It's terribly predictable to admit that when I went to Somerset to visit the HQ (actually, the "Nature HQ") of Vivobarefoot, and chat to its co-founder @galahadclark for a piece for @countryandtownhouse I came away with job envy. I wanted to join those outdoor meetings in the walled garden, share the homemade lunches made from veggies grown there, and nurture my creative flight wandering through the onsite orchard.
But Vivo's MO is obviously so much more than that - with nature as its muse, it's not a mechanistic, command and control kind of business, but regenerative in the biggest sense - hierarchy is out, and in its place, a flatter, more networked ecosystem that looks after its people, inspired by the regenerative leadership teachings of Giles Hutchins.
It's hard work doing business like this - especially in the current political climate. We talked about other independent companies that have sold out because it is so hard (which I couldn't include as it would have been libellous!). So it's especially nice to be able to platform good companies going to extra lengths to look after people and planet.
Also mentioned:
@riverford@faithinnature_uk@houseofhackney@bowercollective
Thank you @countryandtownhouse
(Also thank you to @lisa.grainger whose cover photo I have nicked)
If you know me, you know I *really* believe in repair. Some of my clothes, I repair a bit like decorators paint the Forth Road Bridge. Some of them, as some will have noticed, I don't quite get round to. So it's brilliant news that fashion repair services are starting to proliferate.
I wrote this piece for Vogue Business about whether the fashion repair sector can scale. As with most things, it needs consumer interest, governmental involvement (eg VAT reductions on repair, which countries such as France, the Netherlands, Sweden and Belgium already offer), and corporate action. Some clothing brands are all over this, such as @patagonia@arcteryx@toast@finisterre@uniqlo@barbour@veja@levis@nudiejeans (also doing good work are @marksandspencer@primark@ganni etc). And there are some brilliant companies and initiatives facilitating that - @unitedrepaircentre@sojo.uk@saveyourwardrobe@ellenmacarthurfoundation
I love this quote at the end of the article from URC's Thami Schweichler - that fashion needs to become more like the car industry, where maintenance becomes mainstream and environmental impact is regulated.
#fashionrepair
Wrote a piece for @thetimes about the unspoken scandal that is the casual, normalised nature of schoolgirl objectification. It's pegged to the brand new law around sex-based harassment, making it a crime to catcall, make obscene gestures or follow girls and women. In reality, that may be hard to enforce - as my daughter said, are the police seriously going to follow that one through? But as I said to her, let's hope it changes the culture. Serious respect to @gemmatutton and her sister Maya for fighting for seven - SEVEN! - years to change the law to help us all feel a bit safer.
Made up a new word - "enoughfluencer". An enoughfluencer is someone who celebrates the idea that they already have enough (even though it might not look like it to the Amandas/ad execs), and that maybe many more of us could share that happiness.
This piece for @gdnsaturday was inspired by my friend @not.needing.new Anna Kilpatrick, whose first book Not Needing New has just been published - it's full of tips and examples of finding joy in simplicity, slowing down, appreciating glimmers of happiness etc - and how to resist the lure of capitalistic messaging. It makes me very happy that she has such a big following, that there is a powerful antidote to the prevailing message of buy, buy, buy. I wrote it before war broke out in the Middle East, but it feels ever more relevant as the cost of living soars again.
I also spoke to other inspirational voices in the enoughosphere @patrickgrantism@lifebeforeplastic_@madeby_annie@theenoughness (who's just launched an excellent newsletter on exactly this). Thanks for the wisdom.
A certain family member said to me the other day, "Why can't we just have a Range Rover?" Gonna leave this article lying around and await the new happiness.
#enoughfluencer
Angry post alert 🚨
If you have children who have or want a smartphone, please watch Molly vs The Machines - such a brave exposé of @meta and its total lack of regard for the millions of children it deliberately poisons with hate-, harm- and misinformation-based content (all of which are proven to increase eyeball capture, and therefore profit). I wrote about the brilliant film for @thetimes . If your child is mature enough, consider watching it with them.
