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Scoping Inclusive Sustainability through Charnwood Eco Hub: Building community partnerships in Loughborough East

    Collaboratory 2026 Research Placement Project

    Collaborative Hands Uniting for Sustainable Business Practices Featuring Eco-Friendly Icons on Wooden Gears Representing Green Solutions and Innovations. Amity

    Key Details

    Project Title: Scoping Inclusive Sustainability Through Charnwood Eco Hub: Building community partnerships in Loughborough East

    Deadline:11:59pm Sunday 04 January 2026

    Host University: University of Loughborough

    Start date: Monday 20 April 2026 

    Funding offer: Tax-free bursary of £2,000 (paid in arrears).

    Working hours: Part-time (14 hrs per week). 

    Working style: Primarily in-person at host university. Flexible working supported. Working pattern to be agreed between successful candidate and lead supervisor.  

    Project Supervisors

    About The Project

    A new makerspace will open in October 2025 in Loughborough East, a Priority Neighbourhood recognised for high levels of deprivation. It will be located within the volunteer-run, grassroots organisation Charnwood Eco Hub, offering a unique opportunity for place-based research. Established in 2024, and supported by the council, Eco Hub combines a scrap store, gathering space, refill station, and a tool borrowing system — the ‘library of things.’ These services meet pressing needs in Loughborough, particularly since the town’s only zero-waste store closed in 2023.

     As a new hub reliant on volunteers, however, questions remain about who will use the makerspace, how, and whether it can engage the full diversity of local communities. Evidence from across the UK shows that repair spaces, tool sheds, and makerspaces often become dominated by cis white men unless inclusivity is intentionally prioritised. Studies have found that such environments can be intimidating for women, who report feeling their skills are judged more harshly.

    While makerspaces historically emerged from grassroots equality movements, they are often co-opted by more affluent groups, making them less accessible to people of colour and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. This raises important questions for Charnwood EcoHub at the point of launching its new space.

    This 10-week scoping study will explore how the Eco Hub makerspace can be developed into a genuinely inclusive community hub. The project will use a design research approach informed by Feminist Participatory Action Research (FPAR), which centres equity, care, and collaboration with communities. The candidate will work with Eco Hub, Equality Action, and local partners such as Fearon Hall and the Marios Tinenti Centre to: – Identify community needs, aspirations, and barriers to participation. – Map key stakeholders and existing points of engagement. – Pilot one small-scale workshop co-designed with community partners. The study will produce a visual report documenting needs and barriers, a stakeholder map, and recommendations for three potential initiatives, one of which will be tested in the pilot workshop. These outputs will guide Eco Hub’s strategic planning while also generating lessons for other grassroots sustainability initiatives across Leicestershire.

    Project Aims 

    This placement will scope the potential for inclusive community use of the newly opened EcoHub makerspace in Loughborough East.

    The work will:

    • Produce a stakeholder map and evidence base that will inform next steps for community-led initiatives at Eco Hub and Equality Action. The study will act as a test run for a prospective place-based PhD studentship in the future.
    • Identify needs, aspirations, and barriers to participation in Eco Hub’s activities among local residents, including working-class, minority ethnic, and migrant communities.
    • Map existing use and engagement across Eco Hub’s mixed services, with a focus on the makerspace, with attention to who is present, who is absent, and how exclusion may emerge along lines of class, ethnicity, and gender.
    • Co-design and test a pilot workshop that fulfils a community need and addresses at least one barrier to inclusive participation.

    What will the successful candidate be doing?

