People powered social change
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“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has� Margaret Mead
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With special thanks: The Cornwall School for Social Entrepreneurs Board Members: Dan James – Corporate Seat, Eden Project (Acting Chair)
Cornwall SSE acknowledges our partners and supporters who helped make our students’ journeys so successful in Cohort 5.
Charlotte Hill James Evans
Experts/Witnesses:
Claire Thayers
Lynne Coakley-Dyer (SSE Fellow)
Richard Harding
Martin Crump (Evolution Personal and Corporate Development)
Leah McPherson (Corporate Seat, Central SSE) Sally Heard
Hilary Desousas Nicky Dix (Exhale) Emma Fowle (Exhale)
The Cornwall SSE Team:
Matt Hocking (LEAP)
Sally Heard (CEO)
Sanjay Kumar (SSE Fellow)
Jane Hicks (Learning Manager)
Sue Morrish
Clare Dustow (Finance and Contracts Manager)
Beckie Pascoe
Sally Jones (Social Enterprise Focus Project Manager)
Tony Sampson (Cornwall Solar Panels)
Matthew Jeffery (Programme and Events Co-ordinator)
We would also like to extend our gratitude to our fabulous Action Learning Set Facilitators and Tutors:
Isabella Quigley-Moriarty (SSE Fellow) Eva Seymour Debbie Stewart (The Fruit Tree) Lucy Thornton (Perfect Marketing Solutions)
Debbie Croucher Jim McKenna Kathryn Miller James Waters
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Contents Carolyn Webster
(Foreword) 03
Craig Little
(Rebuild Southwest) 04
Eve Worrall
(The Chamomile Project) 06
Liz Sullivan
(Whole Again Communities - WAC) 08
Jon Wright
(Wavesound) 10
Penny Laine
(Par Tea Cafe) 12
David Smartknight (Plan-it Earth Environmental Education Project CIC) 14 Nicola Gill
(Gills and Geckos) 16
Ruth Weaver
(The Herbal Medicine Conservation and Education Project) 18
Di Mlynek
(ClayTAWC Training Kitchen and Community CafĂŠ) 20
Will Hutton
(Growing Wild Cornwall) 22
Martin Pallett
(Gardening4growth) 24
Lesley Bradley-Peer (Looking Forward) 26 Maria Lee-McCollum (Castaway Penzance) 28 Jo Thomas
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(In Our Nature) 30
CAROLYN WEBSTER Foreword
It’s hard to believe that it’s five years since we gathered here in St Ives to launch the Cornwall School for Social Entrepreneurs. Today, five years on, with over 50 graduates of our Fellowship programmes progressing their own social enterprises, and having supported many more students to develop personally, we are celebrating the achievements of the latest cohort of social entrepreneurs – all of them talented people who are passionate about making a difference for others. Back then I chaired the steering group that worked so hard to make Cornwall SSE a reality. Over the years it has been a privilege to nurture, grow and set Cornwall SSE off on its own path as a new Community Interest Company, headed up by the fantastic Sally Heard. So I am delighted to be invited to share in this special graduation day. Do not under-estimate the time, dedication, skills and tenacity of the students, tutors, mentors and everyone else involved in bringing these new businesses to fruition. Looking forwards, there are both opportunities and challenges for Cornwall SSE. A further round of European investment brings potential for expansion. Delivery against a backdrop of continued shrinking public resource requires a redoubled focus on enterprise and entrepreneurship as well as being firmly grounded in the social. Creating true social enterprise models can bring the prospect of sustainability that reliance on grant funding cannot. One thing is certain. Cornwall SSE has a great team, an impressive network and enough drive and ambition to grasp every opportunity to deliver remarkable outcomes for people, for communities and for the economy. Here’s to the next five years. Cornwall SSE Chair 2008-2011
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Craig Little
Rebuild South West
Service: Rebuild South West is a unique building company which will provide essential training and work experience to Ex Servicemen and women whilst addressing the ‘Empty Home’ and ‘Redundant Building’ issue in the South West. Target Audience: The social and financial impact could be immense for so many. We aim to enhance the lives and prospects of the Ex Service community, homeless and displaced families, long term unemployed tradespersons. So benefitting owners of empty homes, local councils and housing authorities.
