“No man is an island, but we do live on one, so we need to support each other.”
A Warminster company that makes glamping and dining domes used by Ruby Wax, Julianne Moore and the Dalai Lama, has joined Made in Britain to help build a collaborative community of manufacturers.
James Towner Coston leads a small team in the Wiltshire countryside who handmake domes that combine ancient nomadic principles with sacred geometry and woodwork. Unidome has built structures for festivals, campsites, bars and restaurants across the UK and around the world, but its founder believes that businesses here need to do more to support each other and be proud of what they do.
Unidome is one of the latest companies to join Made in Britain, which is a growing membership organisation that represents more than 2,250 manufacturers that make products in the UK. A condition of membership is that manufacturers must live up to what most people expect of a British business. That means they must follow British laws and regulations as well as the organisation’s standards for quality, sustainability and social responsibility. These include properly rewarding competent workers, creating skilled and semi-skilled work environments, and taking steps to support other British businesses.
Critically, members must also genuinely make products in the UK, with Made in Britain verifying that 100% of the labour or human resources that make each finished product that carries their trademark is in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
James Towner Coston, Inventor and Founder of Unidome, said:
“No man is an island, but we do live on one, so we need to support each other. We joined Made in Britain because it’s good to be part of a community and because it proves that we handmake our domes in Britain. Getting Made in Britain membership is like someone giving you a little step up and saying ‘we see what you’re doing and we support you’ – it’s good for the soul, because we all need to help each other.
“The cut and thrust of business leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I’m not hard-nosed; I’m a spiritual businessman and my business has genuinely changed the lives of my customers who’ve built businesses for themselves with them. It doesn’t matter if I’m not the richest man in the world, my heart is.
“We’ve had some extraordinary brands that have made Britain stand out in the world, and there’s magic in making things ourselves, making things for our own community and supporting our community as we do it. Of course, we’re very happy to share the love with the rest of the world too.”
James, who was born in South Africa to British parents, took inspiration from the temporary domed homes (kraal) of Zulu communities and built his first Unidomes 14 years ago. Now, with a team of four at a farm near Warminster, Unidome builds up to 35 handmade domes each year, with domes having been erected at the Eden Project, Battersea Power Station and Glastonbury Festival, as well as at campsites in France, Portugal and the USA. Celebrities including Aiden Turner, Ruby Wax, Julianne Moore and the Dalai Lama have slept in his domes along with scores of musicians at Glastonbury. He even claims that street artist Banksy stayed in one, although he won’t reveal their identity.
Founded in 2011, Made in Britain is a not-for-profit trade organisation that aims to bring together the British manufacturing community and help its members to sell more of what they make. The Made in Britain trademark can only be used on products that meet the organisation’s strict code of conduct to ensure that it is a clear mark of distinction for truly British products.
Chief Executive of Made in Britain, John Pearce, said the organisation is a community of businesses that represent the best of British:
“Britain is a nation of innovators, creators, problem-solvers and manufacturers. A country that combines heritage with ambition, craftsmanship with technology, and tradition with world-leading innovation. From advanced engineering to clean energy solutions and handcrafted glamping domes, what distinguishes British businesses is not simply what they make, but how they make it and it’s only right that they should be recognised for that.
“The Made in Britain trademark is a badge of honour that helps shoppers to quickly spot a product they should be proud to support. It’s also a community of makers, from low to high tech, big or small, but all outstanding and all pulling in the same direction.”
Unidome’s community-mindedness can also be seen in its new business model, which James says will break down some of the financial barriers that prevent landowners from opening camping and glamping businesses or festivals of their own.
Previously, customers would buy Unidomes just as any other product, but Edwards Farm in Shaftesbury, close to Unidome’s workshop, has become the first to enter a unique partnership with the dome-maker. The farm, which already boasts luxurious yurts and bell tents, has been given a number of Unidomes free of charge in return for a share of the profits from their use, helping the business to expand at no extra cost. The domes can last for more than 14 years, with many of the company’s original domes still in prime condition. And, with a free annual service, they can stay up all year long.
If the scheme at Edwards Farm proves successful, James hopes it will be a model that can help more landowners diversify and set up glamping businesses of their own, with another campsite in Dorset set to join the scheme soon. Unidome is also looking to quadruple the size of its workshop and more than double its headcount in the near future. James also has plans to make the business self-sufficient through solar power and to open a new venture of modular systems for growing foods indoors and outdoors called WeGrow.
Being part of a community and doing the right thing is important to James, and he hopes that more businesses will be equally proud to hold their heads high for a job well done.
“I always like people to operate within the bounds of good manners”, he continued. “I want to have a conscious business – not just a business. I want to do right by the community, and that’s why I’m proud to have joined Made in Britain.”
For more information about Unidome, visit www.unidome.co.uk
For more information on Made in Britain including a list of verified members visit www.madeinbritain.org
