together we stand

for lots of superb images from the day :

http://www.cornwallinformation.co.uk/news/?p=1201

FFF Press release

TRANSITION PENWITH AND PLAN-IT EARTH

NEWS RELEASE

10 MAY 2009

 PENWITH'S FAIR FOR THE FUTURE PROVES EXCEPTIONALLY SUCCESSFUL.

The Fair for the Future held last Saturday (9 May) proved to be the largest, most successful and enjoyable celebration of sustainability and local business Penwith has seen.

The event was a joint venture by Transition Penwith and the Plan-it Earth Environmental Education Project and was held at Plan-it Earth's Chy Ena site at Sancreed near Penzance. Over 1,000 visitors - 5% of the population of Penzance - arrived to see how local organisations and businesses are working together to reduce the impacts of climate change and fossil fuel depletion in an enjoyable and informative way.

There were local craft demonstrations, lots of sustainable food and drink from local suppliers and farms, and music from local bands. The event was opened by Sancreed Parish Councillor and Tree Warden Tony Hole, who arrived in a Pony and Trap.  Visitors included the Mayor of Penzance and local MP Andrew George who arrived on his bicycle. 

A free bus service was provided from Penzance every half hour throughout the day, with modern low floor buses provided by Western Greyhound.  This proved exceptionally popular with many buses leaving full with standing room only.It was estimated that the free buses would have reduced the number of cars travelling to the event by around 200. Many other visitors walked and cycled to the event. 

All the electricity used by stallholders was provided entirely by the sun.Tony Fleming of South West Solar Solutions provided a specially adapted van with Photo-voltaic cells on the roof using the sun's energy to generate power for the day.  This is supported by battery back-up, but the fine weather meant the batteries were not required.

A 'Well-Dressing' took place during the day, an ancient custom popular in the Peak District, that blesses the purity of the local water supply.  The well at Sancreed was decorated by a colourful and beautiful display created from petals and seeds by Jo Tagney.

Children had a particularly enjoyable time with face painting and making fairy wings from recycled materials in the Cornish Pirates Learning Zone.They also had fun on the Human Powered Carousel.

The Penzance Market and Coastal Towns Initiative had a stand at the event where volunteers Fiona Thomas-Lambourn and Ann Haycock explained the community plan for Penzance and the surrounding area for the next 20 years.This included a sustainability theme group The voice of local business, the Penzance Chamber of Commerce's stand waswell attended with many visitors signing up to the Penzance Shoppers Loyalty Card. This offers discounts in local shops and businesses. So far 89 businesses have joined the scheme and over 8,000 shoppers have got a card.

There was hardly any rubbish at the event as most people took their litter home or used the extensive recycling facilities at the site.  Recyclable crockery was used instead of disposable Plastic cups and containers.

Rachel Smart-Knight of Plan-it Earth said:

"This was an amazing event that took almost three months to plan and I would like to thank all the volunteers, businesses and organisations that took part for their enthusiastic support.  We had visitors from all over the community, ranging from those already aware of climate change, sustainability and promoting the local economy, to those who knew little about the subject and wanted to find out more.  We had a wide range of local businesses and voluntary organisations from throughout Penwith who gave their time free of charge to be at the event and we cannot thank them enough for their support. There were smiles all round from the visitors and everyone had a really enjoyable day".

Stuart Walker Chairman of Transition Penwith said:"The Fair for the Future proves that there are a large number of businesses and organisations in Penwith who are enthusiastically embracing the challenges of fossil fuel depletion and climate change in a positive way. It was amazing to see all the visitors making such a great effort to minimise their impact on the environment and proves that there is a strong community spirit in Penwith to meet these challenges in a fun and enjoyable way".

Stuart was particularly pleased with the free bus service."The free buses proved to be exceptionally popular with most of the morning and lunch time buses leaving Penzance full and standing.  This removed the congestion that might have occurred in the village and proves that where frequent and convenient public transport is available, people will leave their cars at home and use the bus and train.  If we run a similar event next year we will look at providing more buses to ensure everyone has a comfortable journey. I would particularly like to thank the drivers from Western Greyhound who operated the service in a friendly and professional way".

If you would like to get involved or find out more about Transition Penwith and Plan-it Earth, visit their websites www.plan-itearth.org.uk, www.transitionpenwith.org.uk  or Email enquiries@plan-itearth.org.uk

 

A fairly wonderful day

May 9th: prayers were answered - the rain stayed in Spain ,

and the sun shone all day.....lots of lovely people came, made 

merry, and helped create a beautiful atmosphere filled with

optimism for the future. Numbers not available at the time of 

posting, but for those interested ( like me!).....from a quick peak in the 

rubbish bins I can tell you that there was only a tiny amount 

of waste in them.  Success!

Wesak

Talking of the Buddha....

 FFF on May 9th co-incides with another festival which will take place in many communities the world over on the full moon in May : Wesak - the annual celebration of the Buddha's birth and enlightenment.

The buddhists in Sri Lanka, make paper lanterns of all shapes and sizes to adorn the streets of towns and villages, which when lit in the evening create a magical spectacle.

This is the starting point of networking. The mind map condenses and makes "real" the ideas of the mind. All great achievements , all minor daily events, are conceived in the mind. Buddha said " everything arises from our thoughts".
We exist as a continuum of thoughts and realised thoughts.
Careful what you think about! All day long we are subject to our thoughts... our version of our world. Think about it!
What do you think?

FREE! Bus timetable form Penzance to FFF

The latest FFF Site map

Some ways to travel to the Fair without your car......

One for the FFF sign painters

I am thinking of you all...no, sadly I have not seen any otters yet......could this be the most photographed road sign on Shetland. 

Big silver bird

The extremely busy Sumburgh airport in the sun, yesterday 7pm.

This morning, over a plate of porridge in the B&B, I had an interesting conversation with a chap who works as an economic consultant. He had travelled from Glasgow to oil  rich Shetland to run workshops with key  agencies, which will explore the economic implications  of alternative energy sources with the aim of developing a viable strategy. As this  man also, two years ago,  cycled from  Land's end to John O'Groats, I felt slightly better about my vehicle choice when he  reassured me that considerable research indicated that flying to islands such as Shetland was less environmentally damaging than taking the ferry. 

Is it a sign........

of a warmer, if nor drier Penwith? Well, no TP brownie points for me as not only will I not be able to help this week with FFF prep, but I have to confess that this blog was posted in Edinburgh airport,  where I had a 3hr wait for a connecting flight to the Shetland Isles, where I have been 'commuting' to several times over the last year, to work on a art project in Lerwick.

Luncheon break

Inspiring day at PIE yesterday, with lots of lovely people  appearing to help with sign painting, bunting making, veg planting, and tyre and lime seating construction earthship stylie!  

Rainbow's End, Penwith

Bunting makers anonymous

I have discovered the joy of making and hanging bunting. If you havent tried it .....trust me ...it may save your life. I hung the FFF bunting I have sewn around the recently dug potato patch at home, and I swear the tatties are responding! They want to P.A.R.T.Y.! So if you want to confess your addiction or join in some bunting making,( or even if you don't want to just think of your potatoes......) get in touch or even dig out the scrap box and make a start on your own and bring it along before 9th May to decorate the FFF site.  

Fair for the Future

Have you seen this bike?

This bike will be advertising the Fair for the Future event at Plan-It Earth, Sancreed.
It will be seen around Penzance during the next month, reminding us of the event and causing us to consider why this symbol has been chosen.
I remember the sense of achievement when I finally learned to ride my first bike, the fun and independance it gave me.
Now, years later I have taken up cycling again!
I still love whizzing down the hills on a sunny day being part of the environment!
Lets have some more cycle paths and make it easier to take this low- impact option, for a less polluted environment and a cheaper, healthier lifestyle. What do you think?

Howvevr

Actions speak quietly.

At Plan-It Earth, a re-skilling centre in Sancreed, a small group of Mothers and daughters spent the afternoon learning to make bags by recycling scraps of treasured fabrics thought to be too lovely to waste.
A sense of being part of an ancient way filled the space and the event was filmed unobtrusively for a Future production.
Many people talked of working like this together more often, it fostered contentment and mother and child alike were absorbed in their tasks.

capri battery 1985 joseph beuys

The Capri Battery of Joseph Beuys( 1921 - 1986) is considered as a modern metaphor for the ecological balance of modern civilisation. 200 pieces were manufactured as a limited edition in 1985. The vitrine in which Beuys displayed a Capri Battery, was one of his last works before he died.

lets be clear

the OPINIONS, attitudes, expectations, appetites,  preferences - whether  religious, political, or artistic,  MORALS, outlooks, predilections, philosophical positions, and humour  expressed on this blog are entirely personal, unless otherwise stated, and may not necessarily accurately reflect or fairly represent those of any one else involved in transition penwith  .....................

Its a sign........

FFF sign painting (and bunting making) at plan-it earth - a colourful business.....

The final version

Poster : the first draft

Andrew, a friend of Juliet's, generously gave his time and skills to put together this draft poster for FFF, based on ideas discussed at previous gatherings - linking to the ancient well on the Plan-it Earth site : the ripple effect of water or ideas.......... . . . .  .   .  .  .   .    .     .       .        .

He will be getting together with Jonathan to fine tune the design for print.

Tree-bogs.

The Tree-bog;

This delightful little structure, made from recycled waste wood, is a common feature in the permaculture garden. It is a low impact, sustainable toilet.
Unlike normal toilets there is no need for the use of any chemicals and there is no danger of poluting rivers and seas.
There is also the added bonus of being able to re-use the precious resource of nutrient rich compost.

Faith for the Future

When Faith Moves Mountains

On 11 April 2202, 500 volunteers were supplied withe shovels and asked to form a single line at the foot of a giant sand dune in Ventanilla, an area outside Lima in Peru. This 'comb' pushed a quantity of sand a small distance, thereby moving a 16,00 foot long sand dune about 4 inches from its original position. The act constituted WHEN FAITH MOVES MOUNTAINS , a project by artist Frances Alys, in collaboration with Rafael Ortega and Cuauhtemoc Medina. 

Clair Doherty : From Studio to Situation

Fair for the Future

Sustain,

Uphold or allow validity ,rightfulness, truth, correctness or justice of.....

Be adequate as ground or basis for....

Keep from failing or giving way, keep up, keep going,

Endure without failing, withstand, undergo, experience, suffer(?)...

Hold up. bear weight of, be support of.

Ability,

Sufficient power, capacity to do, competency, cleverness, talent, mental faculty......

Trust the process!

Last night the TP arts group met in Penzance, to progress plans for the FFF.  It  seems that one of the biggest challenges, for me anyway, and possibly the group, will be to respect and embrace the diverse visions and expectations individual members have for this day, and for the role the group sees itself taking in TP beyond the day.

This blog might provide a platform for discussion, or sharing and exchanging ideas just for the arts group, or for all involved in FFF, which should help keep the processes as transparent and inclusive as possible, and also spread the word.  I'm not sure which is best, so will start small, by limiting the authorship of the blog solely to the other four folk who were at lasts nights meeting, who will be invited to contribute by posting a blog or at least leaving some feedback comments.

Perhaps we can then decide if this is a useful tool or not. 

flipflopflowerpower