Emma Kernahan:
‘A packed @stroudtrinityrooms on a wet and windy Sunday night to discuss the future of the Heavens Valley. The agreement to sell to the community is there but @friendsoftheheavens are in a race against time to raise the funds.
£850k is the goal. £300k has been pledged by the community, with half of those pledges realised.
A community benefit society has been formed, and two *incredible* individuals have provided bridging loans for the remainder, to purchase all 102 acres. They are locals who have taken a big risk, because they believe in the magic of this place, and want to see it belong to everyone. But we all still need to raise a *lot* of money to make this work. So – what can you do?
- Donate! As much or as little as you can – *every penny is crucial*.
- Become a shareholder – it costs £50 and you get a say in the future of the Heavens from the moment the land is purchased. You become a part of its story.
- We need fundraisers, admin experts, ideas people, connectors, social media types, cattle owners (really), facilitators, ecologists, lunch makers and morale boosters. If you have the skills then you’re in.
- Got a mad scheme or a big challenge in aid of The Heavens? Want to have a party or make buying a bit of magic land your Christmas gift this year? Tell your friends, family, colleagues! Get organising and spread the word 🙂
You don’t have to be from Stroud – we have fundraising happening in San Francisco, donations from Australia, people cheering us on from Canada to Cornwall to Cape Town.
It’s only a bit of land, someone said last night., but it’s really *important*. The fight for our access to the land is happening in so many places, and has been going on for so long. Maybe we are used to our resources being progressively sold off into private hands, rather than being offered to us, that this one bit of good news has rippled out a long way beyond a Gloucestershire valley. Idk – it really feels like a lot of eyes are on this at the moment, just waiting to see what’s possible.
Anyway, it might be a stormy night out there at the moment, but the community hall lights are definitely shining in Stroud for those who are looking x.’
Emma had previously posted this moving personal piece a few days before the meeting:
‘The owner of The Heavens has agreed to sell it to the community instead of another private landowner. Everyone in Stroud knows this already, but I wanted to put it here to mark the serious graft of the Friends of the Heavens – and also because I feel it marks something important about the fight for our relationship with the land everywhere in England, a little victory among all the battles going on right now across the country for access to what is already ours.
For the last fifteen years or so I’ve felt like this secret little valley was mine. It’s 102 acres of streams and fields and waterfalls and ruins and ancient woods and hidden Roman remains and very loud owls. In the lockdowns, I walked a groove around it, I examined every pocket, path and hedgerow portal, every day through the 52 seasons of the year here. My children have walked home from school through it, played in it, grown up surrounded by its views, listened to its noises through open windows at night.
I was away or ill for a few weeks this summer, and when I returned to my walks in the Heavens for the first time after hearing the news, I realised that what I had done before wasn’t ownership, it was permission. I was allowed to walk that land. Somebody permitted it, perhaps for now but not for ever. What I have now is belonging. The folds of these old hills will belong to my community, and we will belong to them. We have a chance to show what can be achieved when we work together and don’t take no for an answer.’
Now for news reports from James Felton stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk
‘The meeting at the Trinity Rooms … outlined the urgent need for donations … solicitors for the Heavens Valley Community Benefit Society (HVCBS) and the current owner are now discussing details of the proposed sale.
Some 65 per cent of the £300,000 … in pledges towards the £850,000 needed has already been converted into actual donations …
More than 300 people bought shares in the Heavens Valley Community Benefit Society … The push is now on to get everyone who’s pledged to convert their pledges into hard cash and find new donors.
Coordinator Martin Whiteside said: “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity … we can save the valley for ever – or possibly see it lost forever.”
He explained that if the entire £300,000 initial target can be raised soon, it will mean only £550,000 needs to be borrowed from the two local lenders. “So there is an urgent need now to get all of the £300,000 …”
Ben Challis, another member of the HVCBS coordinating team, said there were two main priorities: protecting community access and enabling biodiversity and nature recovery. “This will involve, among other things, improving and maintaining paths and looking at ways to increase accessibility …”’
‘HVCBS spokesperson Karen Thomas said: “Stroud people are … being incredibly generous, but we still need more to be sure of saving the land.
All the money raised in this first phase means that the Society will have to borrow less from the two local individuals who are providing bridging loans to help the community purchase the land.
