Shaping Places

In this episode, Dave Erasmus and Matt Mason speak with Daze Aghaji - activist, storyteller, and Impact Champion at The Conduit, whose work spans climate justice, community healing, and regenerative culture.  Daze reflects on how her formative experiences in Tottenham and at a state boarding school in Skegness shaped her understanding of place, identity, and the deep links between environmental and social justice. They explore Daze’s political awakening as a teenager in North London, when chronic health issues led her to confront the environmental inequalities affecting her community - from air pollution and waste incineration to the broader impacts of poverty and neglected infrastructure.  Along the way, Daze discusses how nature became a refuge during moments of displacement, and why caring for the environment cannot be separated from caring for the people who live within it. Together, they reflect on the role of lived experience in shaping activism, the importance of community resilience, and how storytelling can help people reconnect with both their environments and each other. To follow Daze’s work in impact and environmental regeneration: https://www.instagram.com/dazeaghaji

In this episode, Dave and Matt speak with Afsheen Rashid, CEO of Repowering London and a leader in the UK's community energy movement. Afsheen shares how her early experiences in India and Saudi Arabia shaped her commitment to social justice, sustainability, and community-led solutions. They explore the journey of Brixton Energy Solar, the UK’s first community-owned solar power station on a social housing estate, and how it became a blueprint for empowering residents to take control of local energy. Along the way, Afsheen discusses the challenges of engaging communities, creating equitable governance, and making clean energy tangible and accessible to all. Together, they reflect on the ripple effects of community energy projects - how local investment and collective ownership strengthen neighbourhoods, foster skills and volunteering, and give people agency over the places they live.  To find out more about the great work happening at Repowering London, visit: https://www.repowering.org.uk/ And visit https://brixtonenergy.co.uk/ to find out more about Afsheen’s work with Brixton Energy Solar.

In this episode, Dave and Matt meet Sal Chebbah - known locally as the Mushroom Queen of Lancaster West Estate in West London. In the shadow of Grenfell Tower, Sal has turned gardening and mushroom growing into tools for healing and connection. Her journey takes us from her childhood in Lyon, surrounded by greenery and art, to her corporate career in London - and ultimately to founding Elysian Roots, an educational mushrooming initiative that’s helping communities reconnect with food, nature, and each other. Together, they talk about how mushrooms became a metaphor for resilience, the role of nature in recovery, and how urban greening can transform not just landscapes but lives. Sal also shares her vision for a future where every school grows food - and every city reconnects with the natural world around it. To find out more about Sal’s work, visit: https://sals.world/ And to discover more about Elysian Roots, visit: https://elysianroots.com/ 

In this episode, Dave and Matt meet Eric and Catrine, the father-and-daughter team behind Sussex Underwater, a community initiative dedicated to restoring kelp forests and marine life along the Sussex coast. They explore the journey of this project - from witnessing decades of ecological damage caused by trawling, to campaigning for a trawling ban, and supporting the natural recovery of one of the UK’s most important coastal ecosystems. Along the way, Eric shares memories of first exploring the sea as an 11-year-old, experiences that helped spark a lifelong connection to marine life. Together, they discuss the importance of community engagement in protecting the marine environment, the challenges of restoring complex ecosystems, and how local action can make a lasting impact.  Discover more about Sussex Underwater Social at https://sussexunderwater.uk/  For more information on Eric and Catrine’s work, see https://sussexkelp.org.uk/ 

In this episode, Dave and Matt meet Sammy Leslie, custodian of Castle Leslie Estate in County Monaghan, Ireland - a place where history, heritage and hospitality intertwine. For over three decades, Sammy has led the restoration of the 1,000-acre estate, transforming it from near ruin into a thriving rural business rooted in sustainability and community. They explore Sammy’s journey from growing up surrounded by generations of family stories to taking on the challenge of keeping a historic estate relevant in the modern world. From rewilding and regenerative farming to local employment and tourism, she shares how the estate has become a living ecosystem that sustains both people and place. Together, they discuss the balance between preservation and progress, the importance of storytelling in shaping identity, and how caring for land can reconnect us with our past while building a more sustainable future.

Bex Trevalyan is a social entrepreneur and co-founder of Library of Things — a UK-wide network that lets people borrow useful items instead of buying them — and Platform Places, a movement unlocking empty high-street buildings for community use. In this episode, Bex joins Dave Erasmus to discuss how sharing can build stronger, more connected communities — and why the future of place might lie in collaboration rather than consumption. From her childhood love of mud pies in rural Lancashire to reshaping London’s high streets, Bex reflects on how our relationship with stuff, space and one another can transform the places we live. Together, they explore what happens when local people are given the tools to create change, and how small, shared acts can spark wider social impact. Discover more about Platform Places at https://www.platformplaces.com/ Discover more about Library of Things at https://www.libraryofthings.co.uk/ 

Rosanna Vitiello is an urban strategist, cultural researcher and co-founder of The Place Bureau — a research, strategy and design studio connecting people with the stories of their environments. In this episode, she joins Dave and Matt to explore what really makes a place — and how cities speak to us if we learn to listen. From the chaotic charm of Naples to the breezy theatricality of Bournemouth, Rosanna traces how the sea, the street and the smell of coffee (and even rubbish) can reveal the soul of a city. She discusses her work helping communities shape the future of their environments, why places are more than just buildings, and how understanding the “lexicon” of a city can unlock its shared identity. Discover more about Rosanna’s work at theplacebureau.com Join the conversation on her Substack: theplacebureau.substack.com Get involved in defining and designing places for tomorrow: https://www.theplacebureau.com/toolkit 

In this first episode of Shaping Places, Dave Erasmus and Matt Mason meet Sean McCormack — the vet-turned-conservationist helping to rewild London. As founder of the Ealing Wildlife Group, he’s leading efforts to bring beavers back to the capital for the first time in 400 years, and showing how the places that shaped him now shape his work. A self-confessed nature nerd and qualified vet, Sean shares his journey from treating animals in clinical settings to rewilding entire communities. What began as burnout from veterinary practice became a mission to reconnect people with nature on their doorstep — from reintroducing the UK’s smallest native rodent, the harvest mouse, to leading a thriving 8,000-strong community of wildlife enthusiasts. Together, Dave, Matt, and Sean explore what it means to reshape our relationship with nature in the city, how local action can spark national change, and why storytelling might just be one of the most powerful conservation tools we have. To discover more about Sean and the good work of the Ealing Wildlife Group, visit https://drseanmccormack.com, https://ealingwildlifegroup.com/ and https://theealingbeaverproject.com/ or check out his social media https://www.instagram.com/thatvetsean.