People and Place is Footwork’s programme of support for community innovators, to turn bold ideas into long-term change for their neighbourhoods.
What is People and Place?
Who do we mean by a community innovator?
People with home-grown solutions to pressing local challenges, and the sense of urgency to address them.
Community innovators act to solve local issues, shape their local environment and grow long-term community power. They revive local spaces. They ensure services meet local needs. They bring buildings, land and resources into local control.
Their ideas take many forms: community ownership and use of buildings, greening and growing on land, transforming streets, retrofitting, generating community energy, and lots of other kinds of ‘community asset development’ that strengthen the connection between people and place.
Why?
Around the country, community innovators (or ‘Community Asset Developers’ / CADs) play a vital role in locally-led neighbourhood transformation, making places more socially just and ecologically resilient.
Yet, from the start of their journey, they face systemic barriers in accessing and stewarding buildings and land. They’re often isolated, undervalued and undersupported, without the resources, strategic tools, mentorship and visibility they need to bring their ideas to life – and to sustain and scale their impact.
People and Place provided us with fundamental tools and invaluable connections with people who know and understand our challenges and ambitions.
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Linda and Emily, RivelinCo
Aim
People and Place supports community innovators (who are emerging as CADs) to turn their bold ideas into strong, lasting projects. It aims to support them to:
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Deepen their capabilities and confidence
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Effectively implement their strategies and plans
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Reduce feelings of overwhelm and isolation
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Gain greater clarity and purpose
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Feel more connected and hopeful
As the programme evolves, we’re building ways to facilitate more trust, shared purpose and transparency between community innovators, residents and their local council. We’re supporting community innovators to create lasting relationships with these and other local stakeholders, and to lead collaborations that drive systemic change.
Find out more about our pilot ‘local’ programme in 2026:
How?
The programme is a 12-month peer-learning journey, with resources, support and connections for community innovators to get their project off the ground, or grow its impact.
This includes:
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1. A small unrestricted grant, for every participating group
2. Bespoke support: a carefully matched ‘1-1’ mentor (strategic or peer, depending on needs), a shared pool of mentors and technical advisors for ad hoc support
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3. Online training/workshops/knowledge-share sessions, led by cohort needs
4. Moments to gather as a peer group to rest, reflect and learn from others, including field trips across the country
5. Moments for Footwork, peers, and/or the wider local authority team to connect and learn together
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Each year, the full details and content of the programme are carefully curated based on the innovators’ projects and challenges.
open access to materials to build and repair our homes, streets and neighbourhoods
advocate for fair and equitable planning processes
protect our local social and built heritage
rethink how local facilities (my local library, high street or others) can work better for our community
work with local stakeholders to acquire and repair building assets
make new use of a local open space, land or buildings
involve everyone to have a say in regeneration processes
Impact
Over the past three years, we’ve 'Footwork'-ed in 30 neighbourhoods, supporting over 50 community innovators through the People and Place programme.
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Meet the network:
“There are so many people ready to drive change in their neighbourhoods, but they often lack the support, power and partnerships to make that change.
Thankfully, someone directed me to the People and Place programme, which offered exactly the support I needed. I experienced what it’s like to be backed in a truly collaborative, enjoyable way, and to grow collective power with peers around the country who are all working on bold local ideas."
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Danie, Good Shepherd Studios
In 2026 & beyond
In 2026, we’re launching People and Place: Camden in collaboration with Camden Council.
Then in 2027, the annual national programme will return, bolder and better than before. It's taken a short pause so that Footwork can take stock of learnings, impact and ideas from the last 3 years, together with our insights group and previous People and Place innovators.
Sign up to our newsletter (below) to hear when applications open, or get in touch if you’re interesting in supporting or collaborating on this work.
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Being part of the Footwork People and Place cohort has been transformational. Surrounded by other brilliant organisations who share and understand the costs and joys of making change happen together. The generous programme of meetups and mentorship made space and time to step outside of the work and imagine, plan and connect and that has been invaluable.
Being part of the 2024 People & Place cohort has been such an honour, it has grown our community to include people up and down the UK who are doing incredible things in their neighbourhoods. It’s wonderful to be connected to so many inspiring and determined innovators, and I know that the relationships we’ve started to build through this programme will continue beyond this year!