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DEC 2009 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 - a few places still available --- Dave will be running 2 workshops in Hebden on 20th Dec (one in the morning, one in the afternoon). There are still a few places available. Go to the ledfantastic website for more info and to book a place. 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 is Confirmed!!! --- 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 is on!!! --- 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. Please! 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…
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