Totnes REconomy Project Impact Report 2017

Impact Report Totnes REconomy Project 2012-2017

1

Contents Introduction, page 2 Overview Report Summary Methodology The Story so far Aims Part 1: Local Entrepreneur Forum, page 6 Figures at a glance Data Analysis What participants are saying Survey of LEF Pitchers Case Study: New Lion Brewery Social and Environmental Impacts Case Study: School Farm LEF Pitchers - 2012-2017 Part 2: REconomy Centre, page 19 At a glance Our members Members impact Value of Reconomy Centre for Members Constructive Feedback Improvements Part 3: Local Economic Blueprint, page 26 Overview Totnes10 Caring Town Totnes Reflections Part 4: Conclusions, page 29

2

Overview This impact report aims to understand and assess the impact of The Totnes REconomy project over the last 6 years, between 2012 to 2017. The project is located in Totnes, Devon, UK, a market town with a population of about 8,500 in the town and about 23,000 for the town and district. The report will look at the economic, social and environmental impacts of The REconomy Project, the extent to which it has achieved its aims, and share some of the lessons learned and insights for moving forward.

This will be explored by looking at the three cornerstones of the Totnes REconomy Project: the Local Entrepreneur Forum, The REconomy Centre and the Local Economic Blueprint. This study is made possible by generous support from Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy and Society.

Totnes REconomy Project The Totnes Reconomy Project, is an initiative of Transition Town Totnes, and was launched by a small group of enthusiastic community members. Its aims are to inspire a new kind of economic regeneration that creates an abundance of opportunity for people to meet their needs, in ways that work with natural systems, are inclusive and fair, and that generally increase the wellbeing of the entire community. Website: ​www.reconomycentre.org Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy and Society The "dilemma of economic growth" - the systems must grow to avoid instability and loss of jobs, but growth must be curtailed if we are to avoid environmental catastrophe. Believing that Japan also needs an organization to study these themes, find breakthroughs, and promote clear thinking both in Japan and worldwide, e's Inc. (President Junko Edahiro) (​http://www.es-inc.jp/index.html​), in cooperation with Japan for Sustainability (JFS) (​http://www.japanfs.org/en/​), has established the Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy, and Society (ISHES). The Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy, and Society will engage in activities such as research, publishing, informing public opinion, dialogue, and networking with the world. Website:​ ​www.ishes.org

3

Report Summary The Totnes REconomy Project has been running since 2011 with practical aims to develop more opportunities for young people to create livelihoods and for everyone in the community to have their needs met in ways that are ecologically sustainable or regenerative, fair and inclusive, and that contribute to the resilience of the community. The premise for activity is that if we want a new kind of local economy that can deliver on these aims, we must create the conditions for new economic actors, relationships and models to emerge and thrive. We believe we can create these conditions by focusing on four areas of activity: 1) catalysing a new entrepreneurial culture, 2) mobilising local social and financial capital, 3) building an ‘enterprising ecosystem’, 4) weaving networks of ‘new economy’ organisations and activists.

We conducted this study to try to measure our impacts in these areas. What we have found is that through our three principal projects, the Local Entrepreneur Forum, the REconomy Centre, and the Local Economic Blueprint, we have had positive results in all of these areas.

The Totnes REconomy Project has directly helped to raise over £83k of financial support from local citizens for 27 enterprises, creating 5 new full time equivalent jobs. Beneficiaries have reported that access to hundreds of thousands more financial support and creation of many more jobs have been indirect results of the Totnes REconomy Project’s activities and relationships.

These local enterprises turnover about £1.3, spending over £870k on local payroll and procurement. These factors make a positive contribution to building community wealth.

Furthermore, these firms also pursue social and environmental aims which also contribute positively to an inclusive, fair, sustainable and resilient local economy.

The Totnes REconomy Project is catalysing the emergence of a community supported entrepreneurial culture and ecosystem. Since 2012, there have been over 720 participants in the LEF and over 100 members of the REconomy Centre; 27 enterprises have pitched for support many now support and collaborate with each other. After 6 LEF events, 170 people have played the role of investor, including 24 from these pitching enterprises. Over 150 enterprise workshop participants and hundreds of hours of volunteer support have been logged at the REconomy Centre. Trends are positive for increasing numbers of ‘investors’ and enterprises applying to pitch.

These indicators all point toward a normalising of these activities in local community life.

The LEF and REconomy Centre have become important institutions in the local enterprise ecosystem, offering clear and accessible pathways for entrepreneurs to start new enterprises, or existing enterprises to access support or expansion capital. As a result of their positive impacts, new and/or more impactful roles for local political actors, schools, landowners, and NGOs in this ecosystem have been enabled. This brings to life a ‘community supported entrepreneurism’, a kind of community enterprise incubation system.

In short, the impacts of the Totnes REconomy Project, through its principal projects, have been positive and increasing. The study, below, brings to light more detail and context, allowing the reader to gain a more in-depth understanding of how and why these projects are working, as well as their limitations. The study creates a foundation for understanding the opportunities for

4

improving the effectiveness of these projects, as well as the potential for new projects and programmes.

Methodology & Data The research for this study was designed and led by graduate students, Rhiannon Colvin, Schumacher College, and Nobuhiko Yamazaki, University of Grenoble. It included a review and analysis of data collected by the Totnes Reconomy Project from 2012 to the present, as well as quantitative and qualitative data obtained by surveys of 17 participants of Local Entrepreneur Forum and 27 members of the REconomy Centre, as well as interviews with 5 LEF ‘pitchers’, 4 other LEF participants, and coordinators of two projects that came out of the Local Economic Blueprint work.​ ​The report was co-written by Rhiannon Colvin and Jay Tompt, coordinator of the REconomy Centre.

The Story so far…

The Totnes REconomy Project began modestly in 2011 when a group of citizens concerned about the state of the local economy, and its prospects for providing meaningful work for the young people of the community, met for the first time as the Transition Town Totnes ‘business & livelihoods’ group. The idea for developing a community enterprise incubator was put forward at that meeting and that was the initial spark. The group renamed itself the Totnes REconomy Project to reflect its affiliation with an emerging national network, and has gone on to develop several projects in Totnes, some of which are being replicated elsewhere.

A brief timeline: ●

●

●

2011 - the group forms and begins making plans for an incubator and the Local Entrepreneur Forum. It also begins participation in the pilot of the Local Economic Blueprint.

