep dive into the data

9:30 - 11:00

Welcome

  • Tiia Sammallahti, CEO, whatimpact.com

The Great North region and neighbourhood analysis

from macro-level deprivation data to micro-level analysis of hyper-local solutions

  • Amir Hussain, CEO, Yemetech

Resident views

on their living environment and pride in community - over 8,000 dataset of people’s options by Social Value Commission with WPI Strategy

  • Silvia Borin, Consultant, WPI Strategy

Infrastructure potential for The Great North

through united and local decisions on transport, social infrastructure and more

  • TBA

What does the data mean for the Great North?

Reflecting on the evidence presented and what it tells us about the realities, opportunities and challenges facing communities across the region, bringing a VCSE and community perspective to the data

  • Claire Dove CBE, VCSE Crown Representative, Government Commercial Agency

The VCSE and school role in social value

the data and knowledge they hold, the resource landscape that funds and sustains their operations

  • Tiia Sammallahti, CEO, whatimpact.com

Panels

11:15 - 12:30

VCSEs and schools

Panel Leader
  • Emma Grigson, Bid Partnerships and Social Value Director, People Plus / Director, Access Cornwall CIC
Panelists
  • Paul Myers, Co-Founder, Farm Urban
  • Laura Farrell-Pronesti, Partnership Development Lead, Groundwork North East and Cumbria
  • Adrian Tallon, CEO, CatZero Humber

Private sector panel

Panel Leader
  • Anthony Lengden, Head of Social Value Partnerships & Innovation, Mitie
Panelists
  • Stephen Butler, National Accounts Director, Bunzl
  • James Knox, Head of ESG, Ricoh
  • Sara Gill, Programme Manager, InHealth

CVS bodies, community foundations and VCSE infrastructure

How social value policies, strategies and criteria are currently defined by local and central

Panel Leader
  • Warren Escadale, CEO, Voluntary Sector North West
Panelists
  • Jon Monk, Strategic Lead of Place, Salford CVS
  • Michelle Cooper, CEO, Point North Community Foundation
  • Helen Grimwood, CEO, Hull CVS

Lunch break • 12:30 - 13:00

13:00 - 14:30

Councils, combined authorities and housing associations

Panel Leader
  • Darren Knowd, CEO, DRKnowd LTD
Panelists
  • Richard Carroll, Head of Procurement, Sales and Business services, Durham County Council
  • Lucy Bridge, Social Value Lead, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
  • Michael White, Procurement Manager, Tees Valley Combined Authority

Public health panel

Panel Leader
  • North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB)
Panelists
  • Richard Kendall, Director, Humber Violence Prevention Partnership

Closing Leadership Panel | Different mandates. One region

Opening Reflections & Panel Leadership
  • Tony Underwood, Chief Empowerment Officer, Believe Solutions Ltd
    Ambassador, Newcastle Rugby Foundation
    Former England international rugby player
Panelists
  • Terry Maley, Head of Procurement, NE Mayoral Strategic Authority
  • Stephen Sinclair, Procurement and Commercial Director, NEPO
  • Andrea Smith, Executive Director of Procurement, YPO

Closing Words

Our Partners

  • YEME
  • PeoplePlus
  • WPI Strategy
  • Cabinet Office
  • Social Value Commission
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