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NOVEMBER 2013 NEWSFLASH!!! --- The Green Gathering phoenix rises --- In August Weirdigans became a group member of the Green Gathering Charity, and last month Em took the plunge into being a Green Gathering director. Dave volunteered to be entertainment co-ordinator and to build a new GG website; Em's spent the last few weeks adding content. Busy busy. Check out the new (still to be tweaked) website: www.greengathering.org.uk, and follow us on Twitter @Gathering_Green. There's a facebook page too, but other GG folks are looking after that. Earlybird tickets to the Green Gathering are only £70... Be great to see you there. We'll still be doing the cafe, right next to the Speakers' Forum. SEPTEMBER 2013 NEWSFLASH!!! --- We're back in Hebden & will be updating this website soon!
MARCH 2013 NEWSFLASH!!! --- Solidarity with No Dash For Gas --- Sign the petition to get EDF Energy to lay off the threatened £5 million lawsuit against peaceful climate activists: http://www.change.org/edf21
NEWSFLASH!!! --- The Green Gathering returns! --- March newsletter & new logo/website:
JANUARY 2013 NEWSFLASH!!! --- A New Era of Protests --- Protesting against the Bexhill-Hastings link road, Combe Haven Defenders are holed up in tunnels and enjoying the views of the valley in sturdy treehouses. There's a ground-level camp too, a camp-kitchen and compost loo. They're looking for support, of the live-in and drop-by variety. GM foods are also looking like making a comeback; corporate lobbyists are desperate for the cash and it's got nothing to do with feeding the needy. Check The Ecologist and GMWatch for details. On a more positive note, 'Real Farming' is also making a comeback: rallying resistance to industrial farming which strips soil, poisons land and alienates communities; calling for access to land as the first step to real food security: www.oxfordrealfarmingconference.org In international news, Idle No More and the Zapatistas are rising in the Americas and One Billion Rising is about to burst into a mass dancing revolution. NOVEMBER 2012 NEWSFLASH!!! - Land & Freedom Gathering ; Up The Anti-Reclaim the Future -More events if you're in, or can get, 'down South' ;) Nov 24: Land & Freedom Gathering at Runnymede Eco-Village, with the Diggers2102: workshops in traditional crafts & permaculture, talks and discussions on land rights and planning law, spoken word and music jam, bicycle-powered cinema. Dec 1: 'Up The Anti - Reclaim The Future' at St Mary Uni, London: How might we bring about radical change and create the future we want? Loads of talks, discussions and workshops, followed by music & comedy gig. OCTOBER 2012 NEWSFLASH!!! ---'Reclaim Hinkley' - antinuclear mass trespass report --- theoccupiedtimes.co.uk/?p=7265 AUGUST 2012 NEWSFLASH!!!
--- Autumn Events to look out for --- in Sept Alchemy Festival JULY 2012 NEWSFLASH!!! --- Two Festivals; Beyond Hedonism --- Highly Recommended: The Festival of Resistance, 20-22 July, Devon (never been to this one before and there'll be no Weirdigans here but the Anarchists Tea Pot will keep the brews brewing, Em Weirdigan will be spreading the Occupy word and it sounds like it might be good!). The Green Gathering, 2-5 August, Chepstow, Welsh Borders (here be Weirdigans, LEDisco, The Ideal Dome Exhibition AND a mini Occupy camp!!). JUNE 2012 NEWSFLASH!!! --- Carnival of Dirt --- Sombre and fun, anti-corporations action in London, June 15. MAY 2012 NEWSFLASH!!! --- Global Spring; Mayday Actions & More --- Occupy actions May 1st, 12th & 15th, in London, around the UK and across the world. APRIL 2012 NEWSFLASH!!! ---'Take the Flour Back' - a mass action against GM wheat --- Sun 27 May in Herts. Once released into the fields this genie won't go back in the bottle. Let's stop it.
Em Weirdigan's Occupy blog --- hazelhedge.wordpress.com OCTOBER 2011 OCCUPY LSX!!! --- New members welcome --- Inspiring,
moving, incredible. A temporary village in the heart of London,
complete with: This is absolutely not a bunch of lazy layabouts sitting around in tents. Rather, it's a micro version of the kind of society the Occupiers would like to see replicated in the wider world. Inclusive, truly democratic, compassionate, ethical, inspirational, honest. The Occupiers are a diverse bunch with a wide variety of backgrounds, beliefs and priorities. What they have in common is the knowledge that the way we've been running things - nationally, globally, politically, financially, socially - is wrong... plus a passionate belief that "another way is possible". The Occupiers agree that a change in values is required - we need to start putting people and planet before profit. This means nothing less than a severe shake-up and restructuring of our political, financial and social systems. A tall order? Yes, but the Occupiers believe we're worth it and we can do it. How? That's the big question and Occupy LSX does not pretend to have all the answers, although the incredible rate at which the protestors are educating and applying themselves (skill-shares, knowledge exchange, debates, lectures and workshops happen 24/7 at the camp) means that possible solutions are beginning to emerge. The Occupiers want a transparent and truly democratic decision-making process; an end to corporations and financial institutions that are more powerful than governments and 'too big too fail'; an end to oppression of majorities by unaccountable elite minorities. The camp's International Commission is working with the Occupy Movement worldwide because in an increasingly globalised world the solutions have to be co-ordinated on a grand scale. They are doing it for us, the public, the "99%". All power to them.... and to us. THE 'OCCUPY' MOVEMENT --- We
are the 99%... Some Weirdigans are off to London to camp out... to protest against corruption and greed in politics and the financial sector; to demand that people and planet come before profit; to speak up the only way we can because democracy - representation of the people by government - seems to have gone awry... THE NEW
WEBSITE --- Well,
I think it's revamped and ready to go. It's supposed
to be informative rather than flashy; more
like a newspaper or magazine than an all-singing-&-dancing example
of what the internet can do (obviously!). SEPTEMBER
2011 Camp with
non-violent-protest training over a long weekend, culminating in
blockade at Hinkley Point, planned site of new nuclear reactors. If
you'd rather see research and funds going towards sustainable energy
production, join the blockade or pledge support for the campaign.
