Stockport’s Fellow Traveller's: a hyper-local journey in community wealth building that is already shaping what comes next. There are moments in history when you realise you were standing inside a transition before anyone had language for it. For me, that journey began in 2000 in East Manchester, during the early days of the New Deal for Communities (NDC) — one of the UK’s most ambitious regeneration programmes built around resident participation and place-based investment. A

Art work Jen Samani "A charity dollar has only one life; a Social Business dollar can be invested over and over again." — Muhammad Yunus Founder of Grameen Bank Reflections from the Proper Good Social Enterprise Deep Dive Evaluation Session I attended the recent Deep Dive evaluation session as both a participant and as a mentor within the Proper Good Social Enterprise initiative, supporting individuals who were either starting with an idea or in the early stages of setting up

It usually starts simply. One person sits down. A cup of coffee between their hands. No agenda. No pressure. No expectation to be anything other than themselves. At first, it’s small talk — life on the surface. Then something shifts. A story is shared. A laugh lands a little deeper. A pause appears… and no one rushes to fill it. And suddenly, the room feels different. More open. More human. Coffee Cup Conversations This is where it begins. Not a programme. Not a pitch. But

There’s a kind of food that doesn’t just fill you up—it slows you down. Food that asks nothing of you except to arrive as you are.Food that’s been cooked with time, care, and intention.Food that brings people back into conversation, back into presence, back into each other. That’s the spirit behind The Plant Power Kitchen and this particular menu—the Ital Rasta Menu . Rooted in Ital living, this food tradition is about simplicity, purity, and respect for what the earth pro

Because Real-ity Is What You Make It—A Call to Adventure for Men Mid-life can feel like standing on the edge of a foggy cliff, staring down at the life you’ve built and thinking, “Did I get it all wrong? Is it too late to climb higher?” For many men, this is the moment the I-So-Late Trap creeps in—a shadow whispering, “You’ve missed your chance.” It feeds on your past victories and regrets, twisting them into proof that life’s train has left without you. Remember: even the w

There’s a quiet myth that veganism is new. Trendy. A modern invention born from social media, climate anxiety, or food fashion. But history tells a very different story. Long before hashtags and oat milk lattes, entire cultures, philosophies, and spiritual traditions were built around plant-based living—not as a diet, but as a way of being. Ancient Roots: Compassion as a Way of Life In ancient India, the principle of ahimsa —non-violence toward all living beings—shaped entire

There was never a thinker—only clarity waiting I want to share a deeply personal journey — from the edge of despair, through psychosis and suicidal thoughts, to a place of calm awareness and clarity. For years, my mind felt like a storm I couldn’t escape. Thoughts spiraled, sensations overwhelmed me, and every “solution” felt temporary. Anxiety wasn’t just a concept — it was a constant, heavy presence. “All that we are is the result of what we have thought. It is founded on o

How one small experiment opened the door to a kinder way of living Five years ago, when I was 51 years old , I made a small decision. Not a big life change.Not a declaration that I was becoming vegan. Just a simple experiment. I wondered what might happen if I reduced the amount of meat I ate for ten days . That was it. No big plan.Just curiosity. But sometimes the smallest experiments quietly open doors we never expected. Because four days later something happened that chang

Creative Women in Neighbourhoods programme is a catalyst for unleashing the creative genius in every woman, in every neighbourhood across the world. THE ART OF DREAMING: Alison’s story “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams” Eleanor Roosevelt PIPE DREAMS AND POSSIBILITIES Are you ready to make your dreams come true? What’s going to make it your best year yet? Perhaps you long to set up a business and live life on your terms. Or maybe you’ve

HOW TO BE MORE OF WHO YOU REALLY ARE When someone asks how you are, what’s your usual response? “Busy.” It’s almost automatic. “Things should calm down once the kids go back to school.”“I’ll feel better once this project at work is finished.”“I’m counting down the days to retirement — then life will slow down.” We’ve all said some version of it. Without realising it, we place happiness somewhere just ahead of us in time . Just after the next deadline.Just beyond the next life

DO ONE THING! Ever have so many ideas flapping around your head that you have no clue where to start? Perhaps they pounce on you when...