This Living Place
Growing local resilience and thriving places
Rooted in Somerset and Dorset, we are a non-profit organisation exploring how communities can work together to grow the connectivity between people and place and build local resilience.
What we do
Addressing the complex challenges of today's world requires a resilient web of community-led land-based regeneration and reconnection everywhere. We work towards this in Somerset and Dorset by:
Building resilience: Our north star is strengthening the collective resilience of local regenerative efforts, helping a tapestry of diverse community-led endeavours work better together, withstand challenges and thrive.
Cultivating Collaborative Action: We bring together diverse and often isolated stakeholders to address challenges hindering local regeneration and strengthen the conditions supporting positive change.
Strengthening Networks and Systems: We cultivate robust relationships, networks, and systems at the local level, enabling communities to pool resources, expertise, and energy to tackle obstacles collectively and build resilience.
Activating Positive Change: By championing grassroots collaboration, we aim to not only enhance the resilience of local efforts but also cultivate a future where everyone can partake in place-based regeneration.
Why we do it
From ecological breakdown to heightened social isolation, the poly-crisis we face calls for us to come together with our communities, tap into our diverse talents, and grow a tapestry of resilient and thriving places. However, the systemic barriers standing in the way of this happening are huge.Having spent six years engaging with over 5,000 locally-driven projects worldwide, our team witnessed a remarkable surge in community-led regeneration. Yet, the resilience of these impactful initiatives was consistently hampered by common struggles. Whether in bustling city centres or remote corners of the earth, the challenges echoed the same tune: lack of engagement and support, financial strain, team burnout, limited impact, and fierce competition. Among these observations, one glaring truth emerged — partaking in local regeneration is financially unattainable for the majority.It became clear that confronting these systemic challenges necessitates a paradigm shift... Continue reading
Where we do it
Even with a vision for wider change, our work always begins in place and community and extends out from there.Held by sloping ridges, wide vales and dramatic coastlines, the region of Somerset and Dorset is a wellspring of regenerative potential. Home to abundant wildlife and vibrant communities. Our regional culture is tied to the land, with a thriving local food culture and traditional crafts and land-work scene.This green and vibrant place is a hotbed of community action, creative talent and future-thinking businesses dedicated to caring for our shared home. This is demonstrated by the diverse landscape of biodiverse-friendly agriculture practices, sustainable fibre initiatives, climate action networks, rewilding projects, forest schools, repair cafés, and so much more. Collectively, we are a region of innovators striving towards a vibrant future for our living place.However, our early-stage research has identified a pressing need to address systemic challenges driving fragmentation, project isolation and reducing the resilience of local efforts.
How how we do it
A unique blend of practical local action and systemic design, we draw upon diverse toolkits including living system design, bioregionalism, regenerative design, bicultural principles and localisation. This manifests in to four areas of work:
1. Community Engagement and Empowerment: We continuously engage with and listen to regenerative community-led projects to discern needs, aspirations, and existing assets. This ongoing process allows us to develop a dynamic understanding of what fosters and hinders local regeneration.
2. Partnerships and Collaboration: We cultivate partnerships and weave networks with local organisations, businesses, government agencies, and stakeholders to leverage resources, expertise, and networks. Through collaboration, we amplify the impact of regeneration initiatives and ensure their long-term sustainability.
3. Knowledge Sharing and Advocacy: We actively share lessons learned, best practices, and success stories with our community and others. Through advocacy and knowledge exchange, we aim to inspire and empower others to adopt similar approaches to building local resilience and overcoming systemic barriers hindering positive change.
4. Action-Oriented Projects: We facilitate the implementation of action-oriented projects that address priority issues identified by the community. These projects strengthen local systems and build the soft infrastructure to support ongoing positive change.
Current action-orientated projects: Strengthening regenerative networks and seeding wild stories in Dorset • Strengthening the local fibre movement in Somerset (links coming soon).
Impact we're aiming for
We’re striving for systemic and cultural impact. By working with our community to strengthen self-sustaining local systems that support lasting regeneration, we tend to a place-based culture that empowers custodianship of our living place into the future. Our aim is that this will drive transformative change at both the individual and systemic levels. Including shifts in policies, practices, and behaviours that strengthen connections to place and community.Predicted outcomes include increased regional vibrancy and resilience, enhanced community cohesion, improved environmental stewardship, and the emergence of a culture of collective empowerment and innovation.Longterm, we aim to contribute towards a transformation in how ecological breakdown is navigated. We hope to exemplify how the complexity of these times can be best navigated through a tapestry of small-scale, resilient, joyful, collaborative, place-based efforts.Ultimately we're working towards a future where everyone with the desire to do so can draw a 15-mile radius around where they reside and do this work with their communities.
Background
This Living Place is backed by years of research, guided by a board of local changemakers and is ready to galvanise local and global change.Led by Laura Tyley , the south Somerset-born and north Dorset-bred founder. With a rich background in propelling community-led environmental initiatives and shaping campaigns that invigorated grassroots movements worldwide, Laura brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the project. Often found transforming forgotten pieces of land into veg gardens, organising community repair cafes, championing the local textile hubs, or, in the autumn, pressing apples, Laura's committed to actively strengthening our local grassroots environmental movement.
Get involved
We collaborate with a variety of local businesses, environmental initiatives, and aligned organisations to achieve our mission. If you want to find out more about how we could work together, or if you would like to support This Living Place, please get in touch: laura@thislivingplace.co.uk.Gratitude to our current supporters and partners...
Words of support
Don't simply take our word for it, here's what some of the community have to say:
"I have held key roles in environmental organisations in north Dorset for the past five years so I’m excited by Laura’s plans for This Living Place, which are timely and pertinent. Laura’s experience, her global overview and grasp of the ‘bigger picture’, will enable her to facilitate the transition of small local groups to the next level and to operate in a cohesive, systematic way. Sustainable Dorset, of which I am Chair, has already benefitted immeasurably from Laura’s skills as well as her energy and enthusiasm. I am in no doubt that This Living Place will be successful in its’ aims and of great benefit to local communities."–Jenny Morisetti, chair of Sustainable Dorset and founder of Hawkers Creatives
"Rural communities like ours in South Somerset are often overlooked when it comes to environmental funding and support. I am chair of an environmental action group working towards a sustainable future in a small town in South Somerset and raising awareness and getting people to engage is difficult. This Living Place has the potential to link similar initiatives so we can pool our strengths to really make a difference. Knowing Laura and knowing how dedicated she is I know this will be of huge benefit to us and other local groups."–Janice Blackwell, chair of One Planet Wincanton