Neighbourhood Toolbox

The Exchange #13 Water, Biodiversity and Design
2025-07-14 09:45 - 14:00 UTC | Heal Somerset, Lower West Barn Farm, Bindon Ln, Frome, BA11 5HH, United Kingdom
On Monday, July 14, 2025, NTB hosted The Exchange #13: Design for Water Quality at Heal Somerset in Frome.
We were joined by Gregor Neeve from Thompson Environmental Consultants, who led two key sessions during the workshop. In the morning, he shared the latest water quality regulations and practical approaches designers can apply to homes and neighbourhoods to support healthier waterways. In the afternoon, he introduced the growing potential of nature markets and how new funding opportunities are emerging to support riparian corridors and landscape-scale restoration.
We also heard from Gemma Annan of Frome Families For The Future, who shared how their group is empowering local communities to build agency and stewardship in support of a healthier River Frome.
To end the day, Dan from Heal Somerset and Alex from Providence Ecological took us on a guided walk through the breathtaking rewilding landscape at Heal. We followed the course of the land to the source of the River Frome, learning about their bold and visionary approach to restoring the site’s natural ecology.
Thanks to everyone who joined us!

The agenda on the day was:
9.45 – 10.00 | Arrivals, Tea and Coffee
10.00 – 10.10 | Intros and NTB updates
10.10- 11.00 | Water Quality: Regulation & Design Approaches | Gregor Neeve
11.00 – 11.15| | Tea Break
11.15- 11.30 | Frome Families For The Future River Vision Project | Gemma Annan
11.30 – 12.15 | Tour of Heal Somerset to source of River Frome | Heal Somerset
12.15 – 13.15 | Lunch
13:15 – 14:00 | Nature Markets for Riparian Corridors | Gregor Neave
14:00 | Workshop end.

The Exchange #14 Design Safely, Build Naturally
2025-09-22 09:45 - 14:30 | Horningsham Village Hall, Water Lane, Horningsham,, Warminster, BA12 7LL
On Monday, September 22, 2025, NTB hosted The Exchange #14: Design Safely, Build Naturally at Hornuingsham Village Hall.
This time, we heard from Amy Jones of Amy Jones Architects, who led a session on the steps and processes small practitioners can take to minimise risk and uphold our professional duty of care—while continuing to practise sustainably and confidently within the evolving framework of the Building Safety Act.
We then welcomed Chris Brookman of Back to Earth, who introduced the company’s inspiring range of natural wood fibre insulation. Chris shared practical insights into how these materials can be specified and applied in our projects, helping us bridge the gap between sustainable intention and real-world construction.
After a delicious lunch, we gathered outdoors for a roundtable discussion, where we built on the morning’s themes, shared the challenges our practices face when specifying natural materials, and exploring opportunities for us to take collective action to overcome them.

The agenda on the day was:
9.45 – 10.00 | Arrivals, Tea and Coffee
10.00 – 10.15 | Intros and NTB updates
10.15- 11.00 | Design Safely, Build Naturally | Amy Jones
11.00 – 11.15| | Tea Break
11.15- 12.30 | Back to Earth: Build Naturally | Chris Brookman
12.30 – 13.30 | Lunch
13:30 – 14:30 | Round Table Discussion
14:30 | Workshop End.

The Exchange #15 Community-Led Conservation
2025-10-20 09:45 - 14:00 | The Hop Pole Inn, The Hop Pole Inn, Woods Hill, Limpley Stoke, BA2 7FS, United Kingdom
On Monday, October 20, 2025, NTB hosted The Exchange #15: Community-Led Conservation at The Hop Pole Inn, Limpley Stoke.
This time we were joined by James Sibson of FCB Studios, Rhys Brookes of Harrison Brookes Architects and Hannah Jones & Rob Stepto of Greengauage who guided us through the inspiring story of the community-led conservation of the Hop Pole Inn—the very building where we gathered.
This session kicked off with James Sibson who shared the inspiring story of how the community of Limpley Stoke came together to take ownership of this historic Inn, develop a shared vision, and restore the building collaboratively — a process that involved a huge amount of volunteer time and hard graft!
We then heard from Rhys Brookes who discussed the journey of conserving this historic asset, balancing competing priorities — respecting and maintaining the heritage of the Inn, ensuring the space complies with modern standards, and realising the community’s vision to repurpose it as a hub for modern village life!
If that wasn’t enough, we then heard from Hannah Jones and Rob Stepto who shared their approach to decarbonising this historic building. Their talk emphasised the importance of getting the ventilation strategy right first in heritage buildings and shared valuable insights to demystify heat pumps and their suitability for heating historic buildings.
It was an inspiring day of collaboration and learning — showing what’s possible when communities lead the way in shaping their built environment!

The agenda on the day was:
9.45 – 10.00 | Arrivals, Tea and Coffee
10.00 – 10.10 | Intros and NTB updates
10.10- 10.50 | The Story of Hope Pole Inn and Tour | James Sibson
10.50 – 11.30 | Design Approach and Detailing Hop Pole Inn | Rhys Brookes
11.30 – 11.45| | Tea Break
11.45 – 12.30 | Approach to decarbonising the Hop Pole Inn | Hannah Jones
12:30 – 14:00 | Lunch and Networking
14:00 | Workshop End.

