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Programme

What's going on?

The gathering starts at 6pm on Wednesday evening, when Rob Newman will do his political standup show called "Caliban to the Taliban: 500 years of humanitarian intervention". Should be very entertaining, so make sure you're here on time!

From the Thursday to the Saturday there will be a series of workshops and Gathering-wide discussions relating to environmentalist / direct action issues, and to the Earth First! movement. In the evenings there will be entertainment to suit all tastes (no banging party though!).

Sunday will be a day for discussing important issues that haven't yet been timetabled for other days, or which have arisen during other Gathering discussions / workshops.

In general:

• Workshops which will focus on sharing ideas and skills, talking about what we are and where are going as a movement, how we connect to other forms of resistance in the UK and globally, planning campaigns and networking for all aspects of ecological resistance.
• Round-ups of national and international radical activity - find out what groups around the country and further afield are up to.
• Practical activities, skill-sharing and training, such as climbing, self-defence, wild food foraging and arrest role-play.
• Evening entertainments to suit all tastes, including films, speakers, a quiet café, ceilidh, comedy and an open mic night.
• A kid’s area, where it will be possible to leave children during workshops. See the Kids section for more information.

Three days of workshops...

Please see the:

• timetable of workshops webpage for the Thursday, Friday and Saturday
• wordprocessed Gathering timetable, suitable for printing. (.rtf file, page opens in new window).

This year we would like to have fewer workshops but with more focus.

We plan to structure the gathering around three ‘themes’: ecological direct action, other struggles and the wider context (from local to global), and ‘What Next for EF!’. We also want to re-try our hand at gathering-wide discussions by setting aside time when everyone talks about the same thing in small groups.

It would be good if people intending to come to the Gathering could make themselves aware of the basics of the main issues that may be discussed at the Gathering. This is an attempt to limit the amount of bringing up to date and summarising that needs to happen at the beginning of each workshop, so we can spend more time talking productively on the issues. To that end, we are in the process of writing a page of links to issues that may be discussed at the Gathering.

Of course, the outline for the gathering above is just what the organising collective thinks would be good, but the gathering can’t happen without your input! If you have any ideas for discussions or activities you’d like to happen, then please let us know. Also, if you can help out setting up or clearing away or want to get involved then please contact the gathering collective.

Things to do locally...

There are plenty of places to go close to the Gathering site. Perhaps if you arrive early on the Wednesday, or at some point on the Sunday, you might like to try the following.

Possible off-site activities include:

• Some Woods. 20 minutes walk. Wooded gorge with ruined follies and grottoes, owned by a Woodland Trust, an SSSI with free and open access.
• Druids Temple, 4km from the site - within cycling distance.
• 19th Century Folly, built by a philanthropist in the romantic style of an Ancient British Temple.
• Brimham Rocks: 19km. Wierd and wonderful eroded rock outcrops, home of the Rotten Trolls.
• Thornborough Henges. 10km. Prehistoric monuments rivalling Stonehenge in size and importance, currently threatened by gravel extraction. More info at the Friends of Thornborough site (link opens in new window).
• Swimming - either in nearby river or in reservoir near the Druids Temple.

If you have any other ideas, do contact us!