People and their environment are better protected when they have control of their local land, enterprises and services.

Biobased Economy

Ecological Homes

Community Skills

Our ecological values

Wessex Community Assets is driven by our commitment to social justice, environmental sustainability, and the power of people in connected communities to change their world. We apply these values in all our work and use them to review our performance and assess new initiatives.

Biobased Economy

Community-owned enterprises generate more resilient and adaptable societies, economies and environments.

Local, natural materials.
Fields trials, wood clubs, processing local timber.
Building community owned biobased industry.

Hemp Field Trials

Raise the Roof is a project co-ordinated by WCA in partnership with the Arts Development Company Common Ground, Plymouth University, Turner-prize winning design collective Assemble, Bridport Area Community Housing, Bridport Town Council and Bridport Community Shed. Funders include the Friends Provident Foundation and Dorset AONB, which has supported work with local farmers on field trials of hemp, which can be…

David Dixon leads on WCA’s work with local farmers growing and processing hemp as part of a regenerative agriculture project. Collaborative environmental action has been at the heart of over 20 years working in the landscape sector, engaging with ambitious and innovative ecological and community engagement projects.

Get in touch

“… the team have provided invaluable advice and support for our community enterprise with the development of our business plan and community share offer for our stores and café project.”

Dave Austin

Chairman of the Parracombe Community Trust

Find out about our industrial hemp field trials

Research

Desktop research to review appraisal, current market, community profile and current level of need.

Ecological Homes

When communities have more control of housing and land, the local economy, natural and built environment and livelihoods are all improved.

Workshops and activities to roll out best practice and help tackle problems.
A research through action approach that drives policy change.
Partnership opportunities to create community-led housing.

Raise the Roof

How do we create ecological housing, utilising natural materials and local expertise – in ways that are affordable even for those on low incomes? This is the focus of the Raise the Roof project, which is developing a model for locally rooted manufacturing and the construction or retrofitting of affordable housing, linked to regenerative land use. Wessex is currently working with a range of partners, including the architects Assemble Studio…

Tim Crabtree is a co-founder of WCA and has 20 years co-ordinating research and innovation in the field of community led housing. Through Raise the Roof, he’s currently seeking to change the way we build affordable housing.

Get in touch

“Setting up a community land trust is daunting. WCA’s support has really helped to simplify and clarify what we need to do.”

Phyllida Culpin

Yarlington Housing Group

Find out about our ecological homes concept

Community Skills and Training

Communities are enriched when they connect with materials and have access to training opportunities

Community training days, understanding materials
Building community value by skill sharing and knowledge transfer
Learning opportunities to empower communities- we can do it together!

Spinning straw into gold

As part of Wessex Community Asset’s work to develop the bioregional economy in SW England, we held a workshop on hemp fibre with 30 participants at our workspace in West Dorset. The process begins with separating (“decorticating”) the outer bast fibre from the woody core (the shiv), either manually with a hemp break or with our Hurdmaster decortication machine. The…

Lucy Beasley

Get in touch

“I’m really not sure how we would have managed to amend and update our constitution without Wessex Community Assets’ help. Thank you!”

Martin Long

SOS Frome

Find out about training and skills opportunities

Courses and open days

About

Wessex Community Assets is a Community Benefit Society, governed by a board of directors, and driven by our theory of change. You can explore our theory of change in the diagram below.