Climate Fringe Festival: Yes

PHA Aim:

To create a space for organisations and groups concerned about health to fashion a more effective response to Scotland’s growing health crisis

PHA Objectives:

• Provide a forum for existing community and national health-related campaigns to enable exchange of knowledge and ideas
• Problem solve the relative lack of impact on political and economic decision making
• Develop thinking on the combined actions needed to effect change in decision making which impinges on health
• Inspire and build a stronger public health movement, including creating resources for those campaigning for better health for Scotland (e.g. evidence, networks and good practice)

Confirmed speakers and contributors:

• David Legge, People’s Health Movement
• Prof Kat Smith, University of Strathclyde
• Kirsty Mackay, photographic artist, educator, activist and filmmaker
• Jackie Erdman, former Head of Equality and Human Rights for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and current trustee with the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland and the Scottish Homelessness Network
• Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland
• The Jimmy Reid Foundation
• Socialist Health Association Scotland
• Kingsway Community ConnectionsScotstoun, Glasgow
• People’s Plan for Glasgow
• Women’s Support Project
• Solidarity Against Neoliberal Extremism (SANE)
• Friends of Saint Fitticks Park, Torry, Aberdeen
• Living Streets Scotland
• Scottish Hazards
• Glasgow Centre for Population Health

Funding and Costs

The PHA is being supported by a grant from The Edge Fund contribution from the Women’s Support Project and in-kind support from our fellow contributors. We may need to ask for a small donation (£5), from those able, to help cover the costs of the catering on the day if we end up with a shortfall (but hopefully not!). This can either be via cash or an online donation and more details on how to donate will be available at the event.

Climate Fringe Festival

The PHA is running as part of the Climate Fringe Festival #ClimateFringeFestival, 10th-18th June

Pre-Assembly Social (Friday 9th June from 7pm)

Ahead of the PHA we are also hosting an informal social event at DRAM! pub, 232 Woodlands Rd, Glasgow G3 6ND. Please pop along to meet other activists ahead of the more formal discussions at the PHA. You can let us know you can come along by including a ticket for this when registering just so we know who to expect!

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Why we need a People’s Health Assembly

We are in a new era of a socio-ecological polycrisis, with the climate emergency being ignored and the lives and wellbeing of millions being cast aside as we face a crushing cost-of-living crisis. There is brilliant work being done across civil society to improve the health and wellbeing of our society, but too much is focused on survival, rather than giving people alternatives and the ability to thrive. We are caught in a cycle of paying to fix what we continue to break.

We must come together to energise a paradigm shift from the grassroots and unanimously advocate systems change to support health and wellbeing of people and planet as our core aims, rather than an outdated, misguided and unfair focus on economic growth and finances.

PHMS wants to start this paradigm shift by bringing people together for a People’s Health Assembly (PHA) in 2023. The 2023 PHA will recognise the failures of current and past approaches, but more importantly highlight the breadth and depth of positive alternatives.

Scotland has its own rich tapestry of activism focused on the global, the national and the local, as well as networks of support for communities and individuals. Yet these efforts lack synergy, leading to a loss of effectiveness. We will focus on the processes of social movement building and grassroots activism in shifting from ‘surviving & coping’ (some better than others) to ‘systems change’. In bringing our voices together we hope to re-ignite solidarity in the face of detached politics.

Without a civic society movement that can highlight the positive alternatives available in policy and practice to the current neoliberal ‘common sense’ of austerity and ‘trickle down’ incompetence, the future of Scotland, independent or otherwise, is appallingly bleak. Informed critical democratic engagement is the only vaccine that can hope to address the pandemic of ‘truth decay’ that is already undermining the fundamental rights of the most vulnerable in our society and threatening the existence of future generations.

If another well-meaning event on health inequalities or climate fills you with dread or apathy, please think again! The ineffectiveness of current responses and resultant worsening outcomes can only be reimagined by a positive and united civil society.

