Elma Glasgow Consulting

22/05/2026

⭐There's a question I get asked a lot.

"How do we engage with people who haven't engaged with us before?"

The honest answer? It takes planning, flexibility and openness.

⭐Most engagement approaches weren't designed with culturally diverse or underrepresented communities in mind. So you find yourself struggling to 'get' culturally diverse communities to participate.

⭐That's because engagement practices were designed for people who already have a reason to trust you. Who speak your language - literally and figuratively. Who have the time, the money, and the confidence to show up and share their opinions.

⭐For everyone else? The door is technically open. But the conditions for participation never were.

⭐In research institutions, innovation centres, cultural and heritage organisations, local government, building approaches that actually reach people are routinely left out.

⭐On 5 June, I'm running a free 40-minute webinar to share the framework I use.

7 Steps to Culturally Inclusive Engagement covers everything from understanding the real barriers to participation, to co-creating with communities rather than extracting from them, to building safety into your practice from the start.

It's practical. It's honest. And it will challenge how your organisation thinks about engagement (in a good way!).

😊 I'd love to see you there.

Book your place here - https://checkout.mailerlite.com/checkout/18679

16/04/2026

🙏💜"Choose compassion in divided times", .

📥The other day an email dropped into my inbox from the wonderful British Red Cross. This time is wasn't about an emergency appeal, although I welcome those too, of course.

This email was different and also much needed, This time the email was all about us, right here in the UK.

⭐I love that this longstanding icon of British society is helping us tackle polarisation which has led to very deep division.

🤔According to the British Red Cross, 75% of UK adults believe the country is divided. Almost as many (72%) feel the country has become more divided in the past five years.

It's bad for public AND economic health. As a former BRC employee, I'm advocating for this brilliant new content and will be sharing more over time.

👉I encourage everyone coming across this post to delve into the tools and knowledge shaped by the organisation and to put them to use. Share them with friends, family, places of worship, schools, community groups, libraries, colleagues, universities...

I can support you have challenging conversation across cultures - drop me a WhatsApp message!

Graphic from British Red Cross website.

Link to the content in the comments.

19/03/2026

In this lively and deeply personal account, Del Singh reflects on growing up in Peterborough close to RAF Alconbury and nearby American airbases.

A British-born Sikh with an entrepreneurial family business, Del found himself regularly trading on-base in the 1970s – stepping into what felt like “a little piece of America dropped into East Anglia.”

It was at the Aquarius Club, where the African American servicemembers hung out, where Del first came across a charismatic DJ known as “Huggy Bear”. Del developed not just a love of Black American music and culture, but a blueprint for confidence, performance and connection.

That early influence would shape his journey – from teenage mobile discos to running a music venue called The Park, and ultimately to telling the story of how American presence in East Anglia quietly changed lives, including his own.

🔗 https://www.blackusaf.org/delsingh
👉🏾

Supported by and



Alt text: A graphic with orange, light grey and dark blue diagonal background sections featuring the BLACK USAF logo in the top left corner. A full-length cut-out photo of a man wearing a patterned jumper, jeans and boots leans casually against a tall rack of vintage audio equipment. An orange circular badge on the right reads “Meet Del”. Along the bottom is the website www.blackusaf.org
, with Arts Council England Lottery Funded and Essex Cultural Diversity Project logos displayed.

19/03/2026

In these stories, 70-year-old Charles Challenger, based in Ipswich, reflects on growing up in Ipswich at a time when Black Caribbean communities and Black American servicemen from nearby US airbases of Bentwaters and Woodbridge met and socialised at venues like the Manor Ballroom Ipswich and The Baths

Music, fashion and shared spaces created a vibrant cultural exchange that shaped identity, ambition and belonging.
​
Beyond the dancefloor, those connections deepened. He describes buying and renting out a house to young men from the Caribbean community and the US Air Force. Its basement was used as a space for a sound system by .ranking and poetry.

Encouraged by family values of self-sufficiency and homeownership, and inspired by figures within that circle, the story captures how Caribbean, British and American cultures intertwined to build enterprise, creativity and lasting community.

➡ https://www.blackusaf.org/charleschallenger
👉 .challenger.1

Supported by and



Alt text: A graphic with pink, light grey and dark blue curved background sections featuring the BLACK USAF logo in the top left corner. A cut-out archival photo shows a young Black man crouching, wearing a patterned shirt with a large heart motif, flared trousers and brown shoes. A pink circular badge on the right reads “Meet Charles”. Along the bottom is the website www.blackusaf.org with Arts Council England Lottery Funded and Essex Cultural Diversity Project logos displayed.

23/02/2026

Reasons why Sarah Arch and me think you should book your FREE ticket to People & Productivity at The Hold, Ipswich on March 11th:

🔴 Experts report significant benefits to proactive inclusion practices at work. See the below slides for more.

🔴 When people feel they belong, because DEI is done well, and not treated as a tick-box or low priority, they are more productive, innovative and stay for longer.

🔴 You'll feel inspired by our keynote speaker Dr Shani Dhanda.

🔴 A compelling panel session promises a line-up of informed, local professionals from the public and commercial sectors.

🔴The workshops offer practical opportunity to enhance your skillset.

Book on EventBrite - link in comments.

