Still Learning in Place: Keeping My L Plates On

16th April 2026 | Michael Thurlow | Changemakers, Community impact, Forest of Dean, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, Innovative strategies, Insight, Place-based working

I’ve been working in place for almost two years now (honestly, how did that happen?). And as we come to the end of year one of our place universal offer, I’ve found myself doing a bit of reflecting on what I’ve learnt so far.

Some of this might feel pretty obvious, especially to those who’ve been working this way for years. It did to me at first, too. But recently, after reading a friend’s blog and feeling inspired to have a go myself, I realised I wanted to capture a few of my own reflections. I’m someone who processes things by thinking (and writing) them through.

Because sometimes the “obvious” stuff is actually the most important to say out loud – particularly when you’re working in complex systems, where the basics really matter.

Place-based working has stretched me more than I expected. It’s pushed me to think harder about systems, power, relationships and long-term change and I’m still learning every single day.

Here are some things I have learnt along the way.

Trusted Relationships Are the Foundation

I know – this sounds obvious. But I cannot overstate how true it is.

The work really does travel at the speed of trust.

When relationships are rushed or purely transactional, progress becomes surface-level. Conversations stay safe. Organisations retreat into their own priorities. The system stays fragmented.

Where trust exists, everything changes.

Trusted relationships allow honest conversations about what is and isn’t working. They help people step out of silos and take shared ownership rather than delivering in parallel.

Strategically, I see trust as the core infrastructure of change. If we are serious about shifting inequalities and inactivity, we cannot shortcut relationship-building. It might not always look like “action”, but it’s what makes meaningful action possible.

Without trust, the work stagnates. With it, momentum builds.

Building a Culture of Learning & Evaluation

This has been one of my biggest personal learning curves – and one I’ve genuinely enjoyed.

In the past, learning and evaluation felt separate to delivery. Now I see that in complex place-based work – where change is rarely linear – embedded learning is essential.

With support from colleagues and Sport England’s National Evaluation Learning Partner (NELP) for place, I’ve learnt how important it is to build reflection into the work at the beginning and throughout the journey – not add it on at the end.

It’s changed how I think about:

Understanding what’s shifting in a place
Combining data with lived experience
Adapting in real time
Evidencing contribution to long-term change

What’s become even clearer is that learning has to be inclusive.

How do we involve communities and partners across all levels in shaping insight? How do we share learning in ways that feel accessible and useful? How do we tell the story of our impact?

In a tough funding climate, articulating impact matters more than ever. But beyond funding, shared learning builds transparency, confidence and collective ownership across the system.

Equal Voice and Leadership Is Key

Building on trust, I’ve learnt how vital it is to create spaces where everyone genuinely feels their voice carries equal weight.

Place-based work brings together residents, community leaders, grassroots organisations, commissioners and senior leaders. That mix is powerful – but only if hierarchy doesn’t dominate the room.

Our work in Podsmead and Cinderford highlighted something powerful: people described sitting next to someone “high up” in the system and feeling like their input mattered just as much.

That takes intention. It requires thoughtful facilitation and an awareness of how we show up in formal roles.

The more I reflect on this, the more I see place-based working as systems leadership in practice. Leadership here isn’t about position – it’s about creating the conditions for others to lead too.

If we want sustainable change, leadership has to be shared.

Working With & Alongside Residents and Communities

True place-based working is working with and by communities – not working to them.

It’s about co-creation, not consultation.

If I’m honest, this is an area we continue to reflect on. While we’ve built strong relationships with organisations embedded in communities, direct resident engagement hasn’t always been easy. There’s more to do.

We need to keep asking:

Are we creating the right conditions for residents to shape decisions?
Are we supporting local changemakers?
Do people understand that place-based working is about power and shared ownership – not just geography?

Our investment in community connectors is helping us strengthen grassroot relationships and reach those experiencing the greatest inequalities.

Strategically, this matters because change cannot happen without communities at the centre. If we don’t intentionally share power, we risk reinforcing the very inequalities we’re trying to address.

Working Together – Joining the Dots

Place-based working means zooming in on a community – and zooming out to the wider system.

It’s about understanding how inactivity and inequality connect to health, planning, transport, education and beyond.

This way of working is still new for many. Under pressure, it’s easy to slip back into silos. I’ve seen it – and definitely done it myself at times in the past.

So, the question becomes: how do we make collaboration the default?

How do we align priorities, reduce duplication and keep the long-term vision in sight?

If we are serious about tackling inequalities, a whole-system lens isn’t optional – it’s essential.

And Finally… showing the wider value of physical activity

Physical activity doesn’t sit in isolation.

It connects to prevention and public health. It supports mental wellbeing. It strengthens community cohesion. It contributes to economic resilience and placemaking.

The more we position physical activity as a cross-cutting enabler – something that helps multiple sectors achieve their goals – the stronger and more sustainable our impact becomes.

By working together, across sectors and alongside communities, we can create long-lasting change across Gloucestershire.

Still Learning

If I’m honest, I still feel relatively new to this.

Place-based working is complex. It requires patience in systems that often want quick results. It requires humility, curiosity and a willingness to sit with ambiguity.

But nearly two years in, I’m more convinced than ever that this way of working – rooted in trust, shared leadership, learning and collaboration – offers a credible route to long-term change.

So, for now, as our Active Gloucestershire colleague, Matt, often reminds us, we should always keep our L plates on – so I’m keepiong mine on for now!

And I’m excited to keep learning what’s possible when we truly work in place, together.