Our latest work 

We know that picking people to work with is an important decision.  So, we thought it might be a good idea to share some of the things we have done, in order to help you decide if we are for you.

12th November 2020 - Dr Barber-Rowell, was one of a team from the Faith and Civil Societies Unit at Goldsmiths University of London, and William Temple Foundation (overseen by Prof Chris Baker) who conducted research on behalf of the APPG for Faith and Society mapping responses by FBOS and LAs to the Coronavirus Pandemic. This research took place following lockdown 1 of the pandemic and covered all four countries within the United Kingdom.  The report, launched at Parliament today, can be found here. Following the release of the report, it was subject to a Debate at Parliament on 11th Feb 2021. Link to the Hansard record of the debate is included here

​On the William Temple Foundation blog Matthew Barber-Rowell examines how the practice of mask-wearing might reveal precisely the sort of attitudes we need to shape society for the better over the coming years.

"...to wear a mask is to consider others, to express values which are rooted in relationship, and to recognise that we have a shared existence and responsibility for the common good..."

Read the full article here

​An interview with the Ideas Alliance about Spaces of Hope. Ideas Alliance use "collaborative and community-based approaches, building bridges between communities and organisations - between stories and strategy". On the 1st October Matthew spoke to them about Spaces of Hope.  
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          "‘Hope’ is something we have needed more than ever this year. With the nights drawing in, winter around the corner and the second wave of Covid-19 underway, we all need a little bit more hope to keep on going. That’s why we were excited to catch up with Matthew Barber-Rowell, the founder of Spaces of Hope... 

Read the rest of the interview here

June 2020 - Lockdown, Liminality and Local Leadership - A recent blog by Matthew for William Temple Foundation about the way local leadership shapes the emergence of spaces of hopeful possibilities, including 1) a brief study from work that has been ongoing for a long time in the Parish of St Andrew's Clubmoor, 2) data from last years Spaces of Hope gathering looking at leadership in a liminal age, 3) how we might move forward. Find the Blog Here 

Magnet Magazine Article in February 2020 Edition: Spaces of Hope has been featured in the February edition of Magnet Magazine, which focuses on the theme of 'Time: A season for everything'.  The article, written by Matthew, reflects on the development of Spaces of Hope in the North West from 2016 to 2019 and uses it as a catalyst for reflection on the subject of 'What is unseen is eternal'.  In the article Matthew discusses the Sermon on the Mount, which can be found in the Gospel of Matthew Chapter's 5-7 and considers the relevance of Jesus' radical approach, for us today.  To read the article and to get more information about Magnet Magazine, follow the link here

Social Responsibility Network (SRN) Annual Conference: In November 2019, the Diocese of Chester hosted the SRN Annual conference.  This conference attracted delegates from across the Church of England and the Church in Wales for a 3 day gathering.  The focus of the conference was 'Church on the High Street' and was interested in how the flows of people across places characterised by our changing economies, are understood and engaged with, by the Church.  Spaces of Hope  designed and delivered the substantive content of the day, providing an immersive 'field trip' to different sits across Stockport, which helped delegates to reflect on the theme of the conference.  This gathering helped those interested in social responsibility in their own contexts, to understand more about where the spaces of hope might be and how they might access them.

Curating Spaces of Hope: Exploring the Movement from Root to Fruit - 23rd October 2019.  This gathering will explore the last three and a half years of Spaces of Hope in Stockport, considering both the idea itself, through reflection on its progress, and its potential for development. This symposium will explore the curation of personal narrative, professional practice and research led innovation, as a means of drawing through the beliefs and values at the root of who we are, so that they produce good fruit through what we do. This gathering will begin by asking attendees to reflect on what Spaces of Hope means to them, before engaging with the Spaces of Hope dialogues, gatherings and networks that have formed, and finally engaging with critical questions that will shape the growth of the movement.

For the full write up of this event, go to the William Temple Foundation News Pages, here

Grassroot Movements and Partnerships of Hope ​- 16th October 2019 - Matthew will be joining a panel convened by the Faith and Civil Societies Unity at Goldsmiths College, university of London, to discuss the growth of Spaces of Hope in the Northwest, alongside interfaith projects from elsewhere in the country. This event is free to attend and you can register here

World Mental Health Day Service at Manchester Cathedral - 10th October 2019 - Matthew has helped to steer the development of this inaugural service, hosted by the Mental Health Chaplaincy in Greater Manchester.  Matthew will be sharing a story of hope as part of the service and helping to develop understanding of interfaith engagement with mental health and wellbeing.

Winning Hearts and Minds and Curators of Change - September 2018 to April 2020 A project run by Manchester City Council, Manchester health and Care Commissioning, The Manchester Primary Care Partnership and Greater Manchester Mental Health Foundation Trust.  For more on the 'Winning Hearts and Minds' project itself, click here.  Spaces of Hope has been utilised by consultant 'Curators of Change', to use our qualitative expertise to construct Grounded Theories for communities in North Manchester, in a way that is sensitive to cultural and religious nuance, power structures and spatiality, and can inform the development of new health based interventions.  You can read more about the project here as well as in the pilot project report (left)

The Inquiry into the Future of Civil Society in England - August 2018 - Spaces of Hope was included as a case study  of innovative ways of Bridge Building and Peace Brokering and by participation has helped to shape the outputs from the wider PACT analysis, looking at Power, Assets and Accountability, Collaboration and Connection, Transformation and Trust.  The full case study along with others in this stream of the study is forthcoming in Autumn 2019.

Stockport Spaces of Hope Hubs Network - Across 2018 - commissioned by Stockport Council in 2018.  Between 2016 and 2019, Spaces of Hope has grown in the Stockport through a movement engaging 167 people through 9 community gatherings and thousands more through a social media campaign, who have contributed to the co-design of Spaces of Hope itself and coproduced content for delivering healthier, more hopeful and connected communities.  The report for this work can be read in full, below:

Our first 30 Gatherings between October 2016 and January 2019 This is a Map of the gatherings that have taken place since the first Spaces of Hope public event in September 2016. This map provides details of the location of the events and the nature of the content and expression of each of the gatherings.  We have been excited to see the ideas of Spaces of Hope planted across the North West in 2016 and 2017, with links into Leeds and Birmingham by the end of 2018.  The combination of personal stories, beliefs and values informing how we work and how we relate to and connect with others is a powerful one.