This Is Not a Market – It is the beginning of a self-sufficient community
We need to wake up!
Right now, as wars continue to escalate across the world, most of us are watching from a distance, assuming that because the conflict is far away, the consequences will be too. That is a dangerous illusion. Even if those wars were to end tomorrow, the aftershocks will ripple through global systems for years to come; affecting fuel supplies, food availability, shipping, pricing, and the basic cost of living. We are already seeing the early signs, and they will not simply resolve themselves. The systems we rely on are far more fragile than we think, and when they are disrupted, it is not governments or distant corporations who feel it first – it is communities like ours, because we are dependent upon forces from outside our control. The question is not whether we will be affected. The question is whether we will be prepared and have done what is necessary to prevent widespread chaos.
For some time now, I have been aware of a quiet but persistent misunderstanding about what we are trying to do with the Old Packhouse Market. People see it as a good project; a worthwhile commercial venture, perhaps even a great community-minded one. A place to shop, to gather, and to support local businesses. And while all of that is true, it only scratches the surface. If that is all it is seen to be, then we have not yet explained it well enough, because what is being built here is something far more significant.
We have been conditioned over many years to think of self-sufficiency as something that happens at the level of the individual or the household. Grow a few vegetables, learn a few practical skills, reduce your reliance on others where possible. These are valuable pursuits, but they are also inherently limited. No household, no matter how capable or well-prepared, can ever truly be self-sufficient in isolation. We rely on others for tools, for knowledge, for services, for exchange, and for connection. That interdependence is not a weakness, it is the foundation of human society. The real question, then, is not only how an individual can become self-sufficient, but how a community can, and how can a well organised community support our ability to be self-reliant reducing our shocks from global influences.
What we are working towards with the Old Packhouse Market is a shift in that thinking. It is about moving from the idea of individual resilience to something far more powerful and enduring: community-scale self-sufficiency. This is not about withdrawing from the wider world or attempting to exist in isolation. It is about creating a system that allows us to function, adapt, and support one another even when the systems we currently depend on begin to falter. Increasingly, we are seeing signs that those wider systems are under strain. Global supply chains are becoming less reliable, the cost of living continues to rise, and access to essential goods such as food and fuel is no longer something we can assume will always be secure. Living in the Far North does not insulate us from these pressures; if anything, our distance can make us more vulnerable to disruption. Few people realise that supermarkets hold at best three days worth of supplies at normal trading. That reality makes the need for local resilience not theoretical, but immediate.
Just as any household begins with food, so too must a community. Food is not simply another commodity; it is the foundation upon which everything else depends. At the Old Packhouse Market, we are working to strengthen local food systems in a practical and inclusive way. This means not only supporting existing producers, but actively creating opportunities for more people to participate in food production and distribution. By bringing more growers into the marketplace and linking this with the Outposts network, we are creating pathways for people in even the most remote parts of our district to both access and contribute to the local food system. This approach transforms food from something we passively consume into something we collectively steward. It begins to restore a measure of food sovereignty, ensuring that the availability of food is not entirely dependent on distant supply chains over which we have no control.
However, food is only one part of a functioning system. A household does not operate on food alone, and neither does a community. We must also consider how we use the resources available to us. At a household level, we are familiar with the idea of making the most of what we have; managing land carefully, conserving water, maintaining buildings, and finding ways to reduce waste. When this thinking is applied at a community scale, it becomes a coordinated effort to use land productively, to share access where appropriate, to ensure buildings serve multiple purposes, and to turn what would otherwise be waste into valuable resources. This kind of resource stewardship requires intention and organisation, but it has the potential to significantly reduce dependence on external inputs while making better use of what already exists within the community.
The economic dimension of this work is equally important, though it is often less well understood. We tend to think of the economy as something distant and complex, yet at its core it is simply the movement of money between people. The critical issue is not just how much money is being spent, but where that money goes once it is spent. In many cases, the majority of what we spend leaves the community almost immediately, flowing through large and often foreign-owned companies and disappearing into systems that do little to strengthen our local economy. By contrast, when money circulates locally, when it is spent with local producers, service providers, and businesses, it creates a multiplying effect that benefits the entire community. The intention behind the Old Packhouse Market is to support and expand that local circulation, encouraging cooperative ownership models and strengthening the economic relationships that allow communities to thrive over the long term.
