Alongside the financial support our People and Place innovators receive, Footwork also draws on expertise and input from a pool of mentors to help innovators establish the building blocks that will set them and their initiative on the path to long-term success. Read more about how we support local social innovators.
Andrew has been working with his local Saltaire community to produce clear and accessible guidance on how listed terraced houses can be made more energy-efficient and comfortable to live in. With the support of Jonathan, Director of Business Development at People Powered Retrofit, he has been developing a long-term business case for Saltaire Retrofit Reimagined.
“It made us think about the project as part of something bigger - a strategic/systemic approach rather than just its own deliverables” - Andrew
Jonathan travelled to Andrew in Saltaire to better understand Andrew’s work in his community, and help Andrew have a better understanding of the sector and increased awareness of his position and role in it. Together they also developed a pitch for community engagement-led retrofit.
“I think it’s important to be flexible in how and when support is offered, going over to Saltaire to meet Andrew and better understand his plans and context was key” - Jonathan
What’s next for Andrew?
Earlier this year Andrew was featured in the Architects Journal, where he shared his insight in mass-retrofitting listed homes. Andrew is continuing to speak with his local community in Saltaire to better understand their perspective of what an energy and insulation retrofit programme needs to be. Informed by this engagement, Andrew will go on to produce bespoke and heritage-sensitive guidance for making upgrades to listed homes.
“I appreciated being given the freedom to do this myself! It is quite a powerful thing, feeling that you’ve got some money to put towards someone else’s time that you want to speak to.” - Andrew