back to normal, if only I knew what that was!

A busy, busy week, LASSN, the National Park and a proper Fairtrade shop in Malton.

Tuesday and Thursday were LASSN, lassn.org.uk, now the new link works, I've tested it! Grace project first, two very young people, one of 18, the other 19; I can only imagine what drives young people from the only home and family (if they have one) they've known to a strange country, where they are homeless and penniless. I find places for them to stay after several phone calls, it is half term and lots of people away, one lucky family are walking in sunshine in the Brecon Beacons.

Wednesday, despite the forecast, is dry, but very windy all day. Coasties, www.northyorkmoors.org.uk are at the Alum works in Ravenscar, we are continuing work on the Cleveland Way alternative, which should open next spring and give direct access to the old Alum works. This is the best link I can find. thedms.discoveryorkshirecoast.com/thedms.aspx?dms=13. Today we are clearing tons and tons of stone from collapsed sections of the Alum works and their associated buildings (housing for the workers, a pigsty etc.). Many years ago they were dumped where the new path is going to go, so now they have to be moved again! Some are fairly small, they go in wheel barrows, some are huge and have to be moved in a very small caterpillar wheeled truck.

we did these by lunch time

I wonder what this was, part of a water trough?

By about 2 o'clock we have run out of space to move the stones to. Many of us have also run out of energy, so we down tools an hour earlier than usual and pile into the mini bus back up the hill. We debate the merits of a hot shower versus a bath to iron away the aches, I go for the shower, on power mode.

thank you to the Friends , Malton

Thursday evening several of us work until after 11pm to set up the two day branch of Fairer World in the Friends Meeting House in Malton. http://www.fairerworldyork.co.uk/. All the goods are Fairly Traded, giving a social premium to the communities producing the goods, as well as a fair price for the things we are selling.

The shop is an annual event, the first Friday and Saturday on November. Both mornings two of us tie green arrows advertising the shop round various lamposts in the town centre, but most people come by word of mouth and because they know we will be there. There is a steady flow of people all day, buying cards and presents for Christmas, as well as stocking up on the usual tea, coffee, and chocolate, as well dried fruit and sugar for baking.(Thank you TV shows).

Craft items, it's not just food you see; you can
 buy these at Fairer World in Gillygate, York.

We seem to do as well as most years, there is certainly less to pack up on Saturday evening. I have two more small stalls before the end of the year. One at the local council offices and another in a village primary school. All good news to those producers in developing countries, trade not aid is what they want.

www.fairtrade.org.uk/

Watch this space.

Sunday I was yomping along the Cleveland Way, but more of that next time.

a political one off - back to normal tomorrow!

first time I've spoilt a ballot paper, but I've always voted and this time this was the only option

Short Stop changes name and two sessions in the jungle

Tuesday was what used to be Short Stop and is now called the Grace project. The Grace project is the amalgamation of two linked schemes, Short Stop and Long Stop, both offering emergency accommodation for homeless asylum seekers, one for one night only, the other for longer. Now LASSN lassn.pir2.info has decided to merge the two schemes under one name the Grace project. Grace was an early user of short Stop many years ago; now, settled in Leeds, she has become a Trustee of LASSN and an enthusiastic advocate of both short Stop and Long Stop. Just one person to be placed this week, my first call is to one of our regular hosts, she is unwell, but tells me that if I can find nobody else she can help. It is with some relief, she has the awful cough and cold I have just got over, that my next call is answered with a cheery 'of course'; I phone PAFRAS www.pafras.org.uk back and that is all for the day. The nights are becoming colder and longer so the Grace project becomes more and more vital.

this bit's already been done

Wednesday dawned in gloom and pouring rain, however the forecast promised sun later, so on with the water proofs and off to Runswick Bay. Coasties www.northyorkmoors.org.uk were continuing to carve a path, which only seems to exist on the map, through bracken, bramble and our old friend blackthorn. It had been started with steps many months ago, more steps will be needed on this bit, but today it is too wet. However by 11o'clock the rain has stopped and by midday the sun and the midges are out.

the bracken jungle,
easier than the blackthorn!

Some of my colleagues become so enthusiastic that the path gets wider and wider and more and more blackthorn has to be somehow 'lost' in what remains. I have a minor rebellion and block their way, they move onward and upward, more to be lost, but at least the path gets longer rather than wider!

"What is the point of blackthorn?" one of us wonders, "well sloe gin" I point out, but we all agree although very good, not an essential for life. So, what is the point of blackthorn?

Now, see here on the right is a lovely path, it's almost parallel to where we are cutting, dragging and throwing. BUT it is on private land, this area of the National Park is not Open Access and we ordinary mortals may only walk on the public rights of way. It's a path for game shooters, I eat game and so I don't complain about the people who shoot, but the the revolutionary in me wonders why we can't all use the same path. There is some muttering about us plebs not using the path! Very topical at the moment, the rights of plebs. When I was younger I thought that one day the revolution would come, now older and greyer I know better.

Sunday was more jungle cutting, this time of nettles and burdock to find trees planted last year in Malton's best kept secret, the Castle Gardens. www.maltoncastlegarden.org.uk. Some trees had been discovered a few months ago, now more were found today.

Malton's jungle in the mist

Here's one I found

If the small society exists truly it does here, a few people, over many years, have made this the magical place it is now. We have come to it only recently and now hope to help more. The wet summer has contributed to the need for a massive cut back, there are still more young trees to be found and nurtured into more growth.

Last but not least, my good friends at Fairer World shop in York have just launched the first page of their website, it is a work in progress, but after some time here it is, http://www.fairerworldyork.co.uk/

Happy Birthday LASSN

Yesterday was LASSN's 10th birthday. www.lassn.org.uk and they've got a new website to celebrate. First was the boring bit, the AGM, but necessary for legal reasons. I am so glad that all this is now behind me; I did over 20 years of committee meetings: Council, School Governors, Charities. I'm glad I did, as I like to think that some of them made a difference, but now enough is enough and I am very happy to be a volunteer and nothing more. We heard from someone who had been in at the very beginning of LASSN, over 10 years ago, before the charity itself was officially launched. She made the point that we all hope not to be here in another 10 years, but we fear that the need will be just as great as it is now. Conflict around the world does not lessen just because the EU has been given a peace prize.

Then the party, lovely food, cooked by a local couple who were born in East Africa and have lived in Leeds for many decades. It was good to share experiences, both happy and sad, with other volunteers, some were short stop hosts, some English at home tutors and others befrienders. We also talked of other things, holidays, I had just returned from another train trip across Europe, this time to Porto, and dogs, other people's, I don't have one, (regular readers might have guessed this!)

Earlier in the day I had visited my friend, still waiting to hear when and where she will be moved to; no news may be good news, but can also be very stress making, for her at present it is the latter.

A friend from WAST, women asylum seekers together, was there. We reminisced about a lovely holiday they had all had in the Lakes, in a guest house owned by the local Society of Friends www.quaker.org.uk , everything had been paid for by the Friends, including a boat trip on Derwent Water. By coincidence I had stayed there, as a paying guest, whilst I was doing the Coast to Coast walk two years ago. I remembered the food being very good and they agreed with me. It was lovely to relax and talk about ordinary things, far removed from the current stresses.

Back to Coasties next week, continuing some work near Runswick Bay that we started some months ago on the Cleveland Way.
http://www.facebook.com/clevelandway?ref=ts there is now a Facebook page for the Cleveland Way, I'm not sure if this link will work if you're not signed up to FB, but if it does you might see some familiar pics.

I'm now back to my Small Society for some months, before I take off once more on my travels.

from brilliant sunshine to pouring rain

Last Tuesday there was just one short stop referral, the fourth and last call was successful, but more exciting for me (how sad am I?) was that the host was a regular reader of the blog and said how much he enjoyed it. LASSN, lassn.pir2.info are now involved in both Short Stop and a new project Long Stop, more asylum seekers are needing longer stays and this new project will give both them and hosts a greater degree of certainty. For more details please click on the link.

the view as we work, lucky us

Wednesday was a stunningly beautiful day, Coasties, www.northyorkmoors.org.uk, were clearing a section of the Cleveland Way just south of Scarborough. Long grass, nettles, briars and overhanging gorse and willow were all making this section of the National Trail rather too narrow. However one of my tasks was rather dispiriting, clearing masses of rubbish from around a bench, including the mesh from several portable barbecues, you can imagine what they do to small mammals and birds which get their legs caught in them. The stupid people who used them obviously don't care at all, there are litter bins just a five minute walk away!

all around the bench

The other ongoing rubbish issue is my usual moan at the idiocy of the thoughtless dog owners (note to friends and relations - not you); the plastic bag in the hedge will NOT degrade, the dog poo would. Yes I know there are degradable bags, but these were not those.

Saturday the members of our local Fairtrade group, www.fairtrade.org.uk, were up bright and early for our Craft Fair, a mix of Fairtrade and local craft stalls. Quite a success, we might repeat but possibly in a more central venue. Several of the local craft people were keen to come again and seemed to like the mix of stalls we had.

crafts from our friends at Fairer World in York

Every year we try something different, last year was a Clothes Show, this year the Craft Fair.

Sunday I was up on the moors above Rosedale, all the paths were clear, stiles and gates in excellent order, so I had a good walk and enjoyed the last of the sunshine. Lots of grouse and pheasant around and a few skylarks still singing high above. Then I came across this in a farm yard, not your usual farmyard item!

I could have done with this today (JOKE JOKE). I went to Leeds to see my friend, she still hasn't heard anything about her new accommodation, which is supposed to be by this Friday. I spent ages on the phone to the UK Border Agency and G4S (of Olympic infamy), both of them saying nothing to do with us, try the other one! The UKBA have given the contract to house asylum seekers to G4S whose incompetence seems to stretch way beyond the Olympics. Thus my need for the cannon.

The last straw was the bus on the way home, apparently no ventilation or heating, so condensation dripping down the windows onto anyone sitting by the window, me as the bus was full for much of the way home.

Never mind, at least I have a warm, dry house to come home to, and a feeling of a week mostly doing somethings towards my small society, and seeing old friends in between, which meant good food, chat and wine.

The tools of my trade, phone on Tuesday, sickle and shears today, and some bad news

Yesterday there were four short stop referrals! Luckily three of them were able to go back to Monday's hosts and the last was also found a room for the night very quickly. Lovely people prepared to offer shelter, often for night after night. I am happy to do the phoning, but don't know how easy I would find taking a stranger into my home. Once again PAFRAS www.pafras.org.uk/ the referring agency.

My asylum seeking friend has had good and bad news in the last week. She passed her Level 2 in Health and Social care with flying colours, distinctions in all eight sections of the course and has been offered a place to study for Level 3. However the Home Office, after many, many months has decided that she may not stay in this country. After everything she has been through and all her hard work over the last two years, not to mention what she is already bringing to our society and how much more she could bring...............  All her friends are desperately hoping that she will be able to appeal. Watch this space, I may need help. LASSN lassn.pir2.info and Solace www.solace-uk.org.uk/ are amongst the organisations supporting her.

Today I tried to put all that behind me and helped to clear a path in the shadow, literally, of the Boulby potash mine. Potash is in the news at present as plans for another mine near Whitby have just been announced. It seems that only agricultural type sheds will actually be in the National Park, modern sheds like this are fairly hideous, but if they were really agricultural they wouldn't need planning permission at all! The sun is shining and the view in front of us is of a lovely woodland and a field of sheep, behind us the bulk of the mine buildings, it all seems rather incongruous. New steps are put in and old ones cleaned up and repaired, but there is still much to do. I use an old fashioned sickle and rather blunt shears to clear a way through the mini jungle that is now the path.

after

before

All sorts in my small society

In my last post I completely forget to mention how pleased I was to see the Fairtrade logo at all the Olympic venues we went to, all the tea, coffee and drinking chocolate was Fairtrade, and here is a picture to prove it.

Some of the sponsorship of the Olympics and the Paralympics may have left a sour taste in the mouth, DOW and ATOS spring to mind, but the flavour and background to the hot drinks at least left a very good taste.

On the subject of Fairtrade I spent a fruitful few hours last week taking posters for our Fairtrade and local craft fair round various shops around my home.
www.fairtrade.org.uk


Earlier this week I once again had just one referral for a 'short stop' bed, a young man of only 18, PAFRAS, the referring agency wondered if I could possibly find somewhere for more than one night. The household I contacted were sure that would be possible, so once again I signed off with a lighter heart than I had started the day with. www.pafras.org.uk

Wednesday was Coasties www.northyorkmoors.org.uk in the rain; but nothing daunted we put on our waterproofs, picked up our tools and set off to cut back overhanging foliage on the Cleveland Way at Stoupe Beck. The damp and now the slightly warmer weather has made sheltered areas like this almost tropical in the speedy growth of the green stuff. I had to put up with some banter about last week's post on the raking, but no mention of raking this week I noticed, although we were once again based at the alum works at Ravenscar.            

 Later in the afternoon I went back to the alum works to help move shale from a local quarry onto the new steps on the Cleveland Way diversion, a messy task in the rain. The new board walk across the stream looks very good, the steps will too when they are all finished.

I suggest that when all the work is done we should have a champagne opening of the new diversion, there is a comment that if I provide the champagne................



Today we went to Howsham Mill for a willow weaving workshop, there have been several of these traditional workshops over the summer, showcasing both the work happening at the Mill and various local crafts people. The Mill itself is surrounded by scaffolding, the work on the restoration is well under way, it will be a wonderful local resource, especially showing off hydro power, when it is finished. www.howshammill.ning.com.

                                    

Here are the chickens we made, they are now sitting in our garden, confusing the blackbirds and the doves. Ok, so they don't look like chickens, but we are ridiculously proud of them, and they add to the jollity of life. After they are finished we chat to some walkers about the Archimedes screw that not only supplies power to the mill, but also a healthy income from the National Grid to the Trust that supports the Mill.

You may ask what all these bits have to do with my small society. Well it's my small society and I can decide, but what gives me pleasure and satisfaction is the variety of activities, none of which cause harm and some, I hope, are useful and even doing good to someone, somewhere.