We created a giant, interactive map where anyone could pin their work, trace relationships, and explore what was happening across the county.

It became a shared space for people to:

• see the scale of activity across Dorset

• spot clusters of energy and gaps

• discover nearby projects they didn’t know existed

• connect across towns, rivers and themes

• start conversations about collaboration, funding and shared challenges

Across two years, the mapping helped around 100 people find a local group, and over 200 people left with a clearer sense of what was happening near them.

For funders and organisers, it revealed work that was previously invisible.

The map made something very clear:

Dorset is not short of action. It is short of connection.

Across the county, there is already:

• strong place-based climate and community groups

• growing work around food, land and wellbeing

• active repair, reuse and circular economy initiatives

• emerging community ownership and stewardship projects

But much of this work is:

• fragmented

• under-recognised

• happening in isolation

People repeatedly said:

“We’ve been doing this alone for years.”

Alongside what was visible, the map also showed what isn’t yet fully there:

• very little youth-led work or clear pathways for young people

• limited connection between climate and social justice

• few visible routes into green jobs, training or livelihoods

• weak connection to mainstream farming and land use

• county-wide networks that exist, but aren’t widely felt or accessed

This wasn’t a lack of care or effort.

It was a lack of shared infrastructure.

The mapping didn’t just visualise projects.
It changed how people saw their role within a wider system.

People began to:

• recognise themselves as part of something bigger

• identify where collaboration could happen

• understand where support and resource was needed

• see patterns that aren’t visible when working alone

It turned a room full of individuals into something closer to a network.

As part of the Dorset COP steering group, This Living Place supported a shift away from a traditional conference format towards something more participatory and relational.

We:

• designed and delivered the mapping process

• supported engagement and outreach

• helped shape a more open, community-led event structure

• created space for peer exchange, co-design and collaboration

The result was a 50% increase in attendance (300+ people) and a stronger sense of shared momentum across the county.

What emerged from this work is clear.

Dorset doesn’t just need more projects.
It needs:

• better visibility of what already exists

• connective roles and “weavers”

• shared tools and infrastructure

• spaces for organisers to align and collaborate

• new pathways for young people to lead

The opportunity now is to build on this foundation and move from mapping the system → to actively strengthening it.

Work like this often goes unseen.

The mapping, the convening, the connecting, the quiet work that helps things join up.

But without it, projects stay isolated, energy dissipates, and change struggles to take root.

This is the role we are continuing to develop through This Living Place.