Place Matters

As we continue our work in accelerating the impact of place-based, community-centred change, we would like to share some team updates! ?? We are pleased to announce Dame Julia Cleverdon DCVO, CBE, a founding member of the team and former Chair of Place Matters, as our Patron. Dame Julia’s leadership has from the very beginning been integral to our work, and we are grateful for her ongoing support and guidance as Patron. ?? We are delighted to welcome Amanda Jordan OBE into the role of interim Chair, bringing her extensive leadership experience and commitment to community impact. Through her work as Chair of Trustees at the Virgin Money Foundation, she brings depth of experience in achieving meaningful change at the neighbourhood level through their work in the North East and Glasgow. Her guidance will be invaluable as we move into this next stage of development. ?? Anna Randle joins us as a Trustee. Anna was, until recently, CEO of Collaborate CIC and brings her very considerable experience and insight into building effective collaborative partnerships in places. This, alongside her background working in New Local and Lambeth Council gives her a deep understanding of local government and leadership. ?? Anita Janosi joins us as our Senior Administrative Officer. Anita has great experience of setting up infrastructure, financial management, and efficient organisation. We look forward to her supporting our operations. ?? As part of strengthening the foundation of our newly registered charity, as of April 1st, Emily Sun and Jo Blundell will be appointed as Co-CEOs and Lela Kogbara as Director and co-Founder of Place Matters. We look forward to this next chapter of Place Matters!

We’re looking forward to attending Marmalade 2025 next month, 1st - 4th April. With a focus on systems change through the lens of people, power and place, it looks to be a week full of innovative ideas and thoughtful presentations. We’ll be playing close attention to the launch of the "Meaningful Measurement Toolkit" led by Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and The Old Fire Station, Oxford, on how impact measurement can empower, rather than disempower, social change. Measurement in place-based work isn’t just about data - it’s about building trust, shaping better decisions, and ensuring the voices of communities are heard. Check out the many brilliant events happening across the week: https://www.marmalade.io/ We look forward to seeing you there! #PlaceMatters #MarmaladeFestival #CommunityChange

A very big thank you to Graham Whitham and the whole team at the Resolve Poverty Conference. The event brought us together in thoughtful discussions around the urgent need to work together and connect local, regional and national efforts in order to "prevent and reduce poverty rather than address it." Some of the headline points we appreciated: ?? We need to remember the lessons from previous national efforts to reduce poverty such as the 2010 Child Poverty Act and Sure Start: central government targets and levers are critical but so is genuine involvement of communities and joined up solutions at place-leve (Carey Oppenheim, Nuffield Foundation) ?? We’ve been talking about the importance of preventative, community-based health for a long time, but we won’t be able to deliver this until we align the systems and sectors needed to do this (Sarah Woolnough, The King's Fund) ?? Mission driven approaches at local level need a different kind of collaboration, building new capabilities and an ongoing culture of learning (Grace Wyld, The Future Governance Forum (FGF)) ?? ’Systems change’ might not be sexy but it is what makes a difference over the long run, as long as the community is making the decisions (Rekha Patel-Harrison MBA, Right To Succeed) ?? Campaigning and voice matters - be bold, engage the public and keep campaigning (Matt Hyde OBE, Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales) ?? We’ve told our stories many times in the past but haven’t seen the benefits of doing this come back to us - we need more support to do the things that we and our communities need (Community and Lived-Experience Representatives) We look forward to continuing the conversation!

Yesterday we joined our Early Years Community of Practice for a study visit hosted by Bradford Birth to 19! It was a fantastic day of learning as the group heard from just a handful of the many organisations in Bradford working to level opportunities and transform systems around early years development. What stood out most was the joined-up model, which delivers system wide impact at both local and national levels. From high-quality early years provision and teacher training to tools that equip families at home, all connected to city wide data and research. As it was said on the day, it’s a hive mentality - where every contribution comes together to create a bigger, wider spread impact! A huge thank you to our generous hosts - Bradford Birth to 19 - and all those involved on the day Centre for Applied Educational Research (CAER), Bradford Birth to 19, Bradford Birth to 19 SCITT and Education Alliance for Early Life Chances - for sharing their knowledge, insights, and hospitality. There was so much to takeaway from this visit, and we look forward to continuing these important conversations with our Early Years Community of Practice and beyond! #PlaceMatters #EarlyYears #BradfordBirthTo19 #SystemsChange

It’s always a pleasure to be part of the Cradle to Career programme and support place-based change in action! Thanks to all who attended and brought their energy, insights, and knowledge. We're looking forward to reflecting on the session and summarising the learning from this fantastic day together.

At Place Matters, we know that pushing for change is a long process, that requires resilience and failure, before success. Even after many attempts, systems can remain stuck in the same cycles. That’s why we’re excited to share reflections from our trustee, Liz Weaver, in this co-authored piece with Collective Change Lab. Drawing on deep experience and shared learning, it explores five forces that can help shift systems from stagnation to transformation. This is one worth your full attention - we highly recommend it. Read here: https://buff.ly/4h3tabT #MovementBuilding #SocialChange #Unstuck?

Two great events hosted by the brilliant team at Collaborate CIC! A New Era for Wigan Council : Progress with Unity Tues 25th February, 10am-12pm Sign up here: https://buff.ly/4gUNRXN Embedding Human Learning Systems Across Local Places Tues 4th March, 12pm-1.30pm Read more about it here: https://buff.ly/433gMpa We love seeing learning and methods from those working in this field alongside us - we recommend tuning in for all those inspired by place-based learning. #CommunityImpact # HumanLearningSystems

Yesterday, we had the privilege of attending A Place of Hope, Save the Children UK's Child Poverty Summit in Sheffield. It was a day filled with hope - packed with singing, celebration, harsh truths, and powerful stories. We heard from parents, children, and young people at the heart of the work and reminded of the importance of centring lived experience when we want to create real change. Our key takeaways: - Place-based work has a deep impact on communities, as seen in Sheffield's Early Learning Community - Collaboration - across councils, communities, funders, and organisations on the ground - is key to making meaningful change happen for the people who need it most Sir Micheal Marmot shared at the summit: "I used to think it was up to national government to reduce child poverty. Now I realise that it’s regional and local government… through access to benefits, services, and employment." A huge thank you to the parents and young people who shared their stories - you’ve inspired us to take action. Together, we can build lasting solutions to child poverty. #PlaceMatters #ChildPoverty #PlaceOfHope

Yesterday, our team had the opportunity to visit Barking and Dagenham one of London’s most deprived boroughs and speak to residents and community organisations about their experience of programmes backed by philanthropists, such as Participatory City: Everyone Everyday. We’re incredibly grateful to Avril McIntyre, Books by Mile, Green Shoe Arts, the team at Riverside Church, Barking & Dagenham Giving - Everyone Included, BD_Collective, Care City, Thames Life Community Development Trust, and the many residents who generously shared their experiences and time with us. Hearing the experience of communities first-hand, underlined how important it is to adapt funding to the contexts of different communities and to build in strategies for sustainability from the start. So many valuable insights - thank you to everyone who was part of our visit!

Applications Close Soon ? There's still time to apply for our Place-Based Learning & Practice Lead role! We're seeking a senior level leader, with experience in cross-sector collaborations, and a passion for creating change that supports our communities. Deadline: Wednesday 19th February Apply here: https://buff.ly/4g3Ywid #WeAreHiring #PlaceMatters #CommunityImpact