“We decided to put a smile on people’s faces.” Patrick McKay founded the St Michael & All Angels Steel Orchestra (SMA3SO) in north London to support young people aged 8-25 in his area. The ensemble uses the power of music to bring people together. They have taken...

Mike Cox teaches at Bedford Free School and has taken part in Big Ideas First World War centenary projects including The Unremembered and Trailblazers as well as Aspire to Engineer challenges. This is his LockDown Lookback: “Going back to school...

When you strip away race, and religion, and the colour of your skin, there’s just someone who wants somebody to talk to. Shahin Ashraf is Head of Global Advocacy for Islamic Relief Worldwide, and a local Councillor in Solihull for the Green...

Nathan Marshall is Head of Education at Brighton Hove Albion FC Academy and has taken part in Tull100, Foundation Stones, Flu100 and Trailblazers with which Big Ideas. This is his Lockdown Lookback: “We’ve had to adapt and work in an unorthodox way. Health and safety...

Zi Lan Liao runs Pagoda Arts, a youth orchestra based in the Chinese community in Liverpool.  The group has taken part in commemoration projects with Big Ideas, including a memorable day with Everton FC and Liverpool FC Academy players visiting the graves of members...

Big Ideas kicked off Big Ideas Revive with the theme of ‘Happiness’ - inviting inspirational speakers from the Big Ideas ‘friends and family’ to join the team for a series of workshops and conversations. Each speaker brought a different perspective on the meaning of...