Transition Town Tooting

Tag: Well-being

  • The Treasuring Tooting walk was a success – and now the Transition Shop is open for another week

    On Saturday the 12th May we led our local wellbeing walk through Tooting and found a huge range of Treasure – the people we met (walkers who did some or all of the route, and the hosts at the venues), the surprising places we went, the conversations we shared, the stories we heard, the food and drink we were offered. The bee flew in the sun…

    We finished the walk at the Tooting Transition Shop, which is now open all day and every day through until Sunday 20th May (at 68 Upper Tooting Road, between The King’s Head and Tooting Bec tube station). At the celebration we did smash the bee piñata as promised – led by the Mayor of Wandsworth, Jane Cooper. Sadiq Khan MP had a bash too…then a group of children, and the artists who made the bee….until all the honeycomb treasure inside was found.

    Much more to share about the Walk and about everyone’s experiences in the Shop – on Monday a primary school class visited….maybe when you come and explore, you may have it to yourself, or maybe you will meet some new Tooting friends….

  • The Walk & The Shop

    There is such a lot of Transition in Tooting over the next 10 days!

    On Saturday (12th May) we hope as many as possible will be “Treasuring Tooting” by joining our wellbeing walk which will visit 12 different places in Tooting.  There will be a wide variety of activities and experiences across locations as diverse as the Bingo Hall, the Islamic Centre and the Community Garden.  Click here for the full plan for the day to see how you can join in!  And here for the Map.

    The final destination for the Walk will be the very exciting Tooting Transition Shop at 68 Upper Tooting Rd (formerly Xclusive Tiles & Bathrooms).  The Shop will be open every day between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. from Saturday until Sunday 20th May as part of the Wandsworth Arts Festival.

    Come and find out why this Shop has nothing for sale.  Come not to buy but to meet people, exchange stories, ideas, skills and food.

  • The bee piñata is taking shape

    Preparing for her role in Saturday’s Treasuring Tooting wellbeing walk, the bee piñata is….

    stretching her legs

    sharpening her sting

    looking for pollen

    On Saturday May 12th the bee will be fully decorated, and fly through Tooting – come and join the piñata at any of the twelve locations linked together in the Treasuring Tooting walk.

  • Explore and celebrate happiness and wellbeing in Tooting from the 12th-20th May

    From the 12th to 20th May, Transition Town Tooting invites you to join with us to explore the keys to happiness and wellbeing, as part of our year-long celebration of what helps us lead happier and more satisfied lives. After all our preparation – we are nearly there!
    Starting on Saturday 12th:
    Treasuring Tooting / Treasure in Tooting
    Saturday 12th May – all day from 7.30am
    A day-long interactive celebration of local wellbeing in Tooting
    From the open waters of Tooting Bec Lido at 730am, we will travel through twelve different destinations in Tooting – including the quiet hush of the Library; the grandeur of the Bingo Hall; craft making in the Tram and Social; a visit the Dawah Souk at Mushkil Aasaan; and sharing refreshments at the Sikh Khalsa Centre.
    At each stop on the walk one of the 12 ‘keys’ to wellbeing will be experienced and celebrated.
    Please see the lovely map for times and venues and do feel free to join the walk at any point on our journey! Here is a preview of the map (or see this link to read and download):

    For more details of the Walk route timings, venues and meeting points, click here.

    A giant bee piñata, made by local artists and residents, will be carried along the route. At the walk’s final destination, from 415pm on, this will be smashed in the traditional manner of piñatas with who knows what goodies on offer.
    The destination of Treasuring Tooting will be the
    Tooting Transition Shop
    68 Upper Tooting Road, SW17 7PB (Xclusive Tiles & Bathrooms)
    Opening 5pm Saturday 12th May and running 10am until 6pm until – and including – Sunday 20th May
    Continuing on from the 12th May, for nine days only TTT takes over an empty shop on Upper Tooting Road to bring together all the energies of TTT into one place and invite people in Tooting to take part in re-imagining our world.  
    As part of Wandsworth Arts Festival we’ve teamed up with renowned participatory artists Encounters to create The Tooting Transition Shop – a shop where nothing is for sale but all are welcome to exchange stories, ideas, skills and food.
    Add your most memorable moments to the Tooting map, top up your fill of wellbeing, sow seeds of hope for the future, hand-make a souvenir of Tooting, and find out when the Tooting bees are coming…  
    Over the 9 days, watch the shop shelves fill with the stories, creations and visions of people in Tooting.
    Please see the Shop flyer below (or see this link to read and download):
    We look forward to welcoming you to join in with Treasuring Tooting and the Tooting Transition Shop! 

  • Making Tooting Happy!

