Tom French

Laying a path and finding companions for the journey ahead Observations and reflections from week three as Head of Innovation at SYMCA...

It's been a good week of listening, learning and building relationships... innovatingsymca.substack.com/p/laying-a-p...

There is an 'i' in team after all Observations and reflections from week two as Head of Innovation at SYMCA...

A summary of week 2...

iteam.substack.com/p/there-is-a...

The beginning Observations and reflections from week one as Head of Innovation at SYMCA...

iteam.substack.com/p/the-beginn...

Project directory | Notion A public directory of the work Data for Action did with a variety of partners between 2023 and 2026.

📂 As @tomcw.xyz and I bring @dataforaction.bsky.social to a close, we thought we'd try and find a place to archive the project work we've done over the past three years, as well as curate some of the different tools we've made along the way.

🔗 So, here it is: dataforaction.notion.site

👣 Change is afoot...

🔺 I am delighted to be taking up a new role at South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority at the end of this month.

😔 With sadness, this means that @tomcw.xyz and I will be winding down @dataforaction.bsky.social after 3 years of working and experimenting together.

How is your Sheffield neighbourhood organised? Made with Tally, the simplest way to create forms.

📍 So, we now know we have 147 neighbourhoods in Sheffield (see www.notion.so/dataforactio... for a potted history).

🤔 ...but how is each one of them organised and where are the 'anchors'?

⚡ You tell us: tally.so/r/wMlVXl ⚡

@dataforaction.bsky.social
@citizennetwork.bsky.social

After a decade of neglect, can Batemoor hope again? ‘This estate needs a lot of things, more flowers is not one of them’

“A lot of people round here have already given up.”

The estates of Batemoor and Jordanthorpe are to be given £20 million over the next decade to create “change that people can see on their doorstep”.

But is it enough to address the deep-seated problems of one of Sheffield’s most deprived areas?

South Yorkshire Neighbourhoods Data for Action and Citizen Network have been working together with citizens from across South Yorkshire to establish, map and promote the region’s neighbourhoods. Sign up to hear more about what p...

📣 We now have a new place for communicating about the neighbourhood work in Sheffield, but also across South Yorkshire more broadly too. So, if you want email updates every now and again...

actionnetwork.org/forms/south-...

@dataforaction.bsky.social
@citizennetwork.bsky.social

Neighbourhood Mapping Q&A · Luma This is a free online event for anyone who is interested in learning more about the work Data for Action and Citizen Network have been doing to map the…

📣 Roll up, roll up...
🗓️ 02/07/25
🕚 11am-12pm (UK time)
🔗 Sign up: lu.ma/cqgxggr1

@dataforaction.bsky.social
@citizennetwork.bsky.social

South Yorkshire Neighbourhoods Data for Action and Citizen Network have been working together with citizens from across South Yorkshire to establish, map and promote the region’s neighbourhoods. Sign up to hear more about what p...

📣 We now have a new place for communicating about the neighbourhood work in Sheffield, but also across South Yorkshire more broadly too. So, if you want email updates every now and again...

actionnetwork.org/forms/south-...

@dataforaction.bsky.social
@citizennetwork.bsky.social

⚡ All the latest Sheffield neighbourhood maps in one place ⚡

🔗 dataforaction.notion.site/mapping-shef...

@dataforaction.bsky.social
@citizennetwork.bsky.social

A paper map of the neighbourhoods in and around Manor Castle ward covered in post it notes highlighting positive things in the area.

A paper map of the neighbourhoods in and around Manor Castle ward covered in post it notes highlighting positive things in the area. People are stood around the edges.

A paper map of the neighbourhoods in and around Manor Castle ward before it got covered in post it notes.

A view from the Green Estate in Sheffield looking over the city. There are lots of flowers, plants and trees in the foreground.

🌿 I was lucky enough to be up at @thegreenestate.bsky.social today doing a spot of face to face neighbourhood mapping as part of a wider event bringing together community organisations from across the Manor Castle ward....

🌿 An experiment looking at #Sheffield neighbourhoods and access - or lack thereof - to a variety of managed green, recreational and wildlife sites as local assets. A starting point for #neighbourhood conversations.

🔗 Have a play: felt.com/map/Sheffiel...

⚠️ The Peak District isn't included!

Neighbourhoods and 'middle layer super output areas' (MSOAs) Some thoughts, overlaying and comparisons from Data for Action and Citizen Network's work in Sheffield.

dataforaction.substack.com/p/neighbourh...

