South Somerset Green Fair and Scythe Festival

Sunday 15th June 2008 11am to 10pm

Thorney Lakes, Muchelney, Nr Langport, Somerset

£5 Entry
Accompanied children free!
Dogs on leads welcome
Car Parking on site
Camping available

This year the South Somerset Green Fair is again collaborating with the Scythe Festival and the joint event is set to be better than ever before. The South Somerset Green Fair and Scythe Festival will be held at the beautiful Thorney Lakes (for directions see map) It promises to be a fantastic event and includes a programme of music, performance and arts along with displays of local sustainable projects, stalls selling local produce, crafts, refreshments and food, and the aim is to power the event using alternative energy. Anyone who would like more information, would like to book a stall, get involved as a performer, a scyther or as a volunteer with this very popular event please contact us at info@greenfair.org.uk

Humanity is facing four major challenges: economic disparities, war and violence, environmental degradation, and religious intolerance. In the face of such huge challenges what can we as individuals or as communities do? The South Somerset Green Fair is a small part of a global movement seeking to raise awareness of these issues and explore positive solutions through appropriate technology, artistic expression, local distinctiveness, organic food production, sustainable resources and environmental information exchange. Everyone has something to offer and something to learn about these vital issues of our time. Come and join us in an event which is both uplifting and inspiring, thought provoking and informative and above all, fun and a good day out!

South Somerset Green Fair & Scythe Festival 2008
Music and Performance - Line-up
(timings subject to change)

12.00    Speakers Panel including Julia Hayles, Rosie Boycott and Paul Kingsnorth
        introduced by David Gordon. A chance to ask the Green experts questions

13.30    Not Made in China- Distinctive acoustic pop/folk music

14.00    Gareth & Sonia- Original songs and gentle voices

14.30    Langport Mummers play out the ancient & comic tale of ‘King Alfred takes the Biscuit’ (outside)

15.00    Anthea Neads- singer songwriter with a crystal clear voice

15.30    Nathan & Emma- Versatile Folk duo with material from these isles and from across the Atlantic.

15.30    Caroline Barry – talk and slide show about her Strawbale house rebuild. (Green Info café)

16.00    Thinking For Tuesday – a big welcome to this thoughtful local rock band.

16.30    Ash- Dynamic performance poet who gets you laughing and thinking at the same time.

17.00    Resonance- Flute & digital mix - Spiritual ambience with this multi- intstrumentalist.

17.00    Cara Naden - Talk on Transition Towns movement (Green Info Cafe)

18.00    Scything Competition - Presentation of Prizes – Welcome the Heroes!

19.00    Fiddlesticks-   Get dancing with local Celidh band

20.00   Somerset Story Circle- short tales from Somerset folklore and music from Sangers Travelling Show (outside)

21.00    Kangaroo Moon - Electro squelchy psychedelic funk, ethno celtic folk and everything in between!

PA system supplied by Yeovil College and powered by the Wind and Sun.
Electricity produced by our NEW Green Energy Trailer, funded by Awards For All Lottery Fund.

South Somerset Green Fair & Scythe Festival 2008
Thorney Lakes, Muchelney, near Langport TA10 0DW
GreenKidz Area

Come along and play in and around our Tipis, Yurts and Domes. The whole area will be decorated once again with flags designed by young people at Kingsbury Youth Club.

Accompanied children have FREE entry to the event & GreenKidz activities are FREE unless marked *

Activity Workshops:
Under 8s must be accompanied by an adult at all workshops
11-1pm
•    Woodcarving – (over 8 years) Have a go at carving wood under the guidance of an expert green woodworker;
•    Story Drama Workshop (over 5 years)–Act out your favourite stories and make your own play to be performed to adults at     1pm.

