September Newsletter
Happy autumn everyone!
As the leaves start to turn colour and the temperature begins to drop, we are filled with gratitude for all that the busy summer has offered. The summer has been fruitful with new connections, beautiful vegetables that we harvested from our own garden, and a razor sharp focus on our strategy to get land. We are grateful to you all for showing up again and again, for your joy and openness that you bring that keeps us motivated in the importance of this work.
We have also actively been fundraising and seeking more funding to continue the important work we do and our dream of a land project. So much of what we do is difficult to write a funding application for. To those in our community who are able to donate or who may know any connections, we are also grateful to be in contact with more donors.
Read below to see what we’ve been up to this summer and what events we’ve got coming up in September!
Updates
Fallow
In July, we all gathered in Epping Forest with special guest Maymana from Fungi Futures joined Dre& LION for a journey through Epping Forest. It was a great blend of frolicking, reflecting, and connecting with the trees. Despite the storm and chaos that ensued, it was so great to see everyone in their rain coats and good mood.
Summer Gathering
Dandelion Blossoming - Summer Gathering
At the end of August, we had the most beautiful summer gathering and welcoming to our new space at Glengall Wharf Garden. Beginning with gardening and seed sowing drop ins, folks joined us for sauna, time around the fire, and an incredible discussion on reparations with Esther Stanford-Xosei and Dee Woods, facilitated by Josina. The discussion was a reminder that real reparations require radical organising and commitment to a better world. Thank you also to everyone for your great questions - those that weren’t answered have been noted down, and we want to keep working around them. We will post a blog soon with a recording of the session. We raised £280 in ticket sales which we will donate to Dre’s fundraiser for different project in Gambia, to find out how you can support or get some more information, drop Dre an email here. We also raised over £380 from our raffle and merch sales - all of which will go towards our land fund! Thank you everyone who donated a prize, and to everyone who bought a ticket or bought some of our stuff! Thank you Community Sauna Baths for letting us have a sauna session just for our attendees, to Glengall Wharf Garden for letting us use the space, our barbecuers Tom and Sine, our talented performer Island Girl and for everyone in LION for organising and for the folks in our ecosystems that made everything run smoothly.
Part of our efforts to create space for rest, gentleness and care within our work has been making space for internal wellbeing workshops. With our favourite facilitator Dre Ferdinand, LION headed to Kew Gardens. We were sent on a treasure hunt to find different plants that had different meanings for us, we wandered around glasshouses, and we sat in the shade of a weeping beech tree, all sandwiched between lying in the grass - what a wholesome and lovely day!
Coffee Afrique
We will be collaborating with Coffee Afrique on a series of workshops over the next few years at their hubs in Hackney and Tower Hamlets. On September 11th, Sam and Dre Ferdinand showed the Hackney Hub Somalian women’s group how they make balms from calendula infused oils.
Dandelion Garden Drop In Sessions
We’ve started running volunteer gardening drop-in sessions at our Dandelion Garden, the raised beds we are stewarding at Glengall Wharf Gardens! Our session on the 4th was great, and a beautiful space where everyone could learn from each other - and bring home an abundant harvest.
Our next drop in session is September 18th, which will be co-facilitated with the amazing Naomi Terry. Sign up HERE if you would like to get involved with gardening and watering at Dandelion Garden.
Opportunities, Events and Resources
Come to Dre’s “Full Moon Bath” for Gambia on the 17th. Follow link here.
Our Land Revolution by the Blueprint Architects
Last week, our collective member Sumayyah launched another project that they have been working on exploring food and land justice in Tower Hamlets. Through a STUNNING mobile art installation, the project is using art and creativity to explore community-led solutions to food injustice within the borough with the aim of launching a campaign for community-owned land in Tower Hamlets. This land would be a space for food growing and sharing, and reconnecting with community and the earth in a borough that is continuing to struggle against the violence of gentrification. The art installation will be touring different community spaces over the next few months with an exciting programme of events. Sign up to their mailing list to stay updated and get involved, or email sumayyah@platformlondon.org!
Help Aweside Farm fight their planning rejection
Sinead at Aweside Farm has reached out to supporters and her community to help fight their planning rejection. They have been working hard to build up this space - and are asking for people to take 10 minutes to write a letter to help save the future of their farms, homes and livelihoods.Misery is hiring! Our friends over at Misery are hiring 3 part-time positions. Read more HERE.
PEACH is hiring community organisers! Follow link here
Submit your work to the AMPLE Poetry Collection - the theme is earth/being being/earth - deadline September 22. FOLLOW LINK HERE for more info.
Wort Journal submissions are open for issue 3: https://wortjournal.com/submissions/
Migrants in Culture Saturday School:
Shado is launching their literature for liberation book club sessions where they will be reading and discussing revolutionary texts throughout September to November.. Join it here.
Fill your September with lovely mushroom walks:
SALT elections:
