Bountiful Bristol Bulletin

As many of you will know, this July between the 7th and the 9th the G8; representatives from the world’s eight most powerful industrialized (primarily Western) nation-states; will meet near Lake Toya in Hokkaido, Japan, do discuss how best to continue robbing our earth, scorching our skies and ravaging human communities and eco-systems alike in the name of their own profit and power.

For those of us unable or unwilling to travel to Japan to mobilize against the G8’s policies (more…)

All welcome at Windmill Hill City Farm, next Sunday the 11th May to raise funds for the
gardens.

A couple of stalls and free kids activities during the afternoon then
ticket holders only from 4 onwards.

Tickets are £5. There are two live bands, food (incl. in price of ticket)
by Café Miatreya, and a bar.

Please join us in celebrating growing food!

Tickets can be bought in advance or on the day

Becky Thoburn

Windmill Hill City Farm Gardener

As I hope you all realise its Eastside Roots first Spring Fayre - this Saturday from 11am (Grand opening featuring Easton Community Choir - come early so as not to miss a great acapella sing song!) to 6pm up at Stapelton Road Train Station site. Below is a list of activities for adults and children alike so please check out so you dont miss anything.

Main Tent: (more…)

A chance to hear nationally and internationally acclaimed speakers,
plus workshop time to meet local people who have visited Palestine.
This conference is unique in the UK - Not to be missed!

SATURDAY 26th APRIL
BRISTOL NAKBA-60 CONFERENCE
10.30am til 5.00pm at Malcolm X Centre, City Road, St Pauls, Bristol.
Headline speakers include: (more…)

There was a great article in yesterday’s Independent Extra section called The Front Garden Farmers and yes, GROFUN got another few column inches! and also please check out this empowering story about a village in Hampshire called Martin who are collectively growing and rearing as much of their food as possible and making a profit, operating as a cooperative. The idea is to wean people off the supermarket and we at GROFUN salute them!

People often say that they have no time to grow vegetables and the nature of many people’s lives in so transient that they dont know if they’ll even be in the same house at harvest time.

Truth is that when faced with an uncertain future you dont have to let your garden turn to a wasteland or a jungle. Today a load of sinks, toilets and bidets were being scrapped from a big house in St Pauls, so my friend and I took then round to some ‘Grofunnies’ who have recently heard that their rented flat has gone on the market. (more…)

An International Days of Action for Squats and Autonomous Public Spaces has
been called for on the 11th and 12th of April 2008.
http://april2008.squat.net:8080/. Across Europe diverse groups of enraged
creatives will be reclaiming spaces for art, housing, workshops,
discussions, talks, films, food, swap-shops, music, performances & open mics
to name but the bare essentials.

Whilst their motives are locally specific, these autonomous actions are
drawn together by common threads: (more…)

Where? 1:30pm in Easton Community Centre - to learn some simple uplifting songs, then we’ll join the procession as it passes about 2:45pm

Come and join your voice to the chorus – let’s make a chorus! - it’s good for your body & soul – bring songs to share or just come and make a noise – it’s a living tradition, let’s keep it alive.

Wear: any combination of purple, pink, blue (but especially purple)

If you get stuck … shout for help. Or call John 07877 999764.

SUBURBAN FUTURES

Designing sustainable neighbourhoods
Exhibition: Main Gallery
20 March ­ 8 June, 2008
Like them or loathe them, the ‘leafy suburbs’ are where the vast majority of
us live. But challenges such as housing shortage and climate change mean
that the suburbs face potential radical change. Can we respond by creating
neighbourhoods that are low-carbon, healthy and happy places to live?
This thought-provoking exhibition sets out the key issues and asks how we
might make outer urban areas more sustainable. (more…)

A talk by Megan Quinn - film maker of Power of Community - How Cuba survived
Peak Oil.
Tuesday 7.30 pm on Monday 1st April
At Easton Community Centre, Kilburn St, Easton, BS5 9AW.
Megan will cover the basics of peak oil and climate change, but focus on the
potential solutions including curtailment strategies for housing,
transportation and food, and the importance of local community living and
community values in addressing the challenges at hand.
Followed by an open space session.
£3 donation on the door

For those who cant make that date Transition Bristol are screening film The Power of
Community also
At 7pm on Monday 31st March
At The Pickle Factory, All Hallows Rd, Easton

Following Transition Easton’s very postive launch event in February,
we will be holding monthly network meetings on the fourth Tuesday of
each month. Coming up we have:
Tuesday 25th March we have a gardening theme with talks by people
involved in local community gardening projects.
Tuesday 22nd April we will have a food theme featuring guest speaker
Paul Mobbs, author of ‘Energy Beyond Oil’ and former director of
Friends of the Earth.

Also, here are details of the March/April Transition Easton film
season. Films will be followed by a discussion.

Monday 31st March  ‘The Power of Community’ Cuba’s inspiring response
to their taste of the effects of ‘peak oil’.