2-5pm
•    Soft Stone Carving-(all ages) Have a go at carving stone under the guidance of an expert stone carver;
•    Clay Modelling- Creative modeling for the Under 8s in our geodesic dome.
•   Smoke Firing- (all ages) Decorate your own pottery and smoke fire it over dry leaves to create beautiful black and white             patterns)*

In the Storytelling Tent

13.30   Professor Paradox-Legendary theatre for children featuring slapstick, magic, laughter and storytelling

14.30    Rattle Box Theatre-Beautifully crafted medieval puppets & storytelling featuring the hilarious, interactive ‘Chat to a                 Rat’ show

15.30    Professor Paradox-another chance to watch this legendary local performer.

16.30    Rattle Box Theatre-as above.

Activities continuing throughout the day:
•    Juggling*
•    Badge Machines- make a ‘Best Dad’ badge for your Dad- its Fathers Day!*
•    Leaf Art with Forest School leaders
•    Pedal Smoothies*
•    Face Painting*
•    Roundabout Rides*

The GreenKidZ programme finishes at 5.30pm. Workshops funded by Somerset Play Forum

About the South Somerset Green Fair

The South Somerset Green Fair is now in its sixth year and has as its aims:

1. To raise environmental awareness through creative activities.
2. To promote sustainable communities in South Somerset.
3. To engage the local community in Green Issues.

The previous four fairs (2002-2006) which all took place on South Petherton Recreation Ground proved very popular and successful events (read all about them below!). Last year, 2007, we had a new venue at Thorney Lakes near Muchelney and joined forces with the Scythe Festival to create a very special event. This year will be even better! See you there!

2007

GREEN KIDZ AREA
Our new site at Thorney Lakes allowed us for the first time to have a kid’s area all in one place, which was christened ‘Greenkidz’. Colourful flags that had been designed by young people at the local Kingsbury Episcopi Youth Club defined the area. A community grant from the South Somerset District Council enabled Andy Hawthorne from SHH! Décor to lead a design workshop at the youth club in the weeks preceding the fair. Photos were taken of the designs, which were sent off to Bali by e-mail. Batik craftsmen then used the designs to create the beautiful colourful flags we used at the Fair. The Flags are a resource that is available for other local community events. However we hired the flagpoles for the event so we still need to buy some to be able to use them independently of SHH! Décor. The GREENKIDZ area was full of activities, children and families all day long and proved a great success. Professor Paradox made us all laugh, the Mini- Mummers troupe wowed us all with their pirate show of stealth and daring, and Austen Keenan the Storyteller enthralled us all with his tales of mystery and magic.
The Yeocals Juggling Troupe (from Yeovil!) led a continuous hands on juggling workshop, while Sophie Courtious led a willow sculpture workshop with young people helping to create a huge ‘ Girt dog of Langport’ willow figure.
    Other activities included Songs of Peace & Joy, (Joy Leingaard), Hand powered roundabout (Wells Carnival Club) Leaf badge making (Hannah Aitken) Soft Stone Carving (Richard Langford), Clay Modelling (Alison Hayward) Face Painting (Jennie Pank) Leafy Crown Making (Forest School Cluster Group) and Flower Mandala Creation (Jan Pemberton). This was all taking place in and around our new Geodesic Domes, funded by Awards for All and expertly made by Nick Durnan from local hazel and willow.

MUSIC TENT
Joining up with the Scythe Festival meant we had the use of their large 40x 40 metre tent. Once the Scythers had finished talking blades and grass, we were able to run a line- up of Musicians and Speakers, throughout the day and into the evening with a wonderful final from Kangaroo Moon. This all went really smoothly thanks to Yeovil College Music Department, namely Rosie Russell, Simon Squire and their trusty helpers Luke, Chris And Lee. Together they provided a P.A. system and professionally managed the stage through out the day.

2005
Definitely the best year ever with wonderful hot weather, a full music line up and the creation of the magnificent willow green woman. The oak tree once again the focus of the event with its huge branches giving ample shade to at least six activities. An Awards for All grant provided funding for an environmental arts programme which included wild stories, willow workshops, flower sculpture, giant puppets and music technology. The constant need to hire in equipment led to the decision to have a year’s rest and plan for buying our own equipment for future fairs and to take other events.

