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Big Green Gathering 2003 set
for July 30th to August 3rd Our 2002 event at Winchester farm was very successful, and very
popular with local residents and traders, and with the police and
local authorities. Although we could have returned to the same site
for 2003, we recognised that we had been (as usual) very lucky with
the weather, because even a moderate amount of rain during the Gathering
could easily have produced a mudbath, and would have greatly increased
the risk of accidents with the large number of ditches and watercourses
around the site. Fortunately, we have now secured a new site just a few miles from Cheddar which should reduce such risks. It is a free-draining farm site on the Mendip hills with the added advantage of being well placed for wind power. |
Penny Kemp joins BGG as new Director This year the Big Green Gathering is being held near Cheddar from
30th July to 3rd August. Those of you who have been before will
know the exciting mix of entertainment, information, forums for
debate and the opportunities to get involved in various campaigns.
In this year of global distress and the almost certain upheaval
in the Middle East, we are focussing on a gathering for peace and
the planet. Bush and Blair’s war on Iraq has produced the biggest
upsurge in the Peace Movemnet for a generation. More than ever before,
people are realising that in a world of terrorism and revenge, human
rights abuses, dwindling natural resources, environmental degradation
and increasing global warming, war is not an answer. The only sustainable
future is a Green future – not one based on the power of the
biggest bully with the biggest range of weapons of mass destruction
but one where we learn to respect the rights of all. Where we share
the earth’s limited resources understanding that we need to
meet present day needs without compromising those of generations
to come. We all depend on one fragile ecosystem and it is not right
that 20% of the world’s people take 80% of the world’s
resources leaving the majority of our fellow beings living in abject
poverty. A clearer recipe for war, disharmony and environmental
destruction, I cannot imagine. Like the founders of the Green Party, thirty years ago, we have
a simple message that is as valuable today as it was then. The world
needs Peace and it needs to be Green. This simple but powerful message
provides the theme of our 2003 Big Green Gathering and we will be
holding a Green Peace Forum where you can discuss with others how
we achieve a Green Future where we can live in peace, equity and
sustainability with our neighbours and in harmony with our planet.
It shouldn’t be beyond the ability of our politicians. Come
to the Big Green Gathering and let’s make our voices heard
together. We owe it to future generations - Penny Kemp. Enquiries Jan Milne: 01480-497545 • c/o Goretree Lodge Goretree Road, Hemingford, Grey, Cambs PE28 9HL • Janigotchi@talk21.com • info@big-green-gathering.com • www.big-green-gathering.com |
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Latest News: Since 1994 it has grown to be Britain’s
biggest and most popular annual event for members and supporters
of the Green movement. Now, after another successful event in 2002,
the Big Green Gathering is back again on a new site on the Mendip
hills near Cheddar, Somerset.2003 A Gathering For Peace and the
Planet The only sustainable future is a Green future - not one based on
the power of the biggest bully with the biggest range of weapons
of mass destruction, but one which requires a fairer sharing of
the earth’s limited resources, in which we learn to respect
the rights of all its human and non-human inhabitants, and to preserve
the fragile global ecosystem on which we all depend. Like the founders
of Greenpeace 30 years ago, we have a simple message - the world
needs peace, and it needs to be Green. This message provides the
theme of our 2003 Gathering, and of our Green Peace Forum which
will provide a discussion space with panels of prominent expert
speakers exploring key aspects of the Green future - energy, land.
agriculture, transport, trade, Green economics, peace and human
rights.... and all the usual attractions! Our new site on the hills above Cheddar will be packed full of
fun for all the family - including our activity-filled Children's
Area and Funfair, and a Crafts Area with huge displays of handmade
goods and a wide range of workshops where young and old can try
their hands at learning fascinating new skills. You can sample delicious
vegetarian and vegan food from our selection of on-site cafes, or
wander round our Green Market where you will find ethical goods
and everyday necessities in the atmosphere of an Eastern Bazaar.
Enjoy non-stop entertainment from morning to night with walkabout
clowns, street theatre, dance, poetry story-tellers and music of
all sorts from open-air jam sessions to excellent on-stage performances
by live bands. You can also sample the serious side of the Gathering. It is a
showcase of renewable energy, powered throughout by wind, solar
and pedal power - no petrol or diesel generators are allowed on
site. It provides a unique forum for Green campaigners to promote
their own campaigns and to network with others in the fields of
ecology, peace, human rights and social justice. Our Permaculture
Area shows how we can work with nature to make our earth a productive
garden. Our Healing Area features a full range of 'alternative'
therapies, and our Earth Energies Area invites you to ponder the
mysteries of the unexplained, while our Sustainable Homes Area offers
examples of low-impact living and the Tipi Circle provides the unique
experience of the sweat lodge. |