2012 - the first ​Local Entrepreneur Forum​ is run, supporting the Plough & Share Credit Union, GroCycle, New Lion Brewery, The Land Society, and Babes in the Woods. The work of the Local Economic Blueprint continues - researching four local economic sectors and organising a small group of stakeholders, composed of community leaders, including the chief executive of South Hams District Council, two members of the town council, representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, King Edward VI Community College, South Devon College, Dartington Hall Trust, Schumacher College, and Totnes Development Trust.

2013 - The ​Local Economic Blueprint​ is published and launched at the second Local Entrepreneur Forum (LEF). The chief executive of South Hams District Council was part of the stakeholder group monitoring the progress and findings of the Local Economic Blueprint process and, as a consequence, made it possible for some office space the council owns to be used as a community enterprise co-working space and incubator. This, then, was the beginning of the ​Reconomy Centre​.

5

●

●

●

●

2014 - The 3rd annual LEF ran again and the first workshops were organised at the REconomy Centre. We also launched the Community Enterprise Support & Investment (CESI) programme, a funded piece of work aiming to support ten enterprises and new models of support and investment.

2015 - The 4th annual LEF ran again, a full slate of workshops at the REconomy Centre, and the first Devon Convergence, a network building event designed to create connections among citizens groups and NGOs concerned with sustainable local economic development. The LEF model was copied by a citizen-led group in Brixton, London.

2016 - The 5th annual LEF ran once again, with more applicants looking to pitch their projects than ever before. Another full programme of workshops at the REconomy Centre, too, concerning business planning, business models, marketing and social media. We also co-organised the 2nd Devon Convergence, which spawned a ‘new economy’ group in Exeter.

2017 - This year the Local Entrepreneur Forum was split into two events. One was the New Project Design Hack-a-thon, where local experts gathered around 5 early-stage enterprises to ‘hack’ and improve their ideas. This was followed a few weeks later by the Community of Dragons, which raised over £10k for 5 local enterprise projects. There were more workshops at the REconomy Centre, the launch of a local investor network, and the 3rd Devon Convergence in Torbay. Planned for 2018 is a LEF in Glastonbury, Somerset and, perhaps, Plymouth and Torbay.

Totnes REconomy Project Aims The Totnes REconomy Project approach, that has emerged over the last few years, is often described as ‘community supported entrepreneurism’. The aim is to create the conditions for new economic actors, relationships and models to emerge and thrive. This study will try to determine the extent to which the main projects and activities are fulfilling this aim, as well as, are they: 1. Contributing to the growth and resilience of the local economy, through job creation, local investment, local procurement and production. Increasing the ‘local multiplier’ and building community wealth?

2. Catalysing a regenerative ecosystem and culture of community supported entrepreneurship?

3. Are the Local Economic Forum and REconomy Centre important institutions within this local ecosystem?

4. Has the network of enterprises and initiatives connected with Totnes REconomy Project led to an increased output of social and environmental benefits for the local community?

6

Part 1: The Local Entrepreneur Forum One of the primary activities the Totnes REconomy Project has carried out to support the creation of a vibrant local economy and ecosystem of ​‘community supported entrepreneurism’, ​is to hold yearly forums that bring together local ​entrepreneurs, investors, and other change makers to learn from each other, form new relationships, and begin enterprising collaborations.

These forums give local entrepreneurs the chance to pitch their idea and ask for support from the local community. Whilst financial capital is important, entrepreneurs need all kinds of support, from expert mentoring to child care. These forums give the community a chance to offer whatever kind of support they can. ‘Everyone can be an investor, and everyone can participate and feel they have a stake in their local economy’ - has become part of a new story about what it means ‘to invest’. The Local Economic Forums have been running annually from 2012-2017, so what have they achieved so far?

LEF figures at a glance The Basics -

6 events 720 participants Estimated net costs over 6 years, £5500 27 enterprises have pitched 21 are operating - (2 failed to launch, 3 have subsequently failed after being in operation, 1 is not very active - ‘back burner’)

Support and Investment -

570 offers of support 170 people have contributed as investors, donors, supporters - ‘dragons’ 41 have invested in more than one event, 96 have made more than one offer 24 investors are from enterprises that have pitched at the LEF Directly over £83,000 lent, gifted, or ‘pre-purchased’ Directly, about £20,000 worth of non-financial support and services have been offered Indirectly, (but as a result of participating in the forums) another £107,000 - £357,000 funding has been raised. One LEF pitching entrepreneur, says as an indirect result of pitching, ‘A friend pledged financial support for the purchase of premises for a value of several hundred thousand pounds.’

Local Multiplier -

LEF enterprises generated approximately $1.36m of turnover last year Their products and services are mostly ‘import substitutes’, with estimated local area sales of about £940,000.

7

-

They directly spend about £177,000 with local suppliers They employ about 40 full time equivalent employees, with local payroll of about £695,000 Of these, 5.25 full time equivalent jobs are a direct result of pitching at the LEF, and another 7 jobs are an indirect result of pitching at the LEF. These enterprises boost the ‘local multiplier’

Far and Wide -

The LEF, or this ‘community supported entrepreneurism’ model, is spreading Calderdale, Yorkshire; Brixton, London; Glastonbury/Street, Somerset; Bridport, Dorset; Plymouth, Torquay - all have run LEFs or are planning to run them An agreement with South Hams & West Devon District Council will explore support for rolling out this model across these districts.

Data Analysis A more in depth analysis of the data reveals some interesting trends.

1.

Financial contributions directly resulting from LEFs each year are increasing.

The format of the first LEF had five projects pitching to three, ‘friendly Dragons’ - the ceo of social enterprise crowdfunding platform, BuzzBnk, the chairman of the board of trustee of Sharpham Trust, and a co-founder of the The Funding Network. Each offered support to the five pitching enterprises.

8

Since then, the format of the events has included the entire audience of 120 people playing the role of investor as the ‘community of dragons’, where each are invited to ‘invest’ their support in the form of money lent or gifted, skills, access to networks, use of other assets and all kinds of other support.

One of the interesting things the LEFs allow people to do is to offer their financial support in a number of different ways: by simply granting it, by buying products up front (prepayment), or by offering a loan. This graph shows an overall upwards trend in financial contributions at the LEF’s, as well as showing that loans have consistently been the highest type of financial contribution.

The spike in 2014 is obvious - over £50k of hybrid debt/equity was raised that year for two particularly larger scale and investment ready enterprises.

2.

Offers of non-financial support are significant every year.

