A locality in which community life is flourishing is one in which most people are highly motivated and have confidence that they can, through acting with others, make some difference to the conditions in which they live. They feel attached to their locality, want to protect its good features and improve its bad. To this end, and others, they are active in community and voluntary organisations, and encourage others to be so. Some of their community activity is informal, helping neighbours and acquaintances. Some is directed to particular improvements. Some is purely for enjoyment of a sport, hobby or interest. Some is to associate with like-minded people or people from a similar background or faith.

The object of these interests might be specifically about the locality or might range much further afield. Correspondingly there are a large number of voluntary and community organisations that are open and welcoming to new participants from whatever background, though some cater particularly for people from specific backgrounds. Some relate to particular public issues and services, some are simply about pursuing interests and friendship networks, celebrations or festivals. Some are oriented to economic objectives – creating jobs, providing training, preventing waste, carrying out local trading.

The wide variety of community and voluntary organisations in the locality participate in networks of mutual aid and information. In addition to dedicated local umbrella groups for the sector, the larger organisations, professional charities and branches of national voluntary organisations help the smaller and less well resourced organisations. Between them, the large and small organisations together reach out to the sections of the community which, for one reason or another, find it hardest to become involved.

Most people in the locality value and make use of their opportunities to vote in national and local elections and in other ad hoc occasions such as housing transfers. Equally, people respond well to consultations, but they do not expect to be offered illusory consultations where the results will be ignored.

With all this activity bubbling away, there are plenty of people coming forward, or willing to be pushed forward, to represent an interest in partnerships and committees. In addition to local councillors, individuals who are most trusted and most capable are elected or nominated to neighbourhood committees, area forums and partnerships (including the Local Strategic Partnership), where their role is well respected and understood by the other parties.

The community representatives develop impressive skills of balancing the community's various interests, thinking ahead strategically and understanding the processes of the major agencies with which they negotiate. Equally, they keep closely in touch with the rest of the community, reporting back, holding discussions and helping new people come forward to take their place in this demanding role. The decision-making forums and the contributing agencies pool efforts and resources to support the continuous development of community life and progress on all the issues that affect the locality and its population.

The community and voluntary organisations are effective in their own terms and consequently are autonomously providing a range of functions, both for their members and others. Many of them are without public funding and without any of the strings attached to that. Many others receive grants to help them carry out their own chosen role because it has intrinsic benefits for the public. These grants do not outweigh the main voluntary input, and are accounted for with a light touch, without distorting member control. Some organisations have bid for or accepted more substantial public funding in order to make a wider public impact. They have accepted the associated obligations and standards, but both they and their funders still respect their autonomy and the need to balance external standards with the insights gained directly from their relationships with their members or users.

All these forms of activity, formal and informal, are carried out with a sense of equity and a positive valuing of diversity and cohesion: people of all ages, cultures and ethnic backgrounds are welcomed and encouraged to take part, though some organisations concentrate on providing opportunities for particular sections of the population and for those so far least able to take part.

A general sense of reciprocity permeates this rich and colourful landscape of activity – a sense that everyone's fulfilment adds something to the quality of everyone else's life as well as their own. No one feels threatened by the advancement of others because they see it as a strengthening of the whole. There is support from the public authorities, philanthropic bodies and others to help keep all this afloat, and as a result the public services benefit     -multifarious ways from the positive atmosphere in the locality. Numerous problems and tensions that might otherwise become acute.

A common sense vision of flourishing communitylife

Gabriel Chanan (2004) Measures of Community, (Community Development Foundation)