@dataforaction.bsky.social
@citizennetwork.bsky.social

Neighbourhoods and 'middle layer super output areas' (MSOAs) Some thoughts, overlaying and comparisons from Data for Action and Citizen Network's work in Sheffield.

dataforaction.substack.com/p/neighbourh...

@dataforaction.bsky.social
@citizennetwork.bsky.social

⚡ Street art and sheltering from the zombie apocalypse. The latest citizen mapper in Sheffield, Liz Hnat, has been starting another neighbourhood conversation...

🔗 See more detail: felt.com/map/Meadowhe...

@dataforaction.bsky.social
@citizennetwork.bsky.social

Walkley and surrounds by JA (for sharing) – Felt The only cloud-native GIS platform.

⚡ Another citizen mapper representing their neighbourhood(s) in a way that makes sense to them 🙌

Thanks to John Armitage for this one.

@dataforaction.bsky.social
@citizennetwork.bsky.social

felt.com/map/Walkley-...

I had a go at mapping my own neighbourhood – and joined a project that may change how we see Sheffield for good A new initiative that asks each of us to describe our own surroundings hopes to make visible the opportunities and barriers that exist across our communities.

An exciting new project is asking citizens across #Sheffield to map out what they like and what they don't like about their neighbourhood.

@sammgreg.bsky.social had a go, and found out why @tomfrench.bsky.social believes it could radically transform how we see the city 📌

@dataforaction.bsky.social

I had a go at mapping my own neighbourhood – and joined a project that may change how we see Sheffield for good A new initiative that asks each of us to describe our own surroundings hopes to make visible the opportunities and barriers that exist across our communities.

Sam is one of the many citizen mappers @dataforaction.bsky.social are working with across South Yorkshire to experiment with ways of representing the region's neighbourhoods. He has very kindly written about his experience of doing it in Now Then Magazine! 👇🙂👇

nowthenmagazine.com/articles/i-h...

Sheffield Neighbourhoods: centre points and buffer zones – Felt The only cloud-native GIS platform.

Another Sheffield neighbourhood mapping experiment... felt.com/map/Sheffiel...

A map of Sheffield's neighbourhoods showing overlapping rectangles around each neighbourhood. The neighbourhood of Osgathorpe is highlighted.

map of Sheffield's neighbourhoods showing overlapping buffer zones around each neighbourhood. The neighbourhood of Little Sheffield is highlighted.

🤔 Exploring overlapping 'fuzzy boundaries' around Sheffield's neighbourhoods...

The blue map builds a rectangle around each neighbourhood using the its widest and tallest points: felt.com/map/Sheffiel...

The pink map adds a 300m 'buffer zone' around each neighbourhood: felt.com/map/Sheffiel...

Maps as conversations Exploring our citizen-led neighbourhood mapping at Data For Action

🗺️ We've been making maps recently at Data for Action. Quite a lot, actually.

📝 So, we've written a bit about it and how we see them as a starting point for conversations, rather than an end unto themselves...

dataforaction.substack.com/p/maps-as-co...

@tomcw.xyz
@dataforaction.bsky.social

Are you sure about that? I've spent all day in front of a compu... Oh, you are right after all. Looks incredible!

Is there a shared understanding of when or what circumstances one should consider their profile picture out-of-date? Asking for an ageing friend... 🫠

Notion – The all-in-one workspace for your notes, tasks, wikis, and databases. A new tool that blends your everyday work apps into one. It's the all-in-one workspace for you and your team

I've just rediscovered this work that @tomcwatson.bsky.social and I did a while back. It's about settling on a consistent language for describing data work in/around the voluntary sector and civil society, and how it's funded and supported. Any thoughts?

dataforaction.notion.site/Building-a-s...

Tom French and Tom Watson at Brimham Rocks.

Brimham Rocks.

Tom French and Tom Watson at Brimham Rocks.

Tom Watson at Brimham Rocks wearing a Data for Action t-shirt.

The @dataforaction.bsky.social office (and t-shirt) tour went to its latest venue today: Brimham Rocks. @tomcwatson.bsky.social and I had a most excellent walk and talk. I don't think I want to do inside meetings anymore, virtual or otherwise.

Energise Barnsley - Could this radical community energy project help end fuel poverty in Sheffield forever? "I want to be using renewable energy to save this planet so that my grandkids have somewhere nice to live"

This is amazing. More of this please, everyone (including me).

nowthenmagazine.com/articles/ene...

Data for Action principle: be positive, proactive and purposeful

After feeling a bit frustrated by a few different things yesterday and getting in a slightly negative mindset, here's my @dataforaction.bsky.social principle of the day in response.