A walk through edible woodlands

This piece is part of our Voices of Big Local series, through which individuals in Big Local areas undertake training and mentoring to tell the stories that matter to them. Here, Tom Buckley from Whitleigh Big Local in Plymouth shares his film and reflects on the process of using it to capture the story of a food growing initiative and why it matters to local residents.

I really enjoyed my time working Hamlett Films. This has been a difficult year, to put it lightly, with lots of new issues arising. Unexpected solutions to long-term issues are now proving themselves to be indispensable. Localised food production and minimising our carbon footprint are top priorities.

I’ve been part of Whitleigh Big Local for several years now and making sure local people have access to fresh food is a passion of mine. In our community, food security is a big issue and I wanted to use the film to highlight this, as it is often overlooked. Hamlett films understood this narrative and helped bring my vision to fruition.

Being able to provide some insight for local people on what land we have around us is key.

I’m a massive film buff and have some experience of making films, but it was interesting to get an insight into how a film company operates. I used my phone to capture all the footage and worked remotely with Hamlett films to make edits and produce the final project.

Inevitably, COVID-19 threw up some stumbling blocks; it would have been great to have edited the film at the Hamlett films studios, but I’m pleased with the final result and am hoping to make another video in about five years’ time to document the progress of the project.

It’s a wonderful opportunity to be able to highlight some of these issues as well as the positives for residents.

Just being able to provide some insight for local people on what land we have around us is key. Thanks to all involved from start to finish.