🚪 Exclusion and Cliques

Community should be a place of welcome — but sometimes, without even realizing it, it becomes a place of walls.

Whether it’s a online’ group that’s hard to break into, a local club with unspoken rules, or even a volunteer circle that prefers “the usual faces,” these social cliques can quietly push people out instead of drawing them in.

Exclusion isn’t always intentional. It often arises from comfort, familiarity, or fear of change. But the impact is the same: people feel unwelcome. And when people feel unwelcome, they disconnect — from the space, from others, and sometimes, from the community altogether.

🧊 The Chilling Effect of Being Left Out

Research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows that social exclusion — even in small forms — can lead to long-term loneliness, poor well-being, and a loss of civic engagement.

For newcomers, immigrants, people with disabilities, or anyone who doesn’t fit the unspoken ‘norm,’ these barriers can be isolating. And yet, so much of what makes a community strong comes from the new — new voices, new energy, new ideas.

Here on the Wirral, many groups are working to be more open and inclusive. From youth organisations welcoming neurodiverse participants, to cultural events encouraging broader participation, there’s progress — but there’s always more to do.

💬 oavo’s Final Words

Community isn’t about who’s already in the circle — it’s about how wide the circle can grow.

Let’s notice who isn’t speaking. Let’s ask who’s missing from the table. Let’s challenge the idea that “we’ve always done it this way” is good enough.

Because true belonging isn’t about fitting in — it’s about being valued as you are.

In Wirral, we pride ourselves on neighbourliness and heart. But heart also means humility — the kind that listens, learns, and leaves no one outside the door.

🚪 A Welcoming Limerick by oavo

A new lad once walked through the hall,
But no one said “hi” — none at all.
He stood with his brew,
Feeling awkward and new —
Till one kind old nan broke the wall.

A mum tried the playgroup one day,
But cliques had their own things to say.
She stuck with it though,
Helped tidy and sew —
Now half of the group calls her bae!

So next time you see someone shy,
Be the first to wave, wink, or say “hi.”
That nod at the start,
Might just open their heart —
And your circle grows wider thereby.