Community Made

Stitched by: @stitching_4_change

Pattern designed by: @stitching_4_change

ACORN UK (Association of Community Organisations for Reform Now) is a mass membership organisation and network of low-income people organising for a fairer deal for their communities.

The idea is simple but ambitious – to build a national community organisation along the lines of a trade union; organising our communities and fighting for a better quality of life. What began with a few local residents trying to tackle slum housing in their neighbourhood has quickly developed into a national organisation with thousands of members and branches across the country.

We think inequality and social problems are about power. We believe that the only way we’ll see meaningful action is if we can counter the power of money and establishment politics with the power of people taking collective action. Every day we hear the issues facing our communities: rising housing costs, stagnant wages and brutal cuts that have starved our public services. Wealth is being transferred upwards, and the only solution is for people to get organised and win it back.

We know we can win because we’ve already started. In a few years we have grown from a small group in a single neighbourhood into a national organisation that is influencing politics at the highest levels, taking-on big banks, rogue landlords and multinational companies. Our victories already add up to £millions, but ACORN is more than just pounds and pence – we are showing that, by working together, we can refresh and rebuild democracy and the fabric of our communities.