Nuclear isn't clean. See Fukushima. It isn't cheap either. www.stopnewnuclear.org.uk NEWSFLASH!!! --- In disguise at Alchemy --- Not
quite ready to finish the season... JULY-AUGUST 2011 NEWSFLASH!!! --- The Green Gathering: a Resounding Success! --- We loved it... see Elf Weirdigan's Review and Pics... JUNE 2011 NEWSFLASH!!! --- New Site for The Green Gathering!--- TGG
will be held at Piercefield Park near Chepstow, Monmouthshire.
Apparently the site is surrounded by woodlands, standing stones,
ancient earthworks, gorgoeous gorges and dingly dells. The
dates are 28-31 July, so that's four nights of camping,
sustainably-powered entertainment and ecological enlightenment... in an
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty overlooking the Wye Valley. Tickets
are £90 for adults, free for kids under 12 (parking charges are
extra - but they'll be laying on buses from the local train station).
more info & tickets Become a Co-Owner in a Community-Based Food Co-operative - we have! 'Growing with Grace' is a wonderful project, a co-operative farm dedicated to sustainability and equality. Green waste from local residents is composted on site, tractors are run on biodiesel made on site by the village community co-op. The farm has one of the only forest gardens under glass in the country - two acres of glasshouse space, which in North Yorkshire is gold dust! GwG needs
investment to continue and is offering shares at £1 each (minimum
investment of £100). All the details and more about the project
can be found at: www.growingwithgrace. £75 early-bird tickets for TGG (The 2011 Green Gathering) will be on sale for just a week or so longer. Full price tickets will be £90. In addition to Transition skill-sharing and presentations by renowned Green activists there will be classic festival bands (funk, folk, prog-rock, afro-beat, reggae and more); traditional craft workshops; kids' activities; permaculture and healing areas; and of course, Weirdigans Cafe... NEWSFLASH!!! --- Renewables could power 80% of world's needs by 2050--- Good news for once: The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change) has released a report stating that it is feasible to aim for powering the world's energy needs via sustainable resources. It can be done... but governments need constant pressure to keep on the case. It won't be cheap... but then nuclear power stations aren't cheap and nor are wars... IPCC press release APRIL
2011 They are asking everyone to check out pictures and explanations and if you are concerned about oil drilling in the Arctic - spread the word. Find out more about this Action and how you can help MARCH 2011 A 4-day Green Festival, 28-31 July, Monmouthshire. greengathering2011.com This festival follows in a
tradition of environmentally and
ethically conscious events; Green Gatherings that have been running for
more than 30 years, growing from seed-like
beginnings, promoting future technologies, showcasing alternative
ways of life and inspiring thousands of festival-goers to live more
sustainable lives. This year's Green Gathering will combine education with entertainment; will encourage us to look at what we've learnt and where we're going; will show us how to become less wasteful and more self-reliant. Powered by renewable energy, it will host ethical markets, expert speakers and underground films, music and cabaret stages, organic cafes, holistic therapies, traditional crafts plus an abundance of workshops and esoteric alternatives. A Transition Zone, based around the Transition Towns movement, will provide a platform for networking and skill-sharing. Groups from around Britain who are working to enhance community and the environment - while raising awareness of climate change and the limitations of oil - will be showcasing their initiatives here. The Green Gathering will be a family-friendly event with a creative, energetic children’s area. There will be serious messages and serious amounts of fun for all ages. The Gathering aims to be 100% inclusive and accessible; there will be a dedicated team able to assist with additional and specialised needs. This Gathering will have a capacity of 5000 and will be a more relaxed and intimate affair than some of the Green events of latter years. BGG distilled to its essence, perhaps... NEWSFLASH!!! --- Biotech company Bayer ordered to pay record damages --- Bayer managed to repeatedly contaminate American rice supplies with experimental Genetically Modified rice, to the extent that this unapproved rice strain was 'accidentally' imported into at least 24 countries. Bayer have been ordered to pay 136 million US dollars in damages... which will hopefully hurt them at least a little bit and make all biotech companies take more care in future. One worry is that these companies don't care - perhaps even welcome - contamination, in that it will eventually let them say - 'well, GM is everywhere now so we may as well just open the floodgates'. If
you don't want this to happen, stay vigilant! Study food labels and
