Meet the curator helping artists to thrive in London | Ep5 | The Purpose Pioneers

What happens when artists can no longer afford to live and work in the cities they help shape?In the fifth episode of The Purpose Pioneers, the new podcast series from Positive News, we meet Eline van der Vlist, CEO of SPACE, the UK’s first social enterprise dedicated to providing affordable studio space for artists.Founded in London in 1968 by artists Bridget Riley and Peter Sedgley, SPACE was created in response to a growing need for accessible creative space. Today, it supports more than 900 artists across 21 sites in London and Colchester, offering studios where they can develop their work and sustain their practice.In this conversation with Positive News’ Sarah LaBrecque, Eline shares her unconventional journey from law into the arts, having worked across Amsterdam, London and New York before retraining as a curator and leading projects across Europe and the Middle East. She reflects on three defining moments that shaped her sense of purpose and led her to head one of the UK’s most influential arts organisations.Together, they explore the structural challenges facing artists in urban centres, where creative communities often drive regeneration only to be priced out of the very places they helped transform. Eline explains how SPACE intervenes in this cycle by acquiring and managing buildings to provide long-term, affordable studios in central locations.She discusses the wider value artists bring, not only through their contribution to the economy, but in shaping the cultural identity that makes cities vibrant and globally relevant. The episode also looks at how SPACE combines property, social enterprise and cultural programming, from leasing studios at below-market rates to curating exhibitions that give emerging artists visibility and opportunity.More broadly, the conversation explores what it takes to sustain creative ecosystems in an era of rising costs, and how purpose-driven organisations can protect the people and practices that define a city’s cultural life.--The Purpose Pioneers is a new podcast series from Positive News about the journey of turning ideals into action. Producer: Simon Elliott, CrowdfindervideoHost and story editor: Sarah LaBrecqueSeries editor: Tom PattinsonProduction lead: Pauline MilliganExecutive producer: Sean WoodThe Purpose Pioneers is sponsored by Triodos Bank, a bank for people and organisations who want to create positive impact.

What if banks could actively make the world better – for people, communities and the planet – without sacrificing financial sustainability?  In the fourth episode of The Purpose Pioneers, a new podcast series from Positive News, we meet Mark Clayton, CEO of Triodos Bank UK, an ethical bank dedicated to funding positive social, environmental and cultural change.  Triodos is not just a bank, it is a purpose-driven organisation aiming to “finance change and change finance,” proving that profit and ethics can coexist. From supporting renewable energy projects to funding organic food, community housing and nature-based solutions, Triodos shows that banking can create practical impact while respecting long-term environmental and social goals.  In conversation with Positive News’ Sarah LaBrecque, Mark reflects on three defining moments that shaped his commitment to ethical finance: his early career in mainstream banking, leading a society-focused financial education programme at HSBC, and his shift into roles at Unity Trust Bank and later Triodos. These experiences helped him move from frustration with short-termism to a vision for a bank where profit serves people and planet alike.  Mark shares the challenges and rewards of leading an ethical bank, from navigating climate challenges and political uncertainty to witnessing real-world impact. He talks about moments of joy, such as a child smiling for the first time thanks to a Triodos-supported project, and walking on land restored to meadow through nature-based investments.  The episode explores what it takes to run a values-led business in a complex, high-stakes sector, and how purpose-driven organisations can make financial, social and environmental outcomes mutually reinforcing. Mark also reflects on his personal motivation: ensuring the next generation inherits a world where ethical banking is the norm, not the exception.  --  The Purpose Pioneers is a new podcast series from Positive News about the journey of turning ideals into action. Producer: Simon Elliott, Crowdfindervideo Host and story editor: Sarah LaBrecque Series editor: Tom Pattinson Production lead: Pauline Milligan Executive producer: Sean Wood  The Purpose Pioneers is sponsored by Triodos Bank, a bank for people and organisations who want to create positive impact.  --  #positivenews #purpose #leadership #sustainability #podcast#PurposePioneers #sustainablesolutions #solutionsjournalism

