Timber - enlighten, educate and inspire

I've already written an overview of Timber Festival, but there was so much going on - from music, to debates, to circus skills workshops - that one post isn't enough to cover everything. For this one I'm going to concentrate on the 'serious' side of things.

Situated on a 70 acre site at Feanedock in the National Forest, Timber has at its heart a 'mission' to celebrate trees, and educate festival-goers about matters relating to trees - the part we might be playing in their destruction, how on the other hand they can help the fight against climate change or heal land once damaged by industry and mining, how they can help us as individuals by providing a space for outdoor pursuits, and promoting relaxation and mindfulness. There were a lot of things to be learned over the weekend, and I definitely came away inspired to make changes in my life.


Over the three days there were a LOT of talks and panels connected with the subject, so I'm concentrating on those which had most affect either at the time or now that I've had time to consider things.

First up was a minor disappointment - the Extinction Rebellion talk didn't really tell me anything new. I am though the sort of person who's always had an interest in 'green' issues and I read a lot of  online articles relating to climate change so perhaps I'm not an average person in this regard (for example, I've just clicked through onto one link that claimed human civilisation would end by 2050). I'd hoped that Extinction Rebellion would have been able to point me in a direction of doing something useful - protesting in London may raise general awareness, and influence government and corporations outlook, but I was hoping for something constructive to do in my day to day life, and they didn't really seem to address this aspect. Their only positive suggestion was planting trees to clear CO2, which definitely influenced our decision to join the Woodland Trust over the weekend.



The four members of the Slow Living panel talked about the ways they personally attempted to bring the outdoors into their everyday life. There were simple suggestions such as starting the day by going outside (if it's too cold or wet at least standing at the door to experience what the world is like without the benefit of central heating), or taking daily walk which, even living in a city, will generally bring us into contact with nature - urban trees, parks, or even wildflowers which spring up along road and pavement edges.

To take the idea further, you could try foraging - I've seen elder trees (for flowers and berries) and wild roses (for their hips) growing as 'weeds' in Salford - or even living 'outside' for a period of time (two of the panel had spent months living in yurts or bell-tents, but for me a couple of days of summer camping is enough!). With reference to the mindfulness of slow living, they talked about taking the time to cook a 'proper' meal from scratch, or just brew coffee. In the past I've foraged, collecting elderflowers for wine, and crab apples and sloes for preserves, and spent more time in the garden, and through this felt more attuned to the seasons but somehow with years of tending my parents I seem to have lost that connection. I intend to try some of their ideas - start with the simple and easy, and work my way up (but not the live-in-a-tent idea). I feel as well that instead of waiting for a period of life when I feel I have time to do these things, I should do them NOW, and let everything else fit in around them.






Mentioning the word 'should' brings me to Luke Turner, and a curiously inspiring talk from someone who doesn't really seem to 'get' nature. He's tried it. Been out in the woods - Epping Forest. Didn't like it. Depending on his mood, 'nature' seemed dull or frightening, but he believed it was his fault, that somehow he wasn't doing things properly because everyone says it is what you SHOULD do to help depression, but it wasn't working. This has a proper title, The Tyranny of Should, coined by a German psychoanalyst in relation to the ideal self we might strive after, but which isn't always attainable. For Turner, it meant that in seeking to alleviate depression, he'd been forcing himself into a situation he wasn't comfortable with, and certainly not a relaxing one. We all need to find our own ways to happiness, and accept that one solution doesn't fit everyone.





I'd intended to catch one of the organised forest bathing sessions but something about an organised relaxation class seems oxymoronic. Accidentally, a short chat with a security man on one of the quieter entrances led me in a similar direction. Sitting quietly on the edge of the festival site he'd been surprised at the number of  birds, butterflies and even animals that appeared when he was alone. This inspired me to do a little on my own - taking time away from the main festival site to explore the quieter area of surrounding woodland, to listen to the birds (I could only identify wood pigeons) and a dog barking far in the distance, look closely at the trees and wild flowers instead of rushing past. It's easy to take the time, to stop and really look around, and something I'll try to achieve on future walks or maybe just while sitting in the garden.



In all, I came home with a lot of food for thought and good intentions on how I might change my life for the better. Watch this space, and see how it goes!

For more about my weekend, specifically entertainment, see here  'music and more' and 'practicalities - camping, food and toilets'

Timber Festival 2019 - 5th-7th July

So, another bank holiday has come and gone, which the usual mixed weather, and now it's time to really look forward to summer - to getting outside, walking in the countryside, picnics and barbecues ... and festivals! I'm not talking loud music festivals here but smaller, more intimate, quirkier gatherings, with a mix of entertainment, activities, and something to stretch the mind a little.

Timber Festival - photo credit; Andrew Allcock

You might remember that last year I was delighted to be asked along to a new local festival, Timber, a collaboration between the National Forest and arts organisation Wild Rumpus, three wonderful days of celebrating nature and the 'outdoors', held at Fearnedock on the Derbyshire/Leicestershire border. Family problems limited the time I could spend there last year, but I visited for some time on each day, and enjoyed myself immensely.

I've already mentioned Timber briefly in my round-up of local festivals  but I hope your interest is whetted so here are more details.

It runs this year from 5-7th July, again at the Fearnedock site where, fittingly, trees are beginning to hide and heal the scars left on the landscape by open cast mining. I say 'fittingly' because at the heart of Timber's ethos is the belief in the restorative power, both physical and mental, of getting outdoors and immersing ourselves in nature; a belief I personally share.

With this in mind, Timber offers many opportunities to get 'hands on' in the forest environment. Head for the Shivelight zone, where there'll be classes in yoga, tai chi, forest meditation, reiki, and mindfulness, or you can just soak your cares away in a wood-fired hot tub. Author and naturalist Emma Mitchell shows how depression and anxiety can be alleviated by getting outdoors, and Sarah Spenser will teach you how to Think Like A Tree.

Elsewhere around the 70 acre site, you can get more physical with dance sessions for both children and adults - Bhangra Tots for the younger festival-goers, Maypole dancing, Bollywood dance workshops and Flat Footing, which sounds like something I might do but is an improvised percussive dance from the Appalachian area of the US. If you don't feel like dancing, then maybe a circus skills workshop appeals?

In more practical hands-on workshops, you could try traditional wood-working techniques with pole lathes and shaving horses, test your forest survival skills, learn how to measure trees (with lasers and hugs), get busy with Hammer and Chisel to create a unique playground or find your way through the willow maze. And my husband will be pleased to know the heavy horses are back. I think being able to actually have a go at long-reining was the highlight of last year's festival for him.

The Eyrie

This all sounds rather busy and tiring, so sit back for a while and let others entertain you. There are two main performance areas. The Eyrie Stage is dedicated to music and spoken word, with poets, a brass band, two choirs, folk-influenced music and a rock band. At 'Field Notes'  you can listen to a wide range of musicians and performers from folk to synth-pop, hear Phill Jupitus, Laura Barton and Peter Owen-Jones share their favourite nature related music tracks, listen to a discussion on the controversial topic of re-wilding, or Stuart Maconie talking about his travel book, The Long Road from Jarrow. Over at 'Elemental', Vybarr Cregan-Reid looks at how our sedentary lifestyles can cause irreparable harm, in two separate events Luke Turner and Jessica J Lee talk about their memoirs and of fighting personal demons through immersing themselves in nature, and Mahsuda Snaith figures out how you can stay in touch with nature while living in an urban environment.

photo credit; Samuel Mills

Timber's location with woodland and glades lends itself to the creation of small intimate spaces for art and light installations, telling stories round a campfire, or, in The Baron in the Trees, based on Italo Calvino's novel, a circus show devised specially for Timber combining slapstick and juggling with acrobatics and aerial stunts among the trees.

There's so much going on over the weekend that I feel I've rambled on for too long yet merely scratched the surface; I'd best mention food though. If last year is anything to go by there'll be a varied offering to keep your energy levels up, plus demonstrations from The Perfectly Edible Binner Party who will show how to avoid waste by creating a two course meal out of food that otherwise would have gone to landfill, and Creative Countryside will help you discover how to forage for wild food, and how to cook it.

Last year was a wonderful relaxing, enlightening weekend, with something for everyone from the very young to oldies like me, and Timber's award of Best New Festival at the UK Festival Awards seems well deserved. It's a place where something new is to be found around every corner or tree

Note - this is, as you may guess, a promotional post, but my ramblings are all my own, and Timber was definitely a wonderful experience last year. I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in nature and the environment - but as I've said before, it's not for petrol heads or people only interested in chart-topping music stars