Network and Open Events

Also see Updates section.

Network meeting, 9th February 09

See Reference > Group Documents for Visioning post-it note exercise.

Open event, 1st December 08

Press release is below, with more background to the event.

Feed back on post-its about the meeting

Collated notes from comments made at the end of this first Open meeting held by the group.

The impact the meeting had on me was………

I don’t know yet.
Well run “seminar” I’m much better informed and encouraged to get involved.
I no longer feel so alone.  It is nice to know that others are taking action.
Encouraging.
Very positive
Empowerment, fraternity, hope.
Network group, contact, energy.
Overwhelmed..... Was the Gazette here?
Excitement  - Relief ( that this desperately needed movement is beginning) – Wonder: at what will happen.
Nice to be among like minded people.
It is great to see so many people eager to become involved, and in many different ways.  I feel very excited about it, and want to become further involved.
A well-run meeting – it enabled exchange of ideas and making connections.  Thank you.

Well done for raising the issues and helping people to get involved
Gather all these people here tonight in one place advocating one clear goal.
Very encouraging to see 70ish people dedicated to a more sustainable society, but there’s a hell of a long way to go, can we do it in time.
Good to see numbers doubled from last time. Will this trend continue? I hope so.
Very positive impact great to meet others who are interested in positive change.
Good to feel that positive action is on the move to change society.
Really enjoyed the format & Roxane’s involvement – we need a professional philosopher! Look forward to joining a practical campaign.
Good to meet new people & form connections.
Great to get practical information about what I can do on a personal level.
Thank you for the focus ! Now I feel that I can really do something.
Good to share ideas to take back to my village Transition Group
Lots of chattering – very encouraging.
At last a chance to get involved in the bigger picture.
Would like to continue sharing ideas with the Heart & Soul group.
Overall – left feeling quite positive.

What I would like you to do differently about the meeting is…………

It was fine how it was.
“Where are you line” was very effective.
Positive atmosphere  - great.
Good meeting with no changes.
Well done on bringing it & us all together.
No suggestions for improvement, well organised event.
Great organisation.
Good team organisers.
Groups need more structure.
More structure to break out group would have been better – some items/ideas weren’t discussed.
We need a Lobbying group to get the Council support we need.
Build a skills database for sharing in the group.
It would be good to share as a whole group the knowledge & expertise we already have.

Press Release - for immediate release

Transition Malvern Hills Holds First Open Meeting

The Room in Malvern Council House was packed out with over 50 people yesterday evening.  Some were long-term residents of the District, and others have only recently moved here.  Some are already taking practical steps to reduce their carbon footprint, and others had not yet heard of the concept of peak oil.  What they all had in common was a belief that the oil-dependent lifestyle that we all currently live cannot last forever.

Start of the Open eventPeak oil is the point at which we start using more oil than we are producing.  Transition Malvern Hills is a project looking at the transition of Malvern and the Malvern Hills District to life after cheap oil.  The purpose of Transition Malvern Hills is to inform people about the implications of peak oil for the area, and to explore creative ways of tackling the issue. 

Yesterday evening Transition Malvern Hills held its first open meeting.  The aim of the meeting was to inform people about peak oil and climate change, and their implications for the area, and to encourage people to start thinking about what we as a community can do about it.

Nick Martin, one of the organisers of the evening, said, "We are excited that so many people have turned out on a cold evening to be here.  We are particularly pleased that many people came who admitted at the beginning of the evening that they know almost nothing about peak oil."

The evening started with a presentation by Will Tooby, the chair of Transition Malvern Hills.  He gave some of the facts and figures about peak oil and climate change, much of which came as a surprise to many members of the audience.

This was followed by an exercise run by Roxane Loiseaux, where people were able to share their reactions to the presentation.  People could measure their reactions on a scale from "Shocked" through "I don't believe it" and "I accept it but don't know what to do", to "Actively doing something".  Some people put themselves in the "Shocked" group, but nobody was in the "I don't believe it" category.

Then Robin Coates set up some small groups where people could talk about the subject that felt most important to them, for example, food, spreading the word, transport and energy.

The evening ended with a plea from Will Tooby, who said, "We can't leave this to our children to sort out – that will be too late.  We have to do something about this now."

Here are some comments from some of the people who came to the meeting:

"I no longer feel so alone.  It is nice to know that others are taking action."
"A well-run meeting – it enabled exchange of ideas and making connections.  Thank you!"
"Well done for raising the issues and helping people to get involved."
"It is great to see so many people eager to become involved, and in many different ways.  I feel very excited about it, and want to become further involved."

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