Business Profile: Having served the Royal Navy for over 26 years, I have experienced first-hand how difficult it is for Ex Service people to readjust and achieve the transition 04
into both civilian life and employment. Last year, over 2600 people left the military from Devonport, 1620 are now in employment. A handful of those retired and the remainder are out of work. According to The Empty Homes Team within Cornwall Council, there are an estimated 870,000 empty homes in the UK and enough empty commercial property to create 420,000 new homes. In Cornwall Council the Empty Homes team are currently communicating with over 7,000 owners of empty properties. The government is offering grants or low interest loans of up to £20k to assist homeowners with the renovation costs in an attempt to ‘bring back’ their properties in exchange for fixed term social housing schemes. As a social enterprise building company, Rebuild South West aims to form teams of long term unemployed tradesmen and women with Ex Forces personnel and, with the aid of a local college; provide apprenticeship schemes across a raft of varied construction trades. The intention is to conduct a Cornwall Pilot Scheme (CPS) which will consist of 8 people, 4 from each side; and will aim at renovating and delivering 6 disused properties to local councils for social use. When the CPS is successful then further teams will be formed in other areas. Rebuild South West is a unique concept that, with the right support, will spread nationally. Help me put Cornwall on the map as where it all started!!
Email: craig@rebuildsouthwest.co.uk Web: www.rebuildsouthwest.co.uk Tel: 07816 757271 05
Eve Worrall
The Chamomile Project
Service: Promoting emotional wellbeing and recovery through gardening. Target Audience: For people who are, or may be at risk of experiencing mental health difficulties or isolation and social exclusion.
Business Profile: The health benefits of gardening are well recognised. Research shows that those who are more active in natural spaces have a greater sense of wellbeing and lower rates of depression and anxiety. The art of growing 06
strengthens us emotionally, mentally and physically; it creates food, it improves our environment and it strengthens the eco-system. The three main elements of The Chamomile Project are; • The act of gardening and growing. The physical activity of being outside and active, the benefits to physical health as well as taking time to notice nature and what’s going on around us. • Connecting. Gardening in a group can help with the development of social and intellectual skills, including those needed for social inclusion or rehabilitation. By working together in groups we hope that it will help to build strong connections that will support, enrich and restore wellbeing. • Learning to grow your own. To learn the skills to grow your own fruit and vegetables and therefore to be able to have a healthy diet that supports the eco-system and helps move towards a more sustainable life style. A garden can provide an oasis of calm, somewhere peaceful to escape and connect with nature, helping to restore a sense of balance and wellbeing. Through gardening The Chamomile Project aims to improve motivation, social skills, confidence and self-esteem as well as developing gardening skills. The Chamomile Project aims to offer services commissioned by GP practices and mental health related organisations.
Email: eve.worrall@yahoo.com Web: www.chamomileproject.co.uk
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Liz Sullivan Whole Again Communities (WAC)
Service: Encouraging and supporting people to learn to cook quality, affordable soup so embracing healthy eating for themselves and their families Encouraging and supporting people to enjoy sharing the opportunities to access and cook quality affordable soup. Supporting them to devise their own recipes so that they can make soup to enhance their own and their families healthcare, then produce and sell soup to make WAC sustainable.
Target Audience: People with an interest in cooking and enjoying healthy food. Initially those living in the West Cornwall. 08
Business Profile: WAC is offering friendly, low cost, practical soup making workshops to people who are on a tight budget yet keen to eat healthily, develop their soup making skills and learn more about the benefits of healthy eating. The workshops will be run in community venues, starting in West Cornwall. My inspiration for WAC comes from years of depending on delicious home-made soups, especially at times when I was living on a very low income. This allowed me to indulge in my passion for healthy food and holistic self-care. I am a trained chef and have run healthy food making workshops for young mums living at a refuge, people aged 50 + on health related benefits, and men participating on a drug alcohol recovery programme. Being involved in such community projects helped me to deal with my own learning and confidence issues, and led to work in community learning and employment support. I am keen to combine my skills and experience to support others through WAC. WAC will provide a shared theme for local people, projects and professional healthcare initiatives, to work together in resourceful ways to support local communities more holistically. WAC aims to inspire and support enthusiastic residents to build their resourcefulness and progress to sustainability by selling soup for profit.
