I've just completed the latest in a series of digital wild walks around Kielder Water and Forest Park, helping people to explore the wildlife and wonderful landscapes that might be lesser known. Kielderhead Wildwood is a rewilding project right up on the border with Scotland, led by Northumberland WIldlife Trust. The project is propagating new … Continue reading Kielderhead Wildwood – digital walk is live!
Tynedale Transformed: “What can we do in our communities about climate change?”
I was invited to present a talk in the Tynedale Transformed Second Sunday - Love Your Planet day programme today. I'll post links to the recording later, but here's a transcript of my 10 minute talk: So the question today is: "What can we do in our communities about climate change?" We know two things … Continue reading Tynedale Transformed: “What can we do in our communities about climate change?”
Research and resources to help manage historic church buildings for Net Zero carbon and social action.
As part of my work on the Rural Churches for Everyone project, I've been hearing from many church wardens and PCC members about how they want to do the best for their communities and their church buildings. They're all telling me how complicated they're finding it, navigating through all the information out there. So I've … Continue reading Research and resources to help manage historic church buildings for Net Zero carbon and social action.
Current Projects
Happy New Year! Here's a summary of projects I'm working on in 2021. Click on the pics to find out more. Blanchland Heritage CIO Blanchland residents want their Grade 1 listed Abbey and its monastic craft and produce heritage to be the heart of a sustainable future for their village. Rural Churches for Everyone A … Continue reading Current Projects
Wild Green Recovery for the Allen Dales?
As well as my paid work, I'm also working pro bono for local environmental charity Fawside. In September we developed a bid for the Green Recovery Challenge Fund that created capacity and mustual support networks for a lot of the grassroots sustainability work going on and planned for our valleys. Unfortunately we weren't successful in … Continue reading Wild Green Recovery for the Allen Dales?
The value of the freelance voice in 2020
Back in July 2020, Culture Northumberland’s newsletter shared a link to a survey inviting creative freelancers in Northumberland, Coventry and Waltham Forest to contribute to research into the “crucial contribution of freelancers to the creative industries”. The study was intended to “generate new insights into the business models of creative freelancers and their relationship to … Continue reading The value of the freelance voice in 2020
Social Innovation in Rural Areas
The EU Horizon2020 research and Innovation Programme has recently completed thir Social Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas programme http://www.simra-h2020.eu/ It's a mine of robust research that backs up my own approach to supporting communities to be more resilient. Interestingly the programme is diseminating their findings and skills through a free MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) … Continue reading Social Innovation in Rural Areas
Not producing the answers
Quote today from a local land agent: "What I have been impressed by with this project is how the local community have taken full ownership of it and not relied upon outside consultants to produce the answers." ...that means I'm doing the project management right, yes? One of the volunteers seems to think so: You … Continue reading Not producing the answers
#Museum30 a whole month about museums
So, after getting a little exasperated with myself for failing to post here, I've lighted upon #Museum30. It is a bit like #Inktober where a word or phrase is given for each day of the month as inspiration. So I figured I'd probably be able to cover most of what I should have posted, and … Continue reading #Museum30 a whole month about museums
Nenthead Chapel is go!
One of my first projects as a freelancer was to research the audiences and key themes for what was then the Nenthead Chapel Restoration Project. Today I met with Kim who has spent the last nine years working on the project, and after a damp dog walk up nearby Dowgang Hush, she showed off her … Continue reading Nenthead Chapel is go!