The Exchange #16 People Centred Planning
2025-11-17 09:45 - 14:30 | The National Self Build & Renovation Centre, Lydiard Fields, Great Western Way, Swindon, SN5 8UB, United Kingdom
On Monday, November 17, 2025, NTB hosted The Exchange #16: People Centred Planning at Silk Mill Studios, Frome.
We were excited to welcome Veronica Barbaro, Planning Director at Avalon Planning, who led the workshop and brought her expertise in planning strategy and community engagement. She guided participants in exploring how national policy shapes local outcomes and how community-led change can influence planning decisions.
The morning began with a talk on national policy and local practice, considering how the National Planning Policy Framework and the recent New Towns policy affected small practices and community-scale projects. After a short break, we took a site walk and workshop around Frome, exploring different ways to gather and map on-the-ground insights about place and people.
After lunch, we discussed the different approaches to mapping used during the site walk and the types of data collected, followed by Veronica sharing mapping and analysis tools to help us organise and visualise the data, enhancing its accessibility and impact.
It was a fantastic day!
The agenda for the day:
9.45 – 10.00 | Arrivals, Tea and Coffee
10.00 – 10.15 | Intros and NTB updates
10.15 – 11.00 | National change, Local impact | Veronica Barbaro
11.00 – 11.15 | Tea Break
11.15 – 12.15 | Walking Workshop: Site Analysis and Qualitative Mapping | Veronica Barbaro
12.30 – 13.30 | Lunch
13.30 – 14.30 | Mapping & Analysis: Open Source Tools and Data | Veronica Barbaro
14.30 | Workshop End

The Exchange #17 Retrofit Skills Level 2 Training | The Green Register
2026-01-19 09:00 - 17:30 | The National Self Build & Renovation Centre, Lydiard Fields, Great Western Way, Swindon, SN5 8UB, United Kingdom
On Monday 19 January 2026, NTB hosted a free Retrofit Skills Level 2 Training at the National Self Build & Renovation Centre in Swindon, funded through Retrofit West’s Community Grant Programme.
Delivered by The Green Register, the course provided building professionals with practical and technical training in insulation and airtightness, heat pumps, and ventilation, supported by online learning modules. Lunch and refreshments were provided.
Participants who completed the training became eligible to join the Retrofit West supplier database, helping connect them with clients seeking retrofit support. As part of the programme, attendees were also asked to complete online modules by March 2026 and contribute up to three hours of volunteer time at community design surgeries in B&NES during April–May 2026.
Agenda for the day was:
09.00 | Welcome & refreshments
09.15 – 12.45GROUP 1 | Module 5 — Insulation & Airtightness (Dave)GROUP 2 | Module 6 — Heat Pumps (Nigel), followed by Module 7 — Ventilation (Ben)
12.45 – 13.45 | Lunch
13.45 – 17.15GROUP 1 | Module 6 — Heat Pumps (Nigel), followed by Module 7 — Ventilation (Ben)GROUP 2 | Module 5 — Insulation & Airtightness (Dave)
17.15 – 17.30 | Session wrap-up and close

The Exchange #18 Communication in Practice
2026-02-23 10:00 - 14:00 | silk mill studios, Studio 1, Silk Mill, Frome, Somerset, BA11 1PT, United Kingdom
On Monday 23 February 2026, NTB hosted Workshop #18: Communication in Practice at the office of Studio SAAR, Silk Mill Studios, Frome.
The session was led by Alice Caudle from Alice Caudle Parenting, who shared her expertise in effective communication and active listening as a way to build trust, connect meaningfully, and communicate more effectively. Alice demonstrated how the same principles she uses in her work can be applied by design professionals to strengthen client relationships and improve their practice.
Her session was followed by an active listening exercise, in which participants paired up and practiced active listening through a reflection on their own routes into the profession. This was followed by a round-table discussion on communication with clients, where participants reflected on their approaches and shared experiences. The session offered a valuable opportunity to learn from peers and gain insights into connecting more effectively with clients and collaborators.

Agenda for the day:
10:00 | Welcome & refreshments
10:15 | Intros and NTB Updates10:30 | Active Listening – Alice Caudle | Alice Caudle Parenting
11:15 | Tea Break
11:30 | Round-Table Discussion: Communication with Clients
13:00 – 14:00 | Lunch14:00 | Session close

The Exchange #19 Designing For Dementia
2026-03-16 09:30 - 14:30 | Newton Park Campus | Bath Spa University, Newton St Loe, Bath, , BA2 9BN, United Kingdom
On Monday 16 March2026, NTB will be hosting workshop #19 Designing For Dementia in collaboration with We Are The People at Bath Spa Universities Newton Park Campus.
This session brings together the We Are The People research team at Bath Spa University, Reminiscence Learning, and Bristol Dementia Action Alliance to explore how designers can better support people living with dementia within the design of the built environment.
We’ll begin with Dementia Awareness training from Reminiscence Learning, grounding us in the everyday experiences of people living with dementia. The We Are The People team will then share insights from their co-production research in Wellington, exploring what makes a place dementia-inclusive and how designers can meaningfully engage people with dementia in the design process. Finally, we’ll hear from the Bristol Dementia Action Alliance, who will introduce dementia accessibility audits and practical tools for identifying barriers in buildings and public spaces.
After lunch, we’ll put these ideas into practice through a collaborative workshop, tackling dementia-related design challenges and developing practical, inclusive solutions together.
Parking: Attendees requiring parking should email hello@neighbourhoodtoolbox.co.uk with their vehicle registration number so free parking can be arranged.
Agenda
09:30 | Welcome & refreshments
09:45 | Intros & NTB updates10:00 | Dementia Awareness | Reminiscence Learning
10:45 | Break
11:00 | What Makes Wellington Dementia-Inclusive | Bath Spa University11:20 | Involving People with Dementia in Design | Bath Spa University11:40 | Dementia Accessibility Audits | Bristol Dementia Action Alliance
12:00 | Lunch
13:00 | Workshop: Designing For Dementia
14:30 | Workshop Close
