Friday 14th December 2012. It was a dark and rainy night….despite which around one thousand children, parents, aunties, uncles and grandparents all came out to see North Kelvin’s first Reindeer Parade, escorting Santa Claus through The Children’s Wood:
Santa Sets Off!
(photo: Anne Whitaker)
Festive excitement and pleasure – Santa, Reindeer, spirited recitation from the Stick Man, juggling, delicious cakes, mulled wine (hot blackcurrant for the children) – combined with serious purpose. We were also there to protest, make our banners seen:
Save Our Children’s Wood!
(photo: Anne Whitaker)
“Think globally, act locally“ urges people to consider the health of the entire planet and to take action in their own communities and cities. Long before governments began enforcing environmental laws, individuals were coming together to protect habitats and the organisms that live within them. These efforts are referred to as grassroots efforts. They occur on a local level and are primarily run by volunteers and helpers…..” ( Wikipedia )
May 2012 saw the start of The Children’ Wood – an offshoot of the sterling efforts of the North Kelvin Meadow Campaign, for the last few years the latest in several local initiatives, whose objective over a long period of time now has been to save a patch of local waste ground for community green space use, as opposed to its hosting yet another set of newbuild flats – in an already built up area – if Glasgow City Council‘s plan for the space goes ahead.
To give you a wonderful ‘flavour’ of what this land means to our community, DO watch this brilliant short film Dear Green Place, made recently by film maker James Urquhart.
Time is now getting short. The community’s formal objections have to be lodged by 4th January 2013. To find out more about this and find out how YOU can help, click HERE.
AND – to sign our on-line petition, go HERE. Thanks!!
(photo: Anne Whitaker)
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300 words copyright /Anne Whitaker 2012
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