Once the £300,000 milestone is passed, the HVCBS will forge ahead with raising the remaining £550,000 to repay our lenders and so secure the land for the community for ever.
I urge everyone to visit our website to find out more about becoming a shareholder and making a donation.”’
James Felton stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk
Ashley Loveridge Stroud Times
Update 4th October 2024
Matilda Jones (Heavens Valley Action Group Facebook page)
‘It means so much to us to have the official support of the countryside charity the CPRE …
The HVCBS has to raise £850,000 … So far, it has realised its initial target of £300,000 … The rest of the money is being provided in the form of low interest loans from two local supporters …
Once the purchase is complete the HVCBS will continue fundraising to repay the loans within two years. As lump sums are repaid to the lenders, parcels of land will be released from a “charge” that the lenders hold as security, and the land will come piece by piece into full community ownership.
HVCBS coordinator Karen Thomas said: “There has been huge interest and support from local people with more than 340 having bought shares and hundreds more having made donations. Some have offered to organise fundraising events while many more have signed up to volunteer for practical tasks …
we still have an enormous amount of money to raise, so we are urging people to dig deep to make our vision of full community ownership a reality.”‘
October 22 2024
Emma Kernahan:
‘We now have 9 days to put the Heavens into community ownership for ever …with just £15k to raise by the end of the month. The total amount of land in community ownership in England currently is just 250 acres. The Heavens is 102 acres. If we pull this off, we’ll be doing far more than saving an ancient Gloucestershire valley, we’ll be taking a stand for land rights everywhere. There’s this story we see all the time that ordinary people, communities, cannot take care of the land around them. That only wealthy people can be “custodians” of the land. Well, we know different …’
Stroud Times
‘The team behind the community purchase of the iconic Heavens Valley is on an urgent mission to raise the final £30,000 needed to fund the initial purchase. Contracts have to be exchanged by the end of October … “We are at an absolutely pivotal stage,” said Martin Whiteside … “… We urge everyone who has pledged money to fulfil their pledges if they can and we ask everyone else who can afford to, to help and donate urgently. One of the kind people supporting the purchase with a loan has stepped up to offer £5,000 in match funding at this stage. And we have received a further £10,000 in match funding from another generous individual – so every £1 raised from the community is, in effect, doubled so the target can be reached …”’
Donations can be made at https://www.heavensvalley.org.uk/donate
And shares purchased at https://www.heavensvalley.org.uk/donate/#shareholder
From Facebook:
Q. ‘…how will the people who have loaned the big amount be repaid?’
A. ‘Essentially through further donations, share sales and fundraising events to repay the loans within two years.’ (Heavens Valley Action Group)
Some of the fundraising and other events in October:
Freestyle expressive dance event at the Trinity Rooms
Stroud Suzuki Violin Group outside the Subscription Rooms
Drop-in meeting for admin/fundraising volunteers at Stroud Brewery: ‘If you’ve been wondering about whether you might like to volunteer to help out, do pop along anytime between 7 and 9 pm on the 22nd for a chat. Our priority right now is on finding people who can run fundraising events or help out with admin tasks: these might include, among other things, data entry, maintaining spreadsheets and organising the photo library. There will be a future session in due course for people who fancy volunteering for hands-on land management work. We look forward to meeting some of you!’
A workshop to Help Raise the Spirit of the Heavens at the Trinity Rooms, Stroud, Thursday October 24th 3-4.45 pm, with artist Alison Cockcroft. All ages: ‘share your memories of favourite places, and walks … Draw, print and paint onto cloth that will become part of a costume embodying the spirit of the Heavens for the Raising of the Spirit event on November 1st.’
Stroud Walking Football walking the Heavens October 27
November events
Every year, Neil Baker gives up his time to lead an Archaeology Walk of the Heavens … and it books up every time. This winter, Neil is running eight walks … we’re sharing the funds raised with our good friends at Heavens Valley Action Group, who are also helping us organise these events.’ First one is Saturday November 2nd. https://www.stroudvalleysproject.org/events
Heavens Valley Action Group November 1
‘Thank you so much to everyone who came to – or helped organise or performed or spoke at – tonight’s emotional and inspirational Raising the Spirit fundraising event, whether at a packed Crown & Sceptre for pre-drinks or lining Horns Road for the procession of The Stroud Red Band, or to the sold-out ticketed event at the Trinity Rooms Community Hub with a huge line-up of fabulous performers and speakers.’
