Transition Town Tooting

Tag: Unleashing

  • Transition Town Tooting’s Big Launch

    Last night we held TTT’s official Big Launch party to celebrate the “Unleashing” of the group in Tooting. The Unleashing is intended to mark the point of step change for taking responsibility and looking at what we can do now to make a difference in how we live our lives.

    A good turnout of people gathered at the Samaj Hall in Tooting Broadway to celebrate this turning point. The venue was decked out in colourful home made bunting, banners, photographs, old maps and a 3 metre high model of our Sankofa bird made entirely from recycled plastic bags!

    At the start of the evening people were directed upstairs to the gallery to view photographs and posters of the many events that Transition Town Tooting has been involved with since the movement began over two years ago and which culminated in the Trashcatchers Carnival held on the 4th July.

    The event began with a mini carnival procession led by artists and carnivalistas from the Trashcatchers Carnival, followed by an introduction and welcome from Lucy Neal, Co-chair of Transition Town Tooting.  The audience then had the chance to see video clips from events organised by Transition Town Tooting over the last two years and hear from local residents, business people and community groups about what they liked and disliked about Tooting. It was very encouraging to hear that most people would change very little about Tooting!

    The guest of honour, Rob Hopkins, co-founder of the Transition Network, then gave an enthralling presentation covering peak oil, climate change and the ideas underlying transition.

    The Unleashing of Transition Town Tooting was symbolised by the cutting of a giant cake made in the shape of a Sankofa bird and people had the chance to join various action groups including Food, Buildings, Transport, Education, Arts and Energy which are scheduled to meet in the forthcoming months.

    Food was provided by Ambala, a local Tooting restaurant, and drinks were donated by Ubuntu, a Tooting made cola, and Moor Organic Juice by James Grieve.  All in all, it was a very successful evening and enjoyed by all those who attended.

    More reports of the evening are here on Rob’s transition blog and via City Bumpkin

  • Walking in Flip-flops

    At the weekend the remarkable Steph Bradley dropped in on TTT as we checked out potential venues for our Unleashing in July.  Steph, pictured above with Malsara, David & Lucy, has spent the last seven weeks walking from Transition HQ in Totnes, in, you guessed it, a pair of flip-flops!  She intends to spend six months in total walking between as many of the country’s transition initiatives as possible, checking out all the fantastic work that is being done.  You can follow Steph’s blog here.  Her description of Tooting High Street really struck me:

    “In its colourful High Road selling fruit and veg from all over the world and silks of every colour and decoration I hear every language from Greek, Polish, and all different Indian and Pakistani dialects. I haven’t had an experience like this since my time exploring the wonderful markets of Ceuta in northern Morocco in 1992.”

    It’s funny, sometimes I forget that we live in quite an unusual and culturally diverse part of the UK and it’s quite uplifting to note the impression it can make on a visitor.  Good luck on your trip Steph.  DT