changes start with...
the best of the alternative west
FR
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summer issue 65 • june - aug 2011
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change, personal growth, holistic health, local food, green & ethical living l unique & inspiring local events l everything from acupuncture to zen in our A-Z directory l WIN a retreat at Embercombe, a Firewok or a champagne dinner for five
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Aromatherapy and Reflexology Professional Diploma Indian Head Massage Certificate Course
With an excellent reputation, the Bristol School of Holistic Therapies offer the only AC / AAPA / IFR / IIHM accredited training in Bristol.
CPD and Introductory Courses Our approach to training is holistic throughout. All tutors are experienced practitioners with full teaching qualifications. Classes are small, ensuring plenty of one to one tuition and time for hands on practice. We have specialist tutors for different subjects, ensuring you get the most up-to-date knowledge available.
More information on our courses can be found on our website: www.bristolschoolofholistictherapies.co.uk
The Aromatherapy Diploma and the Reflexology Diploma courses provide in-depth tuition of their individual therapies and include the IEB certificate in Anatomy, and Physiology. Also, to ensure the best start to a new career as a therapist, they include modules in business studies, client practice management and nutrition. Courses start in October and April.
For full details, you can request a copy of our comprehensive prospectus by emailing:
The Certificate in Traditional Indian Head massage includes Indian head massage practice and theory, anatomy & physiology, study of chakras and clinical practice. Professional accreditation is by the Institute of Indian Head Massage. Courses run September, January and May. Anatomy and Physiology gives in-depth training required by insurance companies and professional bodies for anyone training or planning to train in the area of complementary therapies. Certificate awarded by the International Examination Board. Introduction to Aromatherapy and Introduction to Massage, two one-day courses for complete beginners. Both courses are over one weekend and can be taken individually or together. * No previous experience is required for any of the above courses. *
info@bristolschoolofholistictherapies.co.uk phoning:
0870 889 0350 or writing to:
The Bristol School of Holistic Therapies, Kings House, 14 Orchard Street, Bristol BS1 5EH
The Spark
the spark issue 65 summer edition Free, thinking and independent: welcome to the UK’s biggest ethical quarterly
welcome
Last issue we celebrated our 64th edition of The Spark. This issue marks our 18th anniversary, our coming of age. I’m sure when John Dawson started out in 1993 he couldn’t have imagined how the magazine would grow and thrive. Thank you to all of you for making the magazine such a success and long may it continue. The summer weather arrived early this year, which has lifted our spirits after the cold winter, and many of you may already be thinking of holidays and festivals, so we hope our festie guide will help you to decide which one(s) you are going to go to. We’ve got plenty of freebies to give away, so you may even win tickets to one. Write to us and good luck! Bill
the team
4
ignite
three months of life worth living
8
ignite events
classes, events, meets, retreats
q&a city canon Tim Higgins
14 out!
out!
13 14
the Cotswold Way near Stroud explore the intriguing sights on the edge of the Cotswold Hills
16
doing it yourself
the virtually rubbish-free family 1.
2.
planet
3.
how green are biofuels? 4.
5.
social change 20
6.
(1.) Ann Sheldon, advertising manager (2.) Darryl Bullock, publisher (3.) Bill Heaney, editor (4.) Beccy Golding, production manager (5.) Andy Ballard, ad and cover designer (6.) Naomi Ross, finance worker, Tilly Black (proof reading), Jo Halladey (photography) Contributors: Toby Bridgeman, Darryl Bullock, Alex Cater, Kate Evans, Beccy Golding, Bill Heaney, Hannah Latham, Fiona McClymont, Jo Middleton, Chris Mitchell, Rachel Savage, Anton Saxton, Will Simpson, Noreen Wainwright, Andy Ballard Interns: Niki Mullin, Lucy Prentice-Miller The Spark was created by John Dawson
Amnesty reaches 50 this year
13 q&a
16 doing it yourself
city canon Tim Higgins
just one small rubbish bag a year
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.
86 Colston Street, Bristol BS1 5BB
Tel: 0117 914 34 34 www.thespark.co.uk
Tuesday to Thursday 10am - 5pm (ad enquiries) sales@thespark.co.uk (ad text or alterations) ads@thespark.co.uk (editorial) editor@thespark.co.uk
food
22
family
24
mind/body/spirit
26
festival guide
27
marketplace
34
community supported agriculture
play centres for special kids
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 cover a range of ideas to help make the world a better place. We’re looking for new freelance writers (green issues and social change) so get in touch and share your enthusiasm/expertise.
18
love your feet
this summer’s festivals & camps
24
22 food
family
community farming projects
play for special kids
green goodies, ethical products
spark listings 36 A-Z directory of complementary therapists, eco-services and more
letters & comps 53 win! five-day retreat, firewok, champers dinner for five
rear view
52
our resident cartoonist Kate Evans
changemaker 54 26 54 mind/body/spirit changemaker
international yoga teacher Uma Dinsmore-Tuli
feet feeture
buy an ad to reach 100,000 people
Uma Dinsmore-Tuli at yoga seva 3
advertising
55
4 ignite june compiled by Darryl Bullock
the main event: Good Living Week local living There’s a host of family-
friendly events and activities taking place to mark the launch of Bristol’s Good Living Week and Live Local Day, at the CREATE Centre June 11. Learn how to grow food in small spaces, sample local food in the café, join in the pedal-powered fun, get your bike checked for free & drop by The Spark stall where your kids can have a go at colouring in a map of Bristol’s green spaces! Other events happening during Good Living Week include the 2011 DigBristol ‘Get Growing Open Day’ June 11, a chance for community growing groups across Bristol to open up their land to the public, show off their wares and share the joys of growing your own. The Bristol Food Network are organising this citywide open day,
and there’s a bike trail weaving its way between each garden. If you would like further details contact Laurence at l.Copleston@forumforthefuture.org If that wasn’t enough, the same day sees Solar Open Doors (www.bristolgreendoors.org), where solar-powered homes across the city will open their doors to the public; there’s the official opening of the new Museum of Bristol at the M Shed on June 17 and the launch of this year’s Festival of Nature (www.bnhc.org.uk), which takes place around the Harbourside from June 18 For full details on Good Living Week go to www.greencapital.org
get involved!
family friendly
National Family Week is back May 30 – June 5 with seven days of activities, events and money-saving offers aimed at the whole family. The largest annual celebration of family life includes thousands of regional events. To find one near you visit www.nationalfamilyweek.co.uk
The Whitchurch Park, Hartcliffe and Bishopsworth Arts Trail is looking for people who can draw, paint, sew or write to display at the ward’s first arts trail on Saturday June 11 at Withywood Centre, Queens Road and the Scouts Hut on Bishport Avenue. Please contact Tracy on 0117 9830472 or tracyedwardsbrown@ymail.com If you know any young people aged 16-25 living in their own place or in a B&B who are finding it difficult to cope or are at risk of becoming homeless, Independent People may be able to help. Freephone 0800 731 7213 or visit www.1625ip.co.uk
In July, over 20 edible gardens in and around Stroud will be open to the public seeking to encourage people to grow and learn more about food. There will be vegetable and fruit gardens, allotments, herb and kitchen gardens, chicken keepers and more. The gardeners will be available to share their knowledge and passion for growing. To offer your garden for part of the July 9-10 weekend, please contact Helen Royall on 01453 755509. More info at www.transitionstroud.org
for the planet It’s World Environment
Day June 5, the globe’s biggest and most widely celebrated day for positive environmental action, and everyone can get involved: why not organise a neighbourhood clean-up, plant a tree or start a local recycling drive? The possibilities are endless.
www.unep.org/wed
science friction
The 10th Cheltenham Science Festival is on June 7-12. Each year thousands of visitors and hundreds of events and activities transform the Regency town into what must be the ultimate venue for discovery, debate and hands-on fun. www.cheltenhamfestivals.com
Rodborough Parish Council near Stroud is organising a series of free walks, 3-5 miles long, over tracks and quiet lanes, setting off from the Community Hall in Butterow West at 6pm on May 27, June 24, July 22, August 26 and September 16. For more information call 01453 765 461
Two’s Company gives visually impaired and disabled people in Bristol opportunities to go cycling on the back of a tandem. In 2011 the group is also running some rides for people with early dementia. The group provides training in how to set up a tandem project. For more information call 0117 353 4580 or visit www.lifecycleuk.org.uk/two-s-company
green machine Sustainability is the
name of the game at the Somerset Green Scythe Fair, Thorney Lakes, nr Langport, Somerset June 12. 12 hours of music, performance and arts, displays of local sustainable projects and stalls selling local produce, crafts, refreshments and food, with everything powered by alternative energy. www.greenfair.org.uk
musical youth
Enjoy classical, pop, jazz and folk from three of the South West’s most talented young musicians at Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford on Avon June 12. These gifted students are on the pioneering South West Music School scheme, a virtual school for talented musicians aged 8 to 18. www.wiltshiremusic.org.uk
almanac
Full moons: June 15 (sunrise 4.55am; sunset 9.31pm), July 15 (sunrise 5.13am; sunset 9.24pm) and August 13 (sunrise 5.54am; sunset 8.40pm). The longest day is on June 20. Issue 66 of The Spark is published on August 22.
www.libraryofavalon.co.uk
Civic societies across England are planning the first ever Civic Day this year on Saturday June 25. If you have any ideas for celebrating your local area and discovering more about it, e-mail civicday@civicvoice.org.uk. www.civicvoice.org.uk
The Youth Offending Service (YOS) in Gloucestershire is looking for volunteers to join youth offender panels, a unique way of dealing with young people who commit crime. The next training runs on six Saturdays between June 11 and July 16. Travel expenses are paid for training and work as a volunteer. Call 01242 242203 or contact
here comes the summer
The National Arboretum at Westonbirt, near Tetbury in Gloucestershire, will be transformed into a major concert venue this summer as the Forestry Commission’s Live Music series presents a host of big-name bands set against the stunning backdrop of the arboretum’s magnificent tree collection. This year’s line up includes Simple Minds June 17, Erasure with Sophie Ellis-Bextor June 18, Scouting for Girls June 19, Bryan Ferry July 15, Westlife July 16 and Texas July 17. Some of the Spark team have already booked their tickets: why not bring a picnic and join us? Tickets available now from the Forestry Commission box office 0300 068 0400 or online at www.forestry.gov.uk/music
The Library of Avalon in Glastonbury specialises in esoteric and spiritual material and runs on volunteers and donations of books. It has finally secured some permanent storage space, so there’s space for more donations. New volunteers also welcome.
caroline.ellerton@gloucestershire.gov.uk
epilepsy awareness
Around 60,000 under 18s have epilepsy in the UK, the most common serious childhood neurological condition. Local families living with the condition can find information, help and support at the National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy’s annual Parents and Families Day, Bristol June 18. www.ncype.org.uk Birthdays, anniversaries etc: June 3 is the feast day of St Kevin, the patron saint of blackbirds, and June 8 is dedicated to St Medard, the patron saint of good weather, prisoners and of toothache; Ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney will be 69 June 18, culinary queen Delia Smith will be 70 on the same
get creative Schumacher College, in
Totnes, is a unique educational institution, offering people from around the world the chance to study environmental and social sustainability. Their five-day course The Springs of Creativity June 20-24 explores what exactly we mean by creativity and what the nature of imagination is . www.schumachercollege.org.uk
day; Eric Blair, beter known to most as the author George Orwell, the man who brought you the antiestablishment classics 1984 and Animal Farm, would have been celebrating his 108th birthday on June 25; Former prime minister Sir Edward Heath and Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks were both born
Contact the Elderly is looking for volunteers to give a few hours on a Sunday afternoon once a month, or once or twice a year, making a difference to isolated, lonely over 75s in Bristol, Bath and Somerset. Contact Helen.ker@contact-the-elderly.org.uk or call 0117 960 9606
on July 9; July 17 saw the deaths of Nicholas 11, the last Tsar of Russia, most of his family and several servants (including his cook and doctor) at the hands of revolutionaries in 1918. By strange coincidence this took place on the anniversary of the death (in 1762) of his predecessor, Emperor Peter 111.
Jill Purce
The Healing Voice
Rediscover the Ancient Power of Group Chant Magical Voice Techniques ∞ Mongolian and Tibetan Overtone Chanting ∞ Sound Healing ∞ Mantra and Vocal Meditations ∞ Sonorous Mandala Ceremony ∞ Healing the Family & Ancestors ∞ Ritual and Resonance ∞ Healing the Family & Ancestors – Ritual & Resonance
June 17-24 Week Intensive near Glastonbury Summer Solstice Celebration Jill’s unique ceremonial shamanic healing rites, using chant and family constellations, restore resonant family fields in magical oracular ways, unavailable to normal therapy. Transforming destructive inherited patterns into blessings. Family members do not need to be living. Individuals and families welcome.
Healing Voice ∞ Healing the Family
Weekend Workshops in London Recogized internationally for 40 years, Jill is the author of The Mystic Spiral, and pioneered both the sound and ancestral healing movements world wide. Her workshops are well known for being extraordinarily powerful, magical and fun.
www.healingvoice.com • 0207 435 2467 • info@healingvoice.com
Open Evening
e c n a D t a ni i f l o n Ar
Wednesday 15 June, 4pm - 7pm at Ashley Down Centre, City of Bristol College Refreshments available
Come along, meet staff and existing students, and find out more about our Health, Therapy and Care related Foundation Degree courses, starting this September:
Saturday 11 June – Sunday 7 August
• Counselling • Complementary Health Therapies • Creative Arts Therapy Studies
• Early Years • Housing
Register now! For your place at our event. Contact:
T: 0117 917 2300 / 01 E: BOXOFFICE@ARNOLFINI.ORG.UK 16 NARROW QUAY, BRISTOL BS1 4QA
0117 312 5160 HEinformation@cityofbristol.ac.uk www.cityofbristol.ac.uk
WWW.ARNOLFINI.ORG.UK
5
6 ignite july-august get involved!
super bowl
play on Keynsham Music Festival is one of the last remaining free community music and arts
events in the area, attracting some of the best bands in the South West with a preference for booking local, up-and-coming talent. With four stages, free workshops for all the family, kids events and delicious Fairtrade food, this is an event not to be missed. July 3, www.keynshammusicfestival.co.uk.
July 9 sees Lyz Cooper, founder of The British Academy of Sound Therapy, host a sound workshop, Sacred Sound and Sacred Stories, using Himalayan singing bowls, drums, gongs and voice, which will end with a unique group session inside Stonehenge. www.healthysound.com
St Werburgh’s City Farm Summer Festival June 11: now recruiting volunteers for all kinds of roles on the fair day, including; staffing the gates, selling programmes and raffle tickets, helping with arts workshops, and stewarding the procession. All they ask is for 3 hours of your amazingness. In exchange you get free entry, a lovely lunch, a drink from the bar, and a happy feeling that you have helped feed the animals all year round. E-mail Jen farmsummerfair@swcityfarm.co.uk or volunteering forms at www.swcityfarm. co.uk/events/farm-summer-fair-2011
The United Nations has declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests. You can help plant 10,000 tropical trees in the Brazilian rainforest. One tree can remove 50 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year. More at www.plant10000trees.com
fair’s fare Improve your green skills at Frome on your bike Cycling charity Sustrans Green Fair July 10 with great ways to save money and the planet, a wide range of eco-experts to chat to and practical workshops including tool-sharpening, bicycle repairs, eco-fashions and felt making. With storytelling, great food and music, it all takes place at the Cheese and Grain, 10am-4pm. www.cheeseandgrain.co.uk
is looking for folk to take part in a three-day, 170-mile bike ride around the North’s coast and castles, raising sponsorship to support walking and cycling July 10-12. Participants pay £95 each which includes all meals and camping. The person who raises the most wins a new bike! www.charityadventure.org.uk/coastandcastles2011.aspx
quick off the draw Bath
Artists Studio is running a three-day crash course in life drawing July 15-17. For £90 absolute beginners will get a good grounding to give them a flying start into learning to draw, and experienced artists will have a concentrated period of time to develop their skills. www.bathartistsstudios.co.uk
The Bristol Bike Project, which gives free bikes to underprivileged and marginalised groups, is looking for your old bikes. You can also help by buying a refurbished bike or by taking part in the miantenance courses they run. The project runs a regular women’s workshop night and a mixed drop-in workshop. www.thebristolbikeproject.org
Take your little chicks along to Mother Goose, the craft shop on Market Street in Nailsworth, near Stroud, for some crafty fun. There are regular children’s activities from puppet shows to story-telling and singing at the café, as well as craft workshops in felting, knitting, sewing and much more. steffi.stern@me.com 07932 767020 www.mothergooseonline.co.uk
show some pride
Bristol’s second annual gay pride event takes over venues across the city in the week running up to another fantastic all-day celebration in Castle Park July 16. 2010’s inagural event saw 20,000 people party in the park; here’s hoping that this year’s events will attract even more. www.pridebristol.org
way of the lama His Eminence Ratna Vajra Rinpoche hosts a public lecture in Bristol Aug 5 to discuss The Middle Way, one of the fundamental principles of the Buddhist path. A principal lineage holder of the Sakya tradition, he is one of the most important of the younger generation of Buddhist teachers. His visit is hosted by the Sakya Centre Bristol, where he will also be giving a weekend of advanced teachings for people committed to the Buddhist Path. www.dechen.org/bristol
Vision 21 in Cheltenham is organising a series of free grow-your-own workshops this summer: Baby Steps In Permaculture on Wednesday June 1, 7.30pm, Vision 21 office, 30 St Georges Place; Looking After The Crop, Tuesday June 7, 6.30 pm at Hayden Road Allotments; Biodynamics, Tuesday June 14, 7.30pm at Vision 21 office; Worm Poo, Comfrey Tea and Compost on Saturday June 18, 11 am at Grosmont, Charlton Drive, Charlton Kings. www.vision21.org.uk
Transition Bath and Bath Local Exchange Trading Scheme (LETS) have teamed up to bring the latest local currency to the area, the Bath Oliver. Find a list of participating businesses here: www.bathlets.org.uk
Developing Health and Independence helps people who are unemployed for reasons such as homelessness, mental health problems, learning disabilities or addiction. They have a new organic veg stall Thursdays at Bath’s Green Park Station, 12-7pm. www.dhi-online.org.uk
party on Galhampton in South Somerset ships ahoy! Gloucester’s Tall Ships is a village of around 400 people surrounded by rolling countryside. It’s also home to Party in the Park Aug 6, described as ‘the friendliest festival in the South West’, which this year stars Babyhead and Neville Staple of the Specials. www.galhampton.com
did you know? The Spark is all growed up! The first issue of the magazine came out in the summer of 1993, 18 years ago this issue: we’re the same age as Beccy’s son Billy. The first copy of The Spark was only 20 pages long, around a third of our current size. Then the production
streets ahead The Devizes
festival Aug 5-7 is the most popular event staged in the city, attracting more than 75,000 visitors in 2009. Stunning ships, live music and entertainment plus arts, crafts and kids’ activities all in a wonderful waterside setting. www.thecityofgloucester.co.uk/tallships
International Street Festival Aug 29 is a family event with an all-day programme, featuring some of the very best in European street theatre, live music, kids’ entertainment, food, drink and more. Best of all, it’s all free! www.streetsofdevizes.co.uk
team consisted of just three people, including the magazine’s founder John Dawson; these days there’s a team of six of us although we have always relied on a pool of freelancers to write a lot of the articles. Some of the advertisers you’ll find in this issue - including the Bristol Folk House, Dance Voice, Harvest, Vic Love Architects
and Wild Oats - have been with us since the first issue: thanks for the support, guys! Amongst the articles and news stories the first issue announced the launch of Phil Haughton’s Better Food campaign (percursor to Bristol’s Better Food Company), encouraging people to think about where their food came from more than a decade
Sing for Water West presents The Big Sing for Water Aid on Sat. July 9 from 2.30pm at the Amphitheatre on Bristol Harbourside. Get in touch to sing, if you have a choir that would like to take part, or if you would like to lead a “scratch choir”. www.singforwaterwest.org
before every TV chef jumped on the bandwagon. We printed 10,000 copies of that first issue, now we print up to 34,000 copies a quarter. Initially the Spark was distributed around Bath and Bristol: today we’re available as far away as Romania!
Interfaith Seminary
Bridges-to-Oasis A Group Facilitation Training
Bridges-to-Oasis Group facilitation training July 2011 - July 2012
Training Ministers and Spiritual Counsellors
The Training will equip participants to develop their knowledge and skills in soul care in the context of groups, expand their professional practice and engage with their own creativity and self-development. This will be in an environment conducive for learning. Through the shared work the participants will create a sanctuary to enable and enhance their own transformational journey towards wholeness.
Who am I? What is life?
The Training will take place in 7 Modules, each beginning at 10am on Friday and thereafter 9.00am each day and ending at 4pm on Sunday, on the following weekends:
The Interfaith Seminary's one and two year training brings intense and joyful inquiry to these fundamental questions.
Module 1: 8th – 10th July 2011 – ‘Building Bridges’ Module 2: 16th – 18th September 2011 – ‘The Dance of Relationship’ Module 3: 18th – 20th November 2011- ‘Oasis 1st Pathway: Invitation to the Inner journey’ Module 4: 27th – 29th January 2012 – ‘Oasis 2nd Pathway: Finding a Way’ Module 5: 23rd – 25th March 2012 – ‘Oasis 3rd Pathway: Embracing the Challenge’ Module 6: 18th – 20th May 2012 – ‘Building an Oasis Group’ Module 7: 13th - 15th July 2012 – ‘Completion of the Journey’
Recent students describe the journey as 'radical homecoming, continued awakening, healing and acceptance....'
This Training will count as continuing professional development (CPD) for therapists and human service providers and certificates of attendance will be issued. It is an activity of the Elysia Consortium for Social and Therapeutic Renewal www.cstr.org.uk
Training programmes commence each autumn.
Tutors: Melanie Taylor (Director) Group facilitator, counsellor and trainer; Dr James Dyson Anthroposophic physician, educational and psychological consultant and trainer; Anne Welsh Psychosynthesis psychotherapist, trainer and supervisor; Lucy Trevitt, Artist, poet and facilitator of creative writing.
Join us in an experiential introductory event around the UK!
For further details, prospectus and application form please contact: Melanie Taylor Tel: 01384 372239 Email: melanietaylor23@aol.com By writing to: Bridges-to-Oasis, 87, Osmaston Road, Stourbridge, West Midlands. DY8 2AN
Call or visit our website to find out more about our introductory events.
www.interfaithfoundation.org UK enquiry line: 08444 457004
Partner of the Elysia Consortium for Social and Therapeutic Renewal
www.CSTR.org.uk
The Interfaith Seminary is part of the Interfaith Foundation, a charitable company limited by guarantee. Registered Charity No: 1099163 (England and Wales) SCO40148 (Scotland) Registered Company No: 4432622 (England and Wales).
Supported by Calyx Trust - Registered Charity No. 1077375.
The Middle Way in Buddhism A public teaching by H.E. Ratna Vajra Rinpoche One of the foremost of the younger generation of Tibetan Buddhist Lamas explains the fundamental principles of Buddhism. Open to all those interested in Buddhism Tickets £10 (only available on the door)
Friday 5th August 2011 at 8pm
The Bristol Hotel, Prince Street, Bristol BS1 4QF Presented by Sakya Thinley Rinchen Ling Buddhist Centre, Bristol
The Devon
School
Yoga
of
Telephone: 01392 420573 Email: info@devonyoga.com
www.devonyoga.com
0117 924 4424 bristol@dechen.org www.dechen.org/bristol
Whether looking for a new direction, or to take your first step towards a more sustainable future, Schumacher College has delivered transformational courses that skill and inspire people for 20 years.
Foundation Course, Teacher Training and Yoga Therapy Courses, Classes, Workshops and Retreats in Devon and North India.
Want to make a positive change? A member of the Independent Yoga Network.
yoga
tel: email: web:
Post-graduate courses to help you be the change you want. MA in Economics for Transition –September 2011 MSc in Holistic Science – September 2011 Plus - Full short-course programme for transformative learning Schumacher College is a department of The Dartington Hall Trust a registered charity.
