Community Assemblies are founded by residents who are dedicated to creating a more sustainable, fair and just way of life to uphold and preserve the inalienable rights and obligations for each other, the Earth and future generations.

It takes three Founding Facilitators to form a Community Assembly with each facilitator being a member of the Community Assembly of the British Isles (CABI). This means that facilitators provide a direct link between the network and the people who become part of the whole influencing every decision made.

A great start

A wonderful example of local people coming together to form Community Assemblies and actively work on projects in the community is the Community Assembly of Salisbury. Founding Facilitators, Jo Castell, Jo Elwell and Becky Smith came together to talk about how they could make a difference in their local community.

Taking it upon themselves to bring people together by organising meetings, events and various local activities, their guiding principle is focused on sharing knowledge to empower and the wellbeing of the community. 

Shortly after becoming members of CABI and enlisting the Community Assembly of Salisbury on our Group Directory, Jo, Jo and Becky joined together with Jacqui Ellis, Patricia Gordon and Gabrielle Attwood who later formed the Community Assembly of Wiltshire to establish a group for the county.

A formidable team

Since forming their assembly last August, Jo, Jo and Becky have become a formidable team bound by the same guiding principles. By contributing their time and hard work to organise and try out different formats for meetings and events, and by listening to feedback from attendees and making adjustments, the Community Assembly of Salisbury is growing from strength to strength. 

Here are some of the things the assembly has achieved over the last 12 months, shared here to provide inspiration and guidance for other Community Assembly facilitators and members across the network.

Healing Events & Courses

One of the most important roles of CABI and our enlisted Community Assemblies is to provide guidance, teaching and remedies in Natural Healing and Natural Health. With an increasing awareness of the dangers of allopathic medicines and treatments this is proving to be a popular topic of interest and service for local residents. 

Sound Bath Event

Last November, two of the Community Assembly's Natural Healers, Rowan and Sandra, held a meditation for the world and beyond with a Sound Bath for the local community. Everyone enjoyed the event and felt it was of great benefit to the group and wider community. Another event is being organised for this year with ongoing discussions on how to form a 'Healing Hub' for the community.

Herbal Remedies Presentation

A regular community assembly meeting provided the opportunity for local healer, Chris, to talk about several balms, tinctures and tablets he had made with wild lettuce tablets providing a natural alternative to paracetamol (see photographs below). Chris has been following a book called 'The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies' and is gradually building his own array of natural herbal remedies.

Wellbeing Expo

A highly successful Well Being Collective Expo was held in February as a mini-taster event with sessions from a wide array of natural therapists. This provided a perfect opportunity for attendees to receive guidance and find out which treatments might suit them best.

This event raised £125.00 for the assembly and it was decided that these funds would be put towards venue hire and advertising for the next healing day being held on 1st April 2023. There was a fantastic energy to the hall that day and Rowan said it was wonderful to see the healers and helpers from the community come together to make the event happen.

For further information about the next event on the 1st April 2023 and to make a booking, please visit our events page.

Homeopathy Course

This month on the 10th and 25th March, a homeopathy course for acute conditions is being presented by Community Assembly of Salisbury member and Community Health Initiative Member, Maria Olsen BA MCHI.

This comprehensive 3 hour course starts with an introduction to homeopathy including the philosophy, principles, and correct use of homeopathic remedies, followed by learning which remedies can be used to treat minor conditions such as bites, burns, cuts, stings, colds, stomach upsets, acute shock/grief, fever and sore throats.

Further information and how to book your place can be found at Homeopathy Course for Acute Conditions where individuals and groups are welcome to attend. 

First Aid Courses

This coming April and May, a two day advanced first aid course is being held along with some other community members to understand the essentials and to ensure there are qualified first aid practitioners available within the community. This course is being held by the Community Assembly of Ringwood who have kindly extended places for Salisbury and surrounding areas.

Growing Group

The increasingly popular 'Growing Group' has acquired two very large allotment plots from Salisbury Council. The site was incredibly overgrown and it was on the proviso that the site was cleared and used for growing, that the land would be provided at no cost to the Community Assembly for the current year. The Growing Group started work immediately clearing brambles (see photographs below) and have made fantastic progress in just a few days!

Having secured part of a polytunnel and some outdoor beds at a community garden run by St Michael's church in Salisbury, the Growing Group have planted raspberries, broad beans, red onions, spring onions, winter lettuce, pak choi and radishes, making repairs to the polytunnel that were needed.

They have also been sorting through and improving the composting system and are looking at planting more bee-friendly plants to surround the outdoor beds. A sensory garden is in the making too. It was a lot of work to sort areas out for planting but through combined efforts, great progress is being made and shows what can be done.

The Growing Group have set up a group on Telegram which already has 25 members actively posting up to 50 items of interest a day! This provides momentum, encouraging others to join in and become part of the Community Assembly.

An invaluable incentive

Founding Facilitators and members of the Community Assembly of Salisbury, Ringwood and Wiltshire are the perfect example of how bringing people together to engage in their community and make a contribution makes everyone feel a sense of belonging, safety and being able to rely on others.

It provides an invaluable incentive for each one of us to work on building strong local communities where everyone feels welcome and everyone can take part in delivering and receiving services that are of benefit.

We are delighted to share the work being done in Salisbury and hope this will encourage and inspire other Community Assemblies to do the same.

Sue Cartwright AInstAM

Community Assembly of the British Isles

Editor