    This First Tuesday event was about wellbeing.  Belinda and Hilary talked about events that are being offered locally this year, including The Treasuring Tooting walk and pop-up kindness activities being run throughout Tooting.
    Conversations among the group identified that satisfying our basic needs such as safety and a home were essential; including having comfortable things that made us feel safe such as a warm blanket, a favourite old teddy. This was closely followed by having time to spend reflecting, relationships and connecting with others. A few risky sports were also cited as they brought joy and elation!

     
    An interesting discussion ensued about money and wealth, with a reflection that yes, these things have been important to our own happiness at one time in our lives, and also that other interests – such as gardening, or creativity, or connection with nature  – had taken over the role of making us happy. We acknowledged the need to build in more social connections (and hugging!) to help us thrive in our lives.
    On the subject of connecting, Jane very kindly shared the inspirational and touching journey she has made through her project recycling bottle tops project and her work at Age Concern, which encapsulated the idea of happiness via connection. See a fuller account of Jane’s story, written to accompany TTT’s exhibition at the Pump House Gallery in Battersea Park on April 22nd.

    Finally, we played the ‘diy happiness game’ which led to offering a compliment, committing to speak to our neighbours and identifying things we appreciate in ourselves.

    Belinda has written a further page with more detail about wellbeing: please click here.

  • Hive of activity

    On a rainy afternoon in Tooting last Saturday, preparations continued for decorating the piñata bee which will be part of  the ‘Treasuring Tooting’ wellbeing walk on May 12th (scroll down in this blog for more on the piñata and on the walk…)

    What’s it going to be like? How big will it bee?
    More images to come – keep a look out!

  • Well Beeing Project

    Local artist team Jeni Walker and Leon Lawes have begun work to create a giant bee piñata that will process with Treasuring Tooting, the Transition Town Tooting wellbeing walk, on the 12th May. At a point on the walk the pinata will be smashed open in the traditional manner, what goodies will come forth is anybody’s guess.

    Why a Bee?
    The decline in honey bee numbers has been big news recently and the importance of our role in helping the numbers to grow has never been clearer. Treasuring Tooting is a celebration of the things in our local area that make us happy, and this giant bee symbolises the arrival of bees at Streatham Cemetery this May which makes us very happy indeed.
    See details of our sister project at the Cemetery at: http://www.friendsofstreathamcemetery.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=111&Itemid=201 

    Why smash it up?
    The idea to create a piñata as our walk mascot was was initially met with mixed reactions. A lot of work went into the first two celebration creations and this would be no exception.

    Our thoughts turned to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of creating complex circular pictures called Mandalas from coloured sand, only to destroy them soon after their completion. The practice is a reminder of the transient nature of material life, and so destroying a beautiful piñata will be an apt expression of the idea that true happiness does not come from the material and the transient.

    See the flyer for Treasuring Tooting if you scroll down in this blog.
    & more info to come as we make the bee – here and at http://thedaisybugco.com/well-beeing-project/

  • Four events between 21+22 April and 12 May

    We are very pleased to be able to share details of 4 events that are coming up between the weekend of 21+22 April and the 12th of May
    Help shape the Tooting Pound

    Design workshops: Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd April, both 11am-1pm
    Sprout, 74 Moyser Road, Furzedown, London SW16 6SQ

    The Tooting Pound is coming!
    Help design your local currency at these workshops:

    • who should be on the notes?
    • what local landmarks should be on them?
    • what colours should they be?
    All welcome – families, individuals, all ages.
    Tickets for this event are FREE but booking is recommended. Space in Sprout is limited so please make sure you can attend before booking: www.tooting_pound_workshop.eventbrite.co.uk
    More information about the Tooting Pound can be found here: www.tootingpound.org

    Growing Successfully in the City

    Sunday 22nd April from 11am-4pm

    Pump House Gallery, Battersea Park

    We are proud to be co-hosting the Pump House Gallery’s April ‘Monthly Do’ in Battersea Park.  All welcome to an interesting and entertaining afternoon in a beautiful location.

    It’s going to be National Gardening Week, so we decided to get thoughtful about Growing.
    Join us to explore ideas of Urban Growing of all kinds including gardening, low-carbon living, growing food and wellbeing.
    Make your own planter from recycled material to take home with you, ‘play with food’ on a giant scale, try some games about personal wellbeing and happiness, and meet members of TTT to find out more about transition’s varied approach to community growth.
    At 3.30pm Charles, TTT Co-Chair, will talk about the transition movement and different kinds of urban growing. Click on the link below for more information and to reserve a place for the talk: http://pumphousegallery.org.uk/events/april-monthly-do

    London Assembly Election Hustings

    Tuesday 24th April from 7:30pm

    St Mark’s Church, St Mark’s Place (behind Wimbledon Library), Wimbledon, SW19

    In partnership with a group of community organisations,TTT is helping to host a hustings with candidates from the main parties on April 24th.

