About
A small foundation with long roots.
Founded in 2014 by six neighbours and a borrowed truck. Twelve years later, still mostly neighbours.
Fig. 03 — The first truck outside the first office, spring 2014
Our story
We started by replanting one hill.
In the winter of 2013 a landslide took half of the slope above our village. Six of us borrowed a truck, bought four hundred saplings and spent the spring planting them.
Most survived. People from the next valley asked if we could help them too. Commonfield grew one village at a time — and we’ve tried to keep it that size in spirit: local crews, small budgets, long commitments.
How we work
Four rules we don’t bend.
01
Local first
Every crew, facilitator and committee is hired from the place it serves.
02
Five-year hand-over
We plan our exit on day one. After five years, the program belongs to the village.
03
Count everything
If we can’t measure it on foot, we don’t claim it.
04
Stay small
Overheads are capped at 9% by our own charter.
The team
Twenty-two people, mostly in boots.
Robin Calder
Field coordinator, Living Ridges
Tomas Reyes
Program lead, Wellspring
Hana Okafor
Co-founder & director
Timeline
Twelve years, briefly.
2014
Six neighbours replant one hillside after a landslide.
2016
The first Wellspring water point, built with the Hollow Lane household committee.
2017
Open Pages begins with one reading circle and eleven learners.
2020
Clear Rivers joins after the spring floods.
2025
184,000 trees, 62 water points and our first fully independent audit.