European Assembly - Reclaim the Fields

[Mark Barrett]

In case you missed:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/12/the-diggers-cultivate-common-land
European Assembly "Reclaim the Fields Gathering - 13th - 18th of March -
Grow Heathrow, London, U.K." Reclaim the Fields Gathering - 13th - 18th of
March - Grow Heathrow,
London, U.K.*

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Reclaim the Fields Gathering
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13th of March - 18th of March

Grow Heathrow, UK

******* When?
Arrive in the evening of the 13th of March
Departure in the morning of the 18th of March

Arrive earlier for preparation of the meeting, or stay longer to clean
up and join P.E.D.A.L. workshops of storytelling, creative disobedience,
legal, and the Occupation of Palestine- 19th and 20th of March.
P.E.D.A.L. starts their 100 day cycle to the West Bank on the 21st of
March from Grow Heathrow. For
more info see article in the 3rd bulletin.

******* Common Discussions
# Planning for the Summer Camp 2011
# Round of introductions. Our collectives, our projects, our struggles,
our hopes
# Planning for RTF International Days of action for 17th and 18th of April

******* Working Groups
# Access to Land
# Food autonomy
# Carrots
# Seeds
# Website and Communications
# Beet the System
# Farmers network

******* Workshops (ideas till now, contributions welcome)
# Presentation on history and politics of RTF by ?
# Consensus workshop run by UK collective Seeds for Change
(http://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/)
# Resistance eviction training (tunneling, tree houses, scaffolding
towers, emotional support) by Grow Heathrow
# Seed swap

******* Practicals
# Practicals at the collective (seed sowing, raised bed-making,
structures and defence building)
# Movie evening open to public with presentation of RTF
# Collective direct action

******* What can you do? What to bring?
# Spread this information to food growers outside the RTF constellation-
build the network!
# Prepare a workshop/input
# Bring RTF-related movies and also fun ones (like Kung Fu Panda)
# Bring your own seeds and delicious food from your regions
# Bring warm clothes, waterproofs, a cosy sleeping bag, a thermomat, and
a tent!
# Some indoor sleeping space is available but nearly everyone will be
sleeping in tents amongst ancient greenhouses being reclaimed by nature)
# We have indoor meeting spaces.
# Bring swimwear if you're brave! - we have a lake nearby but will be
cold in March!
# ZInes and publications for an InfoStall

******* What is Grow Heathrow?
Grow Heathrow is a squatted community garden in the heart of Sipson- one
of the five villages surrounding Heathrow airport- which is one of the
largest pieces of carbon-emitting infrastructure in the UK.
For fifty years Heathrow airport has been expanding more and more to the
detriment of local people's lives. From noise and air pollution to the
plans of a third runway that would mean the destruction of 700 homes, a
school, a cemetery and an ancient barn house.
One year ago a group of friends who had been living in the area, and
fighting with the community to stop the third runway, swooped on an
abandoned market garden that had turned into a dumping site by the owners.
Our intention was to turn it into a thriving permaculture site and
community hub as part of a sustainable future for the Heathrow
communities and to take a piece of land on the planned runway to defend it.
Soon after we started work on the site the UK government dropped the
plans for the Third Runway. It was down to the hard fight of the local
people and we all partied in the greenhouses to celebrate.
Over the year we have cleared 30 tonnes of rubbish from the site,
repaired the main greenhouses, held permaculture courses and banquets,
film nights, and conker championships. During the summer we had a
flourishing harvest of delicious fruit and vegetables which we would put
in large collective meals, and give to our friends in the community.
Our collective works by consensus to question authority in our own
organizing and to create the world we want to see. We do this in the way
we live on the land and want to build a beacon at Grow Heathrow of
ecological living.
We have fun together- singing songs by the fire, raiding supermarket
bins at night, swimming in the lake during the summer and exploring the
wilderness around our site of underground war shelters, crumbling
greenhouses and following wild horses!
We are inspired by the idea of Occupy, Create, Resist. To take land back
that is misused for profit of the few, to create the worlds we want to
see in our space, and to resist when the courts, the state, and the
landlords try to take it away from us.

We have just found out that we have our next court date in November, and
so we are very excited to host you as we begin our second growing season
in the greenhouses- and look forward to share with the network again and
make a bright star as part of the constellation.

******* How to reach us
There is a map on our website www.transitionheathrow.com

# With public transport from London:
from Central London: Go to Paddington Railway station (on the Circle
tube line) and take a 20 minute train jounrey to West Drayton. From West
Drayton either take the 222 bus towards Hounslow and get off in Sipson
Village or follow the cycle path towards Sipson. Our site is a 1 minute
walk from the King William Pub which is in the middle of town.

# By car:
Our address is Grow Heathrow, Vineries Close, Sipson, West Drayton, UB7 0JG
E-mail us with the direction you are coming from and we can give you
detailed directions.

# Contact : Rob
0044 7890751568 (Site phone)
0044 7870559652
info at transitionheathrow.com

www.transitionheathrow.com

http://www.reclaimthefields.org/content/european-assembly-reclaim-fields-gathering-13th-18th-march-grow-heathrow-london-uk<http://www.transitionheathrow.com/>
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