DON'T BUY GM. FEBRUARY 2011 BUY NOW!! ---A piece of the new Greenpeace boat, Rainbow Warrior II--- Greenpeace need a new Rainbow Warrior and are raising funds to build one: go to the online ship-shop and pay for a piece... knowing that it'll be used to to fight pollution and climate change, to defend forests and oceans. You can buy a bolt for a euro, a desalinator for 7000 euros... and a lot of other things for prices inbetween. Weirdigans just bought part of the anchor chain. JANUARY 2011 RECOMMENDATION!! ---Stop Genetic Modification--- Just discovered a new, very informative website: StopGM NEWSFLASH --- Seeking new Weirdigans! --- This month we'll begin putting together a crew for the 2011 season. If you're interested have a look at this and get in touch soon... NOVEMBER 2010 NEWSFLASH --- Website Update --- The web-elf has just completed updating this website. If you spot any mistakes, broken links etc, please let us know: elf@weirdigans.co.uk RECOMMENDATION!! --- 'The Yes Men Fix the World' --- This is a good documentary film - positive and scary and funny and cringeworthy all at once. Find out more and order a copy on the Yes Men website. OCTOBER 2010 RUMOUR!!! --- 'Big Green Resurgence'--- Looks
like the Big Green Gathering might be back in 2011. SEPTEMBER 2010 NEWSFLASH --- 'Crude Awakening' Oct 16th --- If you want to work
towards a future - a positive, post-oil future - here's a chance to get
involved, take direct action, try to make a difference: (also www.spacehijackers.co.uk - check it out - cunning, ethical, hilarious & profound!) ROUND UP --- Home at Last! --- ...Will be updating the website over the next couple of days - pop back soon for Reviews, Photos, Comments, News, and the lowdown on What-it-takes-to-become-a-Weirdigan... AUGUST 2010 NEWSFLASH --- Get your Tickets! --- Tickets for Solfest are selling fast - only a couple of hundred left a week before this fantastic festie starts so don't delay - at the moment (Sat 21st) you can still get them online at www.solwayfestival.co.uk Tickets for Eden Festival are also flying out - only three hundred left and it's still two weeks away. They are planning to have some available at the gate but grab them now if you want to be sure. www.edenfestival.co.uk And to round off the season... the wee little Cumbrian festie MACfest (Mostly Acoustic Cumbria; 10th & 11th September) has 'early bird' tickets available until the end of the month - only £30 from www.mostlyacousticcumbria.co.uk/macfest. Get your tickets and see us on our Northern Tour! JULY 2010 NEWSFLASH --- GM food is creeping back --- Check out www.gmfreeze.org for what's going on and what you can do to help halt the creep. NEWSFLASH --- JUST RECEIVED THIS FROM GREENPEACE: Do it!!! --- Top 10 ways for the average person to reduce oil consumption in their daily lives: 1. Carpool, cycle or use public transport to go to work. 2.
Choose when possible
products packaged without plastic and recycle or re-use containers. 3. Buy organic fruits and vegetables (fertilisers and pesticides are based on oil more often than not). 4. Buy beauty products (shampoo, soap, make-up) based on natural ingredients, not oil. 5. Choose when possible locally produced products (less transport involved). 6. Buy clothes made out of organic cotton or hemp - not from oil derivatives. 7. Use non-disposable items in picnics and summer festivals. 8. Quit bottled water. 9. Fly less. 10. Demand that your government encourage renewable energy instead of oil. (11. Register at our new website and forward this to a friend) There's loads of info on why renewable energy IS the future - and what you can do to hasten that future - at www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/climate-change/energyrevolution NEWSFLASH --- Do this too --- Sign the petition aiming to get world leaders to put solar panels on their roofs: www.putsolaron.it JUNE 2010 Great
news!!! - HELP US SOLVE A
MYSTERY!!! - disappearing
'sandwich' board & mug sign - MAY 2010 NEWSFLASH --- ANOTHER campaign to make your vote count in the future --- KEEP THE PRESSURE ON... DON'T LET THIS OPPORTUNITY PASS US BY! www.avaaz.org/en/fair_votes_now NEWSFLASH
--- Campaign to make your vote
count in the future --- NEWSFLASH --- Support Climate Defenders --- Greenpeace
and Plane Stupid urge you to support the people on the frontline of
eco-activism... www.climate9.com/support-the-climate9 NEWSFLASH --- Mama Weirdigans's Launch Success --- Photos here APRIL 2010 NEWSFLASH --- Fight Genetically Wrong Food --- Just heard that the EU have given in and
are planning on allowing more GMO trials. NEWSFLASH --- Mama Weirdigan's Launch --- The hostel - 'Weirdigans at Home' - will be opening on April 30... www.hebdenbridgehostel.co.uk MARCH 2010 NEWSFLASH --- Sneaky infiltration of Genetically Engineered Food --- If
this bothers you (it bothers us, a lot) follow these links to find
out more NEWSFLASH --- Festivals and Line-ups --- The
2010 Tour begins to take shape. At
the beginning of the season we have our old favourite: Knockengorroch's
World Ceilidh. At the end of the season, there's a new adventure for Weirdigans: Eden Festival near Dumfries. This year the Eden crew have got a better site (drainage, decent tracks, mobile reception, plenty of parking) and they're planning a brand new solar-powered, family-friendly Green Field (which is where we'll be, doing the Acoustic WierdSpace). All this in addition to the great mix of folk, dance and chill-out that they concocted last year. Join us there... FEB 2010 NEWSFLASH --- 'Mama Weirdigans' Hostel due to open May 1st!!! ---A new adventure for Weirdigans! Last Spring we noticed that a lovely Grade-II listed building, nestled into woodland on a hillside in Hebden Bridge, was empty. We sat in the sun outside it, picnicking, musing on what someone could do with it. A hostel, we thought. Affordable accommodation for hikers, travellers, backpackers; there's nothing like that in Hebden, we thought, even though it's a very special place. The 'Glastonbury of the North', Hebden Bridge has been dubbed; and '4th funkiest town in the World', according to the Guardian; and 'one of the best towns in the UK for quirky, independent local shops'; plus the Calder Valley, in which Hebden is situated, has one of the densest networks of footpaths in the country; and there are two fantastic live music venues - The Trades Club and Hole Int' Wall - after which folk might like to stay over. Someone