Beyond food and finance, there is also the question of material goods and how we relate to them. Over time, we have become accustomed to a pattern of consumption that relies heavily on constant replacement. Items are purchased, used briefly, and then discarded, often with little consideration for their ongoing value or the resources that went into producing them. This approach leaves us highly dependent on global supply chains and contributes to increasing levels of waste. A more resilient model is one that prioritises repair, reuse, and the extension of the life of existing materials. The establishment of a Repair Shop within the Old Packhouse Market is a practical step in this direction, but its significance goes beyond the services it provides. It represents a shift back towards skill, knowledge, and care; a place where people can learn to fix what they have, to repurpose materials, and to reduce unnecessary dependence on new imports.
Central to all of this are the people themselves. Within any community there exists a wealth of skill, experience, and capability, much of which remains underutilised or unrecognised. Tradespeople, growers, craftspeople, educators, and countless others all contribute to the functioning of a community in ways that are often taken for granted. A self-sufficient community is one that not only recognises these skills but actively supports and connects them. It creates pathways for people to offer their services locally and encourages others to use those services rather than looking elsewhere. In doing so, it strengthens both the economic and social fabric of the community, ensuring that valuable knowledge and capability are retained and passed on.
There are, of course, many other interconnected elements that must be considered. Energy resilience is becoming increasingly important as we confront rising costs and uncertain supply, making local generation and efficient use of energy a key area of focus. Housing is another critical issue, as the ability for people to live affordably within their own community underpins everything else. Health and wellbeing, both physical and mental, are deeply influenced by the strength of community connections and access to local support systems. Education and knowledge transfer are essential if skills are to be retained and developed over time, particularly in practical areas that have been gradually lost. Transport and distribution networks, such as the Outposts initiative, play a vital role in ensuring that all parts of the community remain connected and able to participate. Underpinning all of this is the question of governance; how decisions are made, who holds responsibility, and how the community retains a genuine sense of ownership and direction. Finally, there is culture, which provides the sense of identity, belonging, and shared purpose that allows all of these elements to cohere into something meaningful and enduring.
What the Old Packhouse Market offers is not a solution to any one of these challenges in isolation. Rather, it provides a place and a framework through which they can be brought together. It is both a physical space and a network — a platform that allows these different aspects of community life to connect and reinforce one another. It is, in many ways, the infrastructure upon which a more self-sufficient and resilient community can begin to be built.
This is why the question of securing the site is so important. If the land were to be lost to development, if the buildings were to be removed and replaced with housing, then what would be lost is not just a market, but the opportunity to establish something far more significant. Opportunities of this nature are rare, and once gone, they are not easily recreated.
This work is not about turning away from the wider world, nor is it about rejecting the benefits that come from broader connections. It is about ensuring that, whatever changes or disruptions may occur beyond our control, we retain the ability to function, to support one another, and to continue living with a sense of dignity and stability. It is about creating a community that is not entirely dependent on systems that may not always be reliable.
So when people describe the Old Packhouse Market as a great market, they are not wrong. But it is important to understand that it represents something much deeper than that. It is not simply a place of exchange, but the beginning of a system; one that has the potential to reshape how we think about community, resilience, and our collective future.
It is the infrastructure for a self-sufficient community.
And now the real question sits with you.
In the face of what is happening in the world right now, what are you going to do? Are you going to sit back, shake your head, and talk about how bad things are becoming; the rising cost of fuel, the price of food, the pressure on everyday life, while doing nothing to change it? Are you going to assume that someone else will step forward, that others will build the systems we will all depend on, that somehow it will all be taken care of without your involvement?
Because it won’t. These things do not build themselves, and they cannot be carried by a handful of people no matter how committed they are.
Or are you prepared to do something different? To step forward, to take some responsibility, to offer your time, your skills, your support, and to be part of creating something that genuinely matters? Not just to talk about it, but to actually act, in whatever way you can, be it 30 mins a week or a few days a month.
Because this is the moment where that choice matters.
And the future we end up with will be shaped, very directly, by which of those paths people choose.
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