Email: lizziewholeagain@gmail.com
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Jon Wright Wavesound
Service: Wavesound aims to provide affordable yet professional technical solutions for community beneficial events. Target Audience: Charities or organisations that would benefit from having technical support in the planning and delivery of their events.
Business Profile: Wavesound’s aim is to help enable community groups and organisations in delivering and promoting their social messages and fundraising events. 10
Jon worked in IT for 10 years before joining the Eden Project team in 2002. Here he fulfilled the role of Eden’s only AV technician being actively involved in every aspect of event planning and delivery including big and small music events, conferences, fundraisers, weddings, trade shows etc, as well as Eden’s many site-wide exhibits. During this time his role meant he worked closely with numerous charities, as well as local government and the NHS to ensure their events ran smoothly in terms of PA, lighting, projection and IT. Since being made redundant earlier this year, Jon is keen to establish a business to fulfil and continue this vital and worthwhile service, both at Eden and other venues in and around Cornwall. Jon is able to provide advice and support in everything audio visual including sound engineering, PA systems, lighting, IT and projection, from the initial planning through to the delivery on the day. Wavesound has a wide range of equipment at their disposal enabling them to cater for both small and large projects. If you are planning any event with a social aim or outcome, be it a musical event, talk or conference, please consider calling Jon to discuss your needs.
Email: jon@wavesound.info or info@wavesound.info Web: www.wavesound.info
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Penny Laine
Par Tea CafĂŠ Cornish Cloth Living Textiles
Target Audience: The local community, tourists, businesses, schools, post graduate students, college leavers, creative social entrepreneurs, designer makers, people with special dietary needs, victims of trauma (PTSD).
Business Profile: necessity is the mother of all creation... difficult situations inspire ingenious solutions... inventive ideas to challenging needs... beauty and innovation through creation... Our mission is to generate employment and self employment opportunities for creative, practical people; breaking down 12
some of the barriers to earning a living. We will provide the place, the space, the technology, tools & machines, the training, the mentoring and the marketing to enable the individual to realise and capitalise on their inner creativity. Par Tea will be a social enterprise cafĂŠ at the centre of this space, providing a vibrant and creative meeting place for local crafters as well as a training kitchen focusing on cooking skills and meals for people with special dietary needs. We aim to work with GPs to develop a wider educational initiative believing ‘prevention is better than cure’. Cornish Cloth will be the retail element promoting fabrics, haberdashery, wool, gifts and clothing designed/made in Cornwall. The textile studio will offer a design, embroider, print, weave and knit service for individuals, charities and businesses. The environmental and social impact of textile production is central to this project and will be considered at all levels of the production process, encouraging consumers to make choices based on the information, training and education we will provide through mobile pop up exhibitions and workshops at the land based Living Textiles project. Using a holistic approach, we aim to integrate a practical, creative and psychological solution for people suffering PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) throughout our projects. We invite collaboration with interested people, companies and communities.
Email: penny@par-tea.orgk
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David Smartknight Plan-it Earth Environmental Education Project CIC
Service: From a base in West Cornwall, offering a programme of mentoring and facilitation to help young people, especially young men, to reach their full potential – to ‘reclaim the warrior’. Target Audience: Young people, especially young men from the West Penwith area of Cornwall, and connecting with projects in Nepal and elsewhere in the world.
Business Profile: It is obvious to me, as a 50 year old man seeking to help build a sustainable future for humanity, that in our society there is an absence of widely available 14
intelligent mentoring for young people – and especially young men. For many thousands of generations young men have been brought up to be the warriors, a role I firmly believe is important in creating a sustainable future – so the question is, what does the warrior look like in the modern world? As cofounder and Director of Plan-it Earth Environmental Education Project CIC I draw upon a wealth of life experiences, and have come to realise that often the best way to educate is to use my own life story as a resource for exploration. Through a programme of mentoring and facilitation, drawing on best practice, including indigenous wisdom from around the world, western psychology and much in between, I aim to support young men to set out in their adult lives with their passions, spirit and humanity intact. Ultimately, through working in collaboration with local secondary schools and colleges, a network of similar programmes across the South West and projects elsewhere, including ones in Nepal, Peru and North America, my ambition is to develop a replicatable format for facilitating young men to stretch into their adulthood with maturity and a strong sense of who they really are, so they are ready to be “young men” and not just “old boys”.