should rent this building and set it up as an Independent Hostel, we
said. We'll still be doing Weirdigans Cafe at festivals - plus LEDfantastic workshops and installations - but we'll be staying home more too and will share looking after Hebden Bridge Hostel (aka Mama Weirdigans) amongst the core Weirdigan crew. We'll be opening the hostel at Beltane; come to the Open Day Launch on Sat May 1st... If you've never been to Hebden Bridge it's in West Yorkshire; you'll find it on the Leeds-Manchester trainline; it's at the tail-end of the Pennines, has a river and a canal, a vibrant music and arts scene, an Alternative Technology Centre and plenty of valleys and trees. Very soon we'll have a new website too - www.hebdenbridgehostel.co.uk - and you'll be able to book in to stay with us: Weirdigans, At Home. JAN 2010 NEWSFLASH --- Greenpeace buys land in proposed Heathrow 'Third Runway' Site ---...And we're now part owners of it!!! Become a 'beneficial owner' yourself... And to find out about future Greenpeace actions, sign up to be an 'online activist'... And to fight the Genetically-Modified threat to world rice crops... petition here. NEWSFLASH --- Sharing Inspiration --- A new addition to this website - check out the 'Inspiration' page. These books, films, music, people and things have inspired at least one Weirdigan at some point in their lives. There's a mixture of environmental, fun, fantasy, practical, spiritual, political, creative, adventuresome, psychedelic, humanitarian, cultural and sub-cultural stuff ... something to suit most people and plenty to browse through... Enjoy & Be Inspired! DEC
2009 NEWSFLASH --- Copenhagan 'Accord' --- There
are different ways to spin this, different people to
blame... no-one who prioritises Climate Change is happy... but
it's not time to sigh and give up. Grass-roots and local action is more
vital than ever. Check out the following for more info on what happened
at Copenhagan: And the following for where we go from here: www.transitiontowns.org Silver lining?: the poor deal means big players are less likely to invest in 'clean' technologies such as nuclear power stations and 'carbon-capture' coal plants... which were perhaps not such a good idea anyway... what we need to do is reduce our power needs so that we can achieve them through real clean sources like solar and wind, then we won't need nuclear and carbon-capture (both of which just hide the mess they make for future generations to deal with). NEWSFLASH --- Copenhagan Climate Talks ---To find out what's going on in Copenhagan, check out www.ageofstupid.net/stupid-show Franny Armstrong (Director of the climate change call-to-action film 'Age of Stupid') is presenting live every evening this week (7pm UK time) plus there's loads of archived interviews and other interesting stuff to browse through. To sign an international petition urging the world's leaders to take robust action on cutting emissions go to www.avaaz.org/en/save_copenhagen/ Over 11 million people have signed so far, they're aiming for 15 million. NEWSFLASH --- Hebden Bridge LED Workshops Update --- 22 people turned up and made things! Go to the ledfantastic website for more info and photos. NEWSFLASH --- Cumbrian Workshop Success --- The LED Workshop in Cumbria was attended by 18 people. Wal & Ruth Wierdstring did a brilliant job of hosting the space while Dave, Em & Imogen Weirdigan facilitated the workshop. James Wierdstring brought along his woodstove to keep us cosy, Ruth provided a sumptuous lunch and Paddy Wierdstring turned up after work to serenade us. Sasha Wierdstring made an anglepoise spotlight for her van. Other LED projects over the weekend included: lighting for Wal's barn; infra-red illumination for doing bat-surveys (part of a Protected Species Management project); a flashing dog-collar so Evie can keep track of her black hound on dark nights; tiny, twinkly LEDs woven into a festive scarf by Kate; cabinet-lighting for furniture-makers; yurt and van lighting; and a revamp of an old-fashioned torch. Photos here. NOV 2009 NEWSFLASH --- 2 more LEDfantastic Workshops --- If
you'd like to learn how to wire and solder low-energy LEDs into
customised designs, come to one of Dave Weirdigan's workshops. Make
yourself some fairy-lights; a torch or spotlight; or design some
glowing decor for your home, your hat or your van. Dates & Places:
Saturday 12th Dec in Cumbria; Sunday 20th Dec in Hebden
Bridge. NEWSFLASH --- Age of Stupid - Watch it! --- The Age of Stupid
documentary has gone global. If you haven't seen it already, you
must! OCT 2009 NEWSFLASH --- Fortuitous convergence of climate action and credit crunch? --- This month plans for both the new Eon coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth and the 3rd runway at Heathrow have been 'delayed'. Hooray! Pressure from Climate Camp and other activists obviously had nothing to do with this... :) See www.indymedia.org.uk for more info. Meanwhile,
