Transition Together

Transition Together supports the Transition movement across Britain to develop and grow. We do this through helping groups to connect and learn from one another, amplifying inspiring stories, giving out seed funding grants, our online networking space, Vive, and running workshops and events. We will also support the emergence of a democratically representative structure that can coordinate the movement across England and Wales.

If you are based in Scotland, please connect with our Scottish partners Scottish Communities Climate Action Network who deliver training, support and advice for the Transition movement in Scotland.

We are part of the CTRLShift Coalition and work with other community organisations across Britain to build community resilience and move towards a just transition.

United Kingdom

The Transition Movement

Transition Together is part of an international movement of communities coming together to reimagine and rebuild our world. Since 2005, thousands of groups have emerged in villages, cities, universities and schools in more than 50 countries.

Transition is about people taking practical action together in their local area to address the big challenges they face. In practice, they are setting up renewable energy projects, re-localising food systems, sparking entrepreneurship, rewilding cities, creating important community spaces and weaving webs of connection and support.

What makes the transition movement unique is its commitment to Transition Principles. We aim to respect resource limits and create resilience, promote inclusivity and social justice, pay attention to balance, decentralise power, experiment and encourage learning, collaborate and foster positive visioning and creativity.

Transition groups around the world are supported by the charity Transition Network which works to inspire, connect and train communities as they self-organise around the Transition model.

More info

Meet the team

Chris McCartney

Communications

Chris finds and tell stories of community-led change to inspire Transition groups and show your impact, taking care of our website, social media and monthly newsletter. She has a background in journalism and campaigning and has worked for Oxfam and Friends of the Earth. She is a founder of Repair Cafe Belfast and Belfast Tool Library, community projects which bring people together to share resources and skills and reduce consumption. She loves to tell stories that balance a glimpse of a better future and some practical steps to get there. Outside of work, you may find her tending her growing children and garden, or on the basketball court.

Daniel Balla

Training + Group Support Lead

Danny leads on designing and delivering training and support for Transition Together, helping groups thrive in and around the transition network. He is passionate about how groups form, grow and evolve, and sees training and support as a vital element of this evolution. Danny is a facilitator, trainer and activist working in social movements to further ecological and social justice. He has 25 years experience leading and collaborating within groups, and draws on his background in theatre and the arts to embed creativity and opportunities for collaboration, connection and inner transition within his work. Danny is also a storyteller, and loves exploring wild places, surfing and working with young people.

Mike Thomas

Strategic Development & Partnerships

Mike is the lead link and holds the strategic overview of our project. He leads on developing partnerships with other organisations such as the CTRLShift Coalition. He has worked for Transition Network for nine years developing infrastructure and supporting the movement’s development in the UK. Mike has a background in community and sustainability and worked with Shelter on peer education projects, ran a homeless charity and on welfare rights. He is also a Schumacher Institute fellow exploring  systems thinking to deal with the complex issues we face. In his spare time Mike writes music, potters on his allotment, and helps run the Cube, an  Bristol arts centre.

Richard Couldrey

Development & Events

Richard leads on supporting our network to develop and grow. This includes running events, administering our seed funding grants and helping shape a Hub that will support and represent Transition groups across England and Wales. His background is in theatre production management, making and touring shows nationally and internationally. Since shifting to community-led change in 2012, he uses his production skills to support the development of Transition Town Tooting, the Transition London Hub and the International Transition Hubs Heart Circle. In his spare time, you will find him watching his kids play football, practising martial arts, playing music or building a community garden at a local school.   

Rob Hopkins

Imagination & Events

Rob Hopkins holds the imagination thread in our team. He blogs, tweets, writes books and does public speaking about Transition. He is always asking ‘What If?’ and helps us co-organise excellent events such as the What Next Summit in 2021 and Together We Can in 2022. Rob Hopkins is a cofounder of Transition Town Totnes and Transition Network, the author of The Transition Handbook and most recently From What Is to What If: unleashing the power of imagination to create the future we want. He presents the podcast series ‘From What If to What Next‘. In his spare time you will find him involved in the Atmos Totnes campaign, drawing, lino print making and reading lots.

Rona Hardie

Just Transition lead

Rona focuses on exploring ways to expand and celebrate Just Transition principles and practices in the Transition Together team and wider network, seeking to embed Just Transition into all areas of our work, and open up conversations with Transitioners around how we can best create a movement which centres justice and equity. She has a background as a climate justice organiser, trainer and activist, and currently works part-time at Tipping Point UK alongside her role in Transition Together. Rona has recently moved to Bristol from Scotland, and is enjoying getting to know a new city and exploring the South West. She loves hiking, foraging, camping and is happiest running down a mountain or floating in a body of water. 

Sam Rossiter

Tech Development & Support

Sam leads on developing & implementing the technologies we use to connect and support change. He has been working with the international Transition movement on the software behind the Vive platform, and helps the team and users explore how it can be developed to do more for Transition groups and individuals working on community-led change. Sam also acts as data protection officer for the organisation. Outside of his work for Transition he manages a growing project and is a director of a community interest company that supports agroecological food production.

Tim Strasser

Monitoring & Evaluation

Tim works with the team to embed action learning in our work. He has helped develop a monitoring and evaluation framework to reflect and deepen our understanding of how we can have impact. Tim is using the SCALE 3D model he developed during his PhD to guide us on a journey of discovery, exploring how community-led change can widen, deepen and lengthen through our work. He now uses this model to support transformative networks like ECOLISE and Transition Network to clarify and prioritise goals, design impact-orientated activities and understand progress towards long-lasting, widespread, and fundamental change. 

Yaz Brien

Vive Engagement
Yaz leads on developing and growing our online community of peer-to-peer connection, collaboration and support on the Vive platform. They have worked across the frontlines of homelessness, mental health, drug and alcohol recovery and domestic abuse, as well as community reuse and nature based projects. Their passion for justice has seen them involved in grassroots organising and activism across continents, and participation in worker, housing and community cooperatives. In their spare time they are learning how to grow food on an allotment, hosting events, and exploring how we practice self-care for collective liberation.
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