7
Please visit our website for more course details or
www.schumachercollege.org.uk
8 ignite regular
june
Mondays
Friday 3 - Sunday 5 June
Join Bath Positive Living Group for weekly talks of Inspiration. Followed by the opportunity to socialise with like-minded people. Refreshments included. £5. The Coffee Lounge of The Open House Centre @ Manvers Street Baptist Church. 7pm. Ffi: www.BathPLG.co.uk Jacqui - 0786 8890 388
Willow Basket Making. Willow for the Garden www.lowershawfarm.co.uk
Tuesdays A new introduction to Tai Chi course starts Tuesday 6th September at St Aldhelm’s Church, Chessel Street, Bedminster. Suitable for beginners of all ages any level of fitness. Learn the Tai Chi short form for health, balance and calm - for fun and as a moving meditation. £36 for 6 weeks, £60 for 12 weeks. 6.30 - 8pm. Call 07766 100 383 for more info.
Wednesday 15 June
Friday 3 - Sunday 5 June Dramatherapy Taster Workshop, Bristol. With Rachel Perry of Scenario Arts in Personal Development 01225 427601 www.dramatherapy.org.uk
Tuesdays The Abundance Group. 10–12.30pm, Relaxation Centre, Bristol, Only £5. First session free. Looking at how we manifest in our lives. Using law of attraction principles, meditation, visulisation, sharing, games, art, music, movement, writing, role play, EFT, Ho’oponopono. Tina 07951 246 890 www.transformyourlifenow.co.uk
three months of essential events. book your ad at www.thespark.co.uk • 90p a word
Saturday 4 June
New Dimensions A monthly meeting of like-minded people to hear talks on a wide range of esoteric subjects
Sunday 19th June 2011 STIMULATE YOUR LIFE WITH NATURAL MEDICINE AND CELLULAR AWAKENING Andy Baggott Sunday 17th July 2011 LIVING BY THE INFLUENCE OF THE MOON Mary Hykel Hunt Sunday 18th September 2011 CLAIRVOYANCE Katherine Langley
A Taste of Gaia, The Pierian Centre. Chris Johnstone brings science and spirituality together in introducing an inspiring view of life on earth. www.chrisjohnstone.info Friday 10 - Sunday 12 June EarthHeart Workshop, Monkton Wyld, Dorset. Featuring Joanna Macy’s inspiring empowerment approach. With Jewels Wingfield and Chris Johnstone. www.jewelswingfield.com www.chrisjohnstone.info
Open Evening for Health, Therapy and Care Foundation Degrees
Wednesday 15 June, 4pm - 7pm at Ashley Down Centre, Bristol.
Register your place now,
0117 312 5160
Wednesday 15 June Transformation through satori - Colin Tipping’s game of Radical Forgiveness Ongoing events of Healing, Growth and Transformation in Bristol Wednesday 15th June, Tuesday’s 19th July and 9th August at 6.45pm at the Elementary Sanctuary, 427 Fishponds Rd. Sunday 26th June at 2.15 at the Pierian Centre, St Paul’s. Special offer: £15.00 per session until 31/7/11 Contact: Dee on 07742-831318 email soulservice@hotmail.co.uk Thursday 16 - Sunday 19 June
Saturday 18 - Sunday 19 June Dance at Arnolfini. Danceroom Spectroscopy. Dance /choreography workshops with composer, sound and media artist Joseph Hyde. Suitable for professional or final year student dancers/choreographers interested in experimenting with new technologies. 12pm-4pm. £15. Booking essential. Also Sat 25-Sun 26 June. Arnolfini, 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA. Box office: 0117 917 2300/01 www. arnolfini.org.uk Sunday 19 June Green roofs, bee-keeping and electric cars! The West Country’s firstever Sustainability Show is at QCC in Taunton. Free entry and parking. Over 80 exhibitors ranging from electric cars to willow-weaving and cheese-making. Folk/rock band Elephant Talk. Ale and cider bars. June 19th, 10am-5pm. www.sustainabilityshow.org.uk Contact Keith Wheatley kaw@queenscollege.org.uk 01823 340805 Wednesday 22 June Dance at Arnolfini. Artist Talk: Maja Delak, Director of Slovenian dance institute Emanat, and collaborator Luka Prinčič (alias Nova deviator) discuss the influence of dance and choreography on their multidisciplinary practice. 6.30pm £5/£4 concs. Arnolfini, 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA. Box office: 0117 917 2300/01 www.arnolfini.org.uk
The Bristol Zen Centre. 7.15pm-9pm, Fulcrum House, 3 Grove Road, BS6 6UJ. 0117 963 2505 bristolzencentre@gmail.com
IYN Midsummer Yoga Festival, Gaunts House, Dorset. Celebrating Freedom and Diversity in Yoga. Workshops, Discussion, Music, Dance and more.. Join us at the Independent Yoga Network’s third Yoga festival. Wide selection of workshops, from quiet and meditative to vital and dynamic, given by some of the most experienced teachers in the UK. Meet new people, network, practice together, share and build community, relax and enjoy. Family friendly featuring our wonderful Suryah Children’s club, excellent vegetarian/vegan food. www.yogafestival.org.uk
Thursdays
Friday 17 - Sunday 19 June
Authentic Power - low cost development and networking groups for people interested in the Law of Attraction and Conscious Creation. Facilitated by experienced coach and accredited therapist Richard Braybrooke, Authentic Power groups are held on the third Thursday of each month at The Elemental Sanctuary, Fishponds, Bristol. Call 0117 939 3999 or email info@richardbraybrooke.co.uk www.richardbraybrooke.co.uk
Jewellery techniques www.lowershawfarm.co.uk
Dance at Arnolfini. Frozen Images. Slovenian dance company Emanat use movement, film, text, and music to question the production and perception of the female image. 8.30pm £10/£8 concs. Arnolfini, 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA. Box office: 0117 917 2300/01 www.arnolfini.org.uk
Friday 17 - Monday 20 June
Thursday 23 June
Paddlesong with Bristol Feral Choir. Sing while we canoe together down the beautiful Fowey estuary. Expert tuition in a stunning location, with lush food and accommodation. Booking essential, limited places. www.bristolferalchoir.org.uk bristolferalchoir@gmail.com text 07837 599239, find us on Facebook or see our ad in Voice section
Get Your Website Online In A Day. Special, non-technical workshop at The Pierian Centre where you build a professional, easy-to-update website for your organisation under the guidance of an expert. Mark Renwick 07973 750 204 mark@webtrails.co.uk www.webtrails.co.uk
Held at: The Friends’ Meeting House, 126 Hampton Road, Redland, Bristol. BS6 6JE Everyone welcome. Refreshments included 3.00pm – 5.00pm Entrance £5.00
Ffi please contact 01225 722963 leasurs@tiscali.co.uk
Friday 10 - Sunday 12 June Natural Beekeeping Course. £150 full board www.embercombe.co.uk/bees Saturday 11 June
Wednesdays
Saturdays and every second Wednesday Your Community Clinic – Making therapies affordable! Open to All. Low Cost Treatments available. Therapies to suit everyone including the pregnant/elderly. Massage - Deep tissue, Facials, Hot Stone, Indian Head, Shiatsu, Thai. Homeopathy, Hopi Candling, Reflexology, Reiki treatments plus shares and courses. Ffi Teresa 0798 224 3804 (Wednesdays), Saturdays 0780 973 6187. Venues, dates etc: www.yourcommunityclinic.com
Suturday 11 June
At Blagdon Lake Visitor Centre. Watch the mighty beam engine, have a go on the WaterAid pump, try the computer demos, explore the nature trail, feed the trout. Free entry and parking. Open 2-5pm every Sunday until 28th August. Blagdon Visitor Centre is next to Blagdon Lake, off the A368, through Blagdon village. For more details call 0117 953 6470 or visit www.bristolwater.co.uk/leisureBristol
Dance at Arnolfini. The Rest Is Silence. A new work in progress from young experimental performance Company Getinthebackofthevan asking if speech is made up entirely of breath and muscles then is it essentially a series of dance moves? 7pm £5/£4 concs. Arnolfini, 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA. Box office: 0117 917 2300/01 www.arnolfini.org.uk Saturday 11 June Future Self Now with Theresa Sansome. See Courses section for more info. www.futureselfnow.co.uk Sunday 12 June Natural Skin Care - make your own creams and lotions at Herbs for Healing, near Cirencester. 10.30-4pm. £69 including lunch. www.herbsforhealing.net 0777 368 7493 8
Saturday 18 June Introduction to Birth Work: Stroud 9.30- 5pm. Theoretical and experiential day exploring impact of prenatal life/birth on present day. Also July 16th, Sept 24th. Suitable for would be parents, pregnant women, therapists, bodyworkers, individuals. Hannya Melrose: 01453 751816 www.birthwithspirit.co.uk Saturday 18 - Sunday 19 June Relaxed Birth and Parenting delivers its last Child Birth Educator and Doula training in Bristol in June (after that training will be in London). We have over twenty years of experience supporting women, babies and families on this journey. For details of our FEDANT accredited training check www.relaxedbirthandparenting.com
Thursday 23 June
Friday 24 June Mid-summer Herb Walk from Herbs for Healing near Cirencester, £10. davina@herbsforhealing.net 0777 368 7493 Friday 24 - Saturday 25 June We are excited to be bringing to the UK for the first time a Russian Healing Codes Seminar. Effective, practical methods using number codes with documented scientific proof of regeneration of organs. Clevedon. Please email Janice: bioscience2000@hotmail.com
✓ Love what you do ✓ Work in a creative dynamic way with a
modality that constantly shows positive results ✓ Make a difference ✓ Enjoy a healthy income We have 5 courses to choose from featuring Himalayan bowls, mantra, gongs, drums, voice therapy, crystal bowls, tuning forks, reliable diagnostic methods and reflective practice. We are enrolling now for courses in Chichester, Cheltenham and Whichford.
ICNM ‘Best Complementary Medicine Company’ award winner
www.healthysound.com
brating 10 Celegh quality t years of raining hi
Tel: 01243 544454
BAST AD 88MM x 132 (7.4.11).indd 1
Media information: The Spark / Lower Shaw Farm 88 x 132mm
20/4/11 14:24:48
LOWER SHAW FARM
Information, inspiration and skills for a resilient future.
The Practical Sustainability Course
Connect • Learn • Relax
Affordable Courses, Events, and Weekend Breaks
September 2011 to July 2012 in Bristol A one-year exploration of positive, local responses to global issues. Modules include Permaculture, Organic Horticulture, Woodland Management, Energy, Green Building, Soil and Ecology, Community Engagement, Group Dynamics and Creating Change. Tutors include Sarah Pugh, Patrick Whitefield, Ben Law, Tony Wrench, Glennie Kindred, Dr Chris Johnstone, Mike Feingold, Mike Gardener, Matt Dunwell and more.
Willow Basket making
14–21 August
Family Week
17–19 June
Writing Weekend
26–29 August
Juggling & Circus Skills
17–19 June
Jewellery Techniques
16–18 September Women’s Weekend
1–3 July
Yoga and Massage
30 September – 2nd October Yoga & Massage
8–10 July
Mosaics
28–30 October
Family Autumn Activities Break
Delicious meals prepared with local and organic food. There’s a friendly welcome, relaxed atmosphere, lovely gardens and friendly sheep, pigs, chickens, and ducks!
www.shiftbristol.org.uk “This course changed my life and my way of seeing the world.”
Winner of 2009 Observer Ethical Garden Award! Ask for our Brochure: Lower Shaw Farm, Old Shaw Lane, Nr. Swindon, SN5 5PJ. 01793 771080 • enquiries@lowershawfarm.co.uk
Fran, PSC student 2010
www.ethically
3–5 June
www.lowershawfarm.co.uk
.coop
Professional Training in Counselling and Psychotherapy
“Where healthy, ethical, organic, fairtrade foods are literally at your fingertips and can be ordered in just a few clicks”
At BCPC we provide well established, professional trainings which enable our students to become BACP accredited counsellors or UKCP registered psychotherapists. All courses are experientially based, draw on humanistic core values, and allow students to integrate psychodynamic and humanistic approaches.
Fairtrade Food is Everyday Food These Essential fairtrade products are affordable larder staples that show fairtrade is no longer the ‘occasional luxury’. Increasingly, fairtrade food is everyday food and by choosing it you can really make a difference every day to the livelihoods of the producers and farmers across the world.
Come and find out about all our courses at our Open Evening, on Tuesday 5 July 2011 from 6.30 - 8.00 pm. Please contact admin@bcpc.org.uk or call 01225 429720 us for details.
We are recruiting now for our September 2011 intake:Foundation Certificate: a one year, one day per week training which may be used as a stand alone course for personal and/or professional development. It also fulfils the entry criteria for our Diploma in Counselling and MA in Psychotherapy. Diploma in Humanistic and Integrative Counselling: a part-time comprehensive, in-depth training to become a fully BACP accredited Counsellor in both private practice and agency settings. MA in Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy: a part-time in-depth training in private practice leading to automatic entry to the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) register of psychotherapists. MA validated by Middlesex University.
Tahini - a nutritionally valuable food! Tahini is a paste made from finely ground sesame seeds. It can be made from hulled or unhulled sesame seeds, with the latter being richer in vitamins and minerals and with a darker colour and stronger flavour. Tahini is easy to digest and provides a balanced supply of energy, vitamins, and minerals. It is rich in many vitamins including: B1, B2, B3, B6, biotin, A and E. Tahini contains 18 amino acids and is an excellent source of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and phosphorus. Tahini also contains omega 3 and 6 fatty acids which are essential anti-inflammatory nutrients.
Take the first step on your new path visit us at www.bcpc.org.uk or call on 01225 429 720
How To Use: Tahini is traditionally used to make hummus. Alternatively try spreading it onto toasted bread and serve with honey for a sweet or miso for a savoury treat. It’s also delicious spread onto crackers and added to dips and sauces. Why not try this delicious Tahini Dressing recipe from vegetarian chef Rose Elliot using the Essential Dark Tahini? Serve it with bean sprouts, green salad and alongside crudités.
PSYCHOTHERAPY AND COUNSELLING TRAINING
Serves 4 2 tablespoons Essential organic fair trade dark Tahini 1 garlic clove, crushed 2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice 6 tablespoons water Sea salt
Divine Embrace
HEALING, COURSES AND Retreats
Just stir: Put the Tahini into a small bowl along with the garlic. Stir in the lemon juice; the mixture will become lumpy. Don’t worry, keep stirring, gradually adding the water. As you stir, the sauce will become pale, thick and smooth, just like a beautiful, natural mayonnaise. Season with sea salt to taste. You can adjust the thickness of this sauce by adding more or less water.
Can you live joyfully under any circumstances And simply love the life you live? YES YOU CAN!
EXCITING NEWS! Divine Embrace Healing Courses begin in October
www.ethicallyessential.coop 9
Fabulous days for healing, growth and self-revelation giving you simple tools for joyful living. These courses and retreats will help you to discover who you really are. Reclaim the joy that is your birthright and reveal the wholeness of body, mind and spirit. Share exploration, serenity, laughter and fun in the safe hands of an experienced and supportive healing teacher surrounded by Angels. Earlybird booking discounts available. For details of these magical experiences visit www.divineembrace.co.uk Tel: Ruth 0117 986 2675 Email: healing@divineembrace.co.uk
10 ignite Friday 24 - Wednesday 28 June “Wild At Heart” Exhibition by Millie Wood Swanepoel at Lansdown Gallery, Stroud GL5 1BN. Millie was born, grew up in Africa but has live in England over 30 years. Thoughts, ideas and images fused in clay expression. www.ntpages.co.uk m.wood.swanepoel@googlemail.com Saturday 25 June www.festivaloflight.biz Winter Gardens, Weston-super-Mare. Free Admission 10-6pm • Readers • Healers • Therapists • Crystals. 01934 624939 Sunday 26 June Migrations Free Global Garden Party, live at St George’s: spectacular, family-friendly, free-entry festival: world music, storytelling, poetry, workshops, street art, world films, family activities and multi-cultural feasts of food. www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk
three months of life. to place an ad call 0117 914 3434 or email ads@thespark.co.uk its only 90p a word!
Tuesday 5 July
PSYCHOTHERAPY AND COUNSELLING TRAINING
Would you like to train as a Counsellor or Psychotherapist? Come along to our Open Evening on Tuesday 5th July where you will be able to meet the tutors, some students and graduates and get an idea about becoming a counsellor or psychotherapist and also get a feel for BCPC’s teaching methods. For more information contact us on 01225 429720 or email us admin@bcpc.org.uk www.bcpc.org.uk Thursday 7 - Sunday 10 July
o.uk
HAWKWOOD SUMMER COURSES FOR YOU! Ecopsychology 8-10 July Emotional Reflexology 9 July Naturally Nourishing Skincare 9 July The Mystery of Music 17 July Create a Singing Bowl 21-26 August Rumi with Duncan Macintosh 22-24 July Green Days Dancing Stillness 18-21 Aug Hawaiian Shamanism 26-28 Aug 40 mins from Bristol near Stroud
01453-759034
www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk
Friday 1 - Sunday 3 July Yoga and Massage Weekend. www.lowershawfarm.co.uk
Friday 8 - Sunday 10 July Making Mosaics. www.lowershawfarm.co.uk Sunday 10 July Mayan Calendar 2012 Workshop 01458 835506 www.mayancalendar.net Sunday 10 July Afrika: Oyaya!! The Second Bristol African Music Festival, live at St George’s: gloriously uplifting world music from some of the great names of the Bristol African music scene.. www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk Sunday 10 July Propagating: a days guidance at Herbs for Healing Garden, Barnsley near Cirencester, with Richard Gatenby, Head Gardener from Barnsley House. £55 including lunch. www.herbsforhealing.net 0777 368 7493 Wednesday 13 - Sunday 17 July
Sunday 3 July Resilience and Positive Change, The Pierian Centre. A day of developing clarity of focus, building inner strengths and raising your capacity to move towards your goals. With Chris Johnstone. www.chrisjohnstone.info Sunday 3 - Friday 8 July The Journey: ‘Finding Earth, Finding Soul.’ 5 day residential programme. Deepen your connection to the earth and take action in the world. Yurt accommodation. Devon. www.embercombe.co.uk/journey 01647 252983
Sacred Earth Camps: The Bear Shamanic Healers’ Lodge. For those who work and care for others. Tel: 01884 881467 www.sacred-earth-camps.co.uk
Positive Psychology, The Pierian Centre. Chris Johnstone introduces the new science of happiness and practical strategies for improving your mood. www.chrisjohnstone.info
Saturday 16 July
Sunday 24 - Friday 29 July
Bristol District Association of Healers. Mind Body Soul Show at The Folk House, 40a Park Street, Bristol, 10-4pm. Healers, readers, mediums and therapists. Adults £1, concessions available. Parking in Trenchard Street multistory. For information ring 0117 968 3139, email bdah.btik@btinternet.com
Catalyst. 5 day residential programme for people aged 18-25. ‘What will you do with your one wild and precious life?’ Devon. www.embercombe.co.uk/catalyst 01647 252 983
Saturday 16 - Sunday 17 July
Thursday 21 July
Thursday 30 June
july
Saturday 23 July
Bellydance weekend: Develop skill, confidence and group work with creative, empowering dance sessions. Baubo.co.uk info@overtherainbowwales.co.uk
OOD
Interested in meditation? Come and meet a Himalayan Meditation Master. Learn about meditation, meditate with him and have the opportunity to ask questions. Learn how meditation works, its benefits and how to meditate effectively. Suitss * able for beginners to experienced. ng our World amanism Free entry and parking. No booking required. 6pm, Arnos Manor Hotel, teed. 470 Bath Road, BS4 3HQ. 53 759034www.srby.org.uk info@srby.org.uk 07900 217093
Friday 15 - Sunday 17 July
Dance at Arnolfini. Canadianborn, Bristol-based choreographer Laïla Diallo and performer Theo Clinkard present an evening of three short works. ‘A vigorous, virtuous and poetic dance.’ 7.30pm, £8/£7 concs. Arnolfini, 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA. Box office: 0117 917 2300/01 www.arnolfini.org.uk Friday 22 - Sunday 24 July
Wednesday 27 - Sunday 31 July Glastonbury Goddess Conference 2011, Fringe 24-26th July. Welcoming Vicki Noble, Zsuzsanna Budapest, Anique Radiant Heart, Barbara Meiklejohn Free, Carolyn Hillyer, Julie Felix, Kathy Jones, Lydia Ruyle, Lady Olivia. Info www.goddessconference.com Tel 01458 831518 Saturday 30 July Dance at Arnolfini. Handbag. This 15 minute performance by Geraldine Pilgrim is a celebratory gem with great music, dancing and handbags. “A witty and wistful performance.” 7pm, 7.30pm, 8pm, 8.30pm & 9pm. £3/£2 concs. Arnolfini, 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA. Box office: 0117 917 2300/01 www.arnolfini.org.uk Saturday 30 July
Natural Beekeeping Course. £150 full board www.embercombe.co.uk/bees
Divine Embrace Workshop Retreat Day. Also Saturday 13 August. See ad in Courses, Groups & Workshops section
Friday 22 - Sunday 24 July
Sunday 31 July
GLASTONBURY SYMPOSIUM Investigating Signs of Our Times
Fri-Sun 22-24 July 2011 Town Hall, Glastonbury
crop circles ~ 2012 ~ astrology strology liberty issues ~ alternative health earth mysteries ~ sacred geometry archaeo-astronomy ~ conspiracies new consciousness ~ music power FOR DETAILS, TEL: 01278 722000 EMAIL: hq@glastonburysymposium.co.uk
www.glastonburysymposium.co.uk
Friday 22 July - Tuesday 26 July E-Mei with Shen Jin 5 day course in Bristol. Explore the roots of Qi Gong with a powerful and gentle female master of this rare energy circulation system. E-Mei builds strength for healers and martial artists, E-Mei a offers an energy-clearing workout for the mind and body Call 0117 377 1003 / 07766 100 383 or email buqibristol@buqi.net.
Dance at Arnolfini. Dog Kennel Hill Project question what dance can be, who can dance, and where it can happen? Double bill with dance installation, theatre presentation and a live beatbox score. 5.45pm & 6.30pm £8/£6 concs. Arnolfini, 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA. Box office: 0117 917 2300/01 www.arnolfini.org.uk
august Tuesday 2 August Free Talk in Bath on Happiness and Health. Tibet Bon Teacher Lama Kemsar Rinpoche. 7.00pm, Bath Royal Literary Institute, 16-18 Queens Square. mail@robert-kyle.tv Robert: 01672 861464 Friday 5 - Monday 8 August
English Language Summer School. www.lowershawfarm.co.uk
www.buddhafield.com/festival
Saturday 23 July
No drugs, no alcohol
Get your website online in a day. See Thursday 23 June
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
GOLDNEY GARDEN PARTY SUNDAY 7TH AUGUST 1pm-5.30pm Goldney Hall & Gardens Clifton, Bristol YOU’RE INVITED TO AMNESTY’S 50TH BIRTHDAY PARTY!
• • • • •
Adu lts und £5, er 1 FRE 6’s E!
LIVE MUSIC FUN & GAMES REFRESHMENTS KIDS ENTERTAINERS STUNNING GARDENS
For further details, donations or offers of help/entertainment please email helenbristolamnesty@yahoo.com
Sunday 7 August
Friday 22 July - Weds 3 August
� 13–17 July, Somerset
Sunday 7 August
The 30th Glastonbury Children’s Festival, Abbey Park Playground, Fishers Hill, Glastonbury BA6 8AH 10.30am – 5pm Daily, with performances, workshops, fun and games.A fantastic and unique day out for the whole family! For details of prices & shows visit www.childrensworldcharity.org
Dance at Arnolfini. Danceroom Spectroscopy. Arnolfini’s spaces will be rigged with 3D imaging technology to track your motion: come and move, observe, play or even dance! 1pm-5pm, free. All ages welcome. Arnolfini, 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA. Box office: 0117 917 2300/01 www.arnolfini.org.uk
Dramatherapy
Persephone Institute Unfolding Human Potential with Yehuda Tagar founder of Psychophonetics “All human
challenges are opportunities for spiritual development”
“The purpose of playing at the first and now, was and is, to hold as twere, the mirror up to nature” Weekly Dramatherapy Group
‘Acting 4 Real’
A Foundation Year in empathy skills and personal development leading to the professional training as a Psychophonetics practitioner (2 years), late entry possible via access weekend on 17th-19th of June ‘11 in Stroud, GLOS. Taught in 4 blocks of 7 (or 8) days in each year.
starts 24th May- 12th July, Bristol.
Dramatherapy 3 Day Intensive 3rd-5th June Bath
University Diploma in Dramatherapy
Learn to work with gesture, movement, visualisation and sounds, to heal past experiences and meet life’s challenges as opportunities for personal growth. Please look at our website:
October 2011-Apr 2012 (5 weekends & Spring School) Hawkwood College Stroud. Equivalent to 40 credits at level 5,6. Res/non res FFI see website Scenario Arts in Personal Development Tel: Rachel@scenario59.freeserve.co.uk www.dramatherapy.org.uk
www.psychophonetics.co.uk
01225 427601
for info about talks, workshops, master classes and the professional training course. Personal sessions also available.
