Bringing you news, events, updates and inspiration from REconomists across the UK.
We’re really keen to include your articles, ideas and information in our newsletters. If you would like to contribute to future editions or have ideas on things you’d like us to include please get in touch.
With Season’s Greetings from the UK REconomy team!
- Renewing REconomy
This October, the REconomy Project was invited by our friends at Renew Wales to their annual conference in Wrexham. Th
e packed agenda included the ground-breaking legislation Well-being of Future Generations Act, innovative ways of knowledge sharing, Community finance from Robert Owens Bank and discussion about the impact of Brexit and the uncertainty over funding for environmental projects. Laura Outhart, REconomy Project Coordinator shares her highlights.
- REMADE sparks interest across the UK
Remade in Edinburgh won Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award in October. Sophie Unwin, Founder and Director is excited about the next steps – to share the idea with other places and create a network of repair and reuse centres across the UK. The £10,000 prize money will help seed a new organisation – REMADE – that will offer training to other communities so that they can set up their own repair businesses. She tells us about the challenges and what she’s planning next!
- REconomy event – London and the South East
This REconomy Event taking place next February is designed by and for Transitioner
s whether you are new to REconomy or have established REconomy projects in your Transition Town. Hear from current REconomy projects by Transition Towns in London and the South East covering Food Enterprises, Community Energy and loads more, find REconomy buddies for future conversations through structured networking and develop your REconomy skills in skills surgeries. If you can suggest venues in Central London, or you would like to get involved please contact Jo Taylor or Richard Cauldrey.
Date: Saturday 25 February (afternoon) Venue: TBC!
- Resource Focus
Our T
ransition Core Resourcing guide is for any group that wants to think creatively about how it funds its core activities, including but not exclusively for REconomy activity. It is written for Transition Initiatives in the UK but others might find useful ideas and some non-UK examples are included.
Download more practical guides for community economic change on our website.
- Atmos Totnes
We have some news to share about the Atmos Totnes referendum. At the end of November Totnes residents voted overwhelmingly in favour (85.69%) that the Community Right to Build Order for a currently disused 8 acre site in the town should be given planning permission. This is one of the first votes of its kind using a Community Right to Build process contained in the Localism Act 2011.
Through a highly creative community consultation process, in partnership with a mainstream developer and the site’s owners, thousands of people took part in forming plans on how the site could be designed to meet the needs of local residents and businesses. You can download the illustrative masterplan for the site in Totnes and read about the key principles behind the design.
The local community, through this process, have shown how their designs for the site could become be a catalyst within the local economy, as well as an opportunity to model a new approach to development, and provide the means for young people to stay in the town with places to live and work. Hear about the Atmos Totnes story.
Atmos Totnes is the first project facilitated by Totnes Community Development Society, an Industrial and Provident Society committed to supporting community-led development, rooted in local economies. We’ll be keeping in touch with the project to bring you news of how things development at Atmos Totnes.
This REconomy Project work is generously supported by the Friends Provident Foundation and the Polden-Puckham Charitable Foundation.
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