Our Creative Places team supports local and combined authorities, place partnerships, cultural organisations, and community leads in understanding their unique geographies by focusing on the main components of people, place, and culture. 

We know that every place is unique, even if some of the challenges are similar. We build projects around your requirements and the needs of your organisation, communities and neighbourhoods.  

People Culture Place

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Who we work with

We partner with:

  • Local and combined authorities

  • Cultural compacts, place partnerships and networks

  • Architects, developers and natural environment specialists

  • Cultural, heritage and creative organisations

  • Community groups and neighbourhood forums

  • National policy bodies, funders and cross sector partners

We work at every level: community, sector, local government, regional development, and national policy - because the strongest place based change happens when these layers are connected and supported to thrive.

What we help you achieve

  • Clear, actionable strategies
    Co-created cultural, heritage and creative economy strategies aligned with local ambitions and national opportunities.

  • Meaningful engagement & community voice
    Participatory research, consultation and co-design processes that centre lived experience and build public ownership.

  • Evidence for investment & decision making
    Data rich insights to inform bids, business cases, capital planning and long term organisational or partnership development.

  • Joined-up local ecosystems
    Mapping that identifies strengths, gaps, connections, opportunities and collective priorities across your creative, cultural and community sectors.

  • Programmes rooted in place
    Design and delivery models that put evidence into action - from pilot projects to multi year programmes.

  • Long-term evaluation & legacy
    Mixed method evaluations and legacy planning that supports learning, accountability and future investment.

Discover Define Develop Deliver Review

Our services

We offer a flexible suite of research and engagement tools that can stand alone or be combined into a bespoke programme. 

We join creative, cultural, and heritage insights with community voices and robust data. This approach allows us to co-design targeted strategies, programs, and partnerships. By integrating culture into everyday life, we influence grassroots initiatives and shape policies at both local and national levels.

  1. Planning & Feasibility

    Population profiling

    Market research

    Feasibility analysis

    Asset mapping

    Schools engagement reporting

    Pre-capital development insight

    Use it when: you need clear evidence for funding bids, place-based investment, planning, or business cases.

  2. Engagement & Community Voice

    Public consultation and focus groups (online, in‑person and multilingual)

    Resident and stakeholder surveys

    Community researcher training

    Creative workshops and pop-up events

    Participatory governance (e.g. citizens’ juries)

    Use it when: you want to deepen trust, bring in under‑represented voices, and create opportunities for decision making from the bottom up.

  3. Impact & Legacy

    Mixed-method evaluation

    Story-led qualitative insight

    Real‑time monitoring

    Legacy planning

    Strategic outcome frameworks

    Use it when: you need to demonstrate value, improve future delivery, or evidence impact to stakeholders and funders.

  4. Collaborative Programme & Activity Design

    Co-designed programmes

    Pilot projects

    Capacity-building and workforce development, including Action Learning

    Creative commissions and partnerships

    Sector development frameworks

    Use it when: you want to bring evidence to life through activity that’s relevant, inclusive and sustainable. 

Let's talk about your place

You might be at the start of a new strategy, shaping a programme or seeking evaluation support. Either way, we’d love to hear from you.

Examples of our work

Working with us

We can work together in three ways:

Commission us

For facilitation, end‑to‑end research, strategy, programme design or evaluation.

Partner with us

For collaborative programmes, cross‑sector initiatives or network‑based development.

Make us a Critical Friend

Independent guidance, challenge and support for boards, leadership teams or partnerships.

Commission us, Partner with us, Make us a Critical Friend

Meet the team

Our Creative Places team is led by expert consultants, researchers and specialists including:

Image of Cara Pickering
Cara Pickering
Image of Penny Mills
Penny Mills
A white woman wearing glasses and a green scarf
Laura Drane
Gemma Hicks
Gemma Hicks

You also benefit from associates in EDI, creative health, economics, built/natural environment and more — depending on your project’s needs.

Get in touch