Tel: 07920100794 uk@psychophonetics.com
Member of the Health Professions Council
SUMMER at HAWKWOOD Save air miles . . . Take an inner journey in beautiful surroundings! Relax, unwind, enjoy gardens, views & delicious food.
Returning to our Wild Nature: Ecopsychology Pop-Up Paper Sculpture * Mosaics Naturally Nourishing Skincare Living Abundantly* Energy Healing & EFT * Create a Singing Bowl * Heart of Rumi Language of Drawing * Green Days of the Dancing Stillness * Mindfulness and Breath *Alexander Technique * Dreaming our World into Being * Sacred Clown* Lost Secrets of Hawaiian Shamanism
MASTERS PROGRAMME IN DANCE MOVEMENT PSYCHOTHERAPY validated by Canterbury Christ Church University Interviewing now for September start. Please enquire. NATIONAL CERTIFICATE IN DANCE MOVEMENT & THE THERAPEUTIC PROCESS (Edexcel Award) - Interviewing now for September start. Please enquire. INTRODUCTION TO DMP STUDIES SUMMER SCHOOL. 1st–6th August. 6-day intensive taster course. Students should be aged 16 upwards.
*
Only 40 mins from Bristol. Courses all year round. . . . Warm welcome guaranteed. Hawkwood College, Painswick |Old Road, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 7QW Tel 01453 759034
www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk COLLEGE OF MEDICINE ISSUENATUROPATHIC 65
SPARK Late May—late Aug 2011
CHANGE CAREER become a Naturopathic
discover
Nutritional Therapist or Acupuncturist 1/8 PAGE AND
homeopathy
studying part-time in Bristol
IGNITE BOX
Call 01342 410 505 to book your place at our next
FREE ENTRY
Bristol Open Evening
HAWKW
SUMMER COURS Ecopsychology Emotional Reflex Naturally Nourishing The Mystery of M Create a Singing Bow Rumi with Duncan Mac Green Days Dancing St Hawaiian Shamanis
40 mins from Brist
Nutrition, Naturopathy, Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine and Homeopathy Colleges Nationwide
Find out more about this great healing practice and the School of Homeopathy. We have been training the world’s professional homeopaths since 1981. If you’re interested in homeopathy, healing or healthcare, then get in touch? Become a homeopath Attendance Practitioner Course, one weekend a month, held in Stroud, enrolling now for Sept.
Try a Home Study Course First Aid Course (1 month), Taster Course (4 months), Foundation Course (1 year) and more.
www.naturopathy-uk.com
Find out more Request a free prospectus, look at videos online or come for a free School visit and sit in on class.
We are currently recruiting for:
Listening and Communication Skills 10 weeks part-time
Foundation Course in Counselling Skills One year (part-time), Wednesdays 5.30-9.30pm
We have been providing Psychodynamic Counselling Training, accredited by Westminster Pastoral Foundation, since 1983. home of homeopathy
Diploma in Psychodynamic Counselling Two years (part-time), Mondays 2.00-7.30pm If you would like to know more please telephone 01373 453355 or you can email office@wessexcounsellingservice.co.uk
Wessex Counselling Service, Fairfield House, King Street, Frome BA11 1BH www.wessexcounsellingservice.co.uk
T: 0800 0439 349 · E: info@homeopathyschool.com · www.homeopathyschool.com
11
01453-75
www.hawkwood
12 ignite Sunday 7 - Friday 12 August
reach up to 100,000 people in the West from just 90p a word book online at www.thespark.co.uk
Thurs 25 - Sun 28 August
Wildcraft for 13-16 years. 5 day residential, Dartmoor. What do you need to survive? www.embercombe.co.uk/wildcraft 01647 252 983
Sat 10 - Sun 11 September
houses for sale
Introduction to Channelling with Tony Neate and Greg Branson. What channelling is/isn’t with clear instructions on how to channel. 9.30am-5pm, Beacon Clinic Malvern, £125. For booking form & questionnaire ralphclay24@yahoo.co.uk 01588 620605
Tuesday 9 - Sunday 14 August
Friday 16 - Sun 18 September
Doris Intercultural Summer School 9-14th August Drum, Dance, Song and Ceremony UK’s foremost, participatory, worldwide music event. A rare chance to truly share, respect and learn from each others’ cultures. Workshops with quality teachers from Africa, Middle East, Europe, Latin America, Asia. All ages, abilities and cultures welcome, something for everyone. Flat camping, cafes, clean loos, showers, sauna, fires, children’s, youth, wellbeing areas in a gorgeous rural setting. Travel the world from the Devon - Somerset border. “It’s the best week of my year.” Not so much a festival, more a way of life.
Friday 26 - Sunday 29 August Juggling and Circus Skills Long Weekend. www.lowershawfarm.co.uk Sat 27/Sun 28/Mon 29 August The Template: Sacred Geometry Activation 01458 835506 www.stargaia.com Saturday 27 - Monday 29 August Bank Holiday weekend at Herbs for Healing garden, Cirencester. Day 1: Herbal oils, ointments and creams. Day 2: Tinctures and Syrups. Day 3: Flower Essences. Full weekend £190, lunches included. Days can be attended separately. www.herbsforhealing.net 0777 368 7493
september September 2011 - July 2012
Family Activities Week. www.lowershawfarm.co.uk
The Practical Sustainability Course, Bristol. A one-year exploration of positive, local responses to global issues • Permaculture • Woodland Management • Green Building • Soil and Ecology • Community Engagement • Creating Change. Tutors include Sarah Pugh, Patrick Whitefield, Ben Law, Tony Wrench, Glennie Kindred, Dr Chris Johnstone, Mike Feingold, Mike Gardener, Matt Dunwell. www.shiftbristol.org.uk
Thursday 18 August
Friday 2 - Sunday 4 September
Get your website online in a day. See Thursday 23 June
A workshop in Sacred Clowning: Exploring dance, play, clowning, mime, improvisation, laughter therapy, emotional awareness and meditation with Reuben Kay. Venue: Hawkwood College, nr Stroud. Telephone 01453 759034 or visit www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk or www.playful-clown.co.uk
admin@tribeofdoris.co.uk www.tribeofdoris.co.uk 0845 458 0190
Sunday 14 - Sunday 21 August
Saturday 20 August Somaquest: Movement workshop outdoors to explore our bodies in relation to Earth. www.somaterra.org Monday 22 August Squeeze the last few drops out of summer whilst planning ahead with the Autumn issue of The Spark out today! 0117 914 34 34 sales@thespark.co.uk
Friday 16 - Sun 18 September Women’s Weekend. www.lowershawfarm.co.uk Fri 30 Sep – Sun 2 Oct Yoga and Massage Weekend www.lowershawfarm.co.uk
october Sat 15 - Sun 16 October Priestess of Rhiannon. One year Training with Katinka Soetens begins 15/16 October. Become Priestess of Her Temple - your body, your mind and your heart, and the land around you. Open to your erotic, powerful, sensual self. Open to Her love. Glastonbury Goddess Temple Trainings. Info: www.goddesstemple.co.uk Tel 0781 439 6369
Eco-house for sale
on Stroud Cohousing Project 4/5 bedroom Scandi-style open-plan house with spacious, flexible accommodation. Ideal family home with lots of families on-site in this award-winning cohousing project in Stroud, Glos. High performance construction - band B (83/87) EPC rating. Triple-glazing. Electricity-generating photovoltaic tiles. All 34 homes have own kitchens and private living spaces, plus 24/7 use of the 3-storey common house with shared meals and activities.
£399,000
Fri 28 - Sun 30 October
Unmissable! Family and group discounts available www.theticketsellers.co.uk
Hatha Yoga Weekend for women. ‘Creating Space within The Heart’ with Rose Thorn: Over the Rainbow, West Wales. info@overtherainbowwales.co.uk 01239 811155
Friday 9 - Sunday 11 September Sacred Earth Camps: Moon of Falling Leaves. Deep healing, self-empowerment and the Beauty way of inner harmony. Tel: 01884 881467 www.sacred-earth-camps.co.uk
Dramatherapy weekend for women with Rose Thorn. Creatively explore themes that emerge at Samhain. Over the Rainbow Cardigan Bay. info@overtherainbowwales.co.uk 01239 811155
november Friday 4 - Sunday 6 November Lower Shaw Farm Cookery School. Organic, Vegetarian, Delicious! Be inspired! www.lowershawfarm.co.uk Fri 18 & Sat 19 November Trauma Symposium, Stroud. Professionals sharing expertise across many paradigms and applications. Contact Iona Fredenburgh: 0759 056 7350 and iona@me.com
classifieds Could you welcome an international student into your home? Families sought for international students aged 14-18+ learning English in Bristol. Full or half board, 2-6 weeks, or longer, £95 pw. Ffi: info@hosts-international.com or call Jessica on 0207 323 5244
Tel 07976 661114 or visit www.27springhill.net for sale Bristol Acupuncture College Domain Names For Sale • www.bristolacupuncturecollege.co.uk • www.bristolacupuncturecollege.com • www.bristolacupuncturecollege.org. If you are interested in starting up an acupuncture training college covering the South West then this is a unique business opportunity for a major gap in the market. All domains being sold via sedo.co.uk at http://bit.ly/fjFlsc
jobs Get into festivals for free! …or even get paid! Network Recycling works at festivals to make sure the entire site is tidy and free from litter. We need your help at WOMAD, Shambala, the Secret Garden Party, Lounge on the Farm and more. We offer a full adult pass, food and camping in exchange for your time and commitment. If paid work is more your thing, then we are now recruiting litterpickers, crew and drivers to work over the summer. See website for details: www.networkrecycling.co.uk - click on the ‘work for us’ tab
Easton Community Children’s Centre, Bristol is seeking a Qualified & Experienced Early Years Teacher £22,001 - £24,402. 1 year fixed term post with possibility of extension. Teacher to lead and manage our pre-school unit. Outstanding experience of delivering the EYFS and a passion for Early Years essential. Generous leave & pension. Closing date for completed applications: Noon 9th June 2011. Interviews 28th and 29th of June. For an application pack please email NMilligan@eastonccc.org.uk We are positive about equality and inclusion.
Job With A Difference & Unconventional Hours! Lively 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 getting out and about on a 24 x 7 basis (Please note: this is not a care position however). 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: female, 25 yrs+ with a full clean UK driving licence & one year’s driving experience; fluent written and spoken English. • Also: hardworking, practical, a fast learner; with a high level of physical fitness and stamina (comfortable with busy days). • Desirable: Applicants should be mature (not necessarily in years), genuine, flexible, reliable, positive, willing and easy going. Gross Pay: £7.86/£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 Opportunity - Andes Mountains We are seeking energetic people committed to personal growth and motivated to work towards a new world who can contribute with ecological/cultivation skills to ‘Alma’ our beautiful ecological and personal growth centre in the Andes mountains. In return we offer you free board and lodging, plus a high level of personal development guidance (including workshops, individual sessions and guided retreats, adjusted to your needs), plus the chance to live in this marvellous setting (mostly woodland with many fruit trees and grapes and vegetable gardens - all organic) situated at 6,000’ at the end of an Andean valley in Chile, with its pure water, clean air, permanently blue skies, and direct access to large tracts of virgin Andes mountains. Get in touch for more information (including photos) to discover if this is for you and you are for us... John and Veronica, e-mails: almajohnlogan@hotmail.com and veronicatierra@hotmail.com
q&a 13
The Relaxation Centre To relax is to enjoy life
Tim Higgins, city canon gather in front of the altarpiece with a sharp issue that might divide us. So recently we had a dialogue that brought together people from three faiths: Islam, Judaism and Christianity. It was really inspiring to have people in the same space, talking and sharing and stepping over the fear.
Hidden in a quiet street in Clifton the Relaxation Centre is so much more than a health spa – it is a secret which you discover. We are an oasis in the middle of the city. A place to let the cares of the day slip away and replenish your vital energy. There are only a few decisions you’ll have to make. A sauna perhaps? Maybe a steam? Relax in the hot tub or are you brave enough for the cold plunge pool? We also have a blissful floatation room and a full range of treatments including Holistic Massage, Reflexology and Hot Stone Therapy.
Open 7 days a week: Sunday - Friday: 10am - 9pm Saturdays*: 9am - 10pm Women only on Mon, Wed, Fri and Sat daytime Mixed on Tues, Thurs and Sat evening Couples on Sunday 9 All Saints Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2JG Tel: 0117 970 6616
Gift vouchers available
Buy gift vouchers online at: www.relaxationcentre.co.uk *Booking required for the spa on Saturdays
What’s your greatest fear? There’s a Keats poem that includes the lines: When I have fears that I may cease to be Before my pen has glean’d my teeming brain. I worry that I will cease to be before the work is done, whereas the reality is that the work probably never will be done. I hope to lay down my life with peace and thankfulness in the end and my greatest fear is that I wouldn’t do that, that I’d be hanging on.
interviewed by Fiona McClymont • photo Jo Halladey Tim Higgins has, since 2006, been priest-in-charge of Saint Stephen’s church in Bristol’s city centre and also holds the ancient position of city canon of Bristol Cathedral. This has seen him organise events such as the Fairtrade Fashion Show inside the cathedral; gathering to respond and remember those bereaved and affected by drug misuse; joining with artists and activists for transformation and opening a café within the church. He was also appointed one of Bristol’s legacy commissioners, an initiative that arose from the nationwide 200year commemoration of the abolition of the slave trade in 2007, a position he sees as “all about challenging and changing those ways that still enslave, and are racist or unjust”. A father of six, he lives with his wife in Bristol. What’s best about the South West? My work, my calling, is about asking ‘How does spirituality really pan out on the street and what difference does it actually make?’ I’ve found that Bristol is very receptive to exploring that question; it’s very welcome here so, for me, it’s a great place to be. What would you like to see more of? I go to a lot of meetings in Bristol and when I look round the table at those who sit in positions of power, it’s very light on representatives of other ethnic backgrounds. I want to see a change in the people in leadership positions to a truer representation of the community from right across the city – that way we become less deaf and blind. Why are you a Christian? I’ve had a lot of trouble with structured, organised institutions; I think most people who are healthy do, frankly. The language of religion is so messed up. One of my
campaigns is to try to clean it up and make it more helpful so that I can communicate better. But the bottom line is, that I’m a Christian because it is a way to deal with the real world. Christianity is flesh-andblood stuff, the stuff of life. What I see in the life of Jesus is someone who really tackled the bases of power and challenged where he saw corruption - even with his death. I get energy for life this way. His way uncovers hope. What’s your biggest achievement? I don’t like this question because it makes it all about me: my work at St Stephen’s is about bringing people together who wouldn’t normally have worked side-by-side, and seeing them taking risks and doing things they thought they’d never do. Personally one of my biggest achievements is to still be alive! And to still feel a deep sense of energy and call to engage with this kind of work. It’s a huge privilege. What’s your biggest mistake? Not to have been as clear twenty years ago about my energy and calling as I am now. Maybe I should have published more or spoken out more; although if I had, I might have been thrown out and so I wouldn’t have the opportunities I’ve got now. What is St Stephen’s role in the city? Historically, St Stephen’s was the harbour church: it ‘blessed’ the slave trade ships and it benefited from the merchants’ donations. So, the question I asked myself was: how can this church, with its stories of abuse, exploration and murder of the slave trade, model something which will engage and bring together communities? We came up with the Bristol Reconciliation Rererdos (the wall behind the altar). We commissioned Grahame Mortimer Evelyn (also co-founder of Jamaica Street Artists), who himself is a member of the diaspora and somebody with slavery ancestory, and gave him a number of key words: creation, corruption, reconciliation, hope and faith. From those ideas he created four carved and painted panels. People can come into the church and have a look at it. It’s very inspiring. What is a Reconciliation Laboratory? The reredos is our response to the church’s complex legacy. We want it to become a symbol of hope and a place for dialogue and to that end we started the Reconciliation Laboratory. We are saying to faith communities and others: “What is in your tool-kit that can bring about reconciliation and transformation?” Once a month we
What’s your favourite book? Very tricky - books are very special to me. One envisioning book would be Matthew Fox’s The Reinvention of Work. He speaks about work, about ritual, and about enchantment in ways that are earthy and are down to earth. What drives you mad? Quite a lot of things I’m afraid. It makes me angry when I don’t represent what I believe and when I see that happening in the organisation I’m part of. Power is to be put to the service of others, so that they can grow, and when that doesn’t happen it makes me really mad. I get very angry about the arms trade and also about the notion of ‘charity’. I sometimes wish we could rename it to what it is actually about: ‘justice’. What gets you into trouble? When I first came to Bristol I was unwise enough to say publicly that I thought this was the most divided city I’d ever lived in. In a nutshell, you’ve got the ‘white highlands’ as I call them, and at the other end you’ve got the newer populations around Easton and St Paul’s, where there’s an awful lot of vibrancy but not a lot of appreciation of that. And sometimes when I’m being provocative I call Bristol the ‘cover-up city’ – the harbour where all the slave traders met and sailed from, is now all paved over - they literally covered it all up! Do we really need reconciliation projects? I’ve been asked that one a lot, particularly from people whose ancestors would have been involved in the trade. I certainly don’t want to rub our noses in it and do a grief-and-guilt-trip for evermore, but what we can learn from faith traditions, from anthropology and from our own experience is that if you deny your past, you’ll probably repeat it. It’s like Desmond Tutu said: “We need to be able to tell the story before we can be free from it.” Where does ‘spirituality’ fit in the city? Grace, to me, is about intervention not introspection. Spirituality and faith is not about cherry-picking the skills for well-being. For example, some people develop meditation skills as a way of being at peace and ‘finding themselves’. I worry that these things have become commodities. It’s about changing our internal, personal drivers, so that we can then go out and change the drivers of our community and our politics. Real meditation and contemplative prayer is about the gaze beyond - it’s not about finding ‘me’. What has life taught you? Jesus said something like “Whoever would save their own life, will lose it and whoever would lose their own life, that person will save it”. Life is a gift and it is therefore to be given away - this is the deepest wisdom I think. www.saint-stephens.com
igniteOUT! Walking in the Cotswolds 14
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three months of essential events and more • 80p a word
Bill Heaney explores some weird and wonderful places to visit along the Cotswold Way near Stroud. Photos also by Bill.
Tyndale Monument, North Nibley
Anyone who has travelled between Gloucester and Bristol by road or rail will have seen this towering monument high on North Nibley Hill and you may have wondered what it is. It’s a memorial to the 15th century martyr William Tyndale, belie ved to have been born in North Nibley, who was the first person to translate the New Testament of the Bible into English. The monument was erected by the people of the parish in 1866 and stands 34 metres tall. It is reached through lovely woo dland, either by lots of wooden steps or a less steep rough slope. There’s a spiral stair case inside that has around 120 stairs for those not exhausted by the initial climb, but you don’t need to go all the way to the top for stunning views. There’s a nice pub in the village for much-needed refreshment afterward s. Local people are currently trying to buy Nibl ey Knoll, the local name for the hill on which the monument stands, to keep it for picnics and dog walking.
To donate to the fund call Robert Maxwell on 01453 542 942
Hetty Pegler’s Tump, Uley
Hetty Pegler’s Tump as it is known localy is named after the woman who owned the field in the 17th century, but it is officially known as the Uley Long Barrow. Unfortunately it was shielded in scaffolding and protective sheeting the day I visited, but the essential renovation works being carried out are due for completion in June. The site is owned by English Heritage, which describes it as “a partly reconstructed Neolithic chambered mound, 37 metres long”. It is believed to be a burial chamber dating from 3,000BC. The chambers form a cross off a central passageway. The barrow was excavated in the 1850s when 15-20 skeletons were found. Coins and a broken pot show the barrow was opened in Roman times. It was opened again in mediaeval times and further excavated in the 19th century.
www.english-heritage.org.uk and search for ‘Hetty’ or ‘Uley’
Selsley Church, Selsley
Tucked away in the village of Selsley, as you enter Stroud from Woodchester Mansion is All Saints Church, a French gothic gem in Cotswold stone. Its fame is not due to the striking church tower but its stained glass windows which were designed by the English arts and crafts movement, notably William Morris and the pre-Raphaelites. The church was designed by architect George Bodley and it was his commissioning of art work that led to the founding of William Morris’s design firm that included Edward Burne-Jones, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Ford Madox Brown and Philip Webb. The highlight of the stained glass is the triptych on the south side of the nave which takes full advantage of the light: the Sermon on the Mount by Rossetti nearest the altar, St. Paul preaching at Athens in the centre window by Morris, and Christ Blessing the Children by Burne-Jones in the third window.
allsaintsselsley.org.uk
Painswick Village
Known to some as “Queen of the Cotswolds” the postcard-pretty village of Painswick lies just 3 miles (5km) to the north-east of Stroud. The village claims to have the oldest building in England to house a post office - in the 15th century New Street - and the country’s oldest bowling green. The parish church of St Mary is an immediate draw with its many yew trees, said to be 99, although I didn’t count them. Local legend has it there will never be more than 99 as the Devil will uproot the 100th. Painswick is also home to the over-the-top Rococo Garden, originally laid out at the beginning of the 1700s (£6 adult ticket). The functioning Benedictine abbey at Prinknash can be visited nearby as can Prinknash Bird & Deer Park (£6.80 adult/£9 joint ticket with Rococo Garden). Not far away is the picturesque village of Sheepscombe and the former utopian colony of Whiteway.
www. rococogarden.co.uk www.prinknashabbey.org www.thebirdpark.co.uk
Nympsfield Long Barrow, Coaley Peak
A hundred metres or so from Hetty Pegler’s Tump is the fully accessible Nympsfield Long Barrow, also owned by English Heritage. It is oval in shape, measuring 30 metres by 25 metres. It was excavated originally in the 1860s and twice again since then. Neolithic pottery ans 13 skeletons were found at the site. English Heritage says there are many legends about the barrow, including one that it was used as a refuge by lepers. It stands on Coaley Peak, a fantastic viewpoint from which you can see the Severn Valley, the Forest of Dean and on a clear day over 60 kilometres to the Black Mountains. It’s a popular picnicking and dog-walking area and there’s a National Trust nature reserve on the hill. The site was bought by Gloucestershire County Council in 1972 when it reseeded the field with a wildflower seed mix. It’s now a large wildflower meadow.
www.english-heritage.org.uk and search for ‘Nympsfield’
y Bisley Wells, Bisleich
wh Recessed into the bank on a semids, stan rch Bisley’s parish chu wells en sev of ent em circular arrang water. r clea of s am stre th for gushes re The current gothic wells we end two the and 3 renovated in 186 r ove ion ript insc The wells added. ss ye ble lls, we ye “O ds: rea the top gnify the Lord: praise him and ma him forever.” , the Each year on Ascension Day at Co e Blu ley Bis m fro n childre sing res ll-d School take part in a we the for nks tha ceremony to give . clean water from the springs you ing tell e not a is re the ally Ironic The not to drink the water! ge in procession through the villa by ied pan om acc e tum period cos te a qui be to said is d ban er a silv lls are spectacle. Next to the we provide to d use t drinking pools tha village. the of als anim the water for e ducks, som , nts upa occ t ren cur The ted. weren’t there the day I visi ww w.bisleyonline.net
Woodchester Mansion and Park
A gentle stroll through a stunning Cotswold valley not far from Coaley Peak lies Woodchester Mansion. This supposedly haunted grandiose Victorian gothic manor was never completed and it stands today as it was abandoned in 1873. The trust which runs it has set up an on-site masonry and traditional building skills training programme which other schemes around the country have been modelled on. The carvings are truly breathtaking. Regular events at the mansion include outdoor Shakespeare and themed dinners. The attic is also home to horseshoe bats. The added bonus is that the mansion is set in hectares of woodland with a chain of five lakes. The National Trust, which manages the park, describes it as a “lost landscape”. Like the unfinished house, you can imagine that you’ve stepped back in time as you wander round the undisturbed trails. Access to the park is free, parking £2. Entry to the mansion is £6.50 for adults. www.woodchestermansion.org.uk www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Stroud Commons
A series of commons high on the edge of the Cotswolds protects southern Stroud from the threat of urban sprawl. Popular pursuits include kite-flying and paragliding as well as the traditional picnicking and dog-walking. The views from the top stretch beyond Stroud’s five valleys to the Severn estuary and Wales beyond, with the Malvern Hills visible on a clear day. The land was originally granted to the commoners to graze their cattle, possibly as early as Saxon times, and those rights are still exercised today. You pass over cattle grids as you enter and leave Rodborough, Minchinhampton and Selsley commons. The highlight of any day out includes the rare pasque flower and 13 species of orchid. Recent summers have seen the return of the Adonis Blue butterfly. Rodborough and Minchinhampton commons are run by the National Trust.
www.stroud.gov.uk and search for “commons”
A LTERNATIVES
Amazing teachers to inspire your heart, mind and soul
St James’s Piccadilly / London
DONNA EDEN Energy Medicine Sunday 5 June – London Awaken the body’s potential
GANGAJI The Inward Dive Saturday 11 June – London Inquire deeply into yourself
BYRON KATIE Living a Joy-Filled Life Saturday 16 July – London Learn to end your own suffering
Book now at www.alternatives.org.uk
E E R
F
Bristol Water
at Blagdon Lake Visitor Centre Watch the mighty beam engine • Climb to the top of the beam engine hall • Have a go on the WaterAid pump • Try the computer demos • Explore the nature trail • Feed the trout • Free guided nature trail walks and horse drawn carriage rides some Sundays Enjoy the refreshments, free entry and parking. It’s an afternoon of fun and discovery for kids and grown ups. Open 2-5pm every Sunday from 3rd April to 28th August. The Visitor Centre is next to Blagdon Lake, off the A368, through Blagdon village.