Monday 7th April ‘A Crude Awakening’ New award winning documentary on
Peak Oil often mentioned in the national media.

Monday 14th April ‘Crude Impact’ Exploration of Peak Oil and the
devastating impacts of the oil industry around the world.

Monday 21st April ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ Al Gores award winning film
on the science and effects of climate change. Plus guest speaker Paul
Mobbs, author of ‘Energy Beyond Oil’ and former director of Friends of
the Earth.

Monday 28th April.
Short films ‘Carbon Weevils’ and ‘The Story of Stuff’ followed by
Rob Newman’s ‘History of Oil’ cabaret style exploration of the
inextricable link between oil and every aspect of our lives and politics.

All events will be held 7pm at Baggator Youth Centre, The Pickle
Factory, All Hallows Road, Easton, BS5 0HH.

For further info email transitioneaston@yahoo.co.uk

Local Food, a new and exciting grants programme funded by the Big Lottery Fund, will be open for applications from 17 March 2008.The £50 million programme aimed at making locally grown food accessible and affordable to local communities has been developed by a consortium of organisations, and is managed on their behalf by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT). Local Food is the first Award Partner scheme funded by the Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme to open its doors for applications, and will look to distribute grants to a variety of food-related community projects across England. Mark Wheddon, Local Food Programme Manager said:

“The Local Food programme provides a fantastic opportunity for a broad section of the public to gain access to local food and is perfectly timed to capitalise on the public’s enthusiasm for locally produced food and the environmental benefits which that brings.

“With such a broad and varied funding programme we would encourage people who are thinking of applying to be as creative as possible. From school farms and community box schemes, to local food education centres and community composting, the list is endless.”

Grants from £2,000 up to £500,000 will be awarded to not-for-profit groups and organisations in England delivering such projects as growing, processing, marketing and distributing local food; composting and raising awareness of the benefits of such activities.

Peter Wanless, Big Lottery Fund Chief Executive, said:

“The Big Lottery Fund is proud to support this scheme, which will help improve access to locally grown food for communities right across England. With such public interest in healthy eating and protecting our environment, there has never been a better time for people to come forward and apply for money to help put their local food projects into action.”

To find out more please call the Changing Spaces Advice Line on 0845 3 671 671 or visit www.localfoodgrants.org.

Have you ever dreamed of growing your own food and rearing your own animals but never thought you had the skills or space to get started?

Are you fed up with relying on shops and supermarkets for your every need?”

Then….why not join in with the GROFUN scheme OR contact KEO Films-the makers of River Cottage.

They want families with no experience of this sort of thing who are ready to commit to an experiment in self-sufficiency.

To find out more about this life-changing challenge please e mail rivercottage@keofilms.com or call 0845 8672694 and leave a message or phone 07811 443961 and ask to speak to Vanessa or Charlotte.

(I’m thinking of proposing that they come make a programme about GROFUN instead-it would be much better, tension, sweat, tears, compost, drama, slugs and laughter!!!!)

In other news-I have been interviewed by, not one, but two major broadsheets in as many days!!!! Yep, The Independent and The Telegraph have both been sniffing about the GROFUN headquarters (my bedroom) !!!

Look out for something in The Independent a week today or the following Thurs!

How exciting this all is………but its nothing without you-so join up to the scheme if youre at all interested and book in your Action Days asap and lets get things rolling!

Anyone interested in GROFUN is invited along to another informal meeting at The Albany, Shaftesbury Avenue, Montpelier, Wed the 19th, 6.30 for 7 where I’ll also be screening the film. There’s no obligation to sign-up its just a chance to find out more…….

Gro-well.

Abbey Home Farm are hosting ‘The Knitty Gritty - Knitting for Beginners’ Masterclass on Sat 29th March. See link for details:
http://www.soilassociation.org/web/SA/saweb.nsf/a4742d5445d8339e80256a6a0042e018/8c5187d7262c22b8802573b1002f5e71!OpenDocument

Time: 10.00am-4.30pm
Cost: £50.00 (inclusive of lunch and refreshments) or FREE* to those who join the Soil Association (see HOW TO BOOK on website). *A £5 surcharge is required for materials.

There are plenty of places left, so please whizz this round to anyone you think may be interested.

The hearts of many have already been exposed to “inner peace”. It is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions! It might also pose a serious threat to what, up until now, has been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.

Some signs and symptoms of inner peace:

* A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.

* An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.

* A loss of interest in judging other people.

* A loss of interest in judging self.

* A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.

* A loss of interest in conflict!

* A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.)

* Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.

* Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.

* Frequent attacks of smiling.

* An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.

* An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.

WARNING: If you have some or all of the above symptoms, please be advised that your condition of “inner peace” may be so far advanced as to not be curable. If you are exposed to anyone exhibiting any of these symptoms, remain exposed at your own risk.