During the autumn I was commissioned to make 8 short videos for a the Rural Media Company, which is based in Hereford.  The videos form part of a 3 year project, Over the Hill? which aims to highlight the challenges facing older people in the countryside and questions assumptions regarding the services rural older people want and need.

     Together with a colleague, I travelled to North Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Dorset, Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Derbyshire…

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Solihull Borough Council launched a 'Environment Champions' project to deal with the community's problem with littering, vandalism, and grafitti. The project has involved over 270 volunteers and a 100 projects - and helped combat a culture of environmental crime that can lead to more serious crime. The programme also involved young people in the project - harnessing their imagination and increasing their employability. The successful project has increased social cohesion and bolstered social…

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I was in Lewes this week and I noticed a poster advertising a meeting to discuss the 'First Community Owned Solar Power Station.'  It doesn't suprise me that this is being discussed in Lewes (very active community with their latest community ownership scheme being the football club.)  However I am quite curious to find out how widespread community owned energy schemes are in England.  Is this still a Scotland/ Wales based phenomena or is this becoming more widespread?  If not why do…

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Blackheath fireworks night has been a long standing tradition in Lewisham – with 80,000 people attending it in 2009. In past years it had received funding from both Lewisham and Greenwich councils with some private sponsorship. In October 2010 Greenwich council decided not commit its share of the funding leaving the event in doubt. Lewisham council remained committed by wasn’t able to meet the shortfall alone. Instead it launched a public appeal for donations. This is a great example of a… Continue