For more details call 0117 953 6470 or visit www.bristolwater.co.uk/leisure DD 182x132 ad 2011.indd 1
22/02/2011 18:47 15
16 doing it yourself I
t’s time to share all that home grown knowledge that you lot are harbouring. Whatever you’re building, brewing, creating or inventing we want to know about it! E-mail your insider info to editor@thespark.co.uk and we’ll print the best of ’em each issue
living rubbish-free Alex Cater
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happening right there where I was standing. n June 2010 the government ordered a “That made me feel that I needed to be part review of Britain’s waste and of the solution.” committed us all to work towards a zeroTheir website myzerowaste.com gets waste economy. This will be no small task as around 70,000 hits a month for their tips on in the UK we currently produce 80 million reducing, reusing, and recycling, as well tonnes of waste for landfill each year from as updates on their progress and reviews – households, commerce and industry. We are occasionally scathing – of new green products. getting better at it, as the amount of Part of the appeal of the website is that they household waste recycled, composted or are not a big company, local authority or reused in 2009 was 39.7 %, up around two even green charity, but an average points from the previous year and a family keen to do their bit. The leap from 14% in 2000. blog documents how much While most of us struggle to hard work is involved, their keep track of what materials successes and let downs. can and cannot be recycled Rachelle’s advice in our kerbside collection, for people wanting to there are a forwardemulate their success thinking few already is: break it down into tackling the challenges small manageable steps, of zero waste. give up the disposable Two years ago, the carrier bags and start Strauss family from the reusing your own, fully Forest of Dean – mum utilise what kerbside Rachelle, dad Richard collections you have, look and daughter Verona – at the disposable items you challenged themselves to The Strauss Family with buy and consider swapping dramatically reduce their one year’s waste them for a reusable option, and household waste to fill only a finally to get composting because it single bin for the whole year. The is a great way of really reusing your scraps. media attention that their challenge The Strausses are a shining example of how generated meant that when the refuse an individual family can make a difference collectors finally arrived, it was done live on and change popular opinion, but it did not BBC Breakfast TV. happen overnight. As Rachelle says: “Last year In 2010 they took this remarkable we only created one carrier bag of waste for achievement a step further and only threw out the year. That seems pretty impossible if you a single carrier bag of waste. This year they are putting out a dustbin full every week, and hope to do even better. that would have been totally impossible for One of the events that started the us as well. What people forget is that it took waste-reduction ball rolling was that while on 18 months of putting things in place, until we a family holiday, they witnessed the 2004 flash had really managed to reduce our waste quite flooding that struck Boscastle in Cornwall. dramatically.” Rachelle said: “It seemed that all of the stuff I had been reading about climate change was www.myzerowaste.com
DIY menstrual pads Amy Warne
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piece of fleecy PJ fabric in the pad n average woman will use shape for the layer closest to your around 9,000 sanitary pads body, then a strip of towelling and tampons in her life. (two layers thick if you like) and This equates to about six shopthen one piece of waterproofy ping trolleys worth. “Disposable” fabric in the pad shape (or you pads take about 800 years to break can use another piece of fleecy down. Our genital tissue is highly fabric if you don’t want a plasticy sensitive and can absorb chemicals layer) then sew them all together. readily into the body: most pads I didn’t do a proper hem, just contain dioxins, which are known zig zag around the edge. Sew the human carcinogens. press studs on the edge of the Bearing this in mind, I decided to wings and Bob’s your uncle. But “rag it up” like our grannies. So Photo by Amy Warne if you can’t be bothered sewing I sewed up some pads on mum’s some you can either stuff a flannel in your kitchen table out of an old nappy, some old PJs knickers (which reportedly works pretty well) or and a poncho for waterproofing. I have done you can buy them pre-made. a couple of designs and found that a simple After you use them just soak them in cold ‘winged’ version with press studs to secure water and wash with your next normal load. them to your knickers is best. They work perYou can pour the bloody water on your garden fectly: heaps more comfy than disposable pads too. Why wouldn’t you!? and just as absorbent. This design is for a pad, but an alternative to I shared my new washable pad experience with a few friends who wanted to make some too, so we tampons is a Mooncup or Keeper (available in the UK at www.mooncup.co.uk). had a workshop. It was a most satisfying day and now we all can’t wait to get our periods! Just take the shape from a disposable pad that Read Amy Warne and Adam Peck’s blog at works for you. I use a winged version. Cut one http://sustainaburb.blogspot.com (more pics too!)
soda so good!
I
remember seeing my grandmother clean dirt from around the handles of her best china cups with bicarbonate of soda. There are so many more uses for the raising agent than baking bread and biscuits. Here are a few suggestions: As a scouring agent: a gentle alternative to wire wool, bicarb is an abrasive that can remove stains from sinks, saucepans and cutting boards. Deep clean your fruit and veg: if you dissolve a few tablespoons of bicarb in cold water and use this to wash your fruit and veg, you get rid of more nasties than with just water. As a cleanser: Mixed with water and applied with a sponge or brush, bicarb is a chemical-free way to clean coffee pots and other kitchen appliances - and it can spruce up your microwave. As a deodoriser: I use an egg-cup with bicarb in it to remove smells from my fridge. You can also sprinkle some in smelly footwear overnight to freshen them up, but be sure to shake the powder out the next morning or it’ll get mushy down there. You can sprinkle some in the dishwasher or
lunchbox to remove pongs. Clean your teeth: mix three parts bicarb with one part salt and add a few drops of peppermint or winter oil to flavour. Just dab a wet toothbrush in the mix and brush away. Our friends at Essential Trading Co also sent a couple of tips (and gave us this photo, thanks!): Relieve bee stings: an emergency ‘medicine’ that can be useful in the coming summer months; the same applies to jellyfish stings at the beach. Reduce acid content: in higly acidic food like tomatoes by adding a pinch. Cut flowers: last longer with a teaspoon in the water. Cakes & biscuits: mixed with a little cream of tartar if you run out of baking powder. WJH/AS
Do you have any more baking soda tips for us? Write to editor@thespark.co.uk
Garden tip
TRIED & TESTED
Why not think now about harvesting rainwater for the summer? Rainwater is better for garden plants than tap water and can easily be collected in a water butt. Water butts are easy to fit, too: select a downpipe with plenty of room to stand a butt nearby, cut the downpipe (if needed) at the desired height and fit a diverter, ensure that the butt is on a firm base, preferably above the ground so you can get a watering can easily under the tap and you’re away. Make sure your water butt has a secure, childproof lid (also protects insects and small animals). DB
Get rid of paint smells with an onion. Simply cut the onion in half and leave it overnight in the room where you’ve been painting and by morning all those nasty paint smells should have gone. AS
www.savewater.co.uk
household TIPs • To loosen dirt in your microwave and leave it smelling fresh and clean, cut two lemons in half and place in the microwave on full for 3 minutes, leaving you with a sparkly oven. • Recycle your old wire lampshades and colanders by turning them into garden hanging baskets. Place an old item of clothing in the bottom of the colander or upturned lampshade to make sure the soil stays in, fill with soil and sow seeds or plant bulbs. Attach three short
lengths of chain to the frame and gather them in a metal ring which you can then hang on a hook. • Solve the problem of those annoying creaking doors and sticking keys by going over the hinges and keyholes in pencil. That’s right pencil, the graphite in the pencil lubricates the brass and iron. • Are those grubby taps getting you down? Well make your bathroom taps sparkle again by rubbing them with toothpaste, and simply rinse it off and tadaa! NM
Philosophy for living Does one really know oneself? And the meaning or point of life? Theory is fine, but is there the inner stillness and wisdom yet, to see straight, to live life to the full? This introductory ten week course is designed to engender fresh perception and cheerful discussion with those interested in seeing past life’s troubled surfaces, past opinions and bias, to what is reliable, lasting and true. ‘Without vision the people perish’ Good use of the mind, and positive emotion can arise from hearing the wisdom of mankind’s great teachers. Explore well founded schools of thought and ways of living, from east and west. An open mind is always attractive and useful. But is it possible to combine head and heart? The spiritual and the practical? Can one resort to real listening, and sound values for good relationships? What is the nature of beauty, of idea and of ideal, what are the roles of science, art, and meditation? Who learns to clear the decks of life, to move into action, from profound stillness? Marcillio Ficino:
He tastes nothing who does not taste for himself.
Bath: Sept 27 07751 959 751
6.45 for 7.00 31 Milsom St. peterderbyshire@ supanet.com
Bristol
Sept 29
7.00 for 7.15 Bristol Grammar School, University Road, Bristol. 01 225 722 136 ring for more haydon.bradshaw@zen.co.uk 10 week courses £69; £49 concession; students £20 Enrol on arrival. email or ring for more information Bath and Bristol School of Philosophy. Branch of
The School of Economic Science, Educational Charity 313115
bathandbristol philosophy.org
www.philosophycourse.com www.schooleconomicscience.org
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18 planet
got a passion for green issues and experience of writing? email editor@thespark.co.uk
these fuel-ish things
living in a box Anton Saxton on why natural architecture is more than just nice to look at
First heralded as the way forward, now described as the baddies, biofuels are looked at by Jo Middleton
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ver recent years there has been growing concern over the sustainability of fossil fuels, leading to a drive to develop other more environmentally friendly sources of fuel. The Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO), administered by the Renewable Fuels Agency, was introduced specifically to address this, setting targets for suppliers of fossil fuels to ensure that a minimum proportion of the road fuels in the UK comes from renewable sources. For 2010-11, the target was 3.5%. These percentages are achieved primarily by mixing regular petrol and diesel with other ‘biofuels’, fuels made from renewable biological materials including vegetable oil and plant oils derived from sources such as sunflower, soyabean and rapeseed. ‘Biodiesel’ specifically refers to diesel-equivalent fuels produced from these materials. The idea of using vegetable oils to run engines is not a new one. Rudolf Diesel, inventor of the diesel engine, was very keen on the idea of using renewable fuel sources such as coal dust and vegetable oil, and Diesel actually tested his engine on peanut oil at the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris. The idea of using vegetable oils as a basis for sustainable fuel was resurrected however following the energy crisis of the late 70s and early 80s and investment in the development and production of biofuels has grown ever since.
The advantages
We clearly cannot continue to use fossil fuels at the rate we do, and biodiesel is potentially a very real alternative, with myriad benefits: •Biodiesel is currently the only alternative fuel that will run in an unmodified, conventional diesel engine; •It is biodegradable and renewable; •It has fewer noxious emissions than regular diesel and petrol when burnt; •It is non-toxic; •It can easily be mixed with petrol and diesel. This last point is crucial and can lead to confusion. The term biodiesel has a dual meaning, sometimes being used to describe 100% biodiesel, but also being used for blends of biodiesel with standard fuels. These blends often have a very low biodiesel conten. The RTFO targets have made a 5% blend very popular, and of course there aren’t all of the same benefits to biodiesel in its blended state.
Running on chip fat
Attach the term ‘bio’ to anything and immediately you imagine it to be a perfectly green alternative, but biofuels come with their own issues. Although the use of renewable materials makes them more
sustainable, the ecological impact of growing these plant materials in the first place is not insignificant. Environmentalists are concerned about the inappropriate use of land, the destruction of areas of rainforest, water and soil pollution, as well as a potential impact on global food supplies. To produce biofuels on even a modest scale would mean a significant reduction in the land available for growing arable crops. The impact of this in European countries alone would be severe – if it were repeated across the globe it could have a serious effect on global food supplies, resulting in the majority of our land being used to produce food for cars, rather than for people. There is also concern that the clearing of rainforests and grasslands, which naturally store carbon, in conjunction with an increase in the amount of crops grown for fuel, leads to a rise in carbon emissions. Environmentalists are also worried that an increase in the amount of land given over to biofuel crops will reduce biodiversity and destroy valuable natural plant and animal habitats. For the consumer, there are also some more direct disadvantages: • Biofuels aren’t as easy or convenient to get hold of; • There are some concerns about the long term effect on engine durability; • Potential problems with fuel-systems e.g. damage to the natural rubber in fuel lines and seals. One way to reduce this is to use waste oils, rather than growing plant oils specifically for the creation of biofuel. James Morfee, who lives in Somerton, collects waste oil from local people and businesses and turns it into biodiesel as a way of saving money on his fuel bills. “Biodiesel isn’t nearly as green as people make out,” warns James. “While it is a good way of disposing of waste, and creating a new source of fuel, it requires large amounts of energy and chemicals to make it, some of which are derived from oil in the first place. It is, however, much more sustainable than fossil diesel.” Of course, not all vehicles can run on waste oil as there just isn’t enough of it. Clearly we have a long way to go to creating a carbon neutral, sustainable fuel supply, but while biofuels may not be perfect, at least we are taking steps in the right direction.
Useful resources
For more information about Star Oils or to arrange to have your waste oil collected, visit www.somersetwastecookingoil.co.uk If you’re thinking you could turn your hand to a bit of biodiesel production, www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk is a good place to start for information and advice.
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t’s true, I am living in a box (non-cardboard) suppose instead we could always commission which estate agents round here refer to local craftsmen, providing furniture which is as a home. Yet something deep in my built to last and strengthens the local economy. subconscious is yelling at me that the cube is not We could also build our homes with enough the best shape for humans to inhabit. land around to grow our own food. In the UK That’s why, like so many others, I can be there is enough land for each household to sit found day-dreaming of building my own lowon about 2.5 acres. Though somehow I doubt impact organic-shaped home, and all without the planners or supermarkets would approve. a single straight wall. This is not just because However, natural buildings can also be built when it comes to plastering I am straight-linein high-density urban environments. Michael challenged, but because I yearn for soft curves Reynolds, father of the Earthship, is building one and natural materials. This is a wonderful in New York city. feminine antidote to the very masculine hard The thing is, we have been led to believe that surfaces and sharp corners of conventional we need architects, engineers, planners, building buildings. inspectors and van-loads of tradesmen before we It makes me wonder whether can build the most expensive one day all this cuboid living “Perhaps it is time to think as box on the planet - paid for with will be seen as having had a well as live outside of the box, a life-long debt, the mortgage, detrimental effect on our minds and reclaim our birth right which is French for “agreement and our ability to thrive as a until death”. to build our own homes…” society. According to the Land I reckon we have not only Party, “These homes are not lost the art of building our built for you to ‘live’ in, they are built for you own homes, but are in danger of losing the to sleep in after work.” Perhaps if our homes plot as well. We can, however, take comfort in were built around our emotional, physical and the knowledge that our ancestors instinctively spiritual needs we would be less inclined to live knew, even without qualifications or regulations, the fast consumer-obsessed lifestyle? how to use nature to inspire their own homeFor me the solution is a radically alternative, building. low-tech and humanistic approach to building. Perhaps it is time to think as well as live My quest has led me to a methodology which outside of the box, and reclaim our birth right suits me down to the ground. ‘Natural Building’ to build our own homes - whatever shape they simply means buildings which draw on nature come out as. The result could be individually as the perfect inspiration for design, with locally tailored, awe-inspiring homes which not only available natural materials, simple techniques blend in with the environment but are also and working in harmony with the environment. appropriate to nurture the living beings who The classic example is the Hobbit type house, inhabit it. Failing that, I’m off to buy a bag of with domed turf roof and rounded asymmetrical plaster to cover up the corners of my rooms, windows and doors. Of course fitting Ikea giving the impression of an almost-round-house furniture into it could well be an issue, but I interior. www.earthship.org
small is moo-tiful
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Rural Voice: Noreen Wainwright
o matter how jaded you get on a farm, there is just something about a new calf that gets to you every time. I’m no longer as sentimental as I once was of course. Some of them go to market – that’s the reality of farming – but alongside the realism there has to be some bit of feeling. Otherwise, why on earth would you do the job? You are dealing with animals, not pieces of machinery, or units of production. Every now and then I hear the dreaded words, “that calf won’t suck,” So, out comes the calf feeder. One of us warms the milk and goes off to feed the calf. You need the patience of a saint and loads of time with some of these calves, both qualities often in short supply on a farm. You stand or crouch, thinking of your aching back and willing the daft thing to drink. My husband seems to have a real knack at quickly substituting his own fingers for the teat of the feeder and leading the calf over to the cow, and just as sneakily substituting the cows’ teat for his fingers. It often works. Now, I can’t help thinking that this sort of animal husbandry and patience is truly on its way out. You have probably heard about the proposed 8,000 cow dairy in Lincolnshire. Nocton dairies, the company going through the process of applying for planning permission is only proposing the sort of dairy farming that’s been going on in the US and elsewhere for years. It’s a zero-grazing system. That’s just a technical way of saying that the cows don’t get to go out into the pasture for the summer months. Instead they are inside all year through, in
strictly controlled conditions. Proponents of dairies like this are quick to reassure the public that the animals’ welfare is central and that this is monitored to the extent of always having a vet on duty. But many people, including a significant proportion of farmers are uneasy about it. It would take a lot of convincing for some of us to buy into this sort of farming. I’ve seen how the cows behave when the gates of the shed open in April or May and the long winter is over. They seem to hesitate for a while, as though not able to believe their luck. Then one by one, they take off for the nearest field. They bolt, run, jump and kick their heels, in between spells of getting stuck into the sweet spring grass. This is not the way sedate, slow cows normally behave. But on this day, once a year, this is what they do. How sad to think of cows never having that bit of joy. As for a calf that doesn’t want to drink in a massive dairy unit, who would have the time or patience to deal with that? For a fab video of cows going to spring pasture, search “Riverford bucking bovines” on YouTube
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19
20 social change
golden Amnesty O
The anniversary is tinged with sadness that Amnesty’s work has to continue because human rights continue to be abused around the world. Chris says the anniversary is also an opportunity to recruit more members. “Given the Arab Spring and so much evidence of rights being abused, there are many people in need of our support.” He pointed to the case of Ai Weiwei, the dissident Chinese artist who was taken into custody by the Chinese authorities and has not been seen for almost a month. “Amesty makes sure people like Ai Weiwei are not forgotten,” Chris said. “Despotic regimes can’t ever imagine that they can simply ‘disappear’ their citizens without ordinary people all over the world saying they are not prepared to accept it and then getting together to do something about it,” he added. “We are there to shine a spotlight on the darkest places in the world,” he concluded. There are 13 Amnesty groups across the South West, so please check with your local group (listed on www.amnesty.org.uk) to see about events in your area. On Amnesty’s 50th birthday on May 28, and throughout the summer, groups will be holding Amnes-tea parties. There will also be sponsored fund-raising events, but Amnesty is happy for people to get involved and organise their own events. Please get in touch with your local group. On July 23, from 7.30 to 10pm the Exeter group is holding the Freedom is Coming Summer Concert at the Riviera Centre in Torbay with a series of bands and ensembles, including Big Noise Chorus and Stage Coach Theatre Arts. Tickets are £9. They have set themselves a target of £10,000 to raise. www.rivieracentre.co.uk www.amnesty.org.uk
transit cam
feminism for men Alex Cater
Bill Heaney n May 28, 1961, British lawyer Peter Berenson wrote an article in The Observer expressing his outrage at two Portuguese students being imprisoned for raising a toast to freedom. His article was reprinted around the world and was the springboard for a worldwide campaign called Appeal for Amnesty 1961. From this Amnesty International was born. There are a host of events around the South West this summer to mark the campaigning organisation’s 50th anniversary. “Having our 50th anniversary this year is a once in a lifetime opportunity to celebrate what Peter Benenson started,” said South West Regional Representative Chris Ramsey. “Every British person should be proud of the fact that ordinary people can make a difference with oppressive regimes.”
