Practical information
Arriving / leaving | Set up / tat down | Site Crew | Accommodation | Facilities | Bring | Access | Cost | Food | Young people | Dogs | Photos
Arriving and leaving
Sessions start on the morning of Wednesday 27th August, so make sure you arrive by the evening of Tuesday 26th if you want to come to the whole event; the gate will be open from 12 noon on Tuesday. The last session will end on Sunday 31 August at 6ish. Please stay for Sunday night and help us on Monday to take down the site.
Set up / tat down
If you can help with set-up or tat-down on site for a few days before or after the Gathering, please let us know as soon as possible. You don't need to have any particular skills for this, just willingness to do a bit of work and you'll walk away with lots of practical skills and new friends. If you've never been to the gathering and feel a bit shy, the set-up is the best place to start, as you'll really get to know some really nice people. We could do with some people with carpentry skills, knowledge of how to set up marquees, solar power systems, greywater systems, plumbing, compost toilets, first aiders and drivers with van. Oh, and a couple of people to cook some nourishing food!
Accommodation
Accommodation on the site is camping only. So please bring a tent and any equipment you need to camp for the duration of your stay.
A women's & queer camping space will be provided - and there's scope for people to create a women's and/or queer only workshop space. There will also be a quiet camping area. For people who are unable to camp, we have information on local B&B accomodation - get in touch if you'd like us to send it to you. Also if you let us know well in advance we may be able to arrange accomodation in someone's live-in vehicle.
Please don't just turn up with your live-in vehicle. It's important to contact us and book in advance.
There may be spaces in communal sleeping areas if you can't bring a tent - please contact us to confirm if you need this.There will be taps nearby for drinking water, and we will build some lovely compost toilets toilets, strawbale urinals and a wash area. You may choose to cook for yourself, or you may buy meals in advance from the fantastic Anarchist Teapot. Veggies will be running a cafe/cakestall.. See the food section for more details.
We are making the site as accessible as possible for disabled people - see the Access section for more information.
Facilities
- Reception tent
- Vegan catering by Anarchist Teapot
- A café by Veggies
- Kids' / young people's area
- Reading library
- Radical book stall by Natterjack Press
- A women's / queer space - actually we're still waiting for someone to take this on!
- Compost toilets and strawbale urinals
- Running water
- A space for spontaneous workshops and discussions
- First aid facilities
Natterjack Press will be running a stall selling books and pamphlets. Commercial stalls are not welcome, but remember to bring along any information about your group, campaign or upcoming action. It would be great if where possible you could also provide your material in alternative formats, especially in large print.
Bring with you:
- Shelter
- Warm, waterproof clothes and boots
- Money for the gate and for food from the communcal kitchen unless you're catering for yourself. We'll be asking for £15-25 at the gate, depending on what you can afford. Meal tickets for the Anarchist Teapot are £4.50per day (£4 concessions)
- Literature on anything you're doing or planning which might be of interest to others
Access
We aim to make the site and programme as accessible to all as we can. We will do what we can - given our limited budget and being in a field! - to make it possible for you to come along, whatever your impairments.
If you need assistance, then people at the gathering will be very happy to help under your guidance.
The site is fairly even and on a slight slope. We will build an accessible compost toilet with hoist and basic washing facilities. There will be a power source for charging electric wheelchairs and space for storing them if necessary. We will provide as much written material as possible in alternative formats.
Iif you need BSL interpretation, please contact us so we can try to find an interpreter. There are usually people at the gathering with some sign language skills. No guarantees though. We do have an induction loop. On that note if you have BSL skills and are up for interpreting for a session or two or take notes for people, please volunteer at the gate tent.
We will assist you with camping as much as you want/need, but if you don't want to camp then we can supply a list of local bed and breakfast accommodation.
We have to be very careful with how many live-in vehicles we can allow on the site, but if you really need to bring a live-in vehicle for disability-related reasons then let us know and we'll see what we can do. No promises with that though.
The gathering is a safe place for people who experience mental distress.
If you have any special needs, please contact us in advance, so we can plan how to meet them.
If you have any special skills, e.g. Sign Language, care assistant, Makaton etc., please also contact us!
Cost
At the gate, we will be asking for a contribution of £15 - 25, on a self-assessed sliding scale according to what you can afford. We are asking for a contribution from everyone to cover the costs of the gathering (everyone pays no matter how much work they've done to make the gathering happen). If you can give more, that would be great as we are short of money.
Earth First! has no central office, no members, no paid workers, and also no money. Any donations will be much appreciated. Please make cheques and postal orders payable to Earth First! and post to the contact address.
Food
The Anarchist Teapot collective will cook vegan food - 3 meals a day plus hot drinks.. You can buy meal tickets for £4.50 (£4 concessions) a day or bring your own food to cook and a camping stove. There will also be cooking facilities for people with children to cook food either individually or communally.
Young people
Children and young people are welcome. Please let us know numbers, ages and any access needs. There'll be a kids' space, hopefully a teen space, and some activites, but you're still responsible for any young people you bring.
Dogs
Don't bring them.
This year's gathering is being held at a dog-free site. One of the conditions of using the land is that there will be no dogs permitted at the gathering. Any dogs arriving on site will be turned away, so please make alternative arrangements for your dog. If you need to bring a guide dog or other support dog, please contact us in advance to discuss. Thanks.
Photos
The site is absolutely no photos. Please respect this and leave your camera at home. Please be also sensitive about your mobile phone. They are best left in your tent for security reasons (Nifty little listening devices in disguise, and no this is not paranoia...)
This is an activist gathering not a press event, so if you are coming as a journalist then you are not welcome. Please respect the wishes of some people not to be photographed and leave your camera at home.