Upcoming Events
From 11-13 July 2025 we will be meeting at Canon Frome Court in Herefordshire for a catered camping weekend with workshops, discussions and celebration. This well-established community is set within 40 acres of beautiful farm land and based on principles of organic food-production and self-sufficiency.
Come share, listen, and explore how we can support one another through collective action. ​We are creating a multi generational celebration. Families with children and people of all ages are welcome to join this exploration of community. There will be playful and inclusive activities suitable for all.
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Our theme this year is Communities in a Changing World. We see intentional communities as spaces that allow us to imagine and live into different worlds, based on relationship and collective wellbeing. We want our gathering this year to be a space to dream and support one another to share ideas of how we can be more resilient together. We want to explore how we do this within community, and also what skills and experiences we are developing that we can offer to the world around us. So come and join the party to explore solutions for today's challenges through the power of community!
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​We are currently putting the programme in place, and have an idea of most of what we will have on offer. Details will be updated below as we get them. ​Tickets are on sale here.
Programme
The event starts at 3pm on Friday, although you are welcome to arrive from 11am and a light lunch will be provided. We'll have scheduled sessions through to lunchtime on Sunday, and will end with a closing circle by 3pm. In the evenings we'll have music, including a local community Ceilidh band on Saturday.
The event is structured around the theme of Communities in a Changing World, and during the weekend we will be asking each other:
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What are the challenges that we are facing?
What can/do communities do to address them?
What do I/we want to do next?
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We are still finalising some sessions, but the programme is likely to look something like this:
​​Specific sessions, including timings, are being finalised with our various collaborators, so we'll update this list as we get closer to the event. Some of the things that we have planned are:​
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Discussions and Presentations
Intentional Communities 101 - Canon Frome Court Team
An introductory guide to setting up a new community. What challenges are you likely to face and how can you avoid common pitfalls? Faciitated by members of the Canon Frome Court community.
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Establishing New Communities - Rebs & Panel
Pulling together questions and information from over the weekend, we'll get into the details of how to establish new communities, and what we need to overcome the hurdles facing us.
Intentional Communities as Imaginal Cells - Jonathan How, Diggers and Dreamers
Societal collapse seems ever closer. But if things do go pear-shaped will we be anti-social preppers and survivalists? Or pro-social networkers and creators of the structures of tomorrow? The caterpillar-butterfly metamorphosis may help us understand our role. Rejection by the mainstream is often the reason that sharing lives with like-minded people seems attractive, but perhaps the priority now is connecting better with those in different tribes. Our lifestyles may currently be perceived as irrelevant but if the s**t hits the fan our skills and experience will suddenly be very valuable. So can we develop effective ways in the here-and-now of connecting with those we don’t particularly agree with who live just down the road?
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Ty Brethyn Community Introduction - Roscoe Boyes, Ty Brethyn
Ty Brethyn is a 5-household Housing Co-Op in North Wales, operating with consensus based decision making. Learn about the way they operate, and how new groups may learn from their experience.
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Dandelion Community Introduction - Annee Bury, Dandelion
Find out about a recent experience of establishing a community, and the first 18 months of life there.
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Book Launch: Eco-Communities: Living Well Together - Jenny Pickerill, University of Sheffield
Using stories drawn from this new book, we will hear about exciting eco-communities worldwide who are triggering, shaping, and influencing socio-ecological transformations. We will also explore how such communities creatively tackle challenges like gender and racial inequalities, and collective decision-making. This will be followed by a Q&A and an opportunity to win free copies of the book.
Jenny Pickerill is an environmental geographer at Sheffield University. Her work explores alternatives to capitalism that generate environmental and social justice. This has included working with experimental eco-communities, social justice campaigns and self-build eco-housing.
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Can Eco-villages Save the World? - Jan Bang, International Communal Studies Association
A look at the historic and current situation of eco-villages in Europe, including an introduction to the work of ICSA. Jan will introduce community in the context of Pythagoras, the Essenes, the Christian monastic tradition, communities from Reformation in Europe, the Industrial Revolution, and communities in North America. Recent community building suggests solutions orientate towards climate change and the multiple political and economic challenges of today.
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Jan Martin Bang grew up in England and has lived for 25 years in Kibbutz and Camphill communities in Israel and Norway. He has worked with the Global Ecovillage Network since 1995 and has written seven books about community and environment.
