Groundswell Reflections

If you had to choose, who would you crown the seventh ‘F.R.I.E.N.D’ in the classic ‘90s sitcom?

Maybe Janice? Chandler’s irritating, but strangely lovable one-time girlfriend. Or Mike ‘Crap Bag’ Hannigan? Phoebe’s accidental blind date and eventual husband. On appearances, it would have to be Gunther. He was in 185 of the 236 episodes, for crying out loud!

Or could it be the tatty orange sofa in the corner of Central Perk? Host to some of the show’s most iconic moments. And synonymous with all the love, friendship and togetherness of the group…

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Put together with furniture from Conygree Farm, the EmGen@Groundswell tent brought the magic of an EmGen Summer Gathering to the heart of Lannock Farm.

Display tables - emblazoned with the iconic EmGen colours - drew in EmGen’rs young and old. The energy of the bold blue and orange infected everyone stood by them, creating a constant excited chatter as friends flowed in and out.

The tired wooden bench and stools - usually scattered around the Conygree firepit - formed a lounge-like oasis in the middle of the buzz. Centred with a vase of stunning sunflowers, it was a space for EmGen’rs to catch up, connect or crash and rest their legs.

Long-time EmGen supporters Johnny Furze, Abunda and Natoora set up base around the tent - bringing free soil biology health checks, all things joint ventures and the most incredible melon, cherries and peaches.

Across a whole half of the space, a cocoon of the rickety wooden Conygree chairs hosted a packed schedule of fascinating workshops and talks.

Sat at the centre of all this was the old brown Conygree sofa.

Strangely, it was the first thing I saw when I first walked into the EmGen tent on the eve of the festival. The sight of that tattered little couch instilled the same warmth in me as the smiling faces and open arms of my old friends that followed.

The Conygree brown sofa taking centre stage

Have I developed a love affair with a piece of furniture? Maybe it seems so.

The sight of that sofa in the middle of the Groundswell field caught me off guard. It flooded me with memories of four years as an EmGen’r, reminders of the person it’s shaped me into, and a heck of a lot of that special EmGen feeling.

I was obsessed with Friends as a teenager. I watched the DVD boxset four times over - cover to cover.

For me, it’s a show about six friends that become family. If the orange Central Perk sofa embodies the love, friendship and togetherness of the six New York pals, then the brown Conygree sofa embodies the love, friendship and togetherness of a 1000-strong agroecological family. 

I call for the brown Conygree sofa to become an honorary EmGen’r.

Find Mitch on Instagram here.

Listen to his podcast series on the 'Humans of Groundswell 2026' here.