‘We live off-grid with our kids to escape the system’

A Brit who made the move to live “off-grid” with his family of six says he made the decision to get away from the “messed up mainstream system”.

Billy Morris, along with his wife and their four young children, reside in a 300sqft static caravan in the South West countryside and have transformed their space into a “regenerative, community-owned” farm.

He took to TikTok to offer an insight into their lives to his 195,000 followers.

“Last year we bought 13-and-a-half acres of bare agricultural land,” he began. “And with another family and a team that joined along the way, we’ve transformed it into an off-grid regenerative, community-owned farm with a private water supply, several food producing enterprises, solar systems and an incredible community space.”

Billy added that his children are home-schooled and free to “self-direct” their own learning while being able to enjoy the farm with the rest of the community.

“We’re now nearly self-sufficient for food and energy, achieving our goal of creating independence from the messed up mainstream system,” he added.

He closed: “Last, but not least, we have a wonderful co-owner community that can support the project in exchange for exclusive benefits and privileges.” Billy went on to share footage of their livestock and crops, yielding a series of vegetables produced and harvested for his family’s use.

“We did all of this in just 12 months,” Billy noted, before encouraging others to follow his lead if they seek “getting out of the mainstream to live a life of freedom”.

Quick to praise Billy’s endeavours, one TikTok user penned in response to the clip: “Absolutely love this. Good for you all, wish I could do the same for my family.” A second agreed: “This is the seed we all need to be planting in our minds. I wish you well on your endeavours.” While a third claimed: “Would learn a lot more than you would in a school… you’re changing the world.”

Reiterating his beliefs, Billy added in a caption: “For thousands of years, people knew how to grow their own food, they knew how to sew and repair their own clothes, they knew how to heal sickness with food, herbs and fasting. They knew how to build and maintain shelters and generally survive.

“Unlike now, these weren’t skills for the ‘alternative’ – they were just life. But it took only two generations to all but erase those skills from humanity.”

A website devoted to all things “living off-grid” lists several factors to consider when making the leap in the same way Billy did. Live Off Grid advises that doing so requires careful consideration and adherence to various legal aspects, including land ownership regulations, planning permissions, building regulations, and environmental standards.

“Without this adherence, your off grid dreams can quickly become legal nightmares, and your fantasy of a new life away from the hustle and bustle could be kiboshed very quickly,” it warns.

The website goes on to list:

• Fines: A fine can be imposed by the local authorities if you are seen to have violated land use regulations and building codes.
• Eviction: If you are seen to be living unlawfully in an area, you may be evicted by the landowners or a legal injunction can be placed requiring total compliance with all relevant laws.
• Criminal Charges: Legal proceedings may result in criminal charges being placed, potentially even resulting in imprisonment.
• Mandatory Removal: Placing an inappropriate structure on land could lead to its mandatory removal or modification.
• Impact on Future Ownership: Repercussions can be put in place to prevent or make future land ownership more difficult as a result of your past infractions
• Issues For Future Projects: You may find it much more difficult to obtain permits, licences, permissions, etc. for future projects.
• Damage to Relationships: Non-compliance with regulations (and expectations held by your neighbours) could lead to irreparable damage to your relationship with the local community.