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he idea of men being involved in feminism can provoke a wide range of reactions, from the assumption that those getting involved are somehow intrinsically self-hating or looking to score, to men who find it liberating. “It sounds extreme, but I was living in ignorant bliss before being introduced to it,” says male Bristol feminist Alex Greenwood. “Now when I watch TV or read the newspaper, I see sexism and gender stereotypes everywhere. It has definitely made me more politically and socially aware.” Politically active Bristol offers men plenty of ways to engage with feminism, including the Bristol Feminist Network (BFN), which has at least a scattering of men among the 600-700 attracted to its regular meetings, mailings and social media, though activity in a Men Confronting Patriarchy group running last year has tapered off. Are men fearful of being found politically incorrect or inadequate? Student John Quinn said: “I think a big part of the problem is they see feminism as some sort of threat but it’s not, it would liberate men too. It’s not just about the role of women in society, it’s about gender determining how you should live your life.” The feeling at one recent feminist meeting, about women’s negative representation in the media was that Bristol is a small enough city that it could really make a difference even on the big issues. But Quinn has some reservations about Bristol: “When I first moved here it seemed like such a progressive place but there is a lot about Bristol that makes me uncomfortable. A certain American franchise recently moved into the harbourside and there are a number of strip clubs around the centre. “We have numerous massage parlours in Stokes Croft only yards from the girls’ school. What are we teaching them about the place of women in society? I think people in Bristol should expect better and should demand more.” A surprising number of men are attending feminist events. BFN cocoordinator Sian Norris said that at meetings, “about 60% of the time they will be all women and generally, if men do come, there’ll be two-ish. The exception was when we did ‘men in feminism’ – about half the group were men that day!” Norris says men need to realise they can also be on the harsh end of sexism: “Men currently get two weeks paternity leave, women 52. This immediately sends the message out that men are not carers, are not nurturers, are not valued as fathers. It shuts men out of the family. “Every man I know who has had a baby has been furious that they do not get to spend more time with their children because of this inequality. If men and women had equality of parental leave, like they do in Scandinavia, then the pay gap would probably be reduced.” Alex Greenwood agrees. “The campaign for fathers’ rights would be a good example of how outdated ideas about gender roles affect men too. Sexism certainly cuts both ways.”
www.bristolfeministnetwork.com
In the first of a series, city escapee Rachel Savage describes setting up a Transition group in her village
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hen my husband and I moved to the town of Dursley near Cam in Gloucestershire 11 months ago we had a four-month-old baby and three-year-old son in tow. Sleep deprivation does funny things but add the stress of moving and it felt like normal Rachel was still packed away in one of the removal boxes under the stairs. In our last house we recycled, painted our walls with chemical free paint, put our boys in washable and biodegradable nappies, composted, grew food and generally felt like we were making a difference. Ironically, it was when we moved to a new-build eco house that things went pear shaped. Think global; act local is a great slogan. But as mother of two small boys the thinking global bit had started to weigh heavy. Getting through each day before crawling into bed at night left no time for me, let alone the planet. Then about four months ago things started to change. Normal Rachel started to re-emerge and as she did so some chance conversations led me to the Transition movement. I had been aware of Transition for a few years – I knew it was something to do with climate change, peak oil and towns – and when a friend suggested that if no local group existed then maybe I should set one up it seemed like a good idea. But first I needed to know what I was letting myself in for. So my first port of call was The Transition Handbook – from oil dependency to local resilience by founder Rob Hopkins, which I read from cover to cover. Many of us are aware of the threats climate change poses (food and water shortages etc) but peak oil is a lesser-known quantity. Simply put,
there’s only so much oil in the ground that’s extractable and one day soon we will get to the point when we have extracted more than is left. From then onwards oil will become scarcer and prices will soar. So where does that leave us? Doesn’t our world infrastructure rely on oil? Hopkins’ calls this realisation the ‘End of suburbia’ moment. But instead of leaving us high and dry he guides us gently through a 12-step plan for turning our local community into a Transition-ing one. Step one involves forming a steering group that will take steps two to five together. This involves raising awareness of peak oil and climate change, networking, unleashing Transition to the wider community and forming working groups (such as food, transport, business, energy, health etc). At stage five the original group disbands and one person from each working group forms the new steering group. So here I am at step one, putting feelers out locally for half a dozen or so like-minded souls in Cam and Dursley. Slowly and surely people are starting to come forward including a local sustainable energy expert. Him and I are now are busy planning our first meeting. Our Transition neighbours in Stroud have lent us a DVD to show at the meeting and given me some much needed advice. And an amazing thing is happening. As each person comes forward I can feel the weight of the world lifting off my shoulders. So I am rewriting the slogan. For me it’s ‘Think local; act local’. When you do the global bit takes care of itself. www.transitionnetwork.org http://rachelksavage.wordpress.com
swap crop Darryl Bullock discovers a wonderful way to maximise fruit & veg
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park readers who grow their own fruit or vegetables will, at least occasionally, have struggled with a dilemma: what to do with a sudden surfeit of produce? Just how do you make the best of a glut of apples, plums or other seasonal goodies before they rot or become infested? Even the most accomplished cook will become fed up with having to bake yet another fruit crumble, pie or blitz together a smoothie. SwapCrop is a unique idea: a web forum set up by the Guild of Jam and Preserve Makers, a not-for-profit company which promotes and encourages jam and preserve-making in the UK and internationally, to allow people to pass on their extra produce to others. It’s beautifully simple: no money changes hands, people who use your excess fruit and vegetables pay you by giving you some of the jams, chutneys or other goods they make from it. “SwapCrop is a national initiative,” says Bristolbased mum Tania de la Porte, who set up the scheme. “Lots of people are doing similar things in their own communities, but we really want this to spread across the whole country. It works on the same principle as Freecycle; people go to the forum, advertise what fruit or vegetables they have available and hopefully someone local will want to take it off their hands.” Tania tells me that SwapCrop is open to everyone: you don’t have to be a member of the guild to use the forum. “We started quite simply,” she adds. “I put up an ad saying that I had a glut of plums, someone from Keynsham got in touch,
used the plums and gave me five or six jars of plum jam.” You can also use the forum to pass on any extra jam-making equipment, Kilner jars and so on which you may no longer have use for, to other keen preserve makers. The hope is that anyone with an allotment, trees in their garden or any surplus fruit and veg will get involved. Not only does SwapCrop cut down on
food waste and help reduce both food miles and your carbon footprint, it’s also helping to build local communities, encouraging people to share skills and make the most of what growing spaces are available to them. “We also hope that people who have garden spaces they don’t use or land which they can’t maintain will use the forum too,” Tania tells me. “It’s very simple, but it deals with a lot of the issues we’re concerned about today; it’s encouraging people to get together and use things sustainably. It’s a support network. I’m not trying to control how people use the SwapCrop forum, but I do want to spread the word!” Sign up for free at www.jamguild.co.uk
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22 food
growing as a community Will Simpson
Photo by Down to Earth Stroud
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quiet revolution is taking place in British agriculture. Whilst on the surface it might appear that the supermarket giants have food producers under their corporate thumb, a number of farmers, in partnership with their local communities, are rebelling. By doing so they might be sowing some important seeds for the future. Though they both developed quite separately, it’s possible to view community supported agriculture projects (CSAs), as an adjunct to the Transition movement, but something of the rural utopianism of Gerrard Winstantley’s 17th century Diggers group lurks in there too. Essentially they are initiatives where groups of local people, more often than not in partnership with a farmer (though not exclusively so), share the risks and the benefits of food production. The idea first originated in Japan in the 1990s where it was known as ‘teikei’ (literally ‘food with the farmer’s face on it’). But it has been most successful in the US, where there are now thousands of CSAs, and it’s rapidly becoming an accepted part of the rural landscape over here. There are currently 60 CSAs trading in England alone with another 120 in the process of setting up. And the South West, you’d not be surprised to hear, is proving to be a remarkably fertile ground for the idea, with CSAs already operating in Thornbury, Chew Valley, Bath, Cheddar, Winterbourne, Bradford On Avon and Stroud. At their most basic level a CSA project involves a group of people agreeing to buy a veg box from a farmer each week. But in some cases the farmer leases a part of his land to the
community who either employ someone to farm it or in some cases farm it themselves. This is the model that the Sims Hill Shared Harvest group in Bristol have chosen for their scheme. The first CSA within the city boundaries, Sims Hill are leasing a plot of land in Frenchay from Bristol City Council and are set to reap their first harvest this summer. It has taken a lot of work to even get it to this stage, as core member James Anderson explains. “Setting up a farm...it’s not something any of us have done before. There have been a lot of late-night meetings and discussion about what we wanted out of the project, what our ethics were and how they could be expressed formally.” Sims Hill eventually decided to become a multi-stakeholder co-operative so there are a number of levels of membership: James is one of two Grower members, there are Workshare members who work in return for their veg box and vegshare members who simply receive the box in return for a monthly subscription. This though is just one of the many possible models out there. Founded in 2001, Stroud Community Agriculture was one of the first CSAs in the South West. They initially set up to support a local organic farmer, but when he went to the wall a major rethink was required. “We then had to quickly adapt our model and that involved us leaving the small piece of land we were on, moving to a larger site and employing someone to farm the land,” explains core group member Paul Sheridan. “It was a big leap of faith. There was lots of discussion about whether we would want to do this or how it would actually work.”
One of the first places the Stroud group went for advice was the Soil Association, which in partnership with Cooperatives UK, the Plunkett Foundation, Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, Country Markets Ltd, National Farmers’ Retail & Markets Association and Sustain currently has a five-year lottery funded programme in place called Making Local Food Work. One of the core elements of the programme is providing information, advice and support to groups looking to set up a CSA from webbased resources to training events that focus on various aspects of setting up a CSA, from marketing to community finance. Amanda Daniel, information and CSA marketing co-ordinator at the Soil Association explains that every CSA faces its own different challenges. “Most people are on a bit of a steep learning curve. You are probably coming together and working with people you probably haven’t even met before or worked with before and everybody has different ideas of what they want out of it and how they want it to be run. Funding is obviously a big hurdle - you will need some sort of start-up funding until you’ve got money coming in through the membership fees and monthly subscriptions.” “But one of the advantages is that because you are drawing on a mixed group of people you find skills that you need within the group. Somebody who loves writing can do the newsletter, somebody who is a good accountant can do the books etc.” And once the CSA is up and running the positive benefits are there for all to see. Apart from supporting local farmers, reducing food miles and keeping money in the local area, there is a knock-on effect to the community as a whole. “It helps people to re-engage with where their food is coming from,” says Paul Sheridan. “We organise a number of social events on the farm, which usually end with everybody sitting down for a meal together at the end. It feels more of a community.” With the Transition movement gathering momentum and the looming prospect of peak oil, are CSAs a glimpse into a future that all of us might have to grapple with, one where we have to work together in order to survive? “Well I hope there is a time when there is a CSA in every town and village,” says Daniel. “I don’t see why not. But in the short term it’s about creating an alternative to the way food is produced at the moment, and creating a community around that food. Everybody goes into it with the idea of producing food. We have become so disconnected within our communities and this is a lovely way of bringing it all back together again.” www.diggers.org Japan Organic Agriculture Association www.joaa.net simshillsharedharvest.wordpress.com www.stroudcommunityagriculture.org www.transitionnetwork.org www.makinglocalfoodwork.co.uk
how does your garden grow?
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own to Earth is a co-operative that was set up to help people in Stroud convert their gardens to productive growing spaces. A member of the team comes to your house and gives a free consultation, then they give you a quotation for the work, which can include anything from creating a veg bed to sowing, planting, weeding, feeding and harvesting. The work is carried out by co-op volunteers. The co-operative has funding from local town and parish councils in the Five Valleys area for a “Growing Communities Project”. Volunteers are recruited from Stroud,
trained in organic food production, and then supported by the co-op to get households in their own community starting to grow. It also gets funding from running short courses, holding events, and members who want to support what the co-op does. “We’re growing food in people’s gardens, an under-utilised resource,” says Amanda Godber from Down to Earth. “We have a new project starting later this year to maintain fruit and nut trees in people’s gardens in exchange for a percentage of the crop”. amanda@downtoearth.coop 01453 700 011 www.downtoearth.coop
Photo by Down to Earth Stroud
cordial affair Andy Ballard
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n the country it’s said that the start of summer is marked by the blossoming of the elder tree. In mid to late June (maybe earlier this year), the creamy yellow flowers of Sambucus Nigra can be seen all along hedgerows, in cottage gardens and also in waste areas of our cities. The Elder tree is easy enough to identify with a khaki-coloured, cork-like bark, it looks rather stringy and pathetic (some would say dead) during the winter, but by summer springs into life producing the sweetest smelling sprays of flowers. It’s these beautiful flowers that I’ve been making the tastiest cordial from, which for me, is the foraging highlight of England’s summer. A medium to large size basket makes the ideal container to gather your elderflowers. A hot summer’s day is the best time to gather the flowers as the heads are meant to be at their most pungent in the warm sun. A pair of scissors is the best tool to snip the elder heads from the branches. Try to leave a couple of inches of stem attached so that the clusters of flowers remain intact. Although elders often grow along roadsides it’s not recommended to use these particular flowers because of possible pollution, lightly trafficked country roads would be the exception here.
Photo by Andy Ballard
Traditional Elderflower Cordial You need: • 20 elderflower heads, • 4lb (1.8kg) caster sugar, • 4 lemons, • 2oz (50g) citric acid, • 9.5 pints (4.5 litres) water. Pour the caster sugar into a large cooking pan then add your boiling water (you can add water from the kettle until you reach the required volume or boil it from cold on the cooker hob). Stir until dissolved. Slice the lemons and add to the dissolved sugar mixture. Shake the Elder flowers to rid them of any insect life and add to the pan. Lastly add the citric acid, this will increase the shelf life of your cordial if you’re not intending to freeze it. Stir the mixture, allow to cool, then place a cover or teacloth over the pan and leave it in a cool place for 2 days. I like to give the mixture a stir in the morning and at night to really get the infusion going. Make sure you have enough bottles in which to decant your cordial after the resting up period. It’s good practice to sterilise your bottles, I use plastic milk containers (1 pint size) washed out with boiling water which are easier to store in the freezer. Strain your cordial through a muslin cloth into your bottles, leaving about an inch at the top for expansion if you’re using plastic bottles. Kept in the fridge it will keep for a couple of weeks and for up to six months in the freezer. To use, dilute approximately one part cordial to four parts water or more or less according to your preference.
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24 family
child-centred Hannah Latham finds support and play centres in Sparkland
stories from the giant ash chair
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he children at Temple Guiting School near Cheltenham have a wonderful new addition to storytime: a giant ash chair created by a local craftsman. “We wanted a centrepiece for our ‘spiritual/ reflective’ area - basically a grassed space under some trees - and a storytelling circle seemed ideal,” Headteacher David Ogden told The Spark. The chair was built by Bob Major, who has been working with wood for years, making hurdles, baskets and jewellery. The children went to witness the chair being made. “The children were amazed by the size (of the chair), but almost as bowled over by the woodworking techniques used by Bob when we went to see it being made,” Mr Ogden said. It cost the school £325 and David hopes other schools in the area will be interested in having their own story chairs made. At the time we interviewed David, the chair had just been installed. “I hope during the summer it will be used once a day,” he said.
Rob Stokes with (from left to right) 3-year-old twins Bailey and Olly and Sam, 5 at Hop, Skip and Jump
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here’s a great support and play centre in Kingswood offering dropins for families with children who have special needs. Hop, Skip and Jump is a charity serving Bristol and the surrounding area, providing not just for the child, but for parents and siblings too. “We’re here for the whole family which is what makes us unique,” says centre manager Christine Hall. It works on a membership basis and families refer themselves, paying a donation to drop in. The play centre is a barn-style space with high ceilings and lots of seating areas surrounded by every kind of play station. They’ve got trikes, slides, climbing apparatus, ball pits, an art room, a computer room, one black and one white optic-light sensory room and outdoor play areas. Play workers are always around so parents or carers don’t have to follow their kids continuously. You can bring the whole family or leave your child with a play worker for a few hours.
“It’s great because we know the kids are safe” “We come here most Saturdays,” says Lucinda Stokes. “It’s great because we know the kids are safe.” Lucinda and Rob have three sons – Sam, 5, Bailey and Olly, 3-yearold twins. Bailey was born with VACTERL, a condition classified by any combination of defects in the spine, heart, anus, kidneys and oesophagus. He was happily throwing himself around in the soft playroom. “It takes a lot of pressure off,” Lucinda continues. “With other play centres as soon as people see his tube there are looks. Nobody takes any notice here and we don’t have to worry.” One afternoon a week therapists donate their time so parents can have a massage, Reiki healing or whatever is offered. Judging by the tired vibes the Stokes give off this is a rare and valuable service. The centre needs more therapists, so if you have skills you’d like to donate then contact Christine on:
For families who don’t necessarily have a child with special needs, but need support for other reasons such as isolation or low income, Sure Start have children’s centres around the country. These are state funded and offer specialist health support, resources and childcare as well as free classes such as baby massage and sensory play – usually only available to those who can afford them.
www.templeguiting.gloucs.sch.uk Bob Major can be contacted on 01451 851000
get mum’s back on track
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www.bathnes.gov.uk/childrenscentre www.southglos.gov.uk/ChildrenYoungPeopleFamilies/ ParentingandFamilySupport/ChildrenCentres www.bristol-cyps.org.uk/early/childrens-centres.html For other areas, go to your local council website and search “children’s centres”
uring pregnancy a woman’s body goes through incredible physical changes to prepare her for childbirth. Hormone production makes the joints loosen and the pelvis then opens to make space for the baby to pass through. Considering it takes nine months for the body to prepare, it’s no surprise it can take longer to recover. I had a good, mostly uneventful pregnancy, then a natural childbirth. I expected to start physically recovering over the months that followed, but three months later I was having problems with my back which were getting worse not better. Baby Noah was growing fast. This is what every mum wants to hear, but I was hoping for a bit of a break. My body was not getting time to recover. His weight was climbing and all the hunching over to breastfeed was not helping. It felt like my lower back couldn’t support my body, I was totally seized up, turning my neck hurt and I wasn’t sleeping much because of it. I dreaded picking Noah up – it felt like something would go and I would be in serious trouble. I went to see Simon Stewart who is based in Chew Magna. I’ve often been to chiropractors but never tried Koren Specific technique. This relatively new approach works with the nervous system and is very gentle – no popping or cracking involved. Adjustments are made with an AthroStim – an electrical instrument that looks a bit like a backwards glue gun. It gently applies 12 taps a second through different nozzle attachments – so gentle you can hardly tell anything is happening. Finding where the issues were in my back was an odd experience. Simon stood behind me, cupped the back of my skull in his hands and lightly brushed up and down with his thumbs. There’s a bone at the back of the skull called the occiput. The theory is that when the body has suffered physical, emotional or chemical stress the occiput drops slightly on the left. Simon detected where he needed to work with my spine by
Kids in the Wild Garden Elizabeth McCorquodale
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acked with interesting facts, educational info and everything you need to know to encourage beasts, bugs and birds into your garden, this book covers all four seasons so the kids will have no excuses about getting outside whatever the weather. With a good balance between text, photos and cartoon illustrations, it has easy to follow instructions on how to make things like hedgehog houses and mini ponds. To get 40% off your copy, email jess@blackdogonline.com with your address quoting ‘Spark Mag Offer’ in the subject bar.
www.blackgodonline.com
0117 9677282 www.hopskipandjump.org.uk
Another centre in Sparkland that offers support to families with children who have special needs is Gardner’s Lane Children’s Centre in Cheltenham. 01242 252185 www.gardnerslanecc.org.
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measuring this drop, and then applied quick taps to the relevant areas, literally for just a second or two. He’d then get me to walk around and check again. The process was repeated until the occiput was level. After the first treatment I was unsure it had made much difference, however I slept well that night and after a little stiffness the next day was more able to move. However it wasn’t long before I was back on Simon’s doorstep having seized up again. My issues were, unsurprisingly, mainly coming from my pelvis – it kept going out of alignment. Carrying a newborn is like carrying a sack of potatoes. They can’t hold their heads up or support their body until they’re about four months old. Noah seemed very long and I had to support every part of him. I wasn’t really paying attention to protecting my own body. Any kind of twisting was fatal – like when sitting next to him on a bed or getting him out of his cot from the side. Simon cautioned me to pick him up from the front without turning, no matter what. I had to consciously lower and raise Noah like a forklift truck. Four sessions did the trick. It was gentle, non-invasive and effective – perfect when your body already feels like it’s been through the wars. Simon Stewart www.somersetchiropractor.co.uk
teen check-ups
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scheme introduced by relationships and sexual health services 4YP Bristol is delivering birthday cards offering 13-24 year olds free health checks at their GP surgeries. The scheme is designed to help teens feel more comfortable seeking advice about issues like acne, puberty, relationships and contraception. Only GP surgeries that have the 4YP badge can take part – they are teen-friendly environments with clearly displayed confidentiality agreements.
www.4ypbristol.co.uk
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26 mind body & spirit
treat your feet
Photo by Alex Cater
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ost of us rarely give our feet much thought, but without them we couldn’t put our best foot forward, walk on by or remain grounded. So this issue I’m giving feet a little attention. Festival goers last year might have seen the strange phenomenon of people dangling their feet in fish tanks, having their tootsies nibbled. A ‘fish spa’ opened in Bristol last year and, with a couple of pals, I went to try it out. My first concern was for the fish. I asked Rosie Price, who works there, about their welfare. Rosie’s dad’s a vegan and she’s a life-long vegetarian and animal lover; if she wasn’t happy about the treatment of the fish she certainly wouldn’t be working there. Garra Rufa fish, named after a town in Turkey where they’re found (also known as Doctor, Reddish Log Sucker or Nibble fish) “live roughly four years in captivity,” Rosie told me “which is double the time they would live in the wild. They’re natural scavengers; so dead skin is normal fare for them. They get protein from your skin and are fed a vegetarian supplement
Beccy Golding explores the world of feet and the wonderful treatments on offer in Sparkland to make your toes tingle and whole body relax hand, ‘pod’ meaning foot, and ‘iatros’ meaning physician. “About 20 years ago the UK switched to using the term podiatrist, at the same time both titles became protected through government regulation, although practitioners can still choose what to call themselves,” Amber told me. Whichever name, they will have reached a minimum standard of qualification, with “HPC (Health Professions Council) registered” being the key letters to look out for. Amber has been qualified for 20 years. “I wanted to become a specialist in one area of medicine,” she told me. “It’s great to know a lot about one thing and you can go on and on learning – the quality of research and new methods of podiatry now are amazing!” Podiatry is an allied heath profession (AHP), which also includes paramedics, pharmacists and physiotherapists, for example. I asked Amber about the benefits. “It enables the diagnoses and treatment of a very broad range of symptoms – from problems with nails or soft tissue, to infections, to calluses – a podiatrist will be able to help resolve them all,” she said. “They’ll be a specialist in diseases of the foot, but also whole-body diseases that affect the foot, such as diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis.” They’ll know about orthotics (moulded shoe inserts) to help with issues such as limb length discrepancy, Achilles problems or collapsed arches, and a podiatrist “can also help with good foot care”. For example, older people may not be able to reach their feet, or see well what they’re doing, so need help with nail cutting, corns or verrucas. Amber has practices in Southville, Bristol and Congresbury, north Somerset, and takes the holistic nature of footcare one step further. “I have a postgraduate certificate in Marigold Therapy.” This range of pastes, tinctures and oils “is a powerful, non-invasive and effective treatment, backed up by research and used in NHS trusts across the country.” She also offers podiatric acupuncture at her clinic in Congresbury. “People learn an enormous amount about their feet,” said Amber. “They understand the mechanics, why they get pain, what functions how, and what they can do about it; they feel empowered.” Reflexology, whilst mainly practised on the feet (less often the hands or ears) enables whole body healing, and pain and stress reduction. Christine Roscoe has practiced for 15 years and teaches reflexology at
every other day.” And what about the welfare of our feet? In some Canadian and US states fish spas have been banned as unsanitary, because any ‘tools’ used in cosmetology should be discarded or sanitised after use. Obviously fish wouldn’t be thrown away ‘after use’ or sterilised through boiling. “We refuse people with verrucas, fungal nail infections, etc, and the water is constantly replaced: we have an excellent filtration system, 11 different stages including a UV filter which filters out any bacteria.” Reassured, we lowered our feet into the tanks. It did tickle as I watched the fish wriggling in between my toes but after relaxing into it the experience became quite soothing. I asked Rosie about the benefits. “There’s an enzyme in their saliva which nourishes and rejuvenates your skin so it’s good for eczema and psoriasis.” She said, “It’s also good for blood circulation.” After our session my feet felt really smooth. Vanessa had been on a major hike the day before and said, “After the buzzing, tingling sensation my feet felt very soft and light.” Later on Alex said, “It was unusual and a good laugh. Five hours later my feet still feel tingly and amazing. They recommend four sessions to get the full effects. My feet were in a bit of a state to begin with so I’m not surprised they might need a few more goes. This was a great way of taking care of them that wasn’t any hassle.” The first thing I asked Amber Kibby, degree-trained podiatrist and chiropodist, was: “What’s the difference between the two?” In fact there’s none, chiropody was the more traditionally English name, podiatry more widely used in the US, Australia, Canada, etc. Both words have Greek roots: ‘chiro’ meaning
Bristol School of Holistic Therapies. I asked her: “Why work on the feet?” “We see the feet as a map of the body with reflex points which relate to specific organs, glands and systems in the body. Gentle massage and pressure to these points can have a positive effect on the corresponding part of the body - right up to the head. So the feet can be accurately described as a gateway to the body. I was drawn to reflexology after receiving a treatment myself which made a huge improvement to my health.”
