Business

Communities invited to ‘take control’

In England the average house price in 2019 was £240,000 and average earnings were £30,667. However, in Devon the picture is very different. The average house price was £253,000 (5% higher) and average earnings were £26,234 (15% lower) making it much harder for the average person to afford their own home here in Devon. Rent is similarly affected. After paying rent people in Devon have nearly £4,000 per year less than people in other regions to pay for everything else. The Diverse Regeneration Company (a not-for-profit CIC) has successfully worked with communities over the past 15 years to help meet the local need for new sports facilities, village halls, playgrounds and more. They are now working with Resonance, a social impact investment company headquartered in Cornwall, to continue this work with the launch of a new community asset fund which will put local people at the heart of the process to decide what their communities need most. The new fund is called Resonance Community Developers (RCD) and its purpose is to help communities design and deliver the assets they need, bringing local stakeholders together to address local infrastructure needs such as affordable housing, sports and leisure facilities or renewable energy generation. Although this is a new fund with a slightly different set of parameters, Resonance has previously worked with community groups in Devon to successfully deliver affordable homes – in Holsworthy and Broadhempston– through their Affordable Homes Rental Fund (AHRF). In Broadhempston a community-led organisation - Broadhempston Community Land Trust - embarked on developing six self-build homes that were completed in 2016. Each household received a 25% stake in the property they built in return for their labour and then continued to pay rent on the remaining portion. Rents were then set at 20-25% below the open market rate for the area, making the homes affordable. A small proportion of the rent payment each year buys further equity and means occupiers own a little more of their house. Applicants had to prove residence in the parish for the preceding two years (or for five years at some time in the past). They also had to have a total household income of less than £60,000 and commit to regular construction training, completion of their building work on time, and helping others on the site. Around 50% of the self-builders now work in the local community and a community playground is also being constructed.

The RCD is a new, follow-on initiative to the AHRF, and invests capital into community groups which will be structured as ‘Community Benefit Societies’ that can issue community shares. It aims to invest multiple times in the same community groups, with small incremental investment in the early stages leading to larger investments as groups secure land and planning consent and commence the actual construction of homes or sports facilities. The Diverse Regeneration Company (The DR Company) is expert at working with communities across Devon; from the first initial project ideas through to turning those ideas into reality. DR Company is now encouraging communities to get in touch even if they’re unsure where to start. Liz Abell at The DR Company says: “This is a very exciting opportunity for our local Devon communities to be a part of, allowing them a real say in the type of project they would like for their area. These projects will help communities become more self-sustaining over the longer term, whilst also supporting those in their local communities who may have little or no choice in terms of existing housing. We are very pleased to be working with Resonance, which has a strong track record both here and across the UK, for successfully delivering these kinds of projects. This is also a valuable means of independent funding, during a time when council budgets are greatly stretched. As such we are really keen to hear from anyone with ideas for their community, either great or small, so we can assess the ideas and help them move forward to a successful outcome.”

Home of the Mall

It would be right to describe Jodie Gray as an entrepreneur, and this is not the first time she has set up a company from scratch. She explains how Home of the Mall came about.

I started a cleaning company when I was twenty years old in the Midlands, so I have always dipped my toes in some business project or other. I ran the business for ten years and, at its peak, employed 20 staff, all whilst bringing up my children. I also created and designed a clothing range for small babies and pregnant ladies. I relinquished these businesses when I moved down to Devon; the move was a great re-set for me. I joined Amano Technologies, based here in Tavistock and met Paul my new business partner. He is director and coowner of Amano Technologies and the technical brain for the new venture. We work well as a partnership - I am more the customer facing part of the business and Paul is the technical wizard.

Our new business is called homeofthemall.com – we wanted to create a name that would be an ‘umbrella term’ for a space where independent producers can sell their goods. It’s a website where small creative businesses can upload their products and sell online. The sales order is processed through the website and they then deliver those orders direct to the customer. The website specialises in independent businesses that create great products. It appeals to businesses that don’t own their own e-commerce website and gives them a platform to operate from. We also find that businesses that do have their own website also want to be with us, as the traffic and volume of visitors we generate gives their products greater exposure. We wanted to create a platform that truly supports independent businesses, so we only charge our retailers when they sell an item and there is no up-front joining fee. Similar national and international platforms can be very expensive to operate from. It’s really easy for our clients to upload their products on our simple-to-use content management system, each retailer has their own login and area of the site where they upload their products. At the time of writing, we have over one hundred businesses on the site from across the UK - from Scotland through to Cornwall. If you would like to see for yourself what Jodie and Paul have achieved go to www.homeofthemall.com, or if you know someone who is creating great quality products then let them know about the site. Jodie and Paul have had the vison to create something that helps small, local, independent retailers and producers. One can’t help wondering what the next project is for Jodie?

Visit Our Showroomby appointment only

WE SELL, SERVICE AND INSTALL RAYBURN

Yuli Somme, MA (Textiles)

Shroud and coffin manufacturer: Bellacouche

When did you start working with felt?