A short history of PHAs

PHAs are based on the model of events run by PHM Global, with the last of these global PHAs taking place in 2018. The previous PHA event in Scotland was held in Edinburgh in 2014. Since then, PHMS have run other regular events and published a People’s Health Manifesto for local and national elections. Our latest report follows a recent inquiry into health inequalities in light of the COVID pandemic: All in this Together? The Impact of Covid-19 on Health Inequalities in Glasgow.

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The People’s Health Movement (PHM) Scotland are a diverse group of health and social activists based in Scotland who are members of a global movement that calls for a right to health for all.

Landimer Day on Rutherglen Main Street is an annual gala day, which has been going for many years. Its purpose is to celebrate the community of Rutherglen, with lots of organisations taking stalls, providing local information and fun activities, with fairground rides, food, music and lots more. Healthy n Happy Community Development Trust are delighted to take part and are featuring their ‘Seed Bomb Bike’. Using paper, wild flower seeds and water, local residents will use pedal power to make their own seed bombs. Once the mixture has mulched, it’s strained and left to dry. It can then be thrown in to a public space/garden or your own garden, where wildflowers will grow, providing bees, butterflies and other pollinators food throughout the year.

On Saturday 10th June we’ll be gathering at Ganavan Sands near Oban to learn about the marine impacts of oil and gas drilling, and to protest against new fossil fuel projects like the Rosebank oil field. We’ll also be doing a beach clean and other activities.

Please join from 2.30pm at the beach! Bring bin bags for beach cleaning and placards for the protest showing your love for the ocean. 

It’s a family friendly event with something for everyone, please tell your friends and spread the word even if you can’t make it along on the day.

Free screening of award-winning documentary FINITE: The Climate of Change, followed by a discussion of direct action tactics, and a chance to get involved in Climate Camp Scotland 2023.

The Film

Rich Felgate’s FINITE: The Climate of Change is an insider’s view of the world of direct action: a raw, authentic and emotional insight into the David and Goliath battle between frontline communities, activists and fossil fuel corporations.

In
Germany, concerned citizens step forward to save an ancient forest from one of Europe’s largest coal mines. They form an unlikely alliance with
a frustrated community in rural England who are forced into action to protect their homes from a new opencast coal mine.

Discussion
Climate Camp Scotland is a grassroots collective organising for climate justice and against fossil fuels in Scotland, by running annual climate camps
that include mass direct action as a core tactic. After the screening, we will discuss our responses to the film and consider the question: ‘Does size matter? Why *mass* direct action?’

Join the Crew for Climate Camp 2023
Climate Camp 2023 will be on Wednesday 12 through to Monday 17 July, in the Grangemouth area. Targeting the INEOS refinery and petrochemical
complex, the camp will be a melting pot of action and creativity as we take on Scotland’s biggest polluter, build the movement for climate justice, support local community struggles, and forge solidarity with workers. All through putting on an entirely volunteer-run, non-hierarchical event where all of us are responsible and everyone is crew!

With the camp now a matter of weeks away, we need *you* to get stuck in. This gathering will be an opportunity to find out more about our plans for Climate Camp 2023 at Grangemouth, and to join our teams (‘working groups’) already beavering away.

The Venue
The Deep End at 21 Nithsdale Street, just five minutes walk from Pollokshields West or Queen’s Park rail stations, and an even shorter walk from bus stops on Pollokshaws Rd.  https://www.govanhillbaths.com/projects/deep-end-find-us-2/

We have some funding available to cover travel expenses for those who would not otherwise be able to take part. Email [email protected] to request this.

There is the possibility of putting on a free creche at the venue, if this is needed. If you would like to bring children along, please email [email protected] by Thursday 8 June and let us know how many children, their age/s, and any special care needs they may
have.

The film certificate is 12A, and so older children are welcome to watch the film with us (please note under-16s should be accompanied by an adult).