2004
This year saw the continuing success and development of the Community Green Fair, held in its third year in South Petherton, South Somerset. Throughout the day an estimated 1000 people visited the event, the weather stayed dry and the stalls holders and public alike gave positive feedback, with lots of interest in the displays on recycling, renewable energy, sustainable building, local food production and sustainable communities. Interesting features from this year included Pedal Power interactive workshops, wandering Mermaids, an environmental mandala, and the Blackdown Hills Samba band workshop and procession. A welcome new event was the youth bands line up and mixed media & music events held in the David Hall, down in the village. This saw the involvement of over 100 young musicians and their supporters. It is hoped that in 2005 we will obtain a License to enable us to run youth music activities on site. The Green Craft area continues to expand with a wide variety of rural crafts demonstrations all situated around the central Peace Yurt, a quiet oasis in the middle of the festive atmosphere. Kids activities included the SSDC Playbus, mask making, and clay modelling. Feedback from the South Petherton Parish Council was good and they are happy for us to hold the event again on the recreation ground in 2005. We continue to receive support from the South Petherton Scouts, who kindly give us the use of their hut and facilities, and the Pavilion Sports Club who liase with the Cricket club, help with storage and open their licensed bar to the public for the day. More local groups were involved this year, taking up the opportunity to have a stall and raise their own funds, while contributing to the sustainable communities theme.
The Green Fair started with funds from a lottery grant, which covered the first 2 years. 2004 was the first year the event was run without grant aid. Sponsorship money was obtained by 4 local businesses and money was collected on the day, through stall fees, donations, raffle, the bouncy castle, adverts in the programme and the Green Info Café. The surplus amount raised will enable us to provide the basic infrastructure (tents, toilets, insurance etc.) in 2005. Fundraising is already underway for further activities and further grant applications are being made, to run workshops in the wider community (across south Somerset) on environmental arts themes, and a windmill project in the South Petherton Primary School. The Community Green Fair is building a good reputation as a creative, fun day out which brings together people from all walks of life together to find out about and support local sustainable initiatives of all kinds. Our thanks go out to all the people who give their time and energy to making the event the success it is. We continue to rely on the goodwill of volunteers and welcome any offers of help. If you think you could help in any way, from fundraising to running a craft activity or performing a show, or if you would like to run a display on recycling, renewable energy, or sustainable communities, please contact us in the first instance by e-mail.

2003
The second South Petherton Green Fair, held on July 13th 2003, was attended by well over a thousand people of all ages. While adults browsed stalls and displays covering topics ranging from recycling & renewable energy sources to low impact living & local green crafts, the Wild Man of the Woods enthralled children with his educational stories told under the cool shade of a giant oak tree. Children also learned to weave and spin wool, and explored the environment through stories and drama with Natureplay. Various local youth groups contributed shows & music they had prepared for the day. This included youth bands, dance workshops, circus, drama , a youth debate on environmental issues and DJ sessions. There were short talks on straw bale house building and on Tinkers Bubble, the low impact sustainable development on Ham Hill, alongside the Green Info café, where you could browse through a variety of ‘green’ publications, while sampling organic and Fair Trade teas and coffee. The Green Fair is part of Going Green, a project organised by South Somerset Play Association, funded by SEED New Opportunities Fund, and supported by SSDC. The project aims to raise environmental awareness through play .

