Membership Nation: The cultural and economic case for civic revival — Jonny Gordon-Farleigh with Grace Crabtree
Editor Jonny discusses our programme of work on membership bodies — an initiative focused on understanding, defending, and rebuilding collective institutions as a foundation for democratic renewal. In this interview, he makes the case for “civic revival”, and explores what it would mean to rebuild Britain as a Membership Nation.
The Practice of Belonging — Daniele Palmer
Associational life in Britain may be in decline, but many forms of belonging still underpin civil society. Daniele Palmer shows how membership is something that is practised, and made, by its members
Timeline: Crowdsourcing the historical evolution of social and political club spaces
Membership associations in the 1800s created dedicated spaces to develop their identity, rituals, and community. We’ve mapped out some of these early club sites, from science to sport, and agriculture to politics, and we’re keen to hear from readers who might know of other spaces
Maybe It’s Fate: A 21st Century Social Club in Louisville, US — Charley Miller
How a member-owned art gallery and social club is supporting culture, connection, and collective life in Louisville, US
Excerpt: Protest and the politics of space and place, 1789-1848 — Katrina Navickas
How social movements – from radical working-class societies to trade unions, socialists, and Chartists – navigated public space in the ‘age of reform’
The Chartist Foundations of Social Clubs — Isabel Thomas
Tracing a complex prehistory of social club clubs, rooted partly in Britain’s first mass working-class political movement
Communities in Control? — Pride in Place
The national Pride in Place Programme (PiPP) aims to drive community-led regeneration by putting funding decisions in the hands of local people. So, is the UK government’s “flagship communities programme” on track to create lasting change? We've asked a range of contributors to reflect on the programme so far
ABCs of Communities Assets — Learning Partnerships
10 groups in an early stage of their community asset journey have joined our learning partnership programme to learn more about developing a business plan, choosing legal structures, raising investment, and more. Here we introduce some of the projects – from pubs to community hubs