Lemon Leopard was formally established in 2020, but its roots stretch back more than 15 years of collaboration between its founders. Each came from different, often marginalised communities, carrying the weight of barriers they had faced in housing, education, or fairer access to finance. At first, their struggles seemed separate. Each could have remained in their own sphere. But when they came together, they recognised something deeper: the same systems that closed doors for one group closed them for others too.
Instead of staying siloed, they chose each other. Out of that choice grew a kinship that cut across difference a belief that we are stronger when we act together. From this kinship, Lemon Leopard was born, carrying a guiding principle that shapes everything we do: we are all related.
As a Charitable Community Benefit Society, Lemon Leopard is built for, by, and with the community. Our members quickly named the obstacles they faced in living out that principle of relatedness:
Our members did not stop at naming the problems. They co-created the solutions.
Between 2019 and 2023, supported by Community Led Housing London, the Greater London Authority, the National Lottery Communities Fund, and LandAid, Lemon Leopard launched a pilot project. Together, members reclaimed a derelict shoe factory.
The ground floor was transformed into a cultural hub, Follkore, while the upper ancillary buildings became Tall Tales, where we tested our innovative Rent-into-Equity model a way for residents to build long-term security through their rent contributions, without relying on family wealth or inheritance.
The Tall Tales pilot proved both socially and financially viable, and the community that created it continues to self-manage the space today. But the building was too small to sustain a full-scale housing community.
Drawing on that learning, members in West London identified another opportunity: The Greyhound, a long-closed pub with a hostel above. Out of this site, members co-designed The Pack ten Equity-to-Rent apartments with shared space, demonstrating how lessons from the pilot can be implemented at scale.
Lemon Leopard is not an organisation that “delivers projects” to others. It is a living community, shaped by its members, who identify obstacles and reimagine derelict spaces into homes, hubs, and commons. At its heart lies a simple but transformative truth: our lives, our places, and our futures are bound together and when we act from that interrelatedness, new possibilities open for all.
Our members did not stop at naming the problems. They co-created the solutions.
Between 2019 and 2023, supported by Community Led Housing London, the Greater London Authority, the National Lottery Communities Fund, and LandAid, Lemon Leopard launched a pilot project. Together, members reclaimed a derelict shoe factory.
The ground floor was transformed into a cultural hub, Follkore, while the upper ancillary buildings became Tall Tales, where we tested our innovative Rent-into-Equity model a way for residents to build long-term security through their rent contributions, without relying on family wealth or inheritance.
The Tall Tales pilot proved both socially and financially viable, and the community that created it continues to self-manage the space today. But the building was too small to sustain a full-scale housing community.
Drawing on that learning, members in West London identified another opportunity: The Greyhound, a long-closed pub with a hostel above. Out of this site, members co-designed The Pack ten Equity-to-Rent apartments with shared space, demonstrating how lessons from the pilot can be implemented at scale.
Lemon Leopard is not an organisation that “delivers projects” to others. It is a living community, shaped by its members, who identify obstacles and reimagine derelict spaces into homes, hubs, and commons. At its heart lies a simple but transformative truth: our lives, our places, and our futures are bound together and when we act from that interrelatedness, new possibilities open for all.
Through the support of The People’s Health Trust, we created Weaving Worlds, a trilogy of gatherings exploring how cultures across time and space reveal our shared humanity. Music, movement, myth, and ritual became portals into a deeper truth: that no tradition exists in isolation. From drumming circles to dawn goddesses, from firelit ceremonies to spring festivals, we discovered how rhythms, stories, and symbols travel across continents and generations. These events were not simply performances but acts of remembering reminders that we are all related, bound by pulse, breath, and story.
On our doorstep, care for land and kin takes many forms. The Tall Tales roof garden grows food and stories side by side, turning an unused space into a living commons. Our Edible Threads food van brings low-mile meals into the heart of the neighbourhood, sparking conversations about how what we eat connects to soil, seed, and season. Along the pavements and corners where life squeezes in, our Pocket Habitats give pollinators, birds, and small creatures a place to flourish. Together, these projects weave a local fabric of reciprocity, where tending the more-than-human world becomes part of daily life.
Every action we take, every choice we make, ripples outward, connecting us to people, communities, and the living world.
Recognising this web of relationships invites us to act with care, responsibility, and generosity creating a future where well-being and flourishing are shared by all.
Our work puts interrelatedness into practice. Through initiatives that support people, communities, and the living world, we help cultivate connection, shared responsibility, and collective care. By combining resources, skills, and ideas, we co-create solutions that strengthen relationships, restore spaces, and nurture flourishing for everyone involved.
Our team is guided by the principle of interrelatedness. We bring together diverse skills, experiences, and perspectives, working collaboratively to support people, communities, and the living world. By acting with care, curiosity, and shared responsibility, we turn ideas into meaningful, tangible impact.
Our partners bring specialist expertise in finance, governance, development, sustainability, law, and community support. Together, they help turn our vision of community-led, ethical investment projects into reality, ensuring that every initiative is viable, inclusive, and impactful.
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