Entrepreneurs and enterprise leadership teams need all kinds of support, not just money and a business plan. The LEF creates the platform for all event attendees to offer whatever kind of support they think might be useful in addition to what is being pitched for. Offers have included business advice and consulting, mentoring and coaching, access to professional networks, help with business plans and websites, fruit trees and mulch, use of land and buildings, furniture and equipment, tools, child care, volunteer time, posts on social media, features in papers and magazines, massages and home-cooked meals. There has also been an overall upwards trend in offers of non-financial support - from 32 at the first LEF to 98 at the most recent event in 2017, although clearly the offers of support have varied based on a variety of factors, including what kind and how many projects are pitching at the event. In the graph below you can also see the estimated cash value of some of these offers.

9

3.

Overall ‘investments’ seem to be growing over the course of the last 5 years.

The ‘Community of Dragons’ era comprises just five years, five events, and 22 pitchers. It is, therefore, a relatively small sample, making it difficult to read too much into the data. But what is

10

clear is that the event, as a platform for matching entrepreneurs and enterprises with investors of financial and social capital, as well as other assets, seems to be moving in a positive direction.

The last three years have seen growth in the value of ‘investments’, which might be indicative of increasing quality of pitching enterprises, as well as growing numbers of people thinking of themselves as potential investors.

4.

The ‘community of dragons’ is at the heart of an emerging entrepreneurial culture.

While the number of participants each year has remained fairly constant at about 120 people, the number of people who contribute each year as ‘dragons’ has varied, as seen in the chart, below.

One obvious is factor is related to the number of pitching projects. The ‘pitchers’ do mobilise their friends and neighbours and this is reflected in the data. The two years with 5 pitching projects had the highest number of investors participating. Other factors may include the quality of the pitching projects, their presentations, etc.

Year 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Total

No. of Dragons Dragons/Participants 31 26% 55 46% 41 34% 33 28% 72 60% 232 -

While the total number of ‘investors’ across the events is 232, the number of unique investors is 169. Forty one have invested at more than one event, 96 have made more than one offer, and 15 have accounted for over 28% of all offers. Of these top 15, 8 are from enterprises that have Qty

% of total

total investors

169

-

total offers

570

-

offers, top 15 investors

162

28.4%

investors, >1 event

41

24.3%

investors, >1 offer

96

56.8%

pitcher/investors

24

14.2%

122

21.4%

from pitchers

pitched at the LEF. An easy conclusion to draw is that through the LEF, people are gaining the opportunity to play the role of investor and supporter of local, progressive businesses. This participation can also be seen in terms of the social, financial and other productive capital that is already in place and being put to work for the benefit of local enterprise, sometimes, representing

11

capital divested and repurposed from the banks and securities invested in the global economy.

Many ‘dragons’ remain connected as customers. And many of them are from local enterprises, themselves, forging relationships of mutual support.

5.

The number of local entrepreneurs and enterprises applying to pitch is growing.

In the first few years, recruiting viable ‘pitchers’ for the LEF was difficult. In recent years, the

number and quality of applicants has grown. In 2016, 16 applied, but two of the projects that were not chosen to pitch that year, re-applied the following year, were accepted, and made very successful pitches. This could mean that there has been an overall increase in the number of new business ideas or entrepreneurs in the area, or that as momentum has built, more have seen the LEFs as a place to come and showcase their work or seek expansion capital. In any case, this increase supports the idea that an entrepreneurial culture is developing and that the LEF is seen as pathway for accessing funds and other support required for new and growing firms. The number of pitching places at each event has remained at 4 or 5.

6.

The LEF platform ‘return on investment’

‘Return on investment’ is a tool used by firms to evaluate performance or expected performance among a range of investment alternatives. It’s probably not the right tool to use to evaluate the LEF as a platform or ongoing programme - it was never an ‘investment decision’ in that sense, but something that emerged organically from a loose collaboration. But it’s worthwhile understanding that there is always an opportunity cost for citizen-led groups and NGOs in terms of how they invest their interest, time, and resources, even though decisions about what projects are undertaken are often driven by who shows up, what funding is available with what kinds of strings attached, and so on. So, what might the returns look like for the Local Entrepreneur Forum?

First, let’s look at the numbers associated with running the events. These are estimates based on accounting records and give a good enough indication for our purposes. Income across 6 events

12

- about £5000. Costs, including hall rental, meals, salaries, etc. - about £10,500. The gap £5,500 has been covered by external funding. This does not include hundreds of hours of volunteer time.

Now, let’s compare these costs with some of the metrics above. If financial investments directly resulting from the LEF totals £83,000, then that’s 8 times return on the total costs of £10,500 spent on running the programme. If the LEF played a direct role in creating at least 5 full time equivalent jobs, that’s about £2,625 spent to produce each new job. The LEF has ‘activated’ about 170 people in the community to act as investors, enablers and supporters, at a cost of about £60 per head. How do these numbers compare with alternative approaches to mobilizing local financial capital, job creation, or community engagement? This is a good question for further research and beyond the scope of this study. In the meantime, these figures may be useful as a starting point for other investigators.

What participants are saying Facts and figures can tell us many things, but they often fail to give us an idea of how these events feel, what it’s like to participate and what it means to people that are involved. Here are some quotes and stories from different participants in the process that can help to give you a felt sense of what the forums are like.

Myrtle. 2015 Pitcher. Wild and Curious “Pitching at the LEF was a very powerful experience. Soul churning moment where you realise you’ve stopped speaking and you’re looking at the eyes in the room thinking, ‘oh shit!’. Then immediately after, people clapped, asked nice but gentle questions. I went from thinking it wasn’t going to work to thinking it was something people are genuinely interested in. It felt inspirational, affirming, supportive. That feeling of people hearing what you’ve got to say and hear them saying I like that and I’m going to support it.”

Zav, 2014 Pitcher, Dart Valley Timber “Dart Valley Timber would not exist without the LEF.”

Pete Yeo. LEF Investor, 2012-2017 “I have supported, given and invested at all of the Totnes LEFs because I know that another world is possible, one where people and communities realise their collective abundance and fly in the face of manufactured scarcity. The LEF model embodies this reality, acting as a springboard for more sustainable, circular and enjoyable economies, where folk smile at the opportunities rather than cringe at the threats. Giving, investing authentically, in any way you’re able, is beautiful, and truly makes the world go round.”

13

Ian Smith and Tess Wilmot, LEF attendees 2017 “We were both deeply impressed by the supportive and collaborative spirit which was much in evidence. We got a strong sense of a win-win / winners and winners ethos and practice. This was a refreshing change to the competitive approach so often evident elsewhere which inevitably drives people into a win-lose / winners and losers experience.

We also like the way your forum creatively releases social and financial capital to resource worthwhile initiatives. Without your forum such resources might remain undiscovered and untapped. We were both excited and happy to be part in such a positive experience.”

