Who We Are

The idea for Chorlton's Big Green Festival was hatched in July 2008 when Bernard Leach and Emma Smail of Sustainable Chorlton, and Jessica Symons of Sustainable Chorlton and Krata, got together with Jeff Heie of the Care of the Earth group and the annual Chorlton Beer Festival at St Clement's Church. A follow-up meeting in September 2008 saw them joined by Adele Jordan of Krata and Unicorn, Helen Starr-Keddle and Odette O'Reilly of Action for Sustainable Living, and Simon Steel, a local events organiser. The basics of the festival were agreed upon and the first date set for Saturday 4 April 2009.

The main committee pictured here meets at least once a month throughout the year and is supported by a team of regular volunteers who offer their expertise in certain areas (such as publicity, law, health and safety, funding, etc) plus an enthusiastic group of helpers who assist with preparations and stewarding on the actual day. We welcome anyone who would like to get involved in the festival: get in touch via the relevant email address on the contact page or drop in to our next planning meeting (see the news box on the home page for details of when and where).

Adele	Bernard	Emma	Jeff	Odette	Simon	Helen
Photographs © Zoe Hodson, 2009

As well as organising the Big Green Festival and associated fringe events, the committee and volunteers are always busily developing positive new ideas, including community-based eco projects such as the greening of the scout hut at St Clement's. A Green Festival Discussion Group regularly meets to investigate possible future initiatives, from guerilla gardening days to building an alternative local economy; as a result, we have chosen the theme of "growing locally" for the festival as it moves into its second year.

Other People & Places...
Sustainable Chorlton
AfSL
Keep Chorlton Interesting
Krata
Unicorn Grocery
St Clement's Church