Snacks and juice available 🙂 The event is free, but donations welcome to support the work of film-maker Rich Felgate and Climate Camp Scotland – donate to CCS here – http://bit.ly/climatecampgive. You can donate directly to FINITE’s Impact Campaign here: https://www.share-doc.org /en/d/19001/finite-the-climate-of-change.

The venue is wheelchair accessible. The film is in English and German (with English subtitles). Unfortunately there is no hearing aid loop.

Join artists and activists to make willow and paper structures inspired by the local natural environment. The nearby Claypits nature reserve attracts a variety of creatures who need their habitats protecting, including birds, bats, frogs, snails, bees, butterflies and dragonflies. No experience necessary and no need to book – come and learn creative skills and use sustainable and renewable materials. 

The workshop will be open to drop-in Monday to Friday 10am-4pm

Refreshments provided. Donations welcome. 

Carnival Arts Scotland is a not-for-profit arts organisation based at The Arts Yard near the Forth and Clyde Canal in the north of Glasgow. We work in partnership with communities and provide a platform for creativity. We produce events with a focus on carnival and celebration. 

Milan will be arranging a swap shop, a community-based event where people can bring their pre-loved clothes and exchange them with others. It will provide an opportunity for people to refresh their wardrobes without spending money and promotes sustainable fashion practices by encouraging the reuse of clothing items.  Can come along with families and friends, and have fun, by swapping clothes and accessories.

Milan Senior Welfare Organisation develops and delivers provisions for 50 older people from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi & Mauritian Communities in Edinburgh & Lothian which meet their social, cultural, recreational, language and care needs.

Climate change can often seem like an insurmountable problem, with daunting challenges facing us at every turn. But what if we started focusing on the aspiring narratives of a just and sustainable future? 

Welcome to our event promoting Utopian Futures – a vision of a better world that we can all work towards, together. 

Join us on Monday, June 12th to imagine a future where things turn out okay. During the day, drop in and enjoy artwork, visit with local organizations, play some games, and get creative telling others about the future you imagine. There will also be coffee and pastries! 

Drop In Time is from 1:00pm – 5:00pm

In the evening, watch a live play of a table-top game by experts followed by a long-table discussion on imaginative and practical steps we can take towards building a better world. You will have a chance to play along as you watch and join the discussions as well. All of us play a role in facing and surmounting the challenges ahead. 

Game & Long-Table Discussion is from 5:30pm – 7:00pm

We hope that you will leave this event inspired to take actionable steps towards becoming a good ancestor to future generations. By shifting the narrative towards a positive/hopeful future, we, as individuals, are challenged to imagine what’s possible and strive to take action towards a more just and sustainable future. 

About the Game:

The evening will consist of experts (and the audience) playing a table-top game, Solarpunk Futures, to engage them in a process of visionary social storytelling around the collective struggle required to win our utopia. The game employs backcasting in a “Festival of Remembrance”, whereby Assemblies for the Future play for 45 minutes from the perspective of a future utopia in which they collectively “remember” how their Ancestors utilized Tools and Values to overcome a real-world Challenge.

Join us for ‘The Green Lie’, directed by Werner Boote (2018). Length: 93 minutes.

Watch the film at leisure from the comfort of your own home, on the evening of Sunday 11th or on Monday 12th June, via private online video channel (access details will be sent by email to registered participants). Then join the post-screening discussion at 8pm on Monday 12th June (online via Zoom).

The conversation will be led by Isobel, one of our Young Humanist Scotland Ambassadors.

‘Environmentally-friendly electric cars, sustainably-produced food products, fair production processes….Can our purchasing power help save the world?’

In this tongue-in-cheek two-hander, Austrian director Werner Boote and German author Kathrin Hartmann meticulously unpick some of the most prevalent ‘greenwashing’ myths at play today. They take viewers on a round-the-globe tour of corporate hypocrisy, to the sites of catastrophic environmental disasters and shocking land rights violations, all of which are harming humans, animals and the planet despite the glowing promises of effective self-regulation.

