Newsletter & events from Transition Finsbury Park

Monthly newsletter attached plus following events from TFP's circular email:

JAMBOREE PLAYHUTS: SIGN PLACING ~ Sat 23rd April, 3-4.30pm ~ Jamboree Playhuts, behind LIDL gate to Finsbury Park ~ free
3 signs on posts and 1 large wall sign ... written in 5 languages ... posts holes already dug so easy peasy ... wall sign needs more thought. Children and people bringing additional charged cordless drills and vegetarian / vegan snacks especially welcome! Jen has now handed over responsibility for this project to Juliette and Lynne - see right.

Next MEDITATION is Tues 26th April, 7-9pm ~ St Johns Church, Gloucester Drive, N4 2LW ~ suggested donation £2
Meditation meets 2nd & 4th Tue of month ... drop-in sessions, open to beginners and experienced ... bring firm cushion or mat and blanket ... chairs available ... door closes at 7.15 ... more info Frank: 07941 072787

MONSELL ROAD FESTIVAL ~ Mon 2nd May, 2-5pm ~ between St Thomas's & Avenell Road ~ free
Home produce, kids activities, books and plants, Arsenal Community Team with mobile penalty shoot-out goal ... also linking up with street closure in Avenell Rd which has band, fire engine and bring and share food areas.

WELL OILED FESTIVAL PLANNING MEETING ~ Thur 5th May, 7-9pm ~ cafe at Castle Climbing Centre, Green Lanes, N4 2HA ~ free
Date is fixed and have already raised some money ... now to plan content and marketing strategy ... all welcome

WOODFALL ROAD FAIR ~ Sat 7th May, 11am-6pm ~ Woodfall Rd, N4 ~ free
Fairy garden, food and drink, graffiti walls, community stalls, arsenal ball and shirt raffle, bouncy castle, eco-projects, mobile and food drop bins to help the homeless.

Next KNITTING is Mon 9th May, and the time has moved later: 3-5 ~ St Johns Church, Gloucester Drive/Queens Drive ~ free
Join the fabulous Janet and Lauren ... help make stuff for the festival or just learn to knit

BUILDING MEDITATION STOOLS AND FIRE MAKING ~ Sat 11th May and Sun 12th May, 12-4.30pm ~ Blackstock Greenhouse, Rock Street (next to cafe Salaam) ~ free
Build meditation stools or birdboxes with Frank ... learn how to build and light fires with Ram ... meditation at 4pm with Frank

TREE WALK IN FINSBURY PARK & IDENTIFYING VETERAN TREES ~ Tree walk in Finsbury Park  organised by the Tree Trust for Haringey is on Sat May 7th , and the meeting up point is the cafe at Finsbury Park. The walk will also take in an optional trip to the Spinney on Granville Road., 2-4pm  free

WOMEN'S CHOIR ~ Mon 16th May, 7-9pm ~ St Thomas's Church, St Thomas's Road, N4 2QP ~ suggested donation £1.50
A fun, informal women's group ... no experience necessary ... led by Ann Flett

BAT WALKS: HOW TO RUN THEM Fri 20th May, 6.30-10pm ~ meet track gym meeting room in Finsbury Park, nr Hornsey Gate, Endymion Road entrance ~ free
but booking essential Xavier Hamon ... 07549 834 442 ... xhamon@bats.org.uk

FORAGING WALKS Sat 21st May, 1-4pm (Tottenham Marshes) and Sat 28th May 2-5pm (New River, meet outside Castle Climbing Centre, N4 2HA) ~ free
Learn about some of the freely available and abundant edible plants

WILBERFORCE GARDENERS Sun 22nd May, 11.30am-2.30pm ~ South End of Wilberforce Road, N4
Loads of cheap plants, cakes and secondhand books ... arrive early to avoid disappointment

SHOW ME THE MONEY! FOLLOW UP EVENT Wed 25th May, 7-8.30pm ~ venue t.b.c. ~ free
So many good ideas, but limited amount of time and energy ... let's prioritise and plot our vision ... anyone with an interest in local economics is very welcome

BIG LUNCH Sun 5th June, all afternoon ~ Princess Crescent/Gloucester Drive, Digby Crescent, Mydletton Estate ~ free
Not too late to register your interest: http://www.thebiglunch.com

BIKE-POWER WORKSHOP ~ Sat 11th June, 10am-5pm ~ Green Lens Studio, 4a Atterbury Road, London, N4 1SF ~ £40
Magnificent Revolution facilitating this workshop for those interested in learning the ins and outs of pedal power generators. Good balance of theory and hands-on experience ... participants will discover how to use their own bike as part of a small power station, capable of powering computers, stereos, TVs and other small household appliances. For more information and to book.

