diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index acb8fb51..b60f528f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 # TREEHOOSE
 
 ---
+
 [![security: bandit](https://img.shields.io/badge/security-bandit-yellow.svg)](https://github.com/PyCQA/bandit)
 [![PEP8](https://img.shields.io/badge/code%20style-pep8-orange.svg)](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0008/)
 
@@ -12,45 +13,82 @@ Open Original Science Exploration
 
 ## What is TREEHOOSE
 
+Trusted Research Environments(TREs) are used by many organisations to securely
+manage sensitive data for research.
+
+TREEHOOSE is an open-source platform for deploying TREs on Amazon Web Services
+(AWS). It will include open-source tooling to streamline building and operating
+TREs on public cloud infrastructure whilst maintaining security and trust.
+
+The recent
+[Goldacre Review ("Better, Broader, Safer: Using Health Data for Research and Analysis")](https://www.goldacrereview.org/)
+highlighted the need for standardisation across TREs, ideally through the use of
+open-source infrastructure.
+
+### Development status
+
+TREEHOOSE is under active development. It is suitable for anyone interested in
+deploying a trusted research environment on AWS. Currently it has good support
+for launching customised Windows Desktops, and limited support for Linux
+workspaces with SSH access. All access is managed through a TRE web interface
+which prevents unauthorised egress of confidential data.
+
+Features include automated backups for researcher workspaces, secure egress
+requiring approvals from data governors or other authorised personnel, and
+budget alerts to help manage spending.
+
+You can deploy a TRE on your own following the TREEHOOSE documentation, but due
+to the active development we strongly encourage you to get in touch with us
+first, either by
+[opening a GitHub issue on this repository](https://github.com/HicResearch/TREEHOOSE/issues)
+or by emailing `hicsupport@dundee.ac.uk`.
+
+We can help demonstrate features of the platform and see how they match your requirements,
+and discuss future enhancements.
+
 ---
 
 ## Use cases
 
+TREEHOOSE is originally developed for use with confidential healthcare data such
+as patient medical records, but is designed to be used and customised for all
+research and analysis disciplines.
+
 ---
 
 ## Documentation
 
----
-
 The documentation is divided into several sections:
 
-* [Architecture](./doc/architecture/README.md)
-* [Security](./doc/security/SecurityControls.md)
-* [Deployment](./doc/deployment/README.md)
-* [Operations](./doc/operations/README.md)
-* [Troubleshooting](./doc/troubleshooting/TroubleshootingRunbook.md)
+- [Architecture](./doc/architecture/README.md)
+- [Security](./doc/security/SecurityControls.md)
+- [Deployment](./doc/deployment/README.md)
+- [Operations](./doc/operations/README.md)
+- [Troubleshooting](./doc/troubleshooting/TroubleshootingRunbook.md)
+
+---
 
 ## Contributing
 
----
-The main purpose of this repository is to continue evolving TREEHOOSE, making it faster and easier to use.
-Development of TREEHOOSE happens in the open on GitHub, and we are grateful to the community for
-contributing bugfixes and improvements.
-Read below to learn how you can take part in improving TREEHOOSE.
+The main purpose of this repository is to continue evolving TREEHOOSE, making it
+faster and easier to use. Development of TREEHOOSE happens in the open on
+GitHub, and we are grateful to the community for contributing bugfixes and
+improvements. Read below to learn how you can take part in improving TREEHOOSE.
 
 ### [Code of Conduct](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md)
 
-TREEHOOSE has adopted a Code of Conduct that we expect project participants to adhere to.
-Please read the full text so that you can understand what actions will and will not be tolerated.
+TREEHOOSE has adopted a Code of Conduct that we expect project participants to
+adhere to. Please read the full text so that you can understand what actions
+will and will not be tolerated.
 
 ### [Contributing Guide](CONTRIBUTING.md)
 
-Read our contributing guide to learn about our development process,
-how to propose bugfixes and improvements, and how to
-integrate your changes in this repository.
-
-## License
+Read our contributing guide to learn about our development process, how to
+propose bugfixes and improvements, and how to integrate your changes in this
+repository.
 
 ---
 
+## License
+
 This project is licensed under the [Apache-2.0 License](./LICENSE).