Tel: 07837 413202 Email: david.planitearth@googlemail.com Skype: David.SmartKnight
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Nicola Gill Gills and Geckos Animal Encounters
Service: Meet exotic animals and learn about their lives and how they relate to ours. Target Audience: People of all ages, and particularly children who would like to engage with, and learn about animals. A service that will come to you in schools and community group settings.
Business Profile: Animal Encounters was born from a love of animals of all kinds by Mike & Nicky, owners of Gills and Geckos exotic pets shop in St Austell. 16
With over 22 years’ experience, knowledge and understanding through keeping a wide variety of exotic animals, Nicky and Mike have created Animal Encounters. Offering the opportunity to learn and meet animals that you wouldn’t see other than in a zoo. Ideal for schools sessions and birthday parties, the show can be both captivating and educational for people of all ages. The encounter offers a fun, learning experience where you can interact with the animals and gain some interesting and important facts about their habitat, natural instincts, conservation and food chains. Get the chance to meet Rascal the raccoon, Salt, Pepper and Mayo our ferrets, Walter the water monitor, Pascal the chameleon, snakes, spiders, cockroaches, scorpions and others. It encourages social interaction and Animal Encounters is also part of a learning programme for adults with learning disabilities, which is offering education and social interaction through involvement with the animals.
Web: www.gillsandgeckos.com
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Ruth Weaver
The Herbal Medicine Conservation and Education Project
Service: An eco-educational project with the social aim to inspire the awareness of herbal medicine and plant conservation through practical learning in the setting of a new physics garden in Cornwall. Target Audience: A public, academic and professional attraction, open to plant enthusiasts, learners, academics and the general public.
Business Profile: Ruth Weaver is a Medical Herbalist who studied at The Scottish School of Herbal Medicine, Glasgow and Lincoln University. Based in Cornwall, her birthplace, 18
Ruth practices as a herbalist and teaches her subject, whilst actively pursuing further knowledge and experience around the country. She also has a background in Horticulture. At the heart of the project is the establishment of a centre in Cornwall for education in herbal medicine and rare and endangered medicinal plant conservation. Both indoor and outdoor areas will be dedicated to growing a wide variety of medicinal plants, with a particular focus on rare and endangered plants from around the world. These plants will be grown, and seeds banked on site as preserved specimens, for display and also for production of seeds, plants and medicinal preparations. There will be a centre in which courses will be held, in subjects from herbal medicine, sustainable horticulture, conservation and many other related areas. The project aims to be an advocate in herbal medicine education and plant conservation today. As a centre for earth-based education it will be an empowering asset to the Cornish community and beyond. The overall aim is to inspire and to raise awareness of herbal medicine and plant conservation. Bringing to light the importance of practicing more ecologically sustainable and holistic lifestyles for the health of ourselves and our planet.
Email: ruthweaverherbalist@live.co.uk Web: www.cornwallherbalist.co.uk
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Di Mlynek
Clay TAWC Training Kitchen and Community CafĂŠ
Service: Offering a range of skills and personal development training and support to young and older people to enhance employment prospects. Target Audience: ClayTAWC - Training and Work Centre in St Dennis is a community hub, which offers a broad range of community based training and support facilities which are flexible and caters for people of all ages, their needs and lifestyles.
Business Profile: Since opening in 2000, ClayTAWC’s main aim has been to create a facility which is welcoming to all, 20
providing a comfortable, familiar and informal environment in the heart of the China Clay area. Activities at present include Link into Learning literacy and numeracy and computer courses, a NEET project for young people not in education, employment or training, a Work Club offering employability skills, and leisure courses. Following a Retrofit project which is improving the environment and fabric of the centre, I began to think of a second phase to the project which would complement and enhance the training courses and facilities currently available at ClayTAWC. My plan for Phase 2 is to develop the ClayTAWC Training Kitchen and a Community CafĂŠ. This will offer a great opportunity for the young people participating in the NEET project, or those attending the Work Club, to learn a range of new skills. At the same time it will help them to build self confidence, develop team working and communication skills, and the experience of running a business. In addition the Community CafĂŠ will add a new dimension to the facilities already on offer at ClayTAWC and attract new visitors to the centre.