What if restoring nature also meant restoring communities, livelihoods and long-term economic resilience?In the third episode of The Purpose Pioneers, the new podcast series from Positive News, we meet Steve Micklewright, CEO of Trees for Life, one of the UK’s most ambitious nature restoration charities.Trees for Life works at scale to rewild the Scottish Highlands, regenerating the ancient Caledonian Forest and repairing ecosystems damaged by centuries of human activity. Under Steve’s leadership, the organisation shows that environmental regeneration, social impact and viable economic models do not have to compete. When designed well, they can reinforce one another.In this conversation with Positive News’ Sarah LaBrecque, Steve shares his personal journey into conservation, from a childhood shaped by time spent outdoors to leading international environmental campaigns, and ultimately choosing a hopeful, solutions-focused path through rewilding.Together, they explore three defining moments that shaped Steve’s sense of purpose, and how those experiences helped move his thinking beyond idealism and into practical, long-term action. Steve explains what rewilding really means, and why it is as much about re-peopling landscapes as restoring nature.He discusses how purpose-driven organisations can create jobs, support rural economies and strengthen communities, while enabling the return of keystone species such as beavers and wild cattle. These animals, he argues, work with natural processes to help repair damaged ecosystems.The episode also looks at how Trees for Life blends charitable funding, ethical finance and social enterprise to make large-scale impact financially sustainable. Steve reflects on moments of unexpected joy, from coming face to face with a wolf in the Italian Dolomites to witnessing beavers return to Glen Affric after an absence of 400 years, and shares his vision for a future Scotland where forests, wildlife and people exist in balance.--The Purpose Pioneers is a podcast series from Positive News about the journey of turning ideals into action. Producer: Simon Elliott, CrowdfindervideoHost and story editor: Sarah LaBrecqueSeries editor: Tom PattinsonProduction lead: Pauline MilliganExecutive producer: Sean WoodThe Purpose Pioneers is sponsored by Triodos Bank, a bank for people and organisations who want to create positive impact.

What if you never had to wait for a bus again? And what if that bus was comfortable, reliable and powered by clean electricity?In the second episode of The Purpose Pioneers, the new podcast series from Positive News, we meet Keith Bradbury, co-founder of Ember, the UK’s first all-electric intercity bus company.Ember is not just a public transport operator. It was built to tackle a familiar frustration: unreliable buses that push people back into their cars. Keith and his co-founder set out to make sustainable travel so dependable and appealing that people would actively choose it.In this conversation with Positive News’ Sarah LaBrecque, Keith explains how Ember rebuilt the bus model from the ground up, from designing its own electric buses and charging hubs to developing in-house software and rethinking the passenger experience.Keith reflects on three defining moments that shaped his sense of purpose, including why he chose buses over more headline-grabbing climate technologies, and why visible, everyday impact mattered more than distant future promises. Launching an all-electric bus network during the COVID-19 pandemic brought unexpected challenges, but also space to focus on long-term thinking, operational resilience and values-led decision making.The episode explores what it takes to change complex systems, how purpose-driven businesses can stay grounded while embracing uncertainty, and the small human moments that make the work worthwhile, from loyal long-term passengers to gestures that reflect genuine public trust in the brand.The Purpose Pioneers is a new podcast series from Positive News about the journey of turning ideals into action. Producer: Simon Elliott, CrowdfindervideoHost and story editor: Sarah LaBrecqueSeries editor: Tom PattinsonProduction lead: Pauline MilliganExecutive producer: Sean WoodThe Purpose Pioneers is sponsored by Triodos Bank, a bank for people and organisations who want to create positive impact.

What if every child had the chance to move, play and thrive – no matter their ability? In the first episode of The Purpose Pioneers, the new podcast series from Positive News, we meet Stephanie Wheen, CEO and founder of Gympanzees – a groundbreaking organisation creating the UK’s first fully inclusive exercise and play centre for disabled children and young people.More than one in 10 children in the UK are disabled, yet most are still excluded from mainstream leisure centres, sports facilities and play spaces. Gympanzees exists to change that reality. Located near Bristol, the space is designed from the ground up for children with physical, sensory and intellectual disabilities, while also welcoming siblings, friends and carers.In this conversation with Positive News’ Sarah LaBrecque, Stephanie reflects on three defining moments in her journey – from growing up with a disabled brother, to the turning point where frustration transformed into action, and the joyful breakthrough that showed inclusive spaces can change lives.She talks through the practical steps that turned an idea into a viable, values-led organisation, alongside the challenges of building something new within existing systems and the rewards of seeing children gain independence and confidence through movement and play.The episode explores what it takes to turn purpose into action, and how thoughtful design, ethical finance and long-term thinking can help create spaces where everyone belongs.The Purpose Pioneers is a new podcast series from Positive News about the journey of turning ideals into action. Producer: Simon Elliott, CrowdfindervideoHost and story editor: Sarah LaBrecqueSeries editor: Tom PattinsonProduction lead: Pauline MilliganExecutive producer: Sean WoodThe Purpose Pioneers is sponsored by Triodos Bank.Subscribe to the Positive News email newsletter: www.positive.news/letter

The Purpose Pioneers is a new podcast series from Positive News about the journey of turning ideals into action.Across five insightful conversations, host Sarah LaBrecque meets people at the forefront of some of the UK’s most inspiring organisations – from the charity leader bringing the joy of play to thousands of excluded disabled children, to the founder who is making coach travel cool again. Exploring three defining moments in each guest’s story, the series uncovers the challenges and rewards of putting purpose into practice.

