Claire and David Venus are Permaculture Experts, climate hope and allotment garden enthusiasts. They run a yoga and wellbeing studio with coastal views in Shilbottle, Northumberland. The Soil Web project addresses climate hope, sustainability, food waste and wellbeing. The initiative is part of a 10-year vision which acts as a catalyst at a local level for using outdoor space to ignite climate hope and introduces new and innovative permaculture systems nationally. The project is aimed at communities; everyone from aged 2-92 can play a part in reducing waste through using worm hotels. More here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUZBdGkSd74 Soil Web Satellite Sites – an invitation We would like to partner with schools/ community projects/ residents within villages/ towns to act as UK wide 'Soil Web Champions'. Our research showed people have MANY barriers to composting which in fact is a very simple and powerful act as part of our daily routine/ agency in Climate Hope.

What we'll deliver:

• Recruit 20+ Soil Web Champions
• Make a professional animation advert
• Set up 20 new worm hotel projects

Why it's a great idea:

We ran a successful pilot project Feb – Sept ‘23 (funded by Creative UK and The Rural Design Innovation Centre) in our village. We are still receiving partnership support through The Rural Design innovation centre to align our passion with the best partners and make this work sustainable as part of our company. As part of the pilot project, we researched the best ways to compost quickly and addressed barriers to composting through talking with over 100 locals. The pilot encouraged friends/ neighbours/ local gardening enthusiasts to; -try our worm hotel composting systems -try slow compost heaps creating soil -try ‘worm tea’ as fertiliser for plants as a by-product. - remove barriers to composting via worm hotels - educate individuals/ businesses in composting using worm hotels, gently influence communities to produce less waste and share resources using permaculture principles.

Steps to get it done:

• Recruiting the champions
• Sharing the toolkit
• Empowering 20 communities in worm composting

1.(£300 or more) - BE A PARTNER - ‘Devoted to the Doorstep’ invites at least 3 local areas to take on their own set of fully funded worm hotels. Communities receive full training a permaculture expert and learn composting techniques. The sessions will be tailored to the best bio-diversity systems that work for them. Once set up the projects will encourage small scale composting right on their doorstep for whole community access. (Suitable spaces include a school, a community centre, a public allotment space or shared garden). 2.(£50 or more) - BE A CHAMPION - Become a National ‘Soil Web Champion’! For your investment, you get access to our digital composting toolkit (x 10 video tutorials, shopping lists to set up the best systems and our recommendations of the best tools and more). Our toolkit shares information on everything you need to set up your own composting systems using tiger worms and a poster in the post! 3. £any amount - support the project and receive a postcard!