    The successful candidate will:

    • The successful candidate will carry out a short scoping study using Design Research methods and inspired by Feminist Participatory Action Research, a bottom-up methodology that centres inclusivity, equity, and care.
    • The candidate will begin with a short literature review on community hubs, inclusivity in makerspaces, and FPAR. They will then spend time on the ground at Eco Hub and Equality Action, as well as visiting local partners that are current and potential future partners of Eco Hub, such as the John Storer House and the Marios Tinenti Centre. Thereby, the candidate will gain place based understanding of the community and existing network of organisations.
    • Working with the supervisors’ networks, the candidate will design and distribute (physically and digitally) a short survey to capture barriers to participation and establish a baseline of community needs and attitudes. They will also carry out observations at community events and at the Eco Hub makerspace once it opens, documenting how the space is used and by whom.
    • In Week 7, the candidate will convene a meeting with community partners to shape a pilot workshop, testing one initiative to reduce barriers to engagement and fulfil identified community needs. Eco Hub will host the workshop in Week 10.

    Core Competencies 

    Category

    Competencies 

    Assessed:

    Application (A), Interview (I) 

    Comprehension and evaluation 

    Strong understanding of the project and its subject matter. 

    A / I 

    Analytical, researcher mindset with keen attention to detail. 

    A / I 

    Communicate complex concepts with clarity and precision. 

    A / I 

    Able to identify connections, patterns, gaps, and irregularities in information/data. 

    I

    Able to interpret data/information confidently with logic and empathy to derive meaning. 

    I

    Social and emotional

    Demonstrable experience of responding effectively to changing contexts, information and demands. 

    A

    Ability to persevere in the face of challenges/failures and to remain constructive in developing solutions. 

    A

    Demonstrable passion for learning with clear drive and curiosity to undertake this specific research project.

    A / I

    Strong desire to make a positive community impact through the research. 

    A / I 

    Willingness to think deeply about complex concepts and engage with academic ideas and theory. 

    A / I

    Preparedness and potential for success

    Experience of working, collaborating and communicating effectively with different stakeholders. 

    A 

    High level of self-motivation and ability to work with minimal guidance. 

    A / I 

    Strong organisational and time-management skills with the ability to balance and prioritise multiple tasks. 

    A / I 

    Able to identify the technical, personal, or professional skills required for a task and take action to develop these. 

    A / I 

    Community Context

    Appreciation/understanding of the importance of community insight and experience in the generation of new knowledge. 


    A / I 


    Awareness/understanding of the broader societal context related to the subject matter of the project. 

    A / I 

    Project-Specific Competencies 

    EssentialAssessed: 
    Application (A), Interview (I)     		Desirable Assessed: 
    Application (A), Interview (I) 
    Local knowledge and engagement: enthusiasm for community-engaged research and willingness to spend time in local
    community environments (e.g., EcoHub, Equality Action, other local centres).    		 A / I Facilitation skills: experience in facilitating workshops, trainings, or experience with public speaking, with awareness of the
    importance of inclusive practices to create a safe space.    		 A / I 
    Understanding and appreciation of inclusivity and environmental sustainability. A / I Ethical awareness: an understanding of participatory research ethics and a strong commitment to transparency and mutual
    benefit.    		 A / I 
    Cultural competence and empathy: respect for local values and traditions, with the ability to build trust and rapport across
    diverse communities.    		 A / I 
    Apply here

    References for Further Reading 

    1. Costanza-Chock, S. Design Justice: Community-Led Practices to Build the Worlds We Need; The MIT Press, 2020. Chapter 4. Available: https://direct.mit.edu/books/oa-monograph/4605/Design-JusticeCommunity-Led-Practices-to-Build-the 
    2. Bradley, K.; Persson, O. Community Repair in the Circular Economy – Fixing More than Stuff. Local Environment 2022, 27 (10–11), 1321–1337. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2022.2041580. 
    3. Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development. Feminist Participatory Action Research (FPAR). Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD). https://apwld.org/feminist-participatory-action-research-fpar/ (accessed 2025-09-08). 
    4. Shukla, N. The Good Immigrant; Unbound Publishing, 2016. Available: Leicester library. 
    5. Coulentianos, M., Cockbill, S., Mitchell, V. and Leary, J. (2022). Living Lab Toolkit. MECS working paper. https://mecs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Living-Lab-Toolkit.pdf