Brambles is a Housing Cooperative based in Sheffield that began as a Radical Routes Co-op in 1992. We share two adjacent houses in a vibrantly multicultural but economically poor area of Sheffield called Burngreave. We usually home between 6-9 members, a variety of urban wildlife and act as a stop-off point for many more folk.
We have an amazing ‘Permaculture’ garden, dubbed ‘Paradise in Pitsmoor’ by one of our previous members, complete with fruit trees and bushes, vegetable beds, up cycled hot-tub, rainwater harvest system, greenhouse, community workshop, fire pit, frog pond and integrated compost system.
We also have an integrated heating system in one of our houses, which incorporates water heated from solar thermal panel on the roof and the wood-burning stove. In additional to this we have photovoltaic panels on one of the houses, that generate electricity.”
The main aim of Brambles is to give its members control over their housing in order to create an affordable, supportive and secure space to live. This enables our members to not simply work for profit but to pursue more creative and socially responsible jobs and activities. Brambles also aims to act as a springboard for social change work – offering a nurturing and energising home space as a foundation for personal inner change and meaningful outer work, which we engage with through political action, mutual aid and our work in various fields such as healthcare and education.
We recognise that we live in a society, which has been negatively shaped by patriarchy and capitalism. We strive to create a world based on fairness, respect and mutual aid. We believe that living communally allows us to share resources, have a lower impact on the environment and try to move away from the individualistic nature of a capitalist society.
