Please read on for some exciting events and updates to share for the month ahead!

Marmalade Festival 2025

Reimagining housing in the UK: Radical solutions & Reflections from the margins

We would love to invite you to a participatory session exploring the impact that grassroots movements & radical solutions have on access to adequate housing in the UK.  There will be a panel discussion, opportunities for Q&A and conversations. The event is part of a social change festival, Marmalade 2025. More info below!

📅 When: Wednesday 2rd April 2025, 10am-12pm (2hrs)
🏡 Venue: Oxford Friends Meeting House, 43 St Giles’, Oxford OX1 3LW
🔗 Event registration link: https://lu.ma/m9k5k8gi (Free to book or make a donation)

The panel will be facilitated by Lucy Warin, Regeneration Officer at Bristol City Council (former T/D member) and insights will be given from the following panel: 

• Kay Sentance, Rural Housing enabler and co-founder of Thame Community Land Trust (a social housing tenant)
• Jon Broome, Former founding director of Architype (Architect & self-build / community-led housing consultant)
• Tim Oshodi, Community-led regeneration consultant (resident of black-led self-build Nubia Way)
• Athlyn Cathcart-Keays, Strategy & Communications Lead at WeCanMake

💬 What’s it about? Within this session we will be looking at the housing solutions that come from the margins. We’ll hear from those people who are housing themselves because no one else is, from families who are finding community-based solutions to greening their homes because the government isn’t acting quick enough, and from neighbourhoods that are taking master planning into their own hands because what the market is offering them just isn’t good enough. It’s 10 years since the ‘House of the Commons’ event which, staged from a squatted building, offered a radical provocation to Oxford and beyond to pay more attention to liminal spaces and radical ideas. Together we’ll be looking at the event’s legacy and how ideas from the margins are influencing housing today.

What it means to be a Workers Cooperative

This month Liv explores what it means to be a worker cooperative: a democratic, member-owned business where employees have equal say, shared profits, and a commitment to collective well-being. Find out more on our blog here.

Changing Oxford:
Connecting Communities and Spaces

Wongani will be speaking at the North Wall Gallery as part of a series of events and an exhibition called Dividing Lines, Connected Spaces on Tuesday 8 April 2025 at 18:30. Through a conversation around connecting communities and spaces across Oxford, we will reflect on the topic of belonging, community engagement, design, housing and spaces during our time together. Both looking to the past and to the future of the changing cityscape of Oxford.

Hasting Commons

Liv visited Hastings Commons this month, who are a collective of organisations dedicated to revitalising neglected and challenging buildings in the White Rock area of Hastings, East Sussex. Over the last ten years, they’ve transformed 12 difficult and derelict buildings into affordable, inclusive social areas, homes, and workspaces for the local community. It was incredibly inspiring to see all of their hard work and learn about the challenges they faced over the years. We hope to be able to apply their community-driven approach to regeneration in Oxford to help reduce inequalities and ensure local residents shape their community.

Ozone Engagement Update

It was great to see over 150 people come along to the engagement event we held on the 20th March about the Ozone Leisure Park reimagined project. We have heard many ideas around community and leisure use for the site and will be giving a full update on the event in the coming weeks. Thank you to those who have given their feedback to date. If you are interested in the project or would like to give feedback, please visit ozonereimagined.com where you can view the boards and fill out a feedback form. We will use all the feedback provided to guide the design process for community & leisure use on the site.

Looking to retrofit your home? 🏡

At Transition by Design, we specialise in retrofits, extensions, and low-carbon design and have been offering high quality design services across Oxfordshire for over 13 years. With a commitment to sustainability and community-focused design, we bring your vision to life while reducing your home’s environmental impact.

Whether you’re looking to modernise a historic property, create more space for your family, or lower your energy bills, our experienced team blends creativity and technical expertise to deliver beautiful, functional, and energy-efficient homes.

As seen in Oxford’s first EnerPHit project Hutchcomb Road, we combine thoughtful design with sustainable solutions, ensuring every project meets the highest environmental and aesthetic standards.

Contact us today to start your journey toward a greener, more comfortable home.