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I remember sitting in a drafty church hall back in ’94, staring at a stack of glossy, professional-looking brochures that promised we needed a massive marketing budget just to sell a few lemon drizzles. It was a total waste of… Continue reading

I remember sitting in a drafty church hall back in ’94, staring at a pile of glossy brochures from big national charities that felt about as useful as a chocolate teapot. Everyone kept telling us that to get a project… Continue reading

I remember sitting in a drafty church hall back in ’94, staring at a pile of grant forms that looked more like legal contracts than community tools. A well-meaning neighbor was convinced we needed a professional consultant and a three-year… Continue reading

I remember sitting in a draughty church hall back in ’94, watching a lovely woman named Mrs. Higgins try to explain a three-page spreadsheet to a room full of confused neighbours. She had spent forty pounds on a professional accounting… Continue reading

I remember sitting in a drafty church hall back in ’94, watching a lovely woman named Mrs. Higgins try to explain to a bank manager why her community garden fund was currently sitting in her personal savings account. The manager… Continue reading

I remember sitting in a drafty church hall back in ’94, watching a lovely group of neighbours fall apart over nothing more than a disagreement about who was allowed to sign the chequebook. They had all the passion in the… Continue reading

I’ve spent thirty-one years watching well-meaning neighbors try to fix their streets, only to see their momentum vanish because they thought they needed a legal team or a massive grant to begin. There is this exhausting myth that you need… Continue reading

I remember standing in a drafty church hall in 1994, clutching a stack of glossy, professionally printed flyers that I’d spent half the committee’s budget on. I had spent weeks planning the “perfect” engagement strategy, only to sit there staring… Continue reading

I remember sitting in a drafty church hall back in ’94, watching a local residents’ group completely dissolve into nothingness. It wasn’t because they lacked passion or a decent pot of tea; it was because they spent two hours arguing… Continue reading

You don’t need a massive grant, a professional consultant, or a fancy community centre to make things happen. I’ve spent thirty-one years in local government, and if there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that people make “community building” sound… Continue reading