Stroud Times November 3
‘The Heavens Valley Community Benefit Society (HVCBS) has now raised enough money to go ahead with the purchase of Thrupp Farm in Stroud, writes Sue Fenton.
A recent appeal helped raise an extra £30,000 which boosted HVCBS coffers to £300,000, which combined with loans from two unnamed people, have contributed bridging funding, will fund the £850,000 purchase cost.
The purchase will be the end of the first phase of the campaign to bring the Heavens Valley into community ownership … more than £300,000 donated and more than 600 people buying shares so far, with more shareholders signing up every day.
The next phase will be to raise a further £550,000 to repay the loans, as technically, the lenders will own some of the site until repayments are completed; each chunk of money repaid will bring more of the land fully into community ownership.
Karen Thomas, one of the HVCBS team negotiating the purchase said: “Our lenders want this beautiful land to be completely owned by the CBS as they are themselves part of the local community and are not in a position to manage large areas of public land themselves so we will be redoubling our fundraising efforts and we are confident that the community will continue its support.
In the new year we will consult with the community for ideas about how to move forward … We all love the Heavens and we all have our own vision of what this beloved landscape should look like. There are so many amazing possibilities, especially once we, as a community, own the entire 102 acres.”’
Emma Kernahan
‘It’s official 🙂
Everyone who donated made it possible, hundreds and hundreds of people who gave what they could, from 50p to 50k and then some. And given how much we’re led to believe this kind of stuff is impossible and we shouldn’t even try, I find it so remarkable that a bunch of individuals have, in just a few months, pulled together to make a *historic* community purchase of 102 acres of fields, streams, woods and valleys.
Just wanted to say that I’ve watched from the sidelines as the team at @friendsoftheheavens have put in hours and hours (and hours) of hard graft and skill, from the first meeting round a table at the Crown and Sceptre pub a year ago to (I believe, please fact check me if I’m wrong) the largest single community land purchase in England. None of this would have been possible without a small group of very clever, resourceful and determined people.
The work is now just beginning, to see what we can achieve together as neighbours in this place. More fundraising, more planning, more imagining to come – but in the meantime, I just want to point like mad to this incredible thing that’s happened and say look, if we can do this here, what else is possible? Where else can we raise the spirit of the land and community? If there’s one thing I’ve found out over the last few years it’s that once it’s been summoned, there’s no telling what might happen. Anyway that’s enough weird and wonderful for one weekend …’
Jon Seagrave
‘Bloody hell, Friday night was a good ‘un! We raised the Spirit of the Heavens with a gloriously shambolic neo-pagan community happening and I’m dead proud to have been a part of it. Poets, musicians, archaeologists, a socialist street band, radical historians and – of course – everyone’s favourite Morris dancing fashionistas, Boss Morris. Nice one @crappyliving for pulling it all together. All in aid of the community pulling together to save our beautiful valley from being flogged off to wrong ‘uns, and WE’VE DONE IT. The community buyout has been successful. Now to buy the Trinity Rooms for the people. The People’s Republic of Stroud is a good place to be living.’
Stroud Times
‘Emma Kernahan told Stroud Times : “Throughout the campaign to put the Heavens into community ownership, we’ve seen this incredible outpouring of support from the people who live here. Everyone locally has a connection to this place, and it’s deeply rooted in our sense of identity …
There’s such a spirit of resistance in this town, and a really strong community spirit … By making a ‘spirit of the place’ we wanted to create something that represented that, and also give us a chance to celebrate what we can achieve when we work together.
The whole event was a collective effort – it was organised by more than 20 local creatives and campaigners, and the response was so much more than anticipated. We thought summoning a genius loci in a community hall might be a bit niche – but we sold out so quickly, we were inundated with people wanting to come. People even came from places like Herefordshire, Brighton and Norfolk.
We’ve had messages of support from all around the world too. I think we tapped into a much broader need right now for community and our rights to the land around us – and if the Heavens campaign is anything to go by, once that spirit has been summoned, there’s nothing it can’t achieve.”’