ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING FOR 'SAVE THE FESTIVAL GARDENS CAMPAIGN'

On May 10th 2009 there will be the AGM for the Campaign group.

This will be held at The Old Police Station, Lark Lane, Aigburth, Liverpool 17. From 2-4pm.

We will be discussing our conservation work to save the skylarks on site (see previous entry) and other business.

I wish to raise the idea about asking the property developers if they will allow us to build an Earthship (sustainable environmentally friendly  building) from reclaimed materials and donations for solar panels.

It is unlikely any flats will be built for years due to half of the property developers going into administration. Planning permission also has to be sought again after 3 years if nothing has been built.

It will be of benefit to the environment, property developers and the local community to have people working regularly on the site.

The Earthship could also engage the locals as they could help build it. It would be good to have young people help us build . If the property developers start work we could demolish it.

If anyone has any other suggestions for the AGM please contact the campaign group. The meeting is open to the public.

Hope to see you there for some refreshments and cake.  

BRAMBLE CLEARANCE ON SOUTHERN GRASSLANDS

The Southern Grasslands area of the Garden Festival site is being maintained, with permission of the property developers , as a nature reserve for skylarks. These are a protected species that have been nesting in the area for about 50 years. Years ago they were found on the old golf course up the road at Jericho Lane.

Unfortunately they disappeared from the Southern Grasslands a few years back when the trees were felled nearby.

Members of the 'Save The Festival Gardens Campaign'  have been meeting on alternate Sundays for about six months to clear brambles so that predators like crows cannot hide  and then attack the skylarks.

We have almost finished and have been told that some other birds have returned to the area nearby to nest. Fingers crossed that the skylarks are going to come back to the Grasslands any day now to build new nests.   

PLEASE COME TO OUR EVENT

HANSARD REGISTER RECORDS MICHAEL HESELTINE'S SPEECH

It may be of interest to know that Michael Heseltine who set up the Garden Festival site in 1984 has a speech recorded by stenographers in the 'Hansard register'.
This register documents everything discussed in the House of Commons.

It's proving difficult to access the speech but I've been told he talks about building some houses (which were built 20 years ago) and then saying that the parkland is to be an additional green space for the people of Liverpool. I have invited Lord Heseltine to our TATE event to discuss this.

I googled 'hansard liverpool garden festival heseltine' and found discussions dated 17/2/82/vol 18 c167w and Garden centre (Toxteth) talks.
Mr. Patrick Jenkins gives an interesting speech on 19th December 1984 197w about how prom and surrounding area are for the public in the long term. This is found in the 'hansard register millbank systems' and searching liverpool garden festival.

TATE GALLERY LIVERPOOL ENVIRONMENTAL EVENTS

On Sunday January 11th 2009 2-4pm there will be food and debate on conservation and the loss of public spaces with people from the Garden Festival Campaign.

This will be part of the '5th floor project' in the International Festival space on the 4th floor.

There will be the showing of the deep ecology film 'Earth spirit action' for 16 minutes and then the campaigner's own film 'Garden Festival watch' 6 minutes long in the first half hour.

John Davies, curator of 'Cities on the Edge' book and photo exhibition will then lead a debate on 'loss of public space and land give aways'. There will also be other speakers.

The gallery space will be filled with banners, photos, food and information on our campaign.
There will be a live drawing being sketched by Canadian Artist Beth Shortt during the event

Tenantspin@ FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) are hosting an event which includes the Garden Festival Campaigners in their TATE television studio on the 4th floor.
This is on Tuesday January 13th 2009. About 12.30 tbc

All are welcome.

Public Inquiry result as Credit crunch spreads to U.K.

Very sad news to hear we lost in our Save The Festival Gardens Campaign....HOWEVER all is not lost as this 'credit crunch' means that the property developers LangtreeMcLean will delay building for 12 to 18 months.
The housing market may completely collapse so they don't get to go ahead building at all.
Meanwhile we must try and save the trees, shrubs and grasslands from being destroyed by asking the developers to leave the site alone for as long as possible so we keep our enchanting mature forest, shrubs and grasslands which are essential for bio-diversity and our health and happiness.
'LONG LIVE THE GARDEN FESTIVAL SITE'

GARBAGE WARRIOR EARTHSHIP FILM

There is a film called 'Garbage Warrior' showing at the Institute for Contemporary Arts,  London, at the end of May. It is about American outsider architect MICHAEL REYNOLDS who has spent more than 20 years creating beautiful earthships/homes in the New Mexico desert. They are created out of discarded beer cans, reclaimed wood, old tyres and clay, using new and unorthodox theories of architecture. He has a lifetime passion for sustainable living.
He is a 1 man eco-movement whose ideas will maybe help save the planet.

The film, by director Oliver Hodge, UK2007, 86mins, was shot over 3 years in New Mexico, U.S. and India. It is a portrait of a man energised by his dreams of making a better world. (Google : Michael Reynolds ICA film).
I would like to try and get it a Liverpool showing at FACT.
*****************************NEWS FLASH******************************************
FACT cinema will try and get a showing of the film to run concurrent with' tenantspin from the BOX at FACT's debate:
The end of my world
This is on wednesday August 13th from 2-3pm live on the internet (google: tenantspin)
This is a discussion with various speakers about the environment, consumerism out of control and what we can do to save the planet.