I have thirty years experience of working in a strategic capacity on service user engagement and community development for the private, public and voluntary sectors, for most of this time in Bath and North East Somerset. Because of this I know what is needed in terms of planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating engagement activities. I passionately believe in the importance of working collaboratively with stakeholders - whether they be service users, carers, staff or communities of interest - to achieve mutual goals. Stakeholder engagement is vital for successful project management.