General Election Hustings for Taunton Deane – 30th May

General Election Hustings for Taunton Deane
7:30-9pm, 30 May 2017
(doors open from 7pm)
Kingsmead School,
South Street,
Wiveliscombe TA4 2NE

Parliamentary candidates for Taunton Deane will attend to answer questions on climate change, Europe and other important issues.

Green Party – Clive Martin

Labour Party – Martin Jevon

Liberal Democrats – Gideon Amos

UK Independence Party – Alan Dimmick

Conservative Party – Rebecca Pow invited but has “decided not to take part”.

Chair for the hustings will be Julian Mellor. The format will be similar to BBC’s Question Time. Please send questions you would like to ask to hustings@wiveyaction.org.uk or by post to Hustings, Wivey Action on Climate, The Greenhouse, Old Brewery, Golden Hill, Wiveliscombe TA4 2NY (question deadline: 12 noon, 25 May)

This has been organised by Wivey Action on Climate.

 

Growing Taunton – Sat 6th May

We will be out and about again Saturday to get more vegetables planted in Somerset Square.

Location: Somerset Sq – between the Brewhouse Theatre and the Cricket Ground

When: Sat 1st April – 10.30 – 12.30

Taunton Transition Town are inspiring people all over the town to take food production back into their own hands. Any piece of land has the potential to grow food – be it a curbside, your back garden or a spare corner in a park. Our mission is to take down the barriers between you and your ability to grow there.

If you eat, you’re in

We have been running this site at Somerset Square for some years now; replacing the municipal plants with something we can eat or which is beneficial to insects.  Find the vegetables, herbs and other plants growing in the planters between the Brewhouse Theatre and the Cricket Ground in Taunton.

We need your help to weed, plant and haul water!  We have big plans for Somerset Square and need your help. Bring you garden forks, trowels and gloves for some extra special TLC to this wonderful display.

 

 

Growing Taunton – Sat 1st April

It is that time of year again when we will be getting that public veg growing started.

Location: Somerset Sq – between the Brewhouse Theatre and the Cricket Ground

When: Sat 1st April – 10.30 – 12.30

Taunton Transition Town are inspiring people all over the town to take food production back into their own hands. Any piece of land has the potential to grow food – be it a curbside, your back garden or a spare corner in a park. Our mission is to take down the barriers between you and your ability to grow there.

If you eat, you’re in

We have been running this site at Somerset Square for some years now; replacing the municipal plants with something we can eat or which is beneficial to insects.  Find the vegetables, herbs and other plants growing in the planters between the Brewhouse Theatre and the Cricket Ground in Taunton.

Fact 1:Wonder why we grow so many pot marigolds (Calendula) – well not only can you eat the petals it is also good as an insect nectar and pollen plant that attracts beneficial insects, especially bees, butterflies and hoverflies.  

The plan this month is to clear some of the beds and sow some suitable seeds like beetroot, carrots, Swiss chard, salad leaves and peas; along with some wild flower seeds.  If you have any seeds or indeed vegetable plants that you can spare please bring them along on Saturday so we can share for this wonderful public edible garden.

Fact 2: Planted in Somerset Square Planters are the wonderful plant Oca; one of the ‘Lost Crops’ of the Incas, which is still widely grown in Bolivia & Peru. Oca is planted and cooked just like potatoes (although they are smaller, the size of new potatoes) and it has a lemony taste like potatoes with lemon butter. It’s is easy as long as you have a moderately long season, and being completely unrelated to potatoes , it’s not affected by blight.

 

‘Before the Flood ‘film showing

before-the-flood-poster-2

Taunton Transition get together & AGM 14 March 7.30pm

TAUNTON TRANSITION TOWN

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

TUESDAY 14 MARCH 2017

Quaker Meeting House, 13 Bath Place

Taunton  TA1 4EP

 

Please join us at 7.30pm for an informal gathering to chat to fellow members and find out more about our activities and help shape our future plans.

At 8pm we will hold a formal AGM to elect a treasurer, secretary and committee for the next year – without whom Taunton Transition Town cannot continue.

We will then discuss future events, starting with final arrangements for the showing of the film Tomorrow on 31 March. (This film highlights the work of community projects in many countries)   Now that the message about the problems arising from climate change is finally beginning to get through, the need for local action groups offering solutions and hope for the future is all the more important.  We look forward to welcoming more volunteers to help stage events (or do community gardening) and more people with new ideas.

Invitation to Forum 21 Pasture Feed Conference

You are invited to attend:

Pasture Power – Exmoor’s Golden Future

Friday, March 17, 2017 from 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM

A Forum 21 one-day conference to demonstrate the benefits of pasture fed food production. Feeding ruminant animals on species rich grassland produces good quality food, protects the soil, is good for animal welfare and stores carbon in the soil helping to alleviate climate change.  In addition pasture farming keeps more money in the local economy. Our speakers are practising farmers, land managers and conservationists. The speakers: Graham Harvey is a well-known author and agricultural journalist Rebecca Hoskyn runs Village Farm and has hugely increased biodiversity in the past few years while also increasing profit Rob Havard is a well-known regenerative agriculturalist and runs a business advising other farmers Nigel Hester from the National Trust will talk us through how to manage the whole of a river catchment to prevent flooding and improve water quality Other speakers include Bea Davis from Exmoor national Park, Philip Limbery from Compassion in Work Farming, Robin Milton, chair of NFU’s Hill Farming Forum and Liz Bowles from the Organic Soil Association.

