On the first weekend of July, the sun was out and we were thrilled to witness Homestead Park become a hub of imagination, conversation, and community action. Hosted by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) and Wild Rumpus CIC, the Here is Hope festival truly was a magical event. YorSpace, alongside partners CIVIC SQUARE, YoCo and Threads in the Ground, took over one quadrant of the beautifully designed Sanctuary of the Hopeful Sun. Each space explored bold ideas around land, community, climate change and regenerative futures: asking not just what is, but what could be.
For the weekend, the YorSpace team became "The People's Property", estate agents, but not your typical kind. The question we kept asking was: "What would YOU do with York's empty and available spaces?" The answers were inspiring. Inspired by our bespoke newspaper - where turning the property pages upside down revealed fantastic community-led alternatives, already happening across the UK - Young creatives envisioned art studios in abandoned buildings. Families imagined community gardens in vacant lots. Everyone was thinking beyond the constraints of the current system.
It was a weekend of deep conversations. Local representatives, architects, community organisers, and creative young people alike offered perspectives and possibilities. But this wasn't just weekend activism. As we approach the completion of Phase 1 homes for Lowfield Green Housing Co-operative – our first community-led, low energy development – we're proving that alternative models actually work.
Our twelve-year journey has been anything but straightforward. Operating as volunteers until 2023, we've slowly built the foundations for genuine community ownership in York. This festival marked a crucial moment: gathering our growing community and to look beyond housing to the wider possibilities for community ownership.
None of this would have been possible without the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) and Wild Rumpus CIC. Their vision, organization, and commitment to creating spaces for transformative conversations made this weekend genuinely inspiring. We're deeply grateful for their partnership and the platform they provided. Thanks also to our own amazing festival team - James Neward, Polly Orton, Sophia Cheng - and all the friends and supporters who joined in the fun.
We're already planning our next steps. Watch for updates this autumn. This festival was just the beginning of what hopeful, regenerative futures can look like in our city. And we’re more than ready to open that conversation.