Far from disempowering, however, this exposé of our limited choice as ethical consumers reminds us that our power as individuals does not lie in our wallets but in our actions and behaviours as voters, citizens, and members of our communities.

Watch the trailer here.

Language: English, German with English subtitles.

This is one of a series of films we will be screening as part of our Take One Action Film Club, and everyone who shares our humanist values is very welcome to participate.  Take One Action believes small actions lead to big ones, and that we all make a difference. Connecting individuals through film, creativity and action – for a better world, starting from Scotland.

Join artists and activists to make willow and paper structures inspired by the local natural environment. The nearby Claypits nature reserve attracts a variety of creatures who need their habitats protecting, including birds, bats, frogs, snails, bees, butterflies and dragonflies. No experience necessary and no need to book – come and learn creative skills and use sustainable and renewable materials. 

The workshop will be open to drop-in Monday to Friday 10am-4pm

Refreshments provided. Donations welcome. 

Carnival Arts Scotland is a not-for-profit arts organisation based at The Arts Yard near the Forth and Clyde Canal in the north of Glasgow. We work in partnership with communities and provide a platform for creativity. We produce events with a focus on carnival and celebration. 

Knowing how our buildings manage energy, heat, moisture and air movement is fundamental to understanding energy efficiency and successful retrofit and improvement, without the risk of unintended consequences in the longer term. As part of the Climate Fringe, the Edinburgh Building Retrofit and Improvement Collective is proud to put on this hybrid event, with guest speaker Jon Stinson PhD, academic, researcher and Director of locally-based Building Research Solutions Ltd.

There will be an introduction to the Collective before a presentation from Jon on the principles of building physics as applied to successful, healthy, domestic energy efficiency retrofit, followed by a Q&A session. The aim is to give Edinburgh residents an overview of the technical fundamentals to help puzzle through energy efficiency and building performance uncertainties (but without the scary maths). By the end of the session you should, for example, understand the distinctions between unwanted draughts and essential ventilation, and why commonplace foam block internal wall insulation might not be a good idea for traditional (pre 1919) buildings in the city.

We want to help create an educated public able to:understand why energy efficiency is not as simple as blocking every draught and insulating everything;gather the information advisable for making informed decisions;understand when ‘obvious choices’ may benefit from careful consideration or expert advice;ask the right questions and understand when recommendations may be based on poor understanding or insufficient knowledge.

Every building is different and every tenement is more than a collection of independent flats. Fully informed choices on what best to do in a particular property require knowledge of the particulars of that property/building. Generic recommendations given without such knowledge (for example from telephone advice services) are not always the best advice, but individual detailed analysis and advice can be expensive. This presentation will help you advance more confidently.

Please note that because of the uniqueness of every case, the Q&A will not be a ‘surgery’ on what should be done in specific properties, but will answer more general questions and clarify any uncertainty about the technical issues described.

After the event, those present at the venue will be able to mingle and chat/discuss in order to make useful contacts and to meet some of the team behind the Edinburgh Building Retrofit and Improvement Collective. The Collective wants people to be better informed and more confident in considering the issues, as well as to encourage individuals to work in community groups in order to get better results, cheaper, more easily and with less stress.

The presentation will be recorded and made available for future reference. Online attendees will also be able to join the Q&A session.

The venue is not the easiest to find. Details are given on the Quaker Meeting House website: https://www.equaker.org.uk/locationThe Collective wishes to acknowledge the support of funding from the City of Edinburgh Council’s ‘Edinburgh Community Climate Fund’, thanks to the votes of residents of the city.

Join artists and activists to make willow and paper structures inspired by the local natural environment. The nearby Claypits nature reserve attracts a variety of creatures who need their habitats protecting, including birds, bats, frogs, snails, bees, butterflies and dragonflies. No experience necessary and no need to book – come and learn creative skills and use sustainable and renewable materials. 

The workshop will be open to drop-in Monday to Friday 10am-4pm

Refreshments provided. Donations welcome. 