if you want to do something to convince the politicians to get some
serious environmental plans in place at the Copenhagen summit in
December - or if you just want to raise awareness, put pressure on
polluters and delay a few more undesirable plans - there seem to be
hordes of actions in the pipeline. There's the 10:10 campaign (pledge
to reduce your carbon footprint by 10% in 2010); 350.org (international
day of action on Oct 24th); 100 months (countdown to disaster, but with
a positive spin); avaaz.org (a voice for the people)... SEPT 2009 NEWSFLASH --- UK Festival Awards: Support needed!!! --- Our
very
own Wierdstring Band
have been nominated in the 'Critics
Choice'
category! NEWSFLASH --- Doonhame Hairth marks the end of Autumn 'Knock'--- Just returned from the last festival of the season with the sad tidings that this was the last Hairth (aka Autumn Knockengorroch). The energy and resources required to put on two festivals a year are mammoth... after 10 years the Knockengorroch family have decided to give themselves a break and concentrate on the World Ceilidh that happens every May on the same magical site. Yes, they were toying with the idea last year then pulled out the stops for one last Hairth... but this time I think they really do mean it. Those of us who love the way Knock 'bookends' the season will be disappointed... but I understand the logic. The May festival is always busier and usually warmer; while being just as friendly, it is embued with the fresh energy of the Season's beginning. In 2010 it will probably be better than ever. Dates are May 27-30 (it's late May bank holiday weekend). Put it in your diary now! AUG 2009 NEWSFLASH --- LEDfantastic Workshops in Hebden Bridge --- Continuing the sparkly-lights theme, Dave Weirdigan will be hosting 2 workshops at the Alternative Technology Centre in Hebden (Hebble End, beside the canal) on Saturday 22 August. Learn how to make low-energy LED torches, fairy lights, spotlights and more. Contact the ATC to book a place. There's only a few left but if you miss out this time, there'll be more workshops at the ATC in the Autumn, or contact Dave if you'd like to arrange a workshop in your area. NEWSFLASH!!! --- LEDfantastic at Croissant Neuf!!! --- stop-press: REVIEW & PICS Following
the success of Dave's LED workshops at Glastonbury we're going
to do a repeat performance at the Croissant Neuf Summer
Party
(August 14-16). Discounted tickets are available for disappointed BGG
ticket-holders. Looks like a lovely little festival with quirky funky
music and totally eco-credentials. Unfortunately
the Party has enough food vendors and doesn't need Weirdigans Cafe, but
you'll find a slimmed-down version of us hosting workshops in our
green-and-white
'medieval pavilion' tent covered in sparkly-lights. JULY 2009 NEWSFLASH! --- BIG
GREEN GATHERING CANCELLED --- The news is still sinking in. It's quite surreal and devastating for us, with BGG being such an important and beloved part of our nomadic circuit. So many people affected on so many levels. Hundreds of small Green businesses like us are taking a HUGE knock. Rumours fly as to what exactly went wrong. The BGG website has an obviously rushed but detailed explanation (see their front page and 'BGG answers the council' page). SCHNEWS has a very thoughtful and thought-provoking article, although as more facts emerge it may become a little out-of-date. JUNE 2009 NEWSFLASH!!! --- Acoustic 'WeirdSpace' at Workhouse Festival --- We've just had confirmation that we'll be hosting an Acoustic Tent adjacent to the Cafe at Workhouse. The WeirdSpace will be showcasing bands, musicians, poets and entertainers in 'Totally Unplugged' performances as well as encouraging folksy sessions and friendly jams. --Calling all you Musicians!!!-- Please come and see us at Workhouse to book a slot or just join in. Non-musicians: Come along, soak up the tunes, support the performers and dance your socks off! NEWSFLASH!!! --- The Hairth Returns!!! --- Knockengorroch Festival will be returning this September (despite rumours to the contrary) as 'The Doonhame Hairth'. There'll be more emphasis on acoustic, folky and rootsy music plus off-beat Cabaret performances. Peatbog Faeries, 3 Daft Monkeys and Bombskare are booked and the line-up for the amazing new turf-roofed Main Stage is growing. Proceeds will be going towards making the Knockengorroch site more eco and sustainable. Buying a ticket entitles you to become a 'Doonhame Friend', so you can feel really good about the contribution you're making to the continuation of this most earthy, wilderness-festival... www.knockengorroch.org.uk NEWSFLASH!!! --- Inspirational Direct Action Film Released --- www.guardian.co.uk/environment/video/2009/may/31/nick-broomfield-kingsnorth MAY 2009 NEWSFLASH!!! -- LEDfantastic at the Alternative Technology Centre, Hebden Bridge -- Smiley Dave will be running two LED workshops at the ATC on Saturday, May 30th. His website is currently being built by sometime-Weirdigan Flanny (and is hosted, like the Weirdigans site, by Green ISP). Check out the fledgling www.LEDfantastic.com or contact smileyd@LEDfantastic.com for more info about Dave's workshops and LED installations. APRIL 2009 NEWSFLASH!!! --- LEDfantastic at Glastonbury!!! --- Smiley Dave will be hosting LED workshops in the Green Crafts Field at Glastonbury this