When she gave me a session Christine started by gently wiping my feet with witch hazel; warming, relaxing and cleansing “so even if you come for a session straight after work you won’t worry about having whiffy feet!” I asked how she deals with people with nervous feet. “The pressure of the massage is tailored to suit the individual, so it’s not at all tickly plenty of feedback ensures the client is always comfortable,” she told me. “You only need to take off shoes and socks and lie on a soft couch. A reflexology session is deeply relaxing - and enjoyable,’ she added. “Many people go to sleep during the treatment.” So practised on the feet, beneficial for the rest of the body, but is it actually good for the feet? “Reflexology improves circulation and muscle and skin tone on the feet too, so it would be great to start the summer with a session and prepare for wearing sandals!” she told me. www.drspafish.com £10 for 15 minutes. Amber Kibby (pictured below) www.amlpodiatry.co.uk 01934 835858 or 0117 9669724 £26 for 30-min consultation & treatment www.marigoldfootcare.com Christine Roscoe www.touchstonehealth.co.uk 0117 658111 Christine teaches a 12-month weekend course with www.bristolschoolofholistictherapies.co.uk (next training starts October 23) Lynne Booth’s Vertical Reflex Therapy www.boothvrt.com
why I do what I do... 5 Rhythms teacher Leigh Tolson
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hen did you first dance? Well, when I was three I do vaguely remember twirling around in a little ballet tutu! Then I clearly remember being a regular visitor to (Bristol’s) Colston Hall to see the rock ‘n’ roll greats of the 70s, like Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Bob Marley. I hit the tail-end of the hippie era when there was a real sense of love, freedom and community. At gigs, I’d always be dancing front stage and there was always someone who’d be doing this strange swirlywhirly free dance thing and I was always drawn to that. I wanted in, but I didn’t know how. In my early 20s I was living in East Anglia after leaving Cambridge and I discovered the Albion Fayrs, Barsham, Roughham et al, such amazing hotbeds of creativity. It was here that I found rhythm, started playing drums and met the Orange people (Rajneesh sannyasins) who really did the ‘let go’ dance big time. Then kids and life came along and dance kind of froze for years.
guess there is a time when all you can do is give away to the world the gems you have collected on one’s own journey. The Rhythms are a way to rediscover our natural language of movement and through that a way to restore and maintain our wholeness and health. To truly come home to oneself. If you’ve ever been truly lost you know how good it feels to find yourself again. If the human race is to have a sustainable future lived in beauty then I think we each must find inner peace. 5 Rhythms meets the deep desire of all us humans to dance into peace and unwind the knots and inertia of dis-ease. How do you teach 5 Rhythms? A mixture of demonstration and guidance while I play a huge range of music from classical, folk, jazz, world, dance, tribal and experimental genres....you name it! I create a space where people are free to move what is truly happening and this creates a dancing continuum that opens to greater embodiment, congruence and coherence. It’s a feminine practice that helps to balance the strong mechanistic structures
When did you first come across 5 Rhythms? I saw Gabrielle Roth on TV in 1988 when they interviewed 40 New Age teachers. She was the only one who made any sense to me. In the late 60s Roth was working with the leading lights of humanistic psychology, teaching massage, movement and dancing into trance to live drummers. She began to notice the way energy moves in the body, on the dance floor and in life. Over many years she distilled her insights into a movement map which she calls the 5 Rhythms Wave. I read her book, Maps to Ecstasy, started dancing the ‘wave’ with a group of friends and then began an on-going training with Gabrielle in 1991. By 2000 I was running a corporate drumming company and it was while facilitating a team-building event that I realised the overall form I was following was the 5 Rhythms. So I trained as a teacher in 2004 to acknowledge this. Why do you teach the 5 Rhythms? I was drawn to the work quite young, so after 20 years now it’s deeply embodied in my being. I
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of our 9-5 culture. It’s also fun! I have heard it said that my Wed evening class is “a mainstay of alternative life in Bristol”. A resource for the community. It has 30, 40, 50 people turn up each week. Together we create a strong energetic field, a place where people can come in and feel that they belong. Nothing weird, just be yourself and feel how good it is to move. What about the spiritual element? Gabrielle calls this practice shamanic-tantriczen. I like this description. My 5 Rhythms teaching is influenced by my own practice of shamanic teachings, therapeutic modalities and meditations, especially Tantra and my training in Cranio-sacral Biodynamics. I call it Sacred Somatics, where the miracle of this moving body is a gateway for experiencing the awesome mystery of love and life. Dance on! Leigh teaches every Wed, 7.30-10.00pm at St Michael’s on the Mount Parish Hall, Cotham BS2 8BE. Last class July 20. Starts back after summer break on Sept 7. For more info email leigh.dance@virgin.net
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The course is approximately 150 hours of classroom study. After successfully graduating the practitioner course you will be awarded a Diploma in Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy (DHP) and the hypnotherapy practitioners diploma (HPD) accredited by the NCFE(NVQIV). Designed and written by practising professionals the course will give you a thorough and sound knowledge of the application of ethical clinical hypnosis enabling you to become an effective practitioner. Students travelling from outside the Bristol area may be helped with travel and accommodation expenses. For a brochure and details of forthcoming courses please telephone The Clifton Practice on 0117 973 3260 or simply visit our comprehensive website www.thecliftonpractice.co.uk
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guide A
Priddy Folk Festival
pril’s hot, dry weather had many of us thinking of summer early this year and summer for Sparklers means festival season! We’ve produced this festival guide to give you some ideas for events you might like to go to this year. We try to focus on the nonmainstream the non-commercial, the quirky, the green, the thoughtful and the human. The added bonus of our guide is that we’ve got plenty of friends among the festival organisers who were more than happy to offer free tickets to Spark readers. Flick to the back page of this issue for seven wonderful opportunities to win. To give you plenty of time to prepare, some of the competition dates are early, so get your entries in now and have a great summer of festival fun!
Priddy • July 8-10 • £60 (incl. camping) www.priddyfolk.org Go if you like… folk music, singing, guitar, drumming and dance workshops free to everyone, holistic corner, craft and trade stalls; line-up includes John Kirkpatrick, Dragonsfly and Jamie Smith’s Mabon.
Small Nations Festival Llandovery • July 8-10 • £65 www.smallnations.co.uk Go if you like… music from small nations brought together in the idyllic Cambrian mountains, craft stalls, mountain walks and great food.
Frome Festival Frome • July 8-17 • £FREE www.fromefestival.co.uk Go if you like… modern, folk and classical music, literature, drama, comedy, films, photography, exhibitions, green issues, fashion, local history, science & technology and multimedia presentations.
☞ JUNE Sunrise Celebration Somerset • June 2-5 • £108 in advance www.sunrisecelebration.com Go if you like… sustainable arts and music festivals with vibrant, dynamic, foot-stomping music and joy; line-up announced for the Spit ‘N’ Sawdust stage includes Owl in the Sun and 10 O’Clock Horses.
Wychwood Cheltenham Racecourse • June 3-5 • £115 www.wychwoodfestival.com Go if you like… comedy, quirky and unusual films and workshops for the kids; music line-up includes The Waterboys, The Charlatans and 3 Daft Monkeys.
Glade Somerset • June 10-12 • £135 www.gladefestival.com Go if you like… performance, arts, talks, food and drink revolutionized with an electronic beat, also boutique camping in yurts and squrts, yes squrts!
The 3 Wishes Faery Fest Torpoint, Cornwall • June 17-19 • £89 www.3wishesfaeryfest.co.uk Go if you like… all things fantastically fairy; the most magical way to celebrate the summer solstice whilst camping in beautiful Celtic Cornwall.
Gold Coast Ocean Fest
The Eden Sessions
Croyde Bay • June 17-19 • £40 www.goldcoastoceanfest.co.uk Go if you like… beach volleyball, surfing, beach soccer and live music; headlining acts include The King Blues and Ben Howard.
Eden Project Cornwall • June 23-July 12 • £37.50 www.edenproject.com/sessions Go if you like… the full festival vibe in the most stunning setting imaginable; line-up includes Brandon Flowers, Primal Scream, Fleet Foxes and Pendulum.
Leamington Peace Festival
☞ JULY
Leamington Spa • June 18-19 • £FREE www.peacefestival.org.uk Go if you like… peace talks, charities, pressure groups, live music, and kids’ activities; one of the UK’s longest running free festivals.
Spirit Seekers Camp Wrexham • June 24-26 • £70 (incl. workshops) www.natureactivitymusicalretreat.vpweb.co.uk Go if you like… druid meditation, shamanic drumming, labyrinth walks, camping in the woodland and power chanting in 12 acres of ancient woodland.
Quest Natural Health Show Newton Abbott • July 7-10 • £20 www.questuk.co.uk Go if you like… blue grass and sacred music, jewellery stores, shamanic goods, clothes and health foods, Tantra and biodanza to experience the power of dance.
The Healing Weekend Highbridge• July 8-10 • £5 daily www.thehealingweekend.co.uk Go if you like… fancy dress parades, belly dancers, live music, with over 170 exhibitors, spiritual performances and trance healing shows.
Workhouse Festival Llanfylln • July 10-12 • £69 www.workhousefestival.co.uk Go if you like… indie, dance music, poetry, film in a small friendly festival run by a tight knit group of 40-50 volunteers.
Larmer Tree Wiltshire/Dorset border • July 13-17 • £197 www.larmertreefestival.co.uk Go if you like… comfy camping, carnival processions and a little bit of street theatre.
Buddhafield Taunton • July 13-17 • £105 www.buddhafield.com Go if you like… a festival with a twist, advocating an alcohol and drugs-free space, which allows workshops of social change and shamanic journeying to commence; this year’s theme is abundance.
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2000 Trees
The Small Festival
Sharpham Barton Family Camp
Gloucestershire • July 14-16 • £59 www.twothousandtreesfestival.co.uk Go if you like… new and underground British music in a family friendly intimate atmosphere, leading with a specific green agenda; voted best grass-roots festival in the 2010 UK Festivals Awards, also voted second-best toilets at a UK festival, surely it’s worth a visit just to see the loos.
Dorset • July 29-31 • £60 www.thesmallfestival.co.uk Go if you like… a chance to try something new with an exciting choice of children’s and adult workshops, discussions and happenings, campfires and music long into the night of the remote countryside; if you’re feeling brave, why not try the open mic night in the marquee.
Nr Totnes • July 30-Aug 7• £150 (adult) www.sharphamfamilycamp.co.uk Go if you like… fun and entertainment for the whole family, workshops in drama, dance, archery, pottery and much more, all in an area of outstanding natural beauty in Totnes.
Chagstock
Farmfest
Dartmoor • July 22-24 • £55 www.chagstock.info Go if you like… music in the picturesque surrounds of Dartmoor in support of the Devon Air Ambulance Trust; line-up includes Magic Numbers, Show of Hands and Bellowhead.
Somerset • July 29-30 • £35 www.farmfestival.co.uk Go if you like… the local independent festival vibe, run by a bunch of mad farmers, where hats are compulsory for all festival goers; lots of fantastic music and DJs, and some traditional West Country cider to wash it all down with, really just a proper good knees-up.
The Music Camp
WOMAD
Rise Up Singing Dartmoor • July 22-30 • £225 www.riseupsinging.co.uk Go if you like… spending your time singing, performing, listening to poetry, community choirs, small groups, gospel to jazz singing in a beautiful meadow boarded by the woods and The Holy Brook.
Druid Camp
Wiltshire • July 29-31 • £135 www.womad.org Go if you like… music and food from all over the world amongst the rolling hills, green trees and rural beauty; line-up includes Rodrigo y Gabriela from Mexico, Baaba Maal from Senegal, and I Am Kloot from the United Kingdom.
Forest of Dean • July 27-31 • £85 www.druidcamp.org.uk Go if you like… workshops, circle dancing, story telling and performances at the biggest annual meeting of the Druid community in Britain.
Dance Camp Wales South Pembs • July 27-Aug 6 • £180- £250 www.dancecampwales.org Go if you like… a celebration of body, soul and spirit through singing and dancing workshops on a Pembrokeshire organic farm in ancient woodland; bring the whole family along to enjoy music, games and some great food in a welcoming community camp.
THE GREEN GATHERING West Berks • July 28-31 • £90/£50 u12s free www.greengathering2011.com Go if you like… future technologies, alternative ways of life and inspiring people to adopt sustainable lifestyles; this year features a Transition-focused area and speakers including Dr Chris Busby on Fukushima and Jay Griffiths, author of ‘Wild’ and ‘Pip Pip’, on Papua New Guinea, Transition Towns, UKuncut, 9/11 new evidence and smallholdings for beginners.
☞ AUGUST
I
Devon/Somerset border • Aug 9-14 • £220 www.tribeofdoris.co.uk Go if you like… inspirational teachers from Africa, South America, Europe and Asia, yoga, tai chi, amazing workshops in drum, dance, song and ceremony; also sauna, and body and soul area.
Healing Field Gathering
Forest of Dean • Aug 4-7 • £70 www.themusiccamp.co.uk Go if you like… a fun vibrant camp making music accessible for all, from beginners to the more advanced; hot showers, sauna and clean organic earth toilets and a stage run by pedal power.
Somerset • Aug 10-14 • £45-£70 www.healingfield.co.uk Go if you like… a caring and inspiring community in pretty domes and yurts hosting a variety of different workshops from African dance, singing, drumming, tai chi, wacky science and weaving.
Qigong Summer Camp
BOOMTOWN FAIR
Dartmoor • Aug 5-14 • £270 www.qigong-southwest.co.uk Go if you like… practising qigong outside in the fresh air, walking, and river swimming in the wilderness of the moors.
Between Bristol and London • Aug 11-14 • £93 13-17s £50 u12s free www.boomtownfair.co.uk Go if you like… fantasy, escapism, creativity, DIY theatrical performance, a strong focus on site design, sprawling street sets and a mythological festival history.
Unicorn Natural Voice Camp Dorset • Aug 6-14 • £75-£195 www.unicorncamps.com Go if you like… to sing your heart out all day long in an area of outstanding natural beauty on an organic farm in the Dorset countryside; pop, soul, folk, gospel and performances.
Baptism of fire
t’s a strange feeling, waking up on fire, especially when there’s a cool breeze on your face at the same time as flames lick at your feet. I’d ended up at the Exodus Collective’s Free The Spirit free festival on the outskirts of Luton on August Bank Holiday in 1999, turning up with my equally skint flatmate with nothing but the clothes in which we stood, having bunked the train cross-country. As we planned our next move, we necked some pills he found in his pocket. Turns out they were sedatives. Oops. After mooching round the site – 30 sound systems, huge big top tent and smaller marquees squeezed onto a sliver of land between the M1 and a railway line - bumping into old friends and striking up conversations with strangers, we settled round a campfire to warm our bones as the cold night kicked in. Hours later I awoke with the smell of burning rubber in my nostrils and laughter in my ears as the fire enveloped my
Tribe of Doris Intercultural Summer School
lower half. It’s certainly one way to introduce yourself, and it proved a great icebreaker. We blagged a berth in a big tent, and by volunteering for kitchen shifts we didn’t go hungry either. It was that kind of festival – activists kicking loose (the J18 Carnival Against Capitalism a recent victory) without cash, police or uniformed stewards impinging, a self-organised, self-regulating, semi-urban fair. Bands, DJs and even a pirate radio station, and nobody went hungry or cold for lack of money. Since then, though, we’ve seen festival enclosure laws, a culture of consumption over participation, and turnstile ticketing. The days of the free festival – free from money, free in spirit – are over, crushed by the state. It’s a shame, because nothing quite beats the cameraderie of turning up with nothing and leaving happy – if a little crispy. Chris Mitchell
Gaunts House Summer Gathering Wimborne, Dorset • Aug 11-14 • £95/£125 www.gauntshouse.com Go if you like… a place to relax, unwind and contemplate, participate in in-house yoga and meditation either camping in beautiful grounds or staying in the mansion; internationally renowned guest speakers, stalls, craft demonstrations, outdoor swimming pool, and live music across three stages, plus many exciting workshops.
Endorse It in Dorset Dorset • Aug 12-14 • £78 www.endorseit.co.uk Go if you like… seven stages of live music, including the New Model Army, Pronghorn, and Banco De Gaia in old school vibe festival; Scrumpy Sunday hosts all things West Country, from The Wurzels to all the golden stuff you can handle.
Croissant Neuf Summer Party Usk, Monmouthshire • Aug 12-14 • £88 www.partyneuf.co.uk Go if you like… three days of live music and dance, markets, workshops, crafts, yoga and plenty of local real ales and wines available in The Stagger Inn; winner of the UK’s greenest festival in the 2010 UK Festival Awards, totally 100% solar powered.
30 Oak Dragon Camp
Green Man
Somerset • Aug 12-20 • £135 www.oakdragon.org Go if you like… a small caring community of 5080 people living closely with nature, ceremonies and celebrations, a variety of workshops including making practical and ceremonial objects.
Brecon Beacons • Aug 19-21 • £135 www. thegreenmanfestival.co.uk Go if you like… Einstein’s Garden, a fusion of science, art and nature, with wildlife walks and life drawing classes; line-up includes Fleet Foxes, Ben Howard, and Noah and The Whale; winner of the best medium-sized festival in the 2010 UK festival awards.
Heart Sound Voice Camp West Dorset • Aug 14-21 • £165 www.heartsoundcamp.com Go if you like… a small friendly camp for all ages and abilities to enjoy; make music, have fun, meet new friends and most importantly be creative; singing with Su Lewis, Judith Silver and Colin Douglas, from folk songs to high energy pop songs, something for everyone.
SUNRISE OFF-GRID Fernhill Farm near Cheddar • Aug 18-21 • £65/85, children £20 www.sunrise-offgrid.co.uk Go if you like… choosing to live a freer, more sustainable lifestyle; the festival is for those living Off-Grid, those empowering themselves to do so, and those simply looking to enact change in their own lives, homes and communities.
Confessions of a festival lightweight
I
’ve been to loads of festivals over the years, and time and time again I have worked myself up into a pointless rage pitching the tent. I don’t know what it is – I don’t find it difficult – it just makes me cross. Another favourite is listening to my eightyear-old moan and complain the whole way to and from the car, despite the fact that she is usually carrying just a sleeping bag, and I am carrying everything else. At no point have I ever felt the lugging of air beds a mile to a car park to be an integral part of my festival experience. Never have I thought: “I really do love listening to my daughter whinge. It just wouldn’t be a festival without it.” Which is why last year’s Camp Bestival to me was absolute bliss. We stayed in the Tangerine Fields, festival camping made easy. After a leisurely stroll from the car with minimal luggage, we arrived to a find our tent already put up for us, complete with inflated air beds and sleeping bags. We also
Beautiful Days Ottery St Mary • Aug 19-21 • £110 (adult weekend camping) www.beautifuldays.org Go if you like… a family music festival, with a big community garden party, children’s area, food and craft stalls, and a comedy theatre, family camping; line-up includes Carter USM, Big Audio Dynamite and Gogol Bordello.
Peace Through The Arts Camp Dorset • Aug 20-28• £175 (with many concessions) www.unicorncamps.com Go if you like… a celebration of the spirit through dances of universal peace, circle dancing, live bands and eco-camping in an area of outstanding natural beauty in Dorset with lots of dancing, singing and playing, plus volleyball and teen sports, a creativity area for kids and parents.
AdvAnce dAy tickets Adults £10 concs £8 camp from £35
For tickets and inFo, peruse our website at www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt-treefest or call 01666 880220
54
enjoyed the use of exclusive, clean toilets, hot showers with no queues, and a tent with hairdryers and straighteners. Now that’s what I call fancy! It isn’t cheap, but in my opinion it’s worth every penny, even if you only do it at one festival every year or two. Plus it can actually save you money: not being weighed down with tents and sleeping bags meant we had space to bring a camping stove and lots of our own snacks, so saved money on festivalpriced food and coffee. I know there are people who’ll think I’m a softie, but I’m really not. I’ve done my fair share of roughing it at muddy Glastonbury’s. Just because you aren’t forced to spend hours struggling to put up a tent in the rain or wash with two small baby wipes, doesn’t mean you can’t have an authentic festival experience. It is meant to be about the music after all, the people and the atmosphere, not just the mud. Jo Middleton
BuddhaDharmaSangha Camp Dartmoor • Aug 20-28 • £190/£160 www.qigong-southwest.co.uk Go if you like… small, intimate camps with the opportunity to practise Dharma in the way of the Buddha, in a drug and alcohol-free space with campfires, stargazing, songs and stories; explore the body, heart and mind.
Shambala Northamptonshire • Aug 25- 28 • £119 www.shambalafestival.org Go if you like… a magical weekend full of music, a chance to dress-up and get involved, from the poetry competition to the talent competition; anyone who organises a ride of at least 10 bikes to the festival will earn themselves a free ticket!
Small World Summer Gathering Kent • Aug 25-29 • £70 www.smallworldsolarstage.org Go if you like… an intimate, intense, colourful festival vibe for all the family with Celtic, ska and swing music of all types, massage, workshops, jesters, magicians and plenty of vegetarian food and much, much more.
31 Festie First Aid An eager group of volunteers calling themselves Glastonbury Medical services began providing medical cover at the festival of the same name in the 1970s, As Glastonbury grew so did they. Their skills and expertise were noticed – they were approached by the organisers of Reading Festival, re-named themselves Festival Medical Services and in 1995 began providing cover for Reading too. Now you’ll find FMS volunteers, more than 1300 of them, at The Royal Bath & West Show, Glastonbury Extravaganza, Reading and the Pilton Party to name but a few, as well as continuing to work at Glastonbury Festival. The services they provide include doctors, nurses, paramedics, first aid staff, a mental health team, dentists, radiographers (with portable x-ray facilities) and podiatrists. Amber Kibby, a podiatrist herself (see article on Feet p26) has been Chair of
festie fill
T
he guys at Frank water have set themselves the challenge of providing filtered, chilled, cheaper water to festival goers this summer through what it calls FreeFill. “Here’s how it works: you buy a reusable (exercise-style) bottle and we will refill it with FreeFill filtered, cooled water whenever you want at the festival for free. Simple!” say the people at Frank, a Bristol-based charity that installs water filtration plants in India to give local people clean water. You can get your bottles on site at the festival or pre-order them on line. If you already have a reusable bottle, you can still get the free water, just get a wristband from the volunteers at the water station. You can check online to see whether Frank will be at the festival you’re going to this summer. www.freefill.frankwater.com
Cauldron of Plenty- Village Heart Gathering Mid-Wales • August 25-29 • £85 www.spirithorse.co.uk Go if you like… an annual community get together from woodland crafts to Egyptian dance in a mountain retreat of Wales; performances and expression to entertain the gods and you, inspirational teachers and elders at this Spirit Horse Camp.
Aeon Festival Exeter • August 26-28 • £50 (Early bird weekend) www.aeonfestival.com Go if you like… lots of comedy, poetry, circus skills and workshops, non-corporate family fun, fancy dress (theme “Once Upon an Aeon”) on an organic farm in Devon; reggae, dance and jazz.
Treefest- Fetsival of the Tree Westonbirt • August 26-29 • £10 Adults (Not including camping)- Kids Go Free www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt Go if you like… woodcarving and woodcraft demonstrations, a celebration of the International Year of Forests, 4 days of live music, crafts, games and camping; highlights include tree-team demonstrations and hands-on learning.
☞ September Didmarton Bluegrass Festival Kemble Airfield, Glos • Sep 1-4 • £69 www.didmarton-bluegrass.co.uk Go if you like… Bluegrass, bonfires, banjos, bikers, real ale bars, good food and great camping; line-up includes Chris Stuart, Matthew and the Atlas and Backcountry. Tents, caravans and campers all welcome.
FMS for three years, and involved since 1997. ‘Foot problems we see include tons of ankle sprains, burns, infected blisters and trench foot.’ FMS is also a charity. Because all the team are volunteers, the income they generate through attending events is donated to projects promoting health, or health education. They’ve raised money for projects at home and abroad, including Addis Abba Fistula Hospital, Medical Foundation for Victims of Torture, Sight Savers International, Sandy Gall’s Afghanistan Appeal, Children’s Hospice South West, Shiva Charity in Nepal and Headway House. They’re currently supporting the Gambia Village Project, providing a community bus, ambulance and driver, and the Tulsi Trust which supports an Indian jungle health and education project based deep in jungle territory, seven hours from the nearest big city of Raipur, funding a doctor and a nearly finished hospital. What a great thing to be involved with. If you are a healthcare professional, volunteering with FMS gives you the chance to provide top-quality specialist health care in a challenging yet fun environment and support medical and environmental good causes to boot! FMS also provide event organisers with medical risk assessments, licensing advice and support and first aid training for stewards & security staff. www.festival-medical.com
Network Recycling has been at the heart of the festival scene for almost 2 decades, providing excellent recycling facilities & making sure sites are returned back to beautiful countryside. We need your help at WOMAD, Shambala, the Secret Garden Party, Lounge on the Farm and more. We offer a full adult pass, food and camping in exchange for your time and commitment. If paid work is more your thing, then we are now recruiting litterpickers, crew and drivers to work over the summer. See website for details: www.networkrecycling.co.uk and click on the ‘work for us’ tab.
32 …and the rest
T
hey might not be festivals that require you to sleep under canvas, but these ones really deserve a mention...
