Elise Bayley obituary
My friend Elise Bayley, who has died aged 91, worked for the Plunkett Foundation for Co-operative Studies (subsequently the Plunkett Foundation) for 17 years in various capacities, including as the
The Guardian Blog Feed
Mick May obituary
My father-in-law, Mick May, who has died aged 63 of mesothelioma, spent the first 20 years of his professional life in financial services before realising his true passion for the
Need a lathe or a laser cutter? Come to Bloqs – Britain’s biggest open-access factory
From guns and vacuum flasks to cookers and colour televisions, Enfield has long been a cradle of invention. Rifles, radios, motorbikes and dishwashers were all made in this fertile corner
Loving and giving: try volunteer work
As 2022 begins, after nearly two years of isolation and restrictions of various kinds, people are desperate to reach out and connect. Giving time, energy and attention to something that
Rooms for improvement: new pods pep up an unsung Somerset coastal town
On a fine weekend evening, locals gather at the harbour in Watchet, west Somerset. Town crier David Milton, dressed in a gilt-trimmed green jacket and tricorn hat, leads the singing:
From a Debenhams to a creative hub: closed stores get new lease in community life
It was once the launchpad for a national department store chain, now the former Binns site in Sunderland’s High Street West will be fostering the musical and catering talents of
John Lewis targets ‘throwaway’ culture with £1m ideas fund
The owner of John Lewis and Waitrose will on Monday launch a £1m fund that will channel cash into projects with the potential to end the high street’s “throwaway” culture.The
‘It’s radical’: the Ugandan city built on solar, shea butter and people power
The village of Okere Mom-Kok was in ruins by the end of more than a decade of war in northern Uganda.Now, just outside Ojok Okello’s living-room door, final-year pupils at
Letter: Jim Haynes’ give or have card index
Jim Haynes believed in barter, not money, and in love, not work. After his arrival in Paris he organised a “give or have” card index at the Shakespeare and Company
Design news for November
As Christmas looms, remember ’tis the season to be jolly but also to consume wisely and consider the impact of what gifts you buy and where you buy them from.
The bakery teaching disadvantaged women cooking – and life – skills
‘What I love about baking is that it straddles being rules-based and creative,” says Rachel Stonehouse, head of training at Luminary Bakery. “There are lots of skills to learn –
‘We’re giving people a reason to wake up’: crafting a new life for refugees around the world
Love WelcomesAt the Love Welcomes workshop, in a refugee camp outside Athens, Syrian women learn to weave on a simple loom. The recycled yarn and thread they use comes from
UK charities ‘could have to hand back millions’ if tax break is scrapped
Millions of pounds of investment cash may have to be handed back and hundreds of jobs could be lost if the government scraps a tax break for community ventures, campaigners
Vulnerable not exempt from furlough winding down, employers told
Government wage subsidies for disabled and vulnerable workers could be drastically scaled back from August under Treasury plans to wind down its Covid-19 furlough scheme, employers’ groups have warned. Charities and
‘You can learn ceramics fairly quickly’: the pottery studio breaking the mould
It’s easy to miss the narrow alleyway that leads to Troy Town Art Pottery, running along the wall of Hoxton Street community garden in east London. The low building, which