In collaboration with PHASE at Manchester Metropolitan University and Manchester Age Friendly Neighbourhoods (MAFN) we recognised that many people in the seemingly busy, active community of Hulme, Manchester were unable to access or find out about relevant events happening near them, and had the sense that there was ‘nothing to do’ in their locality. This was despite massive investments of time and money by big institutions such as city councils and health providers into event listings, asset maps and community directories.

However, these solutions were often inefficient and missed out large swathes of activities and groups. They also resulted in duplication, or several low quality results rather than one really good one. Community groups were having to put in a lot of labour to share their events across numerous different sites, and this fact, coupled with often limited tech skills amongst both event organisers and those trying to find out about their events, meant that many community groups were under-publicised and missing opportunities to connect with new and enthusiastic participants.

PlaceCal solves these issues in three key ways:

1. It is run on a collective, not-for-profit ownership model, meaning everything is owned and managed by the institutions and community gtoups working together.
2. The software is built on existing tools, like google calendar, Outlook 365 and Facebook.
3. A training programme is offered which walks everyone involved through the process of publishing and updating their information. We’ve worked to ensure that no one is left behind, aiming to close the ‘digital divide’.

Placecal won the AAL Smart Ageing prize in 2018, and Nesta’s ‘Tech to connect’ prize in 2019.