CIC

Our CIC develops projects that strengthen the relationship between community, culture and nature.

It provides a platform for collaborative initiatives that explore new ways of caring for landscapes, places and shared cultural heritage.

Focus areas

Nature

Work related to water, food, biodiversity and resilience.

Community

Spaces and initiatives that support everyday community life.

Culture

Projects that explore the identity and genius loci of places.

Land

Community-led restoration and stewardship of local environments.

Stewardship

Shan Oakes

Director

Shan works across education, community development and international collaboration.

Her experience includes senior roles in local government and over two years working in Uganda with ActionAid and the Forum of Education NGOs.

She brings a strong commitment to inclusive practice and amplifying voices that are often overlooked.

Bill Rigby

Director

Bill brings a background in education, public service and civic leadership.

He has held senior roles across local government and development policy, and is a former Mayor of Knaresborough.

His work is grounded in stewardship, community and long-term civic responsibility.

George Eglese

Director

George is a designer and place strategist working at the intersection of culture, landscape and identity.

His work spans physical, digital and narrative layers to shape meaningful relationships between people and place.

He brings a creative and systems-led approach rooted in ecology, culture and belonging.

Background

Fontis builds on over a decade of work led by Shan Oakes and Bill Rigby through Voice International, focused on education, community development and international collaboration.

In 2025, this work came together with the development of Fontis Studio, led by George Eglese, forming a shared framework that brings creative practice and community delivery into closer alignment.

Today, Fontis operates as a unified approach with two complementary strands:
a creative studio and a community platform, working together to develop and realise projects for public good.

Harrogate Cure

Exploring how the town’s landscape, water systems and identity might evolve for the 21st century. Through research and place-based programmes, the framework reconnects Harrogate with its ecological and cultural foundations.

Visit Harrogate Cure

Fairfax Corner

Maintaining the tradition of the corner shop through an end-of-terrace that combines independent retail with slower forms of hospitality. It explores how neighbourhood spaces can continue to support everyday community life.

Visit Fairfax Corner

Buttercup

Providing a civic room where people can meet, share ideas and exchange knowledge in an informal setting. Upstairs, a set of small flexible rooms supports creative work, gatherings and future uses as the initiative evolves.

Explore Buttercup