25th May 2022
Next up in our Client Origin Stories series is Green Squirrel, created and run by Becca and Hannah. This story really is testament to how much a small yet mighty team can achieve and how the best way to run a business isn't always the traditional way but what works for you and those who benefit from what you do. Over to you Hannah...
Green Squirrel started life as Green City Events when in 2011 Becca, returning to Cardiff after a year of travelling, became frustrated with the lack of opportunities for city dwellers, particularly those on lower incomes, to pick up the skills for planet-friendly living. In 2012 Hannah got involved and together they began testing and trialling different ways of bringing green skills to the city, from bike repair and food growing workshops to pedal powered cinema, supper clubs, and swap shops. In 2015 we formalised our community focus by becoming a CIC and in 2018 we became Green Squirrel!
There has been a lot of learning along the way. Neither of us are ecologists or climate scientists so we work hard to make sure that the information we’re sharing and the skills we’re teaching are evidence based and genuinely impactful. We’ve had to learn every aspect of running a small business because - as a two person core team - we do everything, from marketing and project management to fundraising and HR. As a social enterprise sometimes traditional business advice, designed to maximise profit, doesn’t work for us, so we’ve sometimes had to find our own path.
Now in 2022 our work is across three main strands. First is our local work as we offer a wide range of workshops and activities across the Cardiff and Valleys area. You might find us popping up at local festivals or playschemes to run creative nature or climate activities or training a local business in climate communication.
Next we have Railway Gardens, our community resilience hub in Splott, Cardiff. Due to open in June 2022, this former derelict playground has been transformed into a multipurpose space for growing, learning, play and connection. It will feature small business spaces for social and ethical enterprises, a community room and kitchen, a mini allotment, an outdoor classroom and climate and nature friendly planting. Creating this space has been a six year labour of love, extremely challenging at times but enormously rewarding, and working so closely with local residents in that area is a privilege.
Finally, since 2021 we have taken our service UK wide with The Something Club, our online climate action community. This project arose in part from our own need for a friendly and genuinely non-judgemental space to share the highs and lows of being part of the climate and nature movement, and a way to pick up the skills we need to make a change. The Something Club offered a monthly programme of online workshops and events. We bring in amazing speakers and teach all kinds of skills, from food growing and clothes mending to campaigning and communication. A key idea behind The Something Club is that no one one person can do everything to fix the climate crisis, but everyone can do something, and with a little support we can each find our ‘something’ and make a big impact.
We - Becca and Hannah - have been working closely together since 2012, but in 2020, right in the middle of lockdown, we began a new adventure together as we decided to move to a smallholding for our two families to share! In early 2021 we moved to Bryn Ysgafn, a two acre site, where we share an old farmhouse and quite a lot of poultry! Since arriving here we’ve been working to make the land as productive as possible, with a veg garden and orchard, a food forest, bee hives, and plenty of wild space left for nature. This spring we began hosting hands-on workshops here too, such as fruit tree grafting and composting.
Living and working together is a new experience, but it’s working well! From breakfast planning meetings to foraging for wild crafting materials right here on site, we find lots of ways of making it work. We’ve also got something of a ‘no work at weekends’ rule where we take care to switch off entirely and enjoy working in our garden or messing about with geese and chickens!
We’re looking forward to what the next few years hold for Green Squirrel. We now have a wonderful Community Coordinator supporting our work in Splott and a great ‘Green Team’ of freelancers, and we’re keen to grow our team further in the next year or so. We’re always keen to explore new collaborations and partnerships too, so do get in touch if you’re interested in discussing working together!
Find Green Squirrel online:
Website: greensquirrel.co.uk
Instagram: @bemoresquirrel
Facebook: @BeMoreSquirrel
Twitter: @BeMoreSquirrel
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