Carnival Arts Scotland is a not-for-profit arts organisation based at The Arts Yard near the Forth and Clyde Canal in the north of Glasgow. We work in partnership with communities and provide a platform for creativity. We produce events with a focus on carnival and celebration. 

Join Carbon Copy and Edinburgh Communities Climate Action Network (ECAN) at “Edinburgh Community & Climate Connect”. Taking place as Britain’s biggest sporting celebration of climate action and nature – Running Out of Time – reaches Edinburgh; this event will gather some of the city’s best eco-conscious voluntary organisations in the Life Church Hall, less than half a mile from beautiful Holyrood Park.

The event will kick off with a keynote presentation by none other than Dr Heather “The Weather” Reid OBE, former BBC Scotland weather reporter and passionate climate educator. You’ll also get an opportunity to learn more about Running Out of Time, and even to hold the baton!

You can:

• Learn more about different ways to make a difference in your community
• Meet other like-minded people
• Sign-up to volunteer with a brilliant local organisation or campaign
• Get inspired to take more collaborative action to fight climate change and protect the environment

We are a third of the way through this crucial decade for climate action – yet Scotland is not on track to meet targets to reduce emissions, one in nine species of Scottish wildlife faces extinction from our shores, and worsening climate impacts are having devastating consequences around the world.

We urgently need all decision makers to take bold action to tackle the climate and nature crisis, inequality, provide secure jobs and improve health and wellbeing. We can come together to show them that people in Scotland care deeply about this, and have the power to drive action.

Join a diverse range of organisations to hear more about the latest climate and nature issues, how to speak to your decision makers about the things you care about and want to see action on. It’s also a great opportunity to connect with other climate and nature campaigners and to hear more about ways to make your voice heard over the next few months.

Speakers to be announced shortly.

This session is a Climate Fringe Festival event organised by the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland coalition, with the support of our members:

Christian Aid Scotland

Global Justice Now Scotland

Jubilee Scotland

Open Seas Trust

RSPB Scotland

SCIAF

Scottish Communities Climate Action Network

WWF Scotland

Accessibility

This event will take place in a venue with full wheelchair access and facilities. If you will need any assistance on the day please contact [email protected]

If you have any other accessibility requirements or if there is anything we can do to ensure you can participate fully in the event please contact [email protected]

Join artists and activists to make willow and paper structures inspired by the local natural environment. The nearby Claypits nature reserve attracts a variety of creatures who need their habitats protecting, including birds, bats, frogs, snails, bees, butterflies and dragonflies. No experience necessary and no need to book – come and learn creative skills and use sustainable and renewable materials. 

The workshop will be open to drop-in Monday to Friday 10am-4pm

Refreshments provided. Donations welcome. 

Carnival Arts Scotland is a not-for-profit arts organisation based at The Arts Yard near the Forth and Clyde Canal in the north of Glasgow. We work in partnership with communities and provide a platform for creativity. We produce events with a focus on carnival and celebration. 

Aberdeen City Council are hosting an event on St. Nicholas Street on Thursday 15th June between 10:30 and 15:30, organised by the Protective Services team, featuring exhibition stands, hedge men street entertainers and vehicles, including a hydrogen car, electric car and cargo bike, to promote key messages around reducing pollution and congestion to improve air quality.

A number of organisations will be present on the day including the Aberdeen City Council (ACC) Cleaner Air for Aberdeen team, the ACC LEZ team, ACC Hydrogen Project, Big Issue bikes, First Bus, Enterprise Car Club, Energy Savings Trust, Getabout, Sustrans, Original FM Radio and the Hedge men street entertainers.

Free event – no ticket required.

Clean Air Day is the largest air pollution campaign in the UK – taking place on Thursday 15 June 2023.

 Clean Air Day helps to drive a positive shift in public knowledge and action. The day is a chance to find out more about air pollution, share information, and make our air cleaner and healthier for everyone.

The theme for the campaign this year is: Clean up our mind to look after your mind this #CleanAirDay.

