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Acknowledgements

This book originated from a series of discussions in 2016, prompted by a suggestion from the Advisory Board of the Newcastle University Institute for Social Renewal (NISR), which led to a project exploring ‘Social Renewal in the North East of England’, funded by NISR in 2017. From the outset, our aim was to work with our non-academic partners from organisations in the voluntary, community and social enterprise, public, and private sectors to co-produce the research and the contributions in this volume. We are grateful for the support given by the NISR throughout this time. We also owe special thanks to Derek Bell (Professor of Environmental Political Theory at Newcastle University) for his invaluable and thoughtful inputs into the early stages of the research.

The book project itself was launched on 2 November 2017 in a workshop on ‘Social Justice and Social Renewal in the North East: The Role of Non-Governmental Organisations’. This included a series of thought-provoking speeches by Jo Curry (Changing Lives), Alison Dunn (Citizens Advice Gateshead) and Professor Emeritus Susan Fainstein (Harvard Graduate School of Design), who also presented a public lecture at Newcastle University organised by the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape. The launch was followed by two more authors’ workshops on 24 January and 16 September 2019, in which the structure and content of the book were co-produced. We are grateful to all speakers and participants for their active engagements in the debates and in shaping the production of this volume.

We also owe thanks to those with whom we had insightful conversations during the planning stages of the book: Jo Curry (Changing Lives), Mark Pierce (The Community Foundation), Nitin Shukla (Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner Northumbria), Jane Hartley (Voluntary Organisations Network North East), Steve Forster (Together Newcastle), Abu Tayeb Khairdeen (Islamic Diversity Centre), Lindsay Cross (West End Refugee Service), Sally Young (Newcastle Council for Voluntary Service), Sara Bryson (Tyne and Wear Citizens), Helen Dickinson (Newcastle City Council), Deborah Harrison (North East Child Poverty Commission) and Alison Dunn (Citizens Advice Gateshead).

Our special gratitude goes to Dr Faith Goodfellow, whose editorial assistance and support has been crucial in enabling us to deliver the book on time. As a committed voluntary worker and supporter of civil society actions, Faith has also been a valuable contributor to the debates in the workshops and beyond. We are also grateful to Stuart Hand and Alex Robson from Newcastle University’s Institute for Social Science for their administrative support, and to Emily Watt and Caroline Astley from Policy Press for their support throughout this project.

Just before the book reached the production stage, we heard the tragic and shocking news that Professor Paul Benneworth had sadly passed away. Paul generously supported our book by agreeing to write a reflective chapter on the role of civic universities. We are saddened by his sudden death and feel privileged to have worked with him on what was probably his last piece of writing in a prolific and acclaimed academic career.

Finally, the opinions expressed in the chapters are entirely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors, the funding organisations or those who have taken part in interviews and workshops.