Stefani Thomas, aged 17, from Swansea
August 2007
The National Trust
Since I have been very young my mother has taken me to National Trust heritage. I think that sometimes we take our gardens, arts, mountains, waterfalls for granted.
The trust was set up in 1895 by a collected group of philanthropists Miss Octavia hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Cannon Hardwicke Rawnsley. These people were concerned with the impact the uncontrolled development and industrialisation was having on the planet. The National Trust has over 3.4 million members and 43,000 volunteers an estimated 60 million people visit their attractions every year, some you have to pay to enter but the majority are open air.
Over a century since it opened the trust now cares for over 612,000 acres of gorgeous countryside in England, Wales and Northern Island and 700 miles of coastline. They open over 300 historic houses to the public and nearly 50 industrial monuments and mills. But of course they are also responsible for the up keep of many beautiful places in great Britain including forests, woods, fens, beaches, farmland, moor land, islands, archaeological remains, castles, nature reserves and I’m sure the list goes on.
I have recently taken my youth club to an old industrial site which has a waterfall on it, which the National Trust opens and keep running. The children had so much fun, the people at the Trust know what they are talking about and can tailor it for any age and best of the entire youth club is doing voluntary work for them. I would strongly urge that everyone visits a National Trust site this year and every other year, they are fun for all occasions- you can even go to an indoor site if its raining (which it does a lot in Wales!).
July 2007
Earth from the Air
This year many Swansea and Welsh organisations have come together to bring the fabulous Earth from the Air exhibition to Swansea. Not just a first for the city but a first for the country.
The exhibition was produced by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, a French photographer who has devoted his life to arial photography and the world we live in. the exhibition has been every where from Puerto Rico, Japan, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Korea, France the list goes on and now finally the land of our fathers has got a piece of the action. But these pictures are brilliant in so many ways the main being that you can connect with the pictures in a way you couldn’t with text, they show a world with a growing population, shrinking biodiversity, pollution, inequality, a changing climate and a shortage of resources and clean water. And yet our world is never the less beautiful beyond comprehension.
Some of the images are shocking, but the main aim of the pictures are to get people to start thinking of the world and sustainability more, some of the organisations involved have set up a ‘pledge’ scheme, this is based on a person making a small change in their own lives and to hopefully make a big difference across the country and the world. Some examples of pledges could be turning the tap off when you brush your teeth, set up a home compost heap or a water butt for your garden.
Whilst I have been working with the exhibition I have been very happy to see the number of people coming and also the type of activities set up around the National Waterfront Museum such as the BBC ‘Breathing Cities (where I met the lovely Iolo). I hope that everyone living in the surrounding areas of the city will have the chance to visit this spectacular exhibit and also please buy something from the shop even if it is a pencil (everything is gorgeous as you can imagine!) and keep it FREE for the future!
June 2007
18th-24th June 2007 Refugee Week: Asylum Monologues
Many events have been happening all over the UK to mark refugee week. A week where people celebrate the contribution that asylum seekers and refugees make both economically and socially. It is at this time each year that organisations and individuals alike try to highlight the reasons why people leave their own countries and travel many miles for sanctuary.
In Swansea there were many events which took place over this week including conference exploring gender issues in the asylum process. There were also DACE taster days which included workshops for children and adults alike including dance, song, creative writing, local history, citizenship, welsh and much more.
On the weekend of the 22nd and 23rd the Refugee Weekend Festival included music, poetry, dance and fun events and stalls for the children. On the Sunday there were drumming workshops, dance and music. A great weekend for all the family.
I attended ‘Asylum Monologues’, which took place in Swansea museum on the 21st June. 3 actors told asylum seekers stories and some of the horrible, traumatic things people have experienced before reaching ‘safe’ land. These stories are real life accounts of what people have been through whilst living in the UK, some very touching and disturbing stories.
The event touched on major issues such as detentions centres where more and more asylum seekers are being detained in prison like conditions for nothing but asking for international protection, under international law.
This event was performed simultaneously in 12 different cities around the UK and I only hope all of them got the same audience as Swansea, with a full hall, the number of people this event expected to reach was around 4,500 around the UK although I am sure they reached more than expected. The actors themselves are from an voluntary organisation called ‘Actors for Refugees’ who’s main aim is to show the kinds of problems people face when trying to flee persecution and usually meeting the same when arriving here. There was also drumming by ‘Love Africa’ who drummed between ‘scenes’ where different stories were told.
The event in Swansea was organised by Swansea Bay Asylum Seekers Support Group (SBASSG), Asylum Justice (voluntary basis legal advice for asylum seekers) and the Welsh Refugee Council. The event also talked about Hafan books, which are written by asylum seekers in Swansea, some very compelling stories told some of the books included ‘Soft Touch’, ‘Festival of the Wolf’ and ‘Nobody’s Perfect’ all definatly worth reading!
The harsh realities, which were brought home by this event, were things like detention centres, where people (not criminals) are put into prison like situations for nothing more than asking for international protection a human right. Destitution, the way in which people are not supported in any way or form in an attempt to force them to go home, not an option for many people. Highlighting the conflict and unjust regimes around the world, in which people should have protection, yet is often denied by the government. And of course the ‘safe’ countries list, there have been many protests against sending people back to Iraq, Iran and Sudan to name just a few.
May 2007
The Fair Trade Fashion Show, Swansea 2007
On the 4th of May 2007 the long awaited fair trade fashion show took place in The Waterfront Museum, Swansea.
As people started arriving there were refreshments on sale (fair trade of course) which included tea, coffee, wines, biscuits and welsh cakes. There were many stall set up in the main entrance hall including stalls from Oxfam and accessory stalls galore.
The opening presentation was called ‘global journey’ which is a banner which has been going around the world for the past 2 years promoting fair-trade on an international level. This remained the backdrop of the show.
The first models up were the children- and there were plenty of them, these clothes are sold by Keedo clothing (www.keedowales.co.uk) which is situated in Picton Arcade, Swansea. This company was set up in 2005 and has gone from strength to strength; it was brilliant to see so many children supporting fair trade. Backstage there was a rush to get the timings and clothing order correct.
The next models to strut down the runway were wearing Bishopston Trading, which is a company that is based in Bristol. This company sources its materials from rural India from a place called K.V. Kuppam, which is in the state of Tamil Nadu in Southern India where there is a very rural way of life and therefore not many jobs. Bishopston Trading has created jobs for 300 weavers to help women contribute more to the income and also children to stay in education longer.
Next down the runway was Ipsuis Clothing which is a local Swansea company that sources its materials from Nepal and specifically the valleys near to Kathmandu. Ipsuis only source materials where businesses pay fair wages, the rights of worker are protected, there are good working conditions and there is training and support provided to all staff. Their aim is to make clothing affordable, fashionable and fairly made, they hope to take this to the top of the high street.
Then there was Resource Fair Trading that is also a local company, which is run by Liz Stratton and based in Sketty. They source their products from a number of different producers but all of which are BAFTA registered. The service is also set up online to give a quick and easy service.
And last but certainly not least there were the fabulous Doy Bags, every model involved picked up a bag and strutted their way down the catwalk. Doy Bags are made from recycled drinks and even condiment packaging which would usually go to landfill. The bags are made by a co-operative in the Philippines, which has won numerous awards for ‘concern for the environment’, and it’s outstanding contribution to both waste recycling and employment generation. The co-operative employs 200 women and with a high birth rate this employment can make a real difference.
There were around 25-30 models and I can hand on heart say everyone enjoyed themselves, not just on the catwalk but in the back room where many people got to know each other and friendships were forged. I think all the models would like to thank everyone involved on the night and in dress rehearsals for the smooth running of the event. I hope it goes as well next year!!
All these products were funky and fresh with a serious message behind them. Ethically sourced is best!
By Stefani Thomas
