David Carnaffan is the Chief Executive of North Tyneside Big Local, a self-sustaining charity focused on improving quality of life for local residents by reducing loneliness, tackling financial inequality, and enabling community-led climate action. The charity empowers residents to take pride in their communities, build social capital, and act locally on global issues, integrating environmental action into long-term community development.
David’s vision of a joined-up, sustainable, and socially just future centres on well-resourced, neighbourhood-based community centres. These centres foster trust, bring diverse groups together, and develop peer supporters to champion causes, building both skills and pride in local areas. This approach, known as the “Big Local way”, has evolved over ten years through guaranteed funding and longitudinal analysis, and David is now exploring opportunities to replicate it with a stronger focus on environmental action.
He leads projects that combine social and environmental impact, such as Recharge, which engages socially isolated men in testing and repairing electricals for donation, reducing waste and supporting vulnerable households. Similarly, his draught includers project, funded by the Energy Saving Trust, helps vulnerable residents save energy and reduce bills, while a partnership with Northern Powergrid tests community-based energy distribution systems to enable peer-to-peer renewable electricity trading.
David’s work is guided by the ethical principles of doing good and fairness, ensuring that all community engagement is meaningful, inclusive, and sustainable. He brings extensive expertise in community energy, circular economy, charity governance, and local insight. Through the Practice-Builders’ Network, he aims to share knowledge of community engagement, sustainable local practice, and governance, while learning from peers to advance innovative approaches that ensure everyone can participate in the transition to a sustainable, socially just future.