Projects
Magnet Projects
Within any community there will be a need to show up in the gaps and build solutions where nothing exists or where we are needed to help unblock the current system. Our aim is localisation, and we have 6 areas which we explore and work on: Livelihood, Water, Consumption, Food, Energy & Well-being.
We act as a catalyst to bring together the experts, examine possibilities, prototype solutions and both scale-up and release what works. Staying informed and connected through co-op type models of ownership to continue to add skills, networks and other resources.
Projects we were involved with
Farmers’ Market
Between 2020 and 2021 -during the lock -down phase – we organised a local farmer’s market where local growers and producers sold their goods & produces each Wednesday on the Swan Forecourt. It was a welcome opportunity to shop local, enjoy some entertainment and learn more about our local food system.
Empowering Local Governance
The Frocal team designed and led a systematic programme to engage members of the Forest Row community in the potential offered by participation in local government as a means of inspiring and co-ordinating community action and local benefit.
During the course of a seven month programme during Winter 2022 and Spring 2023, Frocal team members Patricia, Benjamin and Kate invited guest speakers and co-facilitated a series of sessions to educate a group of more than 30 community members as to the workings of local government, the learnings of previous groups (particularly Peter Macfayden and the Flatpack Democracy Group) and a participatory process of arriving at an identity and shared vision as independent candidates for election to the local parish council.
The resulting group, Forest Row Forward, put forward 15 candidates for the parish council elections in May 2023 (with 15 other community members as key supporters), and won a total of 14 out of 15 seats with a record turnout of voters akin to a national election (40% turnout). The group has now been in council for 2 years and continues to engage and support community development and projects with the resources and authority that local government offers.
Energy Transition Project
This initiative seeks to establish a self-sufficient investment vehicle in Forest Row using a staged series of energy generation, storage, and efficiency projects to provide long term returns and ownership to the community, deliver net zero targets, and offer regenerative investment and business development opportunities in the local area. The project centres on using loan finance to enable households to retrofit their houses with energy efficiency measures such as batteries, solar panels and heat pumps, providing local employment for installers, and meanwhile equipping communities with the building blocks of community wealth funds underwritten by energy ownership.
After securing feasibility funding from the Community Energy Fund, the project is now engaging with government agencies and energy focused foundations to secure development loan finance to pilot the project in Forest Row and other communities around the British Isles.
