Dear Friends,

As we head off for a short summer break with our families, we wanted to say thank you, and reflect briefly on an extraordinary first year – and on the opportunity in front of us now.

Just over a year ago, the National Strategy Project was little more than an idea and a question:

Can the UK become better at shaping its future – so everyone can thrive?

Today, thanks to so many of you, we believe the answer is yes.

The question is no longer whether this is possible. It is how quickly we can build it.

Over the past year, we have been humbled by the generosity, wisdom and public spirit we have encountered. Hundreds of people have contributed their time, expertise, ideas, introductions, encouragement and belief. Every conversation has strengthened the Project. Every introduction has opened another door. Every contribution has helped move us forward. Thank you.

Recent events have only reinforced why this work matters.

The UK has a new Prime Minister. We all want him to succeed because, if the Prime Minister succeeds, the country succeeds. But another change of leadership is also a reminder that no individual, however capable, can overcome the structural challenges our country faces alone.

Our country needs more than good leadership. It needs stronger national capability:the ability to understand reality, make informed choices together and act on them over the long term.

Encouragingly, we are not alone. Across business, academia, civil society,philanthropy and public life, we are meeting people who recognise that the UK needs better ways to understand reality, make difficult choices together and prepare for the future.

No single organisation can achieve that alone. We have always believed the answer lies in connecting the talent, energy and commitment that already exists across our society.

That is why the National Strategy Project is being built as a network of networks – bringing together knowledge, dialogue, strategy and action into the shared capability the UK has never had before.

Over the past few months, we have seen that spirit everywhere we have been.

From Anthropy, where we explored what leading a nation now requires, to our collaboration with Goals House during London Climate Action Week and to companies like Bird & Bird, to dinners and conversations hosted by Gillian Tett, Valerie Amos and many others, we have been struck by one consistent message:people want to help build a country that is better prepared for the future and where everyone can thrive. That gives us enormous hope.

Behind the scenes, an enormous amount of work has also been taking place to turn that hope into something practical

We owe a particular debt of gratitude to our friend and collaborator, Professor Jim Fishkin. Jim’s pioneering work on deliberative democracy over many decades has inspired so much of what we are building, and his generosity, wisdom and encouragement have been invaluable throughout. Working with Alice Siu and colleagues at Stanford University’s Deliberative Democracy Lab, Professor Jude Browne at the University of Cambridge, Sarah Castell and our wider Dialogue team, Jim has helped us design the means by which the UK can make informed collective judgements about its future.

At the same time, Ian Fletcher and our research team have been developing the National Knowledge Base that will underpin this work, while Tim Robinson, Malcolm Bacchus, Luke Blackaby and an extraordinary team of volunteers have quietly built the organisation itself.

Thanks to their work, and to many others working behind the scenes, The People’s Strategy Project Ltd is now fully operational. Our governance and financial systems are in place. Partnerships continue to grow. We are now able to receive donations and begin scaling our work.

A year ago we had an idea. Today we have an organisation ready to deliver, world-class partners, growing national support and a clear plan for what comes next.

That next chapter begins this autumn. Matthew will be speaking at the Financial Times Weekend Festival in September, and we are looking forward to announcing major new partnerships with leading national institutions – an important step towards building the cross-sector leadership and long-term civic infrastructure this work requires.

Our immediate priority is to finish raising £350,000 by early September, enabling us to deliver UK in One Room this autumn.

This nationally representative dialogue will be the first step towards building something the UK has never had before: a trusted democratic capability to understand reality together, establish where informed public judgement lies, translate that into shared national priorities, and help governments, institutions and society act on them over time.

Alongside this, we will continue growing the movement, deepening partnerships across every sector, and building the organisation that will sustain this work for the long term.

For the first time, we have the knowledge, the technology, the methods and – increasingly – the partnerships to help a country think, decide and act together for the long term. That creates an opportunity that simply did not exist a decade ago.

If someone comes to mind who shares our belief that the UK can become better at shaping its future, we’d be enormously grateful if you felt able to introduce us. One introduction at the right moment can make an extraordinary difference to a project like this. Every introduction and contribution helps build something our country has never had before: big national change is built from many small acts of stewardship.

For now, though, we simply want to wish you and your families a restful summer.

A year ago this was an idea. Today it is becoming a national effort. Tomorrow, we hope it will become part of how the UK shapes its future. Thank you for helping us build something we believe could become one of this country’s greatest gifts to future generations.

With our warmest thanks,