year.LEDs are the Greenest lights available – extremely low energy and very long-lasting. The workshops will consist of an introduction to LEDs, a demonstration and a practical session in which you can build your own reading light, torch, fairy lights or spotlight to take away. In the evenings there'll be lots of pretty lights and Weirdigans-stylee chai and truffles... NEWSFLASH!!! --- Beltane Celebration at Thornborough Henge --- On Sunday 3rd May there’ll be a Beltane celebration/ chance to dress up and have a picnic/ outdoor theatre performance/ family day out at Thornborough Henge near Ripon, North Yorks. Entry is free and this year there’s free camping on the Saturday and Sunday nights at a really special site nearby. We'll be serving drinks and cakes inside the amazing, ancient circular earthworks at The Henge on the Sunday. www.sacredbrigantia.com for more info and to book a place at the campsite (you need to do this even though it’s free). NEWSFLASH!!! --- Big Green Gathering Tickets On Sale Now!!! --- BGG
has climbed out of the financial doldrums and is on track for a
fantastic festival this August. Buy tickets NOW to help BGG build the
infrastructure for
the Biggest, Greenest Party
on the Planet (imho).
Check
out the website for more info, ticket prices and the office address.
You can also help out by becoming a Shareholder... we have. www.big-green-gathering.com NEWSFLASH!!! --- The Lammas Project needs your support --- The Lammas Project is a voluntary organisation that has been working to promote low impact eco-housing for the last three years. Click the link to go to their website, see pictures of a delicious hobbit-home, read the story and add your support to the campaign... MARCH 2009 NEWSFLASH!!! --- Light Fantastic: LEDs are the future ---Smiley Dave spent the winter experimenting with LEDs (very low-energy lights) and is so enthusiastic that he's created a new project – Light Fantastic – to spread the word. He's going to be running workshops and fitting out vans, boats and low-impact dwellings with 12-volt LEDs. Beautiful, practical, ever-lasting and very Green... see LEDs in action at Weirdigans... or email dave@weirdigans.co.uk for more info. NEWSFLASH!!! --- End Airport Expansion - It's Plane Obvious --- It's becoming a ritual for a Weirdigan to get arrested at an environmental protest every Spring. This year it was Imogen camping in Southampton airport with other members of Plane Stupid (www.planestupid.com) to protest against its expansion. She was arrested and taken to court; we supplied her with a shining character reference and she was let off with a fine rather than a fine and community service. How ironic would that be, community service as a punishment for doing something that many would consider to be a service to the community?... FEBRUARY 2009 NEWSFLASH!!! --- We've changed our website and email host ---...To a 'Green ISP'. They have solar-powered offices and bicycle-powered techies, are involved in tree-planting projects and much more. Check them out at www.greenisp.net Our website and email addresses haven't changed, but if you've emailed us recently and haven't received a reply it may be due to a blip during the transition. Please try again. Thanks! JANUARY 2009 NEWSFLASH!!! --- Big Green Gathering 2009 --- BGG will be back, Bigger and Greener, the first weekend in August on an organic farm near Cheddar. Weirdigans will be perched on our usual little hillock under the beech tree at the junction between Markets and Campaigns. Please come and see us :) NEWSFLASH!!! --- We need your help --- Now is the time we start planning the 2009 Weirdigan Tour. If you like our chai, our cakes and our carpets - email us and tell us where you'd like to see us this year. Then email the festival about how great and special we are, and get on the forums raving about us. You could just swing the decisions we and festie organisers will be making this month... Cheers! ;-) DECEMBER 2008 NEWSFLASH!!! --- Would you like to be a Weirdigan next summer??? --- We're on the lookout again for new crew to join the merry band of cavorting Weirdies you've seen in green and muddy fields the last few years. If you can wash up, make tea, bang in tent pegs, heft heavy canvasses, bake cakes, stay up all night, plant plastic flowers, get up early in the morning, scrub floors while wearing sequins, banter with customers, chop veg... or think you'd enjoy some of the above... then you may be who we're looking for. If the idea tickles you... email us, tell us about yourself, and we'll tell you more about us :) NOVEMBER 2008 NEWSFLASH!!! --- Weirdigans Go On Holiday --- We tend to hibernate for a bit in the Winter. We'll still be pottering around in the background - mending, mopping up, preparing for next year - but may be a bit slower than usual responding to emails and phone calls. We haven't disappeared and will get back to you before too long, so keep in touch. See you in Spring! OCTOBER 2008 NEWSFLASH!!! --- Wierdstring Band at The Workhouse --- Weirdigans
favourite musos The Wierdstring Band will be playing at The Workhouse,
Llanfyllin - same location as The Workhouse Festival - on Friday Nov
7th. They are appearing as part of an eclectic 'Funk-It' night, one of
many Workhouse events aimed at filling this crazy old building with
fun, noise and life - while raising funds to help renovate it. Poolside
Tricks, a local dancey street-reggae band, will also be playing.
