Neighbourhood CoLab

A social enterprise rooted on Portland.

We make public projects that bring people closer. To each other. To the land beneath their feet. To the stories that shaped them. We work on Portland. At the edge of history, of systems, and of emotional experience. Everything we make is designed to be felt, remembered, and passed on.

Current work on Portland

The scroll below collects our live projects in one place. Funders and partners can read each section in order. No images. Just words that carry weight.

We welcome conversations with organisations that care about public value, culture, and the living world. If you are a potential partner or funder, you can reach us at hello@neighbourhoodcolab.co.uk.

Endorsement

“We are of all things a storytelling ape and the stories we tell ourselves actually create the navigational aids that lead us, we hope, to become the people we would like to be.” Sir Tim Smit, co‑founder of the Eden Project

Projects

In order: Portland 789, The Local Social, The Extinction Atlas, Healthcare Heroes, Immortal Words.

Portland 789: The First Landing

Ritual in development. Target window Oct to Dec 2025.

A new public ritual on the shoreline of Portland. Rooted in the year 789. Made with the community. Designed to evoke awe. Fire. Sea. Stone. Voices in the night. No stage. No clapping. Phones away. We gather, descend, listen, and return changed.

Where
Church Ope Cove on Portland, with Portland Museum at the top of the steps as the gathering point and partner.

Why it matters
It revives the first recorded Viking landing in Britain. It builds a tradition that belongs here. It invites everyone to take part, spoken or silent.

Read more

The Local Social

Pilot on Portland.

Voice enabled social prescribing for real life. One trusted front door that listens, understands, and builds a personal support playlist across the NHS, council services, and the third sector. Not a directory. A clear next step that feels human, local, and timely.

Why it matters
Systems are complex. Lives are messy. People need routes to help that make sense in the moment.

Read more

The Extinction Atlas

Phase one in development.

A global storytelling project that begins on Portland and looks out to the world. It traces how stone, grief, and time shape culture, and how the age of extinction is written into our buildings and our imaginations.

Phase one
Ten filmed locations. A small crew. A digital archive of memory, loss, and resilience built around Portland Stone.

Phase two
A travelling immersive experience, blending projection, sound, and ritual, designed to tour museums, exhibitions, and major cultural landmarks.

Why it matters
Portland is a threshold. The Atlas connects local stone and global memory. It invites public feeling and serious thought about what it means to care for a future.

Read more

Healthcare Heroes

Live now. A Weymouth and Portland PCN initiative.

One short message each month. Shared by WhatsApp, newsletter, or word of mouth. Clear and trusted guidance that helps people find the right help. Designed to be shared. Built for neighbourhoods.

Funding status
We have applied for external funding to grow its reach and supporting tools.

healthcare-heroes.org →

Immortal Words

Ongoing collection.

Letters, farewells, and fragments that remain. Some spoken. Some scribbled on napkins. All real. We hold space for grief, memory, and love in its rawest form. Read, listen, contribute, or simply be present with what others have left behind.

Why it belongs here
Our work is about memory and care. Immortal Words keeps the human echo close to the ritual, the atlas, and the everyday support people need.

Portland 789: The First Landing

A ritual on the edge of England. Rooted in history. Anchored in myth. Made to awaken awe.

At a glance

  • What A community led ritual that blends fire, silence, drums, and fragments of Old English and Old Norse.
  • Where Church Ope Cove on Portland, with Portland Museum as the access point and partner.
  • When One night between October and December 2025, timed with a supermoon or solstice.
  • Why To revive the first recorded Viking landing in Britain and make it a tradition that belongs to the island.

What happens

People gather by torchlight. Phones away. No stage. No clapping. We descend to the shore. We wait. Beaduheard speaks. A cloak and a coin pass from hand to hand. The sea answers. We leave in hush.

Inclusion and access

The ritual is shaped with schools, elders, newcomers, and local groups. Routes and roles are planned for different needs. BSL interpretation and quiet space are available. Participation can be spoken or silent.

Safety and care

  • Public liability insurance in place
  • DBS checks and safeguarding where required
  • Risk assessment and stewarding for steps and shoreline
  • Fire specialist and clear permissions

Environmental responsibility

  • Minimal build and low energy lighting
  • Natural and reclaimed materials where safe
  • Leave no trace plan and shoreline care

The documentary

Making Myth is a short film shot on iPhones that follows the creation of the first ritual. Rehearsal. Wind. Fire testing. Writing sessions in the museum garden. A record of memory being made. Screened on Portland and shared with partners.

The Local Social

Voice enabled social prescribing. One trusted front door. A personal support playlist that makes sense.

Tap the mic. Say what is going on. Receive a clear route to help across health, care, and the third sector. Each step is curated, not generic, so people see what matters to them right now. Residents can save or share their playlist, or ask for a call from a local connector if they want help taking the next step.

Status
Pilot on Portland. Shadow pilots elsewhere. A public toolkit will follow.

The Extinction Atlas

Deep time, stone, and loss. A public storytelling project that begins on Portland and looks outward.

Overview

The Atlas connects Portland to the world through filmed interviews, writing, and civic events. It traces how stone travels, how buildings hold memory, and how the age of extinction is changing the way we see our past and our future. This is not a museum of extinction. It is a living map.

Phase one

Ten locations linked by Portland Stone. A small, agile filming crew. Intimate interviews and poetic essays gathered into a digital archive of memory, loss, and resilience. Public walks and workshops on Portland connect the global story to a local audience.

Phase two

A touring immersive experience that transforms interior and exterior spaces with projection mapping, sound, and narrative. The installation is designed to tour museums, exhibitions, and major cultural landmarks. Each site becomes a portal into deep time and public feeling.

Opportunity for partners and funders

  • Public impact at national scale, anchored in a world class story of stone and time
  • Cross sector reach across culture, heritage, education, and environment
  • Credible delivery on Portland with a clear route to touring and legacy
  • Meaningful community engagement and high quality evaluation
“A gallery of immortal words locked or seared into a cloud conveys exactly the sort of eternal melancholy from which romance evolves.” Sir Tim Smit
Start a conversation About the team

Healthcare Heroes

A Weymouth and Portland Primary Care Network initiative. Neighbourhood knowledge. Passed on. Live now.

One short message each month. Shared by WhatsApp, newsletter, or word of mouth. It helps people find the right help. It eases pressure on local GP practices.

What you get
Clear and trusted guidance that takes one minute to read and is designed to be shared.

Funding status
We have applied for external funding to grow Healthcare Heroes, expanding its reach and supporting tools.

healthcare-heroes.org →

Immortal Words

Where last words live on.

An open collection of letters, farewells, and fragments that remain. Some are spoken. Some are scribbled on napkins. All are real. We hold space for grief, memory, and love in its rawest form. You can read, listen, contribute, or simply be present with what others have left behind.

About

Neighbourhood CoLab

Neighbourhood CoLab is a social enterprise based on Portland, Dorset. We make public projects that feel human and hold their value in the open. Our work is rooted in place, story, and care. We operate under Underground Mutton C.I.C.

What partners can expect
Clear governance as a Community Interest Company. Safeguarding and risk managed delivery. Environmental responsibility. Open evaluation. A focus on public benefit and legacy.

The founder

Mark Winterburn is a writer, systems thinker, and social entrepreneur based on Portland. He leads Neighbourhood CoLab as a place based social enterprise focused on ritual, story, and emotionally grounded support.

His work explores how memory, myth, and care can shape civic life. He is interested in how digital tools can be used with imagination and integrity. Each project is rooted on Portland but speaks to wider questions of health, loss, and legacy.