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You are in: Somerset » Closer to you
THIS STORY PUBLISHED:
January 2004
Tinker's Bubble
Jyoti Fernandez and her family
Jyoti Fernandez has lived at Tinker's Bubble for four years, but has now chosen to strike out on her own

Ten years ago a group of like minded people set up makeshift homes not far from Yeovil, much to the horror of many of their new neighbours. There were those who were in favour of Tinker's Bubble, yet few believed that such a settlement would ever survive, let alone thrive.

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FACTS

>>> Tinker's Bubble is in Somerset, to the west of Yeovil.

>>> The site occupies 16 hectares, half conifer woodland, the rest broadleaves, orchards, gardens and meadows.

>>> The land is owned by a co-operative.

>>> The Tinker's Bubble Trust owns the woodland with the resident group making many of the day-to-day decisions.

>>> The landowning co-operative is a trust. The key aim is to provide a place for people to work and derive a living from the land, "organically, sustainably and collectively".

>>> The project began in January 1994.

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Come down to the woods with Inside Out, and find out what's going on...

In the Bubble's early days, conditions were tough.

87 days of consecutive rain, very little money, poor sanitation, and comparatively little knowledge and skill made life tough for its early residents.

But many have hung on - indeed, there are some who have been there from the very start.

House at Tinker's Bubble
One of the houses at Tinker's Bubble

Others, like Mary Turling, have been there for just a few years, having chosen life on the land over any other, more commercial way.

When Mary isn't involved in each weeks communal work day, she tends, grows and sells herbal remedies, working hard to bring in the few pennies needed for her otherwise self-subsistent lifestyle.

Jyoti Fernandez and David Saltmarsh have made other plans.

Pete Right
Pete Right has watched his home grow and develop over the past decade

Having lived at Tinker's Bubble for four years, they have chosen to strike out on their own.

Find out what happens when they make their family home in Dorset.

Have they founded another Bubble? Will it cause as much controversy?

Will it have the same success? Will they survive, simply by selling organic fruit and vegetables at the local farmers market?

Meanwhile, back at the Bubble, Pete Right has watched his home grow and develop over the past ten years - find out, in Inside Out, how his life has changed and keeps on changing, and how his fellow woodlanders have come and gone.

What does the future hold in store for himself and his neighbours?

Inside Out logo

Just how racy, energetic and exciting does Dulverton, the seemingly sleepy Exmoor town, get?

Tessa Dunlop investigates the flip side to shooting, fishing and antique shops, to discover a whole new, and little known world...

Tessa Dunlop
Tessa Dunlop

Mandy Hawkins came to Exmoor from London eleven years ago, and like many before her, hasn't managed to leave.

But, as she puts it, you can't take the London out of the girl, so she has chosen to bring her own brand of city chic with her.

On arrival, she opened a clothes shop - the highest fashion brought to Exmoor, setting a trend for smart boutiques.

It wasn't for some years that she thought to put on the first fashion show.

And support is strong - the whole town turning out to strut their stuff.

Dulverton is a curious mix of incomers and locals. Les moved there over thirty year ago, and has, like Mandy, never left.

In fact, he loves the place so much, he hasn't even been on holiday for six years.

Donna
Donna is one of the models

What is it, exactly, that makes the place so hard to leave? And can Mandy promise something for everyone?

Donna, young mother of three year-old twins and one of Mandy's models, isn't so sure.

In a place where there is very little for young people to do, expensive clothes aren't necessarily the answer.

So, while everyone might love to dress up in fancy clothes once a year, the reality is quite different.

But, by the same token, Dulverton is also home to startling talent.

Hailed as the next Armani by the town, Dean Thomas can use Mandy's show to showcase his own work, which he designs and makes himself.

How will he be received? In fact, how will the whole show go?

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