Bridge House, County Durham

To call my friend Garry "charismatic" would be a monumental understatement. I met him through the friend from school with whom I stayed when I first came to Newcastle. He is one of those people who seems to be at ease talking with anyone, regardless of their background or... anything.

 He has always been an ace ducker'n'diver, wheeler-dealer-type who put more energy into being 'off grid' and under the radar that he could have run a multi-national corporation. 

 He lodged with me for a couple of years and shared some great ideas about businesses based on recycling and living better on the planet. As airy-fairy as that might sound, I can assure you that the simple commercial principles on which his ideas are founded are superbly logical and have every reason to be achieved- if sufficient capital can be found.

 He has control of a large brick-built building whose history includes a train repair shop and a low-rent car mechanic's yard. It includes a one bedroom flat and enclosed yard with room for several caravans and storage containers. The collection of business ideas he is able to begin to explore include recycling things like tyres to build a perimeter around the site and enclose some woodland and other planting. There's space for chickens and the interior of the building will accommodate a range of light industrial, creative, craft and mechanical uses- once it has been stabilised.

 There is work to be done, but most of it is simple hard graft. The group of people who have been brought under Garry's spell is wide-ranging and willing to help. The progress they have made to date has engaged the landlady, who turns out to be highly motivated to support the sort of collective business Garry is bringing together. I am convinced that there are several strands of the existing plans that can be presented under the banner of the community interest company I formed in 2011 specifically to enable this sort of project. Through the company, we can raise money to get the project going, by presenting the potential community benefits of bringing the building back into productive use.

 I'd been out of touch with Garry for a while and hadn't been able to talk to him about the plans I have at the community centre where I work. He was a key inspiration for my proposals for an "Environmental Discovery Centre". Of course I will be looking for ways of linking both the projects and sharing with him any contacts I make with the community centre project.

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