Forums
Born out of our work during the Covid-19 pandemic our forums are now the established voice of the community and used by government and other bodies to consult the community. If you are interested in joining our forums and for more information, please email [email protected]
Previous forum work ceased in 2025 and you can find out what we did in our Success Stories.
Disability Forum
We meet regularly and share important information and discuss issues affecting disabled people, their families and carers.
Recent projects
Local disability issues
Working on local disability issues such as accessible transport, wheel chair provision and changing places. Particularly the significant investment in the redevelopment of Peterborough Station Quarter, ensuring needs of the disabled community feed into the planning and implementation process through to March 2025.
Keep in touch with Latest News – Peterborough Station Quarter
Ask Don't Assume Campaign
Supporting the national Ask Don’t Assume Campaign
Disability History Month
Taking part in awareness campaigns with partners supporting Disability History Month through Reasonable Adjustment and Socially Accessible (now online) exhibitions.
Last Disability Forum Meetings
18 July 2024
Discussed latest engagement with the Station Quarter project team and the gearing up for wider public consultation. Great news that our forum Chair Michelle King, now has a seat at the Peterborough City Council Equality, Diversity, Disability & Inclusion Board.
Updates on the various Changing Places toilets projects and plans for the Dementia Resource Centre.
12 September 2024
Forum members attended a Station Quarter consultation at PCC offices in Sandmartin House. The event was tailored to focus on accessibility issues. Amongst the many issues raised were, disabled parking including WAVs (wheelchair accessible vehicles), provision of changing places toilets, accessibility aids in proposed new routing from the station including tactile wayfaring and street furniture.
12 November 2024
Discussed a variety of issues including impacts of the latest Autumn Budget and its impact on both charities and disabled people. The challenges with finding support for over 16s who require support as they transition to adulthood. A number of local topics including the installation of a new changing places toilet on the 11th floor of Queensgate, car parking in the city centre and the move of the Dementia Resource Centre to Bretton Library.
9 January 2025
The main focus of the meeting was the proposed Station Quarter Redevelopment. The forum was joined by representatives from PCC, ARUP and LDA Design to share the latest planning assumptions in advance of submission of the full business case. Some of the key points discussed were, access through to Cowgate via the proposed new routing from the station, the rationale for not having improved access via the Bourges Boulevard bridge into Queensgate, changing places toilets, disabled parking facilities, tactile way finding and segregation of cycling and pedestrian infrastructure. The project agreed to set up an onsite meeting to enable users of the proposed new facilities to feedback practical insight on the plans, prior to finalising the business case.
13 March 2025
Those who attended the February Station Quarter redevelopment site visit with representatives from Peterborough City Council and the project fed back on how it went. The forum will continue to engage with the project as they move from full business case to implementation.
In addition the group discussed potential approaches to discussing the Assisted Dying Bill, has presentation from Jo Henderson from Kidney Research UK on their current work strands , including a Peterborough focussed project – Peterborough takes a stand against kidney disease with new community project – Kidney Research UK. We heard about the challenges around Child Mental Health, in particular the long delays in accessing counselling services and during the course of the meeting news broike about the the decision to abolish the NHS.
7 May 2025
This Disability Forum discussed plans for an Assisted Dying bill discussion, the challenges of mental health care for children and the future of the forum. The substantive item was the “Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to get Britain working Green Paper”. The group talked through some of the key points and potential impacts of the proposed changes to PIP benefits, particularly the tightening up of eligibility, and the risk of c400k current claimants no longer being eligible.
The following link takes you to the Gov.UK site if you wish to access the paper.
The forum is meeting again on the 4 June to compose a response to the paper. The consultation closes on 30th June.
10 July 2025
Sandie Smith, Programme Director of the Voluntary Sector Network (VSN) joined the group and explain the work of her organisation and in particular how they interface with the ICB, ensuring that the voice of the voluntary sector is heard. Also discussed the recently published 10 year health plan and what it may mean structurally for the area. The following link takes you to an overview of the plan. https://www.navca.org.uk/news/what-the-10-year-health-plan-means-for-the-voluntary-sector
27th November 2025
The forum welcomed back Andrew Jackson (ARU) and Adrian Davey (PCC), to update us further on implementation plans for Peterborough Station redevelopment. There was particular focus on the proposed changes to the drop off area adjacent to the main station entrance and on the proposed multi storey car park reached from the new Thorpe road entrance and feedback was taken away around the sizing of the spaces, in relation to WAVs (wheelchair accessible vehicles). Andrew will join our next meeting to update further, particularly around parking.
