As our world balances on the edge of transformation, how do we rewild ourselves and our inner cities?  How do we build communities of place and of purpose that work, that give us resilience, life, hope - and a deep, enduring, magical connection to the earth?  Jamie Quince-Starkey and Ross Nicholson of Down to Earth Derby describe the utterly inspiring work they are doing to achieve exactly this. 

Jamie Quince-Starkey has worked with planes, trains and automobiles, but he found himself most at at home in himself, and at peace with the world when he had his hands in the soil, growing thing to eat. 

Many of us might resonate with this, but Jamie took it a step further and set up Down to Earth Derby, a life-changing project that, as he says, "is an idea born out of conflict; the conflict of living life in the modern-day and the realisation of the negative impact we have on this planet. 
The challenge is making a difference whilst also being realistic and having an understanding of how life is for the average person; I know we can’t just jump ship and move to an off-grid community (imagine if the problem was that simple)!" 
It's not simple, and he was working full time and had recently become a dad, but even so, he set up the project and threw himself into its mission:
- to work for our communities empowering everyone to be part of making Derby a world leader in nature-based urban regeneration. 

 - to make living with nature a part of our everyday lives.
- to create a movement with the people of Derby through a series of nature-based engagement projects and promoting the new city social.
- to promote and contribute to a thriving sustainable-regenerative economy for everyone, making Derby a blueprint for world-class nature-based urban regeneration.

Jamie was mentored by Tim Smit of the Eden Project, who introduced him to another Derby resident, Ross Nicholson. Ross is co-founder of Neo, an international network of 15,000+ individuals and companies across over 100 countries across the sustainable futures space which 'makes vital human connections to get stuff done.' 

And getting stuff done is what Down to Earth Derby is all about - this is about creating real change in a real city for real people, working on real regenerative principles.   It's an idea that's evolving in real time and is replicable anywhere in the world.  Making change from the ground up and the inside out. "DTE Derby is about growing people, connecting with nature and the importance of creating community."

If you enjoy this, check them out - and see what you can do in your local community. 

Down to Earth Derby
https://www.dtederby.org

Eden Project
https://www.edenproject.com

Ross Nicholson's website
https://neojourneys.io

Tim Gill Book
https://uk.bookshop.org/books/urban-playground-how-child-friendly-planning-and-design-can-save-cities/9781859469293