Survey of LEF Pitchers In researching the impact of the Local Economic Forums we asked pitchers to fill out a survey to give us feedback on their experience, we also conducted in depth interviews with 5 different businesses that pitched. Both of these brought out some interesting common themes and experiences that the pitchers had, as well as lessons and insights for what could be improved in the future.

Common Themes and Insights ●

100 % of those surveyed and interviewed experienced an important sense of validation, love and support from the community at the LEF. Many described it as a kind of ‘coming out’ to the community and described the positive feedback they received as giving them confidence, motivation and belief in their idea.

●

84% of pitchers said the LEFs helped them build useful new relationships and collaborations. Many received contributions that played an important role in the success and development of their business, for some it was a relationship with a new mentor that had connections to the council and therefore helped them secure a new office space, for others it was a new relationship with a crucial investor, or a large number of pre-orders of their product, which helped them get their business off the ground. This is one of the unique and interesting things about the LEFs: when businesses and entrepreneurs start out they need a wide range of different things, the LEFs allow pitchers to be very specific about what they need at this current stage in their business, and give the space for people in the community to meet that need in a variety of different ways.

●

Another thing that became clear from the research is that a high number of the enterprises that have pitched at the LEFs trade and work with other enterprises that have pitched, and have continued to attend the LEFs in years after they have pitched, as well as deepen and develop relationships with local community and investors. (See network map,page 30.)

●

90% of enterprises that pitched at the LEF also use the support of the REconomy centre, either through using its coworking space, meeting rooms, attending workshops or getting

14

support and advice from staff. This shows the that different elements of the REconomy project work well together, and that there is not only one type of action needed to create a resilient ecosystem of community enterprises, but in fact a number of different elements, projects, spaces, forms of support and ways to engage. ●

An issue that became clear through the interviews with entrepreneurs was that although they feel supported and connected to the local community, many feel under resourced and overstretched. Some people described feeling stressed, overworked, and alone. This raises some interesting questions about the resilience of the people and businesses that are a crucial part of the ecosystem. If many of the people within it are overstretched and are not experiencing positive personal wellbeing then, are there opportunities for further, positive interventions in the ‘local ecosystem’ that might help? For example, what further support could be offered by the Totnes REconomy Project or mobilised within the community to increase feelings of health and wellbeing for entrepreneurs? This is something that will be explored and incorporated into our work moving forwards.

LEF Case Study : Local Multiplier New Lion Brewery A community brewery at the heart of Totnes, producing unique craft beers with locally sourced ingredients. In 2012 the idea for New Lion Brewery was born, a few months later it was pitched at the LEF and following a huge amount of support, confidence and encouragement from the local community went on to secure start up investment to get the business off the ground.

Giving back to the local economy New Lion Brewery is an example of a business, that has been supported by the LEF and gives back a huge amount to the local economy. It contributes by providing employment (3 full time staff), producing 2,500 litres of beer per week which is £2,500 at wholesale prices that would have been spent on beer from multinational companies, and finally it collaborates and works with a number of local businesses to ensure as many of its ingredients as possible are sourced within 30 miles.

An example of its contribution to supporting the growth of the local economy is the way New Lion Brewery has​ collaborated with many other pitchers from the LEF to create unique locally sourced beers: these include a collaboration with Grocycle to make a Mushroom Stout; with Wild and Curious to make a beer flavoured with locally foraged herbs; and Grown in Totnes to use locally grown oat and spelt.

Experience of the LEF

15

“We got a lot of support and enthusiasm for the concept, we got profile from the event and for our business that proved to be really invaluable moving forward and we felt part of a community of emerging entrepreneurs and businesses in the town.� ​Rob Hopkins

LEFs Social and Environmental Impacts Many of the businesses we support have social aims that contribute to the growth and development of people in the local area, help build social cohesion and support the wellbeing of the community. The impacts range from improving health by providing the opportunity for people to spend time outdoors doing physically active work to helping people develop skills for creative industries, from helping people have a better experience of cremation to creating a support network to resource local young people.

Many of the businesses that have come through the LEFs also work to have a positive impact on the environment. Many do this through significantly reducing food miles by producing local products that would have otherwise come from a long distance away, examples include: Grown in Totnes - producing local grains such as wheat and oats that may have come from countries such as India and China or New Lion Brewery creating beers that may have otherwise been imported from Germany and Belgium. Other businesses such as School Farm CSA, Ambios Ltd., and Huxhams Cross Biodynamic Farm contribute to regenerating the land and increasing biodiversity within the local area.

Here are some examples of the social and environmental impacts businesses that have been through the LEFs have made: -

200 adults and 150 young people connected to nature through wild food walks 100 volunteers learned about local grain production, 10 volunteers to use local production machines

16

-

Supported over 70 day users (adults with learning disabilities) a week to learn to grow food and be in contact with nature at our farm.

Provided career advice and training to over 20 students Brought together young people to discuss and imagine the possibility of rural livelihoods and community living.

Supported over 25,000 people to grow their own mushrooms at home Supported 800 people in 40 countries have learned how to grow mushrooms on coffee grounds after taking our online course

LEF Case Study: Social & Environmental Impacts School Farm CSA School Farm CSA is an example of a local business that has a big positive impact on both people and the environment. It is one of the UK’s only no-dig, certified-organic community farms and uses a model of farming which allows the local community to take control of where their food comes from, how it is produced, and to invest in the futures of the community by creating sustainable livelihoods.

School farm has four main aims: -

To grow organic, good quality, healthy food for local people To create livelihoods for people working on the land To skill people up with the knowledge to grow food in a sustainable way To build community and relationships through food

School Farm CSA was set up as a market garden in 2007, however it pitched at the LEF in 2013, because its founders felt isolated growing and selling food to shops with little direct contact with the people eating their food and wanted to change the model to a veg box scheme that involved and built relationships with the local community.

Pitching at the LEF enabled School Farm CSA to get 20 new members signing up to their veg box scheme, as well as a huge amount of publicity and personal contact with the people buying their food. It also enabled them to forge a relationship with Buzzbank which supported them to launch a crowdfunding campaign which helped us raise ÂŁ15,000 to develop and grow the next stage of their project.

They now run a veg box scheme for 36 members, run two horticultural courses a year, sell produce to local cafes and businesses, have a weekly volunteer drop in scheme, and run a diversity of different tours and events to engage the community and raise awareness about local food.