2002
Over 300 people attended the Green Fair at South Petherton Recreation ground on August 18th. The Fair, organised by South Somerset District Council in partnership with South Somerset Play Association, was part of their ‘Going Green’ project, which aims to raise environmental awareness through play and youth activities. Workshops were run throughout July and August in holiday playschemes across the district, at the Green Fair, and further workshops are planned for youth clubs in November. All the workshops were free and open to all. Adults and children had fun pedalling to make music with the Rinky Dink pedal powered disco, constructing a bender –a shelter made from bent hazel sticks and canvas- with The Tinkers Bubble Community, or joining the Wild Man of the Woods with his collections of songs and stories about our changing relationship with the natural environment. Recycled materials were used to create colourful dragons and butterflies in the Creeping Toad workshop and along with the Summer creatures made in the SSDC Community Playbus a colourful parade was formed, led by the colourful Rinky Dink. The Rubbish Police clowns kept everyone on their toes and made sure everyone enjoyed clearing up litter! Along side the fun activities people could also find out about renewable energy from the Devon Renewables. Their compact trailer had working displays of solar panels and windmills, examples of sustainable building materials and lots of information and friendly advice. The electricity they were generating on site was used to power the PA system & amplifier of local band Los Dos, showing how wind & sun energy can easily be converted to normal 240v. systems. Stalls and exhibits came from a cross section of the community, encouraging local exchange, fund raising for small groups, and promoting local sustainable initiatives. The Farmers Market caterers supplied delicious roast meat rolls, vegetarian salads, homemade ice cream, cold drinks and strawberries. Young people from the Eco-Envoy carried out their final consultation before taking the views of young people to the World Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Stalls and Activities

If you would like to have a stall, display or performance at the Green Fair please contact one of the Coordinators below who will send you a copy of the appropriate Booking Form. Please note we have a Ethical Policy regarding stallholders.

Stalls:            Louise Finnis
E-mail:            stalls@greenfair.org.uk

Scything:        Simon Fairlie
E-mail:            scything@greenfair.org.uk

Performance and Kids Activities:    Hannah Aitken
E-mail:            greenkidz@greenfair.org.uk

Green Crafts:    Nick Durnan
E-mail:            greencrafts@greenfair.org.uk

Catering:        Louise Finnis
E-mail:            catering@greenfair.org.uk

General Information:
E-mail:            info@greenfair.org.uk

Ethical Policy for Stallholders

If you need clarification of any of the following, please contact us before sending your application form:

•    Your stock must have been obtained from an ethical source, e.g. fairly traded or hand produced by yourself or your friends and family.
       Goods produced by forced, exploitative or child labour are not permitted.
•    Mass produced goods which are not environmentally friendly are not permitted.
•    No goods produced by unethical multinationals may be sold.
•    No items associated with war or aggression, including toy weapons, may be sold or displayed.
•    Recycled paper is preferred for carrier bags, serviettes etc.
•    Stalls must respect other faiths, cultures and beliefs. No forms of discrimination will be tolerated.
•    Products sold must not have been tested on animals.
•    Stalls selling second hand goods are welcome, but must comply with the other guidelines.
•    No balloons to be sold or given to the public, due to the litter problems they can cause.
•    Only green forms of transport may be promoted.
•    No mains electricity is available on site.
•    Please do not leave behind any litter at the end of the day.
•    Dogs are allowed on site but are the responsibility of their owners at all times and must be on leads. Dog mess must be cleaned up.

Gallery

2003

2003 Crowds at the Fair

Crowds at the Fair John Lee

Peace Yurt Seize the Day

Sunset

Sunset Weaving workshop

2004

Dance workshop Drumming workshop

Flower mandala Green Info Cafe

Pedal Power Sustainable transport

2005

Willow workshop Dacre Giants

Green Woman Powered by wind and sun

Story telling

Story Telling The Oak Tree

Links

The Land is Ours -TLIO campaigns peacefully for access to the land, its resources, and the decision-making processes affecting them, for everyone, irrespective of race, gender or age.
LETS - Local Exchange Trading Systems or Schemes are local community-based mutual aid networks in which people exchange all kinds of goods and services with one another, without the need for money. There are 7 schemes in Somerset including South Somerset LETS.
Somerset Organic Link (SOL) is a co-operative of organic farmers in Somerset supplying a wide range of fresh organic vegetables and fruit all year round.
Somerset Trust for Sustainable Development (STSD) Aims to make sustainable design and building practices normal rather than exceptional throughout Somerset. Includes mission, activities, projects, ..
Ecovillage Network UK Assists individuals, projects, and organisations in developing environmentally, socially and economically sustainable settlements.
Somerset Waste Action Programme (SWAP) Somerset Waste Action Programme are here to promote waste minimisation, reuse, recycling and composting in Somerset.
GreenNet - UK based computer network for environment, peace, human rights and development.

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