The group were able to raise other issues from a wider Peterborough perspective, including, volume of blue badge spaces, Special needs education capacity, accessibility to Queensgate, Changing Places Toilets and emerging plans for the new swimming pool and leisure development.
Natalia Zaman provided an overview of the Julaybib project which is raising awareness of special needs and disabilities in our Muslim community. There were some great examples of how the project had flourished since it started in 2023, including reduced isolation, breaking down cultural stigma and alleviating mental health pressures.
8 January 2026
In a really engaging session the forum focussed on a number of development projects in Peterborough.
There was early engagement on the emerging plan to build a new 25m swimming pool, with an opportunity for the group to raise some design concerns. The council committed to further and ongoing engagement through the design and implementation stages.
Colleagues from the NHS joined us to discussion the emerging plans for a new Changes Places toilet at Peterborough Hospital. The development is at an early design stage, so it was possible to feed in the design requirements based on attendees lived experience. The hospital reps will return to the forum as plans development.
Finally, Andrew Jackson (ARU) returned to talk through the revisions to the Station Quarter car parking plans, in particular revisions to the sizing of parking bays for WAVs (Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles) . Further discussion on the provision and sizing of planters and walkways, visual orientation aids and clear signage. Commitment to ongoing dialogue as the project moves forward.
Next Disability Forum
Thursday 12th March 2026 – 11am – 1pm
VCSE Health Forum
The newest of all the forums, we were formed from the former Mental Health Forum. Meetings take place online within the context of a fast-developing health agenda.
Last Health and Wellbeing Forums
20 May 2024
In response to the many changes falling out of the introduction of the Integrated Care System (ICS), the forum arranged an event in Allia Future Business Centre Conference room, bringing together a wide range of health-related organisations to help the VCSE sector better understand how things fit together.
10 September 2024
Project leads from the NHS Work Well project joined us to explain how the 18-month pilot was to be implemented in Peterborough. WorkWell’ pilots are intended to provide tailored support for people in their local area so people can stay and progress in work. It aims to strengthen work already in place. All about integration and holistic support. There will be 4 locality hubs – Peterborough, Huntingdon, Fenland and the south of the county. They will host the Heath & Work coaches.
5 December 2024
Colleagues from YMCA joined us to deliver a workshop for members “Understanding Self Harm”, featuring the ward winning film “Ask me how”, co created with Cambridgeshire young people. The event was both well attended and well received.
4 March 2025
The focus was around Wellbeing, weight loss, getting active etc. Dr Modha from Thistlemoor Medical Centre led a session on “Medications to Support Weight Loss”, outlined the key to weight loss was “putting the right things in and exercise”. However, there is support via medication (not prescribed by the NHS) via injections (self-administered) or tablets to achieve weight loss. A good discussion ensued around both the benefits and potential downside impacts of the medication.
This was followed by 3 very informative presentations from Living Sport, Healthy You and Vivacity around the array of services on offer and how clients could access them.
17th December 2025
After a brief pause during 2025, the forum had a soft relaunch in December. It was a great opportunity to pick up on some key themes that we expect to return to during 20026.
There were sessions led by Matt Oliver (PCC) and Anna Lee (Safer off the Streets) focussing on housing and homelessness as many members were reporting the dramatic impact on the health of those in the communities they were working with.
We heard from James Farson (PCVS) who talked us through Health Research opportunities, with the aim of increasing participation and diversity.
Each future forum session will identify a focus and invite key partners to join the discussion, share useful delivery support information, listen to the experiences of VCSE organisations and feedback on how this will be reflected in policy and practice development.
Next Health Forum
Wednesday 25th February, 10am – 12.00pm – PCVS Offices, Allia Future Business Centre.
Free Parking and refreshments