Our founding Director John Till is delighted to be joined by Emma Drake, our new Associate Director for thinkingplace and founder and Director of Henbe Communications. Emma has over 30 years experience working with some of the most significant new communities in England. She is a strategic communicator, a specialist in stakeholder engagement and a great believer in creating social value as the heart of a place.

Hear how Matt Nicol, Chairman and his Place Board alongside Wychavon District Council are putting the spa rkle(!) back into Droitwich Spa. For anyone who doesn’t believe a coalition of the willing can make a difference in a place just sit back and be inspired by Matt, a place force of nature!

Our Founding Director John Till talks to Nigel Wilcock, Executive Director at Mickeldore who has been involved in economic development for over 30 years. Nigel talks passionately about his belief that the economy of the UK would be more successful if each of the regions were enabled to play a more equal role. This episode explores this and more in what is an extremely interesting and engaging listen.

Hear from Jane Hough, Deputy Director for Business Improvement Districts and Business Services for Groundwork Cheshire, Lancashire & Merseyside. Jane is leading the way in creating better places by working closely with people and businesses within the community. She is passionate about improving individuals prospects via education, training and work opportunities along with creating and protecting the natural environment around them. Learn about the real social and economic value this wor...

Hear from Therasa Garrod, Tourism and Place Manager, Dragonfly Development (wholly owned company of Bolsover Council) who is masterminding the amazing place led journey of town and area. Learn what has been achieved in such a short time with a new narrative, visual brand, Place Board and more, along with some exciting implementation plans for the future.

Our latest episode is with the amazing Mark Foster, Director of OPEN (part of SLR) who shares his view on what constitutes successful place making, authenticity of design and future trends for place development.

Corinne Day, Newhaven Enterprise Zone's Programme Director, provides a fascinating insight into the place led journey of this South Coast port town, near Brighton, on the edge of the South Downs National Park, as it makes the most of its industry and beauty as it carves out a new creative and marine future driven by the dynamism of its community.

Fresh from the tremendous success of We Are Staffordshire, which he initiated, Cristian Marcucci has recently taken up the role of Managing Director of Marketing Cheshire and he certainly has a wonderful set of assets and opportunities to work with! Hear about why We Are Staffordshire is such a success and his excitement about coming home to help put Cheshire on the map.

Hear from our BAFTA award winning Creative Director, Peter Anderson as he explores the art of bringing your place story to life via photography, place making, use of colour and his pioneering visual language!

Councillor Richard Morris outlines how Wychavon District Council have developed a place led approach for Droitwich Spa, Evesham and Pershore involving a stakeholder inspired narrative, the development of a Place Board and the production of an Investment Prospectus for each. This has brought distinctiveness to the fore as a way of attracting investment and creating local pride.

Hear from local entrepreneur Anne Wright, owner of Young Ideas and Henmores, luxury fashion shopping destinations in the town and Chair of Ashbourne Town Team. Anne epitomises a ‘get on and do it’ approach and with colleagues was successful in gaining over £13m of Levelling Up Funding for Ashbourne; listen and be inspired!

Muse is a nationwide placemaker with almost 40 years of experience creating mixed-use communities across the UK. Hear from their Managing Director Phil Mayall on what drives them and the values at the heart of their business that emphasise sustainability, community and quality. And if you didn’t know, find out why they’re called Muse!

From being the first Destination Development Partnership in England to Newcastle being in the Champions League it’s a busy and successful time, as the place passionate chief executive of NewcastleGateshead Initiative, Sarah Green tells us in this fascinating discussion.

Enjoy listening to Jim Parker, Chair of the Torbay Place Leadership Board and a highly respected journalist in the area for over 40 years. You’ll hear about the wonders of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham that make up Torbay and how creating the Torbay Story with a place led approach has galvanised stakeholders and got the message out. Not just about the stunning natural environment but also the hi tech businesses and investment opportunities using everything from fish 'n' chips to footbal...

Hear Chief Executive, Trevor Beattie, talk about the wonder that is the newest National Park. From cliffs to communities, partnerships to planning, heathland to health and well-being, from brand to biodiversity, from growth to great places to live and so much more. This is a large and diverse entity with unique challenges and opportunities.

Hear from Diana Taylor, the Managing Director of Future Humber, as she outlines the incredible assets the Humber estuary has and how a repositioned and rebranded Future Humber is leading the way in marketing and developing the place. Listen also to the importance of the Future Humber Bondholders who as businesses and other organisations are playing their part by telling and selling the Humber story.

Places are there to be shaped and that involves more than just housing. Homes England launched its new strategic plan recently and it involves working in a much more ‘place based’ way. Whilst housing remains a significant aspect of the work, there will be more focus on the places those homes sit within. Hear what the implications of this approach will be from Homes England's Executive Director, Mike Palin.

When it comes to place, distinctiveness and character culture is the buzz activity these days. But what is it, why is it so vogue, can you create it, who is doing it well and can be learnt from and will it provide your place with a measurable point of difference? Paul Williams gets to the heart of culture in this podcast with valuable insights that can help all places.

Hear how Scotland is leading the way in creating a successful, responsible tourism offer, what key trends the industry is responding to, why collaboration is everything, the implications for the visitor experience and what the future holds for tourism.

Tom Stannard, the CEO of Salford City Council and Chair of the Institute of Economic Development reflects on the amazing regeneration journey Salford continues to be on, driven by great leadership, vision, patience and partnership. In his new role leading the IED he also has insight on the criticality of taking the community and anchor institutions with you to ensure not only the delivery of assets but also communities and places.