Before our last Sovereign Village call, our friend and collaborator Chay was admitted to hospital after another heart episode. He shared openly that this is a wake-up call to care for himself at the deepest level. We’re holding him with love as he heals.
Moments like this remind us why we’re building the Sovereign Village. Not as an idea, but as a living network where care is practical, local, and shared. A place where diversity of skills and steady hands surround any one of us when life turns.
What this teaches us
- Community is sovereignty. Food, care, skills, and friendship, close by and community owned.
- Resilience is relational. When one heart falters, the village steadies.
- Practice over theory. Gardens, grazing plans, workshops, and weekly rhythms that strengthen bodies, minds, and spirit.
What we’re building (in practice)
- Food & land stewardship. Regenerative, mixed farming. Herbal pastures. Soil-first methods. No synthetic chemicals or routine pharmaceuticals in our farming. Nutrient-dense food for members and 20% ring-fenced for those most in need, delivered through Crops Not Shops.
- Homes & shared spaces. Ecological homes and places to gather, learn, make, and work, designed for co-ownership and deep connection to the land.
- Children & learning. Nature-led education: forest school, animal care, growing, craft, story.
- Inner life. Quiet spaces for reflection and ceremony; a rhythm that honours the seasons.
- Infrastructure for sovereignty. Decentralised energy, water, and closed-loop waste - simple, repairable systems owned by the community.
- Enterprise & livelihoods. Member-run micro-enterprises, workshops, and guilds that keep value circulating in the village.
How we’ll hold Chay (and each other)
Chay is out of hospital and stepping back in. He has carried a lot for our growing community. Now it’s on us to bring real energy to the movement. Steady, practical and spiritual, and to share the responsibility he’s been holding. When we show up as contributors, not consumers, we lighten the load, strengthen the whole, and support Chay in a way that helps him heal and lead. Let’s add capacity, not be a drain; let’s meet this moment with generosity, accountability, and momentum so he feels the village at his back.
Where we are now
East Sussex remains our living prototype and the first step toward a 1,000-acre Sovereign Village and a national grid of member-owned farms.
We’re not running a campaign; we’re building a culture. A sovereign, member-owned food grid only comes alive when each of us brings energy, steadiness, and care. If this vision resonates, lend your voice. Share the story in your circles. Invite aligned friends into the conversation.
We're not running a campaign; we're building a culture. A sovereign, member-owned food grid comes alive only when each of us contributes energy, steadiness, and care. If this vision resonates, lend your voice. Share the story in your circles. Invite aligned friends into the conversation.
Offer what you can whether that’s attention, skill, presence. Every small act compounds: soil improves, herds settle on herbal pastures, children learn by doing, community strengthens. For Chay, our shared momentum is medicine. For all of us, it's sovereignty made real. Let's move together. Calm, generous, and unstoppable.
Own a piece of the farm. Own a piece of the future.
Read the Sovereign Village vision →
Comments (1)
I can offer Chay some Scenar Massaages. Scrnar works with our body’s electromagnetic signals to remind it of the healing is capable of, as well as releasing trauma. ScenarWorld sell devices in the UK for £645 including an online training course.