I’m Priya, a permaculture designer based in Fife, Scotland.

I work in community development, which mostly means helping people make the changes they want to see where they live. I always start with what’s already there. The skills folk have, the things they care about, the groups and friendships that already exist. Good community work usually grows out of what a place already has, rather than something dropped in from outside and usually something is already waiting to happen

I’ve been working in the voluntary and community sector for over seventeen years now, alongside all sorts of grassroots groups. What I love is watching a community find its feet when people’s own ideas are taken seriously. My job is really to listen, lend a hand, bring along a few useful tools, and stick with people as their ideas turn into something real, whether that’s a community garden, a local food project, or a plan for how a place wants to grow.

Over the years I’ve found the best work happens where community and nature meet, where looking after people and looking after the land go hand in hand. When that happens, communities get stronger and their bond with the place around them grows too.

Social permaculture, thriving landscapes and community-led projects are what I care about most, especially the kind of work that sees people and nature as part of the same story.