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Introduction to the International Communal Studies Association - Jenny Pickerill & Jan Bang
This session is a brief introduction to the International Communal Studies Association (ICSA)
(estab. 1985) which supports the exchange of information on communal life in communes,
intentional communities, ecovillages, and other collective communities throughout the world. We
share regular newsletters (about international community activities, workshops and meetings), and hold conferences every 3 years. We would love you to join us!
[Bios of Jenny and Jan are above]​
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Ecological Communities - Panel: Ben McCarthy (Canon Frome Court, National Trust), Ruth Pullan (Birchwood Hall, Pasture for Life), Alex Toogood (Tinkers Bubble).
A panel exploring how communities can help address the ecological crisis. What can we do within our communities and how can we reach out locally to widen our impact? With perspectives from three diverse approaches.
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Consensus: Where to Next? - Dave Hodgson, Old Hall Community
How do communities work with consensus, and what to do when it fails?
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​Global Forum - Online Panel - Chaired by Ian Hare and Claudia Sanchez
Keenan Dakota (Twin Oaks, USA)
Sabine Lichtenfels (Tamera, Portugal)
Polydord Wasokye (Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya)
An online panel to bring in global perspectives on intentional community.
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Intergenerational Communities - Savannah Fishel
Savannah has recently completed a Churchill Fellowship, visiting over 50 communities in the UK, Australia and North America, and will be leading a discussion group on intergenerational dynamics within community.
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Community Members: Where to Next?
A panel of representatives from different communities exploring how to establish a successful community and how to plan concrete next steps.
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Creative, Playful & Outdoor Sessions
Farm Tours (Daily) - Canon Frome Court Residents
Tours of the Canon Frome Court land, looking at their farming systems and infrastructure. Tours will have a different emphasis each day.
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Natural Paint Making - Eleanor Hoad, Wild & Free Forest School
Make paint using foraged and natural materials. Suitable for children.
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Future Cities - In Clay - Holly Riddle
What do you want from your city? A lido? A library? A town crier?
This workshop invites participants to imagine the places they want to live in. Beginning with an introductory session on Friday, this interactive clay installation evolves over the weekend as you build on and rearrange each other’s contributions. It’s a chance to explore what we value in our communities and how we envision them thriving.
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Holly Riddle brings over a decade of experience working across education, galleries, and museums as an artist educator and facilitator. Her workshops aim to bring an egalitarian approach to art making and intergenerational collaboration.
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Children's Activities - Families of Canon Frome Court
The kids of Canon Frome are concocting various entertainments!
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Chi Gung - Chris Taylor
The ancient Chinese art of moving meditation - for body, mind and spirit. A 20 minute routine you can take away and practice every morning.
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Workshops
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Growing Resilience through Conflict - Kirstin Heidler, NVC Matters
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Reconnecting Humanity - Karl Lam & Alima Adams​
This workshop looks at why, despite our best intentions, our communities and organisations often end up recreating many of the social problems we are trying to overcome. This 3-hour interactive session includes space for personal sharing, and offers practical tools to help mend broken relationships and build resilience and trust.
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Karl and Alima live in an intentional community. They have been looking at why progressive organisations and social movements often struggle with internal divisions, and how to address those difficulties. They have run this workshop over 200 times, with 2,400 people attending from 47 countries.
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Using Privilege Constructively - Jenny Pickerill, University of Sheffield
This workshop will use somatic techniques to reflect on how privilege in communities is often hidden. We will explore, through our own intersectionality, how to talk about our privilege, and reflect on ways to use privilege more constructively collectively. All welcome, especially those who identify as white and/or middle class.
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Jenny Pickerill is an environmental geographer at Sheffield University. Her work explores alternatives to capitalism that generate environmental and social justice. This has included
working with experimental eco-communities, social justice campaigns and self-build eco- housing.
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Responding to Fascism - Cliff Jordan, Braziers Park
"What are we doing in response to the rise of Fascism?" - A conversation & sharing circle.
Trump, Musk, the Republican Party and millions of supporters are concentrating more power in the hands of the mega-affluent, Corporations, and the Executive branch of the US State. Similar shifts towards authoritarianism are happening across Europe and further afield. Are some of us looking the other way, wringing our hands or waiting until it is too late? A circle to share our personal responses and find support.
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Evening Entertainment
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We will be running a bar in the evenings
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Acapella Disco - Angie
Air guitars, operatic theatrics, and bad dancing are encouraged!
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Open Jam Session / Open Mic
Bring your instruments and join in!
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Ceilidh - Let Them Eat Kale - Birchwood Hall Band
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DJ Set - Stu & Canon Frome Court Folks
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