The first Decentered Media Community Media Café took place on Thursday 14th May 2026 at Bishop Street Chapel Café in Leicester. We were given a warm welcome by the café staff, who helped create the relaxed and friendly atmosphere that these sessions are intended to support.
The aim of the café is simple: to provide an open, informal space for people who care about local and community media to meet, share ideas, and talk about practical ways to improve public communication. The first session showed why this kind of regular conversation is needed.
We discussed a wide range of topics linked by one concern: many social issues affect people in different ways, but do not always receive meaningful attention from mainstream media. Community media can help fill that gap by giving people more accessible ways to share information, raise questions, and speak from lived experience.
One practical topic was how community radio can help circulate what’s-on information, especially for local groups, events and activities that may not have the resources to reach wider audiences. We also talked about how media technology has changed. What once required substantial infrastructure, specialist equipment and organisational capacity can now often begin with the smart device we carry in our pockets.
That does not mean that good media is automatic. We also discussed the need for community radio programmes to stay relevant to their audiences, to speak in a way that is accessible, and to remain grounded in the experiences and interests of the people they serve.
A further theme was the need for stronger local media provision that supports intercultural understanding, peace and social cohesion. Leicester needs media spaces where people can listen across difference, share local knowledge, and build trust through regular, practical and respectful communication.
The Community Media Café will now take place each Thursday from 10.30am to 12pm at Bishop Street Chapel Café, Leicester. Everyone with an active interest in improving local and community media, in Leicester and beyond, is welcome to come along.