Experience at the LEF:

17

“​We were overwhelmed with the enthusiasm and support we received from our community for the project and it really helped to clarify that what we were doing was needed and wanted and gave us energy and motivation to continue.” Jenny Gellatly Social and Environmental Impacts: -

-

They provide healthy, organic, local food for their members and the community They increase biodiversity and wildlife habitat by growing a number of different crops, plants and trees on their farm.

They improve health and reduce loneliness through providing the opportunity for people to come and volunteer and spend time outdoors doing physically active work alongside others.

They educate and train people with the skills and knowledge they need to grow organic food, which in turn increases local food resilience They run regular tours and yearly community events that support people to develop a closer, more informed, and more sustainable relationship with food.

LEF Pitchers - 2012-2017 2012 ● ● ● ● ● 2013 ● ● ● ● 2014 ● ● ● ● ● 2015 ● ● ● ●

GroCycle - ​www.grocycle.com New Lion Brewery - ​www.newlionbrewery.co.uk Plough & Share Credit Union Babes in the Woods - ​www.babesinthewoods.co.uk The Land Society - ​www.landsociety.org School Farm CSA - ​www.schoolfarmcsa.org.uk Transition Homes - ​www.transitionhomes.org.uk Totnes Mosaic Totnes ArtHub

HillyField CIC –​ ​www.thehillyfield.co.uk Argand Solutions –​ ​www.argandsolutions.com The Living Projects - ​www.facebook.com/thelivingprojects Grown in Totnes - ​grownintotnes.co.uk Dart Valley Timber - ​https://youtu.be/qEVQDab1y2c Green Funeral Company –​ ​www.thegreenfuneralcompany.co.uk Wild & Curious –​ ​www.wildandcurious.org.uk Dartmoor Pony Training Centre –​dptc.org.uk The Underground Chocolate Company, KEVICC –​www.kingedwardvi.devon.sch.uk

18

2016 ● ● ● ● 2017 ● ● ● ● ●

Iola –​ ​iolaweir.co.uk The Kitchen Table –​ ​thekitchentable.org.uk Horse and Heart –​ ​www.horse-and-heart.com Ambios –​ ​www.ambios.net Black Bee Combe - ​www.facebook.com/BlackBeeCombe The Woodland Presents - ​www.thewoodland.co Huxhams Cross Farm - ​www.apricotcentre.co.uk Studio 45 - ​www.studio45.uk.com Yew Media - ​www.yewmedia.com

Short videos of past pitchers can be found, here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnqHdLX0AfJMcgF0Wli4ratETFz_XmmO6

19

Part 2: The REconomy Centre Another cornerstone of the Totnes REconomy Project has been the REconomy Centre, located in the town centre. Launched in 2013 in a long vacant office space owned by South Hams District Council (SHDC). The Council made it available for the project rent free as a result of their participation in the Local Economic Blueprint Project. ​The REconomy Centre is a co-working and meeting place for ethical local enterprises, people creating new livelihoods, and community groups working for a strong, resilient and equitable economy. It’s also a ‘drop-in incubator’ where entrepreneurs and new enterprises can access support from project organisers and peers, including workshops and educational opportunities, updates on funding opportunities and access to professional networks and mentors.

The REconomy Centre aims to be accessible by all in the community by being based on a ​‘pay what you can’ pricing model and is 80% ‘self-managed’ by members. The space is made available on very generous lease terms by SHDC in recognition of the value delivered by the project to the local economy. Operating expenses are very low and member contributions, as well as revenue from workshops and conference room booking allow the project to break even. In other words, the project is self funding with regard to hard costs.

REconomy Centre at a glance For years 2015 and 2016 ● Members - 80, 130 ● Workshops delivered (business planning, social media, finance, etc.) - 18, 16 ● Workshop attendance - 150, 150 ● Meetings, approx - 260, 270 ● Volunteer hours contributed - 300, 270 Membership The usage of the REconomy Centre ebbs and flows, as is the case for all co-working/incubation spaces. The list of members is about 130, which include core users of about 40, and about 50 that have discontinued using the space, but remain connected with the network, receive email newsletters, etc. The rest are infrequent users.

About 80% of our members are aged 35 and over, over 60% are female, and 80% are white. The population of Totnes is about 8,500 with below the national average of residents between ages of 18-44 and above the national average of ages 45 and above, it is also a predominantly white rural area with 91% of the population having been born in England. The number of members, as well as their age and ethnicity are very reflective of the demographics of the town. The composition of members include a mix of individuals, enterprises, and community groups. Some have pitched at the Local Entrepreneur Forum.

20

A partial list of members:

Landmatters/ Untamed

South Devon Refugee Support network

Argand Solutions

Left Bridge

The Apricot Centre / Huxhams Cross Farm

Arts Lab, Dartington

Natural Art Movement

The Business Guru

Babes in the Woods

Nature Workshops

The Dart School

CKS Accountancy

New Lion Brewery

Devon Greater Horseshoe Bat Project (DGHBP)

Clear Mind

Network of Wellbeing

The Green Funeral Company

Composting in Schools

NU project

The Hillyfield / Acoustic Haven

Apricot Centre

Devon Community Recycling Network (DCRN) Otto Physiotherapy

The Living Projects

Encounters Arts

Oxfam Books and Music

Totnes Neighbourhood Plan

Follaton Forest Garden

Patrick Whitefield Associates

Totnes Pound CIC

Food in Community CIC

Peritus Digital

Transformational Leadership Coaching

Future Farm Lab and the #OurField project

Reconnect magazine

Tresoc

Futurebound

Recycle Devon's Re-Use Project TTT Film Festival

Good Heat Company

RegenSW/ TRESOC

VocoVeritas

Grasp The Nettle Films

robin milne woodworks

Wild & Curious

Green Lane Films

School Farm CSA

Yoga Dance for health

Green-Measures Media

Small Torque I.T.

Greenheart Business

SoundArt Community Radio

REconomy Centre Members’ Impact in the local community Economic Members of the REconomy Centre work in a wide range of areas: from family health to affordable housing; environmental education to marketing; coaching to food production; arts to public relations; documentary films to permaculture; wellbeing to renewable energy. This diversity is important for supporting innovation and increasing resilience in the local economy. These

21

enterprises also generate income, employ local people and spend locally. With the exception of those members that have pitched at the LEF, and whose aggregate economic data is reported above, we’ve not surveyed remaining REconomy Centre members on questions regarding income, local procurement and employment.

Anecdotally, however, we can give an indication of some of the members’ economic contributions.

