Whose land is it anyway?
Liverpool City Region wants' to create a 'framework for responsible stewardship of land...to make this the fairest & most socially inclusive city region in the country' and yet it just destroyed a community space created & maintained by it's citizens.
Sort Out Your Own Front Yard…..
Steven talks about isolating, online teaching and how he found the performer in himself by creating a Street Bingo event close to home - the ideal test-bed for our new Social Emergency Plan programme
Thinking About Community Engagement in Lockdown
In our 4th blog from the team, meet Lizzie and hear her thoughts on Community Engagement during Lockdown.
Lizzie also has news to share.........
Growing Together
Our 5th team member Michelle has been focused on delivering support to young people during lockdown.
Read about this and her many fundraising projects for the migrant community who have no access to government support during this time
Staying Home when it’s Not Your Original Home
In our 3rd blog reflecting on #Lockdown2020, our team member Betty talks about how living in a different country from her family is presenting more emotional challenges during #Lockdown2020 than it usual does
Levelling the Cooker
The 2nd in our series of blogs from our team during #Lockdown2020.
Our team member Andrew Small talks about his lockdown survival techniques of fixing, painting, portfolio sharing and auto didacticism
The Grief & Joy of Lockdown
As part of Mental Health Awareness Week the We Make Places team have been reflecting on their time in Lockdown and how it relates to our practice.
This introductory blog from our CEO Kate Stewart explores the Elisabeth Kubler-Ross 7 Stages of Grief and change curve. Read how it's affected her, the team and our future work in communities
A Social Emergency
This is a challenging time for us all, both societally and individually.
As a social enterprise we've had to split priorities between ensuring our staff team are safe & well and also concern for the vulnerable individuals & communities we support.
So we've declared a SOCIAL EMERGENCY - read about how we are responding
Spreading joy with Urban Workbench in Sutton Way
Our nomadic learning hub & CNC manufacturing project, Urban Workbench, has been keeping busy in Sutton Way!
Urban Workbench Learning Programmes
Our Urban Workbench learning programme has been going from strength to strength recently - read about feedback from our participants and its positive impact on beneficiaries.
Our community engagement work recognised nationally
We Make Places have been recognised in a Special Report published by Local Authority Building & Maintenance Magazine for the unique community engagement and placemaking work we're currently delivering on behalf of ForHousing and Cheshire West & Chester Council in Sutton Way, Ellesmere Port.
Friends of the Flyover – Renewable Energy Scheme
Our CEO Kate Stewart said “We Make Places have always advocated for shared use of The Flyover and for its alternative use as public space if traffic is taken off The Flyover completely. The original Friends of the Flyover proposal was a response to a Council vision to redirect traffic away from the structure. Recent discoveries as part of the council’s statutory PTSI process have led to the current closure whilst more structural investigations take place.
It’s
#IWantSpace
Join our conversation about pubic space, how it gets used, who owns it & who pays for it and how we can make it better. Join the #IWantSPACE conversation on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook as well as this blog and help write a Citizens Manifesto for Public Space
Labels, Labels, Labels – thoughts from our CEO on creativity
So, what is a Creative Producer and is this what I am? And would applying to be part of a 3-year programme which defines a group of people be helpful to me at this point in my life?
After years of shying away from any complements relating to my creativity – feeling much more comfortable to recognise measurable and provable skills – around my 50th birthday I decided to start accepting people’s definition of me as a creative, inspiring, even pioneering person. I resolved to try and explore this definition more so that I could ‘grow into’ it and maybe start to realise my full potential. So my first venture was to apply for a ‘creative lab’ in Rio – that experience and the follow-on project started to help me see what others saw in my work. (read more about Rio Visivel in our previous blog)
But still, applying for the
A NEW KIND OF HERO
It is important that we retain public space in our towns and cities that small organisations and community groups as well as families and individuals can ‘programme’ and interpret over time. So much of our lives are spent working and living in buildings with poor quality light and air that the ability to be outdoors, to have space for thoughts, conversations and interactions that are not based on consumer transactions is vital to our well-being. Today we salute the bravery of the Hastings Pier Charity and their Architect dRMM in committing to open space and recognising the importance of space for citizens to occupy and make their own.