Resilience and wisdom to stay happy in the years ahead
The Knoydart Peninsula is part of mainland Scotland, but so remote that there’s no road in: you either walk for two days, or catch a ferry from Mallaig on the West Coast. The community here raised £750K to buy the 17,200-acre estate from its negligent and bankrupt landlord in 1999, and it’s now a really … Read more
What could possibly go right? Perhaps like me, you now feel that things have been increasingly chaotic for so long that you’ve dropped your hope that they’ll settle down anytime soon. If so, how can we make the best of a life that’s ever more uncertain and uncontrollable? When easy questions, like ‘Now what?’, no … Read more
This film and project deserve our support The National Emergency Briefing was an event in Westminster in November 2025, and is now an excellent film of the event, available for free showings: many have already been organised, see map here. The Briefing features 10 experts, authorities in their sector, setting out the implications for health, … Read more
A spiritual catalyst for crisis times How can we kindle a sense of inspiration in our lives when so much around us is a bewildering mash of self-centred materialism? I’ve been seeking a response to this question, and want to share the vision that has evolved. It’s at an early, formative stage, and this is … Read more
Improving food security and affordable housing supply There’s a widespread view that strengthening local communities will be crucial in the years ahead, to help us all to adapt to increasing levels of disruption, including food supplies, utilities, weather patterns, and more. One way to speed up this process is to create eco-hamlets, which would be … Read more
Taking extra good care of ourselves Why it really matters now I’m guessing that this theme will resonate with many of you as it does with me. We are having to cope with a climate that has become much more abrasive: and I’m referring not only to the weather, but to politics and plenty more. … Read more
Why we need to do something: community hubs? This is a really useful, thought-provoking book, whose core idea is that every local community should have a Lifehouse: a form of community hub to provide mutual care and practical resources, as normal services increasingly fail us. His inspiration for this idea comes from a range of … Read more
Why we all need collective strength You may wonder why I see community as important in the field of spiritual purpose. It’s a belief that has only emerged for me in the past few years of mounting turbulence. It’s now very hard for lone individuals to sustain their spiritual beliefs, as well as a healthy, … Read more
The Facing the 2020s report As the pressures on all of us keep rising, we can see mounting discord about best priorities and solutions. One of the few topics on which almost everyone agrees is that increasing the resilience of local communities is getting ever more vital. This has been a focus of my … Read more
Some pearls of wisdom Because of my experiences as founder of the Magdalen Farm Centre, and two cohousing projects, I am asked this question regularly. This document is an attempt to sum up some of the general conclusions from my experience, hoping this may be helpful to others exploring intentional community or other pioneering projects. … Read more