Community Environment Activation
The Sollom Pilot — a three-day test of community, environment and wellbeing. Evidence and a future stewardship model for funders, businesses, landowners and community partners.
Sollom, Lancashire · 6–8 August 2026
3
Pilot days
27
People engaged
166+
Volunteer hours
8
Local businesses
£960+
In-kind support
Executive Summary
In July 2026, The Great Big Yawn CIC was introduced to a landowner through one of its Yawning Ambassadors. The shared ambition was to explore how woodland and water could support community activity, nature connection, practical volunteering, learning and wellbeing. A three-day activation on 6–8 August 2026 tested the idea before any long-term commitment.
The pilot demonstrated rapid community mobilisation, business support, physical improvements and meaningful social connection. It also proved the value of testing leadership capacity, governance, boundaries and partnership fit before significant funding, licensing or long-term operational responsibility is accepted.
Core finding
The activation model worked. The proposed long-term partnership configuration was not the right fit. The evidence and learning now form the basis of a stronger, transferable Great Big Yawn environment-stewardship model.
What the Pilot Tested
Delivery & Practical Outcomes
Local Business & In-Kind Support
Business and machinery support accelerated practical work · volunteers opened woodland and access areas · connection and wellbeing sat alongside practical volunteering · shared outdoor experience helped people connect.
Community & Human Outcomes
Strategic Learning: Capacity Before Responsibility
Shared vision is a beginning, not a guarantee of delivery. The Great Big Yawn welcomes people with different histories, abilities and circumstances, while matching leadership responsibility to demonstrated capacity and preset boundaries.
Inclusion with discernment
Everyone can potentially contribute. Leadership is offered where emotional, mental, physical, practical and values-based capacity is sufficient for the responsibility accepted.
Four Tests for Future Partnerships
Resonance
Do we share enough of the same purpose and values?
Readiness
Are the people, site, resources and infrastructure sufficiently ready?
Responsibility
Can each party reliably hold the role and boundaries agreed?
Reciprocity
Are access, time, benefit, resources and responsibility shared fairly enough to remain healthy?
RESONANCE · READINESS · RESPONSIBILITY · RECIPROCITY
Organisational Shift
The Great Big Yawn Environment Stewardship Pathway
Introduction
Understand the vision
Start with purpose
Site Review
Map opportunities, limits and responsibilities
Establish a baseline
People & Resources
Identify volunteers, facilitators and businesses
Build local capacity
Pilot Activation
Run a short practical community test
Test demand and relationships
Measure
Record people, hours, donations and feedback
Create fundable evidence
Review
Apply the four partnership tests
Go / adapt / stop
Agreement
Define governance, safety, finances and roles
Protect all parties
Local Stewardship
Capable local leads coordinate ongoing activity
Prevent founder dependency
Network Support
TGBY provides framework, training, promotion and evaluation
Create scalability
Transferable Model for Funders & Business Partners
The Great Big Yawn's scalable role is to act as an activator, connector and framework-holder rather than the permanent operator of every site.
What Investment Can Enable
Local coordination
Reliable local stewardship
Volunteer infrastructure
Tools, PPE, communication, induction and safeguarding
Site readiness
Access, facilities and appropriate risk controls
Training
Ambassador, facilitator and volunteer-lead development
Digital matching
A future Environment & People Exchange linking environments, skills, businesses and needs
Impact measurement
Consistent evidence of participation, hours, in-kind value and outcomes
Community programming
Regular activity after successful pilot review
Why the Pilot Approach Protects Future Investment
Alignment with Wider Regenerative Network Practice
The model sits alongside a wider international movement that connects people with place rather than requiring one central organisation to operate every location. WWOOF connects visitors with organic farmers for hands-on learning and exchange; the Global Ecovillage Network connects people and regenerative communities; and the Permaculture Association's LAND network supports demonstration sites where people can visit, learn and volunteer. The Great Big Yawn can add a distinctive wellbeing, community-activation and local-leadership layer to this network principle.
Reference examples: WWOOF (wwoof.net) · Global Ecovillage Network (ecovillage.org) · Permaculture Association LAND Network (permaculture.org.uk/land).
Evidence Available for Bids & Partnerships
Full evidence schedule — including photographs, film, testimonials, volunteer records and learning — is available in the downloadable report and on request.
From pilot to Ramsbottom
The Sollom pilot gave us the evidence and the model. Ramsbottom is where the environment-stewardship pathway goes next — a new community site built on the four tests: resonance, readiness, responsibility and reciprocity.
See the Ramsbottom projectSite photos coming soon
Read the full evidence report
The complete pilot report — outcomes, learning, the stewardship pathway and the transferable model — is available as a document for funders, businesses and partners.
Download the report (.docx)Volunteer & Ambassador Agreement
Take your time. Download the full Leadership Agreement & Involvement Profile, read it, complete it offline, then send it back — upload it here or email it to us. There's no rush.
…or upload your completed agreement