Being part of the network includes:

• regular peer gatherings and conversations

• monthly knowledge sharing sessions

• opportunities to explore each other’s work and places

• informal support and collaboration

• shared reflection on what we are learning across different places

We meet online once a month and are beginning to explore in-person gatherings, study visits and shared events.

Our monthly knowledge-sharing sessions explore practical questions emerging from place-based work.

Recent conversations have included:

• river guardianship and community stewardship

• place-based action as systems change

• community organising approaches

• alternative metrics and indicators for change

Insights from these sessions are captured and shared through articles and reflections on our Substack.

Membership provides opportunities to:

• connect with practitioners from across the UK

• join online and in-person gatherings

• share challenges, ideas and learning

• access peer support and honest conversations

• discover opportunities, events and collaborations

• be connected to speaking, teaching and facilitation opportunities where relevant

• participate in learning exchanges and visits to other places

• build relationships that continue beyond the network itself

Many of the most valuable opportunities are not planned in advance. They emerge through the relationships, trust and connections that develop within the network.

Members include people leading CICs, community organisations, grassroots initiatives, place-based programmes or freelance practitioners.

Most are:

• working in the communities where they reside

• working alongside neighbours rather than at a distance

• experimenting with participatory and community-led approaches

• exploring systems change through practical work in place

The Living Places Network is coordinated by This Living Place - a community-run CIC - and currently costs around £12,000 per year to host.

Member contributions are one part of how we sustain the network. We are also actively seeking funding and partnerships to support its long-term development and accessibility.

Behind the scenes, we organise gatherings, connect members with opportunities, make introductions, share resources, facilitate conversations and support the wider development of the network.

To help make this possible, we ask members to make a monthly contribution where they are able. Contributions start at £5 per month, with a range of options available depending on your circumstances and organisational budget.

We want the network to remain accessible, so cost should never be a barrier to participation. If contributing is difficult, please join free of charge.

As a member, you’ll become part of an active community of practitioners, with opportunities to share your work, connect with others, contribute your learning and help shape the future of the network.

Contributions can be adjusted or cancelled at any time.

If you’re a funder or partner interested in supporting peer learning, relationship-building and knowledge sharing between place-based practitioners, we’d love to hear from you.

Place-based work remains one of the most important and least supported areas of social, economic and environmental change. Across the UK, practitioners are rebuilding community capacity, strengthening local economies, stewarding assets, supporting participation and helping communities navigate change. Yet much of this work remains fragmented, underfunded and disconnected.

Our hope is that, over time, the network becomes more than a space for peer support.

We see the potential for practitioners to share knowledge, pool resources, develop collective responses to shared challenges, coordinate around opportunities, and build the infrastructure needed to support community-led change at a much greater scale.

We’re still at an early stage, and we’re learning as we go. But we believe that stronger relationships between places can unlock new possibilities, not just for individual practitioners, but for communities across the UK. If you’d like to help explore what becomes possible when place-based practitioners learn, organise and build together, we’d love for you to join us.