We are facing an uncertain future. So, what can be done about it? Hay-on-Wye has a plan...

The Hay Community Resilience Initiative plans to support the people of Hay-on-Wye to reduce their carbon footprint as well as increase their resilience and mental wellbeing in the face of an unstable future. Our model utilises the new public library service in Powys to run Community Assemblies that bring people together to participate in deliberative democracy*.

By coming together, discussing issues and making collective decisions the Hay Community Resilience Initiative supports the people of Hay-on-Wye and surrounding villages to take agency over their future and builds a sense of hope, purpose and belonging through community cohesion. Our approach empowers local people to work together to reduce our personal and collective carbon footprint upon the planet. We will navigate a just transition from a fossil fuel dependent economy to a fossil-fuel-free circular economy. The model is a carefully considered joined-up approach based on three pillars: Food, Wellbeing and Energy

 

Our Speakers

Mike Eccles is an experienced social entrepreneur and has always been passionate about his community. His passion shines through the projects he has brought to fruition with other Hay-on-Wye locals, including Hay Public Library.org CIC, set up to save Hay Library from closure; Stop Asset Stripping Bronllys Hospital, which saved Bronllys from closure in 2012; the Hay-Timbuktu Twinning, where he set up the charities Hay 2 Timbuktu, and Toureg Relief, and its trading company Jump4Timbuktu; and finally Hay on Fire, designed to bring our community together, and the biggest ever fire festival held in Wales.  His ability to think big, move quickly, and foster strong connections in any social setting is the life force of the project.

Project coordination is down to Heulyn Greenslade, a sharp-minded and highly motivated individual who has been committed to researching and implementing sustainable solutions to social issues for over a decade through her work and her volunteering activities. She has been part of establishing Coed Talylan Land Trust, a 70-acre woodland project that uses One Planet Development and Rural Enterprise Dwelling planning policies to offer affordable opportunities for people to both live and establish land-based businesses in rural Wales. Heulyn's 15-year career in the hospitality industry, coupled with a degree in criminology where she specialised in social norms and deviance, brings a fresh perspective to the sustainability sector. Her experience in agricultural business development and her network of contacts in the sustainable food movement are invaluable to achieving the Food Pillar’s objectives.

 

See https://hayresilience.org/ for more information.

 

*Deliberative democracy is a system of governance where political decisions are made based on deliberation — thoughtful discussion and debate (unlike most of our public discourse!).