C2 Family

MEET THE C2 FAMILY!

C2 National Network of Connected Communities (C2NN) is a small charity evolving over two decades into what members describe as the ‘C2 family’, made up of founders, trustees and community lead members from across UK who have spent many years successfully ‘learning by doing’ the C2 7 Step Pathway. We are all passionate about sharing our skills and are totally dedicated to creating a national workforce that deeply understands how to create the conditions for hard-pressed communities to lead transformative change for themselves, so come and join the family!

Our network comprises 14 independent community-led partnerships, all sustainably implementing the C2 7 Step Pathway. With Regional Learning Hubs in N. & E. Midlands, South East and South West England, C2NN offers communities & service providers local access to a range of theoretical and practical experiential learning & training, co-ordinated by C2 Central Hub.

Hazel Stuteley O.B.E.C2 Founder and Programme Director

Hazel’s passionate interest in Health Inequalities began in the late 60’s when, as a student nurse in London, she first witnessed the alarming disparities in health between families living in low income Deptford and their affluent neighbours just up the hill in Blackheath. Almost 50 pioneering, ‘learning by doing’ years later, having witnessed large scale community ‘wellness’ many times over, she is convinced that C2’s approach to community health creation, holds the key to finally addressing the ‘wicked problem’ that is Health Inequality. She is founding member of Health Complexity Group (HCG) and honourary research Fellow at University of Exeter.

Katrina Wyatt Professor & researcher with the University of Exeter Medical School

Katrina is a founder member of C2 and conducted several case studies, which contributed to its creation. She has a particular interest in how we can create the conditions for transformational, sustainable change and address health inequalities. She is a passionate advocate of the C2 approach and believes that communities know what they need to support health and wellbeing and that the identification of the issues can then support the co-creation of solutions in partnership with service providers. Katrina involves patients, service users and carers as partners in all her research.

Dr Jonathan SteadCo-founder of C2 programme / Trustee

Jonathan has spent thirty years working as a general practitioner and research fellow at the University of Exeter. During those three decades, he was aware that the health gap was widening. In 2002, he heard Hazel describe her work on the Beacon Estate in Falmouth, and thought he had an insight into why the transformational change had happened. Working with academic colleagues, leading to the formation of the Health Complexity Group (HCG), they created C2. The group is passionate about the talents of residents to lead the transformation of their communities, supported by frontline service providers.

Susanne Hughes C2 Learning Programme co-ordinator.

Susanne has supported Hazel, the Health Complexity Group and the entire C2 family since it’s birth in 2002!! She is a listener and an enabler working closely with all partnerships, but particularly those local to her native Devon. A sincere believer in all things C2 she provides mentorship and support for everyone who needs it whilst on their C2 journey, including members of the C2 team! She’s been behind the scenes ‘making things happen’ to help C2 to evolve to where it is today. She also performs a vital function of acting as ‘bridge’ between community co-researchers and the academic team at UoE.

Dr Robin Durie Deputy director of the Wellcome Centre, Exeter, Senior Research Fellow & Lecturer in Politics, University of Exeter Co-founder of C2 programme

Robin is also a founding member of the Health Complexity Group and is a tutor on C2 Learning programmes. His widely published research aims to understand processes of social and urban regeneration, and the conditions that enable communities to transform their own health. This understanding is grounded in complexity theory as the lens through which to understand and view dynamic processes of community engagement.

Read more about Robin.

Debbie CooksonC2 Learning Programme co-ordinator/ Trustee treasurer

Debbie also hosts the C2 Neighbourhood Network and is the key contact for the C2 online webinars, providing training to all who use it.

‘First introduced to C2 some years ago through a Health Inequalities Programme run by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement I was delighted to be invited to work with Hazel and her team. C2 is something you become passionate about. It is tangible; it is not just a theory. It is working with real people who know what it is all about, who have lived through difficult and challenging times and watching them grow and develop, sometimes in the most amazing ways. You see genuine changes happen that give people back a sense of self worth and control over their lives; who begin to believe that what they say is being heard. You meet and work with people who become part of the C2 family, not just a meaningless phrase but a family that is important to you and matters.’

