Liflad’s overall purpose is to develop strategy and practice to enable low energy, local livelihoods rooted in nature and community. To the end of November 2025 the following activities took place towards this aim: In April – November 2025, Transition Town Totnes and Liflad CIC launched Totnes Grows Flax, a pilot involving 100+ residents aged 8 to 75 in growing and processing a combined 100sqm of flax in gardens, allotments and some larger sites (School Farm CSA, Ambios, Landmatters Cooperative). People are learning lost skills related to growing and processing flax and its historical importance to the region. The project brings generations together and demonstrates how the skills and experiences of people from 300 years ago can help shape our lives now and into the future, e.g. raising awareness of sustainable textiles production, understanding the value of crafts, reconnecting with local heritage. It also improves community cohesion and reduces isolation, particularly among older men. Since launching the pilot, we have received requests from communities to expand the project in Totnes and into other towns across Devon. This work was delivered voluntarily by Liflad and Transition Town Totnes collaboratively and has led to further funding applications to progress the project. We also developed a project called the South West Textile Commons. We shared £100k of grant funding with 4 other partner organisations and 8 additional regional collaborators. We developed knowledge about flax growing and processing within the group, we convened the process and supported the Bristol Textile Quarter, Fantasy Fibre Mill, Wessex Community Assets and others. We developed prototype products with devon wool and flax, we made innovative textiles samples, developed paper processing, flax fibre samples and formed new collaborations to take this localisation of textiles forward. We worked with our partners to support additional funding applications. Members of the group visited flax experts in France in the field and at a conference, sharing the knowledge with the UK community on our return. These activities have benefited the newly developing fibre and textile community in South West England and the UK.

Although our remit is quite broad, specific stakeholders of Liflad could be broadly defined as the fibre and textile community of the South West England and those who work with bast fibres, natural dyes and more specifically flax. We are both members and advisors to South West England Fibreshed, a network dedicated to creating a resilient, regional textile and clothing system in South West England that is grown with nature, made with care and returned to the soil. We engage with this membership on a regular basis and support any queries around flax. We consult members of the UK Bast Fibre Network on a regular basis, informally via a Signal group to inform our priorities. We also consult members of the South West Textile Commons, through a Signal group and several in person meetings. We are sharing knowledge, expertise and funding through a shared aim to support localised fibre and textile infrastructure. Outcomes from the stakeholder meeting, mapping of existing capacity, combined with extensive prior research into small-scale bast fibre bioregional activity and innovation has produced a set of recommendations that will continue to progress in 2025/26. The long-term intention is to provide a replicable bioregional material development model that could ultimately support fibre stakeholders in other areas across the UK. We also engage with international learning exchange to enable stronger and quicker learning in our field.

No remuneration was received

No transfer of assets other than for full consideration