York Community Wealth Building Podcast

#14: Violet Cannon

Violet Cannon [https://www.linkedin.com/in/violet-mp-cannon-8b8a8837/] is the CEO of York Travellers Trust, [https://www.ytt.org.uk/] and Founding Director of Proud Gypsy Traveller CIC [https://www.proudgypsytraveller.co.uk/]. Drawing on lived experience and strong connections across Gypsy and Traveller communities, Violet has spent her career championing inclusion, cultural understanding, and representation.  She has led and contributed to numerous Yorkshire-based initiatives, including youth media projects, research and consultancy for local authorities, and nationally recognised creative work shown at the Tate Modern.  Violet is an author, a trained intercultural mediator, and experienced facilitator, and is also a fellow Fieldwork [http://wearefieldwork.org] member.  Fieldwork is the collective bringing you this podcast. In this episode we explore the importance of narrative in shaping how people perceive communities. We talk about the barriers faced by marginalised groups like Gypsies and Travellers, which are only worsened by the lack of recognition that Gypsies and Travellers are an ethnic minority within Britain. We talk about hopes for the future, what every day people can do to contribute to community wealth building, and Violet reminds us why it’s best to start small with acts of kindness and camaraderie.  I hope you enjoy this conversion with Violet Cannon [https://www.linkedin.com/in/violet-mp-cannon-8b8a8837/]. I’m Ben Porter, [https://www.linkedin.com/in/benporteryork/] and this is the York Community Wealth Building Podcast brought to you by Fieldwork [http://wearefieldwork.org].  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wearefieldwork.substack.com [https://wearefieldwork.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

#13: Dr Graham Gill

Dr Graham Gill [https://www.linkedin.com/in/graham-gill-0a9517137/] is a Policy Fellow at the University of York, with a PhD in Sociology and a passion for sustainable cities. His research focuses on urban sustainability, unequal economies and social exclusion.  He is currently working alongside the Climate Change Team at City of York Council, with a mission to help shape the city's climate adaptation strategy and, most importantly, to make sure the people and organisations across York are engaged and ready for the transition. In this episode we spend some time talking about how no city is actually sustainable, and how they all create structural inequality through the way they are incentivising growth.  We discuss why it is that when cities spin narratives, such as becoming a green city, a city of culture, a city of heritage, it’s not just because we value those things in and of themselves, but usually it’s because we’re using those badges as marketing to try and attract capital and wealthy individuals to move here to boost our economy.  We talk about how businesses can create more meaningful jobs for their employees, and we have a brief stop comparing Neoliberalism to Managerialism and I ask whether a return to managerialism would actually be a good thing. Graham brings years of research in this area to our conversation around community wealth building, so it was an honour to have him on the podcast.  I hope you enjoy listening to the episode, I’m Ben Porter [https://www.linkedin.com/in/benporteryork/] and this is the York Community Wealth Building Podcast, brought to you by Fieldwork [http://wearefieldwork.org].  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wearefieldwork.substack.com [https://wearefieldwork.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

#12: Stephen Hunt

For anyone wanting to understand more about how community wealth building works, this podcast is for you. Stephen Hunt [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stedhunt/] is a York-based consultant and advisor working on inclusive economies, specialising in poverty and economic development.  His work sits between designing initiatives that support more inclusive economic systems, helping institutions deliver sustainable change, and using evidence and learning to shape what happens next — with much of his work centred around entrepreneurship. He has supported work in more than 30 countries, focusing on education, entrepreneurship, market systems development, and business environment reform — working across public, private, and civil society contexts to improve how things actually work in practice.  In this episode, we start off by getting a better understanding of Stephen’s work and how it functions in developing economies, before bringing the conversation back to York and discussing how the principles of building inclusive economies abroad are just as important to implement here. We talk about why the UK is looking to community wealth building in 2026, with Scotland leading the way. We outline what the 5 pillars of community wealth building are, how we can use them to shape discussion and policy, but mostly importantly why community wealth building initiatives have to work with markets to become sustainable.  Stephen is incredibly passionate about this area and has a grounded understanding of what it will take for the community wealth building movement to succeed in the UK. Hosted by Ben Porter [https://www.linkedin.com/in/benporteryork/], this is season two of the York Community Wealth Building Podcast brought to you by Fieldwork [https://wearefieldwork.org/].  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wearefieldwork.substack.com [https://wearefieldwork.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

#11: Tom McKenzie

Tom McKenzie is co-director of SPARK:YORK [https://www.sparkyork.org/], a project that transformed a former derelict site on Piccadilly into a hub for independent trade. In the context of community wealth building, SPARK represents a shift away from traditional, high-rent commercial models and toward a system that keeps profit and opportunity within the local area.  In this episode we discuss the realities of running a social enterprise in York, balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders, the difficulty of measuring social value, and why and how SPARK has always had community support baked into its model. This is the York Community Wealth Building Podcast [https://wearefieldwork.substack.com/], hosted by Ben Porter [https://www.linkedin.com/in/benporteryork/], brought to you by Fieldwork [https://wearefieldwork.org/]. Funded by York & North Yorkshire Combined Authority. [https://yorknorthyorks-ca.gov.uk/project/community-wealth-building-programme/] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wearefieldwork.substack.com [https://wearefieldwork.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

#10: Rob Ainsworth

Rob Ainsworth [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-ainsworth-0477a213a/] is Founder and Director of Yahala Mataam [https://www.yahalarestaurant.co.uk/] CIC, York’s refugee led event caterer, pop-up restaurant and cookery school. Yahala Mataam means welcome restaurant in Arabic, and it’s their mission to give opportunity, build confidence and restore dignity in the lives of refugees and asylum seekers through food projects. Rob is a social entrepreneur who loves to think up new ideas that will make a difference in society, and an encourager that is passionate about justice, giving and fairness. In this episode we talk about the value of allowing people to contribute to society, and the change it makes in people when they feel useful and able to give.  We discuss the reality of running a social enterprise when all the staff are part time, business support doesn’t quite seem to fit your model, and even finding a bank that would take on a social enterprise seems to prove tricky. We talk a lot about relationships, assets, challenges and social infrastructure, as well as the importance of festivals in bringing together diverse groups of people to celebrate what residents can offer to others around them. This is the York Community Wealth Building Podcast, hosted by Ben Porter [https://www.linkedin.com/in/benporteryork/], brought to you by Fieldwork [http://wearefieldwork.org]. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wearefieldwork.substack.com [https://wearefieldwork.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]