Sacred Earth
A Community Land Project in East Sussex
Sacred Earth is a community land project which was set up in 2011 on the 40 acre site of an abandoned brickworks near the village of Horam in East Sussex. It is an organisation with social, educational, agricultural, ecological and therapeutic aims.
In addition to its own projects and programmes Sacred Earth also supports entrant farmers, rural craft entrepreneurs and nature-oriented therapists by providing affordable access to land, tools and infrastructure as well as mentoring and project management support.
In 2016 Sacred Earth, originally set up as a CIC (Community Interest Company), converted its structure with our help to become a Community Benefit Society, an organisation which has community values and accountability built right into its manifesto and its operating principles. Now owned by the community, its members have a say in how the organisation is run.
We supported Sacred Earth in their business planning and community share offer via the Just Growth Programme. The share offer was a fantastic success, and by October 2016 had successfully raised more than £40,000 through the sale of community shares to over 160 investors. This was match funded with a package of grant and loan from Just Growth. These funds will be invested in tools, infrastructure and skills to support a variety of new projects on the land, with the ultimate aim of creating a profitable, sustainable, ecological, community owned business.
