Police & Mendip District Council trying to halt Big Green Gathering
adelayde | 25.07.2009 17:11 | Culture | Free Spaces
Mendip District Council have applied to the High Court in London for an injunction to stop the Big Green Gathering from going ahead, despite the fact that the Council granted a license for the Big Green Gathering on 30th June, 2009
The Big Green Gathering, a five day eco-awareness event is determined to fight for the right to hold its annual event on the Mendip Hills, near Cheddar. The environmental event, which combines practical advice and demonstrations on sustainable lifestyles combined with entertainment powered by the wind, the sun and people is threatened with closure on Monday, 27th July, just thirty-six hours before it opens to the public on Wednesday.
Mendip District Council have applied to the High Court in London for an injunction to stop the Big Green Gathering from going ahead, despite the fact that the Council granted a license for the Big Green Gathering on 30th June, 2009 and a multi-agency meeting was held on 23rd July where last minute details for the event were progressed.
The Big Green Gathering, a peaceful and safe event, first held in 1994 plays host to all sections of the environmental movement. This year, Gardeners World, BBC’s Ethical Man and a many other environmental experts will be at the Big Green Gathering to help attendees reduce their carbon footprint.
A spokesperson for the Directors said, “We have had several meetings with the responsible authorities whereby we believed all the issues had been resolved. This event is a peaceful event with the atmosphere of a village fete and furthermore contributes in the region of two million pounds to the local economy. We feel even at this late hour, Mendip and ourselves should be able to resolve the issues.
Mendip District Council have applied to the High Court in London for an injunction to stop the Big Green Gathering from going ahead, despite the fact that the Council granted a license for the Big Green Gathering on 30th June, 2009 and a multi-agency meeting was held on 23rd July where last minute details for the event were progressed.
The Big Green Gathering, a peaceful and safe event, first held in 1994 plays host to all sections of the environmental movement. This year, Gardeners World, BBC’s Ethical Man and a many other environmental experts will be at the Big Green Gathering to help attendees reduce their carbon footprint.
A spokesperson for the Directors said, “We have had several meetings with the responsible authorities whereby we believed all the issues had been resolved. This event is a peaceful event with the atmosphere of a village fete and furthermore contributes in the region of two million pounds to the local economy. We feel even at this late hour, Mendip and ourselves should be able to resolve the issues.
adelayde
Comments
Hide the following 17 comments
why
25.07.2009 17:20
The article above gave no mention.
Cold Stomper
from where ?
25.07.2009 17:31
The Cosmic Ted
Is it a new tory county council who prefer lager louts & arms fairs maybe?
25.07.2009 18:07
james
Details here
25.07.2009 19:10
they've always had hassle with the council at that site though and the high cost of the security bill imposed on them meant they went bust two years ago until they were bailed out by supporters. Why they don't find a site where there welcome is beyond me. the security and cops gives the fezzie a bad vibe and also makes it bloody expensive - £125 full wack and £100 concessions. this is not good value for money when for a lot of us the reason for going is to meet mates in a field.
Bob
bads news
25.07.2009 19:13
Amy
Not bailed by supporters
25.07.2009 21:03
misleading. To raise money to meet their financial shortfall, they have partially sold out
to a big corporate entertainment company. Check the corporate watch website for details.
Greenie weenie
Why would anyone want to go anyway?
26.07.2009 09:28
How can anyone promote an event for "eco-awareness" and encourage meat eating - with "friendly pigs, calves, lambs and chickens ... around to enjoy the gathering" (see
The farm where the gathering is held and which supplies the dead animals claim that "Happy healthy animals produce our fine selection of young and mature beef, lamb, mutton". How sick. How happy is any animal to be confined for its brief life, raped, have their young removed and then be sent to a slaughterhouse to meet their ultimate fate. Anyone who can use the phrase "happy, healthy" about such a system is mentally ill!
Why not save your pennies and instead go to Climate Camp Cymru (13-16 August in Methyr Tydfil)
Badger
the evil director pulled out...
26.07.2009 10:30
corrector
Not comparing ...
26.07.2009 10:49
Badger
there are plenty of things wrong with big green
26.07.2009 11:01
the climate camp is not a festival ( and has discouraged music whilst encouraging being cannon fodder )
previous climate camps has had plenty of NGO ( eg. corporate liberal ) involvement as well as non-horizontal backstage decision making and anti working clas shite in its history as well as some neo-luddite stupitdity and alt authoriatianism ( hence why loads of people dropped out really pissed off )
shares were offered that could have kept BGG out of corporate hands.
how far are you flying your vegan protein - can we reaqlly feed ourselves
not sure if I want i want to sit in a field with a bunch of middle class puritans pleading poverty and waiting on their inheritance/ NGO jobs ( social mobility was halted in the 1980.'s )
in conclusion kill the toffs and their police force and army and reclaim the land - that should be easy in the centre of capitalism - an island that attracts fpolice and thieves from all around the world to indulge in capitalism and is kept fat and stupid.
or just keep taking it up the arse
Am looking forward to climate camp though...given that certain issues ( and people ) are supposedly being addressed
jonathon poritt go ahead and kill yourself...
michael
Mendip Council Call Centre
26.07.2009 11:55
01823 351411
handlebar roustabout
confirmation?
26.07.2009 12:33
KiLLed
Big or small
26.07.2009 14:15
would be beautiful.
Spacey
BGG update, what to do instead, and the climate camp
26.07.2009 14:52
For anyone wanting to go to action camps & gatherings, the best list I've found is at
As for the climate camp, Michael you're wrong about NGO involvement, or maybe just not precise enough. The first Camp for Climate Action had no NGO involvement, no "anti-working class shite", "neo-luddite stupitdity and alt authoriatianism", nor backstage decision-making (beyond the land group, as necessary, and that the aims and working group structure were set-up from the beginning - people could choose to be involved or not).
Since then NGO people of course come, but NGOs don't have stalls etc. There have been clashes with the Camp against Climate Change over this, where they just set up a stall slap bang central, but that was dealt with at the time. I agree that NGOs and others who have a large mainstream voice have been given platforms at the last one, which they shouldn't have been - of course they can take part in a debate like anyone else, as individuals, but the platforms/workshop-givers should be reserved for the grassroots radical perspectives that we're trying to give more space.
For some of your other criticisms, of course there'll be individuals who come out with all sorts of shit at all sorts of points, even who behave badly, but that doesn't mean you should label the whole project so, but instead individually challenge it.
This year, the London climate camp is not an action camp from what I can make out, but there's lots of others that are. The best range of workshops, if last year's anything to go by, will be the EF! Summer Gathering.
blod
Homepage:
http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/22201
Shame
26.07.2009 14:59
Rumour mill is saying that it has allot to do with the change of security company.
gc
BGG
27.07.2009 11:11
and had a huge security bill
and gave away a huge chunk of free tickets for campaigners, healers,
entertainers and other hippes,
(all of who needed toilets, cmping space, etc provided)
but i think there was a political/police decision to stop it
because it was a meeting place of alternative activists...
[g]
someone suggested everyone paint themselves green on saturday where-ever they are..
George
e-mail:
dicegeorge@hotmail.com
Homepage:
http://www.dicenews.com
big greenback grab!
29.07.2009 11:14
nevertheless these so called "trivial details" that were considered legally necessary before the event could take place, should and must be put in the public domain by the council and by the police etc., we the public pay these people and they are our servants. i want to know every small detail and point that the council and police consider was absolutly crucial. otherwise they are concealing public information. thanx from pat rowan in norfolk.
pat Rowan
e-mail:
patrownas@computekmail.co.uk
Homepage:
http://lazyshaman.com