For example, Tresoc, the Totnes Renewable Energy Society, has about 570 members that contributed over £500,000 for Tresoc’s renewable energy projects and an additional £300,000 for a related micro-hydro project. Tresoc also employs three part time staff, alongside many volunteer hours. EncountersArts, a founding member of REconomy Centre, provides livelihoods for several people - three full time and several part time - and has recently ‘graduated’ to their own dedicated office space.

The local economic contributions of REconomy Centre members, in general, we can estimate, is relatively significant, however we can have not investigated in detail membership revenues, local procurement, etc. We have, however, calculated their spending associated with their use of the REconomy Centre. They report that, in aggregate, they spend about £9,000 - £10,000 per year in local shops on items such as lunch and office supplies.

Social and Environmental 100% of the members we surveyed said their work has a positive impact on people and the environment. In different ways our members are contributing to increased social cohesion and sustainability in Totnes, the South West, the UK and internationally. Below are a few examples of positive impacts our members are having: ●

Enabling people in housing need to self build their own affordable eco-homes.

●

Supporting families to make positive changes around food and mealtimes.

●

Regeneration of heritage buildings and public spaces

●

Educating people about money: where it comes from and where it goes.

●

Supporting refugees in South Devon

●

Promoting cross-sector working to ensure that innovative thinking and action for the future of Devon brings ecology and economy together

●

Arts & creative PR as an antidote to fake news and post-truth

●

Improving the lives of young people and committed artists

●

Communicating environmental stories

●

Design and deliver creative projects that bring people together across difference to deepen their relationship with themselves, each other and the wider natural world.

●

Provide research and briefings for climate change campaigners

●

Reducing CO2, local energy prices and fuel poverty and increasing local energy security, social cohesion and community empowerment through control and ownership of development of energy resources.

●

Helping small local business succeed

22

The Value of the REconomy Centre for Members The REconomy Centre provides desk and storage space, access to meeting rooms and facilities, a space for people to run their own workshops, workshops for members to attend and advice and support. Below you can see the use of these services and offers by our members: Use of coworking Space

Meeting rooms, events, support -

75% of our members use our meeting facilities 54% of our members have used the centre to hold workshops and events 35% have attended workshops and events put on by REconomy centre 66% have received support and mentoring from Reconomy centre Use of space saves members and their businesses a total of £1000 PM

Workshops Members have hosted workshops on….

Members have attended REconomy workshops on…

Supporting & engaging home educators

Business planning

Job application and interview techniques

Progressive education

Finding work that is good for you and the world

Marketing

Creating and developing Totnes Pound

Skills swap

Local renewable energy

Bookkeeping for self employed

Sustainable design

Networking

Good growth

Facebook training

23

People are interested in more workshops on….. ●

All aspects of setting up and running a social enterprise.

●

Social media training, website development,

●

Continuing to work toward the transition into a healthier and community orientated lifestyle

●

Workshops on funding our CIC, trainings in how to use social media

●

Google Analytics training

●

More business planning sessions; sessions on business options, terminology, building blocks and strategy.

●

More media and communication workshops.

●

Networking events for business people to get connected and find ways to collaborate

●

Hacker/makerthons

●

Leadership

One on one support Members have received advice and one on one support from the REconomy Centre coordinator, as well as from peers on business planning, marketing, networking, local information, technical support, bookkeeping, crowdfunding, grant applications,referral for a big local grant, legal advice, and a lot of positive encouragement.

Survey feedback on support given was 100% positive, with many commenting that it “helped develop local knowledge and personal development”, “supported the growth of their business”, “helped them get grants successfully”.

Positive Impacts The REconomy Centre provides its members more than just work and meeting space. It provides a place to meet likeminded people in the area, to find new collaborators, to make new business connections. It provides a sense of community and a place for people to find out more about how they can become part of creating a more resilient, social and sustainable local economy.

80% of businesses that pitched at the LEFs also use The REconomy centre: for some it provides a quiet space to work away from the space where they produce their products, such as food, grain or beer; for others it provides workshops that help them with business planning, marketing or innovation; for others it provides a low cost space to hold meetings and run events. At least 8 have ‘graduated’ as their businesses or livelihoods have developed, moving to larger offices spaces or securing permanent employment with established enterprises.

24

Here’s what members have to say about the REconomy Centre: “​It has helped me to become more knowledgeable about local economic issues and to get involved in local investing and generally supporting local economic resilience.”

“I came to Totnes looking for community orientated people and projects. REconomy Centre is a hub or portal to such things.”

“The REconomy Centre adds status to our work to have a place we can meet people and visitors can experience collaborative working going on.”

“It is a go-to place to meet people who are innovating in the sustainability sector locally.”

“Fantastic for networking, affirmation that we're doing good stuff and reassuring to know you are always there for us” “I have met like-minded people here which has been great when settling into a new town” “It provides us with network of investors” “Just knowing it is there, supports me massively” “​When I started my project I had no budget for workspace but couldn't work at home because I needed to be based in town in the heart of the community. The REconomy Centre provided me with a base I could afford in the exact location I needed (central.) It was also beneficial to have the company and buzz of an office which helped make my work more enjoyable.” “ It enabled me to have a professional place to work outside my home, to help me get my business consultancy / digital marketing business started. We now have offices in Totnes and employ 4 people.”

New Relationships and Business Development Two thirds of the members have made new business relationships as a result of using the space.

Here are some examples: “It's a really important space for networking and maintaining relationships. Through other users of the Centre we have gained many new members, had help with social media, been offered the regular use of someone's garage for veg box pick up, maintained relationships with other enterprises, such as a local film-maker who has, over the years, made

25

promotional materials with us, arranged tours in collaboration with FutureBound etc. It's a hive of activity where many new relationships and opportunities are formed.”

“The people who work at the Centre are a great resource and we have made some good connections.”

“The work I did at REconomy contributed towards me moving from a freelance status to a part-time PR job” “ I got new coaching clients through running workshops at the REconomy Centre” “Through another user of the Centre we were introduced to an organisation who became a client.”

Constructive Feedback from Members: Member feedback on what could be improved focused on three core areas. ​First, the physical space could be improved with stronger mobile phone signal, more storage, nicer furniture, better insulation, better soundproofing and longer opening hours. Second, more clarity on acceptable coworking behaviour and etiquette, especially concerning noise, use of phones, and memberships processes such as booking meetings and making payments. Third, more opportunities to get to know one another, such as more mingling space, networking events and social activities.

Opportunities for Improvement The feedback from our members as well as the opportunity to carry out this impact report and take time to reflect on what has and hasn’t been working at The REconomy centre has supported us to identify a few key areas for for further research and improvement.