Tickets £6. NEWSFLASH!!! --- Big Green Gathering 2009!! --- The Big Green Gathering will be back in 2009. Tickets are now on sale! www.big-green-gathering.com
for
more info
and Early Bird reduced-price tickets. BGG still needs financial help. Become a shareholder - you can then get involved in how BGG runs. Or send a donation or offer a loan. And buy your tickets early! NEWSFLASH!!! --- Sign up to 'One Hundred Months' - we did --- 'One Hundred Months' is a concerted effort to get individuals and organisations working together to reduce carbon emissions and halt climate change before we reach the 'tipping point' of no return... in collaboration with The Guardian and with a combination of serious scientific reports and simple actions we can all take... CHECK THIS OUT. www.onehundredmonths.org NEWSFLASH!!! --- The Weirdigans Website is all Up-to-Date --- We've
updated pretty much everything, from the crew photos to the Blog to the
wishlist.
NEWSFLASH!!! --- The Hairth at Knockengorroch goes back to it's Roots --- The Autumn Knockengorroch Festival is down-sizing; next year it will be a cosy gathering of 500 people. This will enable costs to be kept down by avoiding some of the licensing and security issues that arise at bigger festivals. It will enable more energy and money to be put into a full-scale Spring World Ceilidh while ensuring that the quieter September Knockengorroch isn't lost to the die-hards who love this friendly, folky, fire-side, end-of-season party... If you want to put a deposit down and be sure of getting a ticket (about 200 people have done so already), contact info@knockengorroch.org.uk AUGUST 2008 NEWSFLASH!!! --- Weirdigans brings you: Pizza Acoustica!!! --- We're heading off to the Northern Green Gathering at Lime Tree Farm with some new treats up our Weird(card)igan sleeves... We've teemed up with baker Michael, his glamorous partner Jan, and their traditional wood-fired oven... so we'll be serving up freshly-baked Organic Pizza at NGG.We're also in cahoots with Banjo Bill from Cumbria and some of his musician friends, who will be entertaining with unplugged performances and encouraging acoustic musicians to join in late night sessions in Weirdigans Acoustic Annexe. Our favourites The Wierdstring Band will be at NGG, as will our very own Kristen and his newly-acquired antique accordion... so musically things should be very interesting... Limited tickets still available - See you there! JULY 2008 NEWSFLASH!!! --- The Mutant Returns! Genetically Modified Secrets --- Two GM trials were given the go-ahead by the UK Government this year. One has been shut down by protesters. The other is still going on in Cambridgeshire, behind high fences with 24-hour security guards protecting it at vast cost. Since 2000, almost all of the 54 GM trials licensed have been attacked by groups and individuals who want to protect our environment, wildlife, health and organic crops from potential threat by GM. But still the big companies, the government and some scientists press on. Now they're talking about having secret test sites, in an attempt to thwart protests. Breaking their own rules so that they don't have to listen to the public and democracy can be dodged. Please stay vigilant and don't let them get away with it. Small local farmers, organic growers and bee-keepers risk losing their livelihoods; we all risk losing our right to choose. GM crops are massive in the US; the experience hasn't been all good and could yet prove devastating. Help us keep this corner of the planet clean.... Ta x www.gmwatch.eu JUNE 2008 NEWSFLASH!!! --- Feeling the pinch? Try Collaboration --- So many festivals have sprung up over the last few years. Small spin-offs of big festivals; festie cafes and venues putting on their own events; Northern gatherings mirroring the Southern ones; campaigning groups doing camps; 'Boutique' fests with their luxury dwellings (no nylon nightmare necessary); commercial, sponsorship-ridden events; plus lots of stuff going on in the rest of Europe. Increasingly,
though, festivals are under pressure from various sources. Councils
putting up licence fees, ever more stringent Health & Safety
regulations, climate chaos (mudslides at Glade, flashfloods at Sunrise)
and... well, perhaps there's just too many of them and not enough happy
punters to go round. Diversification can be fun but not if
it fragments the tribes and scatters the energy too thinly.
Collaboration, mutual support and pooling of resources could be the
most sustainable avenue now... Watch this space... :-) MAY 2008 NEWSFLASH!!! --- Weirdigan Arrested at Anti-Nuclear Protest! --- Protesters locked into concrete cylinders and blockaded Derby Rolls Royce, to protest at its production of reactor cores for the UK’s nuclear deterrent Trident. Ten protesters (including one Weirdigan) were arrested for 'aggravated trespass' and released on police bail to appear in court on 22nd May. Unfortunately that clashes with our first festival of the season so we had to write important-looking letters to the judiciary to make sure Kristen could be at Knockengorroch with the rest of us. It worked :) APRIL 2008 NEWSFLASH!!! --- Spring has Sprung --- The website is being updated, the nights are getting lighter, the days are warmer, the calendar is almost full, the crew are in training, the tents are at the tailors. We still have the odd gap in our diaries and we're building up a reserve list of wannabe Weirdigans in case any of the crew have to drop out; so if you want to book us or get booked yourselves, email us soon :-) The Good Ship Weird prepares to set sail... MARCH 2008 NEWSFLASH!!! --- Big Green Phoenix Slowly Rising --- After a winter of hard work, fund-raising, negotiating and soul-searching, the Big Green Gathering is looking set to rise from the ashes... in 2009. This year will be about rebuilding and renewing, next year the BGG will be back... To find out what's been going on, or how you can help, see the October newsflash below and go to www.big-green-gathering.com for more info.
