Lincoln UK Global Doughnut Days

Members of Climate Hope Lincoln were inspired by the enthusiasm and community commitment they witnessed at the Civic Square in Birmingham.  During a visit this Summer Byng from Civic Square explained that the roots of their project had begun about ten years ago, when they took a deeper dive into Doughnut Economics. 
The members of Climate Hope Lincoln took this inspiration and so much learning from the day back home with them but 'what next?'
That question was soon answered in the Grass Roots Community group when Rob Shorter introduced Global Doughnut Days 2025, and Debbie decided to apply for funding for on behalf of the group.  Thank You DEAL for all your support in making our Lincoln Global Doughnut Days 2025 come to life!

In 2023 Climate Hope Lincoln hosted a Doughnut Day at the University and Rob joined us to share DE with the eighty five people there from local business, education and climate initiatives.   During the day a portrait of Lincoln grew from those who had gathered, made up of themes for change and transformation.  These became 4 cluster groups which were 1. Access to Nature, 2. Marginalised Voices, 3. Better Business and Social Enterprise, 4. Communication & Engagement.  We chose to take these forward in GDD 2025 to see where they might take us. Everyone was encouraged to make 'Doughnut Deals' on the day to take forward.

Access to Nature, Communication & Engagement, Better Business and Social Enterprise have been the most popular themes for people initially.  It may take time to engage with our Marginalised Voices locally.  This is a journey that has been travelled already within the Grass Roots Community. Debbie is confident that with time and using proven strategies from within this community, hearing the voices of our marginalised communities in Lincoln will bring more learning from DE, and time is always a good investment to make with people.

Our local Lincoln business community have embraced the idea of DE and several of our local business influencers are interested in taking this forward in 2026, including our University Business School.  We will be adding 'B Corp' to Business and Social Enterprise cluster now and joining in to celebrate 10 Years of B Corps in Lincoln.  This is an event organised by the local business community that offers an ideal opportunity to take this forward and see how this cluster will unfold now

During GDD 2025 we held two in person events.  The first intended to reintroduce DE or act as a refresh following on from 2023.  The second, focused on Access to Nature and Communication & Engagement, while the remaining clusters will be explored in 2026.
 
When Debbie shared the idea of GDD 2025 within the local community she was thrilled to have so many inspirational speakers and initiatives offer to share the journey and to be involved.  Kerry Gibson from Fashion Fixed, Hannah Dale from Wilder Wrendale Rewilding,  Associate Professor Georgiana Els (Ciuchete) our Inner Development Goals (IDGs) Ambassador for Lincolnshire, and Rebekah Gibbins shared her BioBlitz story.  Inspiring us all with our Citizen Science potential. 

Debbie began each event by introducing DE with an interactive group activity using scarves and ribbons to create the inner and outer circles of the Doughnut.  Rob introduced this activity in 2023 and it worked well to share the concept of DE and the principles of Social & Climate justice within planetary boundaries. 
Debbie followed this with an introduction the Wayapa Wuurrk (Earth Connection) narrative of Nature interconnection which illustrates the interconnectedness of our Biosphere.  Debbie is the first Wayapa Wuurrk practitioner here, and the conduit for this accredited First Nation Australian wellbeing modality.  Sharing the Wayapa narrative helped to reflect on the interconnectedness of our Biosphere and also introduce the concept of 'Generational Wellness,' as custodians of our Earth for at least seven generations to come.   The Earth Apple activity provided a visual reminder of our relationship with our Biosphere and the soil that nourishes us (search 'earth apple activity' for various versions of this activity which the author believes originated in First Nation American wisdom).
Then, Hannah told her families story rewilding their farm, including some of the challenges and triumphs they've faced, with the highlight of reintroducing beavers to Lincolnshire after four hundred years!  
Later on in the day Kerry and Georgiana weaved the relevance of the Sustainable Development Goals and the IDGs into DE and beyond.   Kerry shares the empowering message of 'fixing fashion' one person at a time, and Georgiana shared how we can all be involved 'developing our inner goals' and awareness, to match the change we wish to see.   That IDGs are for everyone, all of us as individuals and groups, alongside larger organisations and globally.  Everything connects!   

Both our Lincoln in person events were small, friendly and interactive sessions that could showcase and celebrate some of the great DE initiatives we have in our place.  The stories that were shared here have inspired participants and the feed back we've received from them has been truly heart warming.  There's so much enthusiasm for DE in Lincoln, with people asking for more events going forward now.  
A week after these events Debbie and Matti were interviewed by Imogen and Holly, two enthusiastic students from the University Newspaper eager to learn more about our Lincoln GDD 2025 and help us take it forward into 2026.
 
We're looking forward to completing our review with the four clusters and other DE projects in 2026 and beyond.   If you'd like to find out more about our journey and how it unfolds, please visit https://climatehopelincoln.org