ECOHOUSE OPEN DAY ~ Sun 12th June, 10am-5pm ~ 15 houses for £10/£25
Includes houses in Prah Road, Finsbury Park Road and Henry Road. For more information and to book

Regular gardening at Stroud Green Library (Tue), Edible Landscapes London (Wed & Thur) and Blackstock Greenhouse (Fri), seehttp://transitionfinsburypark.org.uk/events

CARBON CONVERSATIONS starting Tue 19th April, 6.30 ~ Olden Gardens ~ £20 for handbook & share of venue hire
A bunch of local people gathering to see how the future might look, what actions we can take and what help/support we can offer each other. Group runs weekly for 5 weeks (break for Easter) and then we meet up after another month or so to see where we want to go from there. Meetings facilitated and structured around materials from Carbon Conversations. More info: maxjamieson@gmail.com

COUNCIL OF ALL BEINGS: A day inspired by Joanna Macy’s Work that Reconnects ~ Sat 21st May, 10am-4.30pm ~ Hackney City Farm ~ £40/£55
Profound creative exploration of our relations with the natural world ... early bird tickets now available ... spaces limited so book early to avoid disappointment ... www.catalysingchangeagents.com

FOODCYCLE combines young volunteers, reclaimed food and a free kitchen space to create nutritious meals for people in need in the community. Would you be able to help FoodCycle with our vital food pick-ups? We urgently need more volunteers for just an hour a week on a Thursday to collect surplus food from Sainsburys in Manor House (12.30-1.30pm) or Budgens in Crouch End (2-3pm) that gets transformed into delicious low cost 3 course meals at our Friday community cafe 12-2.30 Station House, Stapleton Hall Rd, N4. Please emailjessica@foodcycle.org.uk if you are interested and would like more information, or call us at FoodCycle Central on 020 7377 8771.

NIGHT OF THE GREEN POETS Friday 6th May, 7.30pm ~ Hornbeam Centre, Walthamstow ~ £4 (in advance)
Star attraction: Danny Chivers, ecopoet, activist and author of the new No Nonsense Guide to Climate Change. Supporting acts: E11 Eco, Transition Leytonstone’s eco-poetry performance group & Ru Litherland, OrganicLea’s blogger & resident poet. In addition the evening will feature Live Jazz and Folk, lip-smackingly delicious hot food and vegan cocktails. Space limited, so book early to avoid disappointment. Booking line: 8558 6880 or phone Rachel on 07590 295 250.

REBECCA SOLNIT ON HOPE ~ Sunday 8th May, 11.30-12.45 ~ Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL ~ £12.50
In a climate where cynicism is equated with realism, and idealism is dismissed as delusional, Rebecca Solnit is a champion of the underdog, hope’s great ‘defender’. Rebecca Solnit writes about art, politics and the environment. She has worked on environmental and human rights campaigns since the 1980s and has been widely acclaimed for her twelve books, most recently Hope in the Dark (2006) and A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities that Arise in Disaster (2009).

JOIN THE OTESHA UK CYCLE TOUR 10th June-23rd July or 5th August -17th September
We’ll be taking in the delights of the UK from our saddles, performing a play, making the world a better place, learning new skills (bike maintenance, theatre, consensus decision-making, sustainable and group living… the list goes on), meeting new friends, and generally making mischief. If you’re 18 to 28 and passionate about creating a sustainable future, then come ride with us. Places are first come, first served, so get your skates on! More info: 0207 377 2109 or cycletours@otesha.org.uk.

TAR SANDS - THE WORLD'S LARGEST ECOCIDE Unconventional tar sands are one of the largest and unrecognized ecocides in the world. Indigenous communities have come to London to call on BP to halt their damaging extraction on some of the most pristine land in the world. BBC: BP faced angry demonstrators at its first annual general meeting since the disastrous Gulf of Mexico oil spill - read more here.