Why global conflict so often lands in the pockets of the financially vulnerable By Richard Kirtley  In recent days the world has once again found itself watching events in the Middle East unfold with a familiar mixture of concern and helplessness. The language of international news can often feel strangely detached with talk of strategic strikes, deterrence, retaliation and […]

The UK Community Finance Partnership Taskforce and what it could mean on the ground. By Richard Kirtley  There are policy announcements that make a ripple, and there are some that feel like they might shift the current.  The launch of the UK Community Finance Partnership Taskforce and its roadmap to unlock £1 billion of additional SME lending through CDFIs has the […]

What Edmund Burke Can Teach Us About SRGs and Community Enterprise in 2025 by Richard Kirtley When Edmund Burke wrote in 1790 that society is held together not by governments or grand institutions but by “the little platoons” (small, voluntary groups where people learn responsibility, mutual care and a shared sense of life) he was […]

Why Change Happens Faster and Deeper When We Work Together by Richard Kirtley At Purple Shoots, we’ve spent years working alongside people and communities who are full of ideas, resilience and ambition, but who too often are expected to navigate complex systems alone.  Again and again, we’ve seen the same outcome. That lasting change doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in partnership.  That […]