How do you build the UK’s tallest wind turbine?

Bristol residents take back control from government and corporations to make their lives better

Our Fair Future has teamed up with Antidote to bring you stories of people building a future that works, and they’re doing it in communities just like yours, showing what’s possible when we take charge together.

When Bristol council shut down the local library, community centre and college, many thought it was the end of the line for residents already struggling with soaring costs. But instead of rolling over, locals in Lawrence Weston decided they could do it better themselves and launched a quiet revolution that’s now changing the face of their city.

In true British fashion, it wasn’t pitchforks and riots, but clipboards and conversation. Volunteers knocked on 5,000 doors, listening to what neighbours really wanted: lower food prices, affordable energy and cheaper public transport.

What followed was nothing short of remarkable. By standing up to so-called “price gouging supermarkets,” they hammered out a deal that saved the council £1 million, money which was swiftly poured back into a new community hub.

Not stopping there, the group drafted their own housing constitution. Out went old gas boilers, in came mandatory electric car charging points, state-of-the-art insulation and eco-friendly standards designed to slash household bills.

And then came the crowning glory: the UK’s biggest community-built wind turbine, spinning proudly above the skyline and generating a staggering £100,000 a year—not for faceless corporations, but for the people of Bristol. One resident explained there were nine other turbines in the area that they didn’t really benefit from and “why can’t we have a slice of that”?

Far from being a one-off, this grassroots uprising is said to be part of 1,500 similar efforts springing up across Britain. From battling the housing crisis to easing the cost-of-living crunch, communities are proving they can take on the big issues of the day—and win.

A revolution without the riots: could Bristol be showing the rest of the UK the way forward?

Watch the video below for more details.