St Paul’s Carnival: the UK’s second-largest Afrikan Caribbean carnival outside of Notting Hill returns on July 2, kicking off at 11am and continuing until 2am, with the main procession from 1pm. From its small beginnings in 1967, the whole event now takes over the neighbourhood of St Paul’s in Bristol regularly attracting up to 80,000 people and involving schools, community groups and a whole host of professional performers. www.stpaulscarnival.co.uk Bristol Harbour Festival: Bristol’s biggest cultural event and one of the biggest free festivals in the country, 2011 is the 40th anniversary of the Bristol Harbour Festival, July 29-31. To mark the occasion the festival will include an additional week from July 23 when the harbour will be animated with dragon boat races and street entertainers, and venues across the city will be putting on extra, Festival-themed shows. www.bristolharbourfestival.co.uk
Activities include:
Buddhism & Meditation Land & Permaculture Bodywork, Social Change Healing Garden Kids Area, Workshops Music, Dance & Cabaret
Prices:
Adults £105 Teenagers £40 Children £20 Babies free Cars £25 Live-ins £30
Glastonbury Children’s Festival: the 30th annual Glastonbury Children’s Festival takes place over the weekend of August 5-8 in the Abbey Park playground, and guarantees four days of non-stop, family-friendly entertainment with art and craft workshops, games and rides, clowns, jugglers and all sorts. Under 3s free, 4-11 £8, over 12s £5. www.childrensworldcharity.org Bristol Balloon Fiesta: The 33rd Bristol Balloon Fiesta, August 11-14, is not only one of the biggest annual events in the city’s calendar but it’s also still completely free. Held every year at Ashton Court, Europe’s largest annual hot air balloon festival attracts half a million people over the four days, who come to marvel at around 100 hot air balloons of all shapes and sizes. The night glows and early morning flights are not to be missed! www.bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk Organic Food Festival: Held in association with the Soil Association, the Organic Food Festival is Europe’s premier organic event, attracting a loyal audience of around 20,000 visitors driven by a passion for food that is fresh and grown or reared on healthy soil, free from chemical pesticides and fertilisers. Open to all growers, producers and retailers of certified organic foods, clothing and products, this year’s OFF will feature new areas for children, mothers and babies and, after they proved such a hit last year, lots more live farm
�
13–17 July, Blackdown Hills, Somerset
www.buddhafield.com/festival No drugs, no alcohol
animals. September 3-4, Bristol Harbourside, £5 per day, £8 for the weekend. www.organicfoodfestival.co.uk Bristol International Kite Festival: Celebrating it’s 25th year, the organisers of the Bristol International Kite Festival are planning an actionpacked aerial extravaganza with kite flyers from as far away as New Zealand, Kuwait and Thailand joining enthusiasts from across Europe. With spectacular flying displays, kite fighting battles and breathtaking synchronised routines to music as well as colourful inflatables, air sculptures and kids’ kite making workshops, it’s a great weekend out. September 3-4 free entry (car parking £7) www.kite-festival.org.uk The Festival of Nature: the biggest event of its kind in the UK, this festival on Bristol’s Harbourside June 18-19 gives wildlife enthusiasts of all ages the opportunity to explore, enjoy and get close to the natural world – all free of charge. The Amphitheatre and At-Bristol’s Millennium Square will be packed with organisations running fun and interactive activities, with workshops. exciting programme of talks, screenings and scheduled events taking place. Don’t forget the ever popular Green Forum tent, where over 40 environmental and conservation organisations will be running activities and sharing ideas. www.bnhc.org.uk
Bristol International Kite Festival: Celebrating it’s 25th year, the organisers of the Bristol International Kite Festival are planning an actionpacked aerial extravaganza with kite flyers from as far away as New Zealand, Kuwait and Thailand joining enthusiasts from across Europe. With spectacular flying displays, kite fighting battles and breathtaking synchronised routines to music as well as colourful inflatables, air sculptures and kids’ kite making workshops, it’s a great weekend out. September 3-4 free entry (car parking £7) www.kite-festival.org.uk Brisfest: This year’s BrisFest September 23-25 promises to be bigger, bolder and better than ever before, however with last year’s event bringing together 500 bands, DJs, comedians, cabaret and circus performances as well as poetry, street art, dancers and a whole host of free workshops they’ve got something pretty impressive to beat. Established in 2008 as a community-led event after the demise of the city’s iconic Ashton Court Festival, BrisFest is centred around the Harbourside and Amphitheatre, although events take place all over the city. www.brisfest.co.uk
18th-21st
Sunrise
• Open spaces • Wholesome fare • Low-impact adventures
August 2011
presents
Turn Off & Switch On!
Family holiday weeks near Dorset’s Jurassic Coast for Bushcraft, Theatre, Fossils & More.
At the beautiful Fernhill Eco-Farm in Somerset Join us for
THE OFF GRID Gathering of 2011: 4
Full days Featuring...
The OFF GRID College: A 13 modular course on all things off grid Plus Permaculture - Bushcraft - Alternative technologies - crafts Transition Tin Village - kids tribal village - sauna - Forest School Music - Alt Currencies - Future Farming - Eco Communities & more
Monkton Wyld Court
All powered by micro-generation of clean, renewable energy!
a centre for sustainable living 01279 560342 www.monktonwyldcourt.org
www.sunrise-offgrid.co.uk Tickets from £65
Kids ONLY £20 + Parking * Bristol Ticket Shop: 0845 108 0259 All proceeds in aid of the Natural Communities Foundation reg Charity no. 1141295
RISE UP SINGING!
Q IGONG SU MMER CA M P
Voice Camp
"Amazing value for money... one of the best weeks of my life"
beautiful secluded site • organic and local food • experienced facilitators strong community • safe and supportive atmosphere • child friendly river swimming • wild woodland • simple low-impact living
July ((-*"th “Profoundly Dartmoor transformative”
5-14th August
with Helen Yeomans, Gavin Frank, Nick Price, Graham Burgess, Ruth Jenni, Rob Carney & friends "The singing was amazing, invigorating, heart-stopping!" Gospel • Blues • Jazz • Natural Voice • Songwriting... and more Beautiful meadow • Experienced facilitators • Children’s activities
www.riseupsinging.co.uk
20-23
on Dartmoor with daverick leggett, brad richecoeur, graeme mccracken & friends
!"#$ %%! $!"& www.qigong-southwest.co.uk
"#$% $%& '#%(
33
marketplace
for shops, products & services
art For 80 varieties of quality artisan cider
Bristol
r CidSehop
• Arts • Crafts • Gifts Open to all
Supporting Children’s Scrapstore.
OPEN: Mon-Sat: 10am-5pm
Artrageous at The Childrens Scrapstore Scrapstore House, Sevier Street, St Werburghs, Bristol BS2 9LB Tel: 0117 914 3025
7 Christmas Steps, Bristol BS1 5BS www.BristolCiderShop.co.uk (0117) 382 1679
Reg. Charity No 2624238
getting away
food & drink your 5-a-day the easy way loads of recipes
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SUPERMARKET organic veg, meat, dairy + more fresh from our farm vegboxes around 20% cheaper than supermarkets free delivery 01803 762059 www.riverford.co.uk
special offer: advertise in this space for just £280 (inc VAT) for a whole year! Call Ann on 0117 914 3434
Q I G O NG CA M P Dartmoor 5-14 August
beautiful secluded site • organic and local food experienced facilitators • strong community safe and supportive atmosphere • child friendly river swimming • wild woodland simple low-impact living
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services
gift shops
Rise Up Singing! July 22"#0th voice Dartmoor camp “Profoundly transformative”
A family friendly camp with inspirational teachers in a beautiful Dartmoor meadow ...gospel, blues, jazz, impro, natural voice, cosmic poetry, songwriting and more "Amazing value for money... one of the best weeks of my life"
Jewellery, Gifts and Curiosities from around the World. Watches, Silver, Costume and Body Jewellery. Watch Batteries and Straps fitted Free. Aromatherapy Oils, Crystals, Music Tarot and Meditation Cards. Candles Woodcarvings Furniture, Soft Furnishings and more. 18 St Marys Street, Thornbury, Bristol BS35 2AB Tel &Fax: 01454 415303 E-mail: bibelotuk@hotmail.co.uk www.mythornbury.co.uk/bibelot
www.riseupsinging.co.uk 0845 4561852
gift shop
• B espoke nomadic shelters from canvas and wood • New and exclusive Krygyz Yurts including traditional felt interiors • Comprehensive range of sizes, colours and options • Extras including wood-burning stoves and decking floors Contact us now to discuss your requirements • Furnished Tipis and Yurts available for hire • Glastonbury Tipi and Yurt Holidays • Camping parties, weddings, festivals, ceremonies, special occasions • Event production • Official Glastonbury Festival Tipi Field co-ordinators
Tel: 01749 899521 Email: tipisyurts@hearthwork.co.uk Est. 1999
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.
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
available now from all good bookshops and gift shops
Fairtrade clothes • Bags • Gifts • Funky Tights Comprehensive range of Jewellery • Body Jewellery Scarves • Cards • Knitting yarns • Haberdashery and other Fantastic Stuff
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07816 960658
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Herbs & Herbal Medicine
Visit us on the first floor of the Galleries, Broadmead (next to Waterstones) Tel: 0117 922 5877 E-mail: bristol@evolutiongifts.co.uk
Visit our website and book your festival accommodation now!
garden design
The Alternative Department Store
Herb Walks, Talks & Courses Complementary Health Clinic
www.urbanfringe.co.uk 58 Colston Street, Bristol. Tel 9276527
design for print stationery
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8/12/10 08:54:56
12/05/2011 15:06
Solar Panels can improve your world I have recently fallen in love with solar panels. This may sound ridiculous, but it’s true. Every time I see one in the sun, I know it’s making free electricity and will do so for over 40 years! There is, however, a lot more to them than simply making electricity.
What is this Feed in Tariff all about? The Feed in tariff is a Government backed scheme that started in April 2010, its here to encourage and reward people for installing renewable energy technologies, it offers you a great way to help the planet, reduce your energy bills and make an income…
There is here an opportunity to change the world.
You get a 8–12% annual return on your investment, and that income is inflation linked, tax free and guaranteed for 25 years.
With care, solar panels can pay back the carbon used in their creation in under a year. They passively create energy, require little maintenance, and don’t make noise. Their presence on rooftops all around our cities helps remind us how we can be active participants in bettering the planet.
You get paid for everything you generate (even if you use it all yourself).
Solar panels are also perfect for community energy projects that create social cohesion, and they offer brilliant opportunities to provide free energy for those living in social housing or facing fuel poverty. Generating electricity locally also eliminates the giant losses of our current system that moves power wastefully around the country. Now imagine looking up at those panels and seeing not only that free electricity, but an industry behind it that is a model for how our world needs to work. Indeed, the solar panel industry has the chance to show how businesses can be run sustainably and responsibly. It can exemplify how private industry can positively impact communities, improve livelihoods and preserve the environment. It is of course, easy for the industry to do the wrong thing so remember to ask where your solar panels come from and the story behind them. With a new and growing industry, there is a real opportunity to create demand for responsible products and practices which match the sustainable themes the industry offers. The industry, and those who support it, has the chance now to ensure the solar panel business is as brilliant and inspiring as the prospect of the energy it sells.
It works best on a south facing roof, but can work well even if your roof faces east or west. A 4 kW Example: 31 m2 of south facing, unshaded, roof space in Bristol would allow you an 18 panel, 4 kW system; this could generate about 3700 units per year and would earn about £1650 a year. Giving you a 12% return on you investment and saving 1.9 Tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. The future of the Feed In Tariff is uncertain, but it’s definitely up for review in April 2012. Now is the time to join the solar revolution, give us a call today.
Why Ethical Solar? At Ethical Solar we believe in the importance of running a responsible and sustainable business. The company’s two directors (a former airline pilot and director for the BBC Natural History Unit) have seen how the world is changing, they also saw this opportunity to do great things and believe that everybody can do the same. We install panels that have the lowest embedded carbon, ensure that panel manufacturers look after their workers, and offer recycled solar panels that use the waste of the industry to make great new panels. We are also providing employment opportunities to the longterm unemployed, run our vehicles on waste vegetable oil and do our utmost to provide the best service, value and advice to those we work with.
We LOVE to talk solar, if you want to know more, please get in touch!
www.ethicalsolar.org - 0117 314 9040
Public Speaking Workshops with a difference in Bristol, Bath, London & Manchester
You can learn to speak publicly and be the centre of attention Imagine being at ease and in your flow in front of a group. And if that was true what would you do with your life? Overcoming your fears?
Becoming a powerful speaker?
John Dawson
Most people are scared of public speaking. It’s not just speaking - it could be being the centre of attention or having everyone’s eyes on you. So you may be uncomfortable in tutorials, not able to speak up in meetings, scared to make presentations or dreading the full blown speech. It’s a very well known fear - it can stop you feeling good at work or ruin a social gathering. But in four evenings or in a day workshop you CAN change the way you speak and feel in front of people. I’ve been running the course for over ten years with people at all levels of speaking experience who want to be more comfortable, more themselves and more effective in front of people. Lots of people are scared but the way we work really helps to make it as safe as possible. I am trained to use the work called Speaking Circles® developed by Lee Glickstein. It’s an innovative, warm, and very human approach. In a Speaking Circle you are provided with the support you need to express yourself naturally and effectively in front of any group. By learning how to be present your listeners, you can discover the key to establishing connection as well as reducing the fear. Its all simpler than we think.
Instead of “delivering presentations”- hiding behind equipment and drowning participants with information - you can choose to have a real connection with the audience. Powerpoint has its place but its place should be as a tool rather than to dominate the process. Audiences crave a real person to connect with rather than “death by powerpoint”. You are the main feature - and the software should be in a supporting role. Are you really yourself when you stand up in front of people? Or do you find a mask to hide behind? Do you feel really tired when you’ve been giving a training or a speech? Maybe you would like to have more mental capacity or freedom when you are facilitating a group. Are your presentations humdrum and do you feel ill at ease? The work lets experienced speakers re-examine the fundamentals of being in front of a group. Our work is to develop presence - where there is more space, freedom and more connection. You move from a “performance” to connecting with the audience, inspiring them while feeling at ease. So your presentations become conversational, passionate and connected.
My passion is helping you find your voice when you are the centre of attention so you can take part more fully in life. It’s about helping you to understand what’s going on and how to be more yourself in front of a group. My core purpose is to help you take your space in the world and I love the work. I’ve been a Licensed Speaking Circles® facilitator for over 10 years and I'm the senior licensed facilitator in the UK. In Feb 2009 I was appointed to the Speaking Circle International Advisory Board. I also have a Diploma in Group Facilitation (IDHP). I also founded and edited The Spark Magazine for 16 years. For a chat or to book a course ring see the website for new number - I’m moving. e-mail me on john@speaking-infront.co.uk or see www.speaking-infront.co.uk
“I feel liberated from my fear which is a fantastic feeling and one I quite honestly never felt I would experience in this way. I always felt I would have to struggle on with it and probably never enjoy teaching again. But, now I feel that I have been given a secret and that although I will probably feel nervous, I don’t think I will ever again feel totally mortified and want to run away.
I feel liberated not only in relation to public speaking and teaching but also in relation to being with people in general; I feel more relaxed and the need to try so hard has vanished with very kind regards Gerry
Participants’ feedback
I have been on various public speaking courses in the past and this is the first one that actually helped me relax and enjoy the experience of public speaking. I think the course and the facilitator’s approach is excellent. Melanie Very supportive, human, real. Cuts through to the heart of the issue and helps deal with them in a safe way. I wish I had done it three years ago! Ed I liked the core ideals of the course. The course works beautifully. I liked the way you gently layered the learning and the way you modelled the teaching. Roger A fantastic course which has given me a new perspective on things. A safe environment was created from the start and everyone was made to feel welcomed and accepted.
Joe Thank you very much! An excellent course that I’d recommend highly to every body no matter how nervous you are. I am very pleased with my progress Lorna The course was excellent, very useful, informative, logical, with an exceptional and inspirational coach. John has a genuine interest in your improvement - its invaluable. David
infront workshops summer/autumn 2011 • learn how re-think public speaking and presentations
day workshops
2 day courses
John’s news
2011
one day fundamentals
extra 2 day courses for July and September are being arranged
I’m moving
re-thinking presentations
10-11th September to be confirmed Taking your place in the world - Bath or Bristol
When The Spark comes out we should be living in Bath! (cross your fingers) Now that I’m here I’m planning to add a number of extra day, evening and weekend courses in Bath to my schedule. Please take a look at my website for further information. If you have a great venue for a course please do let me know. I’m also interested in ways I can connect with interesting projects in Bath so do please contact me about your project/ venture/idea via email or look on the website for my new number. Thanks John
Fridays The most popular way of doing the work. You will learn how to: • Ease fears of speaking in public • Compel rapt attention without “performing” • Improve personal & professional communication and probably have an enjoyable time (honestly!). Read the feedback on the website. Fridays
• Friday 3 June London • Friday 10th June Bristol • Friday 29th July Bristol • Friday 30th September Bristol • Saturday 8th October Manchester • Friday 21st October Bristol • Friday 11th November Manchester Venue in Bristol is the Pierian centre 9.30 - 5pm Individuals: Price £115 or £95 early bird price if booked and paid by a month before. People paid for by Organisations £130 or £105 if booked and paid by a month before
28-29th October London Taking your place in the world 2 day course on public speaking. Learn how to deliver a truly compelling talk and create rapport with the audience. Find out why the answer is presence and connection and not just about the powerpoint You will feel far more comfortable in front of an audience. £250 if booked before September 20th November 19-20th Bristol Taking your place in the world £175 if booked before October 19th
booking courses I’m right in the middle of a house move so for my latest telephone number please see the web You can always e-mail me at john@speaking-infront.co.uk. Please say if you want to pay by Paypal via your debit card or send a cheque made payable to John Dawson (Please indicate which course you want), and include your name, telephone, address etc.
pilot course number 2 look for dates on the web
and please send to John Dawson, Speaking Infront, Bath Brewery, Toll Bridge Road, Bath, BA1 7DE. • Please note my cancellation policy
• up to a week before workshop - free • cancellation 6 days or less - no refund.
There are also evening classes in Bristol & Bath More details on the website
Do you want develop your skills to be a confident presenter with or without powerpoint? Do you want to work with what the audience really wants? There are 20 million powerpoint presentations done every working day around the world: how many of those are simply reading out slides? What would it mean to re-think presentations and bring them fully alive? The course will help you re-think presenting. Bring simplicity, integrity, and passion to your presentations and learn about the best ways to connect with the audience. Can we be ourselves and be conversational in a presentation? The course is not anti powerpoint - its about finding new and better ways of presenting. Pilot course - limited to 6 places only. Requirements - you need to be reasonably confident about being in front of people and to bring a 5 minute presentation to work on. A little pre-course reading (about an hour) is necessary. Talk to me for more information. Pilot course prices £400 £150 for two days
Find out about the public speaking secret that shouldn’t be a secret and about other courses and coaching on www.speaking-infront.co.uk
Thank you so much for your inspiration, enthusiasm and hospitality Claude AnShin Thomas Zen Buddhist Monk American Vietnam Veteran Author and Advocate for Nonviolence
28th & 30th July 2011 Claude AnShin Thomas fought in Vietnam where he was responsible for the death of hundreds. The experience led to a downward spiral of aggression, drink and homelessness. After years of suffering from the consequences of war, he was able to begin a path of transformation and change.
Summer 2011
Weds 15th June, 7.30pm An evening with Francine Blake, founder of the Wiltshire Crop Circle Study Group. What is their impact, how are they formed, and what do they mean? £12.50 – booking essential on 0117 924 4512 or www.pieriancentre.com
He was ordained a Zen Buddhist Monk in 1995 – and now leads a mendicant life. He works worldwide for nonviolence and the transformation of inner and outer violence.
Francine Blake 2008
The Mystery of Crop Circles
He speaks at Saint Stephen’s Church, BS1 1EQ on Thurs 28th July: 6pm soup, 6.30pm talk: £7.50 (www.saint-stephens.com). He also facilitates a workshop at the Pierian Centre, 27 Portland Square, BS2 8SA: 10am–5pm on Sat 30th July: £25. No-one turned away for lack of funds.
For bookings & info: www.pieriancentre.com 0117 924 4512 info@pieriancentre.com For more information: www.zaltho.org
A Pierian Centre Health & Wellbeing Talk
The UK’s longest running laughter workshops
Friends Scheme! Support us – and serve the community of Bristol – by becoming a Friend of the Pierian Centre!
Weds 22nd June
Laughter workshops
Reduced prices at all our special events! Unique offers from our suppliers & caterers! Friends’ Evenings with live music & talks! And our First 100 Evening – a gourmet wine tasting sponsored by Averys! All for only £50 per year / £5 per month!
Launch of Bristol as a City of Sanctuary
With Joe Hoare www.bristollaughterclub.com 0781 215 9943 3rd Tuesdays monthly: 21/6; 19/7; (not Aug) etc. 7.30-9pm, group prices from £6pp
� �������������������� ���������������������������� T he P rimordial M ind R ecovery of I ndigenous C onsciousness SHAMANIC WORKSHOPS W ORKS HOPS Sat 25th 25th June: June: Meditations Meditation ns for the Recovery Recovery e of Indigenous Mind d 10am-4pm m Sun 2 26th 6th June: June: Ravenflight Ravenfligh e ht & Bearwalk: Bearw waalk: Shamanic Work Wo rk for for our our Future Future 10am-4pm 10am--4pm £65 (limited concs.) £115 w when hen booked together Booking: 01993 822168 & mail@barrycottrell.com
www.earth-awareness.com/jkremer
Tel: 0117 970 6914 Mob: 0779 416 8010 English and French speaking
monique.brasseur@talktalk.net www.moniquebrasseur.co.uk
4.15pm Procession and Umbrella Dance on College Green 5pm Event in Bristol Cathedral to celebrate Sanctuary with specially composed songs and music 6.30pm Close
Do come and join us! www.cityofsanctuary.org/bristol
Author of Find Your Power
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY The new science of happiness. Sat 28th May, repeated 23rd July
A TASTE OF GAIA
A scientific & spiritual view of life on earth. Sat 4th June
RESILIENCE AND POSITIVE CHANGE Sun 3rd July
All courses 10am – 5pm. To book, email info@pieriancentre.com or phone 0117 924 4512 More details at: www.chrisjohnstone.info
MAKE THE SHIFT IN CONSCIOUSNESS
MO N I Q U E B R A S S E U R
Psychotherapy & Counselling (UKCP) When life and events become overwhelming, confusing and painful... I can help you gain insight and clarity - and support you as you regain trust and confidence in yourself, leading to a happier life.
3pm Welcome Civic Ceremony in the Council House with Lord Mayor and Leader of City Council
COURSES with CHRIS JOHNSTONE
Why Is Life Sometimes Difficult? Understand where suffering comes from and how to overcome it. June 25th–26th repeated Sept 3rd–4th
Sound relaxation and meditation & voice and sound circles
The True Nature of Reality Understanding this is the key that opens every door.
Thursday evenings at the Pierian Centre – for dates see www.pieriancentre.com
A Life of Peace and Harmony Open up to the new Consciousness here on Earth.
Now is the time to live in peace WEEKEND COURSES with Prue Elkington
July 16th-17th repeated Sept 17th–18th
July 30th–31st repeated Oct 1st–2nd
Celia Beeson celia@soundscape.org.uk 0117 329 7235
For more information: www.prueelkington.com For bookings: prue_elkington@hotmail.com or 07580 516684
Get your website
Unique Conference Centre! From 50-strong Conferences to small meetings, this Grade 1 listed Georgian building offers you a warm, professional welcome!
The corporate world says: “All my delegates commented on the lovely atmosphere that you have created. As far as I’m concerned there is only one place to run seminars in Bristol.” WARM THANKS FOR THEIR ONGOING SUPPORT TO:
Thanks to Rolls Royce
online
in a day
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Special, non-technical workshop where you build a professional easy-to-update website for your organisation under the guidance of an expert. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 26 May, 23 June & 23 July Call Mark 07973 750 204 mark@webtrails.co.uk | webtrails.co.uk
Presentations? Public speaking? Introducing yourself at meetings? Public speaking courses with a difference with John Dawson 01934 830512
www.speaking-infront.co.uk imagine being at ease when you are the centre of attention
The Pierian Centre Community Interest Company Company No: 6275797 27 Portland Square, St Pauls, Bristol BS2 8SA. Tel: 0117 924 4512 Email: info@pieriancentre.com Web: www.pieriancentre.com
AY D th N 4 PE NE O U J
FOR THE ART AND SCIENCE OF WELLBEING
Bath’s widest selection of complementary and holistic practitioners
Healing is not a place to get to, but a direction to walk in. Wellbeing is the choice to walk. . . . For a step in the right direction . . . . . WWW.
.CO.UK
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Letters & Competitions
Letters Write to: The Spark, 86 Colston St, Bristol BS1 5BB Dear Spark, I have been reading the interview with Charles Hazlewood in the spring issue of The Spark and note that he said if you want a loaf of bread in Glastonbury High Street, you are probably out of luck. He is wrong. In Glastonbury High Street there is an excellent local baker’s called Burns the Bread, the Co-op supermarket sells bread, as does the Truckle of Cheese, the healthfood shop, and the 100 Monkeys Café bakes their own bread. How many high streets have such a good choice alongside Charles Hazlewood’s parallel universe of crystal balls, readings and massage? Glastonbury High Street caters for all. Jane Manstall Glastonbury, Somerset Dear Jane, You are so right and I apologise for not including an editor’s note next to the article pointing out Charles’s mistake. For our readers, here are details of the places Jane lists in Glastonbury’s High Street: Burns the Baker at number 14; Truckle of Cheese at number 33; Earthfare at number 45; Hundred Monkeys Café at number 52; Radstock Co-Operative Society Glastonbury at numbers 32-34. Bill Heaney Editor Dear Spark, Hope this finds you well? Forgot to let you know, your article on the Buddhist Boulevard prompted Radio Bristol to do a wee feature a few weeks ago and I had 3-4 mins being interviewed live on the breakfast show.... So thank you for occasioning that extra bit of publicity for us! Love Satyalila x Bristol Buddhist Centre Dear Spark, I picked up a copy of The Spark locally, the first time I’ve seen the magazine in the Stroud area. It is interesting, but can I make a comment or two? I’m so glad to see that you abide by ethical principles. In this, is the magazine printed on recycled paper? I could not find any information about this. If not, can I ask you to consider doing so in future?
