Community and Web News

Events Wanted for 2012!

Bocan — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:17:23 +0000

Events in Britain and Europe

It's that time of the year folks.

We're looking for events to populate our Events section of the web site.

If you're hosting, attending, or even know of any druidic, pagan, environmental, or shamanistic events, let us know at http://druidnetwork.org/contact/Events+Listings.

Save Our Countryside

Phil Ryder — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 16:44:13 +0000

The government is trying to push through massive changes to the way the planning system works. Swathes of pristine countryside and vital green fields around our towns and cities could be put in jeopardy.

If these plans are rushed through they could put the interests of big developers ahead of the local people. We can’t let that happen. Our planning system should ensure local voices are heard and work to protect our green areas for future generations. Once we lose our countryside, we lose it forever.

Let's ask the government to tackle the big causes of house shortages. Such as not building enough, quality housing, well planned in the right places, and cuts to affordable housing.

A huge petition will force the government to rethink their plans. If we can prove how strongly the public are against this, they will have to back down. Please sign the petition now.

Cor Gawr Gorsedd Midwinter tickets now available

Firevixen — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 11:22:06 +0000

Tickets can now be ordered for the Midwinter Gorsedd of Cor Gawr - Gorsedd Cor y Cewri rite. The Gorsedd will take place on Sunday 18th December at dusk, and will be entry by pre-purchased ticket only (no tickets will be available on the day). Full details and ordering info can be found at

http://druidnetwork.org/en/sacredsites/stonehenge/corgawr/index.html or http://bards.org.uk/?p=319

Announcing Pagan Pride 2011 (in Nottingham)

Bocan — Wed, 25 May 2011 19:14:01 +0000

Events in Britain and Europe

Pagan Pride isn't just a One-Day event; it is a mentality of awareness and support for the Pagan community.

BUILDING ON LAST YEAR…

2010 the initial year of an Official Pagan Pride parade and festival that not only was about bringing all paths together to walk as one and be recognized. We had such a tremendous positive feedback regarding Pagan Pride 2010 and it would be a cliche to say we aim for bigger and better! The pagan path communities are already buzzing so bigger and better is inevitable, plus we have a greater experience!

The Pagan Pride 2010 parade itself - attracted and gathered individuals, groups, covens to organizations carrying their banners, signs and instruments and being proud from all over the world! View the Slideshow Gallery online www.PaganPride.org.uk Loads of people uploaded videos as well!

The Gathering festival headlined by live Pagan inspired rock and folk music played all day by established artists and bands! Guest speakers from the likes of Nottinghams very own Tony "Robin Hood" Rotherham to international speaker Wa Na Nee Che, workshops on Belly Dancing, meditation and loads more From 12-6. BBC Radio Nottingham all morning promoted the event, with regular interviews with Spellcrafters own and Pagan Pride founder Esme Knight. Supported proudly by The Pagan Federation as the "official" Pagan Pride Parade. The gathering attracted around 800 visitors. Stalls, vendors and traders ALL did extremely well, and were very busy all through the day, with everyone signing on for 2011. Which is where we are right now.

So 2011! The events counting down to this years Parade and Festival have already started!

NATIONAL SUPPORT - TRULY BRILLIANT NEWS!

The "Centre for Pagan Studies" and “The Doreen Valiente Foundation" have pledged full support and a strong working relationship with Pagan Pride. We also have support from The Pagan Federation; East Midlands - they're on board too! You’ll be able to chat with representatives from these organisations on the day

FUNDRAISERS:

Saucy Solstice; Faerie Burlesque;

Sunday 19^th June – The Canal House; Nottingham – Doors 7.30pm / £6

A naughty night of midsummer mischief and faerie burlesque… join us for an evening of spellbinding dance cabaret; featuring Beatrice Flowers, Roxzee Mayhem, Bex Priest, & in-house dancers The Syrens and your hostess – Esme SpiderWitch. Plus stalls, tarot readers & faerie artists

Metal Mayhem

Saturday 23^rd July – The Olde Salutation; Nottingham – Doors 7.30pm / £6

The UK’s top Pagan-inspired metal bands invade Nottingham! A chance to see last years Pagan Pride headliners – RAVENAGE topping the bill with Cryptic Age and Northern Oak. Plus stalls & events.

Sunday 7th August Pagan Pride

Parade - Meeting Robin Hood statue; 10.30am (estimated dep 11.30am)

Festival – 12pm ‘til 6pm on The Arboretum WOOHOO!!!

