Greetings!

Insights from the year and looking ahead.

Twine is evolving, as all businesses do.

Quite what it’s evolving into is a work in progress. I’ve met many people this year who are in the same position - growing into new spaces, learning new skills and bringing forgotten ones back into use.

I helped found the very successful West of England Design Forum, which is a fantastic resource for designers, and those who work with them. Celebrating the Design Forum’s tenth birthday, we invited 10 members to share their 10 insights. The insight that stood out most for me was Katie Cadwell’s “You can’t tell your Mum about your work.” Katie Cadwell

And I’m in that same position today. I’ve got intriguing leads bubbling up for next year but I can’t talk about them. To anyone, and certainly not to my Mum! In amongst the year end synopses with their celebrations of wins and progress, I have to keep stumm.

So that’s not especially helpful for you - to see if what I’m doing resonates with what you’re doing or fits with your plans.

Instead, I can work a little “in the open” and tell you about what is really intriguing me right now.

I’m fascinated by regenerative leadership and how it encourages us to reframe how we view business development, creating a “new leadership logic where organisations flourish, ecosystems thrive and people feel alive.” Regenerative Leadership

A 2018 United Nations report predicted that two out of every three people are likely to be living in cities by 2050.

Putting this trend together with the regenerative leadership approach, my project management expertise, my lifelong fascination with horticulture and biodiversity and my network, I’m putting all these into a big bag, shaking them up and seeing what comes out!

The most inspirational event I’ve attended this year was the lecture given by Nigel Dunnett on “How Horticulture can Help Sustainability” in September. Nigel Dunnett is the founder of “The Sheffield School” of planting design. His work integrates ecology with horticulture to achieve low-input, high-impact landscapes that are dynamic, diverse and tuned to nature. About – Nigel Dunnett

A great example of Dunnett’s work is Sheffield’s Grey to Green, the planting design for the UK’s largest retrofit inner-city greenway and water-sensitive scheme. Grey to Green – Sheffield

And you will know of New York’s High Line project, created by Piet Oudolf, another innovative and inspirational plantsman and designer, to create a living system of plants and people inside a cityscape. Piet Oudolf » High Line

This use of horticulture to improve the liveability of the city, making it more human-friendly and resilient against climatic events like heatwaves and flood, is what fascinates and motivates me.

So most of next year’s Twine activities revolve around using these inspirational approaches and I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in. But you’ll have to watch this space till I can talk about them openly!

I’m off to explore Bristol’s own high line, a disused railway spur now transformed into a re-wilded area.

If some of this resonates with you, I’d love to chat.