In collaboration with Ipswich Borough Council as part of its Ipswich Thrive Business Festival and University of Suffolk Research and Knowledge Exchange Unlocked Events.

18/01/2026

Send positive vibes to DanceEast who are working hard on the EOI! Let's get to the longlist!

Only four weeks to go until Ipswich takes its first step towards City of Culture 2029.

This bid is about our people, our stories and our future and we want you with us.

We’re calling on people across Ipswich to sign up, get involved, and show their support for the town’s cultural vision and ambition for the future.

Add your support today: http://www.ipswich2029.com/

13/01/2026

👍 'People and Productivity: Embedding Inclusion for Better Business' is a new kind of business conference for Ipswich and Suffolk!

💼 Part of the 'Ipswich Business Thrive Festival' by Ipswich Borough Council, It will bring employers together to learn how to embed aspects of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) into everyday business. DEIB is proven to benefit people and productivity.

And this first-of-its kind event offers a safe space where people can explore how to create positive workplaces by embedding inclusion while also boosting business.

👥 A collaboration between leading Suffolk DEIB specialists – that's me and Sarah Arch (founder of DisMantle Initiative) - and University of Suffolk Research and Knowledge Exchange 'Unlocked Events'.

✒️ This free half-day conference promises a range of thought-provoking talks, workshops, panel discussions, and a keynote speech by a nationally recognised DEIB leader. People and Productivity will be a supportive and compelling morning, giving you tools and inspiration to improve inclusion – and the bottom line.

Follow us and University of Suffolk Research and Knowledge Exchange on LinkedIn for updates. Speakers to be announced very soon!

23/09/2025

📣 The power of co-creation - finding solutions for more people 📣

Co-creation may be a bit of a buzzword these days, but it's a proven method for unlocking fresh insights and building long-term benefits for people and planet.

Co-creation isn't a new concept, but it's gaining traction across industries. By working with the people who are experts by lived experience, you can inject fresh innovation into your programmes, research and organisational culture.

Here are few reasons why co-creation is so effective:
👉 It ensures your solutions are relevant to real needs.
👉It builds skills and strengthens relationships.
👉It provides a platform for historically underserved voices.
👉Everyone involved get the opportunity to develop skills and knowledge.

A few months ago I wrote about why co-creation is essential for communities and workplaces. Read the full post to learn more about this transformative approach.

https://lnkd.in/eC-GHY-R

🎯 Ready to apply these steps to your next project? Send me a message, and let's make it happen.

21/09/2025

🏆 I recently received a incredible testimonial. I never take them for granted as I know how valuable they are to both my clients - who invest in me and my skills - and my own work. Can't deny, that they're a good boost on those days when we need a reminder of our value!

Joanna McPhee, Civic Engagement Manager at the University of Cambridge wrote a lovely testimonial after I supported her on engaging with local community groups around the city for part of her major civic listening initiative.

I enjoyed collaborating with Jo and the community leaders to create workshops and conversation sessions that fit with their groups' cultures. I'm delighted that my knowledge of Cambridge and my passion for authenticity was of value.

Testimonial:
"The consultation with the community provided such an important strand of the University of Cambridge's wider civic listening activity, and Elma's thoughtful, creative and inspiring approach really ensured that we have been able to have very open and honest conversations and gained perspectives that we would never have heard otherwise. Thank you, Elma, for enabling this and supporting this key bit of work for the University." - Joanna McPhee, Civic Engagement Manager, University of Cambridge

This project underscores a core belief of my practice: that genuine inclusion is about building trust, and creating spaces where people feel safe to share their truths. My approach is to move beyond conventional methods to capture perspectives that are often overlooked.

It was a privilege to meet so many local people in different parts of the city - included areas I'd never visited despite growing up in the area. And I'm grateful to Jo for her positive words and for the opportunity to have supported the project. I'm excited to continue helping organisations build bridges with their communities and create truly inclusive cultures.

Alt Text: Vibrant and colorful post-it notes in the background with the testimonial in text over the top.

21/09/2025

I'm excited to be chatting to the brilliant Eva Verde at the inaugural Ipswich Book Festival on Fri 3 Oct, St Clements Art Centre, Ipswich (over the road from the Waterfront).

I'm currently hooked on her novels, Lives Like Mine - the complexities that come with being Black mixed race, especially outside of London, fully resonate. It's as if Eva has excavated my own experiences from my memory. It's hugely affirming. If this sounds up your street too, come along!

Tickets here 👇🏾

Eva Verde — Ipswich Book Festival: https://www.ipswichbookfestival.com/events-friday/eva-verde

💫💫💫

Eva Verde is a writer from East London. Identity, class and female rage are recurring themes throughout her work and her novels Lives Like Mine and In Bloom are published by Simon and Schuster.

Eva's love song to libraries, I Am Not Your Tituba forms part of Kit De Waal’s Common People: An Anthology of Working-Class Writers. Her words have featured in Marie Claire, Grazia, Elle, The Big Issue and Women's Health, also penning the new foreword for the international bestselling author Jackie Collins Goddess of Vengeance.

Them Girls, her third novel will be published in April 2026 by Simon and Schuster

Eva lives in Essex with her husband, children and dog.

Alt text: A red square graphic announcing Eva's appearance at the Ipswich Book Festival 2025. There's a small photo pf Eva on the top left. She has brown skin, curly hair which is partly pinned up.