We Built a School from the ground up

A radical approach to funding

We have a vision of making nourishing bread a reality for all. We run a Systems Change Programme and we’ve been funding bread reform via our proceeds for many years; we are now in our twelfth year operating as a social enterprise

‘Perhaps what is so different about our approach is that we began the programme with a vision and a bag of flour.’

Perhaps what is so different about our approach is that we began the programme with a vision and a bag of flour. We felt that the most powerful way to create systems change was to use our proceeds to implement change through supporting and empowering others to actively engage in the process of being the change. So in effect, our success is a direct reflection of improvements to the way we approach bread.

There are many aspects to what we do to empower and inspire systems change, from education, writing books, creating a new approach to flour, and research development, to the way we bake, eat and share bread, but none of this would be possible if we had not built a home from which to do it.

Repurposed

In line with the ethos of The School,  we began by teaching from the kitchen in the house. There were holes in the ceilings and no heating. Slowly, we gathered materials, dug up bricks buried in the garden, saved the fees, and begin to renovate the derelict coach house. 

We made do. The sofa is a battered family heirloom, the fridges were donated by our parents, the shelves are sanded down discarded scaffolding planks, the door was rescued from a church demolition, and the table is made of repurposed chapel pews.

 To begin with, we reinvested our fees into making a permanent space in which to gather people from all over the world to work together. 

Bread that does good – for humans and the planet.

From the outset, our approach has been about the environment and equality. Our work has been dedicated to researching, developing and sharing knowledge about how changes can be made in the world of bread-making and baking in order to support health and wellness, and to do this we needed a home. A place from which to share knowledge and to teach, and a place in which to base our team and our work. We knew that the best way to create change is to empower others to implement these changes.