Blog/News
11 August 2026
Welcome to The ForEm!
What makes Frome, Frome? Perhaps it is the independence. The markets. The community groups, noticeboards and conversations. The festivals, parades and carnival. The architecture. The people who organise things, campaign, make art. Or decide that if something needs doing, they might as well do it themselves. These are only some versions of Frome. On Saturday […]
28 July 2026
Funded PhD Opportunity: Exploring Civic Feelings and Emotional Governance in Place-Based Policy
How do emotions shape the places we live in? What role do feelings play in policymaking, public participation, and civic life? As governments increasingly seek to understand and respond to citizens’ emotional experiences, a new avenue of research is emerging around the relationship between emotion, governance, and place. We are pleased to announce a fully funded […]
26 June 2026
Osa/Dare
Daring to imagine alternatives: learning from Bologna and Emilia-Romagna In his short book The Red Tenda of Bologna, John Berger describes Bologna as “an improbable city”, one “you might walk through after you have died”. The title refers to the red linen seen hanging from the windows of municipal buildings. Berger writes about wanting to […]
10 June 2026
Rural Changemakers: Guest Blog
How do communities imagine and create more sustainable, healthy, and equitable futures? This question sits at the heart of the Civic Imaginaries research project. While much discussion about climate action and the ‘civic’ focuses on cities, rural communities are also developing innovative ways to respond to environmental and social challenges. In this guest blog, Sue […]
27 May 2026
We’re hiring!
We’re excited to announce a new opportunity for a Research Associate to join our team. The post will focus on Policy and Communities Knowledge Exchange at Grade 7 level, 0.6 FTE (21 hours per week) for 2 years. The full details are here. Why this role matters With the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local […]
2 November 2025
Call for Participants: Help Tell Frome’s Stories!
Are you a Frome resident with stories to share? Would you like to help create a community-led film or take part in an interview about Frome’s recent history? From November 2025 to June 2026, the Civic Imaginary Partnerships team will be living and/or working in Frome to explore how residents’ sense, feel and dream their […]
2 November 2025
Not Just Romans? Chester Storyhouse Futures Festival
The Civic Imaginaries team, in collaboration with the Storyhouse, Cheshire Archives and Local Studies, and the Chester One City Plan are hosting two exploratory events at the Storyhouse Futures Festival in November designed to help shape our research.
8 October 2025
Civic Imaginaries of Frome: Creative Collaboration Call
We are looking for a creative practitioner to work with us to creatively reflect our research experiences, data and findings in Frome and to produce a work that will provoke conversations, thinking and action. Please read the blog/call to find out more.
1 October 2025
Civic imaginaries of Frome
Between November 2025 and March 2026, the Civic Imaginary Partnerships team will be living and working in Frome. In this blog, the first of our Place-Study profiles, we outline some of the features that have shaped Frome’s contemporary civic identities and why the town is of interest to us.
14 April 2025
What are civic imaginaries?
In our first blog we introduce the concept of civic imaginaries and argue for its place in UK research and community practice.