The final episode in our first series takes you to Zimbabwe to learn about a project that is beautifully simple, but whose impact is being felt far beyond Harare where it began.Seyi and Radha meet Professor Dixon Chibanda, a classically trained psychiatrist who, following the tragic death of a client by suicide, was inspired to take psychiatry out of the hospital and in to the community. There, a group of local grandmothers convinced him to set up the Friendship Bench project, where people receive counselling and advice from CBT-trained grandmothers, all while sitting on a park bench. A woman called Jenny Muzoma tells her own story of hardship, for which she’s been receiving counselling from Mrs Nhengo.Developing Mental Wealth is a six-part series about community-based solutions to mental health issues, in parts of the world where circumstances can be the most challenging. The series is funded by the European Journalism Centre, through the Solutions Journalism Accelerator. This fund is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.Series one is over for now, but subscribe to the Positive News email newsletter to continue your weekly fix of uplifting news about what’s going right: www.positive.news/letterProducer: Anna StaufenbergExecutive Producer: Samantha PsykMixing & sound design: Anna StaufenbergIf you’re affected by the issues covered in this episode, in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email [email protected]. For more information on The Friendship Bench, go to https://www.friendshipbenchzimbabwe.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Seyi and Radha take you to Lagos in Nigeria, where sharp increases in heat and flooding have put the city – the largest in Africa – on the frontline of the climate crisis. They discover the Zen Café, which has recently been set up to support those struggling with eco-anxiety, and hear how the project has created a space for concerned citizens to come together and make sense of what’s happening to the world around them.They meet Svetlana Chigozie Onye and Ayomide Olude from SustyVibes, the organisation which set up The Eco-anxiety in Africa Project (TEAP), and Ihuoma, a cafe attendee.Developing Mental Wealth is a six-part series about community-based solutions to mental health issues, in parts of the world where circumstances can be the most challenging. The series is funded by the European Journalism Centre, through the Solutions Journalism Accelerator. This fund is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.Subscribe to the Positive News email newsletter: www.positive.news/letterProducer: Anna StaufenbergExecutive Producer: Samantha PsykMixing & sound design: Anna StaufenbergIf you’re affected by the issues covered in this episode, in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email [email protected]. For more information on SustyVibes and The Ecoanxiety in Africa Project, go to https://www.teap.sustyvibes.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Radha and Seyi are taking you to Guatemala this week, a mountainous country in Central America where almost half of the population has Indigenous roots. They discover a project called Buena Semilla, which is using women’s circles to empower Indigenous groups and reconnect them with traditional Mayan concepts of wellbeing.They meet the founder, Anne Marie Chomat, and local project coordinator, Sadi Garcia. Sadi, who has Mayan K’iche’ origins, is one of the people who leads the circles, which reach more than 300 women across Guatemala every week.Developing Mental Wealth is a six-part series about community-based solutions to mental health issues, in parts of the world where circumstances can be the most challenging. The series is funded by the European Journalism Centre, through the Solutions Journalism Accelerator. This fund is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.Subscribe to the Positive News email newsletter: www.positive.news/letterProducer: Anna StaufenbergExecutive Producer: Samantha PsykMixing & sound design: Anna StaufenbergIf you’re affected by the issues covered in this episode, in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email [email protected]. For more information on Buena Semilla, go to buena-semilla.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Radha and Seyi are back on the African continent this week, in Johannesburg. They travel to South Africa’s biggest city to learn about a narrative therapy technique called the Tree of Life, which has been so successful it’s now used in more than 40 countries.They meet the creator of the Tree of Life approach, Ncazelo Ncube-Mlilo, who founded an organisation called Phola, and a woman whose life she changed forever, Winny Mangani.Developing Mental Wealth is a six-part series about community-based solutions to mental health issues, in parts of the world where circumstances can be the most challenging. The series is funded by the European Journalism Centre, through the Solutions Journalism Accelerator. This fund is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.Subscribe to the Positive News email newsletter: www.positive.news/letterProducer: Anna StaufenbergExecutive Producer: Samantha PsykMixing & sound design: Anna StaufenbergIf you’re affected by the issues covered in this episode, in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email [email protected]. For more information on Phola, go to www.phola.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.