Many people rarely ventured beyond their own neighbourhood, however, where they were linked together by myriad ties not only of blood relation, but also by a constant exchange of goods and services. Virtually everything not home made could be obtained locally, from neighbouring craftspeople or other small farmers, making everyone part of a complex economy where each depended on the other. As with individual family effort, so too the community worked in a way that supported its members, a way of living which undoubtedly arose out of need. Artful Living in Celtic Homes. Young parents overburdened.
People often feel helpless even though help is very close.
When a friend moved house we called on family and friends and they converged from 10 to 15 km away to help with the simple task of carrying the furniture from the house to the trailer. It only took 15 minutes. This happened because there was no sense of neighbourhood community to call on. There are a group of friends in the Adelaide eastern suburbs who go around and help each other with their permaculture gardens, and their gardens are three times better than people who are not in gardening groups, mainly because there is encouragement to keep going with it, and the enjoyment of doing it with friends. There is a small neighbourhood in Heathcote, Sydney, whereby the residents have an acre of park that they have removed weeds and revegetated every 1st Saturday of the month for the past 8 years, pulling the neighbourhood together.