Every area — each town, or in a city each borough or district — can have one hub, led by a local. If yours doesn't have one yet, you can be the person who starts it. This guide walks you through what the role actually involves, how to apply well, and what to do in your first week so the hub starts with momentum instead of silence.
Is this for you?
Leading a hub isn't a full-time job, but it isn't nothing either. The owners who do well tend to share a few things. You don't need all of them — but be honest with yourself about the list.
- You actually live in (or are genuinely rooted in) the area. Locals can tell the difference instantly.
- You can give it a little time each week — a few posts, approving members, the odd reply. Consistency beats intensity.
- You're comfortable setting a tone and, occasionally, holding a line when someone steps over it.
- You want to bring people together, not just broadcast. The best hubs feel like a community, not a noticeboard.
There's one hub per area, and one hub per person. You're applying to lead a place, not to run a personal page — so it stays local, accountable, and worth trusting.
What a hub owner actually does
Day to day, the job is smaller and more human than people expect. Across a typical week it looks like this:
- Approve join requests so the community stays trusted and local — usually a handful at a time, a couple of taps each.
- Post the occasional update — something local, useful, or worth a chat. You don't need to post daily.
- Plan the odd event — a meet-up, a litter pick, a coffee morning — and let people RSVP.
- Keep the tone right: warm, proud, lawful. You set the standard by example more than by rules.
- Handle reports if they come in — review promptly, act proportionately, with the platform's tools and oversight behind you.
Writing an application that gets approved
Every application is read personally. We're not looking for polish — we're looking for a real local who'll do right by the area. A few things make that obvious:
- Say who you are and your connection to the area. "Lived in ____ for 12 years, grew up two streets over" tells us more than a paragraph of mission statement.
- Say why you want to lead it. One honest reason beats five vague ones.
- Show you understand the job is about people. A line about what you'd want the hub to feel like goes a long way.
- Keep it lawful and grounded. Applications that read as wanting a platform to target or stir up a group are declined — that's not what this is for.
What a strong application sounds like
"I've lived in Amesbury most of my life and I'm fed up watching the place feel disconnected. I'd want a hub where neighbours actually know each other again — somewhere to organise a litter pick, share what's on, and look out for one another. I'd keep it friendly and run it straight."
Your first week as an owner
Approval is the start, not the finish. An empty hub is the single biggest reason new ones stall. Spend your first week putting something there worth joining:
First-week checklist
- Write a short, warm welcome post — who you are, what this hub is for, what you hope it becomes.
- Pin it so every new member lands on it.
- Personally invite 5–10 people you already know locally. A hub with a few familiar faces feels alive; an empty one feels abandoned.
- Post one genuinely useful local thing — an event, a notice, a question worth answering.
- Set one small goal for the first month (e.g. a first meet-up, or 25 trusted members). Small and real.
Common first-week mistakes
Going quiet right after approval. Approving anyone and everyone (a few trusted locals beat a hundred strangers). Posting nothing, then wondering why no one engages. Treating it as a megaphone instead of a meeting place.
How to apply
Create an account, then apply to run your area's hub. You'll pick your town (or, in a city, your borough or district) and tell us a little about why you want to lead it. We review every application personally, so give us something real to read. Once approved, your hub goes live — and your first week starts.