InCommon was founded in 2017 to tackle ageism by connecting school children and older adults. In May 2024, founders Laura McCartney and Charlotte Whittaker handed the reins to a new CEO – an emotional shift for a close-knit team of seven who had grown into a family. Despite the change, the team never lost momentum.

They delivered 116 intergenerational workshops across 54 housing schemes, reaching 303 older residents and 435 children in 11 cities and boroughs. Through their Connect and Social Action programmes, they fostered friendships and empowered communities, building bridges between generations to create lasting change. Last year also saw the national launch of Empower, a digital platform enabling schools, housing providers and communities to lead their own intergenerational projects.

Empower has already inspired 14 new programmes and supported more than 50 retirement scheme managers and teachers with expert resources; 100% of these professionals agreed that without Empower, they wouldn’t have started an intergenerational project this year. Alongside this, InCommon’s programme manager, Mel Leung, was named as one of Inside Housing’s 40 Under 40.

The judges said:

“Good examples of positive outcomes achieved. This team is making a real and meaningful impact in the community they serve”