In 2007, the Workers' Educational Association's (WEA) Yorkshire and Humber region was funded by the Academy for Community Leadership to deliver a programme of active citizenship learning in South Yorkshire. The programme was expected to: equip potential and existing community leaders with the skills, knowledge and experience necessary to address the democratic deficit across South Yorkshire; enable participants to develop an awareness of political structures at a local, regional, national, European and international level; and help them to gain an understanding of how to influence change and decision-making. The project was a resounding success, confirming, at the very least, that people are not uninterested in politics. In this article, the author asks whether the coalition's "Big Society" builds on work that has been successfully developed. He says one can only hope the Big Society embraces what is a proven model, both nationally and at a local level. If not, one will have to find other ways to keep the fire burning.