Another point: your small print says that you take no responsibility for the quality of an advertiser’s service or conduct. As an ethical magazine, do you not think you ought? If, for instance, a reader contacts you, do you not think you have some kind of duty to satisfy yourself and your readers about the bona fides of such firms. Also, as an ethical magazine, I hope that you will print my letter and not just throw it in the bin. Yours, Norman Kay Nailsworth, Glos. Dear Norman, Thanks for your letter; I’m glad that you’ve enjoyed reading the Spark and trust you’re now finding it easier to pick a copy up locally. The Spark is not printed on recycled paper, but it is printed on sustainably-sourced PEFCcertificated paper, which costs us more than ordinary newsprint but is much more environmentally sound; PEFC International is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting sustainable forest management, working throughout the entire forest supply chain to promote good practice and to ensure that all forest products are produced with respect for the highest ecological, social and ethical standards. Our printers have full FSC and PEFC chain of custody credentials and are holders of the IS0 14001 environmental standards award. We also collect up all spare copies of the magazines from our distribution points and recycle them. We simply do not have the time to check every single advertiser’s credentials, but encourage our readers to. If a reader or an advertiser contacts us with concerns over anything they have seen in the Spark – either in our editorial or contained in an advert – we always try and sort it out. In addition, we have on occasion refused adverts because of concerns around content, or we have insisted that people change the content of their ads to comply with legislation. Darryl Bullock Publisher
competition winners 64 Wiggly bird feeders: Pat Mclaren (Bristol), Isobel Michael (Norton St Philip), Mark Baker (Taunton), Susie Fugle (Bristol), Jean Beer (Bristol), Sue Grzadkowski (Midsomer Norton), Jennifer Kear (Clevedon), Christine Hartley (Bristol), Wendy Davis (Bristol). Yaoh suncare kits: Cristiana Ionescu (High Wycombe), Susan Garnham (Chesham), Ms S Desvaux (Opington). Runners-up: Maria Collier (Chepstow), Phil Cook (Cheltenham), Chris Ducker (Chelscombe), Sarah Oztoprak (Bristol), Christine Bull (Battersea), Jess Scott (Keynsham), Paola Sileno (Bristol) Chris Edmonds (Weston Super Mare), Claire Marsh (Bristol), Rosalind Eccles (Gloucester). Wychwood Weekend: Rowena Griffiths (Bristol).
Exclusive Spark reader offer: luxury Cotswold hotel break
F
ancy a mid-week break surrounded by stunning Cotswold scenery in a beautiful and historic country inn? You do? Well the Spark has teamed up with The Inn at Fossebridge, a charming Georgian country retreat with wonderful accommodation, extensive grounds and fine food, to offer our readers a fantastic deal: A mid week (Sunday – Thursday) stay in a
Superior Room with full Cotswold breakfast for just £89 (normally £140 - £160). The price is based on two people sharing and also includes a complimentary bottle of house red or white wine (worth £15) – that’s a saving of up to £86! This exclusive offer for Spark readers is valid until August 22 (subject to availability and not to be used with any other offer): simply quote ‘Spark Offer’ when booking. Located six miles north of Cirencester in a dip of The Fosse Way (A429), the Inn at Fossebridge is within an hour’s drive of Stratfordupon-Avon, Oxford, Bristol and Bath, whilst Cheltenham, Burford, Stow-on-the-Wold and The Slaughters are just a short distance away. For further information or to make a reservation call Samantha or Abi on 01285 720721, email info@fossebridgeinn.co.uk or check out the website at www.fossebridgeinn.co.uk
53
Competitions
see back cover for festie comps
WIN! Embercombe “Journey”
T
he Spark has teamed up with the good folk at Embercombe to offer one lucky reader a place on The Journey, a five-day residential programme held overlooking Dartmoor, designed specifically for individuals who want to undertake a voyage of personal exploration and step towards their true authentic Self. Taking place from October 2-7 2011, The Journey attracts a wide range of participants with one thing in common: a desire to understand themselves better in the context of how they can contribute more meaningfully to a more sustainable world. It can be easy to lose sight of the bigger picture when you’re caught up in the daily grind, and time spent focussing on what’s really important can make all the difference. The Journey is Embercombe’s flagship programme, put together by the
charity’s founder, and author of ‘Finding Earth, Finding Soul’, Tim ‘Mac’ Macartney. For a chance to win this fantasticly generous prize, worth £490 (including yurt accommodation and full board), simply answer the following question: How does Embercombe’s founder describe the purpose of The Journey? You’ll find the answer at www.embercombe.co.uk/ journey Because this is such a unique opportunity we’d also like you to tell us, in not more than 30 words, why you would like to undertake The Journey. Embercombe are also offering runner-up prizes of two copies of Mac’s book and five copies of Notes for The Journey, their album of music inspired by taking action for a more sustainable world. Send your answer, on a postcard, to The Journey Comp, The Spark, 86 Colston St, Bristol BS5 8LH. Entries must be in by July 21. You can also enter online at www.thespark.co.uk www.embercombe.co.uk
WIN! handmade Firewok + trivet
B
ristol-based metalworker Kevin Hughes has been making Firewoks for 15 years. Designed to last, portable and versatile, a Firewok allows you to enjoy the warmth of a campfire without damaging the groud beneath it. With the addition of a three-legged trivet, you can use it to cook one pot meals, stews, soups, or a simple cuppa, and Kevin has developed a range of accessories to aid cooking. Conversation changes around a Firewok: it becomes a focus, almost a mediator to allow open-hearted sharing, and Kevin recommends that new Firewok owners conduct a simple ceremony, offering something in gratitude for the materials used in its manufacture. Kevin has been working in metal for over 20 years, piecing together scrap into objects for sale before evolving into public art commissions and the development of the Firewok which, in his own words: “Replaced the old bin lid being used as a fire pit!” His most recent commission was a municipal barbecue designed for Montpelier Park, Bristol, inspired by the Firewok ethos
The Spark has teamed up with Kevin to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a handmade, 24inch stainless steel Firewok with trivet and firecone. For a chance of snagging this great prize simply answer the following question: What does a firecone do? Hint: you’ll find the answer at www.firewok.co.uk Send your answer, on a postcard, to Firewok Comp, The Spark, 86 Colston St, Bristol BS5 8LH. Entries must be in by July 21. You can also enter online at www.thespark.co.uk www.firewok.co.uk
WIN! Champers meal at Living Room
T
he Living Room Bristol is offering one lucky Spark reader the chance to win a champagne meal for five people to celebrate the launch of its new summer menu. With its global cuisine, chic decor and baby grand piano, The Living Room Bristol (www. thelivingroom.co.uk) is celebrating its new summer menu, offering healthy eating in the form of exciting new fish dishes and salads. Those with a sweet tooth won’t be disappointed, as there is also a great array of tempting homemade desserts. The winner and four companions will enjoy
a three-course meal for five (to the value of £250): choose from starters such as The Living Room Ploughman’s sharing board; mains like smoked haddock with wholegrain mustard mash, wilted spinach and Hollandaise and desserts such as white chocolate and Bourbon biscuit cheesecake with strawberries, drenched in a basil syrup. The prize includes a bottle of house wine, coffee, water and a celebratory bottle of Laurent Perrier Brut champagne! To win, simply tell us this: how many Living Room venues are there in the country? Hint: you’ll find the answer at www. thelivingroom.co.uk. To win this fantastic meal experience send your answer, on a postcard, to Living Room Comp, The Spark, 86 Colston St, Bristol BS5 8LH. Entries must be in by July 21. You can also enter online at www.thespark.co.uk. Terms and conditions: Prize includes a champagne meal for five up to the value of £250. All five party members must be aged 18 or over. Subject to availability and at the manager’s discretion. The Living Room supports responsible drinking.
the Spark: at the heart of the amazing West country phenomenon The world’s biggest organic food festival is held in Bristol • The Glastonbury Festival is the largest greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world • VegFest Bristol is the biggest vegan event in Europe • The largest concentration of organic farmers in the UK is in the South West • Bristol has the more art trails than any other city in the UK • The longest running anti-war vigil in the UK is in Bristol • Café Maitreya, Easton has been voted the UK’s top vegetarian restaurant by the Which? Good Food Guide, the Observer Food Magazine and the Vegetarian Society • Bristol Festival of Nature is the UK’s biggest celebration of the natural world • The National Cycle Network has made the greatest overall impact to UK national life of any Lottery project. Sustrans of course is based in Bristol • The Bristol area has more counsellors per person than anywhere in the UK.
www.thespark.co.uk
54 changemaker
Uma Dinsmore-Tuli, yoga teacher interviewed by Fiona McClymont • photo Jo Halladey Uma Dinsmore Tuli, 46, is a yoga teacher and trainer. She co-founded the Sitaram yoga training partnership with her husband Nirlipta Tuli in 1998. Her latest project is Yoga Seva, a organisation committed to using yoga to serve those in need. She has written Feel Confident: Yoga for Living and Mother’s Breath and is particularly interested in pregnancy and post-natal yoga, mother and baby yoga, women’s health and what she has named “Womb Yoga”. She lives in Stroud with her husband and three children , all of whom were born at home in the Sitaram yoga space. I’ve been practising yoga since I was four; one of my first memories is of adjusting my mother’s Bow pose! Back in 1969 there was a daytime programme called Yoga for Health with Richard Hittleman on Thames TV. My mum had a mat and would follow these lovely women in their leotards doing yoga on the telly and I did it alongside her. For her it was a fad, but for me it resonated really deeply, even as a child and became, over time, a calling. Yoga is about empowering the individual to know what changes they need to make. There’s a beautiful key mantra: “With great respect and love, I honour my heart, my inner teacher.” That’s what yoga is all about, the inner teacher. The paradox is that everyone already kind of knows what they need to do, they have just somehow got disconnected from it. The word yoga means oneness – it’s about union and reconnection with your own essential wisdom and essential happiness. In the West, yoga’s been presented as a way to the body-beautiful..., but we’ve reached a point now where there are so many people who’ve been doing yoga for so long and teachers who have given their whole life to it and eventually it drives you towards wanting to serve. Yoga Seva is our new baby. Seva means “selfless service”. It’s the yoga of action: you are doing stuff not with the intention of getting reward for it but because it’s the right thing to do. I’m working with a lot of teachers who offer yoga in a healing way, for post-natal recovery, mental health, children with additional needs. With Yoga Seva the aim is to provide training places and support for teachers to do projects that continue long-term. We’ve got a clear vision and are now a registered charity and hopefully we’ll become a worldwide organisation. At different times in your life, you have different priorities and different things suit you. During my journey, I’ve done all kinds of yoga. They all follow the same principles, but there are so many different forms that people get confused. And then there is the in-fighting! That division really bothered me; it was madness. I had this visionary desire to get all the yoga teachers of all kinds together, in a big field in Somerset, where they could
see what everybody else was doing and realise that we are all in the same line of “business”. So I started the Santosa Yoga Camps, which have been going for six years now. That’s brought a really positive change. I think it’s created better teachers, ones that have a 360-degree view of what’s on offer who feel more confident saying “What I do doesn’t fit you, you’d be better off down there with my mate who does Kundalini yoga, or whatever”. Every individual has an inner strength and sometimes we have to get right down deep into a desperate place to find that. Nowhere is that more obvious than with women in labour. My first labour was an amazing experience because at the point of extreme need a particular meditation of breath practice just arrived and came into me to do. I call it the Golden Thread Breath. It was a clear moment of change because it was so powerful and effective for me instead of ending up in an ambulance and then having an emergency C-section, I had my baby at home. Obviously I then felt completely evangelical about it and wanted to share it. Womb Yoga is radical and change-making. The most powerful meditation experience I ever experienced arose naturally, in my hour of need as a labouring woman because I surrendered to this power. But it doesn’t have to be about birth, it can be other points in a women’s life. Menstruation is obviously a fairly regularly occurring moment, when, if we recognise it and are given time and can honour it, we can actually connect with the great Siddhi or special, psychic power. As women, we have all these naturally-occuring moments of spiritual connection: as we menstruate, orgasm, have babies, lactate, enter the menopause, all we need to do is honour our own feminine path. People can be a bit shocked at first when they come to my classes! They’re like, “Oh my God, she said ‘vulva’!” But that passes quickly and I see the women settle into it as they start to move in a way they enjoy and go, “You know, I feel like I already knew this.” They feel so at home with it because it suits their body. So much of yoga has come from the male tradition. There’s little movement, it’s all about holding very steady and can be uncomfortable and even inimical to female health. Womb yoga is very
rhythmic and fluid, all movements are like pilgrimages around the womb, honouring its sacred functions. So yes, we use words you never hear in your usual classes, like vulva and vagina and Mula Bandha* and we make sure that every pose is not just comfortable but is luscious, delicious and sensually pleasing for women to do. *a practice whereby you contract the perineum and pelvic floor; used to activate the interior body “locks” to control the flow of energy/prana. Yoga doesn’t have to be a solitary, arduous activity, meant only to be conducted in silence up some mountain. With some yoga there’s a very high initial payment: you have to learn a lot of complicated stuff, do it loads and feel quite shattered before you get any energy back out of it. Well, busy women don’t usually have much time to give to their yoga practice, and they don’t need to. If you learn a few key connections with your feet and pelvis, it’s like getting properly plugged in and a light goes on. It’s maximum return for minimal, conscious (but precise, not sloppy) investment. Having my daughter opened a door for me and opened my heart in a new way. I already had two boys and thought I knew pretty much everything about motherhood, but having a girl was a whole new experience. Just seeing this little woman and thinking “What kind of a world and life is she going to encounter?” I don’t want her to have to deal with all the crap that I had to deal with, I want things to be better for her. I want her to honour the fact that she’s a woman, to feel proud and enjoy it. We are now at a point where yoga will emerge as a mighty world power. I believe there will be a shift in consciousness which will change the course of world events, and the way it will happen is because women will change. It gives me goosebumps, actually, because it’s so amazing - if the women step forward, following their own inner teacher, then the whole world will change and who knows what we could give birth to. Ffi: www.sitaram.org/sitaram/santosa-yoga-camp www.wombyoga.org www.yogaseva.org Santosa Yoga Camp Cotswolds June 1-5 Santosa Yoga Camp Somerset Aug 20-28 Uma’s new book is Womb Yoga: Blood Wisdom
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April 26
listings ads info To get the Early Bird rate your booking form, words, images and full payment must ARRIVE by June 16. You can pay by phone (0117 914 3444) using a credit or debit card, or book online: www.thespark.co.uk
listings pages available in colour. call Ann on 0117 914 3434 for prices
publishing August 22 November 28 February 27
events and classifieds 90p a word - great position in the front of the magazine; ongoing or one-off events; Accommodation Wanted/Offered, For Sale, Jobs, Van Hire etc. Or take an events box and make your ad stand out from the crowd
£1115
name standard
size h x w 65 x 50 mm
early bird £87
standard £120
£490
£1590
medium
85 x 50
£135
£690
£770
£2535
large
200 x 50
£108 £144
182 x 270
£690
£770
£2535
370 x 270
£1110
£1230
£4050
FREE • with every display ad a header 110 ad worth £123 • FREE Design fee of at least £35 (incl vat) will be charged for preparing non-artwork ready display ads this includes ads supplied as Word files. Ads should be supplied (at 300 dpi) as jpeg, pdf or tiff
inserts £50 per thousand - minimum run 10,000, max 34,000
£185
marketplace: shops, products & services name
size h x w
early bird
standard
4 issue offer
60 x 64.5mm
£96
£120
£280
double
131 x 64.5
£168
£195
£480
triple
202 x 64.5
£216
£240
£720
box
✃ Cut
out or photocopy
booking form
I’m booking an ad for issue
Your name: __________________________________
(Please indicate clearly the type, section, disability code and price for each ad)
Please remember all ads must be pre-paid
Have you enclosed ✓
Hey Sparky people, please run the following ads:
Organisation: _________________________________ e-mail: ______________________________________ Home address inc postcode: _______________________
clearly written/typed wording for my ad header artwork with clear instructions a cheque made payable to The Spark entered Disability access code
❍ ❍ ❍ ❍
___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
Total:
Telephone numbers: H: __________________________
Disability Codes: A - Level entrance to building; B - Room with level access; C - Adapted toilets; S - (number)Steps; NA - Not accessible; H - Home visits available; L - Lift Available.; T - Tel for further info.
please include a home/out of hours for deadline checking Mob: _________________________________
Signature: ___________________________________
Please attach extra sheets if needed and staple or attach text/text changes/logos and cheque to this form.
Please make cheques payable to The Spark. Please return to: The Spark, 86 Colston Street, Bristol, BS1 5BB
k r a
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COMPETITIONS
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Gaunts House festie tickets to give away!
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he Gaunts House Summer Gathering (August 11-14) is a unique and inspiring family-friendly event held over four days in the beautiful Dorset countryside, bringing spiritually minded, ecologically motivated and creatively-living people together to share in a loving, meaningful experience. Music on offer includes the folk, Celtic and World music collective Praying for the Rain, Gillie Nicholls whose sensual voice has been described as evocative and poetic, and Daughters of Elvin who play an exotic array of authentic instruments including hurdy gurdy, English bagpipes, cittern, Gothic harp and dulcimer. The Woodland stage returns this year with bands and open mic performers: bring along your instruments if you would like to perform. Workshops for adults, teenagers and children include drumming, voice and sound, Pranayama, Yoga, sound baths, tree and bush craft. Guest speakers will give talks on interesting and inspiring subjects and there will be a mix of market stalls to complete the dynamic atmosphere. To win two tickets to the Summer Gathering,
Win Quest Family Ticket!
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worth £250 simply answer the following: What is the name given to the carved fallen oak in Lewis Park? Hint: you’ll find the answer at www.gauntshouse.com Send your answer, on a postcard, to Gaunts House Comp, The Spark, 86 Colston St, Bristol BS1 5BB. Entries must be in by July 16. You can also enter online at www.thespark.co.uk. Five runners up will win copies of Naked Being by award-winning writer J.M.Harrison as runner-up prizes. Jonathan is director of education at Gaunts House. ffi: 01202 841 522 admin@gauntshouse.com www.gauntshouse.com.
uest Natural Healing Show, July 7-10 in Devon, is in its 16th year and is one of the South West’s favourite festivals. A mix of natural health show and healing festival it has workshops, trade stands, children’s activities and lunchtime and evening music performances. With 5000 visitors over 3 days its small enough to feel at home and big enough to have an exciting variety of speakers, workshops and bands. Many come back year after year to delight in the atmosphere and meet friends.
Our great friends at Quest are giving away tickets for two adults and two children with four days entry plus camping, worth £196. To win this super prize, please name the venue where Quest takes place. Hint: you’ll find the answer at www.questuk.co.uk. To win this fantastic prize, send your answer, on a postcard, to Quest Comp, The Spark, 86 Colston St, Bristol BS1 5BB. Entries must be in by June 16. You can also enter online at www.thespark.co.uk.
Win! Off Grid tickets
T Larmer Tree tickets up for grabs! Win! Shambala family ticket + car pass!
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ow in its 12th year, Shambala has “a friendly vibe, with lots of dressing up, fun and no attitude; that’s why people go back year after year”. So says our very own Beccy, who describes Shambala as her “one must-go-to festival every year”. It’s great for all ages and family types and set in absolutely beautiful grounds, she adds. This year from August 25 to 28, try out your arguing skills in the brand new debating chamber and vie for the public’s vote in a hotly contested talent show. The popular poetry competition is back and to persuade people to leave their cars at home, anyone who organises a ride of at least 10 bikes to the festival gets a free ticket. The lovely people at Shambala are offering Spark readers the chance to win a family ticket to this summer’s festival, which includes two adults, two children and a car pass, worth just over £300. To win, just answer this question: What’s the name of the talent show organised by the Social Club at this year’s festival. Hint: You’ll find the answer on Shambala’s website www.shambalafestival.org To win this fantastic prize, send your answer, on a postcard, to Shambala Comp, The Spark, 86 Colston St, Bristol BS1 5BB. Entries must be in by July 16. You can also enter online at www.thespark.co.uk
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eld in lush gardens near Salisbury on the border between Wiltshire and Dorset, Larmer Tree Festival (July 13-17) features more than 70 diverse artists over six stages with 150 free workshops, street theatre and a carnival procession. This year’s Comedy Club headline acts are Russell Kane, Arthur Smith, Phil Nichol and Andi Osho and Jools Holland, Sandie Shaw and Hannah Williams & the Tastemakers head up the music line-up. Spark readers have a chance to win two free tickets to the festival by answering the following question: What was James Shepard’s original inspiration for the Larmer Tree Festival? Hint: You’ll find the answer on the Larmer Tree website at www.larmertreefestival.co.uk. Send your answer, on a postcard to Larmer Tree Comp, The Spark, 86 Colston St, Bristol BS1 5BB. Entries must be in by June 16. You can also enter online at www.thespark.co.uk.
Win! Green Gathering family ticket
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his exciting new event for 2011 carries on the tradition of environmentally and ethically conscious events that have been known for over 30 years. These gatherings showcase future technologies, alternative ways of life and have inspired many people to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. In a beautiful location the four-day camping event (July 28-31) is powered by renewable solar
Win! Boomtown tickets
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oomtown Fair (August 11-14) is the UK’s most creative escapist festival, celebrating DIY theatrical performance like no other. Hitting 2011 with intrepid new areas, earlier Thursday opening and ticket deals, this year has a strong focus on site design, sprawling street sets and a mythological festival history. The organisers are looking for all festival goers to dress up and “tap into their inner identity and unleash the beast from within”. The idea is “to create the most outrageous and extravagant town on the planet”. To be part of the fancy dress extravaganza and win two tickets to Boomtown, just answer the following question: What time do gates open at Boomtown? Hint: you’ll find the answer at www. boomtownfair.co.uk. To win this fantastic prize, send your answer, on a postcard, to Boomtown Comp, The Spark, 86 Colston St, Bristol BS1 5BB. Entries must be in by July 16. You can also enter online at www.thespark.co.uk
and wind energy and highlights innovative green technology, ethical markets, organic catering, speakers and films, music and cabaret stages, healing and holistic therapies and a variety of esoteric alternatives, traditional British crafts and workshops. It is 100% accessible with a specialist area team of dedicated people that will assist with additional and specialised needs. There will naturally be a fun, creative, energetic kid’s area. The first ever Transition Area will network the Transition Towns movement and local initiatives, raising local awareness of the inevitable result of climate change and the end of cheap abundant
he Off Grid Festival, the second festival of the year from the Sunrise team, takes place over the weekend of August 18-21 and is held on the fabulous Fernhill Eco-Farm near Cheddar and is focused on you learning practical skills associated with becoming energy self-sufficient. It features an in-depth, 12-module course on Off Grid living with a wide range of workshops, talks and musical entertainment on offer. The musical line-up for 2011 was still to be announced as this issue of The Spark went to press, but with performances last year from Simon Emmerson (Afro Celt Sound System), Seize The Day and members of Baka Beyond, it’s guaranteed to please anyone who loves roots, world and folk music, and there’s a beautiful kids’ area. Early bird adult ticket price is £65 and £20 (+ booking fee) for children. Parking and camping is not included, but with everything from camper van parking, tented areas, luxury tipis and B&B at the farm there’s bound to be something to suit. To win two adult tickets for Off Grid, including camping and parking (worth around £200), just answer the following question: in which hills are Fernhill Farm located, where Off Grid is held? Hint: You’ll find the answer at www.sunrise-offgrid. co.uk. Send your answer, on a postcard please, to Off Grid Comp, The Spark 86, Colston St, Bristol BS1 5BB no later than July 16, or enter online at www.thespark.co.uk
oil. The Spark has joined with The 2011 Green Gathering to offer a full event and 4-day camping family ticket. If you’d like a chance to win this fantastic prize simply visit www.greengathering2011.com to find the answer to the following question: What is the theme of Dr. Chris Busby’s talk at The 2011 Green Gathering? Send your answer, on a postcard to Green Gathering Comp, The Spark, 86 Colston St, Bristol BS1 5BB. Entries must be in by June 16. You can also enter online at www.thespark.co.uk