Every March we are encouraged to act for two important days of action: International Day of Forests (IDOF) and the annual Earth Hour which this year falls on 26th March. It can be tempting to dismiss initiatives like this as paying lip service to the vast challenges we face. However,... read more →
Mar
25
Mar
22
Rishi Sunak will present his Spring budget statement tomorrow. It would be great to think recent hardships caused by pandemic, inflation, fiscal drag, high energy prices and national insurance increases might give him pause to think more deeply about the kind of economy this country needs. If he did, he... read more →
Mar
10
The year has not started well. ‘Enough already’ has been a refrain from many of us watching the endless doom-laden headlines rolling in. War, climate change, economic meltdown – and it’s only March. But what sits behind that simple word enough – and might it hold answers to these seemingly... read more →
Feb
07
There has been much noise around the much touted launch of the Government’s white paper on Levelling Up recently. It feels like something most right-thinking people should be welcoming, with the idea of a level playing field so deeply rooted in our notion of fairness. We live in a deeply... read more →
Nov
30
Guest blog by Nancy Hey, What Works Centre for Wellbeing The places where we live, work and spend our time have an impact on our wellbeing. We know, for example, that there are spillover effects of crime, social fragmentation, and deprivation on our individual wellbeing regardless of whether these things affect us directly.... read more →
Nov
08
Centre for Thriving Places delivers major new report and framework for Defra. Wellbeing has been rising up the agenda across public, private and voluntary sectors in recent years. Understanding the impact of policy and initiatives on the wellbeing of individuals, communities and even future generations is becoming an increasingly important... read more →
Nov
01
Many of us grew up reading cautionary tales – dark fairy stories designed to teach children fundamental lessons about right and wrong. One of the classics was The Emperor’s New Clothes. At the heart of the story sat an egotistical emperor who had an insatiable desire for new things, and an... read more →
Oct
27
The ultimate case of fiddling while Rome (and the planet) burns. The Chancellor is today promising a 'new economy' – and even a 'new age' – in his budget speech, while simultaneously delivering a familiar package of tiny tweaks to the old economy that continues to drive a world of... read more →
Sep
23
Today we launch the 2021 results for the Thriving Places Index (TPI). The TPI measures progress towards a better, more equitable and more sustainable world. It tracks how well we are growing our capacity to thrive – individually and collectively – in local areas right across England and Wales. Perhaps... read more →
Jul
20
Despite our world – and national – leaders scrambling to 'level up' and address systemic issues such as climate change, there hasn't been a lot of practical support for decision makers in local places to truly understand and improve the conditions for thriving. So, what can we do in our communities? If... read more →