We want you to be involved, to make Pagan Pride a greater success to bring together those of different paths, to show those who wish to know more that we aren't hiding in a cupboard with a broomstick, to demonstrate we are a valid column of the community. Please share with the world; with friends, contacts, and the events you have and attend - support Pagan Pride!

FFI: http://www.paganpride.org.uk.

URGENT! 17 days left to Save Oaken Wood

Esther — Fri, 20 May 2011 08:17:35 +0000

This Urgent Post is taken directly from an e-mail I received from The Woodland Trust and I urge you to consider signing this petition.

We only have 17 days left to convince the Secretary of State for Communities and Rural Affairs to 'call in' this planning application. This is the only way it can be reconsidered and hopefully revoked.

Please take a little time to read the e-mail below. Links are contained within.

----------------------------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 May 2011 13:53:14 +0100
> From: thewoodlandtrust [at] woodlandtrust [dot] org [dot] uk
> To: Esther From Leicester

> Subject: Last hope for Ancient Woodland is in a 'pickles'
>
> On May 10th permission was granted to expand a ragstone quarry and destroy ancient Oaken Wood
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------>
> Kent County Council's Planning Committee concluded that the direct loss of this irreplaceable habitat and the negative impact on the local wildlife site were outweighed by the 'benefits of the project'.
>Once again, loopholes in ancient woodland protection will result in the destruction of our 'rainforest'.
>
But there is a sliver of hope. Because this expansion is not included in the Local Minerals Plan, the Secretary of State for the Department of Communities and Local Government will now be asked by Kent County Council to 'rubber stamp' this decision. The fate of 81.5 acres of wildlife-rich ancient woodland now lies in Eric Pickles' hands.
>
Time is tight: within 21 days we could see Oaken Wood lost forever... unless we work together to convince Eric Pickles to 'call in' this application!
>
TAKE ACTION
http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/campaigning/woodwatch/case-studies/Pages/oaken-sos.aspx
>
This application is highly controversial for a number of reasons - which is why government scrutiny is needed. The Environment Secretary, Caroline Spelman, recently restated the Coalition's commitment to be the 'Greenest Government ever' - if Mr Pickles calls in this case he will prove that this pledge is not simply words.
>
TAKE ACTION
http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/campaigning/woodwatch/case-studies/Pages/oaken-sos.aspx
>
The applicant - Gallagher Ltd - proposes to translocate the ancient woodland soils from the site.
This is mis-guided: given that ancient woodland has evolved over many centuries it is completely irreplaceable and cannot be re-created. Monitoring of previous translocation attempts in the UK has showed high levels of failure when moving species reliant on ancient habitats and bleak prospects for their long term survival.
>

Most importantly, the decision is a clear departure from Kent County Council's own Mineral Extraction Plan and it contravenes Central Government planning policies around Biodiversity and Geological Conservation. Both contain a strong presumption against development in areas of ancient woodland. Planning Policy statement 9 also clearly states 'Ancient woodland is a valuable biodiversity resource both for its diversity of species and for its longevity as woodland. Once lost it cannot be re-created'. The caveat in this - 'they should not grant
planning permission for any development that would result in its loss or deterioration unless the need for, and benefits of, the development in that location outweigh the loss of the woodland habitat' - is the cornerstone of this decision.
>
1,300 of you signed the original petition to try and stop this application. Last week over 550 of you wrote individual letters to the Planning Committee, pointing out that they were on the brink of making an important decision for Kent and for England's ancient woodland and reminding them of its value. Many Councillors spoke
to us personally and said that they were surprised at the public response to this case. Please don't give up the fight now - we still have a chance!
>
> This case has been running for over a year!
>
> Read the history of this case
http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/campaigning/woodwatch/case-studies/Pages/oaken-wood-quarry-impacts.aspx
>
If this application is merely rubber stamped by the government a dangerous precedent will be set for other developers and the rot will creep across the woodlands of England. Don't let Oaken Wood fall at the last fence - please tell Eric Pickles direct why he can't let this one go:
>

TAKE ACTION
>http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/campaigning/woodwatch/case-studies/Pages/oaken-sos.aspx
>

100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People...?

bish — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 09:52:36 +0000

We recieved this email, and felt it worth popping into the news list, if only for the discussion it might provoke...

It's probably obvious to point out that rating the top spiritual people of
the world is a crazy improbability and more-ore-less counterproductive to
the whole idea of spirituality. After all how do you "rate" someone's
spirituality? Is it a matter of how many people they draw to their
speakings, how many books they sell? What were the rating standards.

