I spent this morning working on the Quaker community garden in Leek as part of a Transition Town Leek project. We were planting apple trees. The siting of the project is significant the Garden is attached to the Meeting House in the town and with the exception of the parish Church the second oldest place of worship in Leek. It dates from 1694. And from 1897- a year after his death- the Meeting House was called the William Morris Labour Church and up to the outbreak of the First World War many pioneers of the labour movement such as Keir Hardie, Edward Carpenter and Charlotte Despard spoke at socialist meetings. The place has a very strong progressive resonance and its fitting that it is the setting for a social experiment that is sweeping across the country and galvanising communities.

But what is a transition town?

Transition Leek, as part of the national Transition Towns network, is a community response to the challenges of climate change and peak oil.

It is part of a national network of villages, towns and cities. The range of initiatives is both suburban and rural but all have a common thread.

The aim to bring about changes to Leek that mean we both use less energy and are more resilient to future energy shocks. These changes will, at some point, be forced upon us by reduced energy supplies and changed climate conditions, and it will be a much smoother transition to this changed future if we change now.

In addition, it is believed that many of the changes we need to make more localisation, more community interaction, will be a more pleasant way of living than at present.

It is our job to demonstrate this locally. It is also about people who want to be part of Transition Leek both initiating their own projects, and providing help to others. This could just as well is a project that’s part of an existing organisation as something completely new ““ our aim is to be a network of everyone who has the same goal of energy resilience and reduction.

We are engaged in a few projects that are looking at energy and local food production. The Quaker Garden project will produce a range of fruit and vegetables and the District Council is keen to work with us to try to bring other spare land into community allotment usage. The Energy group is in negotiations with a local farmer to develop a wind farm.

Its probably true to say Leek Transition Town is one of the more better organised movement’s in the area and in a number of well attended public meetings it seems that this interest is mirrored by others in the town.

ï‚· If we wait for the governments, it’ll be too little, too late.

ï‚· If we act as individuals, it’ll be too little.

ï‚· But if we act as communities, it might just be enough, just in time.