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Meet the Mentors & Peer Supporters for People & Place: Camden

"It's inspiring and invigorating to be among people who DO THINGS." Caitlin Strongarm, Old Diorama Arts Centre In January, the 17 People and Place Camden community innovators began working with the Footwork team to be carefully matched with a mentor or peer supporter, who will walk alongside them this year – collaborating to tackle key strategic challenges they’re coming up against in their work. This might include business planning for long-term sustainability, developing f

"You Need Buddies in This Work" What Oxfordshire Taught Us About Stewardship

“You can tell there’s something very special going on by the way that folks lean in as they listen. By the volume of the laughter as we move together. And the profound questions and insights people share, like, ‘how do you avoid burnout?’” - Andy Edwards, Makespace Oxford This year's People and Place Summer Residential was an opportunity to pause, reconnect with one another, and immerse ourselves in the stories of people transforming neighbourhoods in ways both beautifully u

Mentor Spotlight: ARUP and West Marsh Development Trust

Building momentum for community-led housing in Grimsby. In West Marsh, Grimsby, more than 300 homes sit empty while thousands of people remain on the housing waiting list. Many residents have lived with the consequences of poor-quality housing for years: damp, mould, spiralling energy costs, absentee landlords and homes left to deteriorate. Alan Burley and Neil Barber, local residents from West Marsh Development Trust, decided they didn’t want to simply campaign around the pr

Community-led space in action - and the councils backing it (People and Place: Camden visits Leytonstone)

Tucked away on a residential road in East London, just off Leytonstone High Road, there’s a vibrant hub of coworking, community and culture. Good Shepherd Studios has been lovingly brought back to life by a local group of residents after the threat of demolition. It sits within a cherished century-old community site called Pastures.

Meet the community innovators! People and Place: Camden 2026

We’re delighted to announce the nine community innovators, with deep roots in the London Borough of Camden, who are coming together for People and Place: Camden – our programme of support, in collaboration with Camden Council. Some are individuals, others are small groups. But all of them have a solution to a local challenge or social injustice, and a bold idea about ‘community asset development’: transforming buildings or land to create lasting change in their neighbourhood

Celebrating the People and Place 2025 peers

This year's People and Place programme came to a joyful close with laughter, solidarity, reflection and celebration, as the cohort of community innovators gathered on Thursday 4th December in Greater Manchester. First stop: lunch in Wigan! We convened at Fur Clemt CIC , which is not only a food bank, but hosts a women-only makerspace, bustling cafe where kids eat free, and outdoor growing space. After wolfing down baked potatoes, we were led by Angela to explore the assets s

Local Power and Community Space: Inside the East End Trades Guild Meet-Up

East End Trades Guild's Meet the Members gathering of independent businesses, makers, traders and self-employed grafters who keep London’s East End thriving.