May Day May Day for the Planet

Friday 29 April - Monday 2 May 2022

Glossop Labour Club have organised the following weekend in recognition that the climate crisis is going to affect everyone.  With that in mind we hope that we have a programme

where everyone will find something of interest.

The programme is summarised below followed by further details.  Please  check out these further details as they will include specific advice on bookings, creche facilities, practical issues etc as well as further background information about the speakers, events etc.

To see further details, click on the specific day in the Programme.

Please note that entry  is free to all events with the exception of the gig on Saturday night (Jess Silk and Darren Poyzer) and the hot meals (just £3)  on Monday.

SUMMARY OF PROGRAMME

7.00 pm       Poetry and Music

 

SATURDAY 30 APRIL

10.30 am     Progressive and Solidarity Stalls

12.30 pm     Light Lunch:  Pakora & dips (£2) and/or vegetable curry (£2)

2.00 pm*     Talks presented by Hilary Wainwright  (Editor of Red Pepper) ,  Prof Paul Rogers (Peace  Studies,  University of  Bradford) and Ellen Robottom (Campaign Against   Climate Change Group

3.15 pm       Break

3.30 pm       Workshops     

                      (A creche will no longer be available due to lack of demand)

7.30 pm       Music with Jess Silk  and Darren Poyzer with full bar

SUNDAY 1 MAY

10.00 am      Glossop History Walk

11.00 am      Banner Making   CANCELLED 

10.19 am      Depart Glossop Station for May Day Parade in Manchester (please note change in time as Manchester Parade now starts 1130 am)

  7.00 pm      The Red Film Club presents The Spirit of ’45

  

MONDAY  2 MAY  -  FAMILY ACTIVITIES

 

The  day has been designed to provide activities for the whole family which can be joined at any time and will include:

 

11.00 am - 4 pm     

Creating an art installation with Textile Artist Helen Robson

Making a Tree of Life

Playing Environmental Board Games

How to make a difference at home

12.30 – 2 pm        Vegan Hot Meal from the People's Kitchen

11.00 am              Internal Gate Martial Arts taster session 

11.45 am                                            "

2.45 pm                                              "

3.30 pm                                              "

Friday 29 April

* Poetry and Music * from 7pm

The Club’s Reading Group is one of the club's regular activities.  On Friday, the group will host an  evening of poetry  around nature and the  environment. Come and share your favourite poems - or just listen to the choices of others.

The bar will be open for this event and people are welcome to stay for the regular Friday Club Night at 9pm which will also include the regular Friday Folk Music Night.

Saturday 30 April

* Progressive and Solidarity Stalls *  10 am - 12.30 pm

Glossop is well endowed with a wide range of local campaign groups and, for this event, these groups are invited to pre-book a stall to show case  there work to the public and to network amongst each other.  If you would like to book a stall, please contact Derek Clarke,  the club's Chair on derekclarke@macace.net.

 A second hand bookstall of political books will be offering books for a donation and/or giving them free to young people. Tea and coffee will be available.

*Light Lunch*   12.30 - 2.00 pm   Pakora & dips (£2) and/or vegetable curry (£2)

* Talks and Workshop *  2 pm - 5pm

It is argued that the climate crisis is humanity's biggest challenge and that actions at individual, organisational, national and international levels will be needed to avoid disaster.  Glossop Labour Club is therefore delighted to present three speakers who will, together, give an insight into the breadth of this challenge.

Prof Paul Rogers (Peace  Studies, University of  Bradford University): Climate Breakdown, Politics and Human Security

Paul Rogers is Emeritus Professor of Peace Studies at Bradford University and an Honorary Fellow at the Joint Service Command and Staff College.   He writes a weekly column on international security for Open Democracy and his most recent book is the fourth edition of Losing Control: Global Security in the 21^st Century (London: Pluto Press, 2021).

Hilary Wainwright  (Co-Editor of Red Pepper):  Worker led initiatives  towards a low carbon  and demilitarized economy

Hilary Wainwright is co-editor of Red Pepper and research director of the New Politics Project of the Transnational Institute, Amsterdam. Her most recent books include Public Service Reform: But Not As We Know It! (Compass/UNISON) and Reclaim the State: Experiments in Popular Democracy (Seagull).  In her talk she will examine how worker led initiatives  towards a low carbon  and demilitarized economy  were  achieved in the  70‘s and 80‘s.  She will then look at what  needs to be done to enable it to happen again now.

Ellen Robottom (Campaign Against  Climate Change  Steering Group): Climate Jobs: Building a Workforce for the Climate Emergency - a Climate Justice Approach

Ellen is a member of Unite the Union and delegate to Leeds Trades Council, also on the Campaign Against Climate Change (CACC) steering group, and a contributing author of the booklet produced by the CACC Trade Union Group Climate Jobs: Building a Workforce for the Climate Emergency   In her talk, Ellen will  outline the arguments of the Climate Jobs booklet, focusing on the Energy and Buildings chapters which she worked on, but showing how both technological and (both global and local) social justice requirements mean not merely changing the way we produce energy (although this is crucial) but also drastically reducing the energy we use across all UK sectors. This will require more radical societal changes than simply replacing high emissions technologies with renewably powered ones, and greater challenges for the creation of the necessary skilled, well-paid and secure climate jobs. It is  argued  that this requires a public service approach - a National Climate Service.