 Cleaning up our air is good for us in many ways: it not only benefits our physical health and the environment but can also protect our mental and brain health. The physical health impacts of air pollution – such as asthma, heart disease and cancers – have been recognised for decades. More recently, researchers are beginning to understand how air pollution can affect the brain and the mind.

You can get involved by downloading our free Scottish resources here. We have everything you need to mark the day, such as a social media pack, event pack with posters, banners, and bunting, lesson plans activities for schools, content to help health professionals have conversations with patients about air pollution, and updated resources in Gaelic!

Whatever you do to celebrate Clean Air Day – please let Environmental Protection Scotland know by emailing [email protected]. Remember to also use the #CleanAirDay on social media and tag us at @EPScotland.

Introduce the Climate Action Towns project and how we are supporting the community to work on Climate Actions in Annan. Introduce the concept of a Community Action Plan with climate actions.

Understand the Annan Harbour Action Group project as an example of ongoing climate action in Annan.

·      Involve Annan Academy pupils in developing ideas for the Annan Community Action Plan, in response to the priorities identified in the survey.

Rainbow Turtle, a local Fair Trade charity is joining forces with Youth With A Mission to organise an event marking this year’s Climate Fringe Festival by bringing focus to the importance of local action and its global impact.  We would like to invite you to join our community litter pick followed by Fair Trade activities and gardening information as well as a bbq in a community garden.  We will meet at 3.30 at Glenburn Library in Paisley and will walk up to the Grow in Glenburn Community garden where the activities will take place.  All the litter pick equipment will be provided, but please bring camping mats to sit on in the garden and a few coins for food (£1 per item). The event is family-friendly and all the food served will be vegetarian. In case of any questions, please contact Linda on [email protected]

Scotland celebrates 10 years as a Fair Trade Nation this year and marks its commitment to people and planet, to fairness and sustainability with 5 short social media films set in five Fair Trade communities across Scotland. The Films represent the dedication of Fair Trade campaigners across Scotland and highlight the links between Fair Trade and the climate crisis.

The films will be launched by the five communities who made the films in Alford, Castle Douglas, Motherwell, Paisley and Perth as well as being launched by:

 the Scottish Fair Trade Forum with Strathaven Fairtrade Group and

Climate Action Strathaven on Thursday 15 June at

5 Green Street, Strathaven ML10 6LT.

All welcome, please just come along by 3:50pm on 15 June to 

Climate Action Strathaven.

The Guardians of Our Rivers is a Citizen Science project to monitor the health of Scotland’s rivers.  Buglife’s qualified Riverfly Partnership trainer will empower participants to  monitor and survey rivers for invertebrates, and spot early warning signs of habitats in crisis, e.g. pollution, drought, etc.   Training will be delivered in two parts:  Thursday 15th June, 6-9pm, Zoom. Saturday 17th June, 10am – 1pm, Alexandria Library. We will then walk from the library along the River Leven.  Please only book if you are over 18 and can commit to both sessions.

Angus Climate Conversations – Forfar

Thursday 15th June from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm.

Book via: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/angus-climate-conversations-forfar-tickets-648318366687

We all want a fairer, greener, Angus. Help shape the way forward for community climate action across our region.

Connect with others. Share what matters to you. Help us shape your Regional Climate Action Hub. Find new ways to work together and take practical steps to deliver sustainable changes for you and your community.

Scottish Communities Climate Action Network together with Angus Council’s Environment and Climate Change team are hosting a programme of Community events across Angus to hear from individuals and groups showing inspiration in action. Addressing the climate and biodiversity crises right now.

Who’s this for?

This is a session for anyone who cares about their community and their place in changing it.

Why you should come

We want to make this session useful to you and your community.

• Connect with others in your area.

• Focus on what matter to you.

• Shape what you need from a community climate action hub.

• Outline the way ahead on food, travel, nature, energy and more.

• Explore practical ways to collaborate and build a better tomorrow.

We will provide tea, coffee and cake and a welcome for everyone to share and shape the way ahead.

