Our Story.

The Well is a Community Interest Company created to unlock affordable, sustainable housing for an inter-generational community, specifically focused on supporting young people leaving care.

The model delivers solutions for some of the huge challenges facing the UK: housing crisis; mental health and isolation; social care; and climate breakdown.

The project was inspired in part by Hope Rise - the UK’s first zero-carbon social housing project, specifically for young people facing housing crisis - where two of The Well’s founders, Samantha and Dylan, live, with their small daughter, as ‘Community Builders’. This role involves living alongside the young people and creating a relational support network, acting as mentors, friends and neighbours.

The pair have been featured on the BBC One’s ‘The One Show’, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio Bristol, the Bristol Cable and more, sharing their learning from this innovative pilot scheme, which was set up as a collaboration between Bristol City Council, the YMCA and housing provider ZEDpods.

Two of the key learning points have been around the implications of having a community made up of people all from a similar demographic, and also the impact of not having a communal space. This is why The Well will be inter-generational and also will be centred around a communal area - we believe that both these aspects will lead to the creation of a healthy and resilient community.

The Spotlight Report by All Party Parliamentary Group for looked after Children and Care Leavers (Feb 2022) concludes that ‘Relationships and community connections must be at the heart of care and pathway planning for children in care and care leavers’. The Well directly responds to the findings of this report.

The Well’s structure and values are also informed by its founders’ professional experience.

  • Samantha

    CHAIR

    Samantha is a qualified teacher and music leader, and has worked with a wide range of young people including school age mothers, those struggling with mental health and young carers.

  • Dylan

    TREASURER

    Dylan is a finance professional working in land and farming, specialising in Community Shares and community asset ownership.

  • Lou

    SECRETARY

    Lou is a commissioning manager at Bristol City Council working on sourcing new ‘Move on’ accommodation for those who have experienced homelessness.

  • Joel

    SAFEGUARDING LEAD

    Joel is a social worker with over a decade of experience in the NHS mental health recovery service and protecting vulnerable adults. He also holds a Graduate Diploma and Masters Degree in Theology.

During three years of research and development, funded by the Agile Community-Led Housing scheme, The Well has worked with some of the leading professionals in the innovative housing space, harnessing advice and consultancy from Community-Led Homes West, 1625 Independent People, We Can Make CLT and Bristol Housing Festival.

Below is an interview hosted by Community Led Homes West and Bristol CLT, featuring Samantha and Dylan sharing their learning from Hope Rise and how it has fed into The Well.

Bristol is at the forefront of coming up with alternative solutions to the housing crisis in the UK, and The Well is a model that will be used to inspire and equip other small scale community housing initiatives across the region and beyond.

It is now in the procurement and acquisition phase of delivery, with the details of the financial model and investment opportunities available on request via the contact page.