Church and faith groups, community organisations, civic partners and local services in Halton are invited to come together, to reflect on how the Manifesto for Hope in our City Region can help address inequality and strengthen communities.
The free Community Conversation will take place on Thursday 15 October 2026, from 10.30am to 12 noon at Bethesda Church, Lapwing Grove, Palacefields, Runcorn.
The 90-minute session, hosted by Together Liverpool with Churches Together in the Merseyside Region (CTMR), will provide an opportunity to reflect, listen and explore how local partners can work together to build hope and respond to the needs of their communities.
The event is open to anyone who leads a community initiative, church or faith group, or works locally in Halton.
This includes local councillors, places of welcome, community spaces and hubs, NHS services, registered social landlords, education providers and organisations providing support around issues such as homelessness, housing, mental health, food poverty and financial hardship.
A local conversation about hope and partnership
The conversation will centre on the Manifesto for Hope in our City Region, exploring the hopes and priorities that people bring to serving their local communities and considering how partners can work together.
The Manifesto sets out nine priorities for building a fairer, more connected and hopeful Liverpool City Region:
- A renewed vision of human society
- The rebuilding of trust
- Courageous honesty
- Constructive partnership
- True equality
- Harmony and cohesion
- No one feels alone
- Faith in business
- A Vision of Hope
Participants will be invited to share their experiences and perspectives and consider what these priorities could mean in the context of Halton. Refreshments will be available.
Fran D’Arcy, Faith in the City Lead Development Officer for Together Liverpool and Churches Together in the Merseyside Region, said: “The Manifesto for Hope in our City Region is a Liverpool City Region project, and these localised community conversations are important to have within each of the areas of the Liverpool City Region, rather than as a whole. We recognise the localised nature of meaningful and purposeful partnership work, and that different areas within the Liverpool City Region will want to work with the different priorities laid out in the Manifesto.”
From Faith in the City to a Manifesto for Hope
The Manifesto for Hope in our City Region was launched in November 2025, bringing together church leaders, civic leaders and NHS representatives to reflect on the challenges and opportunities facing the Liverpool City Region.
This was during the 40th anniversary year since the publication of the landmark Faith in the City: A Call for Action by Church and Nation report in 1985.
The original Faith in the City report highlighted the social and economic challenges facing Britain’s inner cities and called for action to tackle inequality. Forty years on, the anniversary project provided an opportunity to reflect on that legacy and consider what a renewed response could look like today.
Led by Churches Together in the Merseyside Region in partnership with Together Liverpool, the project brought churches, faith communities, community organisations and civic partners together to explore the challenges facing communities today. These conversations helped shape the Manifesto for Hope in our City Region and its nine priorities.
The Halton community conversation is an opportunity to take that wider vision and explore what it means locally.
Reflect, listen and build hope together
Through conversation, participants will explore themes including connection, justice, shared values and community life, while considering the challenges and opportunities facing Halton communities.
The session will offer a welcoming environment where every voice matters and where people can listen to one another, share experience and identify opportunities for partnership.
Bethesda Church is kindly hosting the event, and Together Liverpool is grateful to Rev Karen Gardiner and the team at Bethesda Church for their warm welcome and for providing the opportunity to hold this community conversation in Runcorn.
Come, share, connect – and help shape hope where you are.
Event details
Manifesto for Hope in our City Region – Halton Community Conversation
Thursday 15 October 2026
10.30am–12 noon
Bethesda Church, Lapwing Grove, Palacefields, Runcorn, Halton, WA7 2TP
Free event – refreshments provided
