Festival of Debate 2025

As this is the third year we’ve held an event at the Festival of Debate it feels right that we’re speaking at two events. Tickets are free and available from ourselves for the festival website for the event on 15th April (they’ve already ‘sold-out’ on the festival website) and from the website for the event on 22nd. Co-founder Jonathan Hind is speaking at both and there will be opportunities to meet team members.

It’s the largest festival of politics in the UK. Be there and be informed.

On 15 May we’re co-hosting a half-day event Creating Resilient Places through the Built and Natural Environment with Green Estate CIC exploring how we can transform South Yorkshire into a greener, more resilient place for people and nature.

The event will bring together professionals, community organisations, and sustainability advocates to discuss innovative approaches to urban retrofit, combining nature-based solutions with decarbonisation strategies. Through engaging talks, interactive discussions, and networking opportunities, we’ll explore practical ways to enhance biodiversity, reduce carbon emissions, and create healthier, more sustainable urban environments.

On 22 May we’re co-hosting Collaborative Policy Making for Thriving Places with Centre for Thriving Places.

Through a participatory game and group discussions we’ll explore how different ways of making decisions can achieve benefits for people, place and planet. We’ll be stepping outside of firmly set policy areas to look at how starting from citizens and place can help us imagine, and get on with, better ways of doing policy and practice.

We’ll use housing and retrofit (improving energy efficiency) as a way of exploring how the ‘Thriving Places’ model and approach works in practice. What is it about improving our homes that can deliver for local people, the environment as well as creating opportunities and keeping money in the local economy?

It would be great to see you there!