Email: info@claytawc.co.uk Tel: 01726 828130 Web: www.claytawc.co.uk
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Will Hutton
Growing Wild Cornwall
Service: Helping to grow confident, active children and young people through engagement with the natural environment. Target Audience: Initially focussing on children and young people, but as the project develops Growing Wild Cornwall hopes to work with all age groups.
Business Profile: Will Hutton is an experienced teacher and Forest School leader, with a love of nature which stems from a childhood spent playing in the countryside. He has, over a number of years, led many outdoor learning experiences with students with social and emotional problems. During this time, he witnessed the numerous benefits provided by Forest School inspired activities, in terms of improvements 22
to physical and mental health, learning, socialisation, risk taking and behaviour. Growing Wild Cornwall will use the natural environment to inspire children and young people, motivating them through fun, inspirational and hands on activities, providing them with plenty of opportunities to succeed. Learning in the outdoors helps students’ self-esteem and confidence grow, as well as their respect and appreciation of nature. This is not only vitally important to their personal development, but also to the future development of our planet. Albert Einstein said “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better” Growing Wild Cornwall’s objectives are to: • Engage children and young people with the natural environment, and help them develop a respect and understanding of nature. • Use the natural environment to encourage and inspire people to live more sustainably. • Develop self-esteem and confidence through challenging activities and programmes based in the great outdoors. • Promote health and wellbeing through active enjoyment of green spaces. • Increase the opportunities for learning in the natural environment, particularly for groups with limited access.
Web: www.growingwildcornwall.org.uk Email: will@growingwildcornwall.org.uk
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Martin Pallett
gardening4growth
Service: Supporting people with varied needs in different ways including through gardening related activities. Target Audience: Children, younger people as well as adults with varied interests and needs who require support and may wish to try out some practical gardening.
Business Profile: Through gardening4growth, Martin is focussed on offering practical help and support to individuals and groups with varied needs, in education and elsewhere, to develop their interest in gardening. 24
Martin has a career stretching nearly 30 years as an NHS senior manager and in leading and developing disability charities. Martin is horticulturally qualified and the establishment of gardening4growth in Spring 2013 highlights Martin’s real passion for gardening and the power, he believes it has to enhance people’s lives. He is currently supporting mainly younger people with varied needs as well as organising the Cornwall Garden Society Spring Flower Show held at Boconnoc near Lostwithiel each April. Martin is specifically supporting students with special needs at Cornwall College, as well as working with local schools to develop their interest in gardening. He feels fortunate to also be organising the Cornwall Garden Society Spring Flower Show which attracts up to 10,000 visitors over two days. He is particularly keen to encourage even more families and younger people to be involved and to put on more show gardens next April. Martin strongly believes that anyone, whatever their age or background, can harness real fulfilment from gardening; whether by working with the soil, watching flowers or vegetables that have been grown from seed develop, or by simply being outside and observing birds or insects and butterflies pollinating our flowers. No special qualifications are required and everyone can take part. He believes that we can all potentially grow and develop as people through gardening and that goes to the heart of what his business is about.
Email: Pallettmartin9@gmail.com Tel: 07734 366504 25
Lesley Bradley-Peer Looking Forward
Service: Providing training and support to design healthy, resilient and vibrant communities. Facilitating social and economic well being. Target Audience: Individuals and community groups in the South West who are looking for solutions to the challenges of climate change, peak oil and economic uncertainty.
