Sedulous exists because too many decisions that shape London’s neighbourhoods are still made for residents rather than with them. Policies are drafted in meeting rooms far from the estates they affect; service reforms rely on averages that erase cultural nuance; funding priorities are set by spreadsheets that overlook lived reality. At the intersections of poverty, heritage and health, these blind spots harden into stark disparities—over-crowded housing, chronic conditions that go untreated, and public spaces that feel alien to the very people they are meant to serve.

We were created to close that gap. Our team—whose lived experience mirrors the city’s underrepresented communities—knew first-hand how sidelined voices become sidelined outcomes. So we built a different kind of organisation: one that couples first-hand experience with methodological rigour to make sure community knowledge is not just heard but drives the agenda. We train residents as co-researchers, co-design solutions alongside frontline staff and track impact through dashboards everyone can read—residents, policy makers and funders alike.

By handing control of the evidence, the ideas and the metrics back to the community, we convert frustration into solutions that stick, redirect resources where they change lives fastest and demonstrate—in hard numbers and human stories—that equity is achievable once the people most affected lead the way.