A few years ago I shot a news feature about an event in Hay’s Butter Market called “Waste Not Want Not”. It was organised by Hay’s fledgling Transition Town group; local people trying to transition to a world without oil in a very local way.

The event itself was great. Lots of visitors, lots of things to think about, talk about and get involved in. As a result of it I started composting my food waste again – with Bokashi Bins. Another outcome was a regular contact with the group, where I lent my skills by videoing occasional events and activities.

Videoing is one thing, and making an edited piece is quite another. Step up Dave Prescott, one of the driving forces behind Transition Hay. He managed to get some funding which, whilst not covering the cost, was at least something towards actually creating a result out of what had already been done. But even more than that he wrote a fabulous script about his experience, positive and negative, and also found Val Harris to Direct and Produce it.

Val is another industry escapee that found her way to the area. With credits that include London’s Burning she had the drive and enthusiasm to shoot the dramatised parts (much of which was POV) and organise herself well enough to get me, Mr Curmudgeon, to agree to edit it.

Several months, of grabbed evenings and weekends, later we were ready to show it publicly in Booth’s Books Cinema, as part of the Hay Festival. The reaction was really positive and the creative risks that Dave, Val and I took seemed to pay off. Most pleasing.

I hope you enjoyed the video and found it stimulating. I have also added the original “Waste Not Want Not” video below, as I still think it is an interesting piece about Transition Towns and Recycling.