Held at The Whiteinch Centre, the session brought together community stakeholders and local organisations, as well as local residents, to take part in a hands-on, interactive game called Hopetown. The experience encouraged participants to step into different roles, make decisions affecting a fictional community, and see how those choices reflected real-life challenges.

The event was described by one community member as “enjoyable, challenging, a cause for reflection”, adding that “as many people as possible should take part in a similar event”. Others agreed that the game offered valuable learning and insight, with a local resident noting that they “really enjoyed the event” and found it “interesting to see how decisions were made,” observing that there were “a lot of reflections on what happens in real life”.

For many, the day also highlighted the importance of communication and inclusion, another participant, said the session “gave a good insight on how communication within the community and its residents is important and reaching out to the people that don’t have a voice to be heard”.

The Socialudo format – developed to bridge the gap between lived experiences and professional perspectives – proved to be a valuable tool for learning, empathy and teamwork.

Participants recognised how the exercise mirrored real-world decision-making, demonstrating how collaboration and communication can lead to more connected and compassionate communities.

Debs Allan, communities manager at WSHA, said: “Events like this are a brilliant way to bring people together and have real, honest conversations in a different way.

“Socialudo allows everyone to step into another’s shoes and see how the decisions we make can affect our community.

“At WSHA, we believe that strong communities are built on understanding, empathy, and collaboration, and this session really brought that to life. It’s exactly the kind of open, inclusive approach we want to continue encouraging.”

Building on the success of this first session, WSHA hopes to continue exploring creative and inclusive approaches like Socialudo to strengthen relationships between tenants, staff, the wider community and local stakeholders.

The event reflects WSHA’s ongoing commitment to empowering communities and ensuring that every voice is heard and valued.