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 funding strategies to unlock assets, supporting project management and phasing, or helping to articulate the mission and vision of the work. 

In 2026, the mentors and peer supporters represent 6 phenomenal organisations including community asset developers, strategists, technical experts and practitioners:

MutualGain

Meanwhile Space

ARUP

Resolve Collective

MATT+FIONA

Nabil Al-Kinani

Here’s a flavour of what they are currently grappling with together …

Susan Ritchie, MutualGain

Is mentoring: Alice, Amina and Hannah, The Winch

Alice, Amina and Hannah’s project is to convene a local Citizen’s Assembly putting residents at the heart of environmental decision making in Swiss Cottage & South Hampstead. As a mentor with experience in designing and facilitating citizen’s assemblies, Susan is supporting them to shape the architecture of the process, from deliberation design through to early delivery planning. The mentoring is bringing in the perspective of someone who has done this before, offering practical wisdom that helps the team look ahead and make more informed early decisions.

"I love being part of participatory processes, and I’m particularly excited to see citizens’ assemblies happening at a local level. There’s something powerful about bringing together a representative, hyper-local group of people to help shape the places where they live. After just a couple of conversations with Hannah, Alice and Amina, it’s clear this is a thoughtful and values-driven team, and I’m really looking forward to working alongside them as the assembly develops. One of the joys of working in this field is meeting people who share a genuine commitment to ensuring voices are heard that too often go unheard, and this already feels like one of those collaborations." Susan Ritchie, MutualGain

Image: Rosana, Alice and Jen

Jen Storan, Projects Director, Meanwhile Space

Is mentoring: Alice and Rosana, Kingsgate Community Centre

Alice and Rosana’s project is to support the transition of Kingsgate Community Centre into a community-run neighbourhood space in collaboration with One Kilburn. As a mentor with experience in working on a range of temporary and transitional projects and strategies, Jen is supporting them to develop a sustainable business plan for the 107 Kingsgate building, as well as thinking through how to bring the wider One Kilburn group along on the journey through engagement and ongoing feedback.

"I'm really looking forward to working with Alice and Rosana to find a way through some of the complexities and unknowns of this project, and figure out where we can start bridging gaps to bring this fantastic building back into active community use." Jen Storan, Projects Director, Meanwhile Spaces

Helene Gosden, Associate Director, ARUP

Is mentoring: Ben, Falcon Building laundry rooms

Ben’s project is to unlock unused laundry rooms in the Falcon Building and reimagine them as wonderful self-funding, flexible spaces for local use and enterprises. Then create a replicable model for reactivating spaces on the wider estate. As a mentor with experience in retrofit and sustainability in the built environment, Helene is supporting Ben with the technical and delivery aspects of the project, including building safety considerations such as fire risk assessments, and business modelling.

"I’m really excited for Arup to support Ben with this project. Not only does it present an opportunity to improve access to space and drying facilities for residents at a practical level, but the potential for improved indoor air quality and associated health impacts is also significant and possibly scalable. Piloting and proving a self-sustaining model could be transformative for many.” Helene Gosden, Arup

Image: Fiona, Katie and Matt

Matthew Springett and Fiona MacDonald, Co-Founders and Directors at MATT+FIONA

Are mentoring: Katie, Bloom and Belong Along The Railway

Katie’s project is to open up access to an unused green space along a railway to create a space of connection and safety - primarily for children and young people. This project will also work long-term to strategically build partnerships with stakeholders to fully make use of this community asset. As a mentor with experience supporting children and young people to shape more inclusive and representative spaces, Matt is supporting Katie to develop a clear roadmap for youth engagement, helping her think through the resources, timings and planning needed to turn her ideas into action.

“We are looking forward to exploring how the ideas and vision of local young people can be brought front and centre to help transform an unloved and inaccessible space into thriving resource for the whole community in Swiss Cottage and beyond.” MATT+FIONA

Image: Chrissie, Zarina, Paul, Helene, Daniel and Caito

Zarina Husain, Sustainability Consultant at Arup

Is providing peer support to: Daniel, Chrissie & Caito, Bucklebury and Beyond

Daniel, Chrissie and Caito’s project is to unlock space for creativity and growing on Regent’s Park Estate through the development of a community garden on the Bucklebury podium, shaping the future of the Makeshop, and ensuring regeneration in Euston is community-powered. As a mentor with experience in sustainable development and the built environment, Zarina is supporting Daniel, Chrissie and Caito to strengthen their vision, clarify the project’s key priorities, and think through how to meaningfully engage residents in shaping the next stage of the work.

"I'm particularly excited to see civic stewardship gain greater prominence in shaping homes and places across London and I hope to see this supported not only through grassroots initiatives, but also embedded within policy, planning and regeneration projects. As London continues to evolve, I believe there is a significant opportunity to demonstrate how investment and placemaking can empower existing communities and deliver more equitable outcomes. I’m looking forward to seeing how leaders across the built environment sector translate these principles into meaningful action, ensuring communities are not just consulted, but empowered as decision-makers and stewards of their neighborhoods” Zarina Husain, arup

Image: Akil, Lillie and Seth

Seth and Akil, Resolve Collective

Are mentoring: Lillie Aissa, Rewild The Ends

Lillie’s project is to rewild the ends, increasing levels of greening and nature connection across Kentish Town. Focusing on College Gardens, Castlehaven, Clarence Way and Peckwater Estate, the project is rooted in lived experience, ancestral futures and the belief that we co-evolve with our surroundings – investing in our social and ecological health as a form of active repair. As mentors with experience in community co-design, long-term place-based infrastructure and creative practice, Seth, Akil and the wider RESOLVE Collective team are supporting Lillie to strengthen the project in its formative stages, helping the idea flourish while drawing on their own experience of community-led rewilding.

“We have a couple of exciting months ahead, our team has expanded and we are weeks away from launching our new members platform for Material Store, a community infrastructure that turns cultural excess into community assets. We are creating modes to support the communities our practice faces, testing new methods, relationships and governance in the process.” Seth and Akil, Resolve Collective

Image: Nabil Al-Kinani

Nabil Al-Kinani, Development Manager, The Royal Docks Team

Is providing peer support to: Hafid Ali, Football for All in Camden

Hafid's project is to establish Camden's first permanent community stadium, creating a home for local semi-professional football clubs while delivering a financially sustainable, community-owned asset that supports football, youth development, health, education, and wider community use. As a peer supporter with experience leading development initiatives, Nabil is a trusted sounding board to explore ideas, test different approaches, and navigate the project's early stages.