Business Profile: We are living in a time of transition as the people of the world wake up to the knowledge that we are facing a broad range of environmental, social and economic crises. If we continue business as usual, we will do drastic 26
harm to ourselves and the generations to come. We need a shift from the traditional business mindset driven solely by growth and profit to one that is underpinned by social and environmental responsibility. Looking Forward is an innovative social enterprise that advocates ‘business as unusual’. A profit for purpose organisation, we work with individuals and community groups, especially those that feel stuck or depressed by the current situation. Looking Forward uses a diverse range of skills and techniques to enable people to design a future they can look forward to. We aim to improve people’s confidence and self-esteem and empower them to take positive action in their local communities. We offer a tool kit that includes: • Training: Permaculture design, effective meeting methods and efficient organisational structures. • Support: Organisational and Individual MOTs – Observations and reflections on what’s going well and what needs to change. Strategies for implementing change. Personal planning and motivation. • Facilitation: Vision Support Groups, Open Space, World Cafe and Community networking. Social change is people powered! Looking Forward will promote co-operation and community-led responses and collaborate with local initiatives to help facilitate the transition to a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable world. Get in touch to be involved.
Web: www.lookingforward.org.uk Email: info@lookingforward.org.uk Tel: 07969 236058 27
Maria Lee McCollum Castaway Penzance
Service: Providing a quality and meaningful, activity-based, day provision with an emphasis on empowering individuals through skills training, team building, peer relationships and real work experience. Target Audience: Adults with learning difficulties, disabilities, autistic spectrum condition, mental ill health or anxiety disorders.
Business Profile: As an artist and trained teacher, I passionately believe in individuals reaching their full potential 28
and don’t see why a learning difficulty, disability or mental ill health should prevent this achievement. Three years ago I foundered a music theatre group for adults with learning difficulties and disabilities, known as Castaway Penzance. Castaway Penzance promotes its participants to be active in all aspects of the group, support from staff is limited and members are encouraged to work together and form their own support network. This method of working provides individuals with an empowerment of self and peer reliance and gives ownership of a project directly to its members. This is realised through the successful end product, such as a show, which would not have been possible to complete without full participation. My vision is to see this existing community group turn into a C.I.C., providing an umbrella company under which a wide variety of provision can be run. The aim of the company is to be financially sustainable, with a clear and competitive wage structure and minimum costs. This means that we can provide a quality service for our members, work for other tutors, and training for volunteers, plus real work experience and skill based learning for our members. Profits will be used for part or full payment of our service for individuals who do not qualify for personal budgets, but who need support and training into the workplace.
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Jo Thomas In Our Nature
Service: A horticultural service specialising in designing and developing forest gardens and edible landscapes to provide beautiful and productive environments which are beneficial to wildlife, our nutrition and health and can help individuals, groups and businesses to reduce their carbon footprint. Target Audience: Provides expert advice and tailor-made designs for public and private landowners and particularly businesses in Cornwall and the South West. We work with individuals, and also have a passion for group engagement, whether employees of a business or a community group. 30
Business Profile: In Our Nature believes that we can be planting more trees. We also believe that we can be growing more of our own edible plants. Forest gardens and edible landscapes are the sustainable answer to these issues. Public and private landowners may have under-utilised land that could be creatively and purposefully planted and developed with a range of hardy and long living trees, shrubs and plants. All of these plants can be edible, or useful in some other way. More and more businesses are going green and tackling their carbon footprint. If they were to plant trees and create pockets of woodland they would be actively sequestering carbon and mitigating climate change. In Our Nature will provide a bespoke advisory, design and develop service to enable anyone wishing to create a forest garden or edible landscape. In Our Nature can also help businesses register with the Woodland Carbon Code, helping the South West to move towards a low carbon economy. The benefits are wide ranging from green and pleasant working environments for your employees, to trees and shrubs which can provide you with food, not to mention the benefits to wildlife and climate change. Employee engagement or community projects are particularly suited to this kind of land development.
Tel: 07779 107489 Email: jothomas.ion@btinternet.com Web: www.inournature.co.uk
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“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; Knowing what must be done does away with fear” ROSA PARKS
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“A goal without a plan is just a wish” Antoine de Saint-Exupery
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Central SSE 2nd Floor 139 Tooley Street London SE1 2HZ (T) 020 7089 9120 (W) www.the-sse.org
The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas
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“One cannot learn anything so well as by experiencing it oneself” EINSTEIN