Patch Seasons is a new cultural programme launching this October. For our first Season, we will be exploring ‘The Planet & Sustainability’ with a six-month series of talks, workshops, and activities to build our understanding of how to live and work more sustainably.
I want to share our aims behind Patch Seasons, what you can expect from this first Season and how it connects to the ‘Work Near Home’ vision. This is a new programme for Patch and we’d love for you to join us for events, encourage you to host your own, and as always, welcome you to share your thoughts and ideas with us.
Discover, Engage and Take Action
Our first event on ‘Creating Sustainable Change’ will bring the themes of entrepreneurship and action to the climate crisis. Join us at Patch on 2nd November to hear from a fantastic panel of entrepreneurs exploring their journeys to create and support businesses that have a positive impact on the planet.
Speaking at the event will be Jon Wright, Co-Founder of Innocent Drinks - the beverage company with a mission to do good for the planet; Murvah Iqbal, Co-Ceo of Hived - pioneers of affordable zero-emission parcel delivery; and Camilla Dolan, partner at EKA Ventures - funding startups with a focus on sustainability.
Chaired by Freddie Fforde, Patch’s Founder, this will be a thought-provoking event for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, sustainability, and the challenges and opportunities of creating positive change. You can book your free ticket here.
The Programme
We recognise that there are lots of different ways to learn more about sustainability and to gain actionable ideas so we’re curating a series of sustainably focused activities. Here’s a taster of what more there is to come.
At Patch, we’re really interested in how business can be a force for good. But we also know from personal experience that as a small business, it can be hard to know where to start when it comes to sustainability. So we’re hosting a talk on ‘Standing up for Sustainability’ on 23rd November when we’ll look at the specific challenges small businesses face balancing the planet and profit. This will be an open discussion with an all-women panel of Chelmsford-based entrepreneurs exploring their experiences building their businesses as well as sharing actionable ideas.
In December you can look forward to a ‘Sustainable Christmas Market’ with local providers, mulled wine, and plenty of festive spirit. Then in the new year, we’ll be looking at a broader range of topics from ‘Regenerative Food & Farming,’ to ‘Kids & Creativity’ & ‘Sustainable Urbanism.’ Each event is designed to give a different perspective on living and working more sustainably.
An Ecosystem of Ideas
Patch Seasons is part of a wider ecosystem of events happening around Chelmsford promoting awareness, conversation, and action about the planet, sustainability, and the urgency of the climate crisis.
Our launch is timed to coincide with the opening of GAIA, an artwork by Luke Jerram being installed within the nave of Chelmsford Cathedral. The large-scale installation will give visitors an opportunity to see the earth as astronauts see it from space. Then, back to Patch, where Ignite is hosting an evening on ‘Art & the Environment' on 13th October where you’re invited to discover more about artists whose work cuts across the worlds of culture and climate change. You can find out about highlight events happening at Patch and around Chelmsford from our monthly local newsletter. Sign up here.
The Bigger Picture: Connecting Community
Our aim is to establish Patch as a local space for work, events, and community. As part of our ‘Work Near Home’ vision, this means having a place close to where you live where you can meet new people and discover new ideas. ‘Patch Market’ and ‘Patch Academy’ are our main public venues hosting events from talks, workshops and music performances to pop-up retail, networking events and supper clubs. They are beautifully-designed spaces for people to come together, connect and share.
During Patch’s first year we held some fantastic talks and events from our ‘Festival of Ideas’ to our ‘Founder Stories’ where we learned about ‘Launching A Local Business’. Even more importantly, Patch is also a venue for local organisations to host events, from Ignite, who curate a monthly social celebrating the arts to The Women In Business Network championing entrepreneurship and peer support.
We’ve learned a lot from the people and organisations using Patch and by the variety of events taking place. Our ideas for Patch Seasons have been inspired by the culture of entrepreneurialism, creativity, and community around us.
Throughout Patch Seasons we will explore some of the challenges facing the planet and our collective impetus to live and work more sustainably. From innovative ideas to fresh perspectives and actionable tactics, we invite you to join us for this ‘Season’ - book your tickets, get a drink, bring a friend along, engage in debate, and discover ideas that could change the world!
Tickets for our panel discussion on ‘Creating Sustainable Change’ on 2nd November are now available. Book here.