Community Wealth Building in Action: A Phoenix Way Learning Journey
By Christopher Oliver
How do communities acquire and sustain land, buildings, and resources in a system structured by wealth inequality?
On 1 October 2025, 28 leaders from across The Phoenix Way (TPW) national network travelled to North London to explore exactly that. Through site visits, hands-on activities and peer learning, participants witnessed how approaches to community wealth building are reshaping neighbourhoods. Watch our highlight video below to find out more about what took place
The TPW learning journey was designed and led by The Ubele Initiative (Ubele). The day was informed by their research titled A Place to Call Home 2.0, and used creative methodologies to practically guide the group across three sites Ubele are developing in Haringey with strategic partners:
Eat Wood Green - a food-growing hub on the balcony of Wood Green Library developed in partnership between The Ubele Initiative and Haringey Council
Gida Housing Co-operative: a 58-home housing co-operative at North Gate Park involving The Ubele Initiative, RODE Housing and Bahay Kubo Housing Association;
The Wolves Lane Centre – a horticultural Centre situated on a 3-acre site, stewarded by The Ubele Initiative and Organiclea.
Why It Matters
These community assets have become living environments to explore systems change, collaboration across cultures, and the development of local economies through the lens of social, environmental, and racial justice. Across the UK, wealth inequality limits access to land, space, financial resources and home ownership. This learning journey offered a rare opportunity to learn directly from peers interested in developing new strategies that ensure economic power and wealth is held within communities through innovative, community-led approaches to stewarding assets, rather than draining away via what’s described as the ‘leaky bucket effect’.
Practical Tools for Building Community Wealth
Workshops explored community asset transfers, asset development, food growing, co-operative governance, consortium stewardship models, racial inequality, culture, and navigating partnerships with councils and funders. Via a post-event survey, participants reported a 100% positive rating in gaining useful, practical tools for their work, and indicated a strong appetite for accessing further tools and learning resources.
Peer Learning and Connection
Over 40% of attendees were Directors, Founders or CEOs, making the event a national gathering of decision-makers. Sectors represented ranged from youth development and mental health to spatial justice, food growing, and community empowerment. Around 90% of attendees developed meaningful new insights or relationships, strengthening the ecosystem of leaders driving community wealth building across the UK.
Insight
The learning journey showed that community wealth building is not abstract, it's happening now. Practical, lived examples make the work believable, accessible, and replicable. Further culturally rooted toolkits, resources, and case studies should be developed across the Phoenix Way network to dive deeper into the themes explored on the day.
Speakers / Facilitators
Yvonne Field OBE – The Ubele Initiative / Wolves Lane Consortium
David McEwen – GIDA Housing Co-operative/Unit 38
Kate Glinsman – Eat Wood Green, The Ubele Initiative
Pamela Shor - Black Rootz, The Ubele Initiative
Paulette Henry – Black Rootz, The Ubele Initiative
Christopher Oliver – The Ubele Initiative
Ali Ahmed – The Phoenix Way
Delivery Team
Christopher Oliver – Learning Journey Designer - The Ubele Initiative
Ali Ahmed – Programme Manager - The Phoenix Way
Louise Flynn – Capacity Building Co-coordinator - The Phoenix Way: Community Connect
Remy Twahirwa – Capacity Building Co-coordinator - The Phoenix Way: Community Connect
ourppls - Content Production Company
Christoph Davis - Videographer
