What we do
Place-based working can help unlock communities’ ideas, assets and power, and drive change to improve people’s quality of life.
We work alongside local communities and people with lived experience to understand their views and experiences, and build on their strengths, skills and resources.
Our work helps organisations and communities gain a clearer understanding of people’s strengths and needs, forge stronger local connections and foster a culture of collaboration.
How we do it
Our team uses strengths-based approaches, including community research, participatory budgeting and 100-day challenges.
We base our work on appreciative inquiry. This is a way of asking questions and thinking about the future that fosters positive relationships and builds on the basic goodness in a person, a situation or an organisation. It acknowledges the contribution of all individuals and increases trust and collaboration.
Our approach is tailored to each community’s needs. This could mean meeting people in cafes, libraries, parks and community spaces, and training local people in active listening to hear stories from across the community.
We use a mix of informal conversations, focus groups, interactive workshops and structured events, working alongside people to make sense of their own findings and co-design solutions.
For an informal chat about working with us, get in touch.
Related Projects
Improving the wellbeing of families of children and young people with autism in Bromley
Helping staff, carers and parents to work together through a 100 day challenge.
Community breastfeeding research in Calderdale
Helping Calderdale Council give parents and babies better breastfeeding support by understanding people’s real life experiences.
Raising awareness of women's homelessness in West Sussex
Using participatory photography and storytelling to raise the profile of the challenges faced by women experiencing homelessness.
Latest News
“The culture of community action is different from the culture of local government”: Collaborating for the future of our places across ontological divides
This piece was written by Dr Jody Aked, an associate of Ideas Alliance, drawing on her work alongside communities and local government across the UK. She reflects on the often unspoken cultural divides between community and local government that shape how collaboration does and does not happen.
Our 2025 moments of joy
We asked a few of the people we’ve been working alongside this year to share their joyful moments from 2025. Not necessarily their major achievements, just some of the positive bits that stayed with them. Reading their stories has reminded us how much good rises out of simple conversations, shared tables, lively workshops and teams who look out for each other.
Building confidence in participation: What we learned from Adur and Worthing’s Participation Labs
Everyone wants to involve people more deeply in shaping decisions that affect them. It’s now widely recognised as the right thing to do. But for many councils and organisations, participation still feels unmanageable. That’s why we created Participation Labs – a practical way for organisations to build the skill and confidence to make participation a normal and embedded part of how they work.