Common Ground (United Kingdom)

Common Ground is a United Kingdom-based charity and lobby group founded in 1982 by Susan Clifford and Angela King. The organisation's mission is to promote local distinctiveness, a term it coined in the 1980s to emphasize the value of unique local characteristics, culture, and environment over generic or globalized influences.

History and Founding

Common Ground was formed with roots in environmental and conservation activism, particularly influenced by early work with groups such as Friends of the Earth. Founders Clifford and King sought to draw attention to the commonplace aspects of local environments and communities, which they felt were often overlooked in favour of rare or exceptional features. The charity was originally based in London but later relocated to Toller Fratrum, Dorset.

Organisation and Structure

Common Ground operates as a non-membership organisation funded by grants and donations. It has been coordinated by its founders alongside a small core staff assembled typically for specific projects. Over the years, this team has included various professionals such as artists and community workers. The governance includes five honorary directors who provide guidance, including until 2006 Roger Deakin, a founding member and author known for his book Waterlog celebrating wild swimming.

Activities and Initiatives

Common Ground promotes popular involvement and community celebration as means to embed sustainability locally. It works to inspire, inform, and involve people in learning about and actively caring for their own localities. Key initiatives by Common Ground include:

• Parish Maps: Encouraging people to create maps that reflect what is important to them in their local places instead of simply replicating official cartography.
• Apple Day: A celebration of apples and orchards, promoting community orchards and local fruit growing.
• Community Orchards and Local Distinctiveness: Projects aiming to revive and celebrate local varieties of plants and cultural distinctiveness to foster a sense of place and sustainability.

Throughout its history, Common Ground has collaborated closely with artists—such as Andy Goldsworthy and Peter Randall-Page—to connect cultural practices with environmental awareness. Notable projects involving artists include:

• New Milestones, which brought sculptors into South West England communities to create landscape-sensitive artworks.
• Confluence (1998–2001), which linked musicians with community groups along the River Stour to foster cultural and environmental connection through music.

Financial and Governance Information

As of the financial year ending 31 December 2023, Common Ground reported a total income of £25,124 and expenditure of £25,134. It has six trustees and four volunteers. The charity does not employ staff with total benefits exceeding £60,000 and does not pay remuneration to its trustees. It does not have trading subsidiaries and is compliant with charity commission reporting requirements.

Common Ground continues to champion the connection between nature and culture through grassroots engagement, aiming to inspire sustainable local stewardship across the United Kingdom.

Charity number: 326335

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Ground_(United_Kingdom) [2] https://www.commonground.org.uk [3] https://www.sfcg.org/europe/united-kingdom/ [4] https://www.commonground.org.uk/who-we-are/ [5] https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=326335&subid=0