As unusual temperatures soared on 1 October 2011, over 200 shoppers and children helped press fruit, taste the juice and join in the fun on a London high street
Over 1,000 kilos of apples, pears, plums and figs were picked for the event by Local Fruit Harvesters, a group who collect back-garden fruit that would otherwise be left to rot, and share it out between garden owners, volunteer pickers, local schools, charities, restaurants and shops on a non-profit basis.
The group, who are part of Transition Kensal to Kilburn, were joined by members of the newly-formed Transition Willesden in setting up a stall on Kilburn High Road with a traditional apple press.
Also in London, the Kingston Philosophy Festival, organised in October by the local Transition and Amnesty International groups with a grant from the council, offered a month of discussions, activities and participative events centred around the theme of happiness.
Meanwhile, inspired by the Brixton, Lewes and Totnes local currencies, Sutton in Surrey could be the next town to launch its very own local currency, the Sutton Pound. Or will it be Tooting Transition, who are moving forward with the idea of a Tooting Pound?
Over in Christchurch, Dorset, the local council bought a patch of wasteland for £1 and with the help of the local Transition group, are making it into a community garden. A group in Marlborough, Wiltshire have drawn the support of their town council in working on an action plan to become an official Transition initiative.
Across in Ireland, the Kinsale 50 Mile Meal Award, presented at the annual Kinsale Gourmet Festival, is giving recognition to meals made with ingredients produced within a 50 mile radius of the town. Irish Transition groups are also benefiting from a new animation on community resilience, called Surfing the Waves of Change, produced by Cultivate, a practical sustainability organisation working with Transition Ireland and Northern Ireland.
In Germany this year’s Transition Un-Conference, which took place across two days in the Teutoburger Forest, saw participants busily networking, learning ‘stone-age re-skilling’ and taking part in live music, dancing, art and celebration.