1) Use of Space: Whilst the composition and number of members reflects the demographics of the town, we notice and acknowledge that the space is not always used to its full potential and capacity and would like to do further research to understand the reasons behind this and how we might attract more members to the space.

2) Networking events and Support: Following member feedback we will be looking into how we can create more spaces and opportunities for members to meet and build relationships, as well as exploring the potential to expand the kind of business support, capacity building and educational workshops we offer to our members.

3) Administration:​ ​We will also be taking the time to review and rework some of our member processes so there is more clarity around responsibility, usage and management.

26

Part 3: The Local Economic Blueprint In April 2011, as part of its local REconomy Project, Transition Town Totnes brought together key stakeholders with an interest in the local economy to discuss how the resilience and wellbeing of the local community could be improved, through transforming the local economic system. This launched the Local Economic Blueprint, which published its summary report in March 2013.

The aim of the Local Economic Blueprint was to identify current strengths and weaknesses in the local economy, and pinpoint key areas where energy could be focused to help the local economy develop and grow. Not only was the aim to strengthen the local economy, but furthermore to create an economic system that maximizes the wellbeing of the entire community, uses and distributes resources fairly and respects natural limits.

The research looked at publically available data to pull together a picture of the economy, both as it is now and as it could be. It identified four key sectors that play a fundamental role in the resilience and sustainability of the local community, and then to understand what the current distribution of wealth and resources within each sector was, and finally how a larger proportion of each sector could be redirected into the local economy. The four sectors were: food, housing, care & health and energy.

The report highlighted that even small shifts in each of these areas could make a huge contribution to the local economy because of the ‘local multiplier effect’. For example if spending on food shifted 10% from the big supermarkets to local suppliers it would add an additional £2 million to the local economy per year, plus more because of secondary and indirect spending. The market to retrofit homes could be worth an estimated £26-76 million, and developing renewable energy assets could generate £6.4 million worth of energy every year, so if local enterprises could convert even a fraction of that potential, that might also be worth millions for the local economy.

Following the release of the Local Economic Blueprint summary report, three key initiatives were launched. One was the REconomy Centre which was the result of the chief executive of South Hams District Council, who participated in briefings about the project and its progress, and was persuaded that it was a good idea to grant the use of an office space they own. Leader of the Council, John Tucker agreed and cut the ribbon on the REconomy Centre on September 17, 2013. The second initiative is ​Totnes10​, which focuses on shifting local spending and building local resilience in the food sector. Finally, ​Caring Town Totnes​, the third initiative, aims to bring together a diversity local care providers to collaborate on addressing specific local needs. Whilst the latter two projects are still relatively new, below are some figures on their current work and impact.

Totnes10 Totnes10 launched in 2016 with funding from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation to support the project until 2018, with one part time position and local expenses. The project has three core aims and has already been working towards these through a number of different activities:

27

1. To shift local spending on food from supermarkets to local providers To achieve this aim Totnes10 has launched a campaign and online platform where people can ‘pledge’ to shift 10% of their spending every week from big supermarkets to local shops. So far, they have had: -

198 Pledges - the next Local Food Festival in September, 2017 will generate more Equivalent to £45,000 PA if 100% followed through on pledge £4,500 if 10% followed through on pledge Average pledge follow is not known, at present

2. To build resilience and relationships between local food producers Totnes10 has run three pot luck suppers to bring together community food growers, retailers and farmers. At these events people come together to share food, get to know one another, and also to map and visualise the relationships that make up the local food ecosystem.

-

3 events Direct reach: 140 attendees Indirect Reach: 800 people (social media/ newsletters etc)

3. To support local residents to have a closer relationship with food & farming By collaborating with the Dartington Estate, Totnes10 has run Open Farm Days, events that invite the local community to visit, interact and engage with the variety of different food and livestock production happening on the estate, including School Farm and Huxhams Cross Farm, both past pitchers at Local Entrepreneur Forums -

Two ‘Open Farm Day’ events in collaboration with Dartington Direct reach: 700 attendees Indirect reach: 5,000 (publicity, social media, local press)

Caring Town Totnes Since its launch, Caring Town has secured funding of about £83,000 (spending over 3-4 years) from multiple sources supporting 3 part-time project workers, the Caring Town Information Exchange room, and project costs. The project has three core objectives: 1. To develop an integrated Caring Town Totnes (CTT) network - build a responsive, accessible, integrated alliance of over 70 local public, private and voluntary providers, focused on the community’s priority needs.

-

80 organisations in the Caring Town network

28

-

Identified 17 possible new services/activities and roles; agreed 3 of these to take forward immediately and the potential role of volunteers in 2 of these new services.

Network organisations are already reporting the benefits of working together, sharing information and resources and taking on practical projects together. Please ​see this video to hear from them directly.

-

2. ​Set up a community central access point to provide a more integrated response for individuals and families with needs.

-

Caring Town Information Exchange opened April 2017 in the town centre, equipped with promotional materials; 2 part-time workers and has a directory of local services.

3.​ Mobilise local volunteer capacity.

-

-

Spoken directly with over 30 local organisations to understand their approach to using volunteers, have analysed their needs and resources that might be made available to a town-wide volunteering programme.

Ran a public event attended by 30 local organisations in and over 250 local people came with their questions and offers of help.

25 new volunteers were signed up as a result of the event, by around 12 of the organisations.

Reflections on Local Economic Blueprint ●

● ● ●

Mapping and gaining an understanding of the distribution of resources, wealth and business in the local economy creates a credible foundation for additional projects and interventions The ‘Blueprint process’ establishes an evidence base and allows for relationship building with local government and agencies Shifts in government funding and priorities (such as a failure of the Green Deal) affect local plans and possibilities After 5 years, the project and its findings continue to be useful. Initially, Totnes was one of three community groups developing the process. Subsequently, two more participated in a self-directed course, the handbook of which is available for download, here: http://bit.ly/LEBguide

29

Part 4: Conclusions Overall, the evidence in this report strongly suggests that the Totnes REconomy Project approach is working to ‘create the conditions for new economic actors, relationships, and models to emerge and thrive.’ To what extent has it achieved the four aims outlined at the beginning of the report?

1. Contributing to the growth and resilience of the local economy, through job creation, local investment, local procurement and production. Increasing the ‘local multiplier’ and building community wealth.

The enterprises that have pitched at the LEF generated in 2016 over £1.3m for the local economy. Several of these enterprises have indicated that they’ve grown over the period of this study, while others are just now coming to market. Their products are, for the most part, import substitutes, local sales of which are estimated about £962,000. This means that this is money, or local wealth, that might have ‘leaked’ out of the local economy absent these locally produced substitutes.