NEWSFLASH!!! --- Winter Wanderings --- Weirdigans will be wandering and working hither and thither around the UK and Europe this winter. We'll try to keep the website updated and our email and snailmail checked regularly. Our phones may not always be switched on and our communications may be a little delayed, but if you're trying to get hold of us, don't worry - we will get back to you :-) OCTOBER 2007 NEWSFLASH!!! --- Big Green Gathering Crisis --- The Big Green Gathering is having a serious financial crisis partly due to a massive ramping up of licensing and legal costs. BGG is a non-profit-making company with a lot of good people involved and as far as we're concerned it's right up there, one of the very best festies on the circuit. It's a proper gathering of the tribes, a socially and financially important part of the calendar with a fantastic mix of traditional crafts, new technologies, creative anarchy, networking, vibrancy and fun. If it goes under we and a lot of other festie-goers and traders will be bereft. Check out www.big-green-gathering.com for how you can help. Become a share-holder (it costs £40 and you can then get involved in how BGG runs if you want to). Or send a donation or offer a loan. We have. SEPTEMBER 2007 NEWSFLASH!!! --- Would you like to be a Weirdigan next summer??? --- We'll be looking for new crew members to join the merry band of cavorting Weirdies you've seen in green and muddy fields this year. Can you wash up, make tea, bang in tent pegs, heft heavy canvasses, bake cakes, stay up all night, drive, plant plastic flowers, get up early in the morning, be a skivvy while wearing sequins, banter with customers, chop veg...or some of the above? And would you like to work with Weirdigans at one or more festivals? If so email us, tell us about yourself, and we'll tell you more about us. AUGUST 2007 NEWSFLASH!!! --- Sun shines at last!!!--- We've survived rivers of mud, floods, almost-cancellations and almost-evacuations at Glastonbury, Workhouse and Glade. Followed by glorious sun at BGG, NGG and Solfest. Reviews, pics and comments are here and up to date... JULY 2007 NEWSFLASH!!! --- On The Road--- Weirdigans hit the road running... From now on we'll be in perpetual motion for the rest of the season. We'll be checking email as often as possible, updating the website with reviews and photos when we can, and trying to keep our mobile phones charged. Sorry if you're trying to contact us and experience a delay. If one method fails, try another. We will get back to you. Hope to see you in a field somewhere... JUNE 2007 NEWSFLASH!!! --- From www.mutatoes.org --- "It's not too late to stop GM spuds. Following extensive local and national resistance, BASF (the company trialing the GM potatoes), announced that they will not be conducting a GM potato trial near Hull this year. This means the BASF/NIAB site in Cambridge (planted around the beginning of May) is now the only location in Britain where GM crops are contaminating the countryside… One down, one to go - let's keep Britain GM free! There's going to be a walk to see the trial site and a protest picnic, starting noon on Sunday 1st July. Bring costumes, families, footwear and clothing for a country stroll and your favourite potato-based dish. Starting from Girton Parish Church, Girton, Cambridgeshire. See www.mutatoes.org for directions and more detailed information on the campaign." Unfortunately Weirdigans won't be going as we'll be at the Workhouse Festival. But if you can't get a ticket to Workhouse...MAY 2007 NEWSFLASH!!! --- Organic Bars & Special Tents--- We're growing new twigs and sprigs this Spring: if you need a quirky bar or tented venue for a special event, we may be able to provide... APRIL 2007 NEWSFLASH!!! --- Campaign against Genetically-Modified Crop Trials--- There are plans afoot for a German chemicals company to test GM potatoes in the UK this year. Weirdigans have been involved in campaigning against this. GM crops potentially threaten the environment, wildlife, our health and our freedom of choice. Please help us keep them at bay. Write to supermarkets and politicians. They have the power to allow or prevent GM crops and foods flooding into the UK. To sign a petition go to http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/notogmspuds Check out www.mutatoes.org - this website is very informative. It includes referenced research as well as a basic overview of the issues and campaigns. MARCH 2007 NEWSFLASH!!! --- Mad Hatters & March Hares Party--- Weirdigans Season Launch 30 March 2007. See Review and Photos for how it was... FEBRUARY 2007 NEWSFLASH!!!---Trying to reduce our carbon footprint--- In an attempt to
reduce our impact on climate change we’ve offset Weirdigans
carbon emissions for the year ahead. The money we've paid has gone into
'sustainable energy and forest restoration' projects. The idea is to do
something towards repairing the damage done to the environment by our
driving around and by our use of gas in baking, making drinks and
refrigeration. Our electric for lights and music is solar-powered so is
already green and good. We know offsetting isn't as good as not
consuming in the first place, but we’re trying to keep our
‘footprint’ as light and pixie-like as possible
without vanishing ourselves altogether… |
