June saw the launch of north-west based social enterprise, PLACED's first conference titled Better Places Together focused on social value and engagement in place projects.The event posed questions on rethinking engagement and social value from tender to legacy and how meaningful engagement can enable less-heard voices...
How Huyton Village went from having the worst Christmas tree to a huge Christmas light switch on. Huyton Village went from being mocked for the ‘worst Christmas tree of the year’ (over many years) to 2,500+ people turning out for a Christmas light switch-on, When we...
As another year draws to a close, there is time to reflect and give some thought to how the year ahead might start. 2024 saw us working on projects across the country; reviving high streets, guiding partnership structures, considering the future of markets and interim roles...
Many Colombians love taking photographs both in groups and selfies. Whether it's in cafes, shops or boarding the plane there always seemed to be a pause while photos were taken. Almost, every place we visited from villages to cities had a place sign and it's taken...
As the new year allows for a (brief) period of reflection, we´ve been thinking about collaboration and the many ways we at The Assembly Line, form connections with others which often bring new ideas, bigger projects and new learning.We find we collaborate in many forms...
With growing population numbers and increased tourism post covid, how can we maintain access to public spaces and facilities for all in cities which are turning into a tourist destinations? According to recent Census figures, the population in England and Wales has increased by 6%...
Can a place over-play their most well known asset? With some people still hesitant on booking holidays, Liverpool is proving a hit with my friends and there’s been a steady stream of visitors over the past few months. However, recently, a friend messaged (on the way) to...
UK Cities of Culture tripsThe UK City of Culture title is relatively new, with only two events having taken place so far. The first was Derry/Londonderry in 2013, a city I’ve visited, but not during their year of culture. In 2017, Hull had the accolade,...
The end of 2021 marked 10 years since I left my job, to set-up what is now known as The Assembly Line and what an interesting time it has been! With a few jobs in regeneration/place related roles throughout my career, I’d also spent several years...
Recently I’ve been exploring the North West and finding out about local projects in the larger towns and cities. So far, I’ve visited Lancaster, Bolton, Preston and Wigan (more soon on those) and there’s plenty more places to go! My first trip was to Lancaster, a...