I started in 1988 when I trained as a handloom weaver, working primarily with wool.

Where do you work?

I rent a beautiful chapel in Moretonhampstead.

How did the idea of wool coffins come about?

Through my interest in the history of the woollen industry, and the environment I learned about a 17th century law which decreed that the dead must be buried in wool. I wanted to offer a more comforting and aesthetic alternative to a conventional coffin by designing a shroud that would fulfil a contemporary function in a more environmentally compatible way.

How do wool coffins help the environment?

Two of the main environmental problems in the funeral industry are the current drive towards cremation, and the carbon footprint of the coffins. Cremation takes a vast amount of fossil fuel to keep the furnaces going all day; emissions from crematoria include mercury, dioxins and nitrogen oxides, adding to the atmospheric burden. Most coffins are made of MDF and include plastics and glues that add to the chemical mix of emissions both in manufacture and cremation. Shipping, predominantly from the far east, adds a further environmental burden. My products are handmade from locally sourced materials, no plastics, and all 100% natural. A movement towards natural burial will benefit us all. Sensitively done, this can be part of a livestock grazing system, wood pasture or creation of woodland. This can even take place in towns and cities - Arnos Vale in Bristol is an imaginative example.

What services do you offer your clients?

I offer a very personal service; often clients are distressed and unhappy at what is conventionally being offered. For instance, last week a client wanted something very simple and functional and was unhappy at the cost and aesthetics of what she had been offered by a funeral director. After some discussion she decided that a simple woollen shroud on a bier was the most appropriate solution for her relative. She was very pleased with how easily the burial went at a local natural burial site, with the aid of an old established independent funeral director from Exeter.

What is the most interesting project you have worked on?

I think the most interesting commission was a funeral at Widecombe. The deceased was passionate about hares, so I made a hare-themed cocoon and she was buried in the churchyard. The whole event turned into a beautiful ceremony, with pall bearers wearing felt animal masks made by a local artist. There was singing, laughter and tears - a pageant of mourners, and yes, why not a bit of theatre, when a person’s life is being remembered and marked.

What is the best thing about your job?

The potential for people to do things their own way, whether with the help and guidance of sympathetic funeral directors, or on their own. It can be simple or dramatic, and often the unexpected happens - in a good way, as with the Widecombe burial.

ellacoucheB down to earth - using wool

Shrouds and soft cocoons for a gentler return to the earth

A sustainable choice, working direct or with local funeral directors Ask for a brochure

info@bellacouche.com 07763 935897 www.bellacouche.com • Made on Dartmoor

Quality wine - or not?

Dave Anning has some clues about what’s in your wine rack

Because you’re lovely people you’ll have given wine away over Christmas, and received some in return - so there will be newbies in your wine rack. But are they any good? When should you drink them? Where are they from? It might feel impolite to check prices, but price is a pretty good start. You see, wine is a product with a direct link between quality and price - within reason! If a wine is made from one grape variety, bottled and sold immediately it’ll probably be cheap. If it’s a blend of several grapes and gets aged in oak barrels for years before sale, it will cost more. But is it better? Well, if it wasn’t, people would just buy the cheap stuff! Dearer wines survive because generally they’re better. Many German wines grow on steep slopes, so have to be hand-picked; labour is expensive and the climate is ‘marginal’, meaning grapes might not ripen. But when they do the effort is justified.

The world’s quality-classification systems are too complex for this article, so here are some clues. Ordinary wines usually come in mass-produced bottles as every penny counts - so thicker/ heavier glass often indicates quality. And consider the label’s quality and printing - is it bare essentials or does it ooze quality? Look for initials indicating quality standards - AOC, DOCG etc. Terms like ‘Reserve’ may indicate wines that are aged to improve quality - though impressive-sounding terms aren’t always valid. ‘Grand Vin’ on a bottle of Bordeaux means … absolutely nothing! It may mean it’s a chateau’s top wine, but it’s not a legally recognised term. Ageing wine is often misunderstood. Most wines should be drunk within a year or two, but there are both reds and whites that will age for a century. The grape alone means nothing as age-worthy wines require skill and the right ingredients - they are rare and expensive! Wine changes as it ages and usually becomes more complex. Bordeaux may develop flavours of leather, tobacco and earth, so if you’re not expecting this you could be unpleasantly surprised! Only ‘lay down’ wine you know will age, and know what to expect. Place names can confuse. It’s all to do with ‘terroir’ - the growing conditions. Generally, a wine labelled by country eg ‘Wine of Australia’, will be basic. A regional name e.g. Chianti, is a step up, and an individual village name is likely to be high quality. In Burgundy, producers may put their name next to the village name. The more specific, the less wine produced and the greater the price! For Johnny English fans, a bottle of Romanee-Conti costs thousands (over £400,000 for a 1945 bottle). Perhaps you should just check those new bottles once more . . .

Dave Anning