About Us - The Fabric

About Fabric

Fabric helps people strengthen their communities. Every day, people across the UK are doing things that matter. They are setting up groups, supporting neighbours, creating projects, and bringing people together around shared needs, interests, and places. Much of this work happens quietly and with very little support. Fabric exists to change that. We are a community development organisation using innovation and ethical technology to help people turn ideas for social good into sustainable action.

Built for people doing the work

Community action doesn't always start with a charity or a formal organisation. It often starts with one person, a small group, or a local idea. But the systems around funding, governance, and growth are rarely designed with this reality in mind. Fabric is built for people who are time-poor, under-resourced, and deeply connected to their communities. Our tools are practical, accessible, and shaped around how community work actually happens.

Using innovation with care

We use technology to remove barriers, not create them. Fabric combines community development practice with ethical, transparent AI to make complex tasks simpler. This includes things like planning, funding applications, governance basics, and understanding what is happening locally. Innovation helps us scale support and share knowledge, but people stay in control. Technology supports human judgement, local leadership, and lived experience, it never replaces them.

Strengthening connection, not competition

Strong communities are built through connection. Fabric helps people see what already exists in their area or around shared themes, learn from others, and work together more easily. Our platforms and networks are designed to encourage collaboration, trust, and shared learning rather than competition for attention or resources.

What we stand for

At the heart of Fabric is a belief that community life matters. We care about belonging, trust, and everyday acts of connection. We believe small, local actions can have lasting impact when supported by the right infrastructure. And we believe innovation should serve communities, not the other way around. Fabric is here to make community action easier to start, fairer to sustain, and stronger over time.

Meet The Team

Jessie

Founder & Community Leader

Jessie Joe Jacobs is a writer, award winning social entrepreneur, and community leader with nearly two decades of experience in charity and community leadership. She has founded, built, and run charities, networks, and social enterprises, supporting organisations to strengthen governance, grow their impact, and navigate complex social and political landscapes. Her work is rooted in practical delivery, strategic leadership, and a deep belief in the power of collective action.

Jessie played a key role in setting up the UK Democracy Network, bringing together civil society organisations, campaigners, academics, and practitioners to strengthen UK democracy. As part of this work, she supported the development of an AI and Democracy Network in partnership with the University of Southampton, examining AI governance, accountability, and democratic oversight. Since then, she has continued to explore ethical AI and its potential to strengthen community action, civic participation, and social impact, with a focus on transparency, fairness, and public voice.

Outside of her professional work, Jessie is an adrenaline seeker at heart. She loves the energy of starting something new, whether that is building an organisation from scratch, surfing in wild seas, or gliding down a mountain. This blend of curiosity, courage, and commitment runs through everything she does.

Anna-Joy

Community Developer

Anna-Joy loves making places feel like home - post-Covid she co-led the shift of a street WhatsApp group to vibrant street parties, connecting hundreds of neighbours each year, and is currently working with small businesses and community groups to re-energise her local high street in East London.

At Fabric, she brings twenty years' experience in international development programme management and national-level government advisory on strategy and delivery, applying it to practical, place-based change. Her background in local government and politics as a local councillor for eight years helps bridge international experience with local action. She is a qualified leadership coach & holds an MSc in international project management.

Marc

Software Engineer & Transformational Coach

Marc Richards is a software engineer, transformational coach, and mentor with nearly a decade of experience building production systems at scale. As a Software Engineer III at one of the world's leading technology organisations, he delivered robust solutions used by millions.

Beyond his engineering career, Marc is the founder of Glade Tech, an MVP development service that helps entrepreneurs and organisations turn ideas into working products. He has built applications including GhostwriterOS and ReinVent, combining technical expertise with a deep understanding of user needs and human behaviour.

Marc is also a published author and accredited transformational coach (MOE Foundation, BACP counselling skills, NCFE men's mental health specialist). He works extensively with men and boys, including mentoring teenage boys through a nationwide charity, facilitating fire circles, and supporting rites of passage events for young men. His approach blends practical support with deep emotional insight, helping people navigate life transitions, build confidence, and step into their potential.

With a BSc in Music & Audio Technology from Bournemouth University, Marc also creates binaural beats and therapeutic audio content, exploring the intersection of sound, technology, and wellbeing. Whether writing code, facilitating sessions, or mentoring young people, Marc brings curiosity, courage, and a commitment to helping others build lives that work.