How many more children need to die as a result before this Wild West is finally regulated and reined in?
Please please add your voice to the governnent's public consultation about the potential social media ban for under 16s (just Google those words for the link).
Please please write to your MP to tell them to support raising the minimum age to 16. Here's a great template: .uk/raisetheage
🌿👑 HAPPY WORLD WILDLIFE DAY!
As a celebration of World wildlife day we launching the trailer for our new podcast! TRAILER OUT NOW. EPISODE ONE DROPS TOMORROW.
What if we restored 20% of the United Kingdom back to nature?
Not in theory.
Not in policy papers.
But on the ground — in back gardens, field margins and farmyards.
Welcome to Wild Kingdom & The Map of Dreams — a brand-new podcast hosted by Hugh Somerleyton, founder of WildEast.
At its heart is The Map of Dreams: a living record of people across Britain pledging land, action and imagination to a wilder future.
And for our very first episode, Hugh sits down with Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England** — climate law pioneer, government advisor, and one of the most influential environmental thinkers of our time.
From conservation…
to nature recovery.
From election cycles…
to century-scale thinking.
This isn’t just about wildlife.
It’s about food, climate, economics — and the future we choose to build.
🎙 Trailer live now.
🚀 Episode one launches tomorrow.
🌍 The Map of Dreams is growing.
Will you be on it?
#WildKingdom #MapOfDreams #TonyJuniper #NatureRecovery #RewildingBritain WildEast ClimateLeadership Biodiversity PodcastLaunch
Saw these snow-capped mountains from our window and made a beeline for them (well actually, the bigger, snowier ones behind them). Our road trip has taken us to Scotland, because February half-term is apparently the best time to ski here - the snow has had time to build up, temperatures are cold enough for it to stick, daylight is improving, and storms are still delivering fresh snow. There's none of that alpine arrogance; it's small enough not to get lost or stuck; it's not crowded on the snow (the cafe is another matter); it's incredibly beautiful, and they sell special Tunnocks bars that you can't find in England.
#skiinginscotland
It's half term and therfore time for a road trip. First stop, Newcastle, where we found happy people, chill vibes, old friends, thriving independent scene, centuries of history, and a beautiful quayside right in the city centre with amazing river views right from our hotel window (we stayed at @malmaisonhotels - you can see the bed passes the springy mattress test, as conducted by our chief bounce inspector).
#newcastle
“I’m known as a bit of an eco-nag.”
From furry bedtime cuddles to photo murals, discover the sleep secrets of acclaimed British broadsheet journalist Fleur Britten this festive season.
Fleur joined the world of Vispring for an exclusive Sleep Secrets Q&A exploring the art of sleep and home. In this episode of At Home With Vispring, Fleur shares her secrets on the perfect bedroom essentials.
Find out more in our YouTube video. /watch?v=E0_IcBQKFf0
#Vispring #VispringBeds #AtHomeWithVispring #SleepSecrets
Does Christmas have to be so bloody stressful? I don't think so. I wrote about my one-woman campaign to lower the bar at Christmas time in @thetimes .
Honestly, no one will mind if you didn't personally make your pigs in blankets. Especially if that helps lower your cortisol levels.
The second photo by the way is literally the best festive cheat ever - two slices of @jus_rol puff pastry with chocolate spread liberally spread between them, and chopped into a tree shape (recipe straight off the back of the packet).
I've been celebrating "Exmas" for so long, I actually forgot it was weird. And when I told my kids I was writing this piece for @thetimes , they couldn't believe that other co-parents don't do the same. That said, it did feel a bit weird to sit so close together for the photos!
Thanks to @thecoparentway and #Kidscomefirst for the great advice.
Plus, there's also an excellent companion piece from @jeanclaudetherapy just in case you're curious to do something similar.
📸 @gemmadayphoto
💄HMU by @wonderlandhairandmakeup
#exmas #coparenting
