Be part of the BIG Conversation

THE annual exploration into life in Lincoln will start this summer and everyone is invited to have their say.

The Big Conversation is Local Motion Lincoln’s way of trying to understand our communities - what drives them forward and holds them back and uncover local strengths.

“We want to work with communities to address social, economic and environmental challenges being faced locally and beyond. To support this, we are working with Social Change to undertake ongoing research with those living and/or working in the City of Lincoln,” explained Charlotte Brooks of LocalMotion Lincoln.

The BIG Lincoln Conversation began in 2023 with the launch of its annual survey to explore the experiences of those living and/or working in the city, local challenges stopping communities from thriving and the level of residents ‘happiness and satisfaction.

“By capturing this feedback on a yearly basis, we can assess and respond to ongoing challenges and changes in real time.”

Each year the survey focuses on a particular issue and in 2024 the theme was community: “In the digital world, communities are no longer limited to location and so we wanted to find out what community means to people in the City of Lincoln. We also wanted to understand what defines a ‘welcoming’ community, and whether they consider the city to be welcoming to them.”

Last year’s survey underlined the public’s concern about how the challenges faced by the NHS and relating to the economy impacted them. 

It also found that people want to be a part of a community in which its members engaged with and helped one another and/or worked together towards a common goal. Acceptance, inclusivity, and good communication were considered key components to making a community feel welcoming but not everyone considered Lincoln to have these qualities, but those that did were more likely to have positive happiness and satisfaction scores.

“We need to increase and advertise opportunities for residents in Lincoln to come together. These could be based on localities or shared interests. This will give people more opportunities to engage with one another, find a community whose values matches their own, and ultimately feel more welcome.

“The BIG Conversation 2024 gave us invaluable insight into the lives of people living in Lincoln, and we’re not stopping there.”

Want to be part of the Big Conversation 2025? Check out for the June issue of the Lincoln Independent for next year’s survey details.