Resurgence builds for the Future

Leading thinkers, writers and environmentalists are calling for support for Resurgence – the spiritual and artistic flagship of the green movement – to secure a new home to safeguard and expand its work for people and planet

Having recently celebrated 50 years as the UK’s beacon for environmental and spiritual wellbeing, social justice and the arts, Resurgence magazine – more recently called Resurgence & Ecologist – is now planning to secure its future for the next half century beyond.

To this end, Resurgence has launched a ‘Building for the Future Crowdfunder’ campaign to raise funds to secure a new home at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/Resurgencefuture. A campaign goal has been set of raising £100,000 to cover the costs, and the deadline for this has now been extended to Wednesday 21st December (by 10pm).

Many leading thinkers and change-makers have rallied to support the campaign. Author and playwright Michael Morpurgo says: “It is time Resurgence had a home of its own! No publication has done more to raise awareness of the dangers to the environment of our throw-away society. Now we need to make it secure for the next 50 years.” And calling Resurgence “the spiritual and philosophical heart of the ecological movement”, Tony Juniper, President of Wildlife Trust UK, says: “I hope that there will be widespread support for Resurgence as it seeks to secure a new home.”

Guided by Satish Kumar – who edited the magazine for 43 years until August 2016 – Resurgence has evolved from humble beginnings into an educational charity and movement for positive change with far-reaching impact. Today, the Resurgence Trust not only publishes Resurgence & Ecologist magazine and its two websites (resurgence.org and theecologist.org), but also serves as a wider educational platform for sustainability, social justice, spiritual wellbeing and the arts, and has established an expanding calendar of popular festivals and events in the UK.

For the past 35 years, Resurgence’s small hard-working team has operated from a tiny barn conversation in Satish Kumar’s garden in the village of Hartland, North Devon. But, as the Trust’s work continues to expand, along with its staff, the rented space is now inadequate. The charity needs a new home to safeguard its future and growing activities. The ideal space for the new Resurgence headquarters is the recently-closed Small School in Hartland, which was founded by Satish Kumar in the early 1980s, integrating ecological and spiritual principles into the curriculum. The school’s buildings, centred around a beautiful 19th century chapel, are in need of major renovation, as Satish Kumar explains:

“We want to make a new home for Resurgence in this much-loved space, continuing the spirit of the Small School and building a centre for education and the arts for future generations. The school buildings are in urgent need of renovation and unless we can find the funds, the community could lose them to private development. We want to save them from further decline and establish a thriving centre to serve the local community and continue our educational work in the wider world.”

Money raised from the Resurgence ‘Building for the Future’ Crowdfunder will cover the cost of renovating and restoring these historic buildings, working with sustainable partners to achieve Resurgence’s vision. In addition to converting the Small School into a new home for the Resurgence Trust to continue to produce its magazine, websites and events, the new centre will be used to develop a range of exciting educational and community projects, including:

• Indoor and outdoor courses on environmental issues, social justice, spirituality and other topics, with lessons in organic gardening, sustainable food production and nature conservation
• A creative outdoor classroom for forest school sessions
• A showcase for green technologies as the site is redeveloped applying ecological principles
• A sculpture garden and green space for everyone to enjoy
• A space for local arts projects and craft activities

Tim Smit (Picture by Roy Riley)

Tim Smit, co-founder of the Eden Project, says: “Resurgence has been a tremendous force for good. “It is absolutely vital that it is properly protected to thrive for another fifty years. I urge everybody to make a contribution as an act of solidarity and commitment.”

Satish Kumar says: “Huge heart-felt thanks to those of you who have so generously supported us already. And if you’d like to contribute, please visit Resurgence’s ‘Building for the Future’ Crowdfunder campaign page, which details lots of exciting rewards and incentives for those who support the cause, and give whatever you can to help Resurgence continue to grow its work. At a time when issues of peace and stability, the threat to our environment, social dislocation and division have rarely been so important, the work of Resurgence is a beacon of hope. Please help us to keep it alive, to help the process of building the better, more sustainable world we all want.”

For more information and to donate to the Resurgence ‘Building the Future’ Crowdfunder campaign, visit: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/Resurgencefuture

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