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Author Archives: Helen Wharam
Review of “Working with the Media” training day at Exeter University, 27th February
I was pleased to have the opportunity to attend this class arranged by Transition Exeter and Exeter University Green Society. There were 25 participants from transition and other environmental groups as well as a wide range of community groups including representatives of asylum seekers, local churches, a Romany community, and Travellers.
The day was well-paced, enthusiastically led by Cathy Debenham who has extensive experience as a journalist and who clearly enjoyed working with us, along with insightful presentations from a newspaper journalist and a radio journalist.
We covered many aspects of working with the media, including:
- Why do publicity
- How to write a press release (structure, style)
- Targeting the story and contacting journalists, meeting their needs
- Preparing for interviews
- And very briefly, online PR and social media.
An extra bonus was the opportunity to network with other participants over a shared lunch, and to collect contacts for possible future shared events. I also benefited from doing a short afternoon workshop specifically for transition group members including from Totnes and the Transition Network.
Review of gardening/local food meeting
Nearly twenty people came to the Rugby Club on 10th February for a varied evening programme around gardening.
Mary introduced the Transition concept, then Gemma from Newton Abbot Transition told us about how they got started with their community garden and the progress made so far. We watched an inspiring 10-minute film about their garden and were invited to visit (people work at the garden on Saturday mornings and Wednesday evenings).
Next, Peter and Marion from the Broadmeadow Allotments shared their enthusiasm, highlighting aspects ranging from social BBQs to shed-building and what a good antidote to stress working on an allotment can be. We were told that there are currently long waiting lists to get an allotment.
We then moved into a circle to discuss possible activities, such as garden-sharing for which there seemed to be great interest and models of successful partnerships, continuing to work with Eastcliff, and making use of currently un-cultivated land. Note: Helen subsequently contacted councillors David Cox and Alex Cross to enquire about likely availability of land for allotments/community gardening.
Review of Cuba film screening
About 60 people attended our free screening of The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil in the Carlton Theatre, Teignmouth on Monday 18th January.
By interviewing different local people doing a range of different jobs, the film documented Cuba’s transition from a highly mechanized, industrial agricultural system to one of organic farms and urban gardens after Cuba’s economy collapsed along with the Soviet Union in 1990. Despite hardships and struggles, what shone through was the spirit of community and creativity as they learned to increase self-sufficiency and reduce oil use. As pesticide- and fertiliser-use fell, people shifted from sedentary office jobs to using bicycles and working in small organic fields and roof-top gardens. They became slimmer and healthier, seeing an associated drop in diabetes-cases. Lifestyles changed – as they pointed out, you can drive an air-conditioned tractor (with CD-player) for 12 hours but oxen work at their own pace then stop when they’ve had enough! Proud of their achievements, they explained that they hadn’t reverted to a primitive peasant society: they have several universities and now train more doctors per capita than the United States.
After the film Antony led an informal discussion, which explored our own opportunities to increase use of local food supplies and the possibility of garden-sharing, along with reminiscences from older people in the audience who reflected back to war-time emphasis on self-sufficiency. The evening also provided an opportunity for informal discussion over drinks in the bar. Donations and a raffle raised funds which paid for use of the Theatre.
The Power of Community
Our next event has been organised in collaboration with Teignmouth Film Society, to learn how one community increased self-sufficiency and reduced oil use. The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil shows hardships and struggles as well as community and creativity when Cuba’s economy collapsed along with the Soviet Union in 1990. Setting an example of options and hope, this film shows Cuba’s transition from a highly mechanized, industrial agricultural system to one of organic farms and urban gardens. After the film we will encourage informal discussion to explore our own opportunities to increase use of local food supplies. Anyone interested in knowing more about sustainability and the Transition movement is welcome to attend.
The film will be screened in the Carlton Theatre, Teignmouth on Monday 18th January; doors open from 7 for 8pm. Entry is free; donations welcome. Bar and refreshments available. We are grateful for support from Sheila Tibbs who is donating boxes of locally grown vegetables for raffle prizes and local TRAIL (Trail Recycled Art In Landscape) artists who will display their work in the foyer.
Teign Estuary Transition 