Our commitment

Your time is valuable. Your input is the evidence that will help shape the regional climate action hub application. We aim to submit in August 2023. Each session will help all of us connect, learn and collaborate better. This gets us closer to shaping a better future for everyone. Join the journey.

Book via: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/angus-climate-conversations-forfar-tickets-648318366687

This is a unique interactive games night designed to build empathy with climate migrants and encourage discussion around resilience. No experience or preparation is necessary. Players will be led through imaginative scenarios and they can choose their responses and actions.Come along expecting to join in, the imaginative leg work is up to you! Expect a friendly, and thought-provoking evening. Find creative solutions, experience unexpected shifting circumstances and find strength in solidarity with your fellow players. This is a game we’re not playing against each other but with one another, and you might be surprised by how it turns out. You can’t choose the cards you’re dealt but you can choose how you play them. Ever wonder about the future? Well this might even give you a glimpse of what’s to come. Free to participate in, and open to all our members, supporters, and anyone who shares Humanist Society Scotland’s vision and values. This evening is part of the Climate Fringe Festival. Facilitated by Hazel Darwin-Clements, writer, podcaster, project co-ordinator, performer, puppeteer and theatre maker.

Join artists and activists to make willow and paper structures inspired by the local natural environment. The nearby Claypits nature reserve attracts a variety of creatures who need their habitats protecting, including birds, bats, frogs, snails, bees, butterflies and dragonflies. No experience necessary and no need to book – come and learn creative skills and use sustainable and renewable materials. 

The workshop will be open to drop-in Monday to Friday 10am-4pm

Refreshments provided. Donations welcome. 

Carnival Arts Scotland is a not-for-profit arts organisation based at The Arts Yard near the Forth and Clyde Canal in the north of Glasgow. We work in partnership with communities and provide a platform for creativity. We produce events with a focus on carnival and celebration. 

Since 2017, The Gaia Foundation’s Seed Sovereignty Programme has worked to build a movement among growers and gardeners in the UK and Ireland, dedicated to the restoration of a thriving and diverse seed and food culture that helps protect and care for seed diversity. Seed diversity is threatened globally, and it’s critical for ensuring a secure and sustainable food system that serves both people and planet. On Friday 16th June, Programme Manager Sinéad Fortune will be talking to us about seed sovereignty, the importance of diversity in our food crops, and the urgency of rebuilding and restoring a thriving seed and food culture at a timeof climate crisis.

All are welcome to join – just turn up on the day! We have a donations pot at this event, and suggest a donation of £2 which goes towards the cost of ingredients for lunch and any access needs for the speaker. If you have any dietary requirements we should know of or other accessibility requirements – for example if you’ll require a highchair – if you’d like to get a heads up about how busy the talk will be, or if you’d like to know what the food will be, contact our Art & Community Worker Misa on [email protected].

Deveron Projects is an arts organisation based in Huntly, creating projects that connect artists, communities and places through creative work and engagement. This event is part of Deveron Projects’ regular Friday Lunch series, where we share a community lunch and invite people to speak about topics that relate to art, ecology, birds, politics or many other threads of Huntly life.

Friday Lunch is part of the Home Programme, a series of regular community events taking place at Deveron Projects programmed by our Art & Community Worker. The Home Programme celebrates local knowledge and experience, and explores what it’s like to live and work in and around Huntly.

Summerfest on Cambuslang Main Street is an annual gala day, which has been going for many years. Its purpose is to celebrate the community of Cambuslang, with lots of organisations taking stalls, providing local information and fun activities, with fairground rides, food, music and lots more. 

 Healthy n Happy Community Development Trust are delighted to take part and are featuring their ‘Seed Bomb Bike’. Using paper, wildflower seeds and water, local residents will use pedal power to make their own seed bombs. Once the mixture has mulched, it’s strained and left to dry. It can then be thrown in to a public space/garden or your own garden, where wildflowers will grow, providing bees, butterflies and other pollinators food throughout the year.