Over the past four years, the Religion Media Centre has put on “Creating Connections” events in 12 cities, bringing together local faith groups, the media, RE teachers, academics and civic leaders, in order to improve communications and facilitate conversations about religion in the public square. 

In 2021, we went to Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham and Plymouth. In 2023, we visited Bradford, Coventry, Newcastle, Liverpool, Bristol and Norwich. And in 2024, Wolverhampton was our destination.

All the events are a collaborative process, organised by the RMC with local steering groups of journalists, religious organisations and others who make sure the topics of concern to their own communities are properly represented and discussed.  

Our ambition throughout has been to break down misunderstanding and build trust between local faith groups and the media, to showcase the expertise of RE teachers and academics and to provide an opportunity for local councillors to plug into the wealth of knowledge and insight in the room. Through better communication between all groups, we hope to make a difference towards social cohesion and local democracy. 

In those four years, we’ve seen heightened community tensions due to the war in the Middle East and rapid changes to local media landscapes. BBC local radio has cut local output including Sunday morning breakfast shows programmes, which are now regional. Local publications have also cut the number of community reporters and social media has exploded.

Despite cutbacks at higher levels, local journalists remain eager for fresh stories, new voices, and deeper insights into the issues that matter most to their communities. We are grateful to have had support from Reach PLC, Newsquest, the BBC, ITV, and other regional media outlets at each of our events.

As newsrooms shrink and airtime becomes more limited, one of the major challenges is simply getting a story heard. In response, many faith groups are taking storytelling into their own hands, using their media know-how to connect with broader audiences. So our events now feature practical workshops on media fundamentals and enhancing social media impact.

Following the success of our Creating Connections events, we’re expanding our training programme in journalism basics and social media skills—keep an eye on this website for updates. We also remain committed to supporting the tireless work of local journalists who strive every day to keep the public informed and engaged.

Building on the momentum of our Creating Connections programme, we are ramping up our own training offer on social media skills and basic journalism – watch this website for more information. And we continue to support local journalists who are valiantly trying to get the stories to keep the public informed. 

We’re now making plans to take our Creating Connections event series to Wales in 2025/6.

Find out more from our write-up and video of our past Creating Connections events: