77 for web by Blue Sax Publishing Ltd

the spark standing out from the crowd

inspiring change since 1993

The Big Interview: FGM campaigner Fahma Mohamed positive birth special

summer issue 77 • june - aug 2014

revel in our summer festival guide WI N!

tickets 8 ama to zing festies !

2000trees farmfestival green earth awakening green gathering off grid quest starry skies WOMAD people ● planet ● body ● soul everything from acupuncture to zen in our A-Z directory your three-month guide to green & holistic living in the West

The Spark

the spark issue 77 summer edition free, thinking and independent: welcome to the UK’s biggest ethical quarterly.

welcome…

the big interview FGM campaigner Fahma Mohamed

As the West gears up for its typically celebratory summer season, we’re excited to bring you positive stories from across our region, with interviews from inspirational activists, the lowdown on everything from outdoor theatre to radical histories of WW1, details of tons of exciting events across the region plus FREE tickets for six amazing festivals to be won this summer (see p12). As part of our special look at positive birth, we also review Kate Evans’ latest, and rather brilliant, book Bump. Enjoy… Love from the Spark team x

the team

festivals

6 the great summer tradition continues ignite

events diary

festival special 3.

marketplace

what we do

The UK’s biggest free independent ethical quarterly, The Spark reaches 100,000 readers in Cheltenham, Gloucester, Stroud, Taunton, Glastonbury, Swindon, Bath and Bristol. Our editorial is independent so no advertorials for us. We report on local solutions and people making a difference to their lives and their communities, while our adverts can connect you to a huge range of talented, professional people. We’re looking for new freelance writers to write about environmental issues, so get in touch if that’s you!

green goodies, ethical products

OUT! 5 the big interview Fahma Mohamed

26 OUT!

outdoor theatre and circus

This product is from sustainably managed forests and controlled sources PEFC/16-33-228

www.pefc.org

growing

community smallholdings; garden therapy

food

WWOOFing across the West Country

community

planet

ethical mobiles; what next for The Levels?

family

Special focus: positive birth

28 growing

community smallholdings

34 planet

after the floods: what next?

body & soul

What Is? dramatherapy; holistic news

spark listings

A-Z directory of complementary therapists, eco-services and more

cartoon/reviews 53

cartoon by Kate Evans plus books on soul midwifery & and re-wilding

changemaker

advertising info

Anna Grear, Incredible Edible Bristol

Tuesday to Thursday 10am-5pm

PEFC Certified

WW1 radical histories; theatre action!

86 Colston Street Bristol BS1 5BB Tel: 0117 914 34 34 www.thespark.co.uk editor@thespark.co.uk The Spark is printed on PEFC-certified paper. Please recycle when you’re done.

beautiful outdoor theatre and circus

the small print

Advertisers are advised that all copy is their sole responsibility under the Trade Protection Act. All adverts must comply with the British Code of Advertising Practice. We reserve the right to refuse, amend, withdraw or otherwise deal with advertisements submitted to us at our absolute discretion and without explanation • Blue Sax Publishing Ltd can accept no liability for any loss or damage resulting from omission or inaccuracies relating to telephone numbers, wording, spacing or positioning or other material regardless of how caused • We reserve the right to vary print run by 1000 up or down• Blue Sax Publishing Ltd, who publish The Spark, cannot take any responsibility for the quality of an advertiser’s service or advertiser’s conduct. In choosing an advertiser you may wish to consult the appropriate professional bodies • The Spark title can only be used under current licence from Blue Sax Publishing Ltd • Intellectual copyright remains with the publishers of The Spark - Blue Sax Publishing Ltd© All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without permission of the publishers.

positive news from across our region

(1) Darryl Bullock, publisher (2) Ann Sheldon, advertising manager (3) Maxine Whiting, advertising sales (4) Beccy Golding, production manager (5) Vicki West, editor (6) Niall Milligan, finance worker. Contributors: Design: Ev Milker, Tilly Black (proof reading), Tony Benjamin, Darryl W Bullock, George Cooper, Kate Evans, Beccy Golding, Claire Herbeux (intern), Fiona McClymont, Jessie Marcham, Kesty Morrison, Will Simpson, Melanie West. Photography: Jo Halladey. The Spark was created by John Dawson

courses, events, meets and retreats

spark bugle 4.

summer events we’ve got our eye on

camps, gatherings and parties: be invigorated, go home inspired 1.

buy an ad to reach 100,000 people

36 family

Special Focus: positive birth

54 changemaker Anna Grear

Special thanks to Shambala Festival and to Circomedia for providing our beautiful cover images. The photographs were taken by James Arnold (for Shambala) and Paul Ripley (for Circomedia).

the big interview

Fahma Mohamed human rights activist Interview by Fiona McClymont • photo courtesy of Integrate Bristol and in all countries. And it is always, always wrong.

Fahma Mohamed, 17, is a trustee of Integrate Bristol, a charity formed

What’s been your biggest mistake? My parents have taught me not to focus on mistakes as something negative, but to see them as a chance to learn.

to help with the integration of young people and children who

What drives you mad? People arguing over things that aren’t important. Teenagers squabble a lot, they get wound up about gossip and worry about what people are saying about them. It’s a huge waste of energy and emotion that could be channeled into things that really matter. If you stop for a minute and think about how privileged you are, what you have and what girls in other countries don’t have, perhaps you wouldn’t behave like that.

have arrived from other countries and cultures. It also campaigns against all forms of violence and abuse against women and girls. Fahma is leading a campaign to change the way schools educate

What gets you into trouble? I’m never in trouble! That may sound odd, but it’s true, I’ve never been in big trouble.

parents and staff about FGM (female genital mutilation) and was recently

What’s your favourite book? I love books so much; I couldn’t choose one. When I finish a book it becomes my favourite until I move on to the next one.

successful in changing government policy surrounding this issue: collecting over 250,000 signatures for her Guardian-backed petition and persuading Michael Gove to write to every headteacher in the country about the issue. She is currently studying for her A Levels. She lives in Bristol.

What’s the best thing about living in the South West? Bristol is a friendly city, it has all the advantages of London with none of the hassle. And we have a great mayor in George Ferguson, he’s always been supportive of our work and really listens. I also love the multiculturalism and that there’s so much going on. I was 7 when I moved here and I hated the weather, because it rained a lot! What would you like to see more of around here? More events for young people, not just fun events, but things we can gain experience and skills from. And cheaper transport would be good too. I’d really love to set up an organisation where women can gain skills they need such as English, re-training and learning things that will empower them. How did you become involved with the End FGM campaign? To me, it’s common sense that FGM and gender-based violence is wrong. The transition from being a ‘normal school girl’ to an activist – I don’t really think of myself as an activist but I guess I am one! – is gradual: it’s a process you go through when you are involved with the charity. Nobody pushes you, you find your own way and you also find your own beliefs. We don’t all agree about everything, but that’s okay. We do all agree that degradation and humiliation of

women is wrong, that everyone has the right to dress how they want, and that violence is wrong: all violence. I came to understand that we have to fight for our rights, and say what we feel. We also have to accept that not everyone will agree with us, and we have to keep going even when it’s tough. What inspires you? People who do what they believe is right even if some people criticise them. I’m inspired by courage and honesty. Malala Yousafzai (Pakistani school pupil and education activist) inspires me. It’s incredible that she heard about our campaign and that she cared. She seems so mature and wise for a 16 year old – it’s awe inspiring. Because of her own campaign for girls to have the right to education, she completely understood why we felt so strongly about FGM and why we feel awareness of gender-based violence must be taught in schools. What’s been your biggest achievement? Well, getting the better of Michael Gove felt great! I don’t know what he was expecting but he said he was surprised by how articulate and intelligent we were. That’s an odd thing to say, isn’t it? Anyway, he was surrounded by five brown girls in headscarves who had come to talk about vaginas: he really didn’t stand a chance! And we knew the facts, we are all really passionate and we’ve been campaigning for six years now, so we had all the ammunition. Finding I can speak to high-flying people and not feel nervous or intimidated feels like a real achievement. Speaking to 200 headteachers at a conference and being noticed and supported by Ban Ki-Moon were big achievements too, and for somebody as shy as me, being the face of the Integrate Bristol and the Guardian End FGM campaign is something I’m really proud of. Why is getting the message into schools so key to your campaign? You can’t break cycles of abuse or change attitudes if you don’t speak to the parents and

the adults of the future. Empowerment and equality of girls and a real understanding of what respect and consent mean are essential if you want to create a cohesive, equal and integrated society. Education is at the heart of tackling FGM – if every headteacher was given the right information, we could reach every single girl who is at risk. What difficulties have you come across? The first media project was a drama documentary for radio called ‘Why?’ (it’s on our website) which was featured on Woman’s Hour. There were a lot of people who tried to stop us, especially one woman who used to work at my school. Some girls were even withdrawn from the project for a while – they all came back though. The next year, when they made the award-winning film Silent Scream, there was even more of a protest. They were even accused of making a porn film! The woman who didn’t like our work was trying to stop the showcasing which was really important to the 27 girls who had worked really hard for several months, giving up their weekends and holidays to make the film. In the end it was the Safeguarding Nurse, the police and the mothers of the girls in the project who saved the day. Some of the mothers organised a secret meeting with the police in one of the houses. They asked for help in making sure the premiere went ahead and had a police escort to the Watershed Cinema in Bristol. Are things improving? Yes, since then, things have been easier. Sometimes people have digs at us on Twitter but that’s not a problem. Somebody said white women shouldn’t get involved – that’s ridiculous. What kind of society would we have if we only cared about people from our own race? And should white teachers only safeguard white students? Should Asian doctors only care for Asian patients? All women need to stand together: Violence Against Women & Girls (VAWG) happens across all cultures, all socio-economic groups

What’s been your most memorable trip? I guess I should say it was going to meet Ban Ki-Moon: that was certainly unforgettable. But I think moving to England was more memorable, it was more of a life-changing journey. I wasn’t happy at the time, but I love our life here now. What’s your greatest fear? I get very nervous if I don’t feel in control of my life. I feel I have to do everything myself because I don’t trust anyone else to do it. I guess I’m scared of everything going wrong and feeling like a failure. How do you relax? I spend time with my family and friends. I’m very lucky to be surrounded by lovely people who care about me a lot and we all support each other. It’s noisy, but it’s fun. We all pitch in and help with whatever needs doing and there’s a clear pecking order. I’m the eldest of nine girls so I take on lots of responsibilities; I certainly feel responsible for my younger sisters. We are all very close and there’s a lot of love and laughter at home. Also, we share what each-other is doing – for example, there are now four of us working with Integrate Bristol so we have a lot to share and talk about. We feel really proud of what we’ve achieved. There are a lot of people who think it’s important to have a son – my father loves proving them wrong with the success of the campaign! He tells them girls can achieve as much, if not more, than boys and that we are equal. What has life taught you? To believe in yourself and always help others whenever you can. For details of how you can support organisations working to end FGM, see the following links: Integrate Bristol www.integratebristol.org.uk The Orchid Project www.orchidproject.org 28 Too Many Campaign www.28toomany.org

the spark guide 2014 S

ummer has arrived, with its annual promise of noisy, colourful outdoor frolics for all those who enjoy a good field-based shindig and a campfire story later on. As usual, we’ve gathered together the West Country festivals with a green, holistic vibe underpinning their revelry and hereby present you the cream of the ‘alternative’ crop. All are either west country-based, or started life here and moved further away (usually for a drier site!). Enjoy the round-up.

☞ JUNE sunrise celebration

Chepstow • May 29-June 1 • £99 www.sunrisecelebration.com Flavour: Sunrise “keeps the counter-culture spirit of the UK’s free festival scene alive,” says BBC online and we concur! Come and co-create and get skilled up. Resilience and sustainability are big themes, with proper, old school festie vibes a-plenty. Expect wilderness skills workshops and Forest School for kids, plus esoteric talks, colourful cabaret, and the main music arena hosted by Chai Wallah’s in their beautiful ‘All Good Things’ party tent.

WYCHWOOD

Cheltenham • May 30-June 1 • £125 (adult), £100 (15+), £60 (10-15), £20 (5-9 yrs), Under 5s FREE www.wychwoodfestival.com Flavour: music-heavy and family-friendly, with 100 musical acts (Bad Manners, the Levellers, the Stranglers on the bill) plus fair rides, a real ale festival, comedy, kids literature and entertainers, over 100 workshops, artists and makers, healers and therapists.

THIS EARTH GATHERING Wookey farm • Somerset 13-15 June • £80/£45 (adult/12-18 yrs), under 11s £15 www.thisearthgathering.com Flavour: an intimate, joyful camp that brings women together to laugh, dance, share knowledge and create ceremony, returning to their lives rejuvenated and with renewed purpose. Deasey Bamford (co-founder of Tribe of Doris) says: “For our daughters and granddaughters we must remember the wisdoms handed down through our rich, native traditions.” Come, share and celebrate!

Green scythe fair

Somerset • 15 June • 11am-11pm • £5, accompanied kids FREE, dogs allowed www.greenfair.org.uk Flavour: “probably the most authentic and enjoyable country fair in England” promises

“hilarious feats of haymaking,” in addition to wind and solar power exhibits, traditional crafts, local produce & West Country ciders.

LEAMINGTON PEACE FESTIVAL

Leamington Spa • 14/15 June • FREE www.peacefestival.org.uk Flavour: two-day, free festival that is a long-standing and much loved presence on the festie circuit, giving exposure to local performers & craftspeople, and offering space for debate on local and global issues in a relaxed and co-operative setting.

3 WISHES FAERY FEST

Torpoint, Cornwall • 20-22 June • £89/£36 (adult/child), under 7s free www.faeryevents.com Flavour: mystical and magical, and embracing all things faerie: workshops, storytelling, fancy dress, elemental bar, veggie and vegan cuisine, music from Professor Elemental, 3 Daft Monkeys, Damh the Bard, Serpentyne and more.

GOLD COAST OCEAN FEST

North Devon • 20-22 June • £50/£40 (adult/child), £5 (under 6), £140 (family ticket: 2 adults, 2 kids) www.goldcoastoceanfest.co.uk Flavour: frenetic beach sport for all ages; live music and marine conservation a strong theme. Try ultimate frisbee, surfing life-saving; or take part in ‘Iron man & Diamond Lady’ events, the Nipper Challenge or the Beach Aquathon!

tagore festival

Dartington • 20-22 June • £5-£15 for individual events, £60 (early bird 3-day pass), £10 camping http://tinyurl.com/prkbl2o Flavour: to coincide with the centenary of WW1, a range of world-class performers will bring the theme of peace to life through music, dance and debate. Featuring the likes of Talvin Singh, Satish Kumar and Dr Scilla Elworthy and offering an immersive programme of workshops (stone carving, yoga, mindfulness).

☞ JUly beyond the border festival

Glamorganshire • 4-6 July • £110/£100 (adult/conc), £55 (5-16 yrs), under 5s FREE, day tickets £12-25 www.beyondtheborder.com Flavour: a festival of stories and music from Wales and across the world,

from the myths of Celtic Britain, to Scandinavian fairytales, Welsh poetry, memories of WW1, plus Sufi voices, travellers’ tales, magic lantern shows, circus & much more.

2000tREES

Nr. Painswick, Glos • 10-12 July • £75 (adults), under 10s FREE www.twothousandtreesfestival.co.uk Flavour: prides itself on showcasing the best of emerging and underground British musical talent, plus comedy, silent disco DJs, quality food and drink & much more. Voted Best Grass Roots Festival at the 2013 Festival Awards.

green earth awakening camp

Blackdown Hills • 16-20 July • £80/£60 (conc), £40 (12-17 yrs), £20 (3-11yrs), £10 (under 2s) www.buddhafield.com Flavour: the Buddhafield team are taking a break from their main festival in 2014, and holding this camp instead on their usual site. Expect engaged Dharma, meditation, reflections on social change, forest school, healing area, yoga, live music, jamming, dance, green crafts and more. Buddhafield will return in 2015!

INNER FIRE GATHERING

Highbridge, Somerset • 11-13 July • £5 per day (excl. camping), under 14s FREE www.thehealingweekend.co.uk Flavour: holistic talks and workshops from renowned healers and teachers, plus sacred drumming circles, beautiful wild spaces (courtesy of hosts Secret World Wildlife Rescue Centre), a children’s arena, info stands and evening shows.

Somerset • 16-20 July • £45-£75 (adult), £17-£32 (12-17 yrs), £9-£17 (4-12 yrs) www.innerfiregathering.co.uk Flavour: warm, friendly camp which focuses on bodywork, chanting and meditation to cultivate inner fire. Explore kundalini yoga, qigong, shakti dance, heart chanting, inner movement, meditation & more: then enjoy hot tubs saunas and campfires after dark!

PRIDDY FOLK FESTIVAL

CHAGSTOCK

THE HEALING WEEKEND

Priddy • 11-13 July • £72/£61 (camping/non-camping), £36/£30.50 (11-16 yrs camping/non-camping). Limited day tickets available. www.priddyfolk.org Flavour: known for its welcoming crowd and festive atmosphere, lively pub jam sessions, ceilidhs, local ale & cider and the very best of British folk! Proceeds go to village projects.

Devon • 18-19 July • £75 (adult), £50 (12-17), under-12s FREE, £210 (family ticket, 2 adults, 2 kids) www.chagstock.info Flavour: supports The Devon Air Ambulance Trust and WaterAid: expect grass roots festie vibes, artists and performers with strong west country links,

spanning Senegal to Ukraine to New Zealand and the US. There’s also a global cuisine stage, luxury spa area, workshops for grown-ups & kids, plus a wellbeing area and bars.

DRUID CAMP

plus trapeze workshops, rare films, water zorbing and tons of kids stuff including nature/science workshops, face painting & felt-making.

with loads of nature, art and food-based activities for kids, as well as fancy dress, circus and discos, DJs, live music and cocktails for the grown-ups.

NVC Summerfest

QUEST

Nr Taunton • 22-27 July • £290-£350 (adults), £60 (13-17 yrs), £40 (6-12 yrs), under 5s FREE www.nvcsummerfest.com Flavour: small, family-friendly camp for people wanting to grow their ability to communicate with compassion and authenticity. From the Buddhafield crew: featuring a kids’ area, workshops, gatherings, Buddhafield cafe, hot tub & sauna. Come alone or with others!

STARRY SKIES FAMILY CAMP

Hereford • 23-27 July • £129 (adult), £39 (6-17 yrs), £29 (3-5 yrs), Under 3s FREE, live-in vehicles £30 www.starry-skies.net Flavour: “the perfect camping holiday for families” is a super-chilled festie. The site boasts ancient woodland, a working farm and views of the Black Mountains,

Newton Abbott • 24-27 July • £101/£42 (camping/non-camping), £55/£22 6-17 yrs camping/non-camping), day tickets £8 www.questuk.co.uk Flavour: a world of immersive mind/ body/spirit workshops (58 of them free!), in everything from shamanism to herbalism to feng shui. The beautiful new camping village has been created by the Sunrise crew; Earthheart Cafe space will host performance music, art & hot-tubs!

WOMAD

Wiltshire • 24-27 July • £160 (adult), £80 (14-17 yrs), Under 13s FREE www.womad.co.uk Flavour: World Of Music And Dance is a showcase for artists from across the globe, with musical heritage

Forest of Dean • 23-27 July • £90 (5 days), £75 (wknd), £30 (1317yrs), £25 (5-12yrs). Late tickets £105/£95/£30/£25 www.druidcamp.org.uk Flavour: a creative, participatory camp, which celebrates our connection to the land, and honours the ancient, native traditions of these isles. Featuring workshops, bands, bards and storytellers, a masked ball. Theme this year is environmentalism: how do take positive action to protect the earth? Druid Camp is an off-grid site, with wood-fired showers, sauna and vegetarian cafe.

VILLAGE PUMP folk FESTIVAL

Trowbridge • 25-27 July • £120 (adult), £60 (10-17 yrs), under 10s FREE. Day tickets available Fri-Sun www.villagepumpfolkfestival.co.uk Flavour: long-established, popular family-friendly festie in Trowbridge that features new and emerging folk talent, (“everything from trad English to blues”), plus a family-themed festival tent, late night club acts, ceilidhs, dances, a nature ramble, open mic sessions, street theatre, & more.

RISE UP SINGING VOICE CAMP

Dartmoor • July 26-Aug 3 • adults £240 (+£70 food), 18-23 yrs £150 (+£50 food). Kids tickets sold out. www.riseupsinging.co.uk Flavour: an uplifting and joyful singing camp where all voices are welcome. Featuring sessions led by a range of accomplished teachers, plus drumming, ‘buskers favourites’ singalong sessions, cosmic poetry and campfire singalongs.

DANCE CAMP WALES

Pembrokeshire • 29 July-9 Aug • £190-£300 (adult negotiable), £110 (18-21), £78 (13-17 yrs), £57 (3-12 yrs), Under 2s FREE www.dancecampwales.org Flavour: ten days of dance/ movement/singing/drumming workshops, as well as a creative tent, meditation area, teen space (massage, games, music), a women’s moon lodge, and a wellbeing area. The camp is arranged in circles for communal cooking & eating.

resurgence in action

Nr Malvern • 31 July-Aug 3 • £185 (adult), £140 (12-16), £100 (2-11) http://tinyurl.com/pvtpkfb Flavour: small, friendly, off-grid family camp, organised by the folk behind Resurgence & Ecologist magazine (edited by Satish Kumar). Talks, discussions & workshops around

themes of change, activism & positive living. Proceeds go to The Resurgence Trust, an educational charity dedicated to raising awareness of ecological and spiritual issues of our time.

☞ august

tHe Green GatHerinG

farMfestiVal uK

Chepstow • 31 July-Aug 3 • £90 (adult), £50 (youth), kids FREE £10 discount for Spark readers quote code SPARKGG14 when booking www.greengathering.org.uk Flavour: an off-grid celebration of permaculture, planet and people. The Off Grid College will be teaching low-impact living and renewable energy workshops. Radical Routes will host the Co-ops’ Camp (“housing without landlords, work without bosses”); there’s Solar Cinema with Reel News activist video collective and artfor-all with the Vamos Travelling Studio & Gallery. All this plus storytelling, food, cider and live music.

caMP bestiVal

Dorset • 31 July-3 Aug • £195/£180 (adult/student), £113 (15-17 yrs), £88 (11-14 yrs), £20 (5-10yrs), Under 4 FREE www.campbestival.net Flavour: A festival by the sea with an all-singing, all-dancing line-up of festie tomfoolery. With a circus theme, a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 50th Birthday Takeover on Saturday, there’s also disco-dancing workshops with ’70s dance legends Pan’s People, a huge array of music (strong nod to the dancefloor), maypole dancing, medieval jousting,

puppet shows, comedy, soft play, theatre & loads more.

Bruton • 1-2 Aug • £52.50 (adult), £42.50 (12-17), under 12s FREE www.farmfestival.co.uk Flavour: a grass roots effort: small, friendly, with a strong independent ethos, organic food supplied by hosts Gilcombe farm, “party beverages” from local suppliers, and entertainment provided by an excellent array of local DJs, bands and party crews. Proceeds to local charities.

outciDer festiVal

Somerset • 1-3 Aug • £29-£49 www.outciderfestival.co.uk Flavour: brand new, home grown indy festie hosted by Fern Hill Farm in Compton Martin. 35+ acts on two indoor stages plus the inaugural Mendip Games! Food grown/reared on the farm, proper beer & cider, (locally produced) plus a tasty selection of local, unsigned musical talent. Brought to you by “a ragged community of free-thinkers, drinkers and music lovers.”

DeVon YoGa festiVal

Nr Newton Abbott • 1-3 Aug • £245 (residential), £220 (camping) www.devonyogafestival.co.uk Flavour: non-commercial, not-for-profit yoga gathering, in a beautiful location with access to experienced teachers. Ticket

includes two nights’ accommodation, all meals, snacks & drinks plus access to the full workshop programme, early morning meditations, evening kirtan and yoga DJ dance. Proceeds go to a hospice in India.

WilDWise HunGer GaMes

Nr Bristol • Aug 1-5 • £260 (12-16 ys) plus NEW WildWise Catching Fire Camp (Aug 23-27), £260 (13-17 yrs) www.wildwisehungergames.co.uk Flavour: an adventure-packed camp where teenagers survive in the wild like the characters in the Hunger Games books and film. Give your kids a unique and magical time outdoors, far from screens of any kind, learning survival skills, cooking on open fires, tracking, den-building and sleeping out in the woods.

unicorn Voice caMP

Dartmoor • 2-10 Aug • £240 (adult), £135 (19-25), £95 (15-18 yrs), £85 (5-14) http://tinyurl.com/pwvagnj Flavour: friendly, inclusive, welcoming camp where you can sing your heart out! Perform in evening cabaret sessions, sing with your camp circle in fireside sessions, or just listen and enjoy diverse musical jams. Workshops in a huge range of singing styles are on offer and all abilities are welcomed and appreciated.

booMtoWn

Somerset • 7-10 Aug • £150 (adult), teens sold out, £20 (6-12),

Under 6s FREE www.boomtownfair.co.uk Flavour: a vibrant mini-city filled with majestic stage design, whacky characters and hidden party spots. A musical smorgasboard (blues from Jamaica, dancehall from Bermuda, gypsy from Australia, big brass bands from Rajasthan) plus on-site healthy food policy.

WilDWise faMilY caMP

Dartmoor • 8-13 Aug • £250 (1st adult), £195 (2nd adult), £110 (5-16) www.wildwise.co.uk Flavour: immersive and exciting woodland camp for families. Group activities include fire-making, wild food gathering, den-making, scavenger hunts & wildlife watching; there are optional craft/survival workshops for adults; then night-time walks, bat-detecting, campfires, stories and games to help you – and your kids! – feel more at home in the dark.

Green Man

Brecon Beacons • 14-17 Aug • £159 (adult), £135 (student), £85 (13-17yrs), £5 (5-12), under 4s FREE www.greenman.net Flavour: jump-up festie fun for the eco-conscious music lover, set against a backdrop of the Black Mountains. Downtempo attractions: nature walks, science talks, hot tubs plus readings, poetry & debate in the ‘Babbling Tongues’ area & enchanted forest for kids. After dark there are dusk-til-dawn bonfire jams, excellent music plus theatre, comedy &

fairground attractions. Upgrade your ticket to a “Settlers Pass” and stay for a week, for horse-riding, caving, fishing, canoeing, stargazing and other ace activites.

off-grid festival

Nr Frome • 14-17 Aug • £75 (adult), £21.50 (12-16), Under 12s FREE www.offgrid-festival.co.uk Flavour: Organised by the crews behind Sunrise and Cloud Cuckoo Land, Off Grid offers four days of practical tuition in eco-build techniques, applied permaculture and appropriate technology (in collaboration with Shift Bristol). Off Grid’s Sacred Space will also host a children’s fire, a men’s circle, a red tent and a wild woods bushcraft camp. Music, art, storytelling, plus lovingly crafted food on-site & cycle schemes running from Bristol & Bath. This is a 500-capacity event.

BEAUTIFUL DAYS

Devon • 15-17 Aug • £130/£60 (10-15 yrs)/£30 (5-9 yrs)/£5 (under 5s) www.beautifuldays.org Flavour: the Levellers have booked a stellar line-up for their annual knees-up in Devon this year including Jimmy Cliff, Dreadzone, Easy Star All Stars, Dead Kennedys, Bellowhead, Courtney Pine, Seth Lakeman plus many lesser known treats such as Saharan blues troupe Tinariwen.

UNICORN CAMPS: DANCING SPIRIT CAMP

Somerset/Wilts border • 16-24 Aug • £185 (26+), £100 (19-25 yrs), £80 (15-18 yrs), £70 (5-14yrs). http://tinyurl.com/msdtrxb Flavour: spiritual traditions of the world celebrated through song, chanting, dance and bodywork. Festival also features meditation spaces, storytelling, teen workshops & music. Dances of Universal Peace, danced in circles, are a focal point of the gathering.

family music camp

Exmoor • 19-24 Aug • £250 (adult), £175 (5-18 yrs), Under 5s FREE email: familymusiccamp@gmail.com Flavour: small, intimate family camp on the edge of Exmoor. Daily workshops in creative, fun activities such as simple instrument-making, rhythmic games, drumming, singing and dancing with scrumptious veggie food. Teachers include musicians, singers, drummers and dancers from Pan-African and British traditions plus storytelling.

CAULDRON OF PLENTY: VILLAGE HEART GATHERING

Mid-Wales • 21-25 Aug • £85/£45/£25 (adult/teen/child) www.spirithorse.co.uk Flavour: the most accessible of all the ritual gatherings of the Spirit Horse Foundation, this event promises an immersive, tribal and spiritual experience where each generation is honoured and catered for. Expect dancing, singing, storytelling & journeying in beautiful wild surrounds. Programme of events includes

unusual sound systems

Will Simpson meets the people behind them

hey are the folks who add a dash of Shambala when one year they had a policecontrolled lunacy to the modern festival themed party. “We had this old transit van experience, providing us with sights knocking about in our yard and said ‘wouldn’t (and sounds) that provoke wonder, bafflement it be funny if we turned it into a riot van and a and hilarity. No-one has yet come up with load of coppers got out the back at the end of a snappy name for them, the night and got some speakers out’.” so we’re going to call Needless to say it creates them ‘unusual sound some confusion amongst the systems’ (USS). punters. “People often do Each act has a double take. And we’ve evolved slightly had a couple of pulls on differently. Lee the motorway and got Hadaway was followed by some plain working at a clothes at Bestival!” Dorset recycling Odder still is the facility and got Anarchophonium frustrated by the sound system, a batterysheer amount of powered barrel organ that useful material – plays ska, punk and old rave Anarchophonium sound system and decent records tunes, wheeled around in a – being thrown away. pram by a bunch of monkeys. He decided to create (what “The monkeys have thrown off the he thinks is) Britain’s first 100% shackles of oppression and are playing recycled mobile disco: ‘Tip Of The Pops.’ the organ themselves. We’re encouraging “All of it is reused,” he confirms, “from the other people to join the monkey revolution,” wheelbarrow to the turntables. Over the years explains Erasmus of the Anarchophonium I’ve picked up lights and decor, mirrorballs. collective. “Barrel organs were amongst the About five years ago someone dumped two oldest devices for recording music: we’re virtually brand new batteries; those became proper old skool!” my power supply.” Add to this list the firmly established “People seem to love it. When you get on yokel DJ team, The Village Disco, and the mic and explain to them where it’s come pedal-powered Rinky Dink, and you could from they are pretty amazed. It’s great to be even describe this as a movement. But does able to educate people about all this stuff as anything link the unusual sound systems? “I well as having fun myself!” wthink there is a rebelliousness to what we all Meanwhile the Police Rave Unit, a posse do,” suggests Lee Hadaway. “Festivals are very of police impersonators that blast their sounds regulated these days but mobile systems give from what looks like a riot van, is “a joke an edge that reminds people of the early days that got out of hand.” 2CI Wogan of the PRU of rave culture. It’s often the odd sights and was the organiser of the backstage area of walkabout acts that people remember.”

a camp for 500, with green crafts, engaged dharma, meditation, music, yoga, forest school, social change, healing area and dance. Engage, explore, play. adults £80/£60 teens (12-17) £40 children (3-11) £20 babies (0-2) £10 all inclusive meals: * for adults & teens £45 each * for under 12s £25 each

booking & programme www.buddhafield.com/gea

workshops, performances, a ceilidh, a masked dance, children’s circle and inclusive community ritual to finish.

SHAMBALA

Northamptonshire • 21-24 Aug • £129 (adults), £79 (15-17 yrs), £35 (5-14 yrs), 5 & under FREE but must register www.shambalafestival.org Flavour: anarchic, friendly and playful, this firm festie favourite with strong west country roots returns in 2014 offering overnight bush camps for 8-12yr olds, a reliable and professional creche, a plunge pool, sauna & Moroccan lounge, plus the usual extensive array of wonderfully random workshops, and loads of theatre, spoken word, great music & crazy art.

GREENBELT

Northhamptonshire • 22-25 Aug • £129 (adult)/£69 (5-17 yrs) www.greenbelt.org.uk Flavour: this festie circuit stalwart is organised by a progressive Christian collective, committed to meshing together art, spirituality and themes of social justice. Boasting organic/Fairtrade food, comedy acts, circus, talks & great music, the ‘Greenbelt Trust’ also raises money for projects weaving together art, faith & community action.

OAK DRAGON CAMP

Somerset • 22-31 August • £140 (adults 26+), £100 (18-26 yrs), £60 (under 18s) www.oakdragon.org Flavour: these small camps spun off

from the Glastonbury festival circa 1987. Usually 50-80 people, they centre around workshops, ceremonies and celebrations with dancing, feasting and games thrown in. The 2014 camp theme is Walking the Path, exploring magical pathways including the labyrinth, walking meditations, plus medicine walks and rites of passage.

BUDDHADHARMA SANGHA SUMMER CAMP Dartmoor • 23-31 Aug • £170-£200 (adults), £105-£125 (12-17 yrs), £95-£120 (3-11 yrs) www.qigong-southwest.co.uk Flavour: an exploration of buddhist dharma through insight meditation, qigong and inquiry. Mornings are structured around practice and silent time; afternoons are for walks, river swimming and games, while evenings centre around campfires, song, stories and stargazing.

The Earth First! summer gathering

south west location • 27-31 Aug • £30 www.earthfirst.org.uk Flavour: This summer gathering is five days of low impact camping with workshops and skill shares on direct action tactics for radical ecological struggles. There will be lots of scope for networking and planning actions and the camp is organised non-hierarchically. This gathering is run without leaders and everyone who comes along, so come along prepared to chip in!

DIDMARTON BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL

Glos • 29-31 Aug • £50/£55 (adult weekend/on gate), under 14s FREE, day tickets also available. www.didmarton-bluegrass.co.uk Flavour: full bluegrass immersion! Open stage sessions, craft stalls, traditional dance displays, a real ale and cider bar, tons of live music and instrumental workshops for every ability.

END OF THE ROAD

Dorset/Wilts border • 29-31 Aug • £170 (adult), £130 (13-17yrs), £80 (6-12 yrs), £40 (3-5 yrs), under 3s FREE www.endoftheroadfestival.com Flavour: relaxed and mellow wind-down to the festival season, very kid-friendly, with a good alternative musical lineup, ranging from New York subway collectives, to psychedelic folk.

☞ Sept Sundance collective festival

tba • 6-8 Sept • £tba www.sundancecollective.co.uk One of Sunrise Celebrations’ creators is part of the sundance collective and he says this: “Sundance Collective Festival is a collaboration of festival and event professionals. We aim to share responsibility, creativity and a deeper sense of connection between production and punters. Come and immerse yourself in art, dance-healing vibes and laughter.”

plastic-free festies

not-forprofit outfit called The Raw Foundation, which is committed to raising awareness about the hidden consequences of our everyday stuff, has produced a new guide called Making Waves: A Plastic-Free Festival Guide. Produced in partnership with Kambe Events (the company behind Shambala Festival), the guide raises awareness about plastic pollution and give useful information to event organisers. The sheer quantity of plastic produced globally in the last ten years makes it one of the fastest growing hazardous waste streams on the planet. During the last 10 years, global plastics production equalled the production of the whole of the 20th century combined. Plastic waste generates greenhouse gases and releases toxic dust into the air and soil, as well as polluting the oceans and endangering marine life Initiatives such as Shambala’s Bring a Bottle campaign (where everyone was encouraged to bring a re-usable bottle and sales of plastic bottled water were banned), are changing perceptions of single-use plastic. Raw Foundation and Kambe Events are jointly offering training & workshops for festival management teams who want to reduce plastics at their events. Check the guide online or download the PDF for free at http://kambe-events.co.uk/ campaigns/making-waves/

urban & fringe events Bath Fringe Fest, 23 May-8 June Local and international artists descend on the Georgian city for 17-days bringing 170 acts to venues across Bath. Fringe enthusiasts can expect participatory street art, live comedy and, of course, oodles of new and established musical offerings. www.bathfringe.co.uk Dot to Dot Festival, Bristol, from 24 May An new inner city music festival (gigs are also taking place across Manchester & Nottingham). Venues include O2 Academy, Thekla, The Fleece, The Exchange, The Louisiana, Trinity, Start The Bus & more TBC www.dottodotfestival.co.uk Bristol Festival of Nature, 14-16 June The UK’s largest free natural history event, featuring loads of interactive events for kids, info on campaigns around diverse ecological issues (such as food security and bee protection) and films/lectures. www.festivalofnature.org Bristol’s BIG Green Week, 14-22 Jun The UK’s festival of eco ideas, art and family entertainment features nine days of inspiring talks, workshops, art, music, poetry, comedy and films around Bristol’s city centre. www.biggreenweek.com Upfest @ Volksfest, Easter Compton, 6-8 Jun Graffiti festival Upfest is taking a year off but

midday masquerade parade through St Pauls, featuring 1,000 people from local schools and community groups, followed by music & performance on stages & sound systems showcasing the city’s homegrown musical talent. www.stpaulscarnival.co.uk Bristol Harbour Festival, 18-20 July Huge crowds flock to Queens Square, Castle Park, Lloyds Amphitheatre and the Waterfront in Bristol for circus, dance, theatre, music, markets, food, kids activites & boats galore. www.bristolharbourfestival.co.uk

jazz guitarist Albare, at Frome Fringe will be creating a graffiti experience at Volksfest 2014 instead, bringing some street art magic to the VW fest. Volksfest day tickets are £10, £25 for weekend camping. www.upfest.co.uk for tickets. Frome Festival, 4-13 July: Quality fringe festie pulling in international names. Top notch comedy line-up including Paul Merton, Jeremy Hardy & Jo Brand, a spread of great venues (Merlin Theatre, Cheese & Grain) and huge programme of music, including the Levellers, Inspiral Carpets & virtuoso jazz guitarist Albare. Mix in creative workshops, hidden gardens, treasure hunts, Frome tunnel tours, story-telling & much more. www.fromefestival.co.uk St Pauls Carnival, 5 July Bristol’s much-loved celebration of African & Caribbean art & culture kicks off with a

St Pauls Carnival, Bristol

The Avalon Marshes Festival runs from 12-26 July and is a celebration of the wildlife and cultural heritage of the Avalon Marshes in Somerset. Avalon Marshes Day on 12 July is a day of activities, tours, talks & exhibitions at the Red Brick Building in Glastonbury. www.avalonmarshes.org

produce from the South West’s finest food producers, including exciting street food and an educational kids’ area. www.lovefoodfestival.com www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt-treefest w

Off The Streets, Glastonbury, 17-23 August A celebration of performance and workshops for the children and youth of Glastonbury (and the surrounding area) from the crew behind the much-loved & long-running Glastonbury & Bristol Children’s Festivals. www.childrensworldcharity.org/ots.php Love Food Festival @ Treefest, 23-25 Aug The Love Food Festival will have a presence at Westonbirt Arboretum’s Treefest event. Treefest features wood carving, live music, woodland skills & lots more family activites. The Love Food area will showcase great local

ethical festie food report by Tony Benjamin

irst there were music festivals with their dodgy burger vans, then came foodie festivals with organic venison steak sandwiches and the like. Over time the distinction has worn thinner, with events like Alex James’ Big Feastival headlining chefs Jamie Oliver and Nathan Outlaw alongside sets by Fatboy Slim and Jamie Cullum. Nowadays a saunter through the markets of any major music fest reveals a dazzling choice of cuisines and, more importantly, even the inevitable burger vans are claiming green credentials. For some years the bigger events have been

“Fareshare South West’s Surplus Supper Club offers festival goers a fine dining experience using only food saved from landfill” promoting the sustainability agenda with food at the forefront. “Our ambition is to become greener year on year and we expect traders to be aware of that ethos,” says Glastonbury market manager Jo Blackburn. “Every trader has to be able to prove to us that they’re trying for sustainability. We look at a range of points including local sourcing and waste avoidance. It gets tighter: we used to ask for biodegradable containers but now they have to be compostable too.” Glastonbury stallholders are encouraged to bid for Green Trader Awards, judged by Greenpeace, with the winners getting a free pitch the following year. Things are taking another big leap greenward hereabouts thanks to food recycling charity Fareshare South West

A FareShare South West gourmet banquet made from other caterers’ leftover food Fat Belly Rocks celebrate their Gold Green Trader Award at Glasto 2013 whose Surplus Supper Club offers festival-goers a fine dining experience using only food saved from landfill. The tent appears at Shambala, Bestival and Camp Bestival as part of a deal that includes Fareshare gathering the good food that would be dumped when traders move on. “Festival food waste is quite a major problem – we took two tons away from Bestival last year but we could have taken triple that amount,” project manager Jacqui Reeves revealed. “We distribute the food to projects around the festival area. This year we’re taking surplus food from Glastonbury and WOMAD too.” Profits from the tent – which regularly sells out - will go towards funding research to help festival organisers and traders cut down unnecessary food waste. You can book for the Surplus Supper Club through the Fareshare Facebook page www.facebook.com/FareShareSouthWest

No Bones Jones waving their Gold Green Trader Award at Glasto 2011

Live samba at Bristol’s BIG Green Week

festival ticket offers! We’re offering you the chance to win FREE tickets to EIGHT amazing festivals this summer season in the Spark, making our Festival Special even more special than usual! The closing date for EACH festival ticket offer is stated at the bottom of the relevant text. Please send all competition entries on a post card or a sealed envelope, along with your name, full address and phone number and email address to The Spark, 86 Colston Street, Bristol, BS1 5BB. Competitions can also be entered online at www.thespark.co.uk/competitions. Only one entry per person per competition will be accepted. Please send separate entries for each competition. Entry is open to residents of Sparkland ONLY (roughly a 50-mile radius of Bristol with the exception of employees (and their families) of The Spark, its printers and any other company associated with the competition. Entrants must be aged 18 or over.

farmfestival WIN!

2 x ADULT WEEKEND TICKETS

armfestival takes place in Bruton from August 1-2. Their motto is “keep it independent, keep it small, make it affordable, make it for all” and they deliver with a much-loved grass roots festie that gives a wedge of its proceeds to charity. Farmfestival is friendly, lively, perfect for families or those who want an easy, sociable weekend with good food, good music and good company. Organic food is supplied by hosts Gilcombe farm and “party beverages” come from local suppliers. This year music comes from the Hot 8 Brass Bank from New Orleans, plus Public Service Broadcasting, Melt Yourself Down, Coves, Alpines, Beaty Heart, Laid Blak, Onlyjoe, Jus Now Live, Skinny Lister, Emily and The Woods and many more. DJs include Ralph Lawson, DJ Food, Channel One Soundsystem, Romare, Leo Zero, Richy Pitch, The Kelly Twins, The Quintessential Soundsystem, Farmfestival Djs, James ‘James Bell’ Bell & many more.

To win two adult weekend tickets to Farmfestival just tell us:“One of Farmfestival’s ticket sellers are giving 50% of their booking fee to Bath charity, Send a Cow. Which one is it?” (see website) First correct answer pulled on July 1 will win 2 tickets PLUS drink tokens! www.farmfestival.co.uk

2 x ADULT WEEKEND TICKETS

UEST festival takes place at Newton Abbott racecourse in Devon from July 24-27. In the heart of the West Country, 10 miles from the sea, Dartmoor and Totnes you’ll find the Quest festival of mind, body & spirit. Quest offers a huge range of workshops including yoga, dance, meditation, shamanism, personal development, singing, alternative health and therapies, confidence building, psychic awareness, laughter workouts, tai chi, myth-telling, herbal medicine, regression hypnosis and feng shui among many others. This year’s programme features inspirational talks from Jonathan Cainer, Peter Owen Jones, Colin Tipping, William Bloom, Sarah Rozenthuler, The Barefoot Doctor, Jamie Catto, and many more exciting speakers. New for 2014 is the Spirit of Sunrise Camping Village, co-created by the founders of Sunrise Celebration. The village will host the Earthheart café, a beautiful space with performance, ambient music, art installations, morning family yoga, sauna, hot-tubs and more. Come and enjoy fire-side talks with the likes of Tim ‘Mac’ McCartney of Embercombe. Also new for 2014 is Kids Quest, including a treasure hunt and family activities for toddlers and teens. Drumming, hula-hooping, spoon carving, circus skills, theatre and storytelling is all on offer. Quest Festival director Julia Wright says: “Quest is a journey of self-discovery. It’s a break from daily life into true reality. It’s

GREEN GATHERING

WIN!

1 x family pass for 4 days

a place where everyone shows up in their best colours shining bright with potential: a celebration of all that we are and can be.” To win two adult weekend tickets to Quest, just tell us: in Dance Quest, what is the Barefoot Doctor’s dance session called? (see website) First correct entry pulled on June 24 gets the tickets www.questuk.co.uk

(2 adults, 2 teens 11-

15 yrs, kids go free)

reen Gathering takes place in Chepstow from July 31-Aug 3. A festival ‘beyond hedonism’, Green Gathering focuses on education for sustainability. Set in wooded grounds, with stunning views over the Severn and Wye Valley, The Green Gathering offers a low impact summer holiday powered by wind, sun and people. Winner of The Spark’s 2013 Family Award, the Gathering has an adventurous Kids’ Zone and offers free tickets for children. The line-up includes Seize The Day, 3 Daft Monkeys, Tarantism, Nik Turner, Billy Rowan, Rory McLeod, Pikey Beatz, Pagan Love Cult, Hattie Hatstar and DJs Libby Lawes and Gary Clail. The Speakers’ Forum hosts green thinkers and activists; there’s spoken word, acoustic music sessions, solar cinema, permaculture, art studios and an Avalon Rising space complete with mystics and imagineers. Hands-on workshops and skillshares will be held in the Off Grid College, the Co-operators’ Camp, and in the craft, healing and campaigns areas. Reasonably priced real ale and cider bars, wholesome food, solar showers, wood-fired saunas, campfires and a community of like-

OFF GRID

QUEST FESTIVAL

WIN!

photo Stefan Handy minded people round off the event. To win one family pass for 4 days, just tell us: Which area will Radical Routes be co-ordinating at Green Gathering this year? (see website) First correct answer pulled on July 1 will win this very special family pass. All Spark readers can get a special £10 discount on their ticket price to Green Gathering 2014, simply by quoting access code SPARKGG14 when booking. www.greengathering.org.uk

WIN!

2 x ADULT WEEKEND TICKETS (kids free!)

ff Grid takes place near Frome from Aug 14-17. This much loved part-festival, part-conference, part-summer camp is organised by One Planet Community (in collaboration with Cloud Cuckoo Land and Building Man Festival). Hosted on a brand new site, the beautiful Thoulstone Park, near Frome, Off Grid it comprises of five main areas. Off Grid College offers a 12-module course in practical sustainability supported by Shift Bristol and brings together an outstanding network of local tutors and workshop facilitators over four days. Come and learn about eco-build techniques, applied permaculture and green technology. The ‘Cloud of Unknowing’ area offers debates and Q&A sessions, in collaboration with Schumacher College & Permanent Culture Now amongst others. ‘Building Man’ is an extended 10 day design and build space, facilitated by Tin Village and Tangentfield. This part will be facilitated by experienced eco builders while encouraging 100% participation. Meanwhile, Birthing Woman is a space for inner journeying and receptivity, featuring a cosy chai shop, a workshop space focusing on the Work That Reconnects, plus a red tent and men’s circle, wild woods bushcraft camp and storytelling children’s fire. Last but not least, our Circle of Visions is a live music and performing arts venue featuring many of the UK’s best loved world music acts, including United Vibrations, Seize the Day, The Drop, Cut-A-Shine, De Fuego, Duncan Disorderly, Kidnap Alice and many more. Don’t miss The Old Tree, Off Grid’s

very own brewery and pub! All festival goers are encouraged to engage with the on-site zero waste policy, sign up for volunteer shifts in the People’s Kitchen or as a Green Steward, or simply to reduce your footprint by using transport options and Camp Light hospitality available. The crew behind Off Grid say: “Welcome to our new story of the people. Off Grid is an opportunity to breathe deeply and tread lightly. This summer, join our newly indigenous tribe of builders, growers, healers and storytellers as we celebrate the beginning of an Age of Reunion.” To win two adult weekend tickets to Off Grid, just tell us: Numbers for Off Grid are limited. How many people may attend in 2014? (see website) First correct answer pulled on July 15 will win this very special family pass. www.offgrid-festival.co.uk

festival ticket offers! starry skies

WIN!

1 x family ticket for 5 days

WOMAD WIN!

2 x adult weekend tickets

tarry Skies Family Camp takes place from July 23-27 on a beautiful site between the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains. Starry Skies is all about providing a relaxing family camping experience in a beautiful setting, where kids and adults can reconnect to the great outdoors, kids can roam free, and adults can properly relax! The site encompasses a working farm, miles of rolling meadows, rivers and streams, ancient woodland, mountains and hills and lies in easy reach of the Gower peninsula, the Wye Valley and the Pembrokeshire coast. With a petite capacity of 250 families, Starry Skies encourages a neighbourly spirit and a friendly ‘around the campfire’ atmosphere amongst parents and children alike. The programme of outdoor activities includes a forest school, wild walks, nature art, star-gazing and woodland play. The centre camp, at the heart of the Starry Skies site, comprises an organic restaurant, a cinema, several workshop tents, a bookshop and the Giant Teepee with organised activities and live entertainment taking place throughout the day and into the evening. Adults can access a pampering area offering

photo Louise Roberts a range of therapies; workshops in yoga, tai chi and other meditative arts; a bar stocked with everything from real ale to posh cocktails and live entertainment programmed by the Shambala music team. Campers can even have fresh croissants, bread and papers delivered to their tents each morning! To win 1 family pass for 5 days, simply tell us: What is the adult pampering lounge at Starry Skies called? (see website) First correct answers out of the hat on June 24 win a family pass. www.starry-skies.net

green earth awakening

WIN!

photo Suzie Blake

OMAD festival takes place at Charlton Park on July 24-27. WOMAD, the original and biggest celebration of music, arts, food and dance from across the world, returns for another glorious year in 2014. Expect first class musicians, performers and artists from every corner of the earth entertaining festival-goers across the weekend, on seven stages, in the lush and leafy surroundings of Charlton Park in Wiltshire. From the mouth-watering Taste the World stage to the thumping San-Fran disco bar, via extensive workshops and the largest children’s activity area at any festival,

2000TREES

WOMAD will be bursting with something to thrill the whole family. Line-up includes Bobby Womack, Richard Thompson, Les Ambassadeurs, Alice Russell, Bassekou Koyate & Ngoni Ba, Kathryn Williams, Fat Freddy’s Drop and many, many more. To win two adult weekend tickets to WOMAD simply tell us: What does WOMAD stand for? (see website) First correct answer pulled on June 24 will win tickets. www.womad.co.uk

WIN!

3 x ADULT WEEKEND TICKETS

2 x ADULT WEEKEND TICKETS

reen Earth Awakening takes place in the Blackdown Hills, from July 16-20. From the team who brought you Buddhafield comes this unique camp, just for 2014. The crew behind Buddhafield are taking a break from organising the main festival this year and putting on this smaller event instead (though rest assured Buddafield proper will return for 2015!) The motto for Green Earth Awakening is “Engage now, change the future.” Green Earth Awakening will take place on the team’s old festival site in the glorious Blackdown Hills in Somerset. They say: “Come and connect with the land, learn vital skills and explore pathways towards a sustainable future with green crafts plus a range of social change and ecology workshops. There will be meditation and Dharma talks giving a spiritual context to empower us to change. Plus dance, yoga and live music giving us the movement and play to connect as a

community and engage with each other.” To win two adult weekend tickets to Green Earth Awakening, just tell us: From where does the concept of a “buddhafield”, or of “buddhafields”, originate? First correct answer pulled on June 17 will win 2 tickets. www.buddhafield.com

000trees takes place in Gloucestershire, from July 10-12. The team behind 2000trees say this: “Often the best small festivals spring from an organic labour of love and a long-time dream which has been shared by thousands more. 2000trees was created from just such a dream by a group of friends and last year it won the Grass Roots Award at the UK Festival Awards. The three-day event will see 5,000 music fans discover the very best new and underground bands on six stages, plus comedy, Silent Disco DJs, quality food and drink and much more, in a picturesque Cotswolds setting at Upcote Farm, near Cheltenham on July 10-12. 2000trees is also ‘A Greener Festival Award’ winner for its dedication to being one of the UK’s greenest festivals.

Headliners will be Band of Skulls, Frightened Rabbit, Jamie Lenman and Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip. To win 3 adult weekend tickets just tell us: When was the very first 2000trees Festival ? First correct answer pulled on June 10 will win the tickets. www.twothousandtreesfestival.co.uk

14 ignite june compiled by Darryl Bullock

the main event: Deva Premal and Miten in concert June 7 With millions of album sales worldwide, Deva Premal and Miten have introduced the power of ancient Sanskrit mantras to the West while adding a modern twist. Playing at the Pavilion, Bath, classically-trained Deva and Miten (who has toured with Lou Reed and Fleetwood Mac) have released a string of acclaimed albums and their live concerts have covered venues from yoga studios to cathedrals and music festivals around the world. “Deva and I look forward to every concert as a fresh opportunity to visit the sacred realm of mantra and dive into its mysterious depths,” says Miten. “Bath will be an extra special gathering, to celebrate our community, our spiritual family. This whole part of England is steeped in cosmic and ancient legend. It will be a magical gathering of kindred spirits. In fact my son and his family live in Bristol and they’ll all be in the front row.” 7.30pm. Tickets from £25 www.seedidea.net

green is the colour

Until June 8 The Chelsea Fringe in Bristol brings London’s alternative garden festival to the city, showcasing community gardens, art installations, guerilla growing and a host more interesting, under-the-radar projects. www.facebook.com/chelseafringebristol

we’ve got an ology June

3-8 Curated by CBBC’s ‘Deadly’ Steve Backshall, this year’s Cheltenham Science Festival features a mixture of great scientists, thinkers, artists & performers including Evan Davis, Robin Ince, Richard Dawkins and the legendary Wilko Johnson (above). www.cheltenhamfestivals.com

back to the ’80s June 6-8

Let’s Rock Bristol is a family-friendly music festival with a stellar line-up of ’80s pop stars including Bananarama, Level 42, Rick Astley, Tony Hadley, Kim Wilde (above) and Belinda Carlisle plus entertainers, a circus and rides to keep the younger kids happy. www.letsrockbristol.co.uk

get involved! This section of Ignite gives you lots of juicy info about local activism, new campaigns, projects and collectives you can get involved with. We include details of new movements for social change, reactions to important local issues and any unusual, under-the-radar stuff that we think you’ll find interesting. Email details to editor@thespark.co.uk and we’ll help spread the word. Avon Coalition Against Biofuels are campaigning to stop two new biomass power stations being built at Avonmouth. The power stations will burn wood and palm oil. ACAB say “With palm oil, virgin forests are destroyed to create mono-culture plantations while land is grabbed from indigenous people. The process reduces biodiversity, contributes to global warming & destroys communities. Wood dust, which will blow over us locally, is a carcinogen. Biomass electricity-generating stations such as these are on average only 30% efficient. They rely on huge subsidies (which we all pay for) to make profit.” Get involved! The campaign needs local people to help with events, actions, publicity and lobbying. The group will meet June 2, then every second Monday after that, at 6.30pm, at The Old Library, Trinity Road, Old Market, BS2 0NW. Email ahead for more info! info@avoncoalitionagainstbigbiofuels.org.uk www.avoncoalitionagainstbigbiofuels.org.uk

Bristol Indymedia is now up and running. Please try it out, put up some events, add some news, add your group etc. They will be holding a public meeting for volunteers soon, so keep an eye on the site if you want to get involved. http://bristol.indymedia.org Please email imc-bristol@lists.indymedia.org if you have any problems using the site.

giggling guru June 9 Here’s a

rare opportunity to experience Laughter Yoga with its founder, Dr Madan Kataria. Practised world-wide, Laughter Yoga has blossomed over the last 20 years. This is Dr Kataria’s first visit to Bristol since 2003, so don’t miss out! www.hamiltonhouse.org/laughter-yoga

sustainable Taunton

June 15 See the latest developments in renewable energy & sustainable living at the Sustainability Show & Taunton Food Fair. With gifts, crafts and food from over 100 exhibitors, plus entertainment & activities for all. www.sustainabilityshow.org.uk

world aware

June 19 Charity & social enterprise Embercombe hosts Change Your World at the Arnolfini, Bristol, part of BIG Green Week, with guest speakers including Tim ‘Mac’ Macartney (above), Scilla Elworthy, Kanada Elizabeth Gorla & Jo Clarke. www.embercombe.co.uk

the peerless Pierian

June 21 Nick Thomas’s new book, the Honesty Pot, celebrates the 10-year odyssey of Bristol’s much-missed Pierian Centre. Join the celebrations at the Watershed to mark the launch and join in a discussion with founder June Burrough, Mayor George Ferguson & Nick Thomas about what the centre achieved. Free, booking essential. bit.ly/1hdGOoy almanac Full moons: June 13 (sunrise 4.56am; sunset 9.30pm), July 12 (Super Full Moon: sunrise 5.10am; sunset 9.26pm), August 10 (Super Full Moon: sunrise 5.50am: sunset 8.45pm). Autumn issue of the Spark available from September 1

love & light

June 21 There are clothes designers & sellers, body products, readers, healers, therapists, auric photographers, artists and plenty more to discover at this summer’s free-entry Festival of Light at the Assembly Rooms, Glastonbury. www.festivaloflight.biz Pic: Visit Britain/M. Brent birthdays, anniversaries etc June 3 is the feast day of St Kevin, the patron saint of blackbirds; it’s also the birthday of legendary dancer, singer and actress Josephine Baker. Talking of actresses, Prunella Scales and Meryl Streep both celebrate their birthday on June 22.

kome to Keynsham

June 30-July 6 Now in its 14th year this year’s Keynsham Music Festival will feature four stages with performances from some of the best acts in the region, delicious food, real ales, stalls and plenty of family-friendly activities. www.keynshammusicfestival.co.uk Born on the 4th of July? Louis Armstrong, Gina Lollobrigida and playwright Neil Simon were too. The Dalai Lama and George W Bush were both born on July 6; Bastille Day, July 14, is also the birthday of artist Gustav Klimt; July 19 is the 200th anniversary of the death of Matthew Flinders,

The revolutionary feminist magazine Spare Rib was first published in 1972 and ran until 1993. It quickly established a reputation as the leading publication for feminist thought, debate and comment. Now the British Library is hoping to make it all available online and staff are tracking down the magazine’s old contributors to seek their permission to republish their work. Get in touch if you were involved! http://tinyurl.com/kcjbykf

Have you heard of Thunderclap? It’s the world’s first ‘crowd-speaking’ platform that helps people be heard by saying something together. Thunderclap enables you to use your social media networks to maximum impact if you have a really important message to get out. Thunderclap will blast out a timed Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr post from all your supporters, creating a wave of attention for your campaign. It’s being used by the UN, Greenpeace and the White House, amongst others. Check it out! www.thunderclap.it

who first identified Australia as a continent. July 20 is St Wilgefortis’s Day - patron saint of difficult marriages. Bela Lugosi’s dead: the Dracula star passed away on August 16, 1956. Kiss legend Gene Simmonds shares a birthday, on August 25, with Ivan the Terrible.

MSc in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes

Metanoia Institute, a leading Counselling and Psychotherapy Organisation, offers this exciting course.

• Validated by Middlesex University • 1 year (PG Certificate) and 2 year (PG Diploma) • 10 weekends per year • Now recruiting for our Bristol and London campuses - course commencing October 2014 Creative writing offers an innovative intervention to engage with a wide range of health and community needs, as well as a broad spectrum of the problems of living presented by those seeking coaching, mentoring, counselling or personal guidance. This unique programme prepares participants to work at this growing edge. Participants will develop and enhance their ability to work in this field via personal creative and reflective writing, groupwork and research and inquiry projects. Tutored by five published writers with extensive experience of using therapeutic writing in health and community settings. This course offers excellent support in personal and professional growth. For more information go to:

www.metanoia.ac.uk/msccwtp

or contact the Academic Coordinator, Mandy Kersey, at Metanoia Institute on 020 8579 2505 / 020 8832 3073 (direct) or email: mandy.kersey@metanoia.ac.uk

MASTERS PROGRAMME IN DANCE MOVEMENT PSYCHOTHERAPY validated by Canterbury Christ Church University Interviewing now for 2014 intake Professional training leading to Registration as a Dance Movement Psychotherapy Practitioner INTRODUCTION TO DMP STUDIES 6 day intensive taster courses give an excellent experiential introduction for anyone interested in our work. 20 WEEK FOUNDATION IN DANCE MOVEMENT AND THE THERAPEUTIC PROCESS, interviewing now, Spring start TBA.

16 ignite july get involved!

email editor@thespark.co.uk with details of your projects, actions, groups and networks

just for laughs July 2-6

The Bristol Comedy Garden is back for five amazing nights of laughs. Queen Square will be transformed into a comedy wonderland with some of the biggest names on the circuit, including Reginald D Hunter, Milton Jones, Ardal O’Hanlon, Nina Conti and Al Murray. www.bristolcomedygarden.co.uk

meditate on this!

July 4-6 A weekend of healing, meditation and relaxation is being hosted at Ragman’s Farm in the Forest of Dean. Revitalise and reconnect with experienced yoga teachers Rob Simpson and Claire Amos. Accommodation and veggie food provided. www.ragmans.co.uk

party for pride

July 5-12 This year’s Bristol Pride week is packed with comedy, dance, theatre, film and performance, and culminates with Pride Day - a massive free outdoor festival in Castle Park. A supporter wristband (starts at £5) gets you discounts and offers throught the week at www.pridebristol.co.uk

Housing and support organisation Curo has launched a project to support young people who want to make a difference in their communities through practical action. Keynsham ‘Time Out Task Force’ are one of the first groups to sign up to the scheme, dubbed ‘Neighbourhood Hoodies’. Got a project they could help with? Tel Mark Willcox, Keynsham town council youth worker on 0117 986 8683 email youthworker@keynsham-tc.gov.uk

Get involved in the Plastic Challenge 2014 with marine consultant Emily Smith, (who volunteers for the Marine Conservation Society and featured in Spark 73). The MSC are looking for creative fundraising ideas to promote awareness around plastic waste. See our ‘PlasticFree Festies’ boxout in the Festivals guide (p10) for more on this issue. See http://plasticbeaches.blogspot.co.uk Search The Plastic Challenge on Facebook or Pinterest.

to be or not to be July

11-27 Now in its 11th year the Bristol Shakespeare Festival is back with a range of traditional and innovative shows to mark the 450th anniversary of the bard’s birth. Look out for local and national companies performing in unusual places. www.bristolshakespeare.org.uk

a taste of Dursley July

12 Dursley’s annual Town Festival includes a food, arts & crafts market in the town centre in the morning followed by a children’s procession kicking off an afternoon of free, family-friendly performances and activities on the recreation ground. www.dursleyfestival.co.uk

six string sessions July

25-27 The International Gypsy Guitar Festival is a family-friendly weekend celebrating the passion, melody & technical ability of Gypsy Jazz, with performances from professional artists as well as spontaneous jam sessions that can run late into the night. www.iggf.co.uk

A Place to Grow is an educational project in Stroud where home-educated kids and their parent meet three days a week. It comprises a yurt and a dome in a wildflower meadow and adjacent woods (with tree house, climbing nets & fire pit). Expect weekly cooking in the woods, nature observation, visits from geologists, artists and funny science sessions. Parents form a vital part of the community. Cost £20 per day, 35 weeks a year. Space available for 6-10 year olds. email placetogrowstroud@gmail.com www.facebook.com/aplace.togrow.7?fref=ts

the Goddess within

July 29 - August 3 The 19th annual Glastonbury Goddess Conference takes place over six days, with priestesses, presenters and participants journeying through sacred ceremony, workshops & performance. Theme is “Crone Goddess: the Cauldron & the Loom.” www.goddessconference.com

Yoga for all August 1-3 The

Devon Yoga Festival, held near Newton Abbot, offers a chance to immerse yourself in over 40 workshops, enjoy delicious local food and bask in a wonderful sense of community. Features include a Yoga DJ Dance evening, traditional Kirtan chanting and a wide range of teaching styles. www. devonyogafestival.co.uk

in the Red August 2 Redfest

is a community-run arts and music festival that takes place every year in and around St George’s Park, Bristol. East Bristol’s largest free festival, expect lots of family-friendly fun in the park, plus bands and other acts in the local cafes and pubs throughout the day and into the night. www.redfestbristol.co.uk

Sims Hill Shared Harvest are looking for more people to become members of their community supported agriculture project. The project is run as a co-op, and if you are interested in contributing financially, you’ll be involved in all the decision-making and receive a share of the produce grown. Get in touch! www.simshill.co.uk

A new garden share project in Bristol is looking for volunteer co-ordinators. The Friendly Garden Share Project puts owners of underused gardens in touch with local growers who need space. Chris on 07792 394271 www.friendlygardenshare.org.uk

Above & beyond charity raises money for Bristol’s hospitals. If you can spare some time to volunteer at Bristol International Balloon Fiesta from 7-10 August, proceeds go to the charity.

up, up and away!

August 7-10 Europe’s largest ballooning event, the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is now in its 36th year. Featuring mass ascents morning and night, with over 130 hot air balloons taking to the skies plus the famous nightglows, plus loads of family entertainment. www.bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk did you know? Over the summer we in the West will witness two Super Full Moons, one in July and one in August. A supermoon occurs when the moon is in full or new moon phase when its orbit brings it closest to the earth, resulting in an apparently

Tarka’s tail

August 17 Learn all about the West’s elusive otters, with expert guidance from the Somerset Otter Group. Get to know more about these special animals, and maybe catch a glimpse of one of them at Otters on the Marshes, Avalon Marshes Centre, Westhay, Somerset. Free, but booking essential. 01458 860120l larger than usual size. The moon orbits the earth in an ellipse: at its most distant point (or apogee) the moon is about 251,000 miles away, and at its closest (perigee) it’s about 225,000 miles away. The association of the moon with both oceanic and crustal tides has led to claims that

take a restival

Aug 18-21 Do you long to slow down? Hawkwood’s Restival is a chance for you to make some space for rest and renewal, with daily mindfulness practice, meditation and qigong or yoga sessions, nutrition, de-stressing and sleep advice, as well as laughter yoga and time to be alone, and access to their craft studios. www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk the supermoon phenomenon may be associated with increased risk of events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. One thing for sure is that the moon affects tides: every full moon we experience extra high high tides, and extra low low tides, but the supermoon means that these

Tel Jenny Sheriff at the charity on 0117 370 0482 or email her on jenny.sheriff@aboveandbeyond.org.uk

BIG Green Week is looking for volunteer stewards to help manage Bristol’s international green festival from 14-22 June. http://biggreenweek.com/category/news/

will be even higher (or lower) than usual. The one to watch for is on August 10. The opposite phenomenon, when the full or new moon is at its furthest from earth, is sometimes known as a micromoon.

Sue Ryder’s Dragon Boat Festival

Bringing charities together

Baltic Wharf, Sunday 14th September 2014

40 boats, 2,000 spectators Raising thousands for charity Want to get involved? Dragon Boats is open to all abilities and anyone over 16. Compete in a series of heats, lasting just a couple of minutes as you battle for the fastest time. Teams consist of 17 and it’s about teamwork and having fun!

Sponsored by

To find out more call 0117 929 3618 or email: southwest@sueryder.org www.sueryder.org/dragonboats Sue Ryder is a charity registered in England and Wales (1052076) and in Scotland (SC039578). Ref No.03051. © Sue Ryder. January 2014.

18 events diary regular Mondays Free Happiness Workshops from Light Box - unlocking people’s creative potential to be happy. 2-4pm. Different theme each week. Broadmead, Bristol. Book online: www.wearelightbox.co.uk or call 0117 239 3360 Tuesdays - 3rd Monthly Bristol Laughter Workshops with Joe Hoare. Learn to laugh more for mindfulness, happiness, stress-free living. 7.30-9pm, from £8. Also Retrain Your Brain to Happiness, 31st October/1st November & Laughter Facilitation Skills. www.bristollaughterclub.com Thursdays If you have read the likes of Eckhart Tolle, David Hawkins, Krinshnamurti, Seth etc. and are interested in spiritual development, there is a focus group that meets in Kilmersdon (Nr. Radstock) on a Thursday at 7.30. If that sounds of interest please call 07745 230813, you would be most welcome! Thursdays Free Signposting Service from The Happiness Project - visit the signposting wall for a monthly roundup of Bristol’s events and opportunities for enhancing your wellbeing. Open from 10am. Broadmead, Bristol. Come and drop in. Free tea! More information: www.wearelightbox.co.uk or call 0117 239 3360

advertise your events for just 90p a word • book at www.thespark.co.uk

Saturdays & 2nd Wednesday

Thursday 29 May

Your Community Clinic: enjoy holistic therapies for less. Weekly Saturday clinic in St Werburghs and monthly Wednesday clinic in Broadmead. Qualified, insured therapists offer massage and other therapies for £13-£35. Everyone of all ages welcome whether suffering from long-term health problems, or after some “me-time”. Reiki shares and courses also available. For full treatment list and further info: www.yourcommunityclinic.com or 07809 736187 / 07982 243804 Sundays Free Meditation Practice. Yungdrung Bon Buddhism. Sundays 10.30 to 11.30 am, Blue Room, The Practice Rooms, 26 Upper Borough Walls, Bath, BA1 1RH. www.tybscbathteachings.co.uk 0751 804 1808, 0781 264 1459 Sunday - 1st of the month Dance Circle. Join us for a joyful evening of folk and circle dances from around the world. Bath Scouts HQ, 7 Grove Street. 7.30pm £8. No group in August. Call or message Sian on 0780 956 6021

summer

Saturdays

his botanic garden offers contemporary collections displaying the Evolution of plants, Mediterranean flora, rare natives and useful plants (including Chinese and Western herbs). The glasshouses are home to tropical fruit, medicinal plants and the giant Amazon waterlily. Open all year, Mon-Fri, plus Sun Apr-Oct & Sat JuneSept, 10am-4.30pm Adults £3.50.Under 16s free. Bee and Pollination Festival 6 and 7 September.

NEW DIMENSIONS Bristol Positive Living Group Talks on a wide range of alternative and holistic subjects. Everyone welcome

Sunday 22 June 2014 USE THE ENNEAGRAM TO EXPLORE RELATIONSHIPS

THE HEALING POWER OF VOCAL SOUND

James D’Angelo www.soundspirit.co.uk Sunday 21 September 2014 THE MYSTERY OF THE BOSNIAN PYRAMIDS

Nigel Grace

Held at: The Friends’ Meeting House, 126 Hampton Road, Redland, Bristol. BS6 6JE Entrance £5.00 Refreshments incl. 3pm-5pm

Ffi contact 01749 678834 leasurs@tiscali.co.uk www.positivelivinggroups.org.uk

DO YOU WISH YOUR TEENAGER SPENT MORE TIME IN NATURE?

HALF TERM: MAY 24-27 SUMMER HOLIDAY: AUGUST 1-5 AUGUST 23-27 2014 WILD CAMPS FOR TEENAGERS NEAR BRISTOL wildwisehungergames.co.uk 01803 868269

may RidePortishead Sunday May 25th

Join Sue Ryder and Fox Cycles for a family bike ride and fun day at the Portishead lake grounds. We will send you off on a secret 7km route around Portishead & Gordano whilst collecting goodies along the way.

Build your own solar panel in an innovative workshop and learn how to connect solar panels to batteries, laptops and phones in an off-grid system. Demand Energy Equality runs affordable workshops, conveniently located in central Bristol. 0117 314 4657 www.demandenergyequality.org

june

Veronica Croft www.enneagram-uk.com Sunday 20 July 2014

Sunday 25 May

Saturdays & Sundays (3rd weekend monthly)

Saturday 7 June

Return to the lake grounds for a fun filled afternoon of workshops, entertainment, delicious food, craft stalls and much more. For more info contact southwest@sueryder.org 0117 9293618

read all about it! An ad on these pages could reach over 100,000 potential customers, course-goers and music lovers in Bath, Bristol, Cheltenham, Frome, Glastonbury, Gloucester, Stroud, Taunton, Wells and all points inbetween The Spark: the west’s ethical answer since 1993

Friday 13 - Saturday 14 June Open Art - introduction to Shambhala art. Open to anyone with or without “art” or meditation experience. Starts with Friday night talk followed by all day workshop. bristol.shambhala.info; bristol@shambhala.org.uk; 17 Lower Redland Road, Bristol Tuesday 17 June Bristol Laughter Workshop. See Tuesdays Friday 20 - Sunday 22 June

The Severnside Institute for Psychotherapy

Training and Part-Time Courses Part-time Courses starting Autumn 2014:

 Introductory Course in Psychoanalytic Theories and Concepts  Pre-Clinical courses in Infant Observation, Work Discussion, and Classical Theory

Clinical Trainings (leading to registration with the British Psychoanalytic Council)  Clinical Training in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (enrolling for Autumn 2014)  Clinical Training in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (enrolling for Autumn 2015 and late applications considered for 2014)

SIP is a professional training and membership institute, and a charitable company dedicated to the provision of psychotherapy services and events for the public.

For further information and application forms: The General Administrator, SIP, 11 Orchard Street, Bristol BS1 5EH www.sipsychotherapy.org  0117 927 3898  administrator@sipsychotherapy.org.

A complete Qi Gong System Founded by Dr Shen Hongxun and taught by Andy Henry

Bristol Workshops 2014

12-13 July 11-12 October 6 December

Learn a simple yet powerful system of Chinese healing exercises to clear your body, energy system and emotions. Old tensions are quickly released leaving a sense of lightness, clarity and vitality. Students will also receive healing from the teacher. Open to all. £95 per w/end 10am - 5pm Sat & Sun

Contact: Bristol Weekend Workshops and Healing Clinic T 0117 3770103 / 07766 100383 E Taijiwuxigong@waitrose.com

20 events diary Saturday 21 June

Friday 4 - Saturday 5 July

Glastonbury Free Festival of Light. Assembly Rooms, High Street. Readers, Healers, Therapists, Trade Stands. Free Admission & Workshops. 10am-5pm. www.festivaloflight.biz

Contemplative photography workshop with Colin Tracy. Starts with Friday evening talk ‘A Mind for Art’. The workshop combines meditation and photography. Any form of camera can be used and no previous experience of photography or meditation is necessary. bristol.shambhala.info; bristol@shambhala.org.uk; 17 Lower Redland Road, Bristol

Saturday 21 June From Wired to Fired: A sound approach to feminine power. Mantra voice workshop in Glastonbury with Sara McCarthy. sara@performancefrequency.com 07876 298613 www.performancefrequency.com Thursday 26 June Early Bird deadline for The Spark autumn issue. Get the discount for your autumn fayres, fires and harvest feasts, and your courses, groups and workshops starting in the new term. 0117 914 34 34 sales@thespark.co.uk Book and pay for ads online at www.thespark.co.uk

Saturday 5 July Gurt Lush Choir, the Fantasy Orchestra and St Mary Redcliffe All-Star Symphonia present A Night at the Movies: Morricone & Friends, a celebration of film music over half a century. 7.30pm, £10/£8/£2. www.colstonhall.org Wednesday 9 - Sunday 13 July YUNGDRUNG BON BUDDHISM The Ancient Buddhism of Tibet

Thursday 26 - Sunday 29 June

book online at www.thespark.co.uk or email ads@thespark.co.uk • 90p a word!

Wednesday 16 - Sunday 20 July

Thursday 31 July - Sun 3 August

Friday 1 - Sunday 3 August

THE DEVON

Yoga Festival 1-3 AUGUST 2014

Embracing the Holistic Practices of Yoga. •A choice of over 40 workshops •A wide variety of Yoga styles The Devon

en w.buddhaofkieild.com/g y! gag e, e x pl o r e, pla Wednesday 23 July Enlightenment - Fact or Myth? - a talk with Anthony Johnston. What is enlightenment? If it exists, is it relevant in today’s world? How could you experience it? Wed 23rd July - 7.45pm @ The Wildgoose Space, BS2 9YP Donations www.anthonyjohnston.co.uk anthonyjohnston.info@gmail.com Natural Wisdom is now ...

For more information call

01392 420573

School

Yoga

info@devonyogafestival.co.uk www.devonyogafestival.co.uk

august

Friday 8 - Sunday 17 August Qigong Camp. An oasis of sanity in challenging times. Ten days of Qigong, good company, connection with nature. Held in a beautiful Dartmoor meadow and led by deeply experienced teachers. Contact 01364 644040 or post@qigong-southwest.co.uk www.qigong-southwest.co.uk

Sunday 3 August

Monday 18 - Thurs 21 August

Wednesday 23 - Sunday 27 July

E M

LY Y DA

a b e ut

GA ME

Forest of Dean Yoga & Meditation Camp. Beautiful venue. Camping or beds. Delicious vegetarian food included. 0790 394 0694 www.ragmans.co.uk

und

Friday 4 - Sunday 6 July

Bristol Laughter Workshop. See Tuesdays

Friday 25 - Sunday 27 July

FUN

july

Tuesday 15 July

D CA

Embodying Your True Voice. A day of voice, song and movement, exploring the natural voice to energise, heal and empower with Anthony Johnston 28th June, 10am to 5pm. £65/55.

EA A

l if u g

Saturday 28 June

FAMI

Tuesday 19 - Sunday 24 August

“Find your voice” with Jules Olsen. This singing workshop is open to all levels and ages, no experience necessary, just bring your voice and give it a go. bristol.shambhala.info; bristol@shambhala.org.uk; 17 Lower Redland Road, Bristol

At-Bristol presents: Food! Prepare to play with your food as At-Bristol launch their latest hands-on exhibition this summer! Pop corn using nothing but light energy, grind your own grain, create sugar explosions, converse with a robot waiter, and investigate the chemistry that goes on in your own kitchen – plus lots more! Lose yourself in this multisensory arcade of interactive experiences focused around four key areas: grow it, cook it, eat it, and love it. It’s set to be a feast for all the senses – and the whole family! Visit at-bristol.org.uk/food, call 0845 345 1235, or email info@at-bristol.org.uk

Friday 11 - Sunday 13 July

GOLDNEY GARDEN PARTY I C 2014 U S

Saturday 28 June

From 23 July

BRISTOL AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

www.tybscbathteachings.co.uk Tel : 07518041808 or 07812641459

E-Mei with Shen Jin, the world’s leading teacher. E Mei is the ancient root of Tai Chi and Qi Gong exercise, a “moving meditation” to revitalise body & spirit. E-Mei exercises clear our energy to create deep healing and allow us to feel happy just to be ourselves. No experience needed. The venue is Redland High School. Course fee £250. Contact Ann on 0117 377 0103 or email BuqiBristol@Buqi.net

OUT

Lama Khemsar Rinpoche Free Public Talks What is the root cause of all suffering? Wednesday 9th July 7:30-9:30pm BRLSI, Queens Square, Bath BA1 2HN What is meditation? Thursday 10th July 7:00-9:00pm Emmaus House, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1BN Weekend Teaching in Bath (£110) JIN-PA NAM-ZHI The Four Generosities Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th July Freshford Village Hall, Bath BA2 7UR

AND

August 3rd, 1-5pm £5 entry, under 12’s free Goldney Hall, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1BH

19 -24 August, Devon

y l i m a F ic

sp um m ca

song dance

rhythm storytelling Family Music Camp Devon

Glastonbury Symposium: 01398 332 Investigating Signs of our Times. For more information please Speakers include: Patricia Cori, email amnestybristolgroup@ Mary Rodwell, Timothy Freke, gmail.com or visit Andy Thomas, Ken O’Keefe FMCamp_65x50mm_Ad_Spark_v1.indd 1 www2.amnesty.org.uk/ – truth issues, spirituality, groups/bristol geopolitics, consciousness, earth mysteries, UFOs and ETs, crop circles, health, synchronicity and much more. 3-day ticket £120. Day tickets a/v and single lectures. Goldney Ad 2014.indd 1 3/24/2014 6:08:17 PM Crop circle tour 24 July. Tel 01278 722000 www.glastonburysymposium.co.uk

781

28/03/2014 14:28

22 events diary Friday 22 - Friday 29 August

Wednesday 10 September Men’s Circle, twice monthly with Anthony Johnston - 7.30pm-10pm, Starts Wednesday 10 September. Embracing the new, releasing the old. Finding connection with something greater than the ordinary, where visions can take root in the rich soil of honest words and sacred sharing. www.anthonyjohnston.co.uk 0795 005 2100 anthonyjohnston.info@gmail.com

reach 100,000 people for 0.000009p a word each • www.thespark.co.uk

Saturday 4 - Sat 11 October

Life Writing Holiday on the Beautiful Scilly Isles 4th - 11th October 2014 Amazing scenery & walking Lovely accommodation l Tutoring by Paul Dodgson l Writing workshops l Personal tutorials l Fine, locally sourced food

Tuesday 16 September

Bristol Laughter Workshop. See Tuesdays Saturday 23 August

Wednesday 17 September

Creative writing workshop with Lawrence Pettener. Workshop combines mindfulness, meditation and creative writing. No experience necessary, just bring a pen and paper. bristol.shambhala.info; bristol@shambhala.org.uk; 17 Lower Redland Road, Bristol

Bristol Self Enquiry Group - led by Anthony Johnston Using contemplation, dyad communication and sacred sharing to unlock your inherent ability to be and act from your True Nature. Empowering, life enhancing. First session Free. Starts - Wed 17th Sept, 7.30-10pm meeting twice monthly. www.anthonyjohnston.co.uk 0795 005 2100 anthonyjohnston.info@gmail.com

Wednesday 27 - Sun 31 August The Earth First! Summer Gathering. The summer gathering is five days of low impact camping with workshops and skill shares on direct action tactics for radical ecological struggles. Cost £30. Location South West. www.earthfirst.org.uk Sat 30 August - Sun 7 Sept

Friday 26 - Tues 30 September Enlightenment Intensive Awakening to the Source. With Anthony Johnston. There are certain questions in life, that if we were to truly answer, would transform our lives forever; Who Am I? What Am I? What is Life? are all questions that can be answered beyond any shred of doubt - beyond all theories and second hand knowledge - find out for yourself on this transformational retreat. Also talk - 23rd July, 7.45pm, Wildgoose Space, BS2 9YP. www.anthonyjohnston.co.uk 0795 005 2100 anthonyjohnston.co.uk@gmail.com

october Saturday 4 October

september Monday 1 September New mag out today. The autumn issue will inspire, excite, enthuse & delight you, oh yes indeedy. 0117 914 34 34 sales@thespark.co.uk

email: carnwethers@aol.com www.carnwethers.com Tel: (01720) 422415

classified accommodation offered Beautifully Designed three bedroom ‘Eco-home’ built using sustainably sourced materials. Idyllic position, walking distance all amenities of small Somerset market town of Langport. Highly insulated, incorporating renewable energy sources/energy saving devices. Guide price £299,500. 0777 9535562 www.greatbowyard.co.uk

accommodation wanted Housing Association Exchange One bedroom Georgian flat in Bath, prime location, for nonestate, Bristol. Tel: 01225 481628

jobs

I am looking for a new personal assistant(s). Hours to be decided, up to 15 hours pw. Pay dependent on qualifications & experience. Bristol area. You are the first to put the kettle on? You enjoy creating and eating healthy, nutritious, sustaining food. Not easily offended, open-minded, relaxed, punctual, organised, active listener, positive sunny disposition, calm and down to earth. Your job is to enable me to live my life by assisting me, from chauffeur to notetaker and admin, from assistance with dressing to washing, eco cleaning and washing up, and of course, cooking! Hygienic, non-smoker, careful driver with clean licence. If you care naturally, are up for a challenge, tell me why you’re my perfect match and I’ll send you more info. Contact me: No1PositiveAngel@gmail.com

Saturday 6 September From Bone to Crone: A sound approach to feminine power and ageing. Mantra voice workshop in Glastonbury with Sara McCarthy sara@performancefrequency.com 07876 298613 www.performancefrequency.com

Job With A Difference & Unconventional Hours! Lively, (tall) disabled woman values: integrity, positivity, and Holistic Living. Loves... music, good food, gardening, nature and creativity... Requires PA’s for facilitated assistance with all practical aspects of daily life, personal support and mobility, and getting out and about on a 24 x 7 basis (Please note: some lifting and manoeuvring is required). No previous PA experience necessary but basic common sense required of running a home. Involves all types of driving, a varied work day, adaptability, dependability and the capacity to be self-motivated, focused and “on the go”. • Essential requirements: Tall female, 25 yrs+ with a full clean UK driving licence & at least two year’s driving experience; fluent written and spoken English • Also: hardworking, practical, a fast learner; with a [b]high level of core physical strength, fitness and stamina[b/] (comfortable with busy days and assistance with mobility) • Desirable: Applicants should be mature (not necessarily in years), genuine, flexible, reliable, positive, willing and easy going. Gross Pay: £8.40/£9.16 per hour. Block shifts: 24hrs+. Location: Keynsham/Bristol area. For accessibility reasons, please reply by texting your name and address to receive written details and application pack to 07984 819469 This advert complies with Section 7 (2b) of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975

noticeboard Intentional Community Looking for Members Farming community in rural Herefordshire has properties available for sale.See our webite canonfromecourt.org.uk and contact membership@canonfromecourt. org.uk for more details.

Apprenticeships & Volunteering at Embercombe. A one year leadership programme for people who imagine a life of making a difference. Could this be the adventure you are looking for? Kitchen, garden, land and site management apprenticeships all available. Visit www.embercombe. co.uk/apprenticeship Plus, do you have experience in marketing and communications and want to change your world? We are looking for a 1 year MarComms volunteer. These are all live-in positions. Visit www.embercombe.co.uk/ volunteering for a full job description and apply today! Embercombe. Change Your World. Friendly Women’s Group 0791 490 5940

marketplace

for shops, products & services

SUNDAY MARKET

shops

places coffeee

tea Half way up Park Street cake e t n w r a h e o d p a p disa lley toast through the garden marmalade smell the coffee &

baked bread... frittata

Jewellery, Gifts and Curiosities from around the World. Watches, Silver, Costume and Body Jewellery. Watch Batteries and Straps fitted Free.

e-cooked food... cOoked FOR you m hO

Aromatherapy Oils, Crystals, Music Tarot and Meditation Cards. Candles Woodcarvings Furniture, Soft Furnishings and more. 49 High Street, Thornbury, Bristol BS35 2AR Tel &Fax: 01454 415303 E-mail: bibelotuk@hotmail.co.uk www.mythornbury.co.uk/bibelot

bread

40A Park Street, Bristol BS1 7ZX www.folkhousecafe.co.uk 0117 908

Every week 10am - 2.30pm Locally made bread, fresh farm food, home made cakes, plus flowers, books, crafts, jewellery and much more. Don’t miss our vintage & retro market: Retroville on first Sunday of every month.

Trading in a peaceful environment in the heart of Bristol's busy shopping centre, we offer gifts and homeware, 3/4 of which are bought direct from developing countries and small suppliers. We work with the communities who supply our goods, providing them with access to larger markets and asking them where they need support. Our profits go to fund Buddhist projects internationally and community projects amongst our suppliers.

Visit us on the first floor of the Galleries, Broadmead (next to Waterstones) Tel: 0117 922 5877 E-mail: bristol@evolutiongifts.co.uk For details of our ethical trading policy visit our website www.evolutiongifts.co.uk or pick up a leaflet in our shop.

55 Gloucester Road Bishopston Bristol BS7 8AD Tel: 0117 942 5625

Open Tues-Sat 10:00-5:30 Fairtrade clothes • Bags • Gifts • Funky Tights Comprehensive range of Jewellery • Body Jewellery Scarves • Cards • Knitting yarns • Haberdashery and other Fantastic Stuff

The Alternative Department Store

Join us at facebook.com/tobaccofactorymarket for regular updates.

TOBACCOFACTORY.COM An extra special step on your wedding journey...

BATH

Harvest Lifestyle Pharmacy

BRISTOL

Better Food Company (x2) Buxton & Grant Harvest Health Unlimited Penny Brohn Cancer Shop Southville Deli Wild Oats

CHELTENHAM

Natural Grocery Store Wholefoods Market

Relaxed quality B&B accommodation,ensuite rooms

CHEW MAGNA

www.overtherainbowwales.co.uk

The Valley Trading Post

CORSHAM Green Ginger

GLASTONBURY

 Beekeeping for Beginners 7th—8th June  Women’s Walking Holiday 11th—15th July  Salsa & Yoga Weekend 5th—7th September

Natural Earthling

PORTISHEAD Mother Nature

services

STROUD Sunshine Health

TAUNTON Naturalife Foods

Box it up. Design & make your own unique wedding rings and memories to last a lifetime here at workshop

www.workshop22.co.uk 01173290393

products

‘don’t forget we have stall 22 at Bristol Vegefest’ A selection is also available from larger Holland & Barrett shops.

www.lavera.co.uk

gift shop

Vegetarian Guest House Cardigan Bay, West Wales

Key stockists of lavera in the Spark region

O W

ANTIQUES BIKES BUGGY CLOCK COT

DOLLS DRUM KIT FILES GAMES GLOBE

L APTOP PC ROWER SHOES SNOWBOARDS

STOOLS TENT TURNTABLE URN VASES

50% off to to 8 weeks 50% offfor forupup 8 weeks

Big Yellow - 0117 955 6390 50%50% off toBristol weeks Central offfor forup up to 88weeks 50% off for up to 8 weeks Big Yellow Bristol Central - 0117 955 6390 Big Yellow Bristol Central - 0117 955 6390 Please mention the code SPARK1012 in order to claim your 10% off 50% off up Please mention the codefor SPARK1012 in order to to claim8 yourweeks 10% off in order to claim your 10% off mention the6390 Big Yellow Bristol Central - Please 0117 955 mention the code SPARK1012 in code order to claimSPARK1012 your 10% off BigPleaseYellow Bristol Central - 0117 955 6390 Big Yellow Bristol Central - 0117 955 6390

Please mention the code SPARK1012 in order to claim 10% off SPARK1012 in order to claim your 10% off Please your mention the code bigyellow. wco.u w. .k .u

Get some me space in yourr life ife. e™

Make Life Easy For Yourself Simple solutions for stress-free adults and happy, conﬁdent children A great range of hypnosis recordings to help you and your children relax and enjoy life.

24 spark bugle

WIN!

the latest news from Sparkland

A year’s free membership of the Co-wheels Car Club

o-wheels is a Social Enterprise Car Club operator with a growing presence in Bristol, Bath and the surrounding areas. Cars are hired by the half-hour, booked online and accessed with a smart card from convenient locations near where you live and work. With prices as low as £3.75 per hour, or just £17.50 for a whole day, the team at Co-wheels believe that they are the lowest cost car hire around, as well as providing the lowest emission vehicles available (including electric cars) and the flexibility of extending or shortening bookings (or swapping cars) at a minute’s notice, all from your smart phone.

Co-wheels also offer cars with disabled access. Co-wheels has teamed up with the Spark to offer one lucky reader the chance to win one year’s FREE membership of Co-wheels plus £50 of driving credit. For your chance to win this great prize simply answer the following question: name two streets in Bristol which are home to Co-wheels Car Club cars (you’ll find the answer at www.co-wheels.org.uk). Send your answer, on a postcard please, to Co-wheels Comp, The Spark, 86 Colston Street, Bristol BS1 5BB. You can also enter online at www.thespark.co.uk/competitions. www.co-wheels.org.uk Entries must be received by July 24.

Children of author Linda Ananda, who features aboard the Embercombe barge

BIG Green Week B

IG Green Week, Bristol’s festival of all things sustainable and green, returns for a third year, with more than 150 events (over half of them free) taking place around the city, as Bristol gears up for its role as European Green Capital in 2015. Kicking off on June 14 with the annual BIG Green Market, BIG Green Week actually features nine days of inspiring talks, workshops, art, music, poetry, comedy and films, with free family entertainment taking place around the city centre, the harbourside and Park Street on both weekends. Highlights include the Festival of Nature, the UK’s biggest free natural history-themed event (June 14-15), the Fairtrade Fashion gala on June 21 (voted best event of BIG Green Week 2013), fun, free kids’ entertainment, a whole day of cycle-related mayhem (June 22), including the annual electric bike trials, and a range of book-themed events held aboard Embercombe’s very own Dutch sailing barge which is moored temporarily outside the Arnolfini. The Embercombe community (a charity and social enterprise based in south Devon) is well placed to be involved with BIG Green Week because all their work is underpinned with an ethos of engagement with the land.

Guests include comedian and presenter Tony Hawks, Ed Davey MP, Forum for the Future’s Jonathon Porritt and Embercombe’s Tim ‘Mac” Macartney. “Festivals are a fine way for a community to come together around a common interest,” says Alastair Sawday, environmental publisher and chair of BGW. “BIG Green Week is a good example of a great swathe of a city’s inhabitants coalescing around one very big idea: Bristol as a European Green Capital city. BIG Green Week is a wonderful opportunity to meet others, re-ignite your commitments, re-boot your determination to alter your behaviour and help others to do the same.” The full programme for this year’s BGW is available now as part of the second issue of Good Bristol magazine. Both Good Bristol and the BIG Green Week programme are produced in collaboration with us at The Spark magazine. Good Bristol will be free to pick up and distributed through the doors of BS8/BS9 residents; given out free on all Bristol buses on May 24 and will be available to pick up throughout central Bristol at all the major arts/events venues around the Harbourside, waterfront and city centre. www.biggreenweek.com

upcycling in Glasto N

ext door to Glastonbury’s Red Brick building (featured in Spark 68) on the old Morlands tannery site, the building popularly known as “Zigzag” is abuzz with activity. After sitting in the hands of government agencies and property developers since the 1980s, local man Chris Black bought the derelict site six months ago and is projectmanaging its transformation into a sustainably powered upcycling centre and arts space. Chris and his crew have been hard at work. “We’ve been sweeping up and clearing out the broken glass, painting windows and putting new glass in,” he says. (No mean feat as the building boasts over 2,400 individual window panes). “We’ve also put six photovoltaic panels on the roof, to be off-grid. That’s enough for our power needs now but we will upgrade as we grow.” The cavernous floors of the building are a treasure trove of odds and ends and interesting inventions, and nothing gets thrown away here. “There’s a definite element

Ian EggintonMetters OBE

ongratulations to Ian Egginton-Metters, assistant CEO at the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens, who was awarded the OBE in the New Year’s Honours List in recognition of his 30-year commitment to promoting city farming. Ian Egginton-Metters first became involved in the city farming movement in the 1980s, going on to run the National Federation before helping develop a number of partnerships including Care Farming UK, the School Farms Network and Access to Farms. His interest in the therapeutic and educational benefits of farming and gardening began a decade earlier, while working at a leprosy hospital in India where patients ran a 350-acre farm. Returning to the UK, Ian worked with people with learning difficulties before helping found the City Farms for Greater Manchester group. One of his many roles has been to bring together agricultural organisations to encourage children to experience farming and food production under the Access To Farms partnership. Based in Bristol since 1986, the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens supports members through practical advice, training opportunities and networking events as well as raising the profile of the whole community farming and gardening movement. www.farmgarden.org.uk

of, shall we call it, upcycling? Proper recycling IS upcycling,” Chris says, “not trashing everything for its constituent bits but re-using usable stuff.” This philosophy is visible in the tin can oil lamps, the vegetable planters made from the original light fittings and the bicycle recycling workshop. Thomas, one of the workers, says: “the whole project is basically the recycling of an old building”. Chris has plans to be a local centre for upcycled materials “such as bicycles, tools, furniture, furnishings and clothes”. He also wants it to be a cultural space, with planned exhibitions on the history of Morlands tannery, ancient textiles and Arthurian legends, as well as a cinema room which should be up and running by the time you read this. If you’re curious to see Zigzag for yourself they host a donation-funded community meal every Friday evening where everyone is welcome. Find Zigzag at Morland Enterprise Park, Morland Road, Glastonbury BA6 9FT

tree pips By Claire Herbaux

rimary school kids are doing their bit to make Bristol greener. Tree Pips is a new project which aims to help every primary school-aged child in Bristol – in independent, public or private schools, home schooled or in hospital education – to plant a tree. If it works out by 2017 there will be 36,736 new trees in the city.

Mayor George Ferguson launched the project in February, saying that planting their own tree will help children “learn about the importance of trees to our air quality, to the wider environment and to the production of food.” Each school in the city will be encouraged to hold educational activities to teach pupils about the impact trees have on our environment. Kris Donaldson, director of European Green Capital 2015 says: “What’s great about this project is that it uses a handson approach to teach young people about the environment issues in the context of their everyday lives.” www.bristol.gov.uk/page/environment/ treebristol

spark bugle low carbon post scheme

adstock-based sustainable delivery company Velopost has launched Urban Green, a new initiative in association with The Woodland Trust, which aims to increase the number of indigenous trees around the UK. Velopost deliver local mail by bike and electric vehicle in Bristol, Bath and Edinburgh; on average their 14 cyclists each cover 25 miles a day and deliver a combined total of 20,000 -25,000 pieces of mail a month. “We will introduce Urban Green to two cities each year – planting a total of 17,000 trees over the next five years,” says Joe Broadway, director of Velopost. Urban Green’s aim is simple: to improve the urban environment by planting trees. As well as providing a greener landscape, urban trees have been shown to absorb pollution, reduce flooding and reduce the impact of temperature extremes. “Trees play an active role in flood mitigation,” says Gus Hoyt, Green Party cabinet member for Bristol City Council. “Our weather patterns are already changing, leading to increased rainfall so it’s great that green-minded businesses such as Velopost are focussing investment in planting more trees in the city region. By relying more on cycle couriers we can also seriously tackle the issue of air quality in Bristol. Likewise, increasing the canopy of tree coverage in the city helps us naturally clean the air we breathe.”

Bristol bus boycott plaque

Obituary

Tony Benn (April 3 1925- March 14 2014)

A Local businesses and schools in Bristol and Bath can apply directly to Urban Green to receive trees. The Spark has already joined up; all of our local mail is now delivered by Velopost, saving, on average, 28 grams of C02 per letter delivered. www.docmailpost.com

Obituary Batook Pandya MBE (October 16 1945 - February 16 2014)

atook Pandya MBE was director of the Bristol-based charity SARI (Stand Against Racism and Inequality, formerly Support Against Racist Incidents), and has died aged 68. Born in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1945, Batoook was just 17 when he came to Britain to find work, becoming an aircraft engineer for British Airways. Batook spent his life fighting for the rights and equalities of others. As the founding employee of SARI he saw the charity grow from one small room in St Pauls, Bristol, to become an award-winning, multi-agency organisation. Batook worked with many agencies and communities in Bristol and made strong and lasting relationships. He was a leading member of the Hindu community and former Chair of the Bristol Hindu Temple however it was his dream to see justice for all minority groups and to always ensure that all communities were both served and encouraged to work together.

The Lord Mayor of Bristol, Faruk Choudhury, said: “Batook Pandya MBE was one of the greatest men of our City and is a huge loss for the city and especially the ethnic minorities. He was genuinely a star in our community. I knew him for many years and every time I met him he was talking about how to work for ethnic minorities and how to overcome the issues and blocks they were facing. He never stopped trying to build a better Bristol.” Batook, who died peacefully in his sleep, leaves behind his wife, daughter and grandson.

Tolpuddle pilgrimage

plaque commemorating the successful outcome of The Bristol Bus Boycott campaign of 1963 will go up in Bristol’s bus station on August 28 this year. Designed by local artist Mike Baker, the plaque will depict the main players in the struggle: Paul Stephenson, Owen Henry, Roy Hackett, Guy Bailey and Prince Brown. The boycott, inspired by USA civil rights campaigner Rosa Parks, began when Bristol Omnibus Company refused to employ Guy Bailey, a potential bus conductor, because of the colour of his skin. After an intense campaign and four months of mounting pressure, on August 28 1963, the very same day that Martin Luther King made his ‘I have a Dream’ speech on the steps of the Lincoln memorial, the bus company ended its racist discrimination. Ragbir Singh was the first person to break the colour ban, becoming Bristol’s first Asian bus conductor. He was followed by Norman Samuels and Norris Edwards from Jamaica and Muhammad Raschid and Abbas Ali from Pakistan. The plaque will also celebrate the support of Bristol’s African-Caribbean community, Bristol University, Audley Evans, Julia Gaitskill, fair-minded Bristolians, Harold Wilson MP, High Commissioners Sir Learie Constantine of Trinidad and Lawrence Lindon of Jamaica, along with recently deceased Bristol East MP Tony Benn, all of whom were extremely influential in bringing equality to Bristol’s buses. Lilleith Morrison, co-author of boycott leader Paul Stephenson’s memoir, and contributor to the wording on the plaque says: “It’s good that the executive mayor George Ferguson, Bristol University and First Bus have funded this long awaited acknowledgement of black peoples’ achievements in Bristol city.” The Bristol Bus Boycott paved the way for the first Race Relations Act, created by Harold Wilson’s government in 1965. The plaque, to be a permanent feature in our landscape, will educate Bristol’s visitors and community about this influential event for many years to come.

onny Gordon-Farleigh, editor of STIR magazine, is leading a walk from Plymouth to Tolpuddle, in Dorset, celebrating the history of the Tolpuddle Martyrs. The martyrs were Dorset farm-workers who were arrested for founding the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers, an early precursor of the trade union movement. The six men who founded the Society – which fought against swingeing pay cuts and poor conditions – were subsequently sentenced to transportation to Australia. The Tolpuddle Pilgrimage begins on the steps of Plymouth Harbour, where the martyrs returned after a three-year campaign led to a pardon being granted by the then-government, on July 10. Travelling along access paths through co-operative farms, transition initiatives and community projects, hikers will arrive at this year’s Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival on July 20. “I’ve been collecting hundreds of inspiring

eteran Labour MP Tony Benn died on March 14 at the age of 88. The third of four successive generations of the Benn family to become Members of Parliament, Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn was once described as ‘one of the few UK politicians to have become more left-wing after holding ministerial office’ (www.parliament.uk). He first became MP for Bristol South East in 1950 but, on inheriting the title Viscount Stansgate after the death of his father, was disqualified from sitting in the House of Commons. He fought for three years to renounce his title; once successful the sitting MP for his constituency, Malcolm St Clair, stood down. Benn won the resulting by-election, returning to the Commons. Civil rights campaigner Paul Stephenson OBE, who led the Bristol bus boycott in 1963, said that the MP’s support of the protest against the Bristol Omnibus Company’s refusal to employ a black driver was “crucial”. The boycott was instrumental in helping to establish the Race Relations Act. Tony maintained close contacts with Bristol and with Paul Stevenson, writing the foreword to Paul’s book Memoirs of a Black Englishman (Tangent Books, 2001). In the Labour Government of 1964–70 he served as Postmaster General, overseeing the opening of the Post Office Tower, and later as Minister of Technology; when Labour returned to power in 1974 he was given the post of Secretary of State for Industry, later becoming Secretary of State for Energy. After leaving Parliament (in 2001), he became President of the Stop the War Coalition (a role he maintained until his death). A prolific writer and much-loved raconteur, Tony Benn was the author of two dozen books, including nine volumes of his acclaimed diaries. He is survived by his four children (his wife Caroline died in 2000): Stephen (who succeeds as the 3rd Viscount Stansgate), Hilary, who is currently the Shadow Communities Secretary, feminist author Melissa, and Joshua, an IT professional.

stories of co-operative and community-led social change projects over the last few years,” says Jonny, “communities starting farms, launching land trusts, creating local currencies and credit unions, buying out their pubs and so on. The idea of the walking festival is to connect these new forms of activism with a line of co-operation through the South West to join up these communities and link them to the history of the Tolpuddle Martyrs as landworkers in the 1830s. “As well as being joined by a photojournalist who will be documenting the entire pilgrimage, we’ve also put out an open invite to local artists to come along for a day-walk and sketch us in situ along the trail. We’ll be exhibiting the photos and artwork as part of future talks about the Great Transition in the South West.” Follow their progress, or get involved, at www.facebook.com/TolpuddlePilgrimage

26 OUT! theatre shows Melanie West raises the curtain on the region’s best outdoor theatre companies and venues

photo: xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Giffords Circus, Bath If you’ve not had the pleasure of a seat in the Gifford’s big top then you’re in for a treat. These folk are dedicated to delivering top-notch circus experiences. The vision of founders Toti and Nell Gifford in 2000 was of “a miniature village green circus: packed, rowdy and glamorous”. I loved the show I went to in Cirencester. I revelled in the beautiful, painted wagons carrying the troupe around the country, admired the sheer skill of the performers and was wowed by the constant vibrancy of the live musicians keeping everything swinging along. The “big” top is actually of medium size, creating a real intimacy between audience and performer. Glorious, handmade costumes and props and the choice of a three-course meal (pre-booking is essential) in the Circus Sauce restaurant afterwards (with a chance to meet the performers) completes the picture. www.giffordscircus.com

Illyria Theatre, Devon

A manor house set in an expanse of parkland, Cockington Court lies just a mile from the south Devon to coast and provides studio spaces ting hos 20 craftspeople as well as year. seasonal events throughout the rans vete as d ribe desc be Illyria could s of year 21 with e, scen oor outd of the UK, the in performing under their belt to Europe, Canada and US. They aim and dard stan ing tand outs an perform to ious Prev all. to le ssib acce tre thea make audience members have called them “brilliantly inventive”.The front lawn s sets the scene for two performance us vello Mar s rge’ Geo : mer sum this their Medicine and Robin Hood, one of ds. balla old on d base best-loved shows, and und abo rs acte char -life Larger-than re’s audience involvement is likely (the in Rob for an archery contest planned Hood!)

on www.cockingtoncourt.org/whats-

Whispering Wood Folk, Bristol/Devon A late night ﬂash of inspiration caused Nina Brambrey to dream up this circus company when she realised that hitting the road with her newborn baby wasn’t practical. She recalled magical performances she’d done in Scotland and decided to create a company who would perform to their audience in forests. The Whispering Wood Folk, as they are known, aim to inspire people to form a stronger, interconnected relationship with the earth and perform magical creations to ﬁll children’s hearts and imaginations. The Whispering Wood Folk have performed in Bristol’s Leigh Woods and will be doing a show as part of the Tagore Festival at Dartington in Devon this summer. In this new performance the audience will be lead down to the river by torchlight to watch a magical show followed by drumming and dancing til dawn! The group combine aerial acrobatics, live music, dance and storytelling.

http://tinyurl.com/prkbl2o

The Pantaloons Theatre Conpany, Somerset

This troupe travel all over the place, and if you live in Somerset you can catch shows at Montacute House in June and at The Walled Gardens of Cannington in July. They draw on “a wide variety of popular theatre traditions, from comedia dell’arte and clowning to stand-up comedy and silent movies”. The Pantaloons believe that engaging the audience’s imagination is as important as exercising their own. They have two new shows this summer with the Somerset performance being The Pantaloons History of Britain. This is described as “a dash through the centuries meeting well-known characters such as Queen Victoria and Henry VIII, and should be engaging and silly enough to appeal to all ages”. Bring your own chair and a picnic. www.thepantaloons.co.uk

Minack Theatre, Porthcurno, Cornwall The Minack outdoor theatre was conceived by Rowena Cade, who made her own modest acting debut at the age of 8 as “Alice” in a production written by her mother. She built the original stage and basic seating for the Minack over the course of a winter on her own land in Porthcurno, with the help of two Cornish craftsmen. The result is a stone-tiered amphitheatre cut into the Cornish cliffs and set against a spectacular sea backdrop. (You can hire a padded portable seat or take a cushion of your own!). Actors perform in nearly all winds and weathers, and shows are rarely cancelled. My friend told me how he once watched The Tempest here in a lightning storm! The Minack is a truly unique venue, and if you ﬁnd yourself in Cornwall over the summer months, this is an experience not to be missed. www.minack.com 26

& Batsford Arboretum os Gl , re nt Ce Garden e at A variety of events take plac t hou oug thr tum ore Batsford Arb g nin eve to chi tai m fro r, the yea cy wildlife walks but if you fan atre the h wit l usa mixing plant per The y. -Jul mid in r ove then head be Lord Chamberlains Men will sic, clas rian performing Shakespea 10 July on , Romeo and Juliet sary to mark their 10th anniver ity). cial spe ir the is are spe (Shake re’s pea kes The company take Sha the as just ut, plays out and abo with a bard would have intended, ated cre e styl ic” am dyn and ld “bo rs. elle ryt by their musician sto evening With a matinee and early have you ing pen hap nce performa on the t sea a bag to s nce cha two bring a lawn.You are encouraged to as you sup to ing eth picnic and som , and of Oh . eve r’s me sum a relax on course, your own seat! ents/ www.batsarb.co.uk/news-ev

Kilter Theatre, Bath

Kilter use cutting-edge performance techniques to deliver shows that are unique and “site-responsive”. Much of their work takes place outdoors and locations have included allotments, cycle paths and cemeteries. A portable wind turbine provides the sustainable power for their lighting rig. Founders Olly Langdon and Caroline Garland want to create theatre that “talks about the environment, social justice and English heritage”. The performances can often only be reached on foot with the audience engaging closely with performers.You can catch Kilter in Radstock on June 13/14 in their Luton lorry converted into a sorting ofﬁce! Expect a love story involving a redundant postman and an heiress to a penpal agency fortune. Audience members must ﬁnd a pen pal amongst other audience members. www.kiltertheatre.org

Desperate Men, Bristol Not only have these guys been doing what they do for an impressively long time, they can do it on an impressive scale too. Able to take outdoor theatre “large” they have creatively collaborated in the past to devise Battle for the Winds, a project four years in the making, and The Severn Project also taking four years, engaging 5,000 people along the way! They can certainly play the long game and ﬁnd inventive ways to engage with the landscapes around them and a huge cross-section of people. If you live in or around the west country there’s a very good chance you will have seen them perform at various outdoor theatre and circus events over the years. I loved reading that part of their original 1980 theatre company manifesto was “to make mincemeat of ﬂimsy reality”. Their newest work, supported by the Arts Council, is entitled Slapstick and Laughter. It considers how the brutality and chaos of WW1 impacted the arts and culture of the time, and they will convey all this to you in just… 35 minutes.

www.desperatemen.com

CNM

COLLEGE OF NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE

TRAINING SUCCESSFUL PRACTITIONERS

CHANGE CAREER become a Naturopathic

Nutritional Therapist or Acupuncturist Studying part-time in Bristol Call 01342 410 505 to book your place at our next

Bristol Open Evening

FREE ENTRY

Nutrition, Herbal Medicine, Acupuncture, Naturopathy & Homeopathy

www.naturopathy-uk.com

Colleges Nationwide

28 growing smallholdings is beautiful

in windowsills, in gardens, and the wider world

Jessie Marcham reports on a new way of using land with your community

n three acres of land, 18 families from the hamlet of Blakeney in the Forest of Dean work together to grow vegetables, keep chickens, bees, goats and ducks, and tend their orchard and meadow. “I’ve always wanted to keep chickens,” explains Annie McKie “but I’d never managed to do it until I became involved with Blakeney Hill Growers.” On a much larger scale than an allotment, yet smaller and more collaborative than the average community supported agriculture (CSA) model, and something more than a community garden, the Blakeney Hill Growers describe what they do as a ‘community smallholding’. Their story began nearly four years ago, when two local women discovered they shared a vision of regenerating the ancient and neglected meadows and orchards around their hamlet to produce local, organic food for the neighbourhood. That vision has now become a carefully worked reality; registered as a not-for-profit limited company, the smallholders rent a meadow and a parcel of degraded land, and organise their activity into ‘portions’. As the leader of the ‘chicken portion’ Annie is responsible for managing the laying hens. Households choose to join the portion, paying a share of the costs, receiving a weekly share of the eggs, and contributing some time to the upkeep of the chickens.

The Blakeney Hill Growers The smallholders also run work days, training days and open days, produce jam and preserves, sell surplus produce locally, and enjoy social events together. Annie says that she has gained many skills through being involved in the project, including cheese-making and milking.

Bramble Farm

As one of the founder members of Spark Community Group Award winners Bramble Farm (a similar community smallholding in Bristol) Mandy Swainger has certainly picked up some new skills. Established over six years ago, as part of a River Cottage TV series, Bramble Farm occupies a long-derelict, 2.4acre council allotment site. Remembering how it all began, Mandy says “We fell into it by accident. I’d never done anything like that before”. She and her family signed

up for a home carboncutting programme run by community organization Knowle West Media Centre, and were then recruited by the River Cottage team to take part in a project they were setting up. Within a few weeks Mandy found herself clearing brambles and digging veg beds. With just six families involved, Bramble Farm is a smaller and more informal project than the Blakeney Hill Growers. Each member family contributes a few pounds per month to the running costs of the smallholding, and they take it in turns to care for the animals for a week at a time, sharing produce as it’s available. The group keeps a flock of laying hens and ducks, and buys in weaners (young pigs) and lambs, which they rear for meat. The Bramble farmers also tend communal veg plots together, sell surplus eggs and meat, have ambitions to invite school groups for educational visits, and pull out all the stops for their occasional open days. For Mandy, one of the best things about being part of Bramble Farm is seeing her children and grandchildren enjoying a very special opportunity for farming in this far-from-affluent area of the city. If you are itching to set up a community smallholding or similar project, be prepared for a long haul. Even when you’ve got the basics together, Mandy points out that there’s

an awful lot to learn, not only on the ground, but also in terms of legislation, paperwork and organisation, and both she and Annie advise any aspiring community smallholders not to be over ambitious in getting started.

A great place to go for free advice is the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens (FCFCG): start with their comprehensive ‘community garden starter pack’. The Blakeney Hill Growers found training from the Soil Association on CSAs helpful in setting up their project, and the Bramble Farmers recommend the Landshare website as a way to find both land, and people to join you. Your local council is a potential source of support, funding and even land, and the Community Land Advisory Service can help with finding land and negotiating leases for community projects. There are many local and national organisations offering courses in vegetable growing, chicken keeping, compost toilet building, fruit-tree pruning etc www.blakeneyhillgrowers.org.uk Search ‘The Blakeney Hill Growers’ on Facebook Search ‘Friends of Bramble Farm’ on Facebook FCFCG www.farmgarden.org.uk www.communitylandadvice.org.uk www.soilassociation.org/ communitysupportedagriculture Council for Voluntary Service (advice and information on running community and non-profit organisations, including funding, governance, managing volunteers etc) www.navca.org.uk www.landshare.net

growing older Jessie speaks to Growing Support, who help elderly care residents carry on gardening

hen Dale and Victoria each saw their own aging relatives go into care, they were dismayed to witness first hand the “loneliness, boredom and frustration” their loved ones felt, once they could no longer live independently. Further investigation showed that issues such as depression and severe loneliness are widespread problems for older people, and people with dementia living in care, so the two friends determined to improve the situation. Research revealed that a spot of light gardening could be just what the doctor ordered. In spring of last year the pair launched social enterprise Growing Support, and started running the first of their gardening clubs in care homes around Bristol. In the weekly one hour sessions residents, carers and volunteers get involved in all aspects of gardening, from sowing seeds to harvesting veg, picking flowers, and even making elderflower cordial. Working with safe and robust plants, the activities are tailored to the needs of individuals, and take place in the gardens (and conservatories) of the care homes. Although many care homes offer daily social activities such as card games, or music recitals, 50% of people living in care never set foot outdoors. In this respect, Dale

environment when they move into a care home. Being involved in the process of creating a garden can offer a rare and important opportunity to reverse this experience. Fiddly jobs such as seedsowing can help maintain fine motor skills, supporting valuable independence with tasks like doing buttons. For those still physically able, a bit of digging can relieve frustration and maintain fitness, while for others, simply handling soil or smelling herbs can provide important sensory stimulation. Victoria points out that gardening can offer opportunities for reminiscing, but also gives a sense of “forward momentum”; a positive connection to the future.

growing together

and Victoria’s plan takes a simple idea and does something quite revolutionary and there is increasing evidence of the multiple health benefits of this kind of ‘social and therapeutic horticulture’. Victoria mentions how elderly people necessarily lose control over their physical

With a qualified horticultural therapist and trained community volunteers at every gardening session, Growing Support is able to offer one-to-one support to all participants and the cheerful social atmosphere generated by people working together may well be the most important element of the gardening clubs. The enterprise have also started running special ‘growing together’ events, aimed at involving the family members of those in care, especially children and young people. Victoria describes how coming together through gardening can help ease sometimes

difficult relationships, and enable families to “build new memories of happy days”. It’s perhaps not surprising that there’s a growing demand for the services of this young social enterprise. In their first year Growing Support have worked with 20 different care homes around Bristol. In around half of these they run direct gardening activities; in the remainder they provide advice, training and consultancy on making best use of outdoor space, setting up gardening projects and involving residents in growing their own food. They have won awards for their volunteering programme and for their work as a social enterprise. Growing Support are always interested to hear from people who want to support their work. If you would like to become a regular volunteer, offer business advice, help with publicity, collaborate on a project, or invite the team to a care home, do get in touch! www.growingsupport.co.uk info@growingsupport.co.uk www.facebook.com/GrowingSupport MilestonesTrust (charity offering support to people with learning disabilities, mental health needs and dementia) www.milestonestrust.org.uk Thrive (national charity for social and therapeutic horticulture) www.thrive.org.uk

Who am I? What is life? The OneSpirit Interfaith Seminary's one and two year training brings intense and joyful inquiry to these fundamental questions. Recent students describe the journey as 'radical homecoming, continued awakening, healing and acceptance....'

Training programmes commence each autumn.

Join us at an experiential introductory event! Call or visit our website to find out more about our introductory events. www.osif.org.uk www.interfaithfoundation.org www.osif.org.uk UKenquiry enquiryline: line:0333 0333332 332 1996 UK 1996 enquiry line: 08444 457004 The OneSpirit Interfaith Seminary is part of the OneSpirit Interfaith Foundation, a charitable company limited by guarantee.Registered Charity No: 1099163 (England and Wales) SCO40148 (Scotland) Registered Company No: 4432622 (England and Wales).

d unsee

ic rgan

wholesalers open to the public

Locally sourced organic produce at affordable prices in the heart of Bristol. Come in and create your own organic fruit, vegetable and wholefoods box from our vast range.

New store now open! Herbert’s Bakery Bread

Organic & Wholefoods

Local & Organic Cheeses

Fresh Olives

Freshly Ground Coffee

Sandwiches & Pastries

Ecover Refills

Coffee to Take Away

262 North Street, Southville 8.00am–5.30pm Mon-Sat 10.30am–4.30pm Sun

We are open 7am to 12pm, Monday to Friday and Saturdays 7am to 1pm. Units 3-4, Chapel Court, Chapel Street, St Phillips Bristol BS2 OUL

www.southvilledeli.com Find us on Facebook

www.sunseedorganics.co.uk

259–261 Church Rd, Redfield 8.00am–6.00pm Mon-Sat 8.30am–6.30pm Mon-Sat Closed SundaysSunday 10.30am–5.00pm

0117 966 4507

30 food

for nutrition, health & wellbeing

fire in the belly

the joy of WWOOFing

Opinion: nutritionist George Cooper puts our love affair with summer salads under his foodie microscope

Tony Benjamin explores the possibilities for WWOOFers in the west country

ack in 1789 the French Revolution sent many a French chef scuttling northwards across the Channel to seek sanctuary in posh London townhouses. Haute cuisine crept into British kitchens and with it a distinctly un-British dish: the salad. Needless to say, the British working class soldiered on with their traditional fare, turning their lettuce into soup until well into the late Victorian era. They did eat raw food – watercress, in particular – but cooked food was preferred and it was very much the aspirational middle classes who were dabbling in vinaigrette and crudités. Fast forward to 20th century Britain and the picture has changed radically. Salad veg is readily available in supermarkets all year round, thanks to air freight, polytunnels and heated greenhouses. At the extreme end of the scale, the raw food movement has grown in popularity and many people swear by the health-giving properties of such a diet. Controversially, however, I suggest that we Brits eat too much raw food for our temperate climate. I would also argue that we humans have not evolved to eat lots of raw food.

cooling and moistening food for balance. Proponents of raw food will point to the fact that raw food has greater nutrient levels than cooked food, and that the unaltered enzymes in uncooked foods help them to ‘autodigest’ when we eat them. I am suggesting that there are basic flaws to this argument. For example, humans don’t around the world secrete the enzyme cellulase, which breaks Let’s start by looking at some traditional down plant material, and with relatively diets in other parts of the world. The short and small guts we get little help Chinese, Japanese and Indian peoples from digestive microbes, unlike our potcook the majority of their food, as they bellied, primate cousins. So our digestive have done for millennia. Undoubtedly, systems struggle to get into the plant cells this is partly a matter of of raw food to reach the hygiene: human-derived “Combine raw food nutrients and enzymes. fertiliser is used to grow According to Richard with a spicy dressing Wrangham food so cooking is essential (a Harvard to kill the bugs. But there’s based on mustard, anthropology professor) more to this convention homo sapiens (a relatively black pepper or than hygiene alone, for young species) and a the theories of Traditional number of our hominid horse radish” Chinese Medicine (TCM) ancestors, evolved already and Ayurveda, that use cooking food. We have food as medicine, link cooked food to always depended on cooking as a digestive enhanced digestibility in the body. This aid to break down the plant tissue for us. In is why, in these traditions, even foods like his book Catching Fire: How Cooking Made bean sprouts that never go near dirt are still Us Human, he puts forward the argument whacked through a wok for a pre-ingestion that without supermarkets and central sizzle and steam. heating, humans couldn’t live effectively on The traditional theory is that a raw food alone. combination of chopping, cooking So am I anti-salad? No, my opinion is and digestion is the best way to absorb that in a balanced, healthy diet, raw food nutrients from food. TCM and Ayurveda should be combined either with the right both suggest that too much raw food will, climate or the right, digestion-enhancing over time, actually deplete your digestive ingredients. In this sense, salad is a strength. medicinal food on hot, dry summer days. To look at how these theories came On cooler days, give your digestion a hand about, we need to examine climate and by combining with a spicy dressing based its effect on the body. Cold and/or damp on mustard, black pepper or horse radish. climates are said to inhibit circulation and Focus on zingy ingredients such as radish, therefore digestion. This is why northern mustard greens and watercress. Bitter leaves Chinese cuisine is characterised by pungent such as dandelion, radichio and chicory also broths to counter the cold, and the help gut motility. sub-tropical Sichuan region boasts hot Similarly, serve warm ingredients when pots, zingy dumplings and spiced pork to the weather is not hot, and combine counter humidity. Similarly, an Ayurvedic with cooked elements, such as a warm or Chinese practitioner would say that salad potato salad or bean, rice or pasta salads. doesn’t suit a cool climate such as Britain’s, In sandwiches (because they are stodgy as opposed to a hot and dry Mediterranean already) spiced condiments such as climate (such as France or Italy) where mustard, curried chutney, spicy pickles or salad originated. It’s no surprise that raw pastes are important. As usual, balance is foodism is so popular in the southern US the key. Enjoy your salad but don’t overdo desert states of California and Arizona: it and combine it with the right ingredients these are hot, dry places where people crave for a healthy digestion.

illing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF) started in 1971 as a volunteer scheme for townies to support the emerging permaculture movement, exchanging their labour for wholesome food and farmyard accommodation. Forty years later the UK has nearly 6,000 WWOOF volunteers and over 570 organic ‘hosts’, mostly family-run smallholdings or small farms keen for help with all the basic chores. Seasoned WWOOfer Craig Black says. “I was sick of the office and wanted something different. You’re basically doing hard work for no money, but the food’s great, the family’s nice and you make amazing friends. Everywhere I’ve been the people are always interesting.” After six years he can claim a stint with Brazil’s only organic ice cream producer, an apprenticeship in Austrian scything as well as the wood-fired Tracebridge with Dorset pioneer Simon Fairlie, green Sourdough Bakery where woodworking in a Somerset yurt and Craig made his pizzas. In three years learning to wrangle pizzas at a woodthey’ve hosted nearly 40 different fired bakery among his many and varied WWOOF volunteers, and it’s been an WWOOFing experiences. eye-opener for him. “It’s an absolute A quick scan across the South West revelation; I thought they’d be like I was reveals placements offering cider-making, when I was young: lazy, unmotivated and lake renovation, setting up a vineyard, cheeky! But most have been wonderful, and medicinal herb preparation alongside keen, excited and ready to engage with goat-milking, fruit-tending, weeding and pruning. For Craig the skills learnt through whatever goes on.” Some have even brought baking experience WWOOFing led to that has helped Gordon a completely new “Try cider-making, develop his own skills. way of life, but for most people the lake renovation, setting pitching in experience is more up vineyards, medicinal Volunteers are crucial to about having an Farm, too, a interesting working herb prep, goat milking, Paddington charity-run organic farm holiday. Once fruit tending…” at the foot of Glastonbury registered with the Tor, which also regularly organisation (annual accommodates groups of membership costs children from disadvantaged £20 or £30 for a couple) members can access the nationwide urban areas. Farm manager Tanya Dawson finds everyone brings something to directory of hosts and contact any that suit contribute. “It’s much better to have their particular interests. people doing stuff they’re interested in – we have one guy just comes to fell trees bunking down and cut hedges, others can do the catering The accommodation on offer varies – we all need feeding!” enormously, according to Devon-based While everyone’s contribution is WWOOF worker James Dennis. “It really appreciated Tanya especially values people is a broad church. Placements can range with a bit of life experience: “They look from very basic barns or camping to plush after themselves more, they’re good spa-type places!” at seeing what needs to be done and A quick scan of the website bears this joining in. The best ones come back and out, with anything from “bunk up in barn that’s great because they already know (pretty Spartan at moment)” to “shower so much. We’ve made some really good room, WC, free Wifi and bed linen.” Each friends.” She’s in no doubt about the host entry is nicely personal sounding, value of WWOOFing at Paddington Farm too – “work depends on weather … frame either. “There’s some absolutely brilliant of mind”, “particularly suiting the more WWOOFers out there – amazing people! thoughtful person”, “musicians especially It’s a brilliant scheme.” welcome.” The great attraction of WWOOFING What’s crucial, James insists, is for is that you really don’t need any special WWOOFers and hosts to talk things skills to get involved. “Just enthusiasm and through before taking the plunge. friendliness,” James Dennis insists. “That’s “People aren’t encouraged to rush in at all it takes. And in return there’s a huge the last minute. Good communication range of experience on offer: the hardest gives both sides a chance to manage part can be deciding where you go next!” their expectations. After all, it’s all about trust – you’ll be living together, making To learn more and preview the UK WWOOF an exchange.” This emphasis on a good host directory go to www.wwoof.org.uk personal relationship is borne out by Gordon Woodcock who, with partner Katie Venner, runs a Somerset smallholding

NATURAL, ORGANIC & FAIRTRADE WHOLEFOODS, SUPPLEMENTS & ETHICAL LIVING STORE

9-11 Lower Redland Road, Bristol BS6 6TB Tel. 0117 973 1967 • enquiries@wild-oats.co.uk • www.wild-oats.co.uk

eat well

with Riverford

get a free cook book with your vegbox

free

cook book* (worth £16.99)

*Free book on your 2nd delivery when you place a regular vegbox order. New custowmers only.

a seasonal organic vegbox today with free delivery ACT NOW - pleasetry don’t put this at the bottom of the pile call 01803 762059 or visit www.riverford.co.uk/FFB14 This is your proof document from The Spark Magazine. Please check for any mistakes. Unless you get back to us we will assume everything is ok with the ad. Please get back to us if there is a problem as soon as possible: on fax at 0117 914 34 44 or by phone at 0117 914 34 34 or by e-mail ads@thespark.co.uk

issue 75 Date: 16/09/13 Proof No: 1 Ad No: 75-041 Sort: Display 1/8 Company: wild oats

(The quality of reproduction in the mag will be better than th and in colour)

32 community strikers, pacifists & mutineers people and projects making a difference

Will Simpson reports on the alternative histories of World War One

t was the ‘Great’ War, the ‘war to end all wars’, a dark episode in modern history that shaped the 20th century; indeed, it shaped the world we know today. The centenary of the start of World War One arrives this summer, and will undoubtedly provide time for reflection about the conflict and what it means to us now. There are, of course, official commemorations, but an alternative is also being planned. Around the UK a loose coalition of groups – radical historians, anti-war groups, pacifists and religious organisations – have gathered under the banner ‘Remembering The Real World War One’ to provide a riposte to what is being offered by the British establishment. South West groups have been prime movers in this. “David Cameron remarked that he wanted to make it ‘a truly national commemoration of national spirit’,” says Jeremy Clarke of Bristol Stop The War. “He even managed to compare the plans to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, which seemed to set entirely the wrong tone. Then there are historians such as Max Hastings who argue that the war had to be fought against German militarism and the cost in human life was worth paying.” In Bristol, Stop The War have linked up with the Bristol Radical History Group, Quaker groups and others with the notion of offering an alternative opinion. Their plan

The Whiteford borthers of St George, Brostol is to celebrate the ‘other’ history of the war: the mutineers and conscientious objectors, who opposed the conflict, through a series of talks, performances, meetings and events. They hope to throw the spotlight on a number of stories that show that the attitudes to WW1 at the time were not clear cut and that history is often far from black and white.

brothers in arms?

One of these stories is the Whitefords family of St George in Bristol. “They were probably a socialist family, and I guess had some kind

of political consciousness,” says Roger Wilson of the Bristol Radical History Group. “The father had three sons and when the war started one of them decided to fight, one joined the ambulance corps and one refused as a conscientious objector and was put in Horfield Prison. After the war ended the father took a photo of the three brothers: one in army uniform, one in medical uniform and the other mocked up in prison uniform. It shows the sort of division there was amongst ordinary people at the time, but also that the father was proud of all three.” “Another important person in Bristol was Walter Ales,” explains Jeremy Clarke, “he was a councillor for Easton who campaigned against conscription. He moved a motion in the city council against the war and was eventually sent to jail. Those are the sort of stories we want to draw attention to.” The Real World War One group also have plans to recreate a debate that took place on the eve of the war on Bristol dockside in August 1914 between the union leader Ben Tillett (who was pro-war) and Ernest Bevin (who

was against it). Then there are the myths that the group want to dispel, such as the notion that the war was just about the battle across the Western Front. “This wasn’t just a European war,” says Clarke. “A million Indians were brought to Europe to fight the war and hundreds of thousands of Chinese. There was also significant fighting in Africa and many of the people from those places now live in cities like Bristol..” There is, of course, a contemporary reason for doing all this, beyond simply uncovering

“A million Indians were brought to Europe to fight the war and hundreds of thousands of Chinese…” forgotten history. “This is important looking into the future,” Clarke explains. “If the government is able to persuade us that the First World War was necessary and a success then that makes it easier for them to sell us wars in the future. I think the attempt to launch an attack on Syria last year showed us how difficult they now find it to launch such a war. So this isn’t just a stale historic event: it provides a real need for the world today.” For Real World War One events this summer go to https://network23.org/realww1

Bristol Radical History Group www.brh.org.uk

tales with teen spirit Kesty Morrison on a theatre project givcing teenagers across the world a voice

am sitting in a rehearsal room at the Bristol Old Vic theatre, watching a video made by three young women from Oakland, California. They are telling us about the things that are important to them. “What I care about most is my community,” one says. The young women talk about the violence and drug problems that affect their area while ten local teenagers from Bristol sit quietly, giving the film their full attention. We are in the process of creating a piece of theatre and spoken word that links communities around the world by finding shared experience and identity across borders. This whole project began last year when a theatre practitioner I had worked with previously contacted me about starting up an international youth theatre project. Jean Emery Johnstone is the director and founder of Applied Theater Action Institute (ATAI), an organisation that uses theatre to instigate social change. The idea she presented was that of linking up two sets of young people internationally to explore a social issue together; creating two pieces of parallel theatre, with the young people communicating via the internet. Both performances would culminate in a solutionfinding final performance with experts in the field invited along to help implement

actual social change right there and then. Myself and Rebecca Tantony, a spoken word artist, became UK co-directors and we contacted the Bristol Old Vic Young Company. We began working with the Young Company in January and Jean began work in Oakland with a group called Youth UpRising (sic) in February.

a tale of two cities

One of the most interesting, important and challenging aspects Kesty brainstorms with teenagers at the Bristol Old Vic of this work has been choosing the shared and like everything has had its teething theme: ‘Violence, sexuality and the media’s effect on young people’. We are working with problems. Recruitment at our end was a dream. I got a class full of enthusiastic, two very different demographics but this driven actors and a space in the heart of the topic resonated with both groups. Finding a Bristol theatre scene. In Oakland, Jean is shared connection was a core component of working with a demographic that is harder to the project and we hope that our format will engage, working in a centre that was actually be used in other countries in the future. We shot at by gangs around the time that the already have contacts with similar grass roots sessions were due to start. It’s testament to organisations around the world interested in Jean’s tenacity that the group has grown and running similar collaborations. flourished in the way that it has. Our project has been the first of its kind

Finding a reliable, ethical source of funding has been tricky but we have a wonderful tiny team in place and The Old Vic have been an invaluable help. We are also very thankful to the Creative Youth Network who hosted the performance in March.

young voices

After the Bristol performance, an invited audience came and offered creative solutions as to how the young people themselves can address the issues they raised. Some forums for future creative work with the group include a regular blog on the Spark website, radio slots for teenagers on Ujima and Baby Boomtown radio, a project celebrating body diversity with local artist Carrie Love, a collaboration with The Watershed’s engagement initiative, as well the creation of a ‘what they don’t know’ book about teenagers, celebrating their individuality, made up of personal stories from all over the world. Our hope is that the project shows young people at home and abroad that they themselves can make palpable changes to change their lives and the environment around them for the better. www.appliedtheater.org email Kesty.morrison@appliedtheater.org or rebeccatantony@appliedtheater.org

Training for Beginner and Practising Hypnotherapists Enrol now for 2014 Courses

Become a Hypnotherapist Hypnotherapy and NLP Training taught locally in a dynamic, interactive way in small classes by a qualified, accredited teacher and full-time hypnotherapy NLP practitioner.

COURSES IN BATH AND CHELTENHAM Evening, weekday and weekend classes available. For course details & interviews contact Hilary Norris-Evans on 0788 771 4892 or via www.getmindfit.co.uk To download a brochure go to www.hypno-nlp.org Courses accredited by the National Council for Hypnotherapy , NCHP, OU and NCFE

CPD workshops ‘The Spontaneity of Change’ 28th - 29th June, Bath

A practical workshop, introducing the models of dramatherapy and their application. This is an excellent foundation to further training or skills learning through a dynamic approach to healing and change

‘Footprints’

An Equine Encounter (Equine Assisted Psychotherapy meets Dramatherapy) 14th June, 10-5, Gloucestershire Integrating dramatherapy with individual and group work with horses, considering and affirming your life map, the who and what you have become & the changes you seek to make.

‘Footprints 2’

Close Encounters 2nd & 3rd August, Bruton Somerset, with Rachel Perry & Rosie Withey Taking you deeper into relationship with yourself through the horse and through the creative process of dramatherapy exploring how this translates to the relationships in your life.

ffi: Contact Rachel on

01225 851055 rachel@scenario59.freeserve.co.uk www.dramatherapy.org.uk Member of HCPC Licensed LEAP practitioner

34 planet

eco-activism, low impact lifestyles, green thinking outside the box

on the level Tony Benjamin talks to farmers and environmental experts about what the future holds for the Somerset Levels

dial F for fair Tony Benjamin reports on local support for Fairphones and where you can recycle your mobiles and tablets

uddenly everyone has heard of the Somerset Levels because, while the UK endured the wettest winter on record, the lowlying farmlands between the Mendips and the sea got the worst of it. But as TV news crews focused on the area’s flooded homes, farms and businesses, with shots a-plenty of rescued people in inflatable dinghies, the drama under the water could have longer term implications for the future of local farming and the Somerset environment. Heather Venn keeps a grass-fed beef herd of 200 ruby red Devon cows on her farm at Stoke St Gregory, near Taunton. During the floods 80 of her stock were relocated, while she was only able to feed the others thanks to fodder donated from other farmers. “Normally I’d have been turning them out to grass but the grass just wasn’t there,” she explains. “We reseeded half the farm after last year’s floods but that didn’t survive weeks under water.” The specialised moor grass seed she needs costs £70 an acre, so even DEFRA’s maximum £5,000 flood recovery grant wouldn’t cover her losses. Lack of grazing is no joke: if feed has to be bought then the cost of meat rises. Feed costs after the 2012 floods forced Heather to reduce her herd size and she’s reluctant to do it again. After 25 years of farming she says: “Resilience is essential in farming so I hope we can tough it out,” she says. “We expect floods here, just not this magnitude. A lot of people say they can’t continue.”

levelling the land

Local National Farmers Union spokesperson Ian Johnson has heard similar rumblings. “This was absolute devastation for farms and all aspects of the local economy. Some people are seriously considering whether to stay and many could sell up.” The Levels are a man-made flood plain, first created by the Romans, and traditionally only used for grazing in the summer, hence the name ‘Somerset’. But more recently permanent farming has become established, while greater cultivation in the Mendips means more rainwater ‘run-off’. A permanent network of 40 pumps helps drain flood water into major waterways but extreme weather can easily overwhelm the system. Unfortunately climate change means that extreme weather events are the shape of things to come, as Liz Bowles, head of farming at the Soil Association, observes: “We’ve had this rain after last summer’s

hot June: it makes it hard for farmers to plan. What do you plant that copes with both drought and flood? There’s so much uncertainty (about weather) now and it undermines the wisdom that farmers have about their land and what works.” She’s particularly aware of problems for organic farmers in the flooded areas as the floodwater brings contaminants from neighbouring (chemically treated) land and underground septic tanks with it.

to dredge or not to dredge

“You can’t insist on animals going outside as normal, obviously, [for organic certification],” says Liz, “but there’s likely to be a real shortage of organic forage for them to have indoors, and it’s too late to plant more this year.” And the knock-on effects of this? “We’ll need to maximise productivity but even so prices for feed will go up. On the upside, hopefully that’ll mean less wastage.” At the height of the floods Bridgwater MP Ian Liddell-Grainger was quick to blame the Environment Agency’s policy of not dredging silt from the main rivers on the Levels. Most opinion though – including NFU spokesman Ian Johnson – was that nothing on its own, including dredging, could have coped with 2014’s extreme rainfall. “Most people accept that dredging is not the sustainable solution we need,” Environment Agency spokesperson Paul Gainey says. “Our main focus always has to be protecting property and lives but you can’t endlessly pump polluted, de-oxygenated floodwater into rivers. We need a more multilayered long term solution than that.” Avon Wildlife Trust were also quick to advocate the use of natural flood defences, such as peatlands, to combat the problem, which could act as absorbent ‘sponges’, while restoring natural habitats and improving water catchment by farmers upstream could also reduce the amount of run-off. While the water level rose Environment Secretary Owen Patterson commissioned a multi-agency 20-year Flood Plan to achieve, ‘increased resilience to flooding for families, agriculture, businesses, communities, and wildlife.’ Squaring all those interests in a single strategy seems a tall order: while the hastily drawn up plan includes the possibility of environmentally sensitive approaches, in the event, dredging the Parrett and Tone rivers was started as an immediate priority. The bottom line is that as residents and farmers contemplate their future, it’s hard for anyone to make concrete plans when climate change means expecting the unexpected.

orget the hoo-hah over the latest iPhone: when Liz Parker learned she’d got her new Fairphone she was over the moon. “I heard about it from a Dutch friend and put my name down on the last day of bidding. I didn’t know if I’d got it until they emailed me weeks later – it was so exciting!” Lumbered with a conventional smartphone that couldn’t be fixed, she’d joined the 2013 crowd-funding effort that enabled a Dutch social enterprise to produce their first batch of 25,000 ‘circular economy’ in which all electronic Fairphones. In return for a €325 pledge products are designed to release their Liz received an Android smartphone, elements for re-use. with dual SIM card (for travelling), Many smaller organisations have long replaceable battery and a standardised realised the importance of this issue, charger connection. “It looks like a normal however, especially since EU legislation smartphone, a really nice design,” says Liz, prohibited landfill dumping of e-waste who lives in Somerset. “Once I got used to in 2007. The charity Action Aid set up a it, it functions really well.” national recycling operation 20 years ago, As a workers’ rights activist herself it now known as Greensource Solutions. is significant for Liz that Fairphone is The Bristol-based organisation processes trying to clean up all aspects of the mobile printer cartridges and mobile phones, phone production process. This includes including many donated to local charities negotiating better wages and conditions in like Children’s Hospice South West and their Chinese factory, funding safer e-waste Bristol Zoo (who, in a neat turn-around,, projects in developing use the money countries and, most raised to support “Insurgent militia groups importantly, using conservation of ‘conflict-free’ sources in DRC use the income gorillas in the for rare minerals such from illegal mining of rare DCR). as tantalum, gold and Greensource’s platinum essential to business minerals (for phones) to the making of phones, development buy weapons” tablets and similar executive Pat devices. Sheridan feels the The limited supply potential for recycling is enormous: “The of these vital substances has led to massive industry still can’t satisfy the worldwide price rises, making them highly profitable. demand for refurbished phones, yet they are Unfortunately, one mineral-rich country out there in large numbers. I suspect there’s is the war-torn Democratic Republic of something about a mobile that makes Congo (DRC) where vicious insurgent people squirrel them away rather than militia groups use the income from illegal chuck them. We receive hundreds a month mining (often using child and slave labour) from all over the country and fix as many as to buy weapons. possible, the rest we pass on to brokers who Since the powerful 2010 Danish fix what they can and the rest go for mineral documentary Blood In The Mobile exposed extraction. The phones are all donated so the situation in the DRC, the issue of it’s a great way to get money for charities.” ‘conflict minerals’ has been under everMeanwhile, back in Holland, Fairphone wider public scrutiny. Organised campaigns will release their second batch of phones in and petitions from the Congo, USA and June. Demand has been high, with many beyond have subsequently led even giants more people signing up than the planned like Apple, Intel and Hewlett Packard to 25,000 production run, but the company vet their suppliers and publish annual audits doesn’t want to outgrow its crowd-funding to show they are only using ‘conflict-free’ model. They are happy to keep things small minerals. if it avoids being controlled by investors, But there’s one conflict-free source of but future plans for growth will involve these minerals that’s very close to hand – like-minded businesses and setting up and you might be able to contribute. With ‘buyer groups’. Liz Parker is reassured by 94% of the UK adult population replacing their approach: “They’re being realistic and their mobile phone every 11 months it’s it means they can stay transparent and keep been estimated there could be 90 million improving the fairness of what they do. I’m discarded phones sitting in drawers around not naive but I do have a sense of trust in the country. Many could be reused just as them and I think it sends a good message to they are and others can be repaired and the market that there is a strong consumer put back into use, but irreparably damaged base that cares about these issues.” phones can also be processed to yield up those precious ingredients. It’s a rapidly www.fairphone.com. growing market that the big corporations Donate phones (and other e-waste) to are becoming keen to develop: Frans van www.greensourcesolutions.co.uk Houten, global president of Philips, recently observed that more gold now comes from How sustainable is your Smartphone? e-waste than from mining. He advocates a See http://tinyurl.com/mze9w2r

Earth Care People Care Fair Shares website or Order via our secure 3 311 82 0 73 01 on call us

www.permaculture.co.uk

a magazine which helps you transform your home, garden, community ...

the world

Permaculture Magazine display ads 2014 This PDF layout is CMYK 300dpi

If you require an ad in another format i.e. tiff, please contact Tony Rollinson, tel: 01730 823 311 or email: tony@permaculture.co.uk.

36 family

inspiration for every stage of life

special focus: positive birth The way we support pregnant women can dramatically affect their birth experience and feelings around it. As her new book Bump! launches , Kate Evans honours all midwives and speaks to three expert birth practitioners the independent midwife Joy Horner is an independent midwife and specialist in breech birth. She has worked as a health professional for 30 years and a midwife for 13 years. “I worked as an NHS midwife for five years. During that time I taught NCT antenatal classes and helped some of those women give birth. And I was amazed by how easily they gave birth. Why was that? I knew it wasn’t because of my antenatal teaching! I had a sudden realisation that it was because they knew me, so they relaxed and let go, and out the baby came. That inspired me to set out as an independent midwife. It’s the only way under the current system that a woman can be sure that she really knows the midwife who attends the birth. I love making a relationship with a pregnant woman and her family, and watching that life-changing transition to parenthood. There’s so much magic in it. In the time that I do one antenatal appointment as an independent midwife, I would have had to have seen eight women when I worked for the NHS. So now I have time to really listen, find out how they want things to be for their birth, examine how realistic that is, and then see how we can make that possible. And I believe them, one hundred per cent. When they tell me their previous birth stories, I believe them. I believe they can birth their babies, even when doctors have told them that they can’t. I believe that each woman’s body contains a perfect blueprint for birth, which is unique to her. Women’s bodies are perfectly designed to carry, grow, birth and nourish their babies. Birth is an everyday miracle that has the power to transform a woman, and a positive birth experience is the perfect start to parenthood. I wish that the State funded an excellent maternity service for all women. But, without wishing to get political, there aren’t enough resources, and NHS midwives are incredibly overstretched. When I did some NHS work recently, I was told off for spending too much time with my clients. My supervisor said, “You’re too nice. We haven’t got time for that.” I told her that I’d been nice for 48 years, and I wasn’t going to stop now!

Joy runs a pregnancy drop-in for donations at the Red Brick Building in Glastonbury every Wednesday at 1pm. Her website is www.birthjoy.co.uk Find your nearest independent midwife at www.independentmidwives.org.uk

the doula Kate Woods is a doula, a doula trainer and mentor. “Doulas provide non-judgmental support for a birthing woman. We help her to find her power and make informed choices. We’re non-medical – we work alongside healthcare teams – we provide emotional, spiritual and physical support. A woman will soften, open and release cervically, physiologically, spiritually and emotionally when she feels safe. The irony of modern birth is that it brings in hordes of people, intimidating equipment and midwives that a woman has never met before. That doesn’t help the relaxing birth hormone (oxytocin), and instead promotes the fear hormone (adrenaline) that can slow down labour. So during birth we doulas create a bridge between the medics and the mother so that she can remain in the zone of labour. We’re bouncers, buffers, birth ninjas: protecting her space so that the woman can access her instinctive, mammalian self!

“Now that families live so far apart, who mothers the mother?” There’s a misperception that doulas are only about natural birth, and we’re not. We’re about informed choice. If a woman wants pethidine, our job is to ensure she has information about it. We have facilitated joyful caesarean lotus-births, where everyone is singing in the delivery room. You can stay connected to your birth and your baby no matter how the birth unfolds. Doula support extends from pregnancy through to the postnatal period. We can help with the school run, do a bit of housework and cook some meals. We help foster the new mother’s intuition. We help with breastfeeding. The doula role would once have been provided by grandmothers and sisters, but in today’s high-tech world, we’re so far away from our families. Who mothers the mother? It’s the oldest profession. In medieval times, women would bring some alcohol to the birth and they’d get a bit merry. The birthing woman would hear the laughter and the chatter, and it would indicate to her that all was well. Birth was a holy event. It still is. In training as doulas we look at our

own birth experiences, including how we ourselves were born. We study the physiology of birth, medical models of birth and emergency procedures. We also share knowledge of ancient birth traditions which really work. We avoid the word ‘qualified’ – it’s a grassroots, lay tradition. The minute a doula considers herself an ‘expert’, it’s time to hang up her hat!” www.doulatraining.co.uk. The Doula UK access fund ensures that no woman is denied a doula for lack of money, and they welcome donations. www.doula.org.uk. Watch the film Doula! at www.doulafilm.com

the hypnotherapist Eleanor Copp is a registered midwife who specialises in hypnotherapy for pregnancy and birth. Women often tell me their worries and fears while they are in labour. I ask them what is worrying them and I get a list which we then unpick. Then they can settle and give birth. It is much better to deal with these worries during the pregnancy. They are all valid, they are personal and unique. The worry may be about birth or about having enough love for a second child, sadness about a bereavement, or coping if a partner works away. They could

be memories of a previous pregnancy and birth, or seeds that friends and family have sown which grow into doubt and concerns. A session with me is about finding out what is eroding self-confidence and interrupting the relationship with the unborn baby. The hypnotherapy part is about relaxing the mind and body and taking on new information while in a relaxed state. The essence is to trust in yourself at a time of transition and uncertainty. After the birth I work with mothers on managing fatigue. Carving out a time to look yourself is so important. I work very flexibly, sometimes from six weeks pregnant through to birth – sometimes one session is all it takes.” Eleanor is part of the Natural Pregnancy Partnership, based at Yanley Court Complementary Therapy Centre in Long Ashton. Yanley Court offers a range of specialist support and therapies for women from pre-conception through to motherhood. www.pregnantbristol.com, tel 01275 394 554

Spark advertiser Karen Woods is a holistic midwife & birth preparation mentor. Karen offers one-to-one consultations, birth preparation courses, Birth Story Listening (to resolve negative birth experience) and breastfeeding support. tel 0770 851 2520 www.birthjourneys.jimdo.com

Bump: How to make, grow and birth a baby by Kate Evans (published by Myriad Editions) & reviewed by Vicki West

ate Evans’ new book Bump should probably be read by every modern woman who seeks to understand her body, and therefore herself, a little better. Kate manages to condense the complex and far-from-hilarious subjects of menstruation, fertility, conception, miscarriage, IVF & birth into a “pick your own adventure” guide narrated with ease and creativity. I doubt you’ll find clearer illustrations in many medical textbooks. The book is meticulously researched and yet, for all its weighty content, it’s incredibly easy to read. I can almost hear Kate’s booming, infectious laugh reverberating out of the page. Kate’s reassuring words on the options open to you as you embark on a birth journey (or not) are timely and much needed in today’s world. Womb energy is a force to be reckoned with, however we choose to connect to it and use it. Connecting to our wild and primal side starts with us women giving ourselves permission to do so. This book nurtures our first and best instincts, gives us courage when it is most needed, and totally demystifies the everyday miracle of childbirth. Bump is basically a fiercely intellectual work disguised as a funny self-help manual. It is also

a bloody good read, and a gorgeous treasure trove of positive affirmation. Buy it for your friends: mine were texting me within hours to say how much they loved it. To win one of TWO FREE copies of Bump, send us your name, address and phone number to the usual Spark address. First two out the bag on July 24 win a copy! www.cartoonkate.co.uk

ethical dating since 1985 Would you like to meet like-minded singles who care about the environment and ethical living? Natural Friends has been successfully linking kind, caring, kindred spirits in LOVE, FRIENDSHIP and HAPPINESS since 1985.

www.naturalfriends.co.uk

COUNSELLORS WANTED Relate Avon is a successful and growing counselling organisation. In addition to relationship counselling we oďŹ&#x20AC;er family counselling, psychosexual therapy, counselling for young people and educational courses. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re keen to hear from people already trained; and also from trained counsellors interested in extending their training into relationship issues. If you can work in Bath, Bristol or Somerset and value working with a team of counsellors with ongoing CPD and supervision support contact us on:

0117 9428444 recep.relateavon@btconnect.com www.relate-avon.org.uk

body & soul

holistic health, personal growth & spirituality

Beccy Golding on dramatherapy, the Quakers’ national conference and round-up of the region’s news stories

quaker mass O

ver 2,000 Quakers will converge on Bath this summer at their Yearly Meeting Gathering, 2-9 August. All Quakers, also known as ‘friends’, are invited to attend these threeyearly events, held in a different part of the country each time. A splendid gathering village will be built in the grounds of the University of Bath, with a 2,000-seater big top at one end, a ‘gathering tent’ at the other and a series of 15 marquees and cafes in between; the whole event will have a real ‘festival’ feel. Large group sessions will be held in the big top, with participants making decisions that will affect Quakers nationwide. Smaller group sessions will offer hundreds of fringe activities, from the contemplative to the hands-on, from painting to gardening, from talking to listening, and just chilling out. A Bristol-based arts curator will infuse the week with creative arts to get involved with. With Quakers visiting from Australia, America, Africa and Japan as well as Europe, the event will have an extensive international element and collectively will consider the theme ‘What it means to be a Quaker today’. Quakers meet in silence, hoping to find a

Quakers Kevin Redpath and Judi Brill outside Horfield Meeting House in Bristol sense of stillness in which they can reflect on their values, how they live and be inspired by the company of others on a similar journey. Some think of themselves as Christian, some feel more rooted in eastern traditions, some are agnostic or atheist. All share the values of peace, equality, integrity and simplicity & sustainability. Quakers expect to leave Bath “renewed and refreshed more by their time together than by the hot springs,” we’re told. www.quaker.org.uk/ymg

dramatherapist.

Describe what you do?

I have been a dramatherapist for over 20 years, providing the stage for people to have a new experience of themselves through theatre. I set up Scenario Arts in Personal Development in 1995 and founded the Dramatherapy Certificate, now Foundation Course, in Bristol, which is in its final run after 19 years. I offer short Continued Professional Development courses and have a private practice in Bath. I am also a licensed Equine Facilitated Psychotherapist which, similar to dramatherapy but in a subtler way, works with the unconscious, but the horse becomes both the mirror and the teacher.

What brought you to dramatherapy?

Prior to becoming a therapist I strutted my stuff on the theatrical stage but became disillusioned by the lack of integrity and authenticity required to succeed. It did serve me well, however, as I learned about creating a role and how to identify myself with it in order to give a good performance. The stage itself acted as a container for my self-expression, whereas on the drama-therapeutic stage there was no performance anxiety or end-product to perfect for a critical audience. It was about the creative process and I found that liberating.

The misconceptions of dramatherapy are:

Many people fear being put on the spot or letting their guard down, but they always have a choice and we work at a pace that feels right for them. Often they are having so much fun that they let their inhibitions go naturally. Most people love the idea of being able to reconnect to their playful nature that has somehow got locked away or squashed, or to realise a dream role without the pressure to ‘get it right’. There

oodGym Bristol (see photo right) is a community project that combines getting fit with doing good. Originally set up in London four years ago, it has been running in Bristol for one year. The idea is to meet, run to a community project, get involved in some physical volunteering, and then run back again. The runs are normally between three and eight kilometres, with about 30 minutes active volunteering in the middle. All levels of runners are welcome, from beginners to more experienced runners, and no-one is ever left behind. GoodGym Bristol also match up runners with older people in their local community. The runners drop in and see the older people as part of their regular runs, to give some company or to help with some small jobs such as changing a lightbulb. The older people help the runners by giving them motivation to run, and so are called coaches. Group runs take place on Tuesday evenings 6.30-8pm and Saturday mornings 11am-1pm. New runners are always welcome.

Chris Bennett, email: Bristol@goodgym.org www.goodgym.org

Why I Do What I Do… Rachel Perry

body & soul news

is no wrong way to do dramatherapy, just the spontaneity of the moment, the experience and awareness of what you do and how it feels.

I know it’s been a good day when…

I am rewarded and often moved when I see clients making poignant connections with hidden parts of themselves, or seeing them come face to face with a perceived demon that just wants to play or be loved. Stepping into this new place, there is a sense of empowerment and something awakens from within.

What I’ve learnt about myself is…

I’ve learned through this process that we all want the same thing: peace of mind and happiness of heart. Through the many personas and characters we may play out on our stage, we have a leading cast of few that really shine and can make a difference in our world. Once we honour our true self and let the false and non-serving masks drop away, we can manifest miracles.

In ten years’ time I’d like to be…

My long-term vision has always been to run a healing arts centre but now my world includes the horse-human relationship I might have to add a herd and stables! I’d like to support people in the caring professions in particular. Footprints: an equine encounter (14 June, Glos); Spontaneity of Change: dramatherapy workshop (28/29 June, Bath); Footprints 2 (2/ 3 August, Somerset.) Individual & group equine therapy sessions available in Gloucestershire & Somerset. Tel Rachel Perry on 01225 851055 email rachel@scenario59.freeserve.co.uk www.dramatherapy.org.uk

lectro-sensitivity (ES), also know as electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), is a condition caused by exposure to mobile phones/masts, wifi, and electro-magnetic fields (EMFs) from electronic devices. Symptoms can include sleep disturbance, headaches, restlessness, concentration problems, forgetfulness, limb and joint pains, numbness or tingling sensations, tinnitus, giddiness and eye problems. The illness is controversial because not everyone believes it exists, but as the World Health Organisation said, following a study conducted in 2005, “The symptoms are certainly real and can vary widely in their severity. Whatever its cause, EHS can be a disabling problem for the affected individual.” There’s lots of info online but here are a few starting points: www.es-uk.info http://electrosensitivity.org.uk www.electrosensitivity.co.uk www.emfwise.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Electrosensitivity

alking football is a slower version of the beautiful game where any player caught running concedes a free kick to the opposition. And Grey Pride is a walking football tournament for the over 55s happening on 31 May, co-ordinated by Bristol City Football Club and LinkAge. There will be some Bristol City players joining in as well as eight teams of five players, made up of locals from south Bristol and beyond. BCFC and LinkAge also hold regular training sessions where you can strap on your football boots and get back into the game.

Grey Pride: 31 May, kick off at 10.30am. St John’s Churchyard, Bedminster, Bristol. Email Mollie.Stevens@bcfc.co.uk or skills@bedminster.org.uk if you wish to take part. http://tinyurl.com/q37n3dn

new group for people experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is starting at the Trauma Centre in Cheltenham on Tuesday evenings. PTSD can be caused by a traumatic event (e.g. road traffic accident, violent crime, sexual assault, witnessing a violent or traumatic death) and can lead to symptoms including flashbacks of the event, intrusive thoughts and nightmares.

07975 974455 www.suicidecrisis.co.uk

park Holistic Health Award-winner Community Conscious is offering on-site complementary therapies to local businesses as a way of subsidising their lowcost sessions across Bristol, and are starting a crowd-funding campaign at the end of July to further support their services. They are also launching a smoke-free service from Hamilton House in May for those who want to quit smoking.

www.communityconscious.org communityconscious@coexistuk.org

he Back to Health: Integrative Cancer Health-Care conference, 6-9 June, has changed venue to Exeter. The event is for practitioners and anyone who has, or has been affected by, cancer. www.back2healthevents.com

short but moving and powerful little video made by Alzheimer’s Society gives a tiny insight into how it might feel to live with dementia. And they have produced a booklet explaining how businesses can make a big difference when serving customers with dementia, including easyto-follow tips, and explaining how physical, environmental and sensory factors can cause difficulties, with suggestions on how to reduce their impact.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz8ACEu7Lho Booklet: download for free or order 25+ copies for £5 + p&p www.alzheimers.org.uk/customerfacing

f you are concerned about the safety of a child or young person in Bristol there is a new phone service you can use called First Response. Jointly run by Bristol City Council and the Police Safeguarding Coordination Unit, key to this new approach is the idea of creating a ‘team around the child’, led by one person who will involve children, young people and families in the plans made to help them. The First Response number is 0117 903 6444. Visit www.bristol.gov.uk and search ‘first response’.

NEW STUDENT OFFER *Register online now at:

The Contemporar y College of Homeopathy

Homeopathy -

www.bristolcityyoga.co.uk/spark

Getting others better

Specialist Yoga Studio Therapy Room Teacher Training Courses Yoga Retreats & Holidays Women’s Health Project www.bristolcityyoga.co.uk 16 Backfields Lane, Stokes Croft BS2 8QW 0117 924 4414 / info@bristolcityyoga.co.uk

BRISTOL COLLEGE of MASSAGE and BODYWORK ◆ Professional Diploma Courses in Holistic Massage ◆ Advanced Diploma Courses in Remedial & Sports Massage, Indian Head Massage, and Thai Massage ◆ Introductory Workshops every month ◆ Advanced Workshops and Massage Practice days Contact us:T: 0117 377 1201 ◆ Regular Supervision Groups E: enquiries@bristolmassage.co.uk

•Free open days •A four year part-time training •Weekend introductory courses practitioner The four year course is ideal for those •A one year foundation course either looking for a vocation, or those

in homeopathic medicine •A free clinic for patients (either GP referred or independent bookings)

considering changing their existing one. The course runs ten weekends a year with directed home study

Courses run at Engineers House, Clifton, Bristol For more information please phone Kate on 01275 877083 or visit www.conhom.com

W: www.bristolmassage.co.uk

The College is accredited by the Society of Homeopaths and all major homeopathic organisations

Accredited by the Massage Training Institute (MTI). Our courses exceed the training standards of the General Council for Massage Therapy.

Local Training to National Standards September 2014 Start: ONGOING: Programme of CPD Workshops Develop your Counselling Diploma into a Introduction to Psychodynamic Counselling Skills: 10Psychotherapy week course once-weekly Qualifi cation January 2014 Start: British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC) registered Infant Observation -weekly seminar

We Wehave havebeen been providing providing Psychodynamic Psychodynamic Counselling and to Counselling Training, Psychotherapy Training Nationally accredited to Nationally accredited standards since 1983 standards since 1983

Diploma in Psychodynamic Counselling PG Diploma/ Post Qualification training: Psychodynamic BACP accredited and (BPC) Psychodynamic Approaches to Counselling in Schools Counsellor Registration Foundation Certificate (Diploma Stage 1) Foundation Certifi cate in Counselling Skills September 2014 Start: and Attitudes Diploma in Psychodynamic Counselling- BACP accredited (& BPC accreditation in process) ONGOING: Programme of CPD Workshops & Introduction to Counselling 10 week(BPC course Advanced Diploma Once -WeeklySkills: Psychotherapy accreditation in process)

www.wessexcounsellingservice.co.uk see website for details www.wessexcounselling.co.uk 01373 453355

yoga

01373 453355

Shiatsu for deep healing

and personal tr ansformation

S P I R AT

25th

R S OF

ANNIVERSARY

Bristol School of Shiatsu Tel: 0844 335 0573 info@shiatsubristol.co.uk www.shiatsubristol.co.uk

O NAL Y

One Year and Three Year Practitioner Training Courses also available All courses are taught in Bristol.

three weekend foundation course • 11/12 October • 1/2 November • 22/23 November this practical shiatsu foundation course, that includes a full body routine, will give you a very good grounding in this powerful healing art.

A • 25

The Devon

School

Yoga

Telephone: 01392 420573

info@devonyoga.com • www.devonyoga.com

A member of the Independent Yoga Network.

Foundation Course, Teacher Training & Yoga Therapy Courses, Classes, Workshops & Retreats in Devon & North India.

activ - breath

want to advertise in The Spark? see inside back cover for info

Welcome to The Spark Listings – issue 77 Find lovely people offering a plethora of services and opportunities, from courses to counselling, massage, personal development, spirituality and yoga... plus food suppliers, eco-builders, holiday providers and more. Making the global personal... the personal global... we think you can’t separate the person from the world they live in. * When you reply to an ad please say you saw it in The Spark - it’s the advertisers who pay for The Spark to exist so it’s great for them to know their ads are working (and it really helps us). Thanks. Disability access codes

are included in our listings ads if the advertiser has given them to us:

A B C S(X) NA H T

Level entrance to building Room with level access Adapted toilets Steps and no. of steps Not accessible Home visits available Telephone for further info

Listings sections this issue: activism acupuncture architects, buildings & home arts therapies breath therapy buqi business opportunities business services career development centres & venues children • birth • education city farms coaching complementary clinics complementary practitioners computers & web design

constellations counselling & psychotherapy: • bath • bristol • bristol north • families/young people • outdoors *new* • psychotherapy • relationships • s glos • general • c&p training • c&p noticeboard courses, groups & workshops craniosacral therapy dance dentists & dental care disability doctors/holistic physicians eye health feng shui fertility food

garden healing herbal medicine holidays: • b&bs & hostels • green • holiday cottages • retreats home & decluttering homeopathy housing & land hypnotherapy jobs kinesiology legal services massage & bodywork mediation meditation money movement & bodywork music & sound nlp

nutrition & diet personal growth courses photography readings rebirthing reiki relationships relaxing & winding down rolfing rooms & spaces shamanism shiatsu spiritual paths & practices training voice volunteering women yoga (other listings sections are available - see our website for full list: www.thespark.co.uk)

Small Print. It’s very rare, but once in a while an advertiser behaves in a way they shouldn’t. If you’ve had an experience with one of our advertisers that made you feel uneasy, uncomfortable, cross or bamboozled, please let us know as soon as possible. We’ll do our best to make the situation better - this could be through gentle persuasion, direct challenge, or in some cases by refusing to accept their custom. Having said that, the small print still stands..

Blue Sax Publishing Ltd, who publish The Spark, cannot take any responsibility for the quality of an advertisers’ service or advertisers’ conduct. In choosing an advertiser you may wish to consult the appropriate professional bodies. We gather the info but we can’t and don’t evaluate the advertisers. Advertisers are advised that all copy is their sole responsibility under The Trade Protection Act. All adverts must comply with the British Code of Advertising Practice.

We reserve the right to refuse, amend, withdraw or otherwise deal with advertisements submitted to us at our absolute discretion and without explanation. Blue Sax Publishing can accept no liability for any loss or damage resulting from omission or inaccuracies relating to telephone numbers, wording, spacing or positioning or other material regardless how caused.

Deadlines for the year ahead • autumn (issue 78) early bird 26 june • final 24 july magazine published 1 september • winter (issue 79) early bird 25 sep • final 23 october magazine published 24 november • spring (issue 80) early bird 18 dec • final 22 jan 2015 magazine published 23 february • summer (issue 81) early bird 26 march • final 23 april magazine published 26 may

Stone Liberation

activism

Is your stonework painted? We can chisel off and rub down to original beauty of stone. All repairs in stone. Lime mortar traditional repointing. Friendly advice: Simon: 01275 848189

Replace Animal Tests

with superior human tissue tests. Sign our petition: www.SaferMedicines.org

acupuncture Isabel James Lic.Ac, MBAcC, MRCHM

• Traditional Chinese Acupuncture • Chinese Herbal Medicine • Experienced children’s practitioner • Gentle effective treatment. Fully qualified practitioner with 10 years’ experience in successfully treating a wide range of conditions, both physical and mental/emotional. Bishopston, Bristol. Tel: 0117 924 1188

architects, building & home

We provide a high-quality building service, specialising in eco-upgrades, sustainably aware alterations & extensions; balancing quality & value to create better spaces with existing resources. • Our experience with many local architects, engineers & surveyors for refurbishment & structural alteration work informs our advice & guidance, for a variety of projects & situations. • We offer impartial advice for eco-upgrades to improve a building’s thermal performance; helping buildings evolve in changing times and managing resources more sustainably, through optimising space, light & temperature. • Qualified - competent - reasonable. Member of The Green Register & The AECB. Contact Simon Reid (iCIOB) info@buildingecologic.co.uk 07500 692199 & 0117 924 6024

you are reading the biggest free alternative magazine in the UK good, innit?

We are a green building company which undertakes all types of building works. These include:- eco renovations, extensions, loft conversions and new builds. Why work with us? • We are experts in our field and our attention to detail is second to none • We provide an excellent service and create beautiful, elegant and affordable eco housing • We are truly passionate about sustainable building • We believe that ecological awareness should be central to all building projects, from design through to completion • We undertake any project from large to small • We happily provide free impartial advice and quotations. Contact Ben East (MSc) info@earthwiseconstruction.org www.earthwiseconstruction.org 0117 318 2269 / 0771 954 6856

Maintenance, clearance, light removals. Maintenance: Care & repair of your property both inside and out, including painting, door hanging/adjustment, loft insulation and boarding, hanging shelves, assembling flat packs, fencing, etc. Clearance: Sensitive and eco-conscious, house (and garage) clearing, recycling where possible, certified and appropriate waste disposal where needed. Light Removals Fully insured to move your treasured (or unwanted) items, large or small. I am a careful, thorough worker with an eye for detail, offering a friendly yet excellent service! Please call me to discuss your needs. Gregory Champion 0790 662 8383 gic.hk3@gmail.com

The practice, formed in 1984, has specialised in community buildings, doctors’ surgeries, private houses, and many small-scale extensions and alterations. No job is considered too small and all designs are unique and specific to their client and situation. Special consideration is given to sunlight, view, ecological materials, context, inclusive access, to produce quality solutions that the users will cherish. Vic Love Architects Ltd operates a sliding-fee scale and offers a service to suit, from initial ideas to the full service including designs, drawings for regulations, building contract management and site inspections. Nearly all the commissions have come from referrals from satisfied clients, reflecting the close working relationship and service provided as well as the character, design and quality of the completed buildings. Vic Love Architects Ltd has completed over 1000 projects throughout Bristol and the immediate area. If you have any architectural projects in mind of whatever size, we welcome you to ring us or pop in to the shop for an informal chat. ‘Vic Love Architects Ltd’ 188 Bedminster Down Road, Bristol BS13 7AF Tel: 0117 963 3007 Fax: 0117 963 3007 ABH e-mail: viclove@viclove.co.uk

Licensed to Drill - WBSR

Bristol • Garden landscaping & maintenance, fencing, decking, patios, ponds • Floor sanding, internal and external decoration, loft insulation • Hen houses and chicken runs, log stores and sheds etc. Friendly reliable local builder offering excellent service for jobs big or small, inside or out. Competitive rates, free quotes and good work generally wonderful. Steve Rose 0117 964 6670 or 0776 324 0158

Soot n Sweep

For all your chimney sweeping needs. All types of chimneys, flues & AGAs swept and cleaned. Member of NACS, sweeping certificates issued. Contact Nick Wilcox, 07983 215312, 0117 94 92258

Sustainable Building

Design and building works for healthy homes (UK/France) sust-build.com

arts therapies Susan Lawrence Dramatherapy

Dramatherapy for individuals & groups Using play, movement, voice and storytelling, dramatherapy can help you to • develop your creativity • discover other aspects of yourself • develop your confidence and self expression • heal hurts. Please phone / email for more information or to discuss your individual needs. Phone 0117 933 2607 Email susan_lawrence_evaluation@yahoo.co.uk www.susanlawrencetrainng.co.uk

breath therapy Buteyko Courses

Snore no more. Breathe easy. Simple techniques for all ages to help with asthma and sleep problems, naturally, safely. Registered Buteyko practitioners www.naturalbreathingtraining.com 0117 378 9544 / 07527 472 579

Conscious Breathing Retreats

Home/abroad. Rebirthing in Bath. Jacqui Storm 0786 889 0388 www.lifesbreath.com

Be seen where people are looking for you. That’s what listings is all about

or visit www.thespark.co.uk for more info or to book online buqi - comp 41

buqi

centres & venues

complementary clinics

Buqi Energy Therapy

Buqi activates the flow of vital Qi energy to support the body’s natural ability to heal itself. Qi carries the messages that encode all life processes from the vibration of a single cell to the metabolism of the whole body. Buqi treats most conditions by clearing stale Qi from the body. Benefits include improved general health, energy levels and posture. Lightness, flexibility and vitality return. Clifton and central Bristol. Contact Ann for details. 07766 100383 or buqibristol@buqi.net

business opportunities Handmade Soap Business For Sale

... or just sell stock. Gentle, unique blends, suit skin problems. Website not live, can be readapted. Stock, equipment, goodwill, customer list, accounts. Offers. Tel: 01823 252549

business services

A versatile venue for Frome. The Cheese & Grain is available for hire for local residents and clubs, and for all registered charities at reduced rates. Corporate, educational and charity meetings can be booked by negotiation, with access to all venue facilities including screen projection and catering. Contact Martin Dimery at martin@cheeseandgrain.co.uk Cheese & Grain, Market Yard, Frome Tel: 01373 455 768

Venue near Glastonbury

For retreats, trainings, groups, workshops. Accommodates 9/10 persons. Over 2 acres wonderful garden, mature trees. Also, de-stress b&b. Delicious organic meals. 01458 570111 naturesretreatcentre.com

Steiner Academy Bristol is a new school for children aged 4-16, opening in 2014 and offering an education that is creative, engaging and environmentally conscious. Our vision is for a school in which children can fully experience childhood; think independently, clearly and considerately; observe the world perceptively; and act with creativity, courage and self-determination. We are currently acquiring a site, which will be announced soon. We are part of a group of Steiner Academies, state-funded schools that build on the ideas of Steiner education with a commitment to diversity and accessibility. Our school will be accessible to all, regardless of background, income, ability, faith, gender or any other consideration. www.steineracademybristol.org.uk

city farms

children Outdoors Project:

Kids Outdoor Adventure Parties; Holiday, Weekend, After-School Clubs www.theoutdoorsproject.co.uk 0772 299 6025 Bristol-based NM Systems offers virtual administration services available throughout the UK, and provides services for small and home-based businesses that may not have the time, room or regular work to employ someone on a permanent basis. I have over 15 years’ administration experience. I can work for clients on an ad-hoc or regular basis, and can provide support evenings and weekends, ensuring your business benefits from consistent and reliable back-office functions. I am committed to providing high quality work at reasonable rates with efficiency, professionalism, confidentiality, discretion and integrity. Benefits of using NM Systems: • Only pay for hours worked • No need to provide office space or equipment; save on running costs • No PAYE, National Insurance, holiday, sickness, or training costs • No Agency Fees • Long-term and short-term support available. Contact admin@niallmilligan.co.uk tel: 0779 036 9121

Are You Still Looking For An Accountant?

Accounts and tax return preparation for partnerships and individuals. Assistance with Revenue investigations. Siri Perera Accountant & Taxation Consultant. Ashley Down, 0117 923 2113. siri.perera@btinternet.com

☞ goto iT

Does your small business need better IT systems? Slow computer at home? We can help. www.goto-it.co.uk See ad in Computers section for more info

www.netwalkingsouthwest.co.uk

Offering your business a greener and healthier way to network. 0117 377 9231

career development

children - birth www.birthjourneys.jimdo.com

Holistic Midwife/Birth Preparation Mentor: one-to-one consultations, inspiring Birth Preparation courses; Birth Story Listening to resolve a negative birth experience, breastfeeding support. Karen: 0770 851 2520

children - education

A co-educational school for children from age 3-16 years where teaching respects childhood and each individual child, • which nurtures a lifelong love of learning by educating the whole child - their will, their feelings and their mind • which gives children good academic skills within a caring environment, whilst they develop a social and moral insight of the world around them • where pupils leave the school with self-awareness and self-confidence, enabling them to give purpose and direction to their lives. Bristol Steiner School Open Evening, Thursday 5th June, 6.30-8pm. Tours, talks and taster lessons. One open morning available every half term please phone office for details. Tel: 0117 933 9990 Fax: 0117 933 9999 e-mail: info@bristolsteinerschool.org www.bristolsteinerschool.org

Public Speaking Fears?

My passion is about helping people find their voice and find their ease in front of groups. It can be done! Take a look at my page ad in Courses, Groups & Workshops, or go straight to www.speaking-infront.co.uk John Dawson 01225 425300

to strut your stuff

Pop into the farm this summer and discover nature in the heart of the city. With a great café, farm animals, picnic area, two play areas, a football pitch and free entry 7 days-a-week, it’s the ideal place to bring the family. If you are looking for something cool for the kids to do when you are at work, book them into our new Farm Explorers holiday playscheme or one of our weekly Grow-it Eat-it sessions. We also have some fantastic free summer events including: • Volunteer Open Day, 6 June • Farm & Garden Discovery Day, 7 June • Solar Energy Day, 12 July • A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 13 July • Home-Start Bristol Family Breakfast, 14 July • RSPB at the Farm, 15 August. www.windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk Please follow us on twitter: @windcityfarm and like our page on facebook: WindmillHillCityFarm

coaching

see page 46

Acupuncture, Allergy Testing, Aromatherapy, CBT, Colour Light Therapy, Counselling, E.F.T., Health Kinesiology, Herbal Medicine, Homeopathy, Hypnotherapy, Indian Head Massage, Iridology, Massage, McTimoney Chiropractic, N.L.P., Neuro-Linguistic Psychotherapy, Reflexology, Reiki, Shiatsu, Sports & Remedial Massage (Holistic / Swedish / Thai), Time Line Therapy. Free ‘Which Treatment?’ Consultation. Excellent natural health treatments given by the same qualified and experienced practitioners that made the clinic such a success from the start. Gift vouchers. Children’s clinic with treatments given at reduced prices. Casual callers welcomed. ABC Tel: 0117 94 44 448

No Crystals, No Funny Stuff

Let’s just get on and sort it out Stuck? In a hole? Brick wall? You have the answers, but you haven’t been asked the right questions yet. Whether it’s work, home or creativity, the respectful but rigorous style of Solution-Focused Coaching will get you jump-started again. Ex-drugs worker, mediator and Probation Officer, now trainer, coach and teacher, Roger de Wolf looks forward to hearing from you, if you think skilled conversation might be useful. rogerdewolf@msn.com 07971 844054

Results Can Be Quick & Life Changing

Solutions focussed NLP Coaching Become the best person you can be. Change your thoughts, change your actions, change your future. Deal with fears, stress, lack of confidence, difficult people or phobias. Review/make career, work or life plans. Change unhelpful habits and feelings. Improve your quality of life. Concessionary rates available. Call 0794 422 0780

quickstep into our dance listings.

Arcania’s fantastic new central location, right next to Bath Abbey, offers rooms to rent for therapies and small groups. We specialise in our own branded Aromatherapy product range, Gemstone Jewellery, Books, CDs and other Unique Gifts for the Mind, Body and Spirit. The holistic treatments and groups we offer in our Therapy Rooms from highly qualified therapists and practitioners include: • Massage (Aromatherapy, Deep Tissue, etc.) • Beauty Therapies (Waxing, Facials, etc.) • Reiki • Ayurveda • Astrology/Palmistry/Card Readings • Past-Life Regression Therapy • Meditation • Courses/ Workshops. All are welcome, just call the shop for information or to book an appointment. Gift Vouchers sold for treatments or goods. Room hire available. Open Monday-Saturday 10am-5.45pm & Sunday 11am-4.45pm. 6-7 Orange Grove, Bath, BA1 1LP. Tel: 01225 335233 info@arcaniabath.com www.arcaniabath.com

Therapies: • Acupuncture - Sarah May, Elizabeth Greswell • Bowen Technique - Anne Brunton • CBT - John Crawford, David Wilcox • Craniosacral Therapy - Claire Attridge, Sheena Mcmahon • Food Intolerance Testing & Nutrition - Sue Bryant • Hypnotherapy - Joanne Cole, John Crawford, Samantha Cleverly, Amanda Gazidis • Hypno-Psychotherapy - Sheonagh Scott • Inner Child Therapy & Past Life Regression Joanne Cole • Kinesiology/Allergy Therapy - Andrew Kemp, Amanda Hassan-Ally, Claire Kedward, Ellen Forshaw • Massage - Samantha Cleverly, Charlotte Perrey, Jon Watkins • Psychotherapy - Sarah Brown, Louise Collens • Physiotherapy - Jonathan Watkins • Pilates - Samantha Cleverly • Psychology - Jane Simmons • Reflexology - Claire Collins, Anne Brunton, Charlotte Perrey, Jacqui Bagatelas • Reiki - Jacqui Bagatelas • Spiritual Healing - Andrew Kemp. For information or bookings please call 0117 962 0008, info@chironcentre.co.uk ABT www.chironcentre.co.uk more complementary clinics ads over the page

comp - const

want to advertise in The Spark? see inside back cover for info Bristol City Yoga Therapy Rooms

Relax, revitalise and restore yourself. Treatments include various massages, acupuncture, ayurveda, reflexology, shiatsu, and now hypnotherapy and sports therapy. 07582 425237 therapies@bristolcityyoga.co.uk Practitioners. • Louise Chapman – Acupuncture 07789 913 973 lchapman.acupuncture@gmail.com www.louisechapmanacupuncture.com • Jon Muscaty - Osteopathy and Naturopathy 07968 680 851 j.muscaty@virgin.net www.jonmuscaty.co.uk • Heidi Spindler Therapeutic/Aromatherapy Massage, Reflexology 07966 453 815 hspindler.mail@gmail.com Hypnotherapists. • Claire Brigg 07984 305 239 therapy@clairebrigg. com www.clairebrigg.com • Susan Cassidy 07887 565 907 scassidy@blueyonder.co.uk www.solutionsinmind-hypnotherapy.co.uk • Susan Rodrigues 07743 895 513 susan_rodrigues@hotmail.com www.susanrodrigueshypnotherapy.co.uk • Matthew Dyson 07989 576 456 matthew@dysontherapy.com www.dysontherapy. com • Stephanie Burton (nee Hill) 07915 158 089 info@cliftonhypnotherapy.co.uk www.cliftonhypnotherapy.co.uk Hypnotherapy Information and Appointments Line: 0117 973 3260

Located close to the Arches, Enso offers a relaxed and friendly environment to treat a whole range of today’s health problems. With a team of dedicated and experienced practitioners of traditional and conventional therapies, your every need will be catered for in the comfort & informal surroundings of Enso. • Acupuncture Sarah May 07929 252756, Neil Kingham 07985 916114 • Hypnotherapy Julia Crocker 07786 001295 • Thai Massage Cliff de la Croix 07726 301714 • C.B.T. Lucy Walker 07534 218877, Claire Simmonds 07727 267943. Whether you have a serious on-going health issue or just want to de-stress, simply phone or pop in for information on any of the treatments that we offer. Treatment Rooms available for hire to qualified practitioners, please call for details.

Therapies available: Acupuncture • Aromatherapy • Ayurveda • Bach Flower Remedies • Cranio-Sacral Therapy • Holistic Facials • Health Kinesiology • Homoeopathy • Holistic & Deep Tissue Massage • McTimoney Chiropractic • Medical Herbalism • Pregnancy Massage • Reflexology • Shiatsu • Osteopathy and more. Appointments can be made by visiting the shop or by telephone. We are happy to help you choose which treatment may be appropriate. In addition most practitioners will give 10 minute free consultations to help you decide. Open Monday to Saturday 9.30-5.45pm and Sundays 11-4pm. Gift vouchers available. Neal’s Yard Remedies Therapy Rooms, 7 Northumberland Place, Bath BA1 5AR Tel: 01225 466944 e-mail: bath@nealsyardremedies.com www.nyr-bath.com

This friendly and professional clinic in South Bristol was once a nunnery and has retained this quiet sense of peace, making for a perfect therapeutic setting. Offering parking, disabled access and daytime and evening appointments. We have a dedicated and experienced team offering the following services: • Acupuncture • Alexander Technique • Bowen Fascial Release Therapy • Chiropractic Clinic • Counselling • CBT • Clinical Psychology • Foot Healthcare • Chinese Herbal Medicine • Homeopathy • Hypnotherapy • Massage Therapy • Nutritional Therapy • Osteopathy • Physiotherapy • Podiatry • Private Polish Clinic • Psychotherapy • Reflexology. info@southville-clinic.co.uk 68 Coronation Road, Southville, Bristol BS3 1AS www.southville-clinic.co.uk 0117 963 2335

The Practice Rooms

Range of therapies; expert practitioners. Bath, Clifton, Salisbury. www.thepracticerooms.co.uk

The Relaxation Centre

Enchanting Spa and treatment Centre offering holistic massage, reflexology, Indian head massage, shiatsu, aromatherapy, reflexology, and reiki and much more. Prices from £30 for 30 mins. Discounts available. www.relaxationcentre.co.uk 0117 970 6616

complementary practitioners

Are you stuck in a maze of confusion? Bewildered by therapies and remedies? Don’t know what advice to believe? The answer is simple! I can unlock what your body already knows it needs to restore or maintain health, with the fine detail of Kinesiology. Help resolve major & minor problems: digestive disorders, food intolerances, fatigue & low energy, allergies, asthma & eczema, migraine & headache, stress-related problems, PMS, menopause, muscle & joint pain, poor immunity to infections, vitamin & mineral imbalances, etc. Diana Sheppard KFRP. Natural Health Caring with Kinesiology. Call 0117 977 6354 for free discussion of your needs. www.dianasheppard.co.uk

Energy Medicine, Hypnotherapy, Reiki Integrated Therapies Dave Costello 07715 975 887 www.wellnesspractice.co.uk

Mobile Therapist

Offering Reflexology, Indian Head Massage and Swedish Massage. Kerry 0759 287 0849

☞ Clearing with Anthony Johnston Clearing patterns brings emotional freedom. See C&P Bristol section

• Acupuncture. Erin Joy Gunner 0783 191 1855, Sandra Arbelaez 0794 780 8484 • Aromatherapy. Belinda Jeffery 07941 501660, Trish Utaboon 0776 622 4006 • Birth preparation/Doula. Trish Utaboon 0776 622 4006 • Chinese Herbal Medicine Sandra Arbelaez 0794 780 8484 • Counselling. Mo Cahill 07922 254618, Laura Cooper 07808 216 718, Maggie Tweedy 07854 183 740, Konstantina Sokolaki 07921 212 622, Alex Adkins 07758 105 364 • Craniosacral Therapy. Patricia Falvey 07905 283 797 • Holistic Massage. Sarah Hoare 07976 710368, Karunavapi 07709 284056, Belinda Jeffery 07941 501660, Nikki Whyman 07773 231 094, Rachel Lindars 0793 227 5622 • Hypnotherapy. Sarah Mortimer 07851 307062, Sarah Hoare 07976 710368 • Indian Head Massage. Belinda Jeffery 07941 501660, Trish Utaboon 0776 622 4006 • Pre/Post Natal Massage. Trish Utaboon 0776 622 4006 • Psychotherapy. Achalavira Rose 07795 820 293, Catrin John 07967 188 060, Peter Lowis 07981 798165, Andy Mckeown 07976 436149, Hellena Bitsios 0753 117 5136, Sabine Okraffka 0790 565 8699, Jess Orlik 0784 638 7031 • Reflexology. Belinda Jeffery 07941 501660 • Reiki. Sandra Arbelaez 0794 7808484, Sarah Hoare 07976 710368 • Shiatsu. Hannah Currant 07981 992178, Rosie Freeman 0798 027 9452. Or contact our Coordinator, Bhadra on 0758 708 9220 or healingroomsbristol@gmail.com The Healing Rooms, 162 Gloucester Road, Bristol. BS7 8NT www.healingroomsbristol.co.uk

Bristol’s most central Natural Medicine & Therapy Rooms, offering:• Herbal Medicine • Acupuncture • Reflexology • Craniosacral Therapy • Holistic Massage • Counselling • Thai Massage. Open Tuesday to Friday 11.00am-5.30pm, Saturday 11am-4pm. Treatment rooms available for experienced practitioners. 58 Colston Street, Bristol BS1 5AZ Tel: 0117 927 6527 for appointments or email info@urbanfringe.co.uk www.urbanfringe.co.uk

A Unique and welcoming city retreat providing complementary therapies and classes. Less than 10 minutes drive from Central Bristol, this peaceful haven provides a rural environment for those wishing to escape from the city without having to travel for miles. Services include: • Massage • Reflexology • Acupuncture • Osteopathy • Kinesiology • Homeopathy • Nutrition • Reiki • Counselling • Hypnotherapy • Pilates • Yoga & Meditation. Yanley Court is also home to The Natural Pregnancy Partnership, a group of experienced therapists specialising in therapies/classes for pre- and post-natal women. Therapy rooms and a beautiful workshop area are available to hire. Yanley Lane, Long Ashton, BS41 9LB. Information and bookings: 01275 394554 info@yanleycourt.co.uk www.yanleycourt.co.uk

☞ Stuart Taylor

Past Life Regression & Hypnotherapy. See Hypnotherapy section

Are you looking for a tech company that speaks your language? If you’re looking to create a website, or build a computing application that will help you run your business then igeek are the company who can help. Using clear, simple English we’ll be with you every step of your journey, from design and build through to testing. From websites you manage yourself, to online shops, to fully-fledged business databases, igeek ensure that our experience and your creativity combine to create positive results. We work with organisations like yours to help technology empower you, make you more efficient and increase your productivity, leaving you more time to spend on the important things. We grow with you: we’re the technology company that can make a positive difference. Call today for a chat. www.igeek.co.uk 0117 370 2469

New Macs, Refurbs, repairing sick Macs, advice, upgrading. Printers, ADSL broadband - all in one shop. Easy parking & helpful staff with years of experience. Macs have a lot to offer: professional MacPro Tower, powerful MacBookPro, budget iMac, with Intel Quad or dual Processors, extremely fast and stable. Virus resistant. Macs are so much easier to use than PCs. We supply doctors & practitioners, designers, musicians, architects, writers, students & creative people in the South West. We provide advice & service, new & old equipment, printers & scanners, upgrades & repairs, software, memory, Giclee printing & Internet Services. iMacs from £1075, 13“ MacBooks £895, 15“ MacBook Pros £1345, Mini’s, Towers and ’Bits’. Talk to Pete Douglas - 0117 983 6999. Tantra, 48 Kensington Park Rd, Brislington, Bristol BS4 3HU (off Bath Road past ITV, near Go Outdoors), 9am-6.30pm. e-mail: pete@tantraweb.co.uk web: www.tantra.co.uk

constellations

computers & web design

Slow computer at home? Does your small business need better IT systems? goto iT are your go-to guys! We have a shop in Filton, Bristol, or we can come to your business or home to repair or upgrade your computers or provide long-term network support. We can work with you to advise you on what hardware/software you need when you make a purchase, then come and set up your new equipment and/or networks as you want them. We can even help with printers, phone systems, websites, cloud services and data recovery. We have 15 years’ experience delivering tailored, competitive IT support to home users, local businesses, not-for-profit organisations and global enterprises. You’re the expert in your business; we’re the experts in your IT. www.goto-it.co.uk If you need help with IT, you know where to go-to! Graham Simmonds: 0117 969 8767 or 07977 149171 support@goto-it.co.uk or go to www.goto-it.co.uk

Founded by German philosopher and psychotherapist Bert Hellinger, Family Constellations is becoming an increasingly familiar phrase within therapeutic and spiritual circles, with the potential for healing both individuals and whole families. Workshops: Contact Barbara Morgan on theknowingfield@gmail.com • June 14/15 Nature Constellations & Constellations as Ceremony: Open Workshop with Francesca Mason Boring, Emmaus House, Bristol. £150. • July 12/13 East Woodlands Village Hall nr. Frome. £130. Contact Barbara on theknowingfield@gmail.com. • August 11-15 Constellations camp, Farleigh Hungerford. Visit www.unicorncamps.com • Individual consultations • Supervision • Training - next Facilitator Training in Constellation Work starts October 2015. For further info on any of the above contact: Barbara on theknowingfield@gmail.com tel: 0796 675 5509 or visit website: www.cominghome.org.uk

The Spark free, thinking, and independent.

or visit www.thespark.co.uk for more info or to book online

const - couns Integrative Body Psychotherapy & Counselling

Bringing healing to personal and trans-generational trauma. Finding greater autonomy in everyday life. Based on the work of Professor Franz Rupert. A Bristol program of Saturday all-day and Thursday evening workshops throughout 2014. Jane also offers one-to-one constellations work, psychotherapy, supervision and therapy group work. Please contact Jane for further details on 0117 963 2505 janecutler@creativerelations.org.uk

counselling & psychotherapy

Skilled in listening and understanding and an empathic and experienced practitioner. Sue offers healing and a safe, supportive space to encourage personal growth and positive self-esteem, often making lasting changes in a relatively short space of time. This is not prolonged therapy or fanciful theories, but a down-to-earth approach that brings rapid results in areas such as anxiety and stress, bereavement, burnout, depression and relationship difficulties. 30 years’ therapeutic experience; currently in holistic counselling and healing, and originally as a medical doctor (general practice/psychiatry). Individual sessions in Clifton & Stroud. Groups: For new groups please see website www.drsueedgley.co.uk 01453 885707

Affordable Therapy for Women

“Well, its like this... the counselling & psychotherapy section starts with geographic and specialist areas, leads onto the general C&P ads followed by Counselling & Psychotherapy Training and finishes with the c&p noticeboard”

c&p bath Core Process Psychotherapy

Bath I offer a safe space for you to explore your thoughts and feelings about the issues and relationships in your life. I will support you in developing insight and tapping into your own well-being in order to find new ways of relating in the world. Sue Abbotson 0778 844 1845. Diploma in CPP, UKCP Registered sue@psychotherapy-bath.com

Transpersonal, Mindful, Psychotherapy in Bath & Bristol I use joint practice where both client and practitioner are equal and engaged, allowing an authentic relationship that supports change and healing. I facilitate a group for Survivors of Sexual Abuse for SARSAS. I have experience working with trauma, sexuality, depression, anxiety and dissociation. I will support your journey with belief and optimism. I have worked in the Deaf community and with their families for 30 years. (BSL III.) Individuals and group work. Ruth C Pooley 01225 422968, text 07960 226364, ruth_pooley@yahoo.co.uk

c&p bristol

(£25-35 sliding scale) I have 20 years’ experience, trained with Integrative approach. Art therapy and dreamwork also offered. Happy to work short-term. Issues might include being in a period of change, loss, addiction, sexual orientation, deep sadness, illness, menopause, anxiety, relationships, spiritual crisis, etc. Phone Maxine 0117 329 7600 or 0781 494 3965 (free initial 30 minute consultation)

Contact Point Psychotherapy

Low cost psychotherapy for adults provided by appropriately trained and supervised psychotherapy students in advanced training. Call 0117 950 3420 for an application form

Core Process Psychotherapy

Mindfulness, Focusing & Body-Centred This form of therapy is a gentle enquiry into one’s present moment experience. It can be used as a basis for exploring anxiety, depression, relationship difficulty, stress and trauma, etc. Free initial meeting. UKCP senior student. www.patfinnegan.co.uk 0797 965 1958 pat.finnegan@btinternet.com

Core Process Psychotherapy

Using mindfulness we explore the difficulties you bring to develop understanding and potential for change and wellbeing. Free first meeting. Helen Gunson 07929 717 708 NA hgunsoncpp.blogspot.co.uk

Core Process Psychotherapy

Bristol Creating the space to bring all of you. Helping you find your way towards meaningful life and vitality. My background is in Spiritual Care and Teaching. Free first meeting. Achalavira Rose, MA.UKCP Registered. (male) NA 07795 820 293

Core Process Psychotherapy

Bristol An opportunity to bring awareness to whatever is going on for you, in an atmosphere of safety, warmth and acceptance. That awareness brings more choice and is, in itself, the start of the healing process. Free First Meeting. NA Katy Taylor, UKCP Reg: 07952 064702

Counselling and Guidance, Bristol

Clearing takes place in a confidential, one-to-one setting where you work in areas of your choosing. The Clearer guides you in a series of communication processes that clear current problems and discharge stacked up communications, helping you find and express your inner truths, bringing insight and clarity to areas of your life that have been held in tension and confusion. Clearing offers the possibility of dissolving deep-seated patterns and fixed attitudes to bring greater satisfaction, emotional freedom and life fulfilment. To find out more about Clearing, or to arrange a free consultation with Anthony, please ring 0795 005 2100 or email anthonymjohnston@gmail.com

take one every three months.

Jane Dempsey (Dip Couns. MBACP). Confidential, friendly counselling sessions offered in tranquil space. Integrative approach. Art, dreams, talk, listening, mindfulness. AB Call Jane 0117 953 7420 / 0772 982 5516

Counselling & Wellbeing

Live. Love. Learn. Let Go. Be who you really are. Helping you be all that you can be. www.ismenecole.com 0791 262 6968

Counselling for Recovery. Maggie Tweedy

Dip. Couns., BA, BACP member. Person-centred, 12 Step, cognitive and depth counselling. Relationships, abuse, food, drugs and general counselling. AB Bristol and Stroud. 07854 183740

Counselling in Clifton

Qualified experienced counsellor offering short and long term counselling in an empathetic, confidential and supportive environment in a comfortable setting. Telephone Counselling available. Contact Kirsti Leljak 0796 993 4719

Terry Davey (UKCP Registered) Work with both individuals and couples covering a wide range of problems. I offer a fully embodied and relational approach to change, both empathic and challenging, encompassing our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual nature. I have particular expertise in trauma (PTSD), abuse and couples counselling. T Call 07969 000317 www.bristoltherapy.co.uk

Lower Cost Psychotherapy

Therapist writing dissertation for MA in Psychotherapy. BS9. Silke Kuball 07910 536431

Lower Cost Psychotherapy, Redland Andrew Dale. Integrative approach. Wide experience in NHS and voluntary sector. Final year trainee on Metanoia doctorate. 07804 088477 andrewdale.psychology@gmail.com www.andrewdale.uk.com

Mindfulness-Based Psychotherapy

Core Process Psychotherapy uses an approach that helps us to see more clearly how we create our own habitual patterns and blocks to our natural potential. Listening deeply with awareness and compassion, we work together to follow your unique path back to this innate health. I offer a free introductory session. Pauline Battson Dip CPP, UKCP reg, NA 07981 638 967

Mindfulness-Based Psychotherapy

When we bring awareness to the patterns and defences adopted to cope with life it can open up space to ’do oneself’ differently and uncover inherent health and wellbeing. I offer a profound welcome to this life-enhancing enquiry. Free introductory meeting. Katharine Rider MA Core Process Psychotherapy www.riderpsychotherapy.co.uk 0781 344 9797 NA

Person-Centred Counsellor

An integrative approach to counselling which aids the individual to explore their concerns taking into consideration his/her unique needs. Free consultation. H Maria: 0773 669 8137 MBACP

Person-centred Counsellor

I work with individuals and couples in an integrative way and am able to accommodate each individual’s unique needs working through unhelpful feelings, thoughts and behaviours in a supportive, non-judgemental and confidential environment and aim for a greater self-awareness. Visit my websiite for more information. www.tammycounselling.co.uk tammycounselling@gmail.com 0797 021 9799

Spiritual Healer: Emotional Therapy Medium clairvoyant, 20 years’ experience. Anita 0750 786 4837 www.bristoldreamreader@gmx.com

Sue Ryall

Warm, empathic counsellor & psychotherapist I aim to help you become more at ease with yourself and your life and to find your particular way through your difficulties or struggles. I have 25 years’ experience dealing with a wide range of emotional, physical and spiritual issues. UKCP reg. 0117 921 1147 sueryall52@gmail.com www.sueryall.co.uk

c&p bristol north Cognitive Behaviour Therapy/ Mindfulness

Di Hall Accredited BACP. www.dihalltherapycounsellor.freeindex.co.uk 0117 959 1873 / 0781 335 7171

Economical Psychotherapy BS9

Supporting your personal and professional life. www.shackleypsychotherapy.co.uk Evelyn 0794 259 7544

Embodied-Relational Therapy and Supervision, Bishopston, BS7

Kamalamani - Adv. Dip. Integrative Counselling, Adv. Dip. ERT, MBACP(Accred) Offering you warm, creative, and confidential conditions for therapy. My work is influenced by 18 years of meditation and engaged Buddhist practice and an interest in ecopsychology. Please call 07905 147 968 or see my website for fuller details: www.kamalamani.co.uk info@kamalamani.co.uk

Emotional and Practical Support Services

Email: fraser@fraserduncan.net 07864 881 574 www.fraserduncan.net

c&p families/young people Help! Counselling

Counselling & psychotherapy for 9-25 year-olds & support for those caring for children No limit on the number of sessions. Sites across Bristol. Also in Bath, Torquay and Exeter. We ask for an affordable contribution to our costs. You choose: the payment, the issues and how many sessions. All staff CRB checked. ABC Tel: 0117 950 2511

c&p outdoors Ecotherapist Based In Failand

20 years of experience in helping people heal and reach their potential with nature based therapy. Free 20 minute initial talk. 0744 304 6189 www.rhondabrandrick.com

c&p psychotherapy Gestalt Psychotherapy

Camilla Brown: Caring, honest and creative. 07805 746 014 www.bristolpsychotherapy.co.uk

Psychotherapy in Central Bristol with Tone Horwood

Spaces available in Thursday group Registered by UKCP as a psychotherapist and by HPC as a Dramatherapist. I offer psychotherapy from a Humanistic & Integrative perspective to individuals, couples and groups, and supervision to Arts Therapists, Counsellors and Psychotherapists. Ffi 0117 972 1077 or toneh@talk21.com

Regan Crum

I offer a safe, confidential & professional space where we can explore what you would like to explore in your life. I have experience in trauma, attachment, loss & bereavement, anxiety & depression. My therapeutic approach is based on your needs as a client. My theoretical underpinnings combine Attachment, Intersubjectivity & Neuroscience & also use Phenomenological approaches with a freedom & openness to spirituality. Regan Crum BA PGCE MA PG Advanced Diploma Integrative Psychotherapy Final Year Trainee. 0780 514 7624, http://fulcrumhouse.co.uk email: reganstherapy@yahoo.co.uk

c&p relationships Relate Counselling for Relationships, Families, Children

Relate offers counselling in a professionally managed and supervised organisation. The vast majority of our clients would recommend our services and use them again. We work in Bristol, Bath, Chilcompton, Weston-s-Mare and Street. Contact: 0117 942 8444 recep.relateavon@btconnect.com www.relate-avon.org.uk

c&p south glos Core Process Psychotherapy

Offering a space to explore and untangle patterns and habits which get in the way to living fully. The gentle, compassionate approach of this therapy can support you towards well-being. Some of the issues I work with include relationships, anxiety, depression, stress, trauma etc. Free first meeting. Susanna Hoare, MA. 0117 932 4323 www.susannahoarepsychotherapy.co.uk more c&p ads over the page

couns - cours

want to advertise in The Spark? see inside back cover for info

c&p general

We come to therapy for many reasons: personal problems, interpersonal difficulties, general dissatisfaction with life or for personal development. I work out of Core Process Psychotherapy because it offers a contemplative, spiritual, yet down-to-earth approach. CPP is in tune with my own views of what is truly helpful to the client. It offers a heartfelt acceptance of the client and honours their way of working. My practice is set in Wiltshire countryside; a rural retreat near Castle Combe, a short drive from Bath and Bristol. It is easy to find. I offer a Free Introductory Meeting. Phone Andrea Legh-Smith UKCP 01249 782516 or aleghsmith@gmail.com

courses, groups & workshops

We have been providing Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy training to nationally accredited standards since 1983. Ongoing: • Programme of CPD Workshops • Introduction to Counselling Skills: 10 week course. September 2014 start: • Diploma in Psychodynamic Counselling - BACP & BPC accredited • Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Training for those with a Counselling Diploma (BPC registered) • Foundation Certificate in Counselling Skills and Attitudes (Wednesday evenings). 01373 453355 www.wessexcounselling.co.uk

c&p noticeboard

Counselling using Tarot

Integrative therapy, individualised with Tarot. Gently recognise your patterns and life potential. 30 years’ experience. Dr Kit Martin 07783 682213 kitmartin100@gmail.com www.tarotcounsellor.co.uk

Integrative Counselling

Rob Porteous MA, Dip H.I.C., BACP accredited. Long/short term counselling for individuals. 0117 971 3805

c&p training

Network offers a range of part-time courses for those who wish to develop their listening and counselling skills, and for those wishing to train as professional counsellors. We offer a training programme in person-centred integrative counselling (including a focus on the spiritual dimension of human experience) at Certificate and Diploma level, accredited by The National Counselling Society. We also offer courses at introductory level in the person-centred approach as well as in basic listening and counselling skills. For qualified counsellors, we offer a programme of CPD workshops and short courses. Visit www.network.org.uk or email info@network.org.uk or telephone 0117 950 7271

Sweet-Track is a centre for Psycho-Spiritual education providing accredited professional counselling trainings. The courses are designed to create a learning environment, where we support the development of self-actualisation and professionalism by integrating physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual growth. This is a Path of the Heart, where every person is nurtured as a unique individual. Our aim is to empower people’s spiritual expression and respect each other’s differences. Accredited by CPCAB. Non-residential Glastonbury Courses 2015 • February 27th - Level 3 Counselling Studies Certificate • September -Counselling Skills Certificate & Diploma levels 4 & 5. 01458 835552/ 833933 www.sweet-track-counselling.co.uk info@sweet-track-counselling.co.uk

Central Bath, Clifton Village, Salisbury. Beautifully set-up, professional rooms in period buildings in central, affluent, high profile locations. Exceptional value and completely flexible, user-friendly terms to suit both start-up and established therapists. Community oriented multi-disciplinary practice. Membership includes use of rooms in all our locations. Counselling Trainee Offer: up to 50% reduction in rates. Terms apply. To find out more about joining our community please go to our website: www.thepracticerooms.co.uk or ring Angus Landman on 01225 920812

Can You Help?

Do you have experience of counselling/ psychological therapy? And have you accidentally met your therapist outside of therapy sessions? If so I would value your input for my psychology research project. To show my appreciation I’m offering a £5 shopping voucher. Thank you. Please contact Lubei: lubei5@hotmail.com 0786 160 0622

Low Cost Counselling Supervision

Supervisors in training (EUROCPS accredited) offer low-cost supervision for counsellors @ £25 per hour. liz.igoe@btinternet.com 07971 925601 or scswarbrick@blueyonder.co.uk 07779 170013 ABH

Tall order? Can you reach 60,000 readers in Bristol, 12,000 in Bath, 3,000 readers in Glastonbury, 2,100 in Stroud and another 21,500 readers in and around the West? And all of them interested in changing themselves and the world? Probably not by yourself. But there’s a magazine that can help you. The Spark – running around the West since 1993.

Working for peace, eco or social justice? The collaborative inquiry aSALT course (Spiritual Activist Leadership Training) builds on-the-job skills and sustains effort. A Schumacher Institute learning programme. “I feel the ripples of participating in the aSALT have spread a long way” “Without the course, I may not have turned to meditation so quickly.” “aSALT has made me more aware how leadership can appear in many different guises” End of month Sunday evenings and Mondays from 28th September 2014 to June 2015. 10 sessions. Agendas set together. Allotment activities, dialogue, creativity, spiritual practice. £800. Bursary available. Details www.schumacherinstitute.org.uk Interested? Call David bigbromo@yahoo.co.uk

The greatest gift we can ever give ourselves is to be more in the present moment. Why? Because life passes us by when we’re caught up worrying about the past or future, whether it’s driven by anxiety, doubt, low self-esteem or lack of confidence. Mindful awareness helps us to work skilfully though difficult and challenging times so that we can spend more time being content. Trained at the Bangor University Centre for Mindfulness we teach the well-respected 8 week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course. It’s a welcoming course running daytimes and evenings at central Bristol locations throughout the year. info@beingmindful.me www.beingmindful.me ABC Being Mindful

Do you or your child have asthma? Hayfever? Snoring or other breathing problems? Learn to breathe properly - increase your oxygen levels, lose symptoms... to experience: • Quiet, refreshing sleep • Feelings of calm and well-being • Increased energy and vitality • Improved physical performance • Naturally reduce pills & puffers • Easy gentle breathing • Safely eliminate symptoms of asthma, migraine, snoring/ apnoea symptoms. Buteyko Breathing Re-training Workshop at the Holiday Inn, Bristol City Centre, 22, 23 & 24 August 2014. Course runs each day 10.30am-1pm and 2.30-4.30pm. To book a place or have a chat with us call 01789 298290 or 07973 442650 or FFI see www.Buteyko.co.uk

Ever wanted to build your own solar panel and learn more about energy and power? Want to learn how to connect panels to batteries, laptops and phones in an off-grid system? Demand Energy Equality runs affordable full and half day innovative workshops on the 3rd weekend of each month on just those topics. Conveniently located in central Bristol. Build your own panel to take away for £100, attend off-grid workshops for £60. Subsidised rates available on request if unable to afford. All profits from our workshops are re-invested into our social objectives for energy education and empowerment of low-income households. www.demandenergyequality.org/shop 0117 314 4657 info@demandenergyequality.org

Deep regeneration in the Heart of Nature; Finding Life purpose in the Silence of Your Soul. Ideal for important life questions - eg. Where am I going? • Transformative, healing and inspiring. • 8th-13th July. 7th-12th September. In an idyllic spot in North Devon with ancient woodland, watermeadow and riverbank - home to badger, deer, otter, buzzard 3 days in camp with others and 3 days alone in Nature. £340 - includes full support for preparation, integration and while you are on quest. Does this call to you? If so, please click on the Youtube link on my website or call me direct. Carlos Glover 078034 16098 www.earthwisdomteachings.co.uk

Centre of excellence for EFT, Bath Learn this effective easy to apply ‘Energy Psychology’ technique that clears emotional blockages and pain, shifts negative thought patterns, old beliefs and helps you move forward on your Soul’s Journey. Courses include EFT Level 1 Self-help days, EFT Level 2 Practitioner Training, EFT Level 3 Advanced, & Trainer Training. Rowena is designer of Emotional Freedom ‘Light’ Techniques adding depth to EFT, working with past lives and ancestral patterns, pre-requisite Level 1 & 2. Rowena works alongside Dr Rosy Daniel at Health Creation, Bath and sees Clients for EFT one-to-one Sessions & Regenerative Healing. 0776 996 4441 EFT@rowenabeaumont.com www.rowenabeaumont.com

Miranda Carey has spaces on three ongoing groups, starting this autumn and continuing through 2015. 1. A supervision group for therapists (with the herd); 2. Growing with the Herd mixed group; 3. Grieving for and Honouring Childlessness, for women who have not been able to bear children. In harmony with the seasons and what they can teach us about budding, blossoming, shedding and dying (our continuous cycles in life), you’ll work out in nature with the horses, with time for reflection with the herd. Learn how to move and dance freely with a horse, find a bareback connection, tell your story in a supportive environment, explore boundaries and sexuality, find your true voice, tune into your body and learn to trust intuition. For details and prices, see www.ehwaz.co.uk

Embercombe is a centre of outstanding natural beauty, founded to ’touch hearts, stimulate minds and inspire committed action for a truly sustainable world.’ Our 50 acre valley overlooks Dartmoor, with yurt villages, orchards, lake, meadows and organic garden. The Journey is our core programme, a powerful 5-day residential for people who love the world and want to make a difference. Catalyst is for 18-25s seeking to shape the future. Adventure in Learning residentials for Schools and Teacher Training. The Heart of Leadership is for people in business seeking to place sustainability at the heart of what they do. • WWOOF and other volunteering • Conference space for 100+ with accommodation • Easy access, 7 miles from Exeter train station. Sleep close to nature in yurts and eat meals fresh from our gardens. Tel: 01647 252983 www.embercombe.co.uk

or visit www.thespark.co.uk for more info or to book online

Change your life while qualifying to coach others on Award Winning Wellness Coach Training. Work closely with Coach, Psychologist and Author Caroline Shola Arewa on this leading, transformative 12 day accredited training over 3 months. The course integrates coaching skills with 4 powerful energy based healing modalities and the quantum science behind them. If you want to Coach people towards greater health, happiness, success and wellbeing contact us now. Payment plans and early bird discounts available. Residential or non residential training in Glastonbury, August 15th-25th. Non residential Training 26th September- 24th November in London. 0845 130 1918 Shola@energy-4life.com www.energy-4life.com

Discover who you really are. An Enlightenment Intensive is a uniquely powerful group process. It provides a real opportunity to directly experience the answer to the ancient question “Who am I?“ There is no teaching - just a pure, intensive process of self-discovery over three and a half days. If you have a sincere desire to be more awake and more real, to experience a breakthrough in consciousness, or to find greater depth and meaning within yourself, an Enlightenment Intensive could change your life. 2014 dates: May, August. Barry and Emma McGuinness, www.enlightenment-intensives.info 01225 446972

Build your inner strength and capacity to face the enormous challenges we face in the world today. Connect with yourself, others and all beings, and (re)find your purpose, passion and power. Based on Joanna Macy’s “Work that Reconnects” with Kirsti Norris and Will Tooby at The Fold, Worcestershire. Previous participants have said:• “This has been the best day of my life!” • “Some big stuff covered with ease and simplicity. Lovely holding of the space.” Weekend residential: Friday 12th September 6pm - Sunday 14th, 4pm. One day workshop: Saturday 18th October 9.30am-5pm. www.findingstrength.org.uk kirsti@actionforsustainability.com 01823 662934 / 07798 67 67 96

June • Laurie Lee Centenary Walk • Lifelines Life Drawing • FM Alexander Technique • World of Fragrances. July • Creative Arts Summer School • Writing & Poetry • Rag Rugs & Willow • Jewellery & Calligraphy. August • Free Up Your Painting • Intro to Mixed Media • Painting the Seasons: Summer • Sustainability Summer School • Dance the Circle Round • Create a Singing Bowl • Res-tival Summer Retreat • Sacred Clown • Exploring our Forgotten Connections with Nature. September • Basically Bees • Raw Kitchen • Intuitive Herbalism • Hearing your Calling • The How of Happiness • Systems Thinking for Effective Action. Year-round • courses • venue hire • sculpture studio. For full programme and information, contact us now: Hawkwood College, Painswick Old Road, Stroud GL6 7QW 01453 759034 info@hawkwoodcollege.co.uk

In the country surrounded by horses, yet close to Bristol. Workshops, courses and friendly development circles that will enhance/develop your psychic/mediumship skills, inspire, stimulate and enlighten you. May • 23rd: Trance workshop - Bernie Scott • 25th: Gong bath - Sam Cross. June • 1st: Law of Attraction - Andy Workman • 7th/8th: Reiki 1 - Sarah Presley • 14th: Physical workshop & evening séance - Warren Caylor • 15th: Horse healing & communication - Horses Voice. July • 5th: Advanced Mediumship - Bernie Scott • 20th: Aura photography - Tonya Hountingwood • 27th: Sound Healing - Sam Cross. August • 9th: Healing with a difference - Bernie Scott • 10th: Basic Spiritual Awarenesss - Ruth. Open Development Circles alternate Wednesdays and every Thursday. Booking essential. Venue Hire available. www.heavensentspiritualcentre.co.uk Maria: 01454 321583 / 0794 071 6001 heavensentspiritualcenter@outlook.com

Insider Art are running the following courses in Exeter during 2014 and 2015 • Art in Mental Health: A Foundation Course in Art Therapy (for the 18th year) • Art in Health: Practical Applications • Short courses including Sand Tray Therapy • Mentoring and supervision for counsellors, arts practitioners and students Insider Art are an arts and health organisation, based in Exeter but working nationally. We offer a range of services and events to artists, health professionals, counsellors, arts therapists, to those working in the voluntary sector, education and social services. For more information and to download an application form, please visit www.insiderart.org.uk or email info@insiderart.org.uk

Bring yourself and your deepest aspirations to this modern version of an Ancient Practice. Deep time with the Wilds, fed from the time-honoured wells of Rites of Passage, Mythology, Fasting and living close to the Land. 20 years’ experience guiding work of this Nature. July 3rd - 8th LandTime for Men, including an up to 3 day Visionfast, preparation weekend June 14th- 15th, Jeremy Thres, Ed Wade-Martin and team, Dartmoor, Devon. Also LandTime mixed groups June 13th-16th Jeremy supported by Phebe Gladstone, & July 13th-16th, Jeremy & Gill Westcott. Do you hear the Call? “an education in belonging” Sustainability consultant. 01647 221444 www.regenco.wordpress.com

3 years’ worth of Lottery-funded, 2-hour happiness workshops. Timetables & booking system online. • Creative and fun • Using applied Positive Psychology • Held in the vibrant, Light Box shop in Broadmead, Bristol • Free tea! • Signposting Service: discover what’s on offer in Bristol • Special events - see website for details. One participant said: “I found this a really positive and valuable experience. It brought about some lasting change in my life.“ More detail on our website www.wearelightbox.co.uk Facebook.com/lightboxhappiness

courses

Connect! Learn! Relax! Affordable Courses, Events, & Weekend Breaks. Choose from: Yoga, Gentle Walks in Wiltshire, Mosaics, Green Family Activity and Craft Breaks, Juggling and Circus Skills, Spanish Weekend, Willow Baskets, Women’s Breaks, Poetry Writing, Healthy Cooking and Nutrition, Mushroom hunting, Wildflowers, and more. Venue also available for groups. Delicious meals prepared with local and organic food. There’s a friendly welcome, relaxed atmosphere, lovely gardens and sheep, pigs, chickens, and ducks! - and now a rustic wood-fired sauna! Eco-friendly and easily accessible by public transport. Prices from £138 for a weekend - all inclusive. Ask for our brochure. Lower Shaw Farm, Old Shaw Lane, Nr. Swindon, SN5 5PJ. 01793 771080. enquiries@lowershawfarm.co.uk www.lowershawfarm.co.uk

Mindfulness helps us be with physical and emotional stress, chronic pain, anxiety and depression. Not by rejecting our experience but by learning to be present with it in a consciously spacious and kindly way - that is mindfully. Since 2006, providing courses throughout the year with a big emphasis on kindness and compassion, including: The 8 Week MBSR/ MBCT Mindfulness Course, Mindfulness for Health Professionals, various Follow Up Evenings and Day retreats, and our new level 2 course - Mindfulness - Deepening Our Practise. Philippa Vick for Bath 07814 206508 Laurence Milburn for Bristol 01179 249455 www.bath-bristol-mindfulness-courses.co.uk

Book courses to inspire and motivate you in your work with people. The Training Exchange offer a programme of short courses for continuing professional development. Enjoy the benefits of learning in multi-agency groups with people from a range of backgrounds including: housing, health & social care, criminal justice, education, youth & community. One day courses (£125 + VAT) • Addiction, dependency & recovery • Difficult & aggressive behaviour • Resilience skills. Two day courses (£225 + VAT) • Brief solution focused therapy • Motivational interviewing • Mental health first aid • Groupwork skills. Concessionary places available for individuals & small organisations. Contact Eve or Mandy for dates & course details: 0117 941 5859 info@trainingexchange.org.uk www.trainingexchange.org.uk

Introduction To Herbal Medicine. Offering a well-structured and balanced way to learn about western herbal medicine. Our courses are based on first-hand experience of using local and indigenous medicinal herbs in our dispensary and have developed over seven years. Open to all levels of interest, the Intro course is designed to nurture your individual appreciation of herbs through direct experience, and theory. We show how herbs are used in the context of holistic diagnosis, and offer you a systematic way of organising your herbal knowledge. Courses are 8 weeks long (2.5 hours per week) and run throughout the year. Total cost is £250, £75 deposit payable online with the balance due at the beginning of the course. 58 Colston Street, Bristol BS1 5AZ Tel: 0117 9276527 max@urbanfringe.co.uk www.urbanfringe.co.uk

Four experiential workshops through the chambers of the heart, exploring how we embody our fear, anger, grief and joy. We will use movement and myth, group and pair work, to gain a deeper understanding of the archetypal themes that run through our lives. Saturdays, 10.30am-4.30pm, St Michael’s Parish Church Hall BS2 8BE. Cost £45 per workshops (early bird £40) 31st May: Oedipus and alienation 19th July: Pentheus and ungrounded authority 27th September: Orestes and the cycle of violence 22nd November: Cupid, Psyche and unconscious attachment Ffi or to make a booking contact: Rob Porteous 0117 971 3805 robdancingcrow@gmail.com or Ali Young 07858 424133 wildmedicine@btinternet.com

Summer fun in the wilds of the Westcountry! This summer holiday WildWise are offering an amazing programme of camps and courses for kids, teens and/or all the family. Outdoor specialists for 15 years, our diverse events programme of bushcraft, fieldcraft, and nature awareness offers serious fun whilst developing new skills and deepening your connection to nature. • August 1-5 WildWise Hunger Games • August 8-13 WildWise’s Annual Family Camp • August 15-17 Dangerous Weekend for Boys • August 18-21 The Wild Ones (8-12 years) • August 22 Nightpaddle on the River Dart • August 29-31 ‘Sacred Hunting’ Camp (12-15 yrs). www.wildwise.co.uk 01803 868269 info@wildwise.co.uk

The Schumacher Experience. Next course: 15-19 September, 2014 Join us for this introductory week at Schumacher College where you get involved in all the learning community has to offer. Learn from our in-house faculty in areas such as Deep Ecology, Gaia and Systems Theory, New Economics and Sustainable Horticulture. Spend time in the library, go on field trips to Dartmoor and the coast, enjoy the woodlands and gardens of Dartington, meet new friends and sample our fabulous vegetarian food. This is a facilitated week, a unique journey and lots of fun. The Schumacher Experience happens twice a year. Fee: £550 (fully residential for 5 nights, includes all food). www.schumachercollege.org.uk T

Do you wish your teenagers spent more time in Nature? Do they like the Hunger Games? Help them have the ultimate outdoor experience with WildWise this May half term and Summer holidays. Teenagers are invited to take part in our non-combat version of the Hunger Games. Our 4 and 5-day camps are both safe and held, yet also an exciting adventure where teenagers use bushcraft skills to stalk and ambush each other, make and cook over fires, build and sleep in shelters, and survive in the wild like the characters in the Hunger Games trilogy. A unique and magical time in nature, this promises to be a truly unforgettable experience. Near Bristol. www.wildwisehungergames.co.uk Tel: 01803 868269, e-Mail: info@wildwise.co.uk Facebook: WildWise Hunger Games, Twitter: @tributeswanted

cours - food

want to advertise in The Spark? see inside back cover for info

Formative Psychology

Stanley Keleman created and developed Formative Psychology; his premise is that, by voluntarily engaging with how (not why) we form ourselves, we actively influence and change how we relate to ourselves and the world around us. John Witt: has been using Formative Psychology as one of his main methodologies since the early eighties. For further details of workshops or for individual sessions please leave a message on 0117 974 1548, giving times when you can be called back, or go to my website johnwittpsychotherapist.co.uk

feng shui

A great afternoon. Creative exercises for moving on! Bath/Bristol. Running on Sundays July/August/September, 2-5pm £35. For venues & further information please text: 07967 634908

An invitation to a guided evening of conscious dance, a blend of 5 Rhythms and Biodynamic movement meditation. Experience the joy, love and freedom of moving naturally into your deep spontaneous dance. The music is a beautiful harmonic mix of tribal trance, world beats and sacred tune’s to inspire an easy and light hearted remembrance of being in heaven on earth! A big welcome to all, even if you feel you have forgotten how to dance; no previous experience necessary just a willingness to move! Every Wed evening 7.30-9.30pm. St Michael’s on the Mount Parish Hall, BS2 8BE. £15 abundant/£10 low-waged/£5 concession. Every Wed eve till 16th July! Autumn series starts Sept 10th. Further info: leigh@naturaldance.co.uk www.facebook.com/groups/82917331241

☞ Bristol School of Shiatsu courses

Bath. 5 Rhythms. Sue Kuhn

Holistic Therapy and Massage Courses Training for beginners and professional therapists. www.tranquillityzonetraining.co.uk

Stuck?

Mondays 7.15-9.30pm, Gateway Centre, London Rd, BA1 6DH. Weekends. 01225 465846 www.suekuhndance.com

From beginner to practitioner. See Training section

craniosacral therapy

Chakradance™

Intuitive, healing dance practice for mind, body, soul. Discover true Self and balance your chakras to beautiful, tailored music. Experience joy and divine homecoming. www.chakralibrium.com 0741 255 7253

Gentle Touch • Deep Listening

Working with all ages using gentle, powerful hands-on skills for physical and emotional concerns including birth issues. Patricia Falvey RCST 0790 528 3797, ppatzan@yahoo.co.uk

dentists & dental care

Subtle Bodywork:

Adults, Elderly. Children, Babies • Injury • Bereavement • Stress • Trauma • Pre & Post operation support. 0775 418 2082 info@milliewoodswanepoel.com www.milliewoodswanepoel.com

dance

An Introduction to Dance Movement Psychotherapy One-Day Course - Saturday 13th September, 9.00am 5.30pm. • Develop your non-verbal skills • Integrate creativity into your practice • Expand your awareness of movement • Learning will be a creative & explorative process • Time for reflection will be given • CPD certificates will be provided. Suitable for: Counsellors, Psychotherapist, Arts Therapists, Social Workers, Dance Practitioners, Educators and those interested in studying DMP. The day will be facilitated by a RDMP, clinical supervisor & private practitioner, MA lecturer. £100.00 (Early Bird)/£110. £40 non-refundable deposit. Refreshments and lunch included. Ffi contact admin@dancevoice.org.uk tel: 0117 953 2055 Quaker Meeting House, Wedmore Vale, Bedminster, Bristol. BS3 5HX www.dancevoice.org.uk Charity Number: 1054109

When you reply to an ad please say you saw it in The Spark. Then our advertisers know their ad is working. This really helps us. Thanks.

Feng Shui creates harmony in your home and maximizes your potential to enhance your quality of life, health, wealth and relationships. It can also stimulate business growth and success. Space Clearing cleanses negative energy from a building (from your past experiences and any previous occupiers), giving you a fresh, revitalized start. It can also help to sell a house, and transform a new house into your home. Sue Holmes is a professional, experienced and highly reputable Feng Shui and Space Clearing consultant, with consistently excellent results. Her consultations are practical, thorough, effective and life-changing. Sue Holmes www.thehomehealer.co.uk 07786 291967

fertility Motherhood Dreams www.motherhooddreams.co.uk

Fertility Coaching with Mandy Parry During this 6 months coaching programme, I will guide you towards your dream of motherhood, giving you the benefit of my experience, saving you precious time and money, and supporting you every step of the way. Call 0781 110 1740 or email mandyparry@blueyonder.co.uk to arrange a free consultation

food Friendly, family dental practice in the heart of Hotwells, offers you a complete dental service, from replacing your mercury fillings to a full mouth make over - giving you back your healthy Natural Smile. We take the time to understand you as an individual, your concerns and desires, and view your dental treatment as part of your whole health. Sensitive, caring, dentist and team who take pride in minimising their impact on the environment. Selection of natural oral hygiene products available and free checkups for children (see website for more details). Principle practitioner Dr Nicola Bone BDS DPDS. 251 Hotwell Road, Hotwells, Bristol BS8 4SF. www.thenaturalsmile.co.uk 0117 929 2165

The one-stop natural shop specialising in all things organic, ethical and ecological. New shop and café now at the old Woolworth store in Glastonbury. And don’t forget the new website: www.earthfare.co.uk Earthfare, 45 High Street, Glastonbury. Tel: 01458 831004

disability Autism Intervention Specialist

Services for Individuals; Families; Professionals; Organisations. www.copingwithautism.co.uk Tel: 0771 116 2122 HT

doctors/holistic physicians Dr Rohrbeck - Functional Medicine

Private Consultations Specialised in Chronic Health Problems: Allergies, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue, Arthritis, Thyroid disorders, Skin problems, Mental Health, Hormonal problems. Treatments: Nutrition, Diet, Supplements, Detoxification, GAPS Protocol, Cell Regeneration. Helios Medical Centre, 17 Stoke Hill, Stoke Bishop, Bristol BS9 1JN Appointments line: 0758 471 9348 www.dr-rohrbeck.com AC email: info@dr-rohrbeck.com

eye health Bates Method Natural Eyesight Improvement

Beneficial any age or condition aspectsofvision@btinternet.com 07710 500 494

Radford Mill Farm Shop has been trading in Montpelier, Bristol since 1979, selling organic fruit and veg sourced as locally as possible, including Radford Mill Farm, our 115-acre farm 15 miles southeast of Bristol, managed organically since 1977. Now: organic pork, organic apple juice, organic salad veg - all from our own farm. We produce a wide variety of dips, sandwiches, quiches, soup, pizza and cakes in our organic kitchen, all of which can be enjoyed in our small café with indoor seating. We also sell wholefoods, herbs and spices, Bristol-made bread, natural soaps, toiletries and we accept bulk orders. Open Monday-Friday 9am-7pm, Saturday 10am-6pm. Radford Mill Farm Shop is at 41 Picton St., Montpelier, Bristol BS6 5PZ. A 0117 942 6644, richardrmf@hotmail.com

Food You can Trust from your local Natural and Ethical Grocer. Harvest has been at the forefront of organic, non-GMO, vegetarian and ethical choices since 1971. Harvest remains passionate about offering the widest selection of ethically sourced, earth friendly, organic and real food alternatives you can trust. Our extensive range includes many vegan and gluten-free choices; our tasty delis offer many locally prepared sweet and savoury specialities. In a world of supermarkets and faceless chain stores, Harvest is your local independent workers’ co-operative food store, providing fresh, friendly and relaxed service... discover a unique and special shopping experience. • Part of the Essential Trading Worker Co-operative. Bristol: 11 Gloucester Road, BS7. 0117 942 5997 www.harvest-bristol.coop Bath: 37 Walcot Street, BA1. 01225 465519 www.harvest-bath.coop

shop locally, support the small guys ...and eat your greens before you leave the table

At Riverford Organic Vegetables, available in Bristol, Bath and surrounding areas, we pride ourselves on our award-winning quality and best value. Boxes start at £10.35 including delivery and on average are 20% cheaper than the same produce bought in supermarkets. At least 80% of the vegetables come direct from fields in our co-operative in South Devon, some also from farms in Somerset and Wiltshire. You can have a box weekly, fortnightly or whenever you like and we can also deliver organic fruit, eggs, wine, meat, juices, pasta, chocolate and dairy produce from Riverford’s own dairy. Order today by calling 08456 800 918 / 0845 600 2311 or online www.riverford.co.uk

At the heart of the bustling Gloucester Rd, almost next door to The Cooperative. Specialising in an ever-expanding range of Organic Vegetarian and Vegan foods, all of which is guaranteed G.M.O. free by our main suppliers. We also provide a large selection of non-organic foods to give our customers choice, much of this available from bulk, reducing packaging to a minimum. Amazing ranges of cereal, nuts, fruit, roasted coffee from Brian Wogan (use our grinder), increasing range of Gluten and Wheat-Free lines, selections of Japanese and other ethnic foods. Supplements, homoeopathic (including Solgar, Higher Nature, Quest, Weleda, Bach), toiletries, etc, plus much more. Friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff. Member of The National Association of Health Stores. Reasonable prices, cards accepted £5+. Wheelchair access, help available with bulky items. Open from 9am-5.30pm. Monday to Saturday. 113 Gloucester Road, Bishopston, Bristol BS7 8AT Tel: 0117 987 2199 www.scoopawayhealthfoods.co.uk more food ads over the page

Since 1993 we've been busy helping the West Country to change. Thanks for your support on the way

food - medi

want to advertise in The Spark? see inside back cover for info

holidays

homeopathy

jobs

Fionna Roberts BAHons RSHom

Lady Seeks Paid Ethical Employment

Classical Homeopathy and Supervision in Wells. 01749 890636 www.fionnaroberts.co.uk Our new shop is now open in Redfield • Large range of chilled vegetarian products & organic wholefoods, including gluten-free & wheat-free pastas, biscuits & breakfast cereals • Our cheese counter includes locally-sourced & vegetarian cheeses • Organic bread from Herbert’s Bakery. • Fairtrade & organic coffee ground to order & large range of fruit & herbal teas. • Organic wines & local beers including champagne and beers from Bristol Beer Factory & Severn Cider products • Refill your Ecover & Bio D bottles at our refill station • Buy from our range of over 30 organic wholefoods & flours in scoop bins, and make big savings! Opening Offer! - cut out & redeem this advert at our Church Road shop for a free regular-sized coffee or tea when you buy one of our quality sandwiches. • 259-261 Church Rd, Redfield BS5 tel 0117 941 2061 • 260-261 North Street, Bedminster BS3 tel 0117 966 4507 • www.southvilledeli.com or find us on Facebook

Kelley Boulton, Registered Homeopath Practicing at the Southville Clinic. www.southville-clinic.co.uk Tel. 0117 963 2335 Visit Oxenford Farm for peace and tranquility in the heart of rural Somerset. Stay in our luxury yurts for a short break with a difference • Explore the countryside and surrounding attractions • Join the pig feeding in the farmyard • Relax around the camp fire. Luxury camping, great outdoor expereince for couples, families and larger groups. Offers! Pork Roast Available for large party bookings • Only two of you staying? Contact us for special prices. For more information please contact us: Tel: 01460 54096 / 0795 118 4207 email: enquiries@yurtis.co.uk web: www.yurtis.co.uk Oxenford Farm, Oxenford, Dowlish Wake, Ilminster, Somerset TA19 0PP

Lyn Clark: Registered Homeopath 25+ years’ experience. Consultations; mentoring; teaching. Home: 0797 488 7850. Clinic: 0117 974 1199

housing & land Your Place In The Sun

Algarve, 4 acres, agricultural land, good access, trees, stream, hillside, mountain/seaviews, electric/phonelines, modern caravan & awning available. £33,000 (offers). diana.os@icloud.com

hypnotherapy

Organic, Natural, Homegrown, Wild Food Over 800 places UK and abroad. www.organicholidays.com

Bristol’s independent ethical living store: • natural, organic, fairtrade wholefoods • locally baked, award-winning bread • foods for specialist diets including gluten-free, dairy-free and raw • superfoods • supplements • eco household products • baby-care range • holistic beauty and skin care. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, feel free to ask as the chances are we can order it in for you. Members of our experienced team are always on hand to offer advice, helping you to find and maintain health and vitality. Wild Oats Wholefoods, 9-11 Lower Redland Road, Bristol BS6 6TB Tel: 0117 973 1967 Fax: 0117 923 7871 www.wild-oats.co.uk

garden Bristol Organic Gardening

Garden Maintenance, Design and Management. Andy Bending 07943 495158 HT www.bristolorganicgardening.co.uk

healing Energy Healing, Massage & Reiki

Unique 4 Star Eco Hostel & budget B&B. Discounts given for longer stays and arriving without a car. 01348 831 800 www.theoldschoolhostel.co.uk ABCT

holiday cottages Devon. Bantham Beach. Two Beautiful Wooden Studios Close to stunning beach, river, cliff walks. Ideal short breaks, retreats. • Spa studio, £90pn. Sleeps 6. Outside jacuzzi. 1 double bed en-suite. 4 singles. Large living space. Wooded gardens. • Sunset studio, £60pn. Overlooks Burgh Island. Beautiful sea views from bedroom. Sleeps two. Tel: 01548 561419 www.discoveryretreats.co.uk timhunt@fsmail.net

holidays - green TipiAlgarve, Portugal

Eco Tipis, safari tents, yurt, cottage, glamping, private camp kitchens. Holistics, organic veg, chill out lounge, Yoga, Zen pond, swimming pool, near Algarve beaches. www.tipialgarve.com

home & decluttering Declutter Your Home or Office

with Helen Clare Hamilton. Healing listener. Deep relaxation. Release acute or llong-held issues. Restore emotional, mind, body flow. Spiritual healing. helenclare@hotmail.com 07826 186 124

I can declutter your stuff, organise you and find the storage solutions that work for you. Call Alison on 0117 911 7556 www.armitage-homedecluttered.co.uk

Tara Therapies - Clevedon, North Somerset

and Reorganising? Happy-go-lucky, supportive, motivating and affordable clutter clearer available! Know where everything is... save time and money, and feel calm and clear. Call Lisa Bolitho on 0776 629 6497 energisingspaces@yahoo.co.uk. Facebook: ‘Clutter Clearance and Optimisation Angel’ for free advice

Restore your health and wholeness: physical, emotional, mental. Crystal therapy, colour therapy, spiritual healing. Also Tarot readings. www.taratherapies.vpweb.co.uk NA,HT Jill Rhys Jones 01275 877280

Do You Need A Hand Spring Cleaning

Help With House Clearance

“this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine” helping you find your spark and your light

Bath Area I can help you sort out your home or house when you move, or after a bereavement. I have 35 years’ experience, and will recycle as much as possible through auctions and charity shops. Call Janet on 07941 264843 or email me at: janet@rustyrails.fsnet.co.uk

☞ Handy Man with a Van

Maintenance, clearance, light removals. See Architects, Building & Home section

Promotion/Salesperson:

distribution & subscriptions We Are Family magazine is a UK-wide glossy quarterly for lesbian and gay families – an independent, positive voice with a growing reputation. We’re looking for a self-motivated, ambitious team player to promote the magazine and develop our distribution and subscription base. Bristol-based, part-time, with prospects. Contact Editor Hannah Latham for more information: editor@wearefamilymagazine.co.uk 0778 065 1075

kinesiology Tabitha Gale

Integrated Healing, Kinesiology & Reiki sessions. Workshops. Tel: 07989 376656 www.bristolkinesiology.co.uk

legal services

holidays b&bs & hostels Pembrokeshire Coast, near St Davids

Great office/admin and project support experience, IT and customer service skills, though new direction considered. CV/references available. 0799 058 0900 or patcarole_0@hotmail.com

Frederick Place Chambers Want help with Emotional, mental health or relationship issues? Stopping smoking, habits or addictions? Weight or eating issues? Managing pain or health conditions? Phobias or post-traumatic stress disorder? Work, study or sports performance? Stress management, confidence and self-esteem? Help is here! Mindscape offers holistic, client-centred hypnotherapy, EMDR, NLP and occupational therapy, supporting people with a wide range of issues to achieve their goals and dreams. Experienced, well qualified, state registered NHS mental health specialist. HypnoBand and Hypnobirthing trained. Centrally based (Montpelier). For free initial consultation please contact Kate Mortimer (BA.Hons, BSc.Hons, MA, DipCAH, HPD, PNLP, Advanced EMDR, MNCH(Acc), RAPHP, HPC reg.) on 07810 510170 www.mindscapetherapies.co.uk

Harbourside Hypnotherapy

Enabling you to take control of your life. Specialising in Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Insomnia, Weight loss, IBS. Portishead and Bristol. www.harbourside-hypnotherapy.co.uk Call Rae - 0758 403 5873

Livin Focus

Stressed, anxious, depressed? We offer Hypnotherapy, CBT or NLP Coaching to resolve these symptoms and more. For details visit www.kwcworldwide.com or call 0117 353 4606

We are a family-run Chambers, providing alternative legal services. As a “public access” Chambers, we accommodate clients directly. dylan.spicer@frederickchambers.co.uk www.frederickchambers.co.uk

massage & bodywork *** Adverts in this section are for professional practitioners offering therapeutic, healing, remedial and/or relaxing massage or bodywork sessions. The Spark does not knowingly advertise, or accept advertisements for, sexual services ***

Blissful Ayurveda - Awake the Senses

Traditional balancing massage treatments: Indian Head, Ayurvedic Facelift, Ayurvedic Foot and Hand Massage, Shirodhara, Marma Therapy. www.blissful-ayurveda.co.uk marion@blissful-ayurveda.co.uk 07854 767433

Matthew Harrington BSc.(Hons) APNT

Therapeutic Massage, Thai, Deep Tissue, Lomi, Holistic, Sports, Remedial, Aromatherapy. 20 years’ experience. Healing, deeply relaxing, stress-relieving, balancing. www.matthewharringtonmassagetherapy. freeindex.co.uk 0117 924 4923, 07814 873 265 BS(2),T

Repair, Refresh, Relax... Holistic Massage

Alan Wilmot MTI CNHC Massage and Bodywork Practitioner. Available evenings and weekends in Clifton, Bristol. 07786 150356 www.getthemassage.co.uk

mediation

Looking Forward To Your Future

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy Learn how to conquer stress, anxiety, confidence, smoking, weight and many issues with hypnotherapy to help you relax, regain focus and move forward in your life. Free initial consultation with registered, experienced practitioner. Stuart Taylor HPD. CBT(Hyp). SFBTSup(Hyp). • Bristol Natural Health Service, Horfield: 0117 944 44 48. www.taylorhypnotherapy.co.uk Mobile: 07840 269 555

Sarah Hoare, Hypnotherapist, DHP

Hypnotherapy helps you make the changes you want in your life. Start overcoming your obstacles. Ready to make life better? Bristol: 07976 710368 sarah@sarahhoare.co.uk

Solutions Focused Hypnotherapy Your Key

Unlock, relax, take charge of stress, depression or anxiety. Interest Dental Phobias. Keynsham area clinics. HPD. MNCH Acc. Call Julia - 0117 986 5201 www.sfhypnotherapy.co.uk

Training, Coaching and Mediation. Do you find that you say the same things to no avail? That you’re ‘always’ being blamed? Rest assured, you’re not alone. Choice Conflict Resolution offers: • Training in clearer communication skills - at your workplace, weekend workshops for mixed groups, and in schools • Individual Coaching sessions - to assist you through difficult interactions • Mediation for workplace and civil and commercial matters - in person or Skype. Training and Coaching can further empower you to: • Raise matters directly and efficiently without blame • Communicate effectively with difficult personalities • Address the reasons for competition and resentment • Enhance mutual understanding and cooperative problem-solving marina@choiceconflictresolution.com www.choiceconflictresolution.com 07974 765 985

or visit www.thespark.co.uk for more info or to book online

meditation

photography

Mindfulness With Horses

9th & 10th August A 2-day course for learning mindfulness meditation through interaction with horses at the beautiful Dartmoor Pony Training Centre Moretonhampstead. £150 (accommodation not included). Info & bookings 07802 218169 dptcevents.blogspot.co.uk

☞ Philippa Vick’s 8 Week Mindfulness Course

See also Courses, Groups & Workshops section

money

movement & bodywork

Qigong is a way of directly experiencing and opening to the subtle energy known as Qi in oriental medicine. It connects us more deeply to the natural flow of energy around us and to the source of our aliveness. It is simple to learn yet challenges each person to their own limit. Benefits may include the healing of deeply engraved patterns of physical and emotional disharmony, increased vitality and clarity of perception, the cultivation of inner stillness and, most of all, a deeper enjoyment of being alive. Monthly courses in Bristol/Bath/Cheltenham/ Frome and summer camps/residential Qigong retreats with Daverick Leggett. Details: 0117 928 7280 www.qigong-southwest.co.uk

rolfing

Explore Taijiwuxigong - a simple yet profound set of Qi Gong exercises for self-healing and energy development. Once learned Taijiwuxigong can be used for life. It works to improve body, mind and spirit at many levels. The gentle yet powerful exercises activate and clear the energy system, lighten the spirits and calm the mind. Monday evenings, Elephant House, Bedminster. Lunchtime courses available from 1-2pm, Wednesdays or Thursdays, Bristol Folk House. Thursday evenings offer longer, relaxed sessions for deeper study 7.15-8.45pm, also at Bristol Folk House. Safe and suitable for all, and all are welcome. Call 07766 100383 or e-mail: taijiwuxigong@waitrose.com

with Shelagh O Neill For actors, musicians, artists and geeks and anyone who is thinking of getting older. Workshops and individual sessions monthly in Bristol. Long-weekend and one-week holiday workshops in lovely places (Dartmoor, Spain, Bath) for deeper immersion and a refreshed sense of self. www.nicefeldenkrais.co.uk 0797 332 4035

music & sound

Look again at you, your family, your business, your community, your environment. Commissions, weddings, workshops, participation projects, art. Ruth Davey 07789 958895 www.look-again.org HT

readings Psychic Tarot Reading

Confidential readings by Keith in Thornbury area. Recorded 40-60mins NA,HT 0788 1596967

Psychological Tarot/Astrology Readings Gloucester/Stroud. Parties welcome. Marguerite 01453 298674 / 0796 297 0416

rebirthing Rebirthing - Doug Sawyer

reiki Deep Body Work

Pursuing balance and harmony mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally. Treatments. Massage. Training. Millie Wood Swanepoel, Reiki Master, teacher, practitioner m.wood.swanepoel@gmail.com 07754 182 082

relationships Sound relaxation and meditation with gongs, Tibetan singing bowls and voice. Allow yourself to be immersed in an ocean of sound - enjoy a chance to simply rest and relax deeply while listening to these resonant instruments, releasing tension and quietening the mind. The subtle vibrations are felt in the body, enhancing wellbeing and increasing physical energy and mental clarity. • monthly sound group relaxation and meditation sessions • one to one sound therapy • singing bowl and sound workshops • bespoke sessions for groups. Call Celia Beeson on 07742 131549 or 0117 329 7235 or email celia@soundscape.org.uk www.soundscape.org.uk

nlp ☞ Solutions focussed NLP Coaching

Would you like to meet your perfect partner for Love, Friendship and Happiness? Natural Friends is a great way to meet like-minded green singles. Since its formation in 1985 as the first ‘green’ dating and friendship site, we have been successfully linking kind, caring, kindred spirits in Love and Friendship. Join today for Free to find someone with whom to share those special moments and add richness and meaning to your life. www.naturalfriends.co.uk

relaxing & winding down

Results can be quick and life changing. 0794 422 0780. See ad in Coaching

foodfitforyou.co.uk

Personalise Your Diet. Food Intolerance Testing. Feel Better Again! Louise 0777 9 642 563

Natural Nutrition Therapy

In depth consultation for your individual nutrition programme. Also EFT and Reiki in Bradford on Avon and Westbury, Wiltshire. Margaret Cavanna 01373 229923 / 07711 420728, mgc.nutrition@live.com

personal growth courses Taijiwuxigong Classes

Learn a simple, powerful form of Qi Gong to develop your energy force and for self-healing. Evening and lunch classes in Bristol. 07766 100383 taijiwuxigong@waitrose.com

Rolfing is an effective method of realigning the body, and in so doing, alleviating related problems such as back pain, stiffness, muscular tension, poor circulation etc. The body is held together by a web of connective tissue. When a part of the body is injured or chronically held out of vertical alignment, the tissue shortens in certain areas, ‘fixing’ the body into an abnormal posture. This new pattern limits our freedom of movement, and over the years tends to cause common painful symptoms. In the 1950s, Dr Rolf developed this hands-on method of freeing and rebalancing connective tissue. Contact: Anna Orren, 45 Trelawney Road, Cotham, Bristol BS6 6DY Tel: 0117 973 5987

We use Conscious Breathing to heal the body/ mind/emotions at all levels with love. Call Doug 0774 809 6834 www.dougsawyer.co.uk

nutrition & diet

As founded by Dr Shen Hongxun. A traditional method of Chinese Medicine to clean the meridians and organs by standing and moving exercises, spontaneous body movement and mental concentration. Old emotional tensions can also be released, leaving the practitioner clearer, happier and healthier. This simple and profound system allows beginners to experience its benefits quickly. Older students will be able to reach deeper states with their own practice. The course is open to all. There is no age restriction. Time: 10am-5pm. Cost £95 for weekend. Bristol Workshops 2014: 12-13 July, 11-12 October, 6 December. Enquiries to Ann on 07766 100383, e-mail: taijiwuxigong@waitrose.com

Photography For A Better World

Feldenkrais (Awareness Through Movement) Ecology Building Society specialises in sustainable mortgages for properties and projects that respect the environment. Our mortgages support a range of tenures and projects, including housing co-operatives, selfbuilds, renovations and conversions. And our award-winning C-Change mortgage discounts can help you to save energy, money and carbon emissions. To get in touch email us at info@ecology.co.uk or call us on 0845 674 5566. Visit our website at www.ecology.co.uk Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. An early repayment charge may be payable if you repay all or part of your mortgage within the first two years.

medi - room

Whether it’s luxuriating in our hot tubs under a spring sky, a stress-releasing sweat in the saunas or stream room, or the cosy comfort of teas and teacakes in the lounge, The Relaxation Centre is a luxury worth discovering. Offering an extensive range of treatments Holistic and Thai Massage, Reflexology, Hot-stone Therapy and more - everything you need for tranquillity is here. For full information about our spa and treatments, please telephone, or visit our website. 9 All Saints Road, Clifton BS8 2JG, 0117 970 6616 www.relaxationcentre.co.uk

spark readers go on twice as many courses as the national average. courses ads start p44, training ads start p51

Rolfing realigns your structure by energising and freeing the web of connective tissue within the body: ‘The Organ of Structure’. The Human Being is more than a collection of parts. There is a pattern, an order, as in all matter organised into biological units. That pattern - how parts fit and work together - is a basic factor in well-being or its lack. Rolfing promotes well-being by enhancing the body’s pattern of organisation; alleviating poor posture, releasing tension, back and neck problems and stiffness of joints. Discover a muscular structure that’s free of pain. A posture within gravity that gives you a light, flexible and energised body. For more information, a free consultation or an appointment, call Simon Wellby 0779 969 3546

rooms & spaces

This stunning Health and Beauty centre is situated in the spacious chipping manor and nestled in the charming Cotswold town of Wotton-Under-Edge. We have a treatment room available to rent and are looking for therapies to compliment our already extensive range of treatments. £30 per day (9am-5pm) or £40 per day (9am-8pm). Rates include: • receptionist to take bookings and payment • use of waiting room • use of tea and coffee facilities for you and your clients • use of private car park for your clients. Please call 01453 844653 for more details

Ad-hoc & permanent therapy rooms for rent. Warm and friendly therapy centre offering purpose-built treatment rooms at very competitive rates. Free nearby parking, centrally located, tea & coffee facilities and reception areas. • £20 per 4-hour session • £15 for additional 4-hour sessions • £10 per 1-hour ad hoc sessions Call 0117 942 5832 for further information doug@bristoltherapist.com www.bristoltherapist.com more rooms & spaces ads over the page

rooms - spirit

want to advertise in The Spark? see inside back cover for info Shamanic Healing

Fulcrum House is located at 3 Grove Road, just off Whiteladies Road (Clifton/Redland). Our wonderful Georgian building has 7 beautiful, generously proportioned private rooms, kitchen facilities and a small private courtyard. Our group room is suitable for groups up to 14 people. We offer regular four-hour slots and instant online booking of single sessions for our registered psychotherapists, counsellors and complementary practitioners. We host a CPD programme of workshops and seminars providing a stimulating environment to work in. Fulcrum House has grown into a friendly, thriving community! Visit www.fulcrumhouse.co.uk or call S2,BT 0117 330 5336

• Barrier-free and easy accessibility • Varied spaces for large and small events • Free parking The Vassall Conference Centre offers a wide choice of rooms and spaces suitable for all kinds of conferences and meetings. We are also an ideal venue for workshops, training, counselling and interviews. There’s ample, free and safe on-site parking. We’re open seven days a week and in the evenings. “The only truly accessible building in Bristol.” Bristol City Council All on one level, the Vassall Conference Centre provides barrier-free accessibility and we can meet all your technical needs with audio-visual equipment, loop system and wireless broadband. Please contact: mary.welbourn@vcconferences.co.uk 0117 965 9630 www.vcconferences.co.uk

Bristol City Yoga

Bright, beautiful studio and therapy rooms. 0117 924 4414 info@bristolcityyoga.co.uk Three well equipped and well proportioned therapy and consulting rooms. Warm, professional, comfortable and sensibly-priced (with waiting room) all within a landmark Georgian terrace with views over Phoenix Wharf and the water towards Queen’s Square and Welsh Back. We’re near St Mary Redcliffe Church, with excellent parking and great transport links (including Temple Meads and the M32) with ready access to the city centre, south Bristol and beyond. The Harbourside Practice, 3 Redcliffe Parade East, Redcliffe BS1 6SW. For more information or to drop by just get in touch: phone Clive on 07947 023371, go to http://theharboursidepractice.co.uk or e-mail clive@theharboursidepractice.co.uk

Consulting/Therapy Rooms

Alma Vale Rd, Clifton, Bristol Attractive, quiet and professional rooms in Clifton for psychotherapists, counsellors and coaches. Competitive rates. For more information contact Nora on 0789 616 4678 or e-mail: kunderke@gmail.com See www.45almavalerd.co.uk We are open to taking on new practitioners in a range of body therapies. You must be highly skilled, fully qualified and insured, with several years’ experience. Bernadette: 0117 970 6616 www.relaxationcentre.co.uk Looking for an experienced practitioner to join our multidisciplinary practice. Large welcoming room available morning, afternoon and evenings. Alma Vale Centre 0117 377 1186 info@almavalecentre.co.uk

Yogasara: the Love of Yoga & Life

Beautiful studio available weekends/some weekdays. A delightful and dedicated space to share your contribution to humanity. Come and join us. A Community Interest Company putting people, planet, yoga before profit. Committed to sustainability, community and making this planet a better place. www.yogasara.co.uk Picton St, Montpelier. Sarah 0778 692 8458 / Chris 0778 692 8458

shamanism

Shamanic training. A year-long journey through this beautiful medicine wheel. • Learn and experience powerful healing techniques that shift the matrix of your energy field • Discover the ancient wisdom teachings of the Inca shaman • Become a healer, a coach, an inspiration to others or use this 4-part residential training to heal yourself so that you can be the change you want to see in the world. See website for details, dates, courses www.spiritoftheinca.com email: Spiritoftheinca@gmail.com Tel: 0776 525 8614

Tensegrity is the practical wisdom of seers of ancient Mexico. Tensegrity passes and breaths (Magical Passes) help redistribute energy in the body, bringing increased perception and general wellbeing to practitioners. It guides us to use one’s energy wisely, putting one’s attention in places that enhance rather than disperse one’s energy. It offers the possibility of navigating our life in connection with our true self, the part of us that has direct access to silent knowledge. Tensegrity is apt for people of all abilities. Bristol Tensegrity Practice Group meets weekly at DMAC Studios, Hamilton House BS1 3QY and at Wilder Street Studios, BS2 8QA. 0794 714 0309, Tensegrity.Bristol@gmail.com www.tensegritybristol.co.uk

New to meditation? Experienced? All are welcome. Zen meditation at Fulcrum House, 3 Grove Road, Bristol, BS6 6UJ. Every Tuesday at 7pm. Evening practice includes chanting, silent sitting meditation and walking meditation. It’s fine to sit on a cushion, bench or ordinary chair. Contact: 0117 963 2505 or email: bristolzencentre@gmail.com www.bristolzen.org www.furnacemountain.org

shiatsu Bristol School of Shiatsu

Established 1984, offers training courses from beginners to professional practitioner level. Please refer to Training section for further details www.shiatsubristol.co.uk

Shiatsu and Qigong with Nicola Ley

Working with the Lightbody, Shiatsu for the body, mind and spirit. Qigong classes for self-healing. Treatments, tutorials, classes. T 0117 987 9806 nicola.ley@gmail.com

spiritual paths & practices

The Relaxation Centre

Treatment Room To Rent

Massage room to rent. Personal Space one-to-one exercise studio in Redland are looking for a qualified sports or remedial massage therapist to join the team on a self employed basis. Having a few clients to bring with you is advantageous, however we will give you all phone and email new enquiries. This is an ideal opportunity for building your massage business. Contact Lisa 07967 131328 or Stuart 07753 822808 for more details or email personalspace@gmail.com www.personalspacetraining.co.uk

Ever feel off kilter or not firing on all cylinders? Working with sound, the drum and rattle and other instruments, Shamanic Healing helps restore wellbeing and vitality. Healings can also assist with: • Low energy and motivation • Relationship difficulties • Uncertainty and Self-esteem • Difficulties in conception • Bereavement and trauma. Healings for children and young people: divorce, nightmares, school problems (under parental supervision). I have 12 years’ experience and trained extensively in South America and the UK. Also offered: Experienced Tarot Readings. Contact: Marina: 0117 923 8938 or 07974 765985

Part of the Triratna Buddhist Community, we offer a path to greater awareness and kindness traditional Buddhist practices with the potential for unlimited positive change, appropriate to the contemporary world. Our community is dedicated to realising this vision together for the sake of all beings. Come and see for yourself! Drop-in Classes - (Suitable for beginners) • Tuesdays & Thursdays 1-2pm • Monthly on Sats - check web for dates. 10am-1pm • Tuesdays - Buddhist teachings including meditation to enhance your everyday life, 7.30-10pm. Shop/reception Monday Friday 1-4pm, selling books, meditation / yoga equipment, Buddha statues, incense & more. www.bristol-buddhist-centre.org info@bristol-buddhist-centre.org 162 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston BS7 8NT. AC 0117 924 9991

Bristol Sakya Buddhist Centre, 121 Sommerville Road, St. Andrews, Bristol BS6 5BX. 0117 924 4424 bristol@dechen.org / www.dechen.org/bristol Regular events No booking or experience necessary for these. Suitable for everyone. Buddhist Basics: Tuesdays 8pm: Meditation & short talk, £4. Simply Meditation: Mondays 8pm, Wednesdays 10.30am, Saturdays 10.30am. Come and try some meditation. No charge but donations welcome. Details on Facebook. Classical Tibetan Language Classes £4. Mondays 7pm. Ffi contact Sakya Centre. Sakya Buddhism in Bath: Buddhist Basics: Tuesdays 8pm. Meditation & short talk, £4. Museum of Bath at Work, Julian Road, Bath, BA1 2RH. Ffi : bath@dechen.org / 07747 633577 www.dechen.org/bath All welcome.

A spiritual practice which is ancient yet always new, reaching back to the desert fathers and mothers of the fourth century. John Main, a Benedictine monk, rediscovered this practice within Christianity, now passed on in weekly groups. By stilling the mind we open to our own spirit and the creator Spirit that fills the whole universe. Open to people of any denomination or none - for example if you practise Mindfulness, you are welcome to come and share the silence and support. Give your soul space to breathe. Introductory Workshop Saturday 7 June, 10-4, Ammerdown Centre, near Radstock. The World Community for Christian Meditation is contemporary, ecumenical, contemplative. Over 25 weekly groups in The Spark’s area. Newcomers always welcome. For info: call 01275 463727 or email bristol@christianmeditation.org.uk More info go to www.christianmeditation.org.uk

Do you long to deepen your experience of God, your relationship with others, and your appreciation of all the world’s major faith traditions - while remaining deeply rooted in your own? Do you yearn to be an activist in healing the divisions between peoples, nations and religions? One way to do so, with other committed men and women from diverse backgrounds, is on our two-year, part-time training. Students can go on to become interfaith ministers, offering spiritual counselling and sacred ceremonies tailored to the needs and longings of individuals from all faiths and none. To see if the One Spirit that calls us, calls you too, ring 0333 332 1996, or visit: www.osif.org.uk

Does one really know oneself and the meaning of life? Theory is fine, but is there the inner stillness yet to see straight, to live life to the full. This introductory ten-week course is designed to engender fresh perception and cheerful discussion. Explore great schools of thought from east and west - an open mind is always attractive and useful. Ten-week courses at Bath and Bristol, starting May, September and January. £79. Concessions £49. Students £20. See www.bathandbristolphilosophy.org www.philosophycourses.com www.schooleconomicscience.org

“we thought it was an extremely straightforward and streamlined process” You can now book and pay for your listings & event ads online: www.thespark.co.uk

or visit www.thespark.co.uk for more info or to book online

Quakers share a way of life, based on our experience of the divine, rather than a set of beliefs. We are rooted in Christianity but we welcome everyone who is seeking truth and is attracted to worship based on shared silence. We do not have a written creed but try to bring the values of love, peace, truth, equality, simplicity, justice, and care for the environment into our lives and work. Newcomers are always welcome. Sunday Meetings in the Bristol area Bath, York Street, BA1 1NG, 11.00am. Bedminster, Wedmore Vale, BS3 5HX, 10.45am. Central Bristol, Champion Square, BS2 9DB, 11am. Clevedon, 15 Albert Road, BS21 7RP, 10.30am. Frenchay, Beckspool Road, BS16 1NT, 10.30am. Horfield, 300 Gloucester Road, BS7 8PD, 10.30am. Portishead, 11 St Mary’s Road, BS20 6QP, 10.30am. Redland, 126 Hampton Road, BS6 6JE, 11.00am. Thornbury, The Chantry, Castle St, BS35 1HB, 10.30am. Weston-super-Mare, High Street, BS23 1JF, 10.30am. Sidcot, Oakridge Lane, BS25 1LT, 10.30am. Please contact us for information about other Meetings during the week and for Children’s Meetings. We offer small discussion groups throughout the year led by experienced Quakers. For information ring 0117 942 9142 www.bristolquakers.org.uk

Satsang offers an opportunity to be present with Satyananda and engage in a simple, direct and open dialogue. Satyananda has the rare gift of showing the deepest spiritual truth in a way each questioner will understand. All are welcome! Bristol Satsangs: Sunday 22nd June, 12-2pm and 2.30-4.30pm, £15 each session. Come to one or both, no need to book. Venue: Engineers House, The Promenade, Clifton Down, Bristol BS8 3NB. Also Satsangs and Primal Yoga in Bournemouth and London in June and July; Silent retreats in Cornwall in June & September. For more details and directions see website: www.satyananda.org Other queries (for Bristol only): Diana on 07969 455002

Meditation: Uncovering wisdom, cultivating kindness, compassion, generosity, fearlessness. Open to all. Bristol meditation: Mondays, 9-10.15am; Wednesdays, 7.30-9.30pm; City Retreat Days, second Sunday; The Art of Being Human, introduction to meditation weekend, 23-25 May. Our satellite groups meet in Stroud (Tuesdays 7.45-9pm), Dorchester (Tuesdays 7.30-9pm) and Hereford (monthly meetings). Our practice sessions are suitable for beginners and more experienced meditators. Week-day drop-in sessions are generally free with free meditation instruction (donations for tea & coffee welcome). There may be a charge for weekend programmes, courses, and talks during the week. www: bristol.shambhala.info www.facebook.com/bristolshambhalameditation bristol@shambhala.org.uk 17 Lower Redland Road, BS6 6TB

A Free Church with an Open Mind Are you looking for a welcoming community who gather to nurture one another’s lifelong spiritual growth? Although historically rooted in the liberal Christian tradition, Unitarians also value the insights of many world faiths and other sources of wisdom. For details of meetings, including meditation, intergenerational activities and personalised child dedications, marriages and funerals, please phone the contact numbers given below. Bristol - Frenchay Chapel, Frenchay Common and at Unitarian Meeting, Brunswick Square, 0117 950 7906 www.bristolunitarians.blogspot.com Trowbridge - Unitarian Meeting House, 45 Seymour Road, 01225 761866 www.trowbridgeunitarians.org.uk Cirencester - Quaker Meeting House, Thomas Street, 01285 651507 www.cirencesterunitarians.org.uk National Unitarian website: www.unitarian.org.uk Charity no. 234482

Zazen is the posture of awakening. This practice has been transmitted from the time of Shakyamuni Buddha to now. Zazen is simply sitting with legs crossed, back straight, the attention focused on the posture and breathing. In zazen we do not seek to obtain anything. By turning the gaze inwards we can go naturally beyond the limits of the ego and directly experience awakening to our true nature. ‘In our disturbed world, practising zazen means coming back to the human being’s true dimension and rediscovering the fundamental balance of our existence’ Taisen Deshimaru. Bristol Zen Dojo holds zazen practice five days a week with an introduction every Wednesday from 6-7.30pm. Bristol Zen Dojo, 91-93 Gloucester Road, Bishopston, Bristol BS7 8AT. E: info@zenbristol.co.uk W: www.zenbristol.co.uk T: 0117 942 4347

training

Professional Training Courses in Holistic Massage with 2 intakes per year, February and October. Booking now. Level 4 MTI Diploma course. Also Level 4 MTI Diploma course in Remedial & Sports Massage. Introductory Workshop weekends throughout the year. Advanced Workshops available for practitioners to extend their skills and experience. Massage Practice Days and Regular Supervision groups with BCMB tutors. BCMB is accredited by the Massage Training Institute (MTI) and works to the national training standards of the General Council for Massage Therapy. Workshops also available in Worcester. 30 Alma Vale Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2HY. 0117 377 1201 enquiries@bristolmassage.co.uk

spirit - train

Diploma courses are run in autumn and spring. Aromatherapy Diploma (18 months). Includes two types of massage, aromatics, A&P, pathology and business skills. Professionally accredited by AAPA. Reflexology Diploma (12 months). Includes reflexology theory and practice, A&P and business skills. Professionally accredited by IFR. Traditional Indian Head Massage (10 weeks). Professionally accredited by IIHM. Runs autumn, spring and summer. Anatomy & Physiology. Widely accepted by therapy training courses. One-day and CPD courses • Introduction to Aromatherapy • Introduction to Massage • Advanced Massage Techniques (CPD) • Marketing Your Therapy Business (CPD) • Using Social Media (CPD). For more information on our courses visit our web site: www.bristolschoolofholistictherapies.co.uk Contact us for a copy of our prospectus. Email: info@bristolschoolofholistictherapies.co.uk Phone: 0870 8890350

The Bristol School of Shiatsu is one of the longest established Shiatsu schools in Britain, offering courses at all levels from a three-year Practitioner Training to three weekend beginners Foundation Courses. Our non-residential, part-time courses are taught by UK Shiatsu Society registered teachers who share a common commitment to presenting Shiatsu tuition of the highest standards, in an atmosphere that is enlivening, supportive and fun, while offering diversity in their teaching styles and approach to Shiatsu. The School puts emphasis on an intuitive approach to Shiatsu within a framework of Traditional Oriental Medicine and, as well as the mastery of Shiatsu for the healing of others, we encourage the personal development and well-being of our students. For more information please contact: Bristol School of Shiatsu, PO Box 419, Bridgwater TA6 9ES. Tel: 0844 335 0573 S2 e-mail: shiatsubss@blueyonder.co.uk

Become a Naturopathic Nutritional Therapist or a Naturopathic Acupuncturist. Study part time in Bristol with CNM (College of Naturopathic Medicine), the UK and Ireland’s largest training provider in a range of natural health therapies, with colleges nationwide. All courses are based on naturopathic principles and students learn how to support their clients’ quest for health holistically, giving lifestyle advice in addition to their specialised therapy. The emphasis is on hands-on clinical practice to produce skilled, confident, effective and successful practitioners. Request a prospectus or book your place at CNM’s next free Open Evening in Bristol. For advice about your suitability, and start dates, speak with CNM’s helpful course consultant. Tel: 01342 410 505 email: info@naturopathy-uk.com web: www.naturopathy-uk.com

sunset colours of leaves on the trees, sun in your eyes when it’s low in the sky, nights drawing in and harvest beginning, bonfires and fireworks and back on with the woolies. new school year, getting down to study, reading and thinking and wondering why, contemplative times & positive futures

Think autumn. Think Spark advertise in the next issue, out 1 September

We hold free open days with a free lunch and offer free treatment for patients at our teaching clinic. If you are looking for an inspiring vocation, a change of career, or are just interested in knowing more about homeopathic medicine then your future is a short bus ride away. Open days are held throughout the year for you to sit in on lectures, watch the clinic in action and chat to staff and students. Courses are part-time and designed for busy people who wish to study alongside their present occupation. For further information contact the college via the website: www.conhom.com or telephone Kate at the office 01275 877083

We offer a 6 Month (24 day) course in acupuncture leading to a qualification which will allow you to obtain insurance and practice safely and effectively in the UK. The next course starts in September, in Bath. For more details see our website: acupuncturestudy.co.uk or telephone Jamie on 01225 469650

Do you want to teach qigong, have at least two years experience and a regular qi practice? We want you to teach your own style, in your best possible way. We include: • History of qigong • Taoist philosophy • Qigong for health, meridians and different energy patterns • Art of teaching. “I’ve learnt more than I thought possible – about qigong, how to teach, but also about myself” – Ettaline, Oxford. Please look at the prospectus at: www.shiatsucollege.co.uk/courses The Shiatsu College has over 25 years experience in the teaching, design and delivery of energy work. The Bristol course starts in September. Nicola.ley@gmail.com 0117 987 9806 www.qigong-bristol.co.uk

The Severnside Institute for Psychotherapy (SIP) is an established professional association of psychoanalytic psychotherapists and a training institute based in Bristol. We offer a variety of part-time courses ranging from an Introductory Course in Psychoanalytic Theories and Concepts, to Pre-Clinical courses in Infant Observation, Work Discussion and Classical Psychoanalytic Theory. For those wanting to train for a career in Psychotherapy, SIP offers clinical trainings in Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, leading to registration with the British Psychoanalytic Council. We also offer Psychotherapy services to the public. For further information, please contact the Administrator on 0117 927 3898, administrator@sipsychotherapy.org or visit our website www.sipsychotherapy.org

Susan Lawrence Training

www.susanlawrencetraining.co.uk Tailor-made training courses, workshops and team development • confidence building • improving communication • change process facilitation • and much more - please visit my website for details. Phone 0117 933 2607 Email susan_lawrence_evaluation@yahoo.co.uk (I also offer Dramatherapy - see my ad in Arts Therapies section for info) more training ads over the page

train - yoga

want to advertise in The Spark? see inside back cover for info

volunteering

11 module Hypnotherapy /NLP Certificate Training. Taught by a qualified, accredited teacher, hypnotherapist and Master Practitioner of NLP with over 15 years of experience. Course accredited by NCH, NCHP, NCFE and OU. Includes NLP Practitioner and specialist certification in Anxiety, Ericksonian and Stop Smoking. Evening, weekday or weekend training in small classes. Also New Course Starting Spring/Summer 2014 in Cheltenham, Isbourne Centre (www.isbourne.org). Cost: only £1950. For details / to arrange an interview contact Hilary Norris-Evans: 0788 771 4892 info@getmindfit.co.uk or getmindfit@hotmail.com To download a prospectus visit www.hypno-nlp.org - site of the UK Academy or Hilary’s website: www.getmindfit.co.uk

Bristol City Yoga Teacher Training

200-hr and 500-hr YTTC. Apply now for 200hr and short intensives in Vinyasa Flow and Ashtanga. Yoga Alliance Certified. 0117 924 4414 training@bristolcityyoga.co.uk

The Guild of Professional Healers

offers spiritual healer training in Clifton. Further details see GPH website www.guildofprofessionalhealers.org.uk Contact Dawn Redwood 01278 783678 dawn.redwood@yahoo.co.uk

Ever wanted to do something incredible? How about volunteering your time for the Sue Ryder charity? Volunteering is great for both personal and professional development with opportunities on offer for everyone. Sue Ryder provides compassionate, personal care for those living with life-changing illness and there are plenty of ways you can help out; from event support to helping with collections, we want to hear from you! Any time you can spare is appreciated. If you are interested or would like to hear more, please call the fundraising team on 0117 929 3618 or email southwest@sueryder.org

women Feminine Awakening Bath/Frome, Somerset

A journey into awakening through a women’s body. Individual sessions and Women’s Awakening Circle. Natalie Brooks www.feminineawakening.co.uk

yoga

New Glastonbury Priestess Trainings

Begin Autumn 2014. Introductory Discovery Training learning about Goddess. Plus transformative one-three year Priestess of Avalon, Priestess of Rhiannon, Priestess of Brighde Trainings. www.goddesstemple.co.uk

☞ Holistic Therapy and Massage

www.tranquillityzonetraining.co.uk See Courses, Groups & Workshops section

☞ Wessex Counselling Training

Psychodynamic Counselling: Intro, Foundation, Diplomas. See ad in C&P Training section

voice

A talk, a day workshop and a summer retreat, all with experienced voice practitioner Anthony Johnston. • Finding Authenticity & Radical Aliveness Through The Singing Voice - a talk with Anthony. Wed 4th June, 7.45pm. Wildgoose, BS2 9YL. Donations. • Embodying Your True Voice. A day of voice, song and movement, exploring the natural voice to energise, heal and empower. Day workshop, 28th June, 10am to 5pm. £65/55. • Singing in the Wild Summer Retreat, 2nd to 7th July. A six-day journey of discovery through the power of the singing voice in wildest Wales, using song, creative expression and the magic of the moment. www.realvoice.co.uk 0795 005 2100 realvoice.info@gmail.com

Thanks for reading The Spark we enjoyed making it for you and if you can read this you’ve got great eyesight

The Devon School of Yoga brings together classes, workshops, retreats and training courses under one umbrella, covering all aspects of the subject. Set in dedicated studios across Devon, ideal surroundings are provided for yoga practice, study and contemplation. The school teaches a holistic approach with an experienced team. The next two-year (500 hour) teacher training course starts September 2014 (Now Fully Booked). Next course begins January 2015. The next five-w/ends (80 hour) foundation course starts February 2015. Also 18 month (250 hour) post graduate yoga therapy course starts January 2015. Plus: Weekly classes. Day workshops. Residential w/ends. North India retreat and The Devon Yoga Festival 1-3 August 2014. For information or a copy of the programme, please contact us: The Devon School of Yoga, 4 Barnfield Hill, St Leonards, Exeter EX1 1SR. 01392 420573 info@devonyoga.com www.devonyoga.com

Our dedicated teachers are committed to promoting wellbeing by integrating posture, mental focus and breath. Classes take place in our newly refurbished, fully equipped and beautiful shrine room. Maximum class size 16. Drop-in Classes • Monday 5.45-7.15 Intermediate Iyengar. Lizzie • Tuesday 10.30-12 Beginner Iyengar. Cathi, 5.45-7.15 Hatha Yoga with Lioba Fezer • Wednesday 5.45-7.15 Vini with Amelia Wood • Thursday 10.30-12 Vini Yoga with John Irving • Friday 10.30-12 Mindful movement with Tim. £9/£7 per class or card £75 for 10 classes. Shop (Mon to Fri 1-4) sells mats, belts, blocks. Just drop in or see website... Bristol Buddhist Centre, 162 Gloucester Road, Bishopston, Bristol. BS7 8NT. w: www.bristol-buddhist-centre.org t: 0117 924 9991 e: info@bristol-buddhist-centre.org Reg Charity No. 900165

British Wheel of Yoga (SWYA) Foundation Course with Wendy Teasdill. Starting October 2014 at the Glastonbury Experience, Glastonbury. This experiential course is 60 hours long (Saturdays over 8 months) and suitable both for yoga practitioners wishing to deepen their experience of Yoga and those who would like to go on to teach Yoga. Participants are expected to practice Yoga regularly, attend regular Yoga classes and keep a Yoga journal; a certificate is awarded upon completion. A beautiful course for students and teacher in which you consolidate what you know... wendy@teasdill.com or www.teasdill.com or 01458 898 263

Yogasara is the Love of Yoga and Life. Come and join us. Learn Ashtanga, Iyengar, Hatha Yoga, Kundalini, Pilates , Meditation, Tantra-Yoga, Kirtan and more. Committed to excellence, our teachers give you the very best. As a Community Interest Company, Yogasara puts people, planet and yoga before profit. Committed to sustainability, community and making this planet a better place. Be the Change, join us at Yogasara. Sarah/Christopher 0778 692 8458 www.yogasara.co.uk Picton St, Montpelier, Bristol

Eastern Yoga Studio Specialist Yoga Studio and Therapy Room, Stokes Croft. A wide range of classes catering for new and experienced students of all ages and abilities, including: Hatha, Ashtanga, Iyengar, Vinyasa, Restorative, Meditation and Pilates. Women are supported through childbirth with our range of therapy treatments and classes for pregnancy, mum-baby, baby massage and women’s yoga. We also run children’s and family classes. We offer weekend workshops and retreats, regularly host visiting teachers and also offer a comprehensive Teacher Training programme. New Student Offer: First class is free when you register on: www.bristolcityyoga.co.uk/spark 0117 924 4414 info@bristolcityyoga.co.uk www.bristolcityyoga.co.uk

Vinyasa Krama Yoga Teacher Training steve@harmonyyoga.co.uk 01749 677470 www.harmonyyoga.co.uk

Yoga Course in Thailand

with Wendy Teasdill, December 28th - January 10th 2015. Patanjali on the Mat - Philosophy in Action. Superb venue and location on Koh Phangan. Call Wendy: 01458 898 263 or www.teasdill.com wendy@teasdill.com

Be Inspired! Yoga is for everyone. Facebook.com/easternyoga www.easternyoga.co.uk email info@easternyoga.co.uk txt: 0793 920 2245 46 Greenbank Road, Bristol BS5 6EY

Hatha Yoga Flow

Thursdays, 10-11am, Shambala, 17 Lower Redland Road, Bristol BS6 6TB. Intention, breath, movement. All abilities welcome. Michaela 07858 531788, micpalmer@live.co.uk AT www.woodland-yoga.co.uk

Kundalini Yoga

Tuesdays 10am-12pm, Yogasara, Montpelier, Bristol. All welcome. Anjali: 0796 110 5780 anjali@shaktikundalini.co.uk

Kundalini Yoga Bristol

6pm-7.30pm every Wednesday, Wilder St Studio. 07726 892 631 www.sleepingserpent.com

Partner Yoga Workshop

Playful yoga in pairs with rejuvenating bodywork. Leave feeling relaxed and enlivened. 4.30-7.30pm, 31st May (£25), Wilder studios, Bristol. Bookings: 07806 285 992 (Lara) www.facebook.com/PartnerYogaBristol

have you seen us online? we do love good old-fashioned paper but we’re rather proud of our virtual stuff too: visit www.thespark.co.uk to read our archive of the best previously published articles and exclusive online content, news, reviews & blogs & our Daily Spark twitter feed. You can also make comments, take part in our mini-polls, browse listings & event ads, enter competitions, buy an advert or even read this very magazine on your computer. 2,000,000+ visits last year! join our nearly 2,600+ twitter followers @spark_magazine and 1,100+ facebook chums

www.facebook.com/ thesparkmag

we’ve even got an eight-issues-a-year e-newsletter: The Sparkler. get it delivered right to your inbox, with team news, exclusive offers and comps, advertiser info and tips, and our cute little ‘where do you get yours?’ distributor focus every time. Out every month we don’t print a mag. Sign up here:

www.thespark.co.uk/ newsletters.html

it’s all rather modern, huh? Next issue, autumn, out 1 september get the early bird discount by booking and paying for your ads by 26 june (final deadline 24 july) * btw a 4-issue booking trumps even the early bird price! pay in one lump sum and get four ads for the price of three. (roughly, see back cover or www.thespark.co.uk for prices)

rear view…with Kate Evans

book reviews 53 The Soul Midwives Handbook: The Holistic & Spiritual Care of the Dying by Felicity Warner published by Hay House reviewed by Kamalamani

his book is a useful addition to the current literature on death and dying. It’s an accessible and informative book. From her tone I would imagine Warner is a sensitive and compassionate soul midwife, who’s made a difference to those she’s been with through their death, as well as their family and carers. Part I focuses upon the tradition of soul midwifery. It introduces myths and folk stories offering wisdom aimed at helping the dying to pass from this life. It also includes a lineage of soul midwifery through the ages. It then brings the reader up to date in reviewing what contemporary soul midwives do and how they do it, ending with a chapter offering refl ections for those considering becoming soul midwives and what to consider beforehand. Part II explores caring for the dying: how it feels to die, preparing, listening and being with the person as they reach the ‘sacred threshold,’ in Warner’s words, when “they have a foot in both worlds.” Part III is a very practical section exploring the toolkit of the soul midwife; including everything from Bach fl ower remedies to the importance of self-care. The extensive appendices include how to

Feral by George Monbiot published by Allen Lane reviewed by Toby Bridgeman As your boot crunches a twig on the path you disturb two wild boar snouting in the undergrowth. They scamper off through the forest, carpeted with flowers of every colour. You reach the river to find a newly felled clearing; the trees munched through by beavers building a new damn. The pool upstream is teeming with salmon, and in the older trees, rising 50 metres or more above the waterline, a golden eagle calls to her mate. Somewhere in the near distance, a wolf howls… A silly fantasy, right? Maybe. But Feral, the latest offering from journalist and environmentalist George Monbiot, offers us a way to re-imagine the UK’s rural spaces, if we are willing to ditch a few preconceived ideas about conservation, wild animals and ‘the countryside’. Part personal journal, part natural history adventure and partly a radical call to arms, Monbiot provides us with an arresting series of arguments for ‘re-wilding’ large tracts of our landscape – creating the right conditions for certain ecosystems to restore themselves naturally and then leaving nature to ‘self-will’ its own path. George describes in deft detail the devastation that man has wrought on the land, rivers and seas of the planet. He gives particular vent to the ‘ecological desert’ created by centuries of livestock grazing

Comp winners: issue 76 St George’s: Mrs T Huish,Weston-super-Mare; Richard Gwyn, Bristol Amphora: Lynda R Brown, Bath; Peter Hill, Bath; Mrs C Lee-Fox, Bath; Miss Bridget

draw up a detailed end-of-life plan. At times I found that this book read a little like a shopping list, with perhaps too much breadth and not quite enough depth and continuity. I don’t agree with everything in Warner’s approach and personally I don’t think in terms of ‘soul’. However, I’ve no doubt that this book would be invaluable for someone training as a soul midwife. I would also recommend this book to anyone who’s interested in the process of dying a ‘good death’ and in supporting others to die well, with its wealth of practical and accessible information. www.hayhouse.co.uk

(suggesting that sheep have caused more damage to our native landscape than the construction industry). He ponders at length our modern predicament: ecological boredom, a yearning for a wilder life and our hard-wired ancestral memories clashing confusingly with our orderly, sanitised landscape: a landscape entirely and utterly altered from the one in which our ancient ancestors roamed. George thinks big, but his poetic vision does not blind him to the practical realities of his proposals. He travels to many places where re-wilding is already happening, from Northern Scotland to the forests of Slovenia, and walks us, the reader, through the landscape with him. He explores the difficulties rural farming communities would face if large predators were reintroduced and concedes that many parts of the country are unsuited to re-wilding. However, his arguments for re-wilding some of our land, keeping these limitations in mind, are utterly compelling nonetheless. The beauty of Feral is that within this well-researched thesis, there lies a very open and honest account of one man’s personal journey to discover his place in the world and once more find enchantment and unpredictability. With Feral, George Monbiot turns the dream of a wilder tomorrow into a real and ecologically exciting prospect. www.penguin.co.uk/authors & search Monbiot

Malcolm, S. Glos; Anita Hayne, Bridgwater; Ursula Billington, Bristol; Mrs Sue Rees, Bristol; Anne-Marie Rose, Bath. Sam DabbsCotton, Radstock; Emily Beer, Bristol Healing Waters: Phill Pike, Bristol

54 changemaker

Anna Grear Incredible Edible Bristol founder Interview by Fiona McClymont • photo by Jo Halladey changes in our own communities, it shifts our relationships with the people around, shifts our sense of the possible, and that in itself gives people faith in change. We have seen so many new friendships and collaborations formed! The energies are fantastic.

Anna Grear, 54, is an academic, a leader in the field of human rights and the environment, a legal theorist and co-founder of the Incredible

The time to change the future is now. I’m not naive about what we are up against – globalisation’s downsides, climate crisis, all sorts of human rights problems around the world – and I do think that there is a very genuine question about which paradigm will ultimately prevail. But I think that if enough people get involved now with this kind of movement it creates a different public awareness, and maybe we will avoid a dystopian future! I honestly don’t know! But I do know that cultivating hope is fundamental and that has to be at the heart of what we are doing with Incredible Edible Bristol. We are just not interested in negativity though we do value critique.

Edible Bristol movement. Incredible Edibles are a network of more than 200 towns worldwide that began in the West Yorkshire town of Todmorden in 2007: Bristol aims to become the UK’s first Incredible Edible city and to transform the city into a place where communities grow food locally, within their urban environment. Anna lives in South Bristol. I believe with all my heart that the way we think shapes our reality. I’m a legal theorist with a passion for changing things on the ground, so I move between very abstract ideas and philosophy to very applied notions about how that affects the world, and the thing I’m passionate about is making the connections between thinking and action. Growing local food has global significance. Inevitably, we are caught up in the global food market: in Britain, we’re only ever a few days away from food crisis and climate change is increasing the pressure. What do we do, for example, when flooded farmers can’t produce the food we need anymore? Incredible Edible Bristol is about getting people to realise that by simply planting their own food they are saying to the market, ‘I refuse to be completely dependent’. It’s about taking back control over the basics of life: nutrition and food. Gardening, especially in the streets and parks, therefore becomes a radical act. We need to understand the interconnectedness between so many of the issues we face. The great thing about Edible Bristol is that it is incredibly simple and yet it engages all sorts of these related questions: social division, ill-health, poverty, market dependency. It’s about creating resilience, including food resilience, in the face of urgent climate change. It’s a very simple thing to plant food, eat it and share it but the outcomes can be transformative. We want to get groups of people working in their own community to plant food all over the city so that everybody has free access to freely growing, freely available food wherever they are. The benefits, where this already happens, are well documented: social benefits, health benefits, reduced crime: there’s quite a list, in fact. We want to achieve a step change in Bristol. Incredible Edible promises to

bring things to a new level. We are already working with over 15 community projects and there are many, many more plans in the pipeline, including an educational programme. You might even have seen us around: we were gardening down at Castle Park in April, preparing some raised vegetable beds right down in the city centre. We have loads of ideas coming online, including an edible front garden competition and something called #seednom, which involves planting food. Food is the issue where so many global and profound questions come together about who we are and who we want to be. There is something incredibly radical about putting your hands in the ground and growing food in the globalised marketdominated age in which we live, and that becomes particularly clear when we think about the battles around GM and seedownership. We need to be thinking, ‘what kind of community do we want to be, what lifestyles do we want to practise and how can we think in a way that gets us there?’ The Incredible Edible Bristol movement was like lighting a touch paper, it has just taken off! Somehow the energy was right for the change. The situation is right, the time is right. All over the planet there is a really strong emergent sense that the current system is destructive and that we can’t just sit by anymore. People don’t want to be victims anymore. You can see this return to self-organisation and resilience beginning all over the world. There is an exciting global movement of urban growing environments and resistance to the ‘food deserts’ of the status quo and we are very excited to be a part of it. At the high policy-making level, the existing paradigm is not being adequately questioned. A lot of the suggested solutions for the

climate crisis circle around a green economy, a green market order, etc. There just isn’t enough questioning about whether it is actually wise to allow the market to be the factor that dominates the entire social and legal world, not enough stopping to ask: is that really the way to go? The way we change things is by modelling something different. The power of thought and theorisation is amazing (ideas change the world!). Likewise is doing something transformative on a practical level. We need both! For paradigmatic change, the simple action on its own is not enough and neither is learned discussion. We need movement at all levels. We have to change our mind-set. Social transformation, in the end, is going to come about from thinking really critically and really creatively; challenging ourselves in our deepest levels to become the kind of people that can embody the social vision we all want to share. So if we’re talking, for example, about a radical revolution of kindness in which we grow free food all over Bristol for everyone, it behoves us to sit with ourselves and notice times when we don’t act well or when we resist practising kindness ourselves. Who we are, and who we’re becoming: those are two questions that drive me. There has to be an integrity to what we do, right down to the base level of who we are as people. We’re all flawed and fallible, and it’s really important that we are not immune from a (hopefully gentle) critical engagement with the ways in which we are each complicit in the status quo, in the way that power plays through things. Self-examination is vital. Don’t underestimate the power of the small action to catalyse change: change is possible, now. Concentrating on the enormity of the problem, without a focus on hope, is what paralyses us, and when we start to make

We have to be radical: we have to dare to imagine a completely different world. Critique is essential. Unless we critique, and ultimately dismantle, the priorities of the current system, and unless we start to really practice a sustainable ethic in our own lives (and the two are related) then we’re pretty much on a handcart to nowhere because the best science shows that our present trajectory is killing us and destroying the planet and that the timelines are incredibly urgent. We can act. Global warming, for example, seems immense and disempowering, yet we can do very simple things. A vast amount of greenhouse gas emissions are from meat production. Methane is more destructive, in fact, than carbon dioxide. The single most effective contribution an individual can make is to give up eating meat, particularly mass-produced, industrially processed meat. One could simply choose to become a vegetarian – or even more effective – a vegan. That is a very direct, simple way of withdrawing from the industrialised dynamic destroying our world. If millions of people all over the planet did that, it would have an incredible effect on climate change. It is really important to think from the global to the absolutely personal and local to the choices we make day by day. Everything matters. This is not to burden people with a joyless kind of misery. It’s actually a powerful thing knowing that things are so interconnected now, that my choices are essential. That can feel really good! Everything I do has an impact, so, for example, it feels good to know that by switching my light off I’m making a contribution; by giving up meat I’m making a contribution and so on. In the end, I have hope because I believe that co-operation is a more fundamental human instinct than conflict, and that’s the ethos we want to capture with the Incredible Edible Bristol: positivity and inclusivity. Lets make it happen: anything is possible! www.ediblebristol.org.uk or search Incredible Edible Bristol on Facebook

The Spark

credit card hotline (tues-thurs): 0117 914 3444

ad sizes & prices

All prices include VAT. Go to www.thespark.co.uk for more info and online booking

listings

deadlines 2014/15

our A-Z directory of health, services and workshops

name 15 max - up to 5 words bold title 30 max - up to 5 words bold title 60 max - up to 7 words bold title 90 max - up to 7 words bold title header 110 - with your logo & up to 15 words bold

events by the word

early bird £21

standard £26

4 issues* £78

savings

issue

early bird final

publishing

save £26

£36

£41

£123

save £41

autumn 78

June 26

July 24

Sept 1

£57

£67

£201

save £67

winter 79

Sept 25

Oct 23

Nov 24

£84

£92

£276

save £92

spring 80

Dec 18

Jan 22

Feb 23

£99

£123

£369

save £123

summer 81

March 26 April 23

in our Events Diary

90p a word - for regular or one-off courses, events, exhibitions, festivals, etc, listed by date: Classified ads also 90p per word

event boxes

mini display ads in date order in Events Diary

name box standard box medium box large

size h x w (mm) 63 x 49 83 x 49 195 x 49

colour display ads name eighth page quarter page half page vertical half page landscape page

early bird £87 £108 £144

standard £108 £135 £185

standard £340 £490 £770 £770 £1230

4 issues* £1115 £1590 £2535 £2535 £4050

for maximum impact

size h x w (mm) 88 x 128 182 x 128 370 x 128 182 x 260 370 x 260

early bird £306 £435 £690 £690 £1110

All these ads are also available in black & white, please ask for prices

small or display ads (for shops, products & services)

name box double

size h x w (mm) 60 x 62 128 x 62

standard £120 £195

4 issues* £360 £585

*Four issue discount applies to one-off payments only

inserts

All ads MUST be paid in advance Early Bird: pay by June 26, pay less To get the Early Bird discount your words, images & payment must ARRIVE by the Early Bird deadline. Charities: Get special rates. Please ask. Pay monthly by standing order: After our great 4-issue deals, standing orders help spread your costs and are the most cost-effective way of advertising. You get Early Bird prices; you don’t miss an issue, and you CAN change your words each issue (4 issue minimum). Contact beccy@thespark.co.uk for more info. Images TIFF, JPEG or PDF format only please, 300 dpi. Headers are 62mm wide & 25mm high. Artwork should be CMYK not RGB. All listings ads follow our House Style, so you don’t need to worry about formatting. For more info visit www.thespark.co.uk/advertise-in-the-spark.html Word counts: •Telephone number and code: 1 word • Street number and name: 1 word • Postcode: 1 word • Words with slashes or hyphens: 2 words • E-mail and web address: 4 words each Please do NOT send your ads using Dropbox

marketplace

early bird £96 £168

May 26

£60 per thousand - minimum run 10,000; max 33,000

Design Fees • We are happy to design your ad for you, if you provide text/photos/graphics, for a £35 charge.

• A design fee of at least £35 (inc vat) will be charged for preparing ads if they are not ready to drop in. This includes translating Word files into display ads. Please send your files as high res PDFs or JPEGs at 300 dpi.

The Spark, 86 Colston Street, Bristol BS1 5BB Sales team: Call Ann or Max on 0117 914 3434, email sales@thespark.co.uk or book online at www.thespark.co.uk

The Spark has joined the Bristol Pound revolution! You can now pay for ads and subscriptions direct from your Bristol Pound account to us. What’s more, businesses who accept and pay with the Bristol Pound get a 10% discount on display and marketplace advertising. Call 0117 914 3434 for more details

Sun range from lavera

THE MODERN NATURAL COLOUR COSMETICS

Natural and organic colour cosmetics to suit your budget

www.benecos.co.uk

The Sun sensitiv range is Europe’s no.1 natural sunscreen. lavera mineral sunscreen with active organic ingredients protects, nourishes and soothes the skin while reflecting UVA and UVB rays without synthetic enhancers. Water resistant and suitable for all skin types. 100% pure, natural & organic skincare for beautiful skin.

www.lavera.co.uk

Sponsors of Vegefest, Bristol 24-25 May, please visit our stand 22 Event offer 3for2 on all products

Finally a range of organic products worth getting in a lather over.

100% NATURAL & ORGANIC COTTON ABSORBANCY Be Natural. Be Organyc.

SHEA BUTTER

SHOWER GEL NOURISHING & NURTURING

CERTIFIED ORGANIC | 300ml

LIQUORICE

FRUITY & REFRESHING

SHOWER GEL STRAWBERRY FRAGRANCE

SHOWER GEL STIMULATING & REFRESHING

CERTIFIED ORGANIC | 300ml

Every product in the Organyc range is certiﬁed organic for your peace of mind so we don’t use synthetic absorbers nor cellulose ﬁbres. www.organyc.co.uk

Organii’s new range of affordable organic products make it easy for all of us to make positive, everyday little changes to our shopping baskets.

www.organii.co.uk

All trade enquiries please phone or email 01557 870203, trade@pravera.co.uk. See all our products at www.pravera.co.uk, Address Pravera Ltd, Conchieton Business Centre, Kirkcudbright, DG6 4TA