At the end of September, we brought together friends, colleagues, partners and supporters to celebrate a very special milestone: 15 years of PLACED!
It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces, catch up with people who have been part of our journey, share memories and raise a glass to everything we've achieved together. Over the past 15 years, PLACED has grown and evolved, but our commitment to creating better places through meaningful engagement, collaboration and opportunities for young people has remained at the heart of everything we do.
From ambitious projects and community engagement programmes to educational workshops, events and PLACED Academy, we've had the privilege of working with thousands of people across our region and beyond.
Speaking at the celebration, PLACED Director Jo Harrop reflected on some of the projects, people and moments that have shaped the organisation.
"I don't think 15 years is something I expected. But it's important to celebrate all that we've done together."
Jo shared memories of some of PLACED's most ambitious projects, including Hidden Liverpool, a year-long, city-wide programme, and the creation of Ed's Place and later BirkenEd's Place, our urban rooms that opened up conversations with thousands of people about the places they live. She also reflected on the decision to buy Ed, our campervan, to take conversations directly into communities and demonstrate why people's voices should be central to shaping places.
What began as a determination to challenge the idea that professionals already knew what communities wanted has grown into 15 years of projects demonstrating the value of meaningful engagement.
This commitment to giving people a voice has also shaped our work with young people, which has always been central to PLACED's approach. Over the years, we've delivered tens of thousands of days of activity for young people across the region, from school workshops and holiday programmes to the continued growth of PLACED Academy.
This year's PLACED Academy has welcomed our biggest cohort yet, reflecting both the demand for accessible opportunities and our ongoing commitment to helping young people explore, understand and influence the built environment. Alongside these programmes, bringing people together has remained an important part of what we do, whether through community engagement, learning sessions, networking events or our conference last year. Each has created opportunities to share ideas, build relationships and learn from one another.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without the incredible people who have supported PLACED along the way. Our 15th birthday was as much a celebration of those relationships as it was of the organisation itself.
"Thank you to everyone who has been a part of our journey this far. To all those who volunteer, partner with us, commission us or sponsor our work. We couldn't do it without your support."
As we celebrate this milestone, we're also looking ahead to what's next. There's still so much to do to make the places we live more inclusive, accessible and shaped by the people who use them. We're excited to keep challenging conventional approaches, creating opportunities for young people and bringing communities together to influence the future of their places.
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for the celebration, and to everyone who has been part of PLACED's journey over the last 15 years.
Here's to everything we've achieved together, and everything still to come. Happy 15th birthday, PLACED!