15 June 2023 , 23:20
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An off-grid community hidden in part of the English countryside sees its residents pay just £120-a-mont for their eco-lifestyle.
The Tinkers Bubble commune is in 40 acres of Somerset countryside and houses a group who get by making their own cider and farming cows.
While the communal home currently houses nine residents, numbers have fluctuated since it opened in the mid 1990s.
The commune comprises of eight self-built houses, made from wood, straw, cob walls and reeds recycled from local thatched cottages.
Since its creation the commune has seen eight babies born as part of the community which aims to live self-sufficiently.
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Most of the residents are in their 20s and 30s and carry out manual work around the commune (Tinkers Bubble)One residents, Alex, told Positive.News: “Most of our food is grown or killed by us. Our fuel is wood we’ve chopped. It feels empowering, we’re not reliant on shops.”
Alex, a former civil engineer, relocated to the west country commune two years ago after starting as a volunter.
They explained the lure of the eco-commune, claiming to challenges around mental health and isolation in urban society, adding: "If I look at the crises of modernity, there’s so many aspects, whether it is loneliness, mental health, housing, access to food, climate change – life here provides an answer to a lot of that stuff in one go."
They manage around 28 acres of woodland, used to create their own fuel (Tinkers Bubble)Most that live in Tinkers Bubble in their late-20s to mid-30s, as the strenuous work required to upkeep the commune does not suit older people, Alex said.
The commune has two cows, which are milked by the residents. They also have chickens and grow much of their other food.
They manage around 28 acres of woodland, used to create their own fuel.