    Wandsworth and Merton Boroughs are represented together by one London Assembly member, and elections to the Assembly are on May 3rd. Assembly members oversee London policy on transport, planning, the environment and policing.
    Come and meet candidates from the main parties, and ask them your questions.
    Hustings are 8:00-9:30, followed by informal discussion. All welcome!
    Venue: http://www.stmarkswimbledon.org.uk/
    Partners include the Wimbledon Civic Forum, Transition Town Wimbledon, St Mark’s Church, and Transition Town Tooting.
    Enquiries: ttwimbledon@yahoo.co.uk

    Treasuring Tooting – Treasure in Tooting

    Saturday 12thMay
    A day-long interactive walk around Tooting to celebrate wellbeing
    ‘Happiness and fulfillment come less from material wealth and more from relationships; less from focusing on ourselves and more from helping others; less from external factors outside our control and more from the way in which we choose to react to what happens to us.’ (Action for Happiness: 2012)

    On May 12th we’ll take a free dawn to dusk walk through Tooting celebrating the many places and things that contribute to our happiness.
    Following on from the Tooting Earth Talk Walk in 2009, the walk will visit favourite places from the Lido to the Library, Brickbox to the Bingo Hall, at each of which an aspect of our happiness and wellbeing will be experienced and celebrated.
    A map will guide us down the road and give timings for each location so people can join at any point. All ages welcome!
    Put the date in your diary and look out for more information soon….

  • ‘Seasonal Food and Seasonal Wellbeing’

    Our monthly ‘First Tuesday’ meeting on 7th June met at Mushkil Aasaan – with many thanks for the use of the hall.
    Belinda, Tim & Charles used games and discussion to explore some of the interrelated features of the food we buy and grow – its nutritional value, its availability locally-grown, its ‘carbon footprint’, its degree of government subsidy or supermarket ‘shelf shout’, and food’s relationship with our own wellbeing.
    We shared some favourite seasonal recipes, local picnic locations, and ideas for outdoor cooking and eating. We looked at packaging and waste – and linked this to composting, and to the satisfaction of growing our own food.
     Some of our discussions in more detail:
    Ø  Where is some of our favourite fruit grown, how does it reach our shops – and how to do we do the last step of getting fruit to our kitchens – for example by foot, or bike, or car? Which of those can we control ourselves?
    Ø  Which fruit would become scarce or very expensive in the case of the end of cheap oil, and which fruit would still be readily available at which times of year – whether grown locally, or in the UK, or further afield?
    Ø  What would the end of cheap oil do to our eating habits?
    Ø  Taking a ‘shopping basket’ of 12 food items such as chicken nuggets from Thailand, home-grown apples or Irish mature cheddar, we looked at the carbon footprint of each food’s production, processing, packaging, and distribution.
    Ø  This is a complex topic – we used a game from the ‘Carbon Conversations’ course and tried ranking these 12 foods, from lower to higher carbon footprint.
    Ø  As consumers, we realised we probably don’t know enough about the complex relationships between different foods and different processes! 
    Ø  Sharing seasonal recipes took us from English asparagus to strawberries and cream. Some of us who thought ‘there’s nowhere to picnic in Tooting’ were shown others’ drawings of good locations.
    Ø  We looked at the positive aspects of appropriate food packaging (yes there are some!), and at the drawbacks of seeing packaging, or food waste, as part of a linear process that ends with dumping in landfill.
    Ø  We explored taking a cyclical holistic approach, where ‘waste’ becomes valued – whether at the community or the household level.
    Ø  Waste took us into household composting and a reminder of our Tooting Community Garden as a local way forward to get involved with local food growing (we will focus on the Garden in our next TTT ‘First Tuesday’ on July 5th).
    Ø  We heard about two other community initiatives –
    o  Balham Country Market, to be held on Fridays from 2-4pm at Balham Baptist Church in Ramsden Rd, for members to sell home produced items directly to the public. Email balham.country.markets@gmail.com for more info.
    o   Jack Astbury is starting a local project in a hidden-away corner of Tooting: ‘an inner city space to create an organic small holding that grows food for a local community who in turn supports it through buying.’ It is early days, and we’ll keep in touch. Jack’s website is www.home-growers.co.uk
    Ø  Finally, we shared ideas for involving local experience in Tooting to support local wellbeing through seasonal food – for example having a swapping site online for gardeners with spare produce, or sharing skills for some of the useful jobs like building a compost box, or having an outdoor cooking skills plus picnic event.