Meet the People and Place: Camden innovators

"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 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

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

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.