Ep. 045: Community Land Stewardship with Chris Blake

This week on the Wilder Podcast, we sit down with Chris Blake to explore how communities can steward land through collaboration, long-term vision and trust between local people and public bodies. We also share Grange Project updates (bumper apple harvest, the market garden & "cathedral-scale" polytunnel!), two recent courses, and announce Wilder Away Days - our nature-based corporate retreats.

Key takeaways:

• Community land stewardship ≠ one model. Freehold, long leasehold, management agreements and co-production each offer different ways for local values to shape land.
• Co-production works when power is shared. Start with a blank page, bring evidence-givers (forestry, ecology, education), and let a mixed panel turn evidence into values & principles - not expert-written plans.
• Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF) can beat clear-fell on 100-year horizons: better soils, flood risk, vistas - and local, steady jobs from ongoing thinning rather than boom-and-bust harvesting.
• Public bodies win too. Communities unlock grants, volunteers and entrepreneurial energy that agencies often lack - delivering outcomes already in policy (biodiversity, access, carbon).
• Trust is the glue. A year-long, facilitated process built mutual respect between Natural Resources Wales managers and residents; FSC certification also helps keep plans on track.
• Practical first steps. If transfer isn’t feasible, explore long leases or co-produced forest/resource plans; talk to national support orgs early (see "Resources").

Timestamps:

00:06 — Welcome & what’s ahead

00:30 — Grange Project update: community day, record apple harvest & juice pressing

06:50 — Announcement: Wilder Away Days (purposeful team retreats in wild nature)

10:15 — Guest intro: Chris Blake & the journey to community stewardship

13:05 — What is “community land stewardship”? Why it matters

15:40 — Lessons from Scotland’s community buyouts (Noidart, forestry, hydro, housing)

19:40 — The co-production model in the Rhondda: who’s in the room & how it ran

27:55 — Designing for Continuous Cover Forestry & local jobs over decades

30:00 — Why agencies benefit: capacity, risk culture, and policy delivery

34:35 — Accountability: FSC, public scrutiny & relationship-based safeguards

37:55 — Inside the room: creative methods, expert “witnesses,” values > wish-lists

47:50 — Where to go for help (nation-specific orgs)

49:47 — Closing reflections: changing the values that shape landscapes

50:02 — Hosts’ debrief: win-wins, optimism, and where else co-production fits

Guest:

Chris Blake - social entrepreneur focused on community energy and land stewardship; founding director at The Green Valleys, long-term work in the Rhondda on co-produced forest visions; chair & founding trustee at Black Mountains College; volunteer director at Co-production Network for Wales and Global Action Plan.

Resources & organisations mentioned:

• Natural Resources Wales (NRW) - public forest & land manager in Wales
• Welcome to Our Woods - community woodland group in Treherbert
• The Green Valleys - community renewable energy & stewardship
• Black Mountains College - climate-focused higher education
• Co-production Network for Wales - facilitation & training
• FSC certification - forest management standards & accountability

Getting started / advice:

• England: Locality
• Wales: Development Trusts Association Wales (DTA Wales)
• Scotland: Community Land Scotland
• Northern Ireland: Development Trusts NI
• (Note: legislation and routes differ by nation - start with your country’s body above.)

New: Wilder Away Days (for teams)

Ditch the windowless hotel. Come to our architect-designed hub in wild nature for strategy, communication and team-bonding days - with facilitation by a clinical psychologist, purposeful conservation activities, and seasonal food grown metres from the table. Profits support Wilder Connections (youth nature-connection charity).

Enquiries: wilderawaydays.co.uk

About the hosts:

Chloe Constable - clinical psychologist & systemic psychotherapist; facilitator of reflective, nature-based work with organisations, co-leads the Grange Project and the Wilder Podcast.

Tom Constable - veteran, producer and entrepreneur; co-leads the Grange Project and the Wilder Podcast.

Show description:

The Wilder Podcast explores nature connection, rewilding and the practicalities of building people-and-planet-positive projects - told from the ground at our 80-acre Grange Project in Wales, plus conversations with practitioners, researchers and community leaders.

Connect & share:

• Subscribe & review: it really helps others find the show
• Share this episode with someone working in land, community or local government
• Book a Wilder Away Day for your team: wilderawaydays.co.uk
• Follow the Grange Project for course dates, volunteer days & market-garden news: grangeproject.co.uk