Summer Solstice Celebrations - June 2024
In this blog post, Helen Lunn reflects on the many contributions to our fourth annual Summer Solstice Celebration...
The sun was shining on us, as it should on the longest day of the year. We had gathered, in what is now a four year old tradition, to celebrate the summer solstice. It began with a throwaway remark about the centuries old ritual of planting your garlic on the shortest day, in December, to be harvested six months later on the longest day.
That harvesting was the starting point of the celebrations, with groups of people digging up garlic and onions from the SAW garden, the garden behind Caring Hands, and the flower bed outside the doctor’s surgery. Some harvesting had taken place earlier, to be turned into delicious bread by the Big River Bakery.
This bread was part of the delicious feast put on by some of the wonderful Dwellbeing Community Chefs. There was curry and salad and lovely sweet things. The chefs can give you more details of the dishes they served that day. Look out for more opportunities to enjoy their brilliant cooking, and to find out how you can be involved.
There was a welcome before the eating, with thankyous, and introductions to established and new projects from Dwellbeing. Our shiny new youth worker introduced themselves, and their new colleague, and told us a little bit about the work of the youth project. Lots of our young people were enjoying the occasion, playing in the park, and making pictures with pressed cut flowers. They shared their ideas of how they would like Shieldfield to look in twenty years, and were full of positivity and hope. Then we heard something about the Chefs, and especially about the use of garlic in cooking.
There was yoga in the park, courtesy of our local Yoga X Life studios, which was enjoyed by lots of people.
We heard some poetry from Lanre Sonde who has been working with Skimstone Arts, which added to the celebration.
It was a great event, the chance to get together with friends old and new. Now the nights are drawing in, and we will be planning a wintry celebration for the Winter Solstice in six months.
Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make it happen, and thank you to everyone for coming.
Helen is a member of Shieling Working Group. The group oversees our Shieling programme which is about improving public space and environment in sustainable and participatory ways.
Shieling Working Group is always open to new members. If you’re interested in anything to do with public space and environment, do get involved.
Contact Hannah at hannah@dwellbeingshieldfield.org.uk or leave a message on the Dwellbeing Mobile 07593 769 129 and we’ll get back to you.
Images by Lauren Stone