 

Refreshment Break 3.15 - 3.30 pm.  Bar including beverages

Small Group Discussions  3.30 - 4.30 pm.

We will break  out into groups to explore solutions within the context of the three talks for combatting the climate crisis

It was  intended to run a creche for children aged 1 - 8 yrs  for this session. However, this will no longer take place due to lack of demand. 

* Music with Jess Silk  and Darren Poyzer * with bar opening at 7.30 pm.

Jess Silk, with her recent album Blitz Spirit,  has established herself as a songwriter to reckon with.  Her talent is being recognised by the music industry, with high profile shows such as opening for Frank Turner at the Roundhouse in London, as a tour support for Justin Sullivan from New Model Army or being added to festival bills across the country. We are lucky to have her at this stage in her career, be sure to catch her now!

                                         See here for a sample of her work.

We are also delighted to welcome Darren Poyzer, a former Glossopian, back to the club.   Darren is a veteran of live music having played far and wide across the UK. His recent Sunday morning livestreams have acquired a cult following where he showcases some beautiful and moving songs alongside political rabble rousers. Darren's song remind us of the importance of community and solidarity.

 

See a collection of his songs here. 

This will be a very special show. Be sure to book a ticket early online or,  if there are still tickets left,  at George Street Bookshop (14-16 George St, Glossop SK13 8AY) or at the Labour Club from 10 April.

£10 General Admission

£7 Glossop Labour Club Members

£5 Concessionary rate

Sunday 1 May

* Glossop History Walk with Gwyneth Francis and Angela Grills * 10.00 am from the Club. 

It is quite likely that you are aware that the Glossop manufacturer Edmund Potter’s great claim to fame is that his granddaughter was the children’s author Beatrix Potter. How many people, however, know that five pages of the work of another famous author – Capital by Karl Marx – are devoted to a discussion of Edmund Potter’s attitude to the assisted emigration of his starving workforce during the cotton famine.

Discover more interesting things and step back in time in imagination as we walk in the footsteps of the people who lived and worked in the valley where it is no exaggeration to say the industrial revolution took off.

The walk will take between 1 1/2 and 2 hrs.  Hot beverages will be available at the club after the walk.

* Banner Making* from 10.00 am at the club.     CANCELLED

Unfortunately, due to the change in time of the parade (see below), there is no longer time to run this session.

* May Day Parade in Manchester *  leaving from Glossop Train Station at 10.19*.

Details of  Manchester May Day can be found here but includes a parade, speakers, stalls and musicians from 1- 5 pm.   

*Please note change in time.  On police advice, the Manchester May Day Parade is not starting at 11.30 from St Peter's Square.

 *The Red Film Club presents The Spirit of ’45 * bar opening at7.00 pm for 7.30pm start. Free  entry with donations for the Ukrainian DEC Appeal.

THE SPIRIT OF '45 from BAFTA Award-winning director Ken Loach. 1945 was a pivotal year in British history. The unity that carried Britain through the war allied to the bitter memories of the inter-war years led to a vision of a better society. The spirit of the age was to be our brother's and our sister's keeper. Director Ken Loach has used film from Britain's regional and national archives, alongside sound recordings and contemporary interviews to create a rich political and social narrative.  THE SPIRIT OF '45 hopes to illuminate and celebrate a period of unprecedented community spirit in the UK, the impact of which endured for many years and which may yet be rediscovered today. 

The  lesson for today is that it was possible to bring about a dramatic change in how our society worked and that the very significant changes needed to combat the climate crisis is therefore possible if the will and commitment is there.

The Red Film Club in one of the club’s regular activities which specialises in showing films with a social conscience.  While it is previously only been available to members only, it is    now opening it’s doors to members of the public who, for less than £5,  will be able to see films that are rarely available in mainstream cinemas.  All films have subtitles,  quality ice- cream  for £1  is served in the interval and there is an opportunity to discuss the film in good company over a drink afterwards.

Monday 2 May - Family Day

ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE DAY

The following four activities will take place between 11.00 am and 4 pm and families can drop in and out of them as they like.

*Creating an art installation with Textile Artist Helen Robson* Helen Robson is a local professional textile & community artist/teacher regularly running courses and workshops at The Craft Barn in Hadfield as well as considerable experience working on Community Art Projects. She has a track record of working with children to create amazing art pieces and an ambition is to create something on this Monday that could be submitted to the Hadfield Open Art Show later in the month.   

 

Helen  is also a keen environmentalist and passionate about working sustainably;  creating, mending and repurposing with vintage/salvaged/rescued fabrics, fibres, threads and objects.  It is therefore not surprising that, for this project, she will be use recycled materials collected from far and wide to tie  or weave into a large frame. The aim is to create a tableau to show the impact of pollution and climate change.  Families are invited to drop in and make a contribution to the creation of this art installation. 

*Making a Tree of Life: Eliza Pascoe* (Oopsadaisy) has kindly agreed to paint a tree with branches on the club's front window.  Some may have already seen the Christmas windows she did for the George Street Community Bookshop as shown below.

 

Families are invited to paint, draw or write with felt pens what they want to save from the climate crisis on acetate leaves and then choose where they want to stick them on the tree.  In this way we will be able to make a tree of lots of special wonderful things which we can show the rest of Glossop as they walk by.

*Playing Environmental Board Games*  We have tried to select games that are fun to play for a wide age range that also have an educational element.

Planet (8+) for up to 4 players taking 30 mins:  In Planet, spread your mountain ranges and your deserts, expand your forests, oceans and glaciers. Strategically position your continents to form hospitable environments for animal life to develop and try to create the most populated and diverse Planet!

Each Player receive a planet core without anything on it, at each turn players will chose a tile with mountain/ice/forest/desert on it and place it on the planet. Then the player who fulfil the most the condition of apparition of some animals, gain its card.  See here for a more detailed review although we plan to play a simpler version on the day.

Ecosystem (8 ys+) for up to 6 players taking 20 mins:  Ecosystem is a card-drafting game in which players choose cards and place them into their play area turn by turn. The cards in a player's grid make up their own personal ecosystem, and at game's end, a player will have twenty cards in their ecosystem, with the game including eleven types of cards. Bears score by being placed next to bees and trout; trout score by being placed next to streams and dragonflies; and streams are compared at the end of the game, with the player who has the largest stream earning points. These are just a few examples of how scoring works in Ecosystem. Don't forget to diversify! ,  Again we will play the simpler version and there is a review if you want to see more. 

 

Tipping Point (10 yrs +)  for 2 - 4 players taking 60 - 90 min.  Tipping Point is a family-friendly card game that playfully demonstrates the dangers of global warming. The players build cities that are home to the ever-growing population. However, the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is leading to ever more extreme weather disasters and forces players to think creatively how to face this shared problem.  See here for more information.

 

*Make a difference at Home*   Will that capsule actually clean my clothes ?  Will that compostable bag stay in one piece when I try and empty my caddy ?  Come and share experiences of good eco friendly products and even take home some to sample. 

*Repair Cafe@Glossop Labour Club* Our Repair Cafe aims to generate environmental benefits reducing waste and the need for unnecessary replacement purchases and providing a counter to throwaway culture; and social benefits fostering experience and understanding of mutuality, providing a low cost repair service and improved confidence in performing simple repair tasks.  It s open in the club every 2nd  Saturday (11 am - 1 pm) and is able give advice and/or repair electrical & wooden  items, clothes and bikes.  There is no charge but people who are satisfied with the result and can afford it, are asked for a donation. As a result of space constraints, repairs will be taking place outside under cover in the club's garden and will be confined to repairs of bikes and garden tools (whether this will include tool sharpening is subject to confirmation on this website )

VEGAN HOT MEAL FROM THE PEOPLE’S KITCHEN, 12.30 – 2 PM, £3

The People’s Kitchen event  was a monthly treat at the Labour Club.  Vegan hot food was produced by volunteers using locally sourced and often organic food.  Popular with non-vegetarians who were continually amazed how tasty, varied  and satisfying their meal was – all for £3 !  We are delighted to welcome Ronny Worsley who has come  back to Glossop especially to run a special People’s Kitchen for our May Day event

 

This event is likely to be popular so people are advised to book before midday Friday 29 April using this  link. Please use a separate line with full name for each person within your group.  The meal will also be gluten free.   Please arrive and check in for the meal before 12.45 to avoid the risk of your place being given to someone else.

FREE INTERNAL GATE MARTIAL ARTS TASTER SESSIONS  WITH ADE FINCH

Half hour sessions for 13+ (including adults !)  running at 11 am, 11.45 am, 2.45 pm, 3.30 pm.

 

We anticipate that these session will be popular and while  Ade will accept people to join in on the day,  people are advised to book before midday on Sunday 1 May to ensure a place by completing the following booking form.  The contact details requested will only be used if arrangements need to change. Please come 5 mins early to reserve your slot.

These taster sessions will introduce you to how you can discover yourself through martial arts –and have fun at the same time.  Internal Gate Martial Arts is a  form of martial arts that has been developed by Ade Finch who runs regular classes at the Labour Club.  This form of martial arts,  which he has written a book about,  brings together his experience  of a wide rang of martial arts  ( Japanese Jujutsu, Karate and Bujutsu weaponry, Korean Taekwondo, Chinese boxing, Muay Thai)  to form a discipline that addresses the body and the soul;   not only does it improve physical  health and fitness, it is also designed to improve mental clarity, peace of mind, self confidence and self knowledge.

 

The half hour session will introduce participants to some simple unarmed techniques with a bit of  pad work (ie hitting a pad with feet or hands) and will include an awareness/meditative technique. Participants should come in loose clothing and trainers/indoor shoes.