It’s about communities exploring new ways of living by encouraging local resourcefullnesss, celebrating diversity, fostering self empowerment, inspiring change, and ‘thinking outside the box’.

It’s about each individual community coming together to decide what is most appropriate for its own area, uncovering the vast reservoir of local talent, skill and creativity within its community,  and then exploring ways of creating simple, elegant solutions that allow us to live in harmony with the natural rhythms of the earth. 

It’s about fostering new and valued relationship with ourselves, others and the natural world, and believing in our capability to create a vibrant and thriving future for our children and grandchildren, and those of all species. It’s about having the courage to be different, to share hope, inspiration and creativity. And above all, it’s about having fun. 

All the current members of Blackdown Hills Transition Group live and work in the Blackdown Hills and are committed to working towards a community based response to the challenges posed by fossil fuel depletion, using/re-using/recycling scarce natural resources more efficiently, finding innovative solutions to decrease dependence on fossil fuels, build food resilience and increase awareness of challenges faced locally due to Climate Change.

Unlike Transition Towns (Stroud and Totnes) the group is unable to focus on a definable town as the Hills are made up of many villages with loyal communities. Consequently the group has traditionally seen its role as being a hub for information and support to local communities to help them consider how to be increasingly self-sustaining as is practical in our modern age. 

In 2023, we assembled over 30 diverse groups, including farmers, educators, environmentalists, wildlife enthusiasts, advocates for green initiatives, river conservationists, energy experts, transportation specialists, proponents of food resilience and cultivation, repair café organisers, filmmakers, local parish/national landscape representatives, and council members, among others. Our aim was to exchange knowledge, engage in each other's endeavors, and foster collaboration. Out of this initiative emerged Blackdown Hills Thrive, supported by a cutting-edge Hylo Platform designed to facilitate interaction and strengthen bonds within the community.

Some of our initiatives over the years have included:

• A focus on local food production and encouraging communities to support their local suppliers and farmers rather than totally relying on the weekly shop at a large town supermarket chain; 
• Encouraging people who are fit and able to grow their own food resources. Hence a focus on annual apple days to have fun and make juice from apples that may have been left to rot and seed swaps at the local farmers markets encouraging passing-on local knowledge and recycled seed.  Creation of the Blackdown Hills Eco Hub and Churchinford 2030 Food Growing and Wild Spaces Groups;
• Encouraging recycling in all its forms to limit landfill and waste generally.  Creating one of the most successful Repair Cafes in the UK;
• Promoting energy efficiency via articles and example, in order to move away from oil and focus on renewable sources of energy production, creating the Churchinford 2030 Energy Group with close connections with CSE and Fairer Warmth;
• Understanding how individuals can make their own transition looking at their own practice and inner transition in order to come together with others for mutual support and encouragement
• Working with other groups and inviting people to discuss topical issues of the day relating to transition. The group has hosted election hustings and film events (View and Chew).  
• In 2023 formed Blackdown Hills Thrive bringing many local groups together and created the Hylo Blackdown Hills Thrive Platform.