Liverpool City Region: A Legacy of Firsts and Social Justice
“The weight of the history of the VCFSE sector in Liverpool City Region could hang heavily on our sector’s shoulders. It does not. Instead, it lifts us up and supports us – an intricate and beautiful net which is strong enough to stabilise the region in time of challenge, but also inspires us to bounce back and propel the region onwards and upwards. ”
Liverpool City Region is and always has been a leading region of firsts. The first school for deaf people in the country was opened in Liverpool in 1843. It was where the RSPCA was founded (1842). The first public baths and washhouse were founded by Kitty Wilkinson in 1841. The world’s first Medical Officer of Health, Dr William Duncan, was appointed here in 1847. The first rugby club, chess club, purpose built public library were all founded in Liverpool, alongside Birkenhead Park as the countries first park purpose-built for the entire population which went on to inspire New York’s Central Park. We also employed the first nurse to look after the poor. Britain’s first female councillor was elected here.
These pioneering achievements demonstrate the region’s deep-rooted sense of social justice and the drive to be the change you want to see. This is the foundation of who we are as a region. Liverpool’s community activism and philanthropy gave birth the voluntary sector as we know it today. The voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector, in its many and different forms, has led the way in changing the lives of our communities and has therefore transformed our city region.
With such a long and rich backstory, the weight of the history of the VCFSE sector in Liverpool City Region could hang heavily on our sector’s shoulders. It does not. Instead, it lifts us up and supports us – an intricate and beautiful net which is strong enough to stabilise the region in time of challenge, but also inspires us to bounce back and propel the region onwards and upwards. This net only works because it has strong bonds that hold it together, with our city, with our people and with each other.
We are only able to innovate and change because we have been with this city through thick and thin. We have longevity and with this come trust. We are only able to reach the parts of our communities that others cannot reach, because we have strong and deep roots in the city.
This position of trust has been hard won and can easily be broken. Our relationships are nurtured across generations, because we know that we cannot and will not take our pen off the page. The VCFSE takes nothing for granted and is not complacent. We know that we are only as good as our last conversation, or last session or our last project.
This keeps us agile, flexible and responsive to needs.
As we look to the future, with a renewed focus on public service from a national and regional level, we must remember how this began. We should celebrate how the power of people has shaped our city and therefore our country. Liverpool City Region should embrace its role at the forefront of social justice and galvanise its VCFSE sector to lead the region into a fairer future.
Gill Bainbridge
Chief Executive at Merseyside Youth Association