But aside from that, it is nice to see that the life-time dedication of
Caitlin and John Matthews to Celtic Spirituality and Druidry was
recognized. They were added to Watkin Review's "100 Most Spiritually
Influential Living People" for 2011, along with the same list as the Dalai
Lama, Eccart Tolle, Brian Weiss, Pema Chodron, etc.

Congrats! http://www.watkinsbooks.com/review/watkins-spiritual-100-list

How would Druid folk establish seniority in spiritual influence? Books sold, talks given, trees planted...? Is the whole question flawed? For Members, I'll copy this into the Interfaith Gathering.

Midsummer Cor Gawr tickets now available

Firevixen — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 11:46:33 +0000

Tickets for the Midsummer gathering of the Gorsedd of Cor Gawr are now available to order. FFI visit the Cor Gawr page http://druidnetwork.org/en/sacredsites/stonehenge/corgawr/index.html or the Cor Gawr website http://bards.org.uk

Hugh's Fishfight

Phil Ryder — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 23:38:26 +0000

The quota system is madness; it isn't sustainable, it makes no economic sense. The ethical and spiritual stance I'll leave to you.

If you agree with the campaign then please sign the petition

Half of all fish caught in the north sea are thrown back overboard dead.

The problem is that in a mixed fishery where many different fish live together, fishermen cannot control the species that they catch.

Fishing for one species often means catching another, and if people don’t want them or fishermen are not allowed to land them, the only option is to throw them overboard. The vast majority of these discarded fish will die.

Because discards are not monitored, it is difficult to know exactly how many fish are being thrown away. The EU estimates that in the North Sea, discards are between 40% and 60% of the total catch. Many of these fish are species that have fallen out of fashion: we can help to prevent their discard just by rediscovering our taste for them.

Others are prime cod, haddock, plaice and other popular food species that are “over-quota”. The quota system is intended to protect fish stocks by setting limits on how many fish of a certain species should be caught.

Fishermen are not allowed to land any over-quota fish; if they accidentally catch them – which they can’t help but do - there is no choice but to throw them overboard before they reach the docks.

Send us your events for 2011

Bocan — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 19:44:46 +0000

It's a new year and we have many months without any events listed.

I've got a few to start putting in but more would always be appreciated. If you (or a group you belong to) are holding a public (and obviously pagan oriented) event, please send (at a minimum):

The event name
The dates and time the event is on
A good description
Prices
Information on booking, etc
Contact details / Websites if available
Any other relevant details

Either directly to me at chris [at] funderburg [dot] me( here) or you can use the the site contact form here.

Images can be included within reason but may be resized to match the existing format. Other general rules and disclaimers are listed at http://druidnetwork.org/en/events/index.html.

Save Our Forests

Phil Ryder — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 23:15:19 +0000

There is not much in the line of concrete proposals as yet published, but on the grounds that we need to be prepared it is worth looking here and signing the petition if you want to have a say in what happens to our woodlands.

Cor Gawr Midwinter Gorsedd CANCELLED

Firevixen — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 12:43:54 +0000

Gorsedd of Bards of Cor Gawr - Gorsedd Beirdd Côr y Cewri

Due to the severe weather, with heavy snow having fallen around the
surrounding area and more forecast, together with sub zero
temperatures between now and beyond the date of the Gorsedd, we have
had no option but to cancel the Midwinter Gathering of the Gorsedd.
Stonehenge is closed today due to the weather and in particular the
dangerous state of the car park, and with no thaw likely between now
and our gathering, the car park will remain closed. In addition we
would not have been permitted to access the stones, and with
temperatures forecast to drop to minus 6 by 6pm on Sunday the risk of
ice and frost was too high - together with the fact that standing
outside in a wind chill of minus 10 for 2 hours would have been too
much for many folk to cope with. In addition many folk would be faced
with treacherous and long journeys.

The entire team is extremely sad and disappointed that we have had to
take this action in conjunction with English Heritage, but felt that
the elements were letting us know that it is more important to listen
to nature than attempt to impose our will and desire upon the
situation.

Ticket holders can either take advance tickets for either of next
year's Gorseddau (Midsummer or MIdwinter), or we can issue a Paypal
refund. Those who paid by cheque, we will not bank those cheques
unless you indicate to us you wish to apply for tickets for next year.

We wish you a blessed Yule

Ancient and vulnerable trees need your help today

Bocan — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 12:34:21 +0000

From The Woodland Trust:

The Ancient Tree Forum and the Woodland Trust need your support to stop avoidable loss of Ancient Trees and to help protect one of the most important habitats a tree can provide - dead wood.

The Tree Preservation Order (TPO) in England is currently being reviewed and we are concerned about some proposed changes which would reduce, rather than improve, protection and could directly affect beautiful and valuable ancient and veteran trees*.

The Department of Communities and Local Government proposes to continue to allow all dead trees, however valuable, to be felled without consent. There is also a proposal to introduce a similar exception for the removal of dead branches - vital habitats that naturally develop as trees age - on living trees.

Essentially this means that very old, historic and wildlife-rich dead trees and dead branches of living veteran trees could be completely removed, rather than managed for stability.

Please help us prevent such a backward step in tree and habitat protection!

The Trust has set up an emergency campaign with the Ancient Tree Forum to feed directly into the public consultation process.

See this page for more information: http://tinyurl.com/2vh9lk7 or go straight to the live petition where you can add your own voice to ours**.
http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/campaigning/our-views-and-policy/Page...

PLEASE, find 2 minutes today to feed directly into this consultation and pass it on to your friends and contacts. This consultation ends 20th December.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This beautifully animated film illustrates some of the very special habitats created by deadwood:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piCWcjm4W9k
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* Over the last 4 years the Trust's Ancient Tree Hunt (http://www.ancienttreehunt.org.uk) has recorded approximately 80,000 trees that are of importance to people across the UK, including 192 ancient dead trees. A significant proportion of veteran trees have dead branches in their crowns; this is not only a threatened habitat but is a fundamental part of their character and visual appeal which can remain for decades and longer if carefully managed. If these changes are passed there will be no protection for the values that make these trees special.

** Further information and the proposed joint response from the Ancient Tree Forum and Woodland Trust

EDF “Jumping The Gun” with Hinkley Point destruction

Phil Ryder — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 12:36:27 +0000

French energy company EDF is “jumping the gun” by applying to destroy over 400 acres of Somerset countryside – even before it has permission to build on the site – according to the local campaign group Stop Hinkley.

EDF has just submitted an application to West Somerset Council for what it describes as “preliminary works” in advance of constructing Britain 's largest nuclear power station. In fact this involves completely razing the site near Hinkley Point, filling in a beautiful valley and even starting excavation of the power station foundations.

All this would be done before a formal proposal to build the plant itself has been delivered to the Infrastructure Planning Commission, which could then reject it.

The company has already evicted all badgers from the site by blocking off their setts, an action approved prematurely by Natural England, the wildlife conservation body.

“EDF have already shown that they have precious little regard for the countryside,” says Stop Hinkley spokesman Crispin Aubrey. “Now they are about to treat it with contempt by trashing over 400 acres of woodland, cornfields and coastline. This is jumping the gun on a massive scale.”

The “preliminary works” proposed by the multinational power company - on 430 acres of land stretching from the Severn Estuary to the village of Shurton – involve:

• Removal of the majority of trees and hedges

• Filling in a valley with excavated earth

• Closure of existing footpaths and bridlepaths, including the coast path

• Security fencing round the whole area

• Stripping topsoil and vegetation to make a terraced area for the proposed nuclear reactors

• New roads built across the site

• Underground streams re-routed

• The excavation of more than 3.2 million cubic metres of soil, sub-soil and rocks. This is more than was dug out to prepare the site for the 2012 London Olympic Games

• Noise from up to 12,000 vehicle movements per month

• Construction of new sea wall along the coast

• Construction of a jetty out into the sea

The company says it will restore the site to its original state if it fails to gain permission for the Hinkley C power station. “This would be impossible,” says Crispin Aubrey. “You can't recreate a landscape that has taken generations to mature.”

Stop Hinkley is urging all those opposed to EDF's actions to register their objection with West Somerset Council, which is planning to conduct a consultation process.

For more information:

Crispin Aubrey, Press Officer, Stop Hinkley campaign

Census 2011 and Pagan-Dash

bish — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 20:52:03 +0000

The 2011 Census will take place in England and Wales on 27th March 2011.

It may be the last one ever.

Therefore, if you wish for the Pagan paths to gain any sort of recognition based on our number, you really need to ensure this census reflects your spirituality.

There is a voluntary question asking about your religion. If we all put pagan-[path] we may be seen in sufficient numbers to be seen as important by government and other organisations in future years.

There's a web site about this. http://pagandash.org

TDN responds to Melanie Philips

bish — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 20:46:51 +0000

There is considerable... interest in a piece by the above journalist, published in the Daily Mail (in the UK). We have attempted to clarify aspects of the story in our response. You can read our response here.