Stepping out in 2012

It’s only when you sign up to write a blog on the future that you discover there is nothing but empty space in the mental drawer labelled “What’s happening in Transition this year.” So you hurriedly take yourself by the metaphorical scruff of the neck and shake. Aah that’s better, Caroline – a few notes have appeared – not fivers, you understand, but scraps of that old stuff called paper, probably ancient worksheets on one side and my scrawl on the other.

First note to self – “2012, keep on keeping on”

New stuff is great, but just enthusiastically doing all the things that we know draw people into Transition City Lancaster is really important in my book. So in 2012 I see the education group is in the groove again with films every month at the Duke’s theatre and a Film festival planned. Then there are the monthly Transition Cafes at our friendly community pub, the Gregson; this year with a new slant – we’re hooking up with the monthly Transition radio programme now and again to get a bigger name to come down and do a radio interview plus a café in the evening. Something to look forward to - Chris Bird on sustainable building at the end of March.

The Food Group are pushing on with the “Garden Share” scheme and the Lottery funded Fruity Corners project at Scotch Quarry is planted up with fruit trees and bushes and is beginning to become a real community activity. Next week sees our second year running the well established Potato Day, when gardeners and allotmenteers for miles around, gather to buy their organic seed potatoes and eat potato based delicacies in the café .The Sewing Café has expanded into knitting and crochet and is puzzling its collective head on how to showcase all the different projects people come in to do. And then there are the things it’s easy to take for granted, the website, the newsletters and the Facebook site, full of news and resources generously shared.

Second note to self - “2012, think ahead”

For the last few months our Steering Group has been looking at the kind of legal entity we want Transition City Lancaster to be, asking whether we want to be able to employ people, to trade or make money, to raise capital and to have shareholders. It doesn’t sound very interesting and some people have asked whether it has anything to do with Transition at all. I guess 2 years ago I would have said the same. But now it seems that on their decision rest the many opportunities for the future. One definite possibility is of becoming a CIC (Community Interest Company) allowing Transition City Lancaster to operate as a social enterprise. With a change of status must come a change of image – no longer the rather well-meaning and cuddly image of the “community group” but the purposeful, professional look of a limited company. Transition City Lancaster launched only 18 months ago – to me it says something great about our development and confidence that we can contemplate taking on a new status and a new role in our community. More than that I think it says something about the way that worldwide we are seeing community groups according themselves a new respect and a new breadth of vision about what they do, what they have to say and who should be listening.

Third note to self – “2012, go on, just do it”

In contrast to Steering Group’s measured deliberations on legal status, we have Incredible Edible Lancaster, born almost overnight, as a properly constituted group, partnering with TCL. It moves in mysterious ways; if you look carefully it is just visible through brief Facebook site appearances and much pruning. Driving spirit, Viv’s dogged determination to talk to everyone that matters means that the City Council have already said that all the council owned land in the nooks and corners of one of the social housing estates can be planted up by Incredible Edible. Of course there’s no money and nothing much to plant as yet but that won’t put Viv or anyone else off – and after visiting Jo in Finsbury Park I’ve got all the pictures and ideas we need for starting our own version of Edible Landscapes London. So this year, if we do one thing, well my heart is in putting down some roots for Incredible Edible Lancaster. A polytunnel maybe, a place inside or out, to meet, eat and have conversations.

Last note to self – “2012, move out”

Lancaster district has a population of about 150 000 and many of those people live in Morecambe or Heysham. It’s a big, big area for TCL to cover and we’ve never attracted many people from across the River Lune. From the beginning we’ve hoped for a parallel transition group to set up in Morecambe – and now it’s happening! They have had two meetings; in three weeks they’ve got a treasurer, a chair, a website and a bank account on the way. Wow! A number of us from Lancaster are up for supporting Transition Morecambe as they move towards establishing their groups and beginning on their own projects. But the first thing we have to get to grips with is that though we may be only 4 miles apart the two areas are hugely different places. It will challenge us in TCL a great deal to adapt to different populations, different economic conditions, different opportunities and still make good use of all that we have learned in the last two years. If at the end of 2012, with a bit of a hand from us over the water, Transition Morecambe is firmly established and planning its launch then I think Transition City Lancaster could feel rightly pleased.

Now I’ve taken my scraps and worked out what they mean, two things have happened: first of all somehow the way ahead is clearer and it makes sense and second I feel a whole lot more committed to seeing it happen. 2012, bring it on!

Planting in Scotch Quarry raised beds,  mother bed at Edible Landscapes London, Finsbury Park, Morecambe market, Morecambe beach, Eric Morecambe statue