Scott Jacobs LangeResident and Community Engagement Manager at Brighter Places / Trustee

Scott’s been a Community Development practitioner in the West of England for over fifteen years; working in the voluntary & public sector and in housing. His experience includes youth participation, rural communities, community organising and voluntary sector governance. He became involved with C2 whilst working at Sovereign Housing Association where he introduced communities in newly-built neighbourhoods to the C2 7-Step approach. This has helped residents to organise and create more productive relationships with the numerous partners involved in developing new estates. He is also Chair of his local Community Trust.

Grenville Chappel South West Learning Hub Leader

Born on the Beacon Estate Falmouth Cornwall, Grenville followed a career in the Royal Navy, later returning to live with his family and play a major role in the 90s, developing the multi-award winning Beacon Project, the inspiration and evidence base for C2.

In 2001 he was appointed as Co-ordinator and resident lead of the Beacon Partnership, which has sustained and improved outcomes for the estate for over 20 years. His many civic roles since include Cornwall County & Town Councillor and he and wife June have recently retired after 3 years as Mayor and Mayoress of Falmouth Town. In 2020 he was awarded a British Empire Medal in the Queen’s New Year’s Honors List.

Grenville is a much loved and valued member of the C2 team having inspired and played host to countless visiting VIPs, members of Royal family and communities nationally, always ‘telling it like it is’ from his own unique perspective as a tenant & long term resident.

Lisa Tomkinson, Gill Jones & Marvin Malloy Community Ventures Development Services CIC | North Midlands Regional C2 Community Learning Hub Leaders

‘We are a team of 3 community development practitioners based in Stoke on Trent. For the past 10 years we have been successfully delivering public health commissioned community services. Currently we are managing the My Community Matters Connecting Communities programme and we have 10 active resident led neighbourhood partnerships across the city.

in 2011, we began working with our C2 colleagues and have been applying the C2 principles ever since. During this period, our learnt experiences and the knowledge gained has helped us to support and develop a large number of bespoke community led services.’

Keith GuppySouth West C2 Community Learning Hub Leader & C2 Movie Maker extraordinaire!!

Keith describes himself simply as: Husband, Father, Documentary maker, photographer, computer technician, community coordinator and C2 advisor in all community media matters.

Kay ByattThanet South East C2 Regional Community Hub Leader

Kay, an old-school punk rocker, was born and bred in South London but has lived in (Planet) Thanet – on the South East Coast – for the last 22 years. Recognising the challenges faced by people within particularly disadvantaged wards and the lack of hope within communities where people feel powerless, Kay became a Community Development Worker in the hope of helping people to improve their quality of life and well-being. Initially her work focused on infrastructure support, but she became aware of the ‘doing to’ culture of service providers who were not engaging or listening to communities. Soon after joining the Margate Task Force – the multi-agency partnership covering two of the most disadvantaged wards within Thanet – Kay was introduced to C2 and everything clicked into place! C2 is Punk Rock – it is about people doing it for themselves. Kay was fortunate to be involved in helping to set up two resident-led partnerships the C2 way and remains actively involved with ABC (A Better Cliftonville).

This has led to to a major pioneering role in user -led mental health provision when a role within SpeakUpCIC led to the creation of the multi-award winning Thanet Working Group (TWG).

David Aynsley

David is a retired police sergeant who worked as a Neighbourhood Police Team Leader in Camborne, Cornwall and in Youth Justice.

Dave and his team of 10 officers were the first ever group to undertake the C2 7 step programme in 2004, since when he has contributed to its development and is a regular course lecturer. In 2005 he founded the multi-award winning TR14ers Community Dance Team in Camborne , now a charity led by young people for young people which is still active to date, improving health & wellbeing for a new generation of children this highly disadvantaged town. In recognition of this he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the University of Exeter. Dave is also a regular visitor and contributor at the European Youth Centre in the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.

Karen CoombesCommunity leader, co-researcher and C2 tutor

Karen is proud to be known as a ‘Janner’ having spent almost all of her life in Plymouth. She understands first hand the challenges of living and working as a volunteer in the very low-income community of St Budeaux, which she refuses to describe as ‘deprived’. She discovered that residents there are certainly not deprived in spirit when she set about reviving the Community Centre to form the Square Club, now a vibrant hub attracting over 100 members each week for activities ranging from a lunch club, coach outings, bingo to dance sessions!

A valued member of the C2 team. Karen is not only a tutor at their learning events, but also a community research partner based in the UoE Wellcome Centre for Cultures & Environments of Health and a regular speaker at their national conferences. Married to Paul they have a grown up family of daughters who have followed Mum’s example in ‘caring’ professions.