TTT turns 5

Keen community gardener and TTT "newbie", Sel, provides her take on the AGM and 5th birthday party, a couple of weeks ago.  

Transition Town Tooting turned five on Monday April 29th and was celebrated in the Graveney and Meadow pub by various activists, organisers and volunteers. The seeds of this flourishing movement were planted in 2008 at Lucy's dinner table and today it has not only branched out into several projects, but has a respectable rapport with the Council, local businesses, schools and of course the people who live in the community who have benefited from what we have hosted.

I am one of the newer volunteers and this was my first AGM and I have to say was a friendly affair and for anybody who is interested in getting involved in Transition Town Tooting, it was accessible and welcoming. I volunteer with the community garden and like some of the other volunteers, wanted to do so to meet other people, learn about how to grow food and to reclaim a connection with nature, which I felt I had lost since coming from the countryside to London. I have really enjoyed getting "green fingered" and would recommend coming along to anybody,whatever your age and experience. Or if gardening isn't for you, there were other projects showcased on the night covering a wide array of green ideas.

Tooting and Wandsworth bursting with activity

I'll let the pictures do the talking: 48 hours of local creative activities by the Wandle, in the Community Garden, on Tooting Common.



The 'Cabinet of Curiosities' by the
Wandle opposite the Ram Brewery

'It's a Wandleful Life': opening
the Wandsworth Arts Festival

The climbing frame:
freshly painted by Gatton School

'Wish you were here' in
Tooting, with Crafty Pint





We've put this off for a year- thanks loads!

Potatoes spouting: planted on 
TTT's 'Fresh & Refresh' walk in April

Conversation, with weeding

A beautiful sight: telling The Patchwork Horse story today

We'll share a report soon on last week's TTT AGM & 5th Birthday party. Next weekend it's the Day of Stories on Saturday, and a picnic at the Community Garden on Sunday. Details in the calendar....all welcome.

Be creative in Tooting! 'Day of Stories 2013' on Saturday 11th May, plus two events this weekend

Saturday 4^th May: ‘Wish You Were Here’ Crafty Pint’s workshop printing souvenirs of Tooting, at the Tooting Tram, 12:00 - 6:00. For details click click here

Sunday 5^th May: ‘The Jigsaw Horse’ storytelling and art promenade leaves Sprout Arts in Furzedown at 1:00. For details click here

Saturday May 11th: Welcome to the 2nd Tooting Library and Transition Town Tooting 'Day of Stories'

This free, exciting and diverse day is on Saturday May 11th, 10:00 to 4:00, in Tooting Children's Library, 75 Mitcham Road, SW17 9PD

No need to book - just pop in any time to join in some stories and make creative nature prints and stay as long as you like. This is a family day for children and their parents / carers - all welcome to take part.



10:00-11:00 ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ + Bill. …see below!

11:15- 1:45 ‘Stories of Wonder’ + Alison

12:00-2:30  'Nature printing '+ Chuck and Jane from TTT

2:30-3:00  ‘Snakes, Lizards and Giants!’ Stories on sharing + Emily

3:15-4:00  ‘Adventures of the Jumping Mouse’ + Marika and Hannah

More details:

Going on a Bear Hunt with Bill!  A great way to bring a book to life is by making sound effects to go along with your favourite story, and even recording these sounds to play the next time.
Join Tooting Children's Librarian Bill Bawden for a fun creative workshop with the aim of making a recording of Michael Rosen's classic "We're going on a Bear Hunt". Learn how to use everyday objects to make sounds such as splashing through rivers, squelching through mud and stumbling through forests!
The final recording will be made available to download for free and can be used to bring the story to life again and again!

Nature Printing  Come and try an unusual, historic and magical technique: printing directly from leaves and plants. It is quick to learn, and it is not hard to get very beautiful results.

We’ll collect springtime leaves in advance from across Tooting – or you can bring some in.          Then we’ll pass on this historic method for creating surprising and detailed prints.


You’ll enjoy this:

Ø if you like trying new things

Ø if you are interested in looking at plants in a new way

Ø if you like experimenting with textures, shapes, and patterns 

Ø if you want to make cards, posters or presents to take home

Come at 12:00 for an introduction, and we’ll show you how to print, or drop in anytime until 2:30. Materials provided, and we’ll adapt this to all ages and abilities: all welcome!

There’s a blog for the Day of Stories: click here 

Fresh & Refresh

On 13 April 2013 Mushkil Aaasan in the Upper Tooting Rd hosted "Fresh and Refresh" co-curated by Amee Ramesh and Jeni Walker. This event was designed to be a Spring Festival to inspire people to turn a new leaf and initiate new and positive changes in their lifestyle.

The Tooting Bec Lido & Zumba trainers demonstrated ways that exercise can help, while information was also on hand about stopping smoking, blood pressure monitoring and cholesterol checks. Information on how to eat healthily and grow your own food, alongside the latest from the Friends of Streatham Cemetery bees, rubbed shoulders with delicious free tasters from Tooting Market’s Portuguese Café, Minashop, and Indian delicacies kindly donated by Tooting Pharmacy. Crafty Pint helped people create wonders from discarded plastics, while pop-up kindness and recipe swaps were also on offer. The event was very busy with a diverse audience, some who just wandered in off the street to investigate.

Amee Ramesh was delighted at how the event turned out and said: “The day itself was lovely and everyone came together, generating a really enthusiastic and positive atmosphere. It was lovely to meet new people and foster an 'onwards and upwards' mentality in the local community, especially after such a long winter!”

Once again thanks to Amee, Jeni, Mushkil Aasaan and all who contributed to making the event such a success.

Today in the Community Garden: weather for sweaters - or flipflops?

From window sill to garden

 

This year's spring wheat

The garden will be open next Sunday

(the Bank Holiday weekend)

from 11:00 - 1:00

 

Do come along: we're at 5 North Drive, on the south side of Tooting Common



 

TTT AGM & 5th Birthday Party

Just in case this makes no sense ... ahem ... TTT has its AGM and 5th birthday party on Monday evening at Graveney & Meadow. It will be a fun event including a quiz with prizes, a brief report on all of TTT's current projects, a short vote, a lot of cake and time to chat. Whether you are new to all this or a gnarled veteran, this should be a fun evening and we hope to see you there! Bring an unsuspecting friend maybe?  It could be the start of something new and exciting!

Outdoor Learning in the Tooting Community Garden

We're learning with Gatton School
We are really delighted to be hosting an exciting new programme of visits by children and staff from Gatton School in Tooting to our Community Garden near Tooting Common.
This project has developed quickly since the first meetings in February: there is a lot of goodwill on all sides, and everyone is keen for it to work and to see how it develops.

Before the Spring holidays, we completed the first four weeks of visits.

Measuring around the big tree

What’s the purpose?
The School is keen to provide weekly experiences of outdoor learning to children – time outside, in nature, where many different projects can be planned and tried out – all influenced by the weather and the season.



Inspecting a woodlouse

There will be space in the programme for reflecting, observing, listening and appreciating time in the garden. 

Another great Sunday in the Garden

Thanks to the dozen people who came along today!
We'll let the photos tell the story - and too bad we missed taking pictures of us emptying dozens of bags of rotted leaves...



Sorting seeds by smartphone



New bed




New path



Better Choices for a Better Future: talks, discussion and video 23rd April

TTT and the Furzedown Low Carbon Zone project have been contributing to a South Thames College initiative since early 2013. 
We've been opening up practical ways for college and university students to explore for themselves what sustainability means in the world of work.
Local partners have included Eardley School and the Wink Salon in Furzedown - and we're grateful to many others who have also contributed time, advice and resources.

All welcome to join us next Tuesday in a free public meeting to hear all about it (see details above, and click here for the flyer). We'll describe the project, and two of the students involved will introduce the brand new Better Choices for a Better Future video.

Our guest speakers will explore how local authorities and employers can support jobs for a low carbon economy: we're pleased to welcome Jonathan Cook, Deputy Leader of Wandsworth Borough Council, and Stephen Gapik, Head of Business Development, British Gas.

Looking forwards, we're developing new plans that combine community action with meeting national and global challenges.
Please come on Tuesday if you would like to be involved!

Community Garden: 20° Sunday morning!

A dozen helpers came along to the Community garden today (well, two of them were dogs…)

 

 

 

 

We: finished digging a new plot, sowed 4 different kinds of bread wheat, planted potatoes, cleared up the herb patch, sowed radishes, shifted some ancient logs about to make seats in the ‘secret corner’, spread some top-dressing from the compost heap, admired the wild primroses – and definitely enjoyed the sun, the warmth, and good company of all ages.

 

All welcome to come along any Sunday: 11:00 to 1:00. The entrance is to the side of  the large house at 5 North Drive, on the south side of Tooting Common.