To take it another step, these companies spend £177,000 per year on local procurement and about £695,000 on local payroll, putting this money back into the local economy. If we assume local suppliers and employees re-spend a similar proportion of this income on local procurement, then we can calculate a rough local multiplier figure for this network of LEF enterprises of .73. This means that for every £1 of turnover generated by LEF enterprises, it creates an additional £0.73 of local economic good through spending and respending.

If we add in estimates for the remaining REconomy Centre members and the funding raised by Totnes REconomy Project and related projects, nearly all of which is spent locally, then the local multiplier for the Totnes REconomy Project as a whole is clearly quite strong. Given that several of these enterprises might not have started up were it not for the support of the LEF or the Reconomy Centre, then it seems clear that the local multiplier is stronger than it might have been without the project, but this is speculation.

There are additional data to consider that contribute to local wealth building and the local multiplier. LEF enterprises raised over £83,000 directly, and over £100,000 indirectly, from local investors. If the alternative for these investors were bank deposits with national or multinational banks, or the equity markets, then these figures represent a further ‘plugged leak’ from the local economy, and an increase in local wealth retention. Finally, we must add that these LEF investment have led to at least 12 full time equivalent jobs, directly and indirectly.

2. Catalysing a regenerative ecosystem and culture of community supported entrepreneurship.

The REconomy Centre and LEFs have contributed significantly to creating a local ‘enterprising ecosystem’. They provide inputs of various kinds for local entrepreneurs and enterprises at early stages of their development through access to resources, information,

30

expertise. That they exist, and are visible and accessible, establishes that ‘entrepreneurship’ is a possibility for people who otherwise might not have imagined the possibility.

Within this ecosystem, either through the LEF or REconomy Centre, members of the community may act as investors, mentors, or in other roles to support enterprise development. These actions come through workshops and skillshares at the REconomy Centre, through the LEF, and carry on outside these two projects as the relationships between individuals develop. We’ve seen increasing numbers of enterprises applying to pitch at the LEF and increasing ‘investment’ activity, suggesting a developing norm around these activities.

Furthermore, the entrepreneurs and enterprises are collaborating with each other and ‘giving back’, returning to the LEF to ‘invest’ in others. We’ve mapped these relationships and greater ecosystem, which includes Schumacher College, Dartington Hall, the School for Social Entrepreneurs, Tresoc, Transition Town Totnes, Sharpham Trust, and local government. See graphic, below. Click here for large format PDF: http://bit.ly/LEF_network_map

During the course of this research, several entrepreneurs we surveyed spoke about being under resourced and overstretched, both with regard to personal health and the health of their business. These may be the ‘normal’ stresses of starting up an enterprise, however it does bring up interesting questions about the regenerative quality of this particular entrepreneurial ecosystem, as well as entrepreneurial culture, in general. How might we help to build capacity for personal resilience and support for local entrepreneurs? What

31

kind of entrepreneurial culture do we want and how can we ensure that it’s both good for business and personal wellbeing? These questions may point the way to future projects.

3. The Local Economic Forum and REconomy Centre are important institutions within this local ecosystem.

As the research in this report and the map above show, LEF and REconomy Centre play important and unique roles, contributing to an ecosystem supporting ‘community beneficial’ enterprises. Without them, as many in our research have said, their enterprises or projects would not exist or have developed. In fact, before these projects there were few pathways for local entrepreneurs to access advice, resources, team members or start-up capital.

That enterprises have gone on to reap indirect benefits, such as access to additional financial resources, suggests that this approach contributes to the development and investment readiness of participating enterprises. These two projects, in particular, have helped to create a ‘community supported entrepreneurism’, that is, a place-based systemic framework for incubating and supporting local, community benefiting enterprises. They have also mobilised other institutional actors in new ways, created new connectivity and synergies among them.

There remains lots of potential to develop this ecosystem, build relationships with other actors, and create new interventions. In this regard, it is important to highlight and acknowledge some of the contributions of other actors, some of which are active collaborators. Transition Town Totnes deserves special mention for obvious reasons - it was the origin of the Totnes REconomy Project. It also spawned the Totnes Pound, Transition Homes, Food Link, Grown in Totnes, all of which helped to put ‘local economics’ into the public discourse. TRESOC, the Totnes Renewable Energy Society, contributed to this discourse, as well as provided a viable investment platform - ‘industrial and provident society’ - for local citizens, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for renewable energy projects. Dartington Hall has also played a role, leaving a legacy of progressive action over its 80 year history. It plays host to the School for Social Entrepreneurs and Schumacher College, both of which have participated in these projects. Dartington also leases land and buildings to many of the projects that have pitched at the LEF. Finally, SHDC has played a role supporting the REconomy Centre and appears to be open to deeper collaboration. It is possible to deepen these relationships and find new opportunities to collaborate with all these organisations.

Might there be other factors contributing to the effectiveness of the LEF and REconomy Centre, such as local demographics, economic history, levels of wealth and deprivation?

These questions are beyond the scope of this study, however as these models are adopted and implemented in other places, these questions may become ripe for further inquiry.

4. The network of enterprises and initiatives connected with Totnes REconomy Project led to an increased output of social and environmental benefits for the local community.

As outlined above, many of the REconomy Centre members and LEF participants have

32

reported that they are pursuing social and environmental aims, and with some success.

Anecdotally, we can see that there are positive impacts with regard to social cohesion given that the LEF creates a platform for relationships to form and develop amongst and between members of the wider community. Similarly, the support for ecological agriculture projects such as School Farm CSA, Huxhams Cross Farm, and Grown in Totnes, as well Transition Homes and many of the other projects within the network, indirectly contribute to the positive environmental impacts of those projects, although at this time we do not have quantitative data measuring these impacts.

In Totnes, this approach - the Local Economic Blueprint, the Local Entrepreneur Forum, and the REconomy Centre - in what might be called ‘community supported entrepreneurism’, has been working to create the conditions for new economic actors, new economic relationships, and new models to emerge. The evidence in this report demonstrates that the Totnes REconomy Project has made a number of positive contributions over a relatively short space of time, learning many lessons that might benefits others. Indeed, the approach is beginning to spread, with groups in Hebden Bridge, Bridport and Dorset, Plymouth, Torbay, Glastonbury, and elsewhere in Devon beginning to experiment and look at ways these these projects could be adapted to their own local conditions. This report has also given us a lot to reflect upon as we begin to plan our next steps, helping to identify opportunities for improvement to these projects, as well as design of new projects.