How it works

We start from looking at where the community is, and use the toolkit to engage people in debate, identify opportunities and passion for action. We then support that action through a coaching approach, drawing on local networks of support.

Within a community we support a move from an awareness of opportunities to taking action by exploring four questions:

  • What are the opportunities for enterprise - What do we want to do?
  • How could goods and services be delivered differently?
  • How can we mobilise resources to do what we want to do?
  • Whether these actions will result in positive local economic, social and environmental outcomes.

Local Alchemy supports individuals and groups to re-invent their local economy
by providing:

  • A framework of what an enterprising community could look like.
  • A set of 'tools' that help people to vision, map, plan and implement a new local economy.
  • A coach, who gives practical support to the community.
  • Guidance on how to access funding.

The Local Alchemy national team is also seeking to support change across regeneration institutions. Particularly supporting them to more effectively use their staff and financial resources for regeneration impact by:

  • Opening up local employment and business opportunities by increasing spending and re-spending in the local economy of inward investment projects.
  • Supporting the public sector to refocuse their commissioning processes to improve their local economic, social and environmental impact.
  • Supporting regeneration practitioners to adopt more effective ways of working within communities through access to a suite of practitioner workshops focused on coach training, networks and the economic toolkit.

For more detail download the following factsheets: