Community

I've been thinking a lot this week about community and what that means. In these times of political uncertainty when the media is bombarding us with bad news after bad news and the cost of living is shooting up it's easy just to want to become a hermit and not leave the house unless you have too! I have to admit, I've been feeling really affected but a couple of things have happened in the last week that have made me want to fight back against feeling like that.

First of all we went to The Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival. Matt did his new Battle for the Ballot show on the first night and we got to spend a weekend in the sun catching up with lovely friends listening to inspiring music and speeches including a visit from Jeremy Corbyn.

We've also both been involved with an exhibition organised by The Loiterer's Resistance Movement  I love what the LRM manifesto says - 'We can't agree on what psychogeography means but we all like plants growing out of the sides of buildings, looking at things from new angles, radical history, drinking tea and getting lost, having fun and feeling like a tourist in your home town. Gentrification, advertising, surveillance and blandness makes us sad. We believe there is magic in the Mancunian rain. Our city is made for more than shopping. We want to reclaim it for play and revolutionary fun.'

This amazing drawing is from the exhibition and is by artist and animal rights activist Jane Samuels. It is simply stunning and my iPhone photo does not do it justice in any what. There is so much more detail in real life! 

Myself, Lynnmarie from Manchester Vegan Society and some other vegan bakers baked hundreds of cupcakes for the launch party to create the cake map of Manchester. Each cake was topped with a building and people will asked to leave us their stories and connections to these places resulting in a wonderful wall of colourful post its and shared memories and tales.

Matt also has an artwork in the show, a song played on a old tape recorded and an accompanying artwork. We had a really great day ending in an after party with live music that was a lot of fun. Yesterday made me reflect how one small action trying to reach out to meet like minded people has led me to this point in my life. When I first became vegan 10 years ago I did not know any other vegans, not even online. I went along to a Manchester Vegetarian and Vegan Group meeting. I won't lie, I was very nervous about doing this but I am so glad I did. From going to this group and then Manchester Vegan Society meet ups I met Morag the person behind the Loiterer's Resistance Movement. A few years later, through Morag I met my partner Matt.

In these uncertain times, we need to look out for each other. In the last week it's been wonderful to see support from friends and solidarity from the vegan community and vegan blogging network in supporting the Go Fund Me Campaign by my blogger friend Hillary. I blogged about it in more detail here The response has been fantastic and she is almost two thirds there. If you haven't taken a look, please do and if you can make a small donation that would be so much appreciated. She is hoping to be able to start putting out searches for a new place to rent this week. Here is the Go Fund Me page.