At The Beach Hotel, The Avenue, Minehead, SomersetTA24 5AP

Register here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pasture-power-exmoors-golden-future-tickets-31446617680?aff=mcivte

 

‘Before the Flood’ film showing on 30th January

Before the Flood – a Leo Di Caprio film about the climate crisis.  

At The Friends Quaker Meeting House, Bath Place, Taunton: Monday 30^th January (7.30pm)

This is highly recommended viewing for all who are concerned about the climate crisis and the perennial issue of how to widen public engagement.  Di Caprio talks with Barack Obama, climate scientists and others in the field.  He is confronted with the view that it all hinges on whether the rich world can curb its consumption. 

There is much we can learn from the film – all the more so, knowing now that it did not have the intended effect on the USA election and that climate denialism is part of the new administration’s policy. 

There will be time after the screening to discuss what we all think and feel about this production and about climate communication in a world of anti-science, post truth politics.  This is an opportunity for us to do some thinking about our options, following a year in which reason, responsibility and care for the future lost a lot of ground.  

This event has been arranged by Taunton Transition Town, Transition Athelney, Wivy Climate Action, Transition Wellington

Admission is free, but we will ask for a small donation to allow us to cover our costs.

 

Taunton Area Cycling Campaign – Sat 26th Nov – 9.15

Please come to the Market House next Saturday (26 Nov) 9.15am-10am to our media photo event to launch TACC – Taunton Area Cycling Campaign.

TACC aims to highlight issues for cyclists in and around the Taunton Area after great feedback from the latest cycling survey.  On Saturday we are highlighting the top 15 cycling hotspots that the survey identified including the cobbled road around the market house.  Others include Station Road, East Reach, all major routes into Taunton ie A38 Wellington to Taunton.

TACC want to make Taunton and indeed the surrounding areas cycle friendly; we want to improve safety, and promote better road design, to make a better Taunton.

 

Taunton has nearly 10% of people riding to work -imagine the impact on traffic and congestion if these people drove to work instead. And now imagine the impact if this level of cycling could be doubled. Makes you think!

So whether you are a cyclist commuter, a leisure cyclist or someone who would like to cycle but is put off by the roads please come along and join us.

Place: Market House – Centre of Taunton

Date: 26th November

Time: 9.15-10.00

Bring your bike (if you have one) and show Taunton what it like to have happy, joyful cyclists (and soon-to-be cyclists).

Bike Mike Night – An Evening of Conversation – Wed 16th Nov

On Your Bike events present “An Evening of Conversation” (Bike Mike Night) Wed 16th Nov 7pm at CICCIC – Memorial Hall, Paul St, Taunton, TA1 3PF

Come and hear some tales of sporting achievement, featuring…

Jez Scarratt:

A man who has powered his way on two wheels through endurance events and cycling adventures. On one leg.

Dereck Cutler:

Lands End to John O’Groats in less than 5 days unsupported.

Beth French:

Pushing the boundaries of human achievement to swim the Seven Oceans, in one year.

This event is brought to you by On Your Bike charity, an organisation dedicated to recycling bicycles and improving the life opportunities for disadvantaged people.

On Your Bike operates from Trinity Business Centre, South Street and from behind the Taxi Rank at the Railway Station.

Tickets available on Eventbrite (link below) or at the door £5
http://tinyurl.com/hlg735m

Photos from Flickr Creative Commons: Chris JL, Les Chatfield, Coventry City Council, Tejvan Pettinger, Matt Gibson, Justin Rickwood.

Film: Disobedience on 22nd September

Transition Athelney presents:
D I S O B E D I E N C E

The role of people power in the struggle to build a sustainable future

A 40 minute film, followed by refreshments and discussion.

The film has relevance to anyone who is engaged with the climate issue. It chronicles several successful efforts to disrupt fossil fuel operations and to raise the profile of the climate movement in the public mind. It also contains some penetrating insights (eg from Ricken Patel of Avaaz) about the opposing forces in this issue and why determined grass roots action is imperative in pursuit of change at a government level. This of course reflects the fact that few major reforms in history have been accomplished without a degree of civil disobedience.

The film throws up a host of issues and questions, including public perception of the Green movement. We are at a fascinating as well as dangerous juncture. One of the huge positives is that, with the solar revolution gathering pace, it is getting harder to dismiss Greens as wanting to drag society back to the stone age. This has been a source of fear in people’s minds as well as a cynical political tactic.

You can watch the trailer at:

http://watchdisobedience.com/trailer/

The Williams Hall Stoke St Gregory

Thursday 22nd September 2016